Martin Bowes of ATTRITION Talks New Album, His Hometown And More

Founded in 1980 and still helmed by band mainstay Martin Bowes, Attrition have been based in the English Midlands town of Coventry for most of their existence. They have released their new album ‘THE BLACK MARIA’ and Martin Bowers chatted to us about the record, his hometown and more:

Who is in ATTRITION, what do they play and how did you meet?

ATTRITION started out way back in December 1980… our first show was in our hometown of Coventry. on December 8th, the day John Lennon was shot.
The first few shows was a post punk line up of guitar, bass and drums. It quickly started to change into a more electronic sound, as the drummer and guitarist left and were replaced by a drum machine and synthesisers. The line up of Martin Bowes, Julia Waller and Ashley Niblock remained the core of the band for the next 5 years.

Your new album ‘The Black Maria’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

For many years the band has been held together by Martin, working with a series of guest musicians, from all over the world. A flexible line up that has worked pretty well for us. I compose using electronics and bring in female singers, guitar, violin, cello, piano…whatever i feel a track needs. The album was a long time in the making… it has been 9 years since the last all new album release, but after so many releases I didn’t feel the need to rush… and external events meant that was how it would be. I’m pleased with the result.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

We recorded the album primarily in my studio here in Coventry. The Cage. I produced and mastered it as i have done with all the later ATTRITION recordings. The Cage is also my work place for mastering and producing work for other bands. My day-job if you like!

You have also released the single ‘The Great Derailer’ featuring vocalist Emèse Árvai-Illes (from Black Nail Cabaret) from the album. What was the story/inspiration behind the track? How did the collaboration arise?

Yes, the Great Derailer was the first single from the album, it came out just before lockdown…another reason for the delay of the final album! It has been remixed/remastered on the album. I met Emese when we played with Black Nail Cabaret in Budapest in 2017 and kept in touch…she is an amazing singer!

The song looks at politics and power and control systems… and the fact there is always a time when they get “derailed”… I looked at it as a good thing… although as Emese pointed out… Derailing can also be a negative thing…

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The video was directed by a good friend of mine here in Coventry Antony Weir, a wonderful photographer who we had worked with on many occasions. I encouraged him to try making a video… I think he did really well. We worked on ideas and locations together… the idea of followers and how they can be swept along by leaders… the gas masks, just before covid…was a massive coincidence!… Antony sadly passed away in 2023.

Who did you record with on the album in terms of vocalists?

Well apart from Emese, I worked with Elisa Day, a Mexican opera singer who was over in the UK for a while, Yvetter Winkler (on The Alibi) from Dutch band Vaselyne, Joanna Wolf, from now defunct Coventry band Wolf Suit… and then last but certainly not least, Julia Waller returned to ATTRITION after 20 years absense… she recorded on two songs, The Switch and the title track, The Black Maria… which completed the album. She will be recording regularly again from now on…

Who are some of your musical influences?

Varies a lot over the years… I was definitely inspired by Punk to create my own music… and then post-punk, bands like Siouxsie, Magazine, Wire and then the electronic/industrial sounds of bands like Cabaret Voltaire, early Human League… and then that has expanded over the years… taking in electronic dance sounds and classical and experimental music along the way.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

After 44 years I can’t imagine ever leaving the “stage”… perhaps I  will spend more time in my studio as I get older… I don’t know. I started out as an artist.. a painter/sculptor… and I may return to that too. I feel I have achieved so many things… one of the most amazing being that at least 2 girls have been named after perhaps the most well known ATTRITION song, A Girl Called Harmony (1991) – best review I could ever have! We have released a lot of albums, created film soundtracks (usually horror!) and toured over 5 continents… but really the challenge of writing the next album will never go away…its the need of self expression… and i find no better tool than music for that.

 Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I love my arsenal of synths… hardware and software…I use some on stage, and my electronic sax when I’m not singing…I do have a multi guitar pedal effect unit for that. In the studio I have an array of mics… from Neumann to ribbon mics and lo-fi mics… anything that helps me create a sound is good!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Coventry is in the centre of England. An old medieval town that was terribly bombed during the second world war. The UK’s car manufacturing town in the 60’s and 70′ s… suffering when the factories closed down… the home of Two Tone (I used to interview The Specials when i wrote my fanzine (in 1979-81…before we started ATTRITION)…I think that’s more than five words! 🙂

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

As I said it took place over a few years… I was also working on other projects a lot of the time. Near the end of that period Ashley got in touch and started to play with the band again (he lives in San Francisco now but often joins us on stage)…it was great to have him back after nearly 30 years!… and finally Julia, who is his sister…re-joined too… so we have the original line up back together (plus a few additional musicians) I had always kept working with ATTRITION but for the completion of the album to coincide with the reformation of the original line up has been very special indeed.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

We just played the Black Maria launch show here in Coventry (On March 29th) and have shows booked here in the UK and at festivals in Europe and The USA later this year… more to come too. It always a thrill to tour and perform on stage.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

I never seem to sound very happy in my music… I would say they are all reflective, and not particularly angry, even in The Great Derailer, where i am saying the events entertain us… the album itself is dedicated to my ex-wife and great friend, Kerri Bowes, who passed away on January 8th 2022. It actually freed me to complete the album lyrically.

Was it a difficult album to write?

Yes it was…one of the reasons for the time it took… and as I said… a lot to do with Kerri. I hope she is resting in peace now.

How do you look after your voices?

I think my low, almost spoken voice kind of looks after itself… even when I smoked, which was many years ago now… it may have even helped!

Who created/designed the album artwork?

The artwork was created by James King, a photographer from Atlanta, USA. The model is Darian Kane, a Ballet dancer…also from Atlanta. I felt it portrayed the unease of The Black Maria character very well.

What makes Attrition happy and what makes you unhappy?

For myself its often the simple things… people, places, tastes, sounds, images that stimulate me… I love to travel, to meet people, to create… and I love my children… and now my recent Grandchildren… and my adventures with my partner… so many things.

Unhappy? I think its always the hate in this world…which seems to have ramped up a notch recently… I’m not even sure why but the world is a sadder place for it…
We all need to do better…