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Their discography spans a wide variety of influences and styles, including a collaboration with the South Wales Striking Miners Choir in support of the Miners' Strike Of 1984 . They were particularly notable for complex and powerful percussion, as well as high-energy live performances. Like the German band Einstürzende Neubauten , with whom they are often compared, Test Dept used unconventional instruments such as scrap metal and industrial machinery as sound sources; however, Test Dept's use of these objects was far more rhythmic than was Neubauten's, and was often accompanied by film and slide shows. The band played a range of venues from Waterloo and Cannon Street Station , to Expo 86 , Stirling Castle and the defunct St Rollox Railway Works in Glasgow .

In later years the band's music became less industrial and took on many of the properties of Techno . The band's political stance was energised by the passing of the Criminal Justice And Public Order Act 1994 .

The band split up in 1997, but its former members have continued to work in the fields of art and culture. For example, Angus Farquhar re-established the ancient Gaelic Beltane Fire Festival , held yearly on the night before/morning of the first of May on Edinburgh 's Calton Hill. Farquhar also formed NVA , an innovative theatre company specialising in large-scale site-specific events. Cunnington, who suffers from chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis , produced a one-man show in 1996 called ''Pain'', recounting his experiences as a sufferer from this condition.


ALBUMS


  • ''Ecstasy Under Duress'' - 1982

  • ''Shoulder to Shoulder'' (with Striking Miners' Choir) - 1984

  • ''Beating The Retreat'' - 1984

  • ''Atonal & Hamburg, Live'' - 1985

  • ''The Unacceptable Face Of Freedom'' - 1986

  • ''A Good Night Out'' -1987

  • ''Terra Firma'' -1988

  • ''Materia Prima'' - 1989

  • ''Gododdin'' - 1989

  • ''Pax Britannica'' - 1990

  • ''Totality'' - 1995

  • ''Legacy {Link without Title} the singles plus more'' - 1995

  • '' Tactics For Evolution '' - 1997

  • ''Proven In Action (Live 1990) - 2002



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