At the Mermaid dives into the birth of grindcore in a dilapidated Midlands pub, featuring interviews with Justin Broadrick and Nicholas Bullen of Napalm Death.
A new short film, At the Mermaid, exploring the history of legendary Birmingham music venue The Mermaid, has been released.
Commissioned by Historic England, the documentary traces the roots of heavy metal subgenre grindcore, and situates its rise within the wider context of Birmingham life during 1980s Thatcherite Britain.
Located in a dilapidated pub in working class Sparkhill, three miles south from Birmingham’s city centre, The Mermaid became a crucial venue in a city where gig spaces were few and far between. While it hosted artists from across the alternative rock spectrum – Primal Scream, Chumbawuba and Swans all passed through its doors – heavy metal band Napalm Death became the spiritual “house band” most associated with the pub.
At the Mermaid features interviews with Justin Broadrick and Nicholas Bullen of Napalm Death, pub regulars Matthew Knight and Tim Richarson, as well as Sarah Lafford of Home of Metal.
During the film’s opening sequences, Lafford explains why grindcore resonated so much at the time: “The 1980s was obviously dominated by Thatcherism. That bleakness sat alongside an existential threat – people were genuinely terrified of nuclear war. So that’s a fascinating psychological space in which to create music – it’s not surprising that these subcultures were characterised by anger, rebellion and transgressive lyrics.”
Watch At the Mermaid below.
