The Sabres of Paradise were a British experimental group formed in London, England in 1992. Although their roots were in the acid house scene, they later produced more dub-inspired work. Andrew Weatherall formed the group with engineers Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns and became responsible for the Sabresonic warehouse raves. Keith Tenniswood joined the group after meeting Jagz at Phil Perry's Full Circle club. Sabres dissolved in 1995. Weatherall went on to form Two Lone Swordsmen with Tenniswood while Kooner and Burns carried on working together with The Aloof. On 17 February 2020, Andrew Weatherall died due to pulmonary embolism.
Links to Peel[]
Peel first played Sabres Of Paradise in 1993, from their debut 'Sabresonic' album. In later years, he would continue to give the outfit airtime, including a single session for his show. The group entered the 1994 Festive Fifty with 'Wilmot'.
The DJ also aired material put out on labels with close links to the band and its members, including their self-named imprint and related Sabrettes sub-brand as well as Andrew Weatherall's later Emissions Audio Output and Rotters Golf Club operations, although major SOP releases were generally entrusted to Warp Records. Weatherall had previously been involved in the label that grew out of the Boys' Own football and music fanzine, with Terry Farley and others.
S is for... Sabres of Paradise
In 2012, the Sabres Of Paradise LP "Sabresonic" was among the first 100 records by artists beginning with S when details of Peel's record collection were first released online.[1] In a related YouTube video called 'S is for... Sabres Of Paradise', released by the John Peel Archive, Sheila and Andrew Weatherall each recall Peel wearing a leather jacket bearing the name of Weatherall's Sabrettes record label, with the dance-music icon claiming he saw Peel wearing the garment while watching a river in a BBC documentary. The clip in question appears to have been from the Channel 4 documentary Travels With My Camera: Autobahn Blues, in which Peel is seen looking at a river wearing a Sabrettes rain jacket from a boat in Hamburg, Germany. In the John Peel Archive video, Weatherall also admits to "eternal regret" for failing to meet Peel, after being worse for wear at the Sonar festival in Barcelona and having to decline a BBC interview with him.
Peel followed Weatherall's prolific career both before and after SOP, from Bocca Juniors to Two Lone Swordsmen and beyond, despite showing little interest in his breakthrough production work on the 'Screamadelica' album of Primal Scream. As the worlds of indie and dance music came together, early remixes by the star club DJ included for Peel session bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Happy Mondays, James, New Order, Future Sound of London, Fini Tribe and Meat Beat Manifesto.[2] In 1990, there was airtime for his remix of Saint Etienne's cover version of the Neil Young classic "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".[3] Peel also played his 'Perpetual Dawn (Ultrabass 2)' remix for the Orb, which sampled a vintage spoken-word recording of Misty In Roots that was much loved by the R1 DJ.[4] Artists with later TLS remixes included Throbbing Gristle, Spiritualized and Calexico.[5]
In the early 2000s, Peel also gave airtime to releases from Keith Tenniswood (Sabres, TLS) as Radioactive Man.
Long after Peel's death, 'The Confidence Man' from the Andrew Weatherall solo album 'Convenanza' reached #39 in Dandelion Radio's 2016 Festive Fifty. Previously, two tracks from the Weatherall-produced Fuck Buttons album 'Tarot Sport' had entered the 2009 Festive Fifty.
The former Lord Sabre also regularly hosted his own radio shows, for stations including BBC Radio 6 Music and NTS.[6][7] In a 2020 Quietus tribute to the recently deceased Weatherall, friend and long-time collaborator Lee Brackstone wrote:
"His legacy as an architect of sound puts him in the company of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, even Brian Eno; while as a tastemaker he is best compared to John Peel."[8]
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 1994 Festive Fifty: Wilmot #29
- Andrew Weatherall
(solo)
- 2016 Festive Fifty: The Confidence Man #39
(producer)
- 2009 Festive Fifty: Fuck Buttons: Space Mountain #35 / Surf Solar #04
Sessions[]
Sabres Of Paradise - Blackfriars Sunday Peel Session
One session only. No known commercial release.
1. Recorded: 1995-03-13. Broadcast: 24 March 1995. Repeated: 09 September 1995
- Blackfriars Sunday / Duke On Berwick / Stanshall's Lament
Other Shows Played[]
- Sabres Of Paradise
- 24 September 1993: Smokebelch I (album - Sabresonic) Warp
- 08 April 1994 (vs Underdog): Theme (10" - Theme Remixes) Sabres Of Paradise
- 10 December 1994: Tow Truck (CD - Haunted Dancehall) Warp Records
Sabres of Paradise- Wilmot
- 23 December 1994: Wilmot (CD-Haunted Dancehall) Warp FF #29 (JP: 'That got into the charts as well. Where have I gone wrong?')
