‘From The Port To The Bridge’, an exhibition detailing Thomas Leer and Robert Rental’s work and legacy.
[ID: Exhibition poster, shows the Albert Bridge in sepia colour.]
PRIVATE VIEW & ALBUM LAUNCH EVENT:
Friday 21st January, 12-9pm
Talk + Q&A with Simon Dell and Daniel Miller from 7pm
Limited tickets available. To attend please book here.
Tickets are free but a donation would be appreciated.
Exhibition continues until 10th Feb 2022, Mon - Sat 12-6pm
[Please note that visitors are required to wear a face mask during events and we encourage all visitors to take a Lateral Flow Test before coming to the Horse Hospital.]
The Horse Hospital is delighted to announce a new exhibition detailing Thomas Leer and Robert Rental’s work and legacy, coinciding with a long-awaited reissue of their influential 1979 album, The Bridge.
“The Bridge spans the gulf between punk and electro. It’s as good as the best of ‘79 and still potent, still the future.” - Ian Rankin
“This a record way ahead of its time, made by two pioneers of sound with ingenuity, basic electronics and a world of young minds to distort. Love it!” - Clint Mansell
During the PV of the exhibition Simon Dell (music archivist and curator of The Port To The Bridge exhibition) will host a talk and Q&A with Mute owner and founder Daniel Miller, discussing his friendship with Robert Rental, their work together and his recollections of the UK around the time of the recording and release of The Bridge album. They’ll also discuss the legacy of these important works and their impact on electronic music in the current era.
There will also be a new filmed interview with Thomas Leer showing for the first time.
The exhibition will coincide with Mute’s long awaited reissue of Thomas Leer and Robert Rental’s influential 1979 album, The Bridge - on vinyl and CD for the first time since The Grey Area of Mute’s release 30 years ago. The reissue will be available on limited edition white vinyl and CD, both featuring new sleeve notes. Out on 28 January 2022: https://mute.ffm.to/TheBridge
"The Bridge remains a record for the here and now, just as it did there and then." - Karl O’Connor (Regis / Downwards Records)
Thomas Leer and Robert Rental, both from Port Glasgow in Scotland, were at the vanguard of a DIY electronic scene that went on to influence and inform the 80s synth-pop movement. After self-releasing two solo 7” singles, they came to the attention of Throbbing Gristle and signed to their label, Industrial Records. Their one and only collaboration, The Bridge, was originally released in 1979, the first non-TG / associated release for the label.
Recorded at Rental’s home over two intense weeks using equipment provided by Throbbing Gristle (with only rudimentary explanation of how to use it), their groundbreaking album went to #9 in the UK Independent Chart and its influence was cited by a number of electronic musicians at the time, including John Foxx, Matt Johnson (The The) and ABC.
Robert Rental (who sadly died in 2000), went on to collaborate with The Normal - Daniel Miller and Rental’s live album, Live at West Runton Pavilion, 6-3-79, was released in 1980 by Rough Trade - released a single on Mute, ‘Double Heart’ / ‘On Location’ in 1980 and produced music for the Comic Strip’s A Fistful of Traveller’s Cheques, before retiring from the industry.
Thomas Leer went on to release albums on Cherry Red and Arista, formed Act with Claudia Brücken (formerly of Propaganda) in the late 80s who released on Trevor Horn’s ZTT label. After a hiatus, he re-emerged with a series of releases from 2001, and currently lives in Greenock.
‘From The Port To The Bridge’ was originally exhibited in 2018 in Greenock, the neighbouring town to Leer and Rental’s birthplace. The exhibition will include photographs, equipment (including the EDP WASP which is ever-present on The Bridge), ephemera, cuttings and film to tell the story of Leer and Rental’s work.
