Blood Circus was a short-lived band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1988 that has been described as sludge metal or grunge. Rock journalist Ned Raggett writing in AllMusic describes the band's music as "rough and ready, sludgy guitar rock with a bad attitude".
The band's first release was a single, 1988's "Two Way Street"/"Six Foot Under", on Sub Pop. Both Mudhoney and Nirvana performed their first shows in Seattle opening for Blood Circus at the Vogue in 1988.
In 1989 Sub Pop released the band's first and only album, a five-track EP called Primal Rock Therapy which, despite being now recognised as a milestone record of that time and place, was at the time panned by the critics and ignored by the public. This contributed to the split of the band in 1989 after a North American tour with the French band Les Thugs. Both bands played in San Francisco in June 1989.
They briefly reformed in 1992, when Sub Pop re-released Primal Rock Therapy on CD with five additional unreleased tracks.The rerelease comprised almost all of the band's recorded output, except for the song "The Outback", which can be found on the Sub Pop 200 compilation. The band also briefly appeared in the 1996 film Hype!, a documentary about the rise of the Seattle scene.
Blood Circus performed a one-off reunion show at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe in 2007.
Links to Peel[]
Peel played mostly the band's, 'Two Way Street' track on his shows between 1988 and 1989. Ion February 1989, he played their tune, 'The Outback', on his show, from the Sub Pop 200 various compilation album.
Shows Played[]
- 11 July 1988: Two Way Street (7" - Two Way Street / Six Foot Under) Sub Pop
- 31 August 1988: Two Way Street (7" - Two Way Street / Six Foot Under) Sub Pop
- 1989
- 23 January 1989: Two Way Street (12" - Primal Rock Therapy) Glitterhouse
- 13 February 1989: The Outback (v/a album - Sub Pop 200) Sub Pop
- 14 March 1989: Two Way Street (7") Sub Pop