| YOUTH IN ASIA Penetration on naff mandrax... |
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| YOUTH IN ASIA # 1 (Summer 1981)
KAYA BYATTA -Vocals MARK EDMONDSON - Guitar WAYNE PRESTON - Bass OLGA - Casio/Vocals PUNKY PETE - Drums YOUTH IN ASIA # 2 KAYA BYATTA -Vocals MARK EDMONDSON - Guitar WAYNE PRESTON - Bass OLGA - Casio/Vocals PUNKY PETE - Drums EDDIE - Drums LOU - Rhythm Guitar YOUTH IN ASIA # 3 (Mid 1983) KAYA BYATTA - Vocals MARK EDMONDSON - Guitar WAYNE PRESTON - Bass OLGA - Casio/Vocals BERNIE - Drums MICK - Rhythm Guitar |
| YOUTH IN ASIA Discography: Various - 'Bullshit Detector II' - 'Power And The Glory' (Crass Records). Double album this time that featured 38 bands (1982). SEX OBJECT Demo Tape (Millenium Tapes, Sept.1982) C.B.S. (Cash Before Sincerity) Power And The Glory They Shoot Children Don't They? Blind Reality Victim Of Rape How They Live Army Gigolo Time Happy Families Sunday Bloody Sunday Lady Madonna 2ND Demo Tape (Unreleased 1983) They Shoot Children Don't They? When The Wind Blows 4 Minute Warning Various - 'Anti-War' Anarcho punk compilation Volume 1 - 'When The Wind Blows' (Overground Records) (February 2005). |
| LIVE! |
| CONFLICT
RUBELLA BALLFT YOUTH IN ASIA Moonlight, London I GUESS this goes to show the lie dream of the dead soul scene. Synthesized urchins clothes-hang against the walls, propped up with half-pint glasses and leather slogans (Epileptics, Adicts, D.O.A, Dirt, The Mob . . .). To each his own crutch. Youth In Asia sound like Penetration on naff mandrax, painful micturition, more Epping Forest than garageland but then the vocalist muscles in with cathedral soar and climax (she sings so strong!). They've got the barking banners, the fotogenic fanzine faces, (you just know they wouldn't ever sign up) and, no doubt, they'll soon be taken to studded hearts by the Crass army. But what a waste of that voice! Rubella Ballet are Sharp and spiky, bassist, singer and drummer in the grand old punk tradition and a guitarist in pinstriped waistcoat and shirtsleeves. Here is a punk band, one that provokes, drives you to re-think as against fuzz-doping you into pogoing submission. They are too good for Crass ignominie. They play with offbeat passion and flirt outrageously with musical intelligence and take the best from the Mick Jones / Steve Jones noise-culture. Rubella Ballet swap vocals and the singer bounces to someone else's voice. The guitarist sings: "Governments are opting out/ Don't know what the fuck they're on about" - a voice with character, Devoto with razors. The noise veers towards Devo's 'String Driven Thing' as the bassist, faces locked in profile, hair swept up like a Greek helmet, picks the strings in elbow-length gold lame fingerless gloves. Style and suss. Rubella Ballet look better than the Crass acolytes and sound better to boot (DM). Conflict takes over the sound with an instrumental that keeps threatening to become a song but the singer enters stage left, mikebound, only at the end. He plays South London's Steve Ignorant and the plectrums start thrashing the background to Conflict's verbal condemnation of a brutal system. Conflict come from Eltham; it seems to make all the difference. Whereas Crass, the obvious catalyst, bury their heads, Conflict have decided to tackle street-ignbrance, playing a number dedicated to the Nazi British Movement (a song as overtly and committedly anti-fascist as the specific condemnations hammered out by Crisis all those years back) and another about the shit-of-the-year Exploited Barmy Army ('Exploitation'). The dole queue stylists will have to wait a while for Conflict to slow down and learn to articulate their protest with larder, sharper anger but Rubella Ballet are already there. ASLEF blacked but out the Sun, Rubella Ballet eclipse Crass - that's power. X Moore - New Musical Express (PDC Archives) Cheers to Mike Clarke for updates and Sean McGhee (for Youth In Asia Image on this page) |
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| BIOGRAPHY Kaya Byatta, of Streatham (South London), was 16 in 1977 when she discovered Punk Rock, hanging around the Croydon Greyhound and befriending members local bands like The Damned and the Cowards. Shortly after she began going out with local celebrity Johnny Moped and made her first public performance at a small Croydon pub, jumping up to sing with the Cowards. After one impromptu rehearsal later on with Mark (Cowards) and Fred Berk and Dave Berk of the Johnny Moped band she decided to be a singer, but didn't form a band proper until answering a music paper ad placed by Mark Edmonson, who at the time lived in Clitheroe, Lancashire. On mooving down to London he brought with him Wayne Preston and Youth In Asia was formed. Whilst following Crass around the UK on tour the trio met drummer Punky Pete and his girlfriend, Olga. After intitial rehearsals in Summer 1981 the new band played a shambolic debut gig at a Belgian Squat - venue and Pete was replaced by another ex-Pat Lancastrian, Eddie. At this time Mark and Kay squatted in Central London next to Boy George and Marilyn, but the band's base later became East London. Lou, ex of The Witches, joined on second guitar and the band began to play all across London at venues like the 100 Club, Moonlight, Wapping Anarchy Centre, Centro Iberico, Brixton Ace, Clapham 101 club, LSE and Chat's Palace, the most notable show being the famous ZigZag Squat event in December 1982, an all-dayer organised by Crass. Around the release of the second Bullshit Detector LP, Youth In Asia were playing with bands like Omega Tribe, Committee, Rubella Ballet (Zillah of whom is Olga's sister), 1919, Ritual, Riot/Clone, Hagar The Womb, Poison Girls, Apostles. The final Youth In Asia line-up came about in mid - 1983 when Lou left, Eddie went back to Clitheroe and Mick and Bernie, formerly of a Bracknell - area Punk band called Disease, joined. A 3 - track EP had already been recorded and was slated for release on the Crass lebel, but in early 1984 Kaya, Mark, Mick and Bernie decided to leave and form a totally new band from Wayne and Olga's point of view (rightly), this wasn't done in the perfect manner, and Youth In Asia were finished. Mike Clarke (October 2005) WHERE ARE THEY NOW Wayne and Olga got married and had children together together, Olga going into teaching, Wayne working at Better Badges before starting a successful business of his own. They both still live in London. Mark married twice, lives in South East London with his 2nd wife and baby daughter. After playing briefly in Decadent Few he currently works at Goldsmith's University in New Cross. Eddie still lives in Clitheroe, Lancs . Punky Pete disappeared off the scene, sadly it was recently discovered that he died in prison in the 1980's. Lou married an old friend, her current whereabouts are unknown. Kaya and Mick formed Decadent Few after Youth In Asia finished. Decadent Few still practice and write music. They live in Kent and London respectively. Bernie left Decadent Few in 1985, continued playing drums and still lives in West London. |
| ON RECORD |
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