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Earl Brutus vocalist dies of cancer
Posted: 10 Jul '08, 16:08
Word has belatedly reached DiS via The Guardian obituaries that Nick Sanderson (pictured), vocalist with acclaimed ‘90s act Earl Brutus and also formerly of World Of Twist, died last month of cancer aged 47.
Earl Brutus, much loved by Select magazine I recall, released two albums – 1996’s Your Majesty… We Are Here and 1998’s Tonight You Are The Special One – but never truly translated their admiration in the music press into commercial success. The Sheffield act performed only very occasionally after the turn of the millennium, with one show at London’s Hammersmith Working Men’s Club in 2004 raising money for Ken Livingstone's London Mayoral election campaign. The band fused a glam-rock stomp with a fiery temper that Mark E Smith was undoubtedly impressed by, and would play live in front of funeral wreaths reading “fuck you”.
World Of Twist meanwhile, with whom Sanderson briefly drummed (he also played with the Gun Club and the Jesus & Mary Chain), only released the single album in 1991, Quality Street. They, like Earl Brutus, have remained a cult favourite.
Sanderson is survived by his wife Romi and their son.
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Always sad to hear
of an early death. Loved the World of Twist singles Sweets and She's a Rainbow.
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fuck
he was ace
and the pylons stretched for miles........
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Tragic
They were ace, and he had genuine (nasty) charisma.
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Very sad.
That's no age to go, is it?
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Will be listening to both albums in full tonight
and raising a bottle of red to the guy.
Probably the fist band to truly blow my socks of when i saw them live.
RIP Nick-
Damn
'Navyhead' is among my top 10 most played tracks on my Ipod. RIP.
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funny story
I knew Nick.
Good man. If a bit mad.
One time, me and him walked into famed Rock'n'roll hotel, TheColumbia, looking for a late night drink.
Normally you will find Mogwai or sundry bands staying there and mild to severe partying and good times.
Cept
this time
it was block booked by abut 300 St Helen's Rugby League fans, with tatts and rugby shirts and moustaches and sensible haircuts and it was about 1am or so and they were not sober.
A real Slaughtered Lamb moment when we rolled in shouting and hammered.
Nick clocks the scene.
Everyone is looking at us.
He asks them who they are and what they are all here for?
One says it's for a big game that day, which by the looks of things, they had lost.
Nick looks the sky and says in a very loud and clear voice
"I have always thought that Rugby...................................................... is a fucking poofs game"
A little piece of me shrivelled up and other parts of me braced for the inevitable.
My life flashed before me, incoherently.
But, the bunch nearest us, started laughing and soonthey all did.
And then they bought us some beers.Says Nick,
"I knew we'd be alright here"Says me
"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,well at least we aren't dead"Says NIck
"Exactly"-
Gutted
what a loss. always hoped they'd reform and play a few gigs. Alas, not to be. RIP.
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This is rather sad.
Never really got into World of Twist, but Earl Brutus were a brilliant band. x
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There was a thread 3 weeks
back about this Mr D but thanks for highlighting what a tragic loss this is in the news section. Their gig and Nick's performance at Reading 98 I think it was will remain with me for the rest of my life. First class front man, brilliant band, sadly missed.
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You're right about Select
They were big fans of his.
I miss Select, but it's so long ago that I don't know if this is a rose-tinted spectacles thing.
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Yeah
this is very sad.
Every time I see one of those revolving garage forecourt signs I think of Earl Brutus - they used to have them on stage at the gigs.
This is sad sad news.
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Gutted!
What a shame, Earl Brutus were one of the best bands I ever saw!
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never saw em
but all their singles were ace. Be playing those over a few going out beers later I thinks...
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This
is bad news.
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Gutted
RIP Nick :(
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honestly...
an amazing man. Unpredictable, full of ideas, down to earth and the sort of latterday punk rocker who could be relied on to ask the questions that no-one else would ask. I'm biased because I signed the Brutus to Deceptive for their first album and hung ot with them a lot, but I'm gutted by this news (which came in a very bad week, a fortnight ago). He was, for me, a sort of Mark E Smith figure, single-mindendly intent on trying to drag pop music in a direction which he saw as exciting and challenging. Almost like a Brian Clough. Or a Loog Oldham. But a bit more pissed.
Bless him.
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