- 25 March 1995: Tow Truck (12 inch) Warp Records
- 31 March 1995: Tow Truck (12 inch-Chemical Brothers Mix)' (Warp Records)
- 08 April 1995 (BFBS): Tow Truck (Chemical Brothers Mix) (CDS-Versus)' (Warp)
- 08 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): Wilmot
(remixes)
- 28 November 1992: Espiritu: Conquistador (Sabres Of Paradise No.1 Mix) (12" - Conquistador) Heavenly
- Two Lone Swordsmen (Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood)
Two Lone Swordsmen - It's not The Worst (Lali Puna Remix)
- 31 August 1996: The Best Of Stealth (album - The Fifth Mission (Return To The Flightpath Estate) Emissions Output Audio
- 01 October 1998: We Change The Frequency (LP - Stay Down) Warp
- 01 August 2000: Brutal (EP sampler - Tiny Reminders) Warp
- 27 June 2001: It's Not The Worst (Lali Puna Remix) (LP - Further Reminders) Warp
- 28 June 2001 (Radio Eins): It's Not The Worst (Remixed by Lali Puna)
- 04 July 2001: Neuflex (LP - Further Reminders) Warp
- 27 September 2001: Untitled (?) ?
- 16 December 2004: Sex Beat
(remixes)
- 03 December 1998: (“Two Lone Swordsmen remix of something licensed from Yoshi Toshi records"-John has no information on the record)
- Radioactive Man (Keith Tenniswood)
- 18 January 2001: Through The Mist At 200 (12 inch - The Uranium EP) Rotters Golf Club
- 28 January 2001 (BBC World Service): Through Mist At 200 (12" - The Uranium E.P.) Rotters Golf Club
- 30 August 2001: Radio Eins (LP - Radioactive Man) Rotters Golf Club
- 04 October 2001 (Radio Eins): Radio Eins (album - Radioactive Man)
- 26 June 2003: Suddenly Projected (LP - Booby Trap) Rotters Golf Club
- 03 July 2003: Airlock (LP- Booby Trap) Rotters Golf Club)
- 16 September 2003: Fed-Ex to Munchen (12") Rotters Golf Club
- June 2003 (Peel's Record Box): Booby Trap' (Rotters Golf Club)
- Klart (Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood)
- 16 January 2001: Robot (12" - For Shavers Only) Rotters Golf Club
- Aramchek (Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood)
- 17 January 2001: Flight To Valencia (EP - Benicassim) Rottergolfclub
- Bargecharge (Dave Appleton & Jim Foster & Keith Tenniswood)
- 24 March 1998: Hold The Bunker (Bass Junkie Mix) (12") Fuel
- March 1998 (FSK): Hold The Bunker (Bass Junkie Remix) (12") Fuel
- 02 April 1998: Hold The Bunker [Bass Junkie Mix] (12 inch ) Fuel Records
- Bocca Juniors (Andrew Weatherall, Terry Farley, Pete Heller, and Hugo Nicolson)
- 26 July 1990: Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (12") Boys Own Recordings
- 01 August 1990: Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (12") Boys Own Recordings
- 19 May 1991: Substance (12") Boy's Own Recordings
- RELATED RECORD LABELS
- Sabres Of Paradise (established by Andrew Weatherall and Nina Walsh)
- 07 August 1993: Corridor: Flowing (12 inch - Element)
- 08 October 1993: Blue(2): Common Prayer (2x12 inch – Four Of Seven)
- 08 October 1993: Blue(2): Measure (2x12" Four Of Seven)
- 22 October 1993 (BFBS): Blue(2): Measure (2x12" Four Of Seven)
- 08 April 1994: Underdog Vs Sabres: Theme (10" 'Theme Remixes')
- Sabrettes (run by Nina Walsh under Sabres Of Paradise parent label)
- 09 April 1993: Voodoo People: Love, Love, American Style (12" - Altitude)
- 01 October 1993: Rabettes feat Ice Bun: Bunny New Guinea Pig (12 inch)
- 07 January 1994: Rabettes feat Ice Bun: Bunny New Guinea Pig (12 inch)
- 20 May 1994: Pyrex Detox: unknown (12 inch - Temple Trax EP )
- 28 May 1994 (BBC World Service): : Pyrex Detox: unknown (12" - Trax Temple Trax EP)
- 30 May 1994 (Ö3): Pyrex Detox: unknown (12" - Trax Temple Trax EP)
