Throbbing Gristle grew from an experimental performance art collective called Coum Transmissions just as punk music was exploding across the UK in 1976. With a line-up consisting of Cosey Fanni Tutti, Genesis P-Orridge, Peter Christopherson and Chris Carter, they created improvised soundscapes of dark, distorted mechanical noise with tape loops and a homemade synthesizer called The Gristleizer. Gaining underground infamy through notorious live shows, their albums 'The Second Annual Report' (1977), 'D.O.A.' (1978) and '20 Jazz Funk Greats' (1979) went on to influence the likes of Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin. Breaking up after a gig in San Francisco in 1981, they reformed in 2004, signing to Mute Records and releasing the albums 'Part Two: The Endless Not' (2007) and 'The Third Movements' (2009).Their final album, 'Desertshore/The Final Report', was released in 2012, two years after Christopherson passed away.In March 2020, Genesis P-Orridge died following a battle with leukaemia.
