Active Slaughter began life around the year 2000 from an idea that had formed from much discussion between Jake and JJ. It was decided around this time that a CD compilation to support animal rights causes should be made, and doing a one off song by getting some other ‘musicians’ on board would be a good idea.

In the spring of 2001, Britain was gripped by its biggest post war military operation, the foot and mouth crisis in which over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed. Though these animals would have been killed regardless, to some it acted as a wake up to the realities of the meat industry. A song came out of the crisis very early on and around March 2001 the lyrics to ‘My foot in your mouth’ were penned. A few others came out around this time, not least after Jake had foolishly got hemmed in by the met police in Piccadilly on the May the 1st demo - ‘Thank You For Section 60’ was born.

For one reason or another Trev had left Bug Central around the time Jake and JJ were writing songs together and he was asked on board. Jake and JJ had a determination to make a band where all the members were vegetarian or vegan. This was not because they wanted to come over as morally superior, it was simply because they felt some bands were hypocritical to sing against the meat industry when they had members who would go off stage and eat a kebab.

The next piece of the jigsaw was Joe, who actually approached Jake at the Hackney Volcano festival and said ‘I’ve just gone back to being veggie, that’s me joining your new band on bass’ or words to that effect.  The original plan had been that the as yet un- named band would just record the one song and disappear into nowhere. However, the band had enjoyed the first rehearsal so much (where another two or three songs were jammed) it just seemed the right thing that this band should be allowed to grow.

Early September 2001 and the band still without a name went into some crappy rip off studio in Camden and laid down the track for the compilation, bearing in mind this was the day after their first rehearsal. The track sounds maybe a little naive now with Jake and JJ just getting to know their voice and instrument. It does represent a band with no experience.

Almost immediately after this first recording the world changed forever when two planes were flown into the world trade centre in New York. We began to realise just how frighteningly manipulative governments can be and how little freedom we really have. A name had also been settled on at this time. Active Slaughter came about from a google search on Foot and Mouth disease - a policy of Active Slaughter had been conducted during the crisis. Perhaps Active Slaughter was also precisely what we had seen from the Bush administration with regards to 9/11. The band’s name is most definitely a reflection of the fact this band were new born in the era of Bush’s finest hour

Active Slaughter played their first gig in October 2001 at the after gig of the legendary Anarchist book fair. They opened a fun packed night headlined by Harum Skarem with Riot/Clone, Bug Central and Kismet HC. Not long after this first gig Active Slaughter began to realise they were not part of the same scene as the rest of the crowd. Following an incident at the verge club involving animal rights CD’s and a bit of drunken tom foolery, the band were banned from playing a gig there and consequently none of the Camden promoters back then would touch them, but the band didn’t care and carried on doing their own thing.

From this came the realisation that they didn’t need promoters who wouldn’t give you a gig again if you couldn’t get 30 people down to state they were there just for that one band. They didn’t need promoters who weren’t interested in putting on benefit gigs, that were only interested in lining their own pockets and making punk rock elitist. The band decided they would try and do their own thing when it came to London and always make sure the gigs were cheap and a benefit. Every gig Active Slaughter have organised since early 2002 has been a benefit gig for a wide range of causes.  Beyond animal rights which they are known for, others have included the Genoa bust fund, Antifa, No Sweat, Rape Crisis, Harringay Solidarity Group and so on. The list of others they have played is exhaustive but has opened them to the fact that struggle is internationalised and that there is more to any struggle than single issue politics.

At the end of 2001 the band recorded four more tracks, this time at La Rocka in Hornsey, North London. The songs featured were ’Smash HLS’ an insight into the working of Europe’s largest animal testing facility Huntingdon Life Sciences in Cambridgeshire, ‘Phase’ which was a comment on the punk scene (or rather, some in the punk scene) and about image coming before ideology. The then new excursion into Afghanistan and the war on terror, with Britain playing lap dog to the US, was addressed in ‘fuck off MOD’ and ‘Thank You for section 60’ was also recorded in this session. The result was the self released Smash HLS EP. This DIY release was pressed as a CD-r and came with a fold out poster containing the lyrics to the songs as well as lots of information, stickers and an Active Slaughter badge. The EP has long since been discontinued but all the tracks can be found via the bands myspace for free download. At the time Peter Don’t Care of Nihilism on the Prowl said of the EP; “it's definitely a good debut and from a band whose grown up in the public eye shows they can only get better at what they do so well....attack!”

Around the time of the Camden Town incident, imprisoned animal rights activist Barry Horne died following his third hunger strike, this time lasting 68 days. Barry came to represent a symbol to the animal rights movement and beyond. It was felt that such a man’s life should not go unremembered except as some inaccurate portrayal as a terrorist by the media. Through conversations with Colin of Conflict a memorial concert was organised in April 2002. The concert was aimed at awareness and fund raising and this objective was achieved to a certain extent. Active Slaughter were offered a high position on the bill by Colin as he was impressed with how well the band had promoted it selling tickets via the website and to mates in the pub. In the words of the man himself a year after; “Thank-you also to Active Slaughter who, like ourselves took some stick for appearing just before Conflict at this event. This was my decision, not theirs and I stand by it”.

The Astoria gig was the biggest audience Active Slaughter have played to to date and whilst a few new ‘fans’ were notable it certainly did seem to wind some people up. Whilst the band have played one or two bigger venues since it’s not the way they do things. The majority of gigs have happened in squats and very small venues rarely more than £5 door entrance and often a lot less. The Barry Horne gig was about remembering an activist who died thanks to a Government who had gone against a pre election pledge to hold a royal commission into vivisection. It would later transpire just how willing to do the opposite of this New Labour really were, Prime Minister Tony Blair would sign a pledge to support animal research and smash protests against it in 2006. Active Slaughter penned Labour Lied Barry Died in remembrance of Barry Horne which was already being played at the time of the remembrance gig.

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