Hagar the Womb

History

Hagar the Womb came together in 1980 at London’s Wapping Anarchy Centre, a space set up by Crass and Poison Girls. This Autonomy Centre became a hub for the anarcho-punk anti-capitalist movement across the UK and Europe, drawing activists who took direct action against vivisection labs, the meat industry, and Margaret Thatcher’s government. The Kill Your Pet Puppy collective organized events there, with regular performances from bands like Anthrax, The Apostles, Chris Knowles’ Cold War, Conflict, and Rudimentary Peni.

A benefit single—Poison Girls’ “Persons Unknown” and Crass’s “Bloody Revolutions”—helped raise funds. The original lineup was all-female, aimed at giving women a voice in the scene: Ruth Elias, Karen Amsden, and Nicola Corcoran on vocals, Janet Nassim on guitar, and Steph Cohen on bass. A week after forming, they played their first gig with Zounds and The Mob, using Scarecrow (aka Hooligan Rocker) on drums. Soon after, they added second guitarist “Jon From Bromley” and permanent drummer Chris Knowles, who had previously played bass and sung on Cold War’s dystopian single “The Machinist/Illusion,” a sound compared to Antisect and Amebix.

A rare Cold War demo tape with unreleased music still exists. Corcoran left, leaving two vocalists. Their first demo included “For the Ferryman,” which appeared on the 1984 Mortarhate compilation LP Who? What?

Why? When? Where?. Before their first proper release, Cohen was replaced by Mitch Flacko (also of The Mekons).

The band toured the UK punk circuit for five years, putting out two 12-inch EPs and recording a BBC Radio 1 Peel Session on 11 February 1984. Their debut EP, The Word of the Womb, produced by Pete Fender (son of Vi Subversa and guitarist in Honey Bane’s Fatal Microbes), came out on Conflict’s Mortarhate label. It hit number six on the UK Indie Chart in 1984 and stayed there for over five months. Elaine Reubens joined in time for the Peel session.