Ut (also sometimes known as UT) was an American band which originated from New York City's no wave scene, forming in December 1978. The inheritors of the fertile collision between rock, free jazz, and the avant-garde that first manifested itself in the Velvet Underground, Ut soon became a serious force within the New York music scene.
Ut's members were Nina Canal, Jacqui Ham, and Sally Young. They were joined briefly by filmmaker Karen Achenbach in 1979 before resuming as a three-piece band and relocating to London in 1981. Ut toured the UK with bands such as The Fall and The Birthday Party. Originally releasing albums on its own label Out Records, the band joined forces with Blast First in 1987.
In Gut's House was originally released in 1988 and made NME's Top 50 that year. The Washington Post noted, "With In Gut's House, Ut has scraped and droned one of the finest underground rock albums of the year.... The tightly woven, firmly focused sound...is rich, spooky, urgent, and quite unexpectedly beautiful."
In 1989, the band recorded and released the album Griller, engineered by labelmate Steve Albini, who shared Ut's raw aesthetic. In March 1990, Ut played its last concert in Paris.
Links to Peel[]
Peel seemed to have first played Ut in 1982. He would continue play their material during the 80's, including having them record two sessions for his programmes. In 1993, Peel briefly revisited the group when he played tracks from their In Gut's House LP.
Sessions[]
Ut - John Peel Session -1 15th May 1984
1. Recorded: 1984-05-15. First Broadcast: 29 May 1984. Repeated: 14 June 1984
- Confidential / Absent Farmer / Tell It (Atomic Energy Pattern) / Phoenix
2. Recorded: 1987-12-22. First Broadcast: 06 January 1988. Repeated: 26 January 1988
- Evangelist / Hotel / Safe Burning
Other Shows Played[]
- 1982
- 27 January 1982: Glue (cassette - Ut Live Nov 1981) Out Tapes
- 1984
- 14 March 1984 (BFBS): Sham Shack (12" EP - Ut) Out
- 24 March 1984 (BFBS): Sham Shack (12" EP - Ut) Out
- 17 April 1984: Sham Shack (12" - Ut) Out
- 23 May 1984 (BFBS): This Bliss (12" EP - Ut) Out
- 17 December 1984: Bedouin (live from the ICA Rock Week)
- 1985
- 23 June 1985 (BFBS): Confidential (12") Out OUT R 02
- 17 July 1985: Confidential (12") Out
- 1986
- 25 February 1986: Confidential (LP - Conviction) Out
- 12 March 1986: Phoenix (LP - Conviction) Out
- 15 March 1986 (BFBS): 'Phoenix (LP-Conviction)' (Out)
- 02 April 1986: Prehistory (LP - Conviction) Out
- 20 May 1986: Phoenix (LP - Conviction) Out
- 1988
- 02 February 1988: Evangelist (2xLP - In Gut's House) Blast First
- 1989
- 17 October 1989: Evangelist (10 x 7" Box Set - Devil's Jukebox) Blast First
- 06 November 1989: (JP: "To end tonight's programme, a track from an LP which recently scored 1 out of 10 in an NME review.") Safe Burning (LP - Griller) Blast First
- 18 November 1989 (BFBS): 'Canker (LP-Griller)' (Blast First)
- 21 November 1989 (Radio Bremen): Safe Burning (album - Griller) Blast First
- 06 December 1989: Canker (album - Griller) Blast First
- 1993
- 07 May 1993: ‘Brink Over Chicken (LP - Early Live Life)’ (Blast First)
- 13 May 1993 (Radio Mafia): Swallow (LP - In Gut's House) Blast First
- 29 May 1993: (JP: ‘This is the first Riot Grrrls I’m tempted to say. Perhaps I’d better not.’) ‘Evangelist (2xLP -In Guts House)’ (Blast First) (JP: 'And I have to admit I was offered a session from them [UT] just as they broke up and I turned it down for some reason which I've now forgotten. Silly old me I suspect.')
- 27 August 1993 (BFBS): Homebled (album - In Gut's House) Blast First