- 11 June 1994: Pyrex Detox: unknown (12" - Trax Temple Trax EP)
- 11 June 1994 (BFBS): Pyrex Detox: unknown (12" - Trax Temple Trax EP)
- 06 August 1994 (BFBS): Pyrex Detox: Alpha FX (v/a forthcoming sampler album - Pink Me Up: A Sabrettes Compilation)
- 26 August 1994: Innersphere: Biomechanoid (12 inch - Necronmicon)
- 27 August 1994: Innersphere: ‘Let's Go To Work (Various Artists Album - Pink Me Up)
- 30 September 1994: Innersphere: Biomechanoid (12")
- 07 October 1994: Sapiano: Maniak (12”)
- 14 October 1994: Chelsea Grin: Face Lifter (12" - Face Lifter)
- 15 October 1994 (BBC World Service): Innersphere: Biomechanoid (12" - Necronomicon / Biomechanoid)
- 15 October 1994 (BFBS): Innersphere: Biomechanoid (12" - Necronomicon / Biomechanoid)
- 28 October 1994: Sapiano: Maniak (12")
- 29 October 1994 (BFBS): Chelsea Grin: Face Lifter (12")
- 04 November 1994: Innersphere: Tuberculosis 303 (2xLP-Outer Works)
- 26 November 1994 (BFBS): Innersphere: Infernal Aftershock (2xLP-Outer Works)
- 13 May 1995: Chelsea Grin: Slicing Machine (12"-Animal Factory)
- 09 June 1995: Chelsea Grin: Piggies (12 inch-Animal Factory)
- 14 October 1995: Turbulent Force: Motorway Sign (Turnpike Junction 3,177 Miles) (12" Void-Com Part One)
- 20 October 1995: Pod: Gestator (12 inch)
- 22 October 1995 (BFBS): Turbulent Force: Motorway Sign (Turnpike Junction 3,177 Miles) (12"-Void-Com Part One)
- Boys' Own Recordings (involving Andrew Weatheral until 1993, with Terry Farley, etc; subsequently Junior Boys' Own)
- 26 July 1990: Bocca Juniors: Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (Redskin Rock Mix) (12")
- 01 August 1990: Bocca Juniors: Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (12")
- 23 February 1992: One Dove: Fallen (Monday Morning At Bobby N's) (12")
- 29 February 1992: One Dove: Fallen (12 inch)
- 04 September 1992: One Dove: Transient Truth (12")
- 23 April 1993: One Dove: Fallen (Monday Morning At Bobby N's) (12")
- Emissions Audio Output (run by Andrew Weatherall)
- 17 March 1995: Panash: Jack 2 Jack (12 inch)
- 01 December 1995: Conemelt: Splinter Group (v/a album - Fresh Emissions)
- 07 July 1996: Blue(2): Mass (album - Mexican Church)
- 31 August 1996: Two Lone Swordsmen: The Best Of Stealth (album - The Fifth Mission (Return To The Flightpath Estate)
- 09 February 1997: Turbulent Force: Breathless (CD - The Disturbing Truth)
- 19 February 1997: Alex Handley: Hypnotic Theory (12 inch-Sideways EP)
- 26 February 1997: Alex Handley: The Butterfly Factor (2x12 inch – Sideways EP )
- 19 March 1997: Alex Handley: The Brainwashing (12 inch - Sideways EP)’
- 20 January 1996: Turbulent Force: Void-Com Part One (150 Degrees) (12")
- Rotters Golf Club (set up by Andrew Weatherall, mainly for TLS-related releases)
- 16 January 2001: Klart: Robot (12" - For Shavers Only)
- 17 January 2001: Aramchek: Flight To Valencia (EP - Benicassim)
- 18 January 2001: Radioactive Man: Through The Mist At 200 (12 inch - The Uranium EP)
- 28 January 2001 (BBC World Service): Radioactive Man: Through Mist At 200 (12" - The Uranium E.P.)
- 30 August 2001: Radioactive Man: Radio Eins (LP - Radioactive Man)
- September 2001 (Peel's Record Box): Two Lone Swordsmen: Lanley Punner vs Two Lone Swordsmen
- 04 October 2001 (Radio Eins): Radioactive Man: Radio Eins (album - Radioactive Man)
- 26 June 2003: Radioactive Man: Suddenly Projected (LP - Booby Trap)
- 03 July 2003: Radioactive Man: Airlock (LP- Booby Trap)
- 16 September 2003: Radioactive Man: Fed-Ex to Munchen (12")
- June 2003 (Peel's Record Box): Radioactive Man: Booby Trap