LEIGH BOWERY - Tell Them I’ve Gone to Papua New Guinea is open until Feb 6th at Fitzrovia Chapel. The Chapel is the only remaining building of the Middlesex Hospital, where Leigh passed away on NYE 1994.

“The Fitzrovia Chapel have worked with the Leigh Bowery Estate and in particular Nicola, whom he married shortly before his death, to create a stunning but poignant exhibition of Leigh’s costumes, presenting several of his iconic ‘looks’ against the backdrop of the gold mosaic ceiling and marble walls of the chapel.” Try to get down if you can. 

Over the past couple of years we have been lucky enough to make our own entrance into Leigh’s legacy by reissuing both Minty’s Useless Man 12” and Open Wide, the band's only full length. Open Wide was a recording project started by Leigh and completed posthumously in an act of catharsis by band members including Nichola Bowery, Richard Torry and Matthew Galmmore. 

“Inheritors of the Post Punk and New Romantic club scene, Bowery and crew led a vicious and uncompromising charge into challenging not only values and morality but celebrity culture itself. At a time before the internet, it was scandalous talk and sensational press articles that brought the band to the attention of the authorities. Their famously avant-garde and shocking onstage scatological, blood and gore performances prompted The Sun newspaper to describe them as the "sickest band in the land" – a statement of which Leigh was immensely proud. The UK’s draconian, indecency and public licensing laws at the time soon led to bans, legal action and police raids at venues. Useless Man opened every show, Leigh, a huge figure in floral dress, face mask and wig heaved his way onstage and belted out the lyrics over a throbbing live rock band. He stomped and boomed across the stage never missing a beat. At the crescendo he hauled himself onto a table, laid back and ‘gave birth’ to Nicola in a shockingly graphic performance of which Boy George, who had seen it many times, said that it "never ceased to impress or revolt."

We have an extremely limited number of Useless Man 12”s left in our warehouse, signed by the band members listed above and hand numbered on white vinyl. The EP includes the original remix by The Grid many will be familiar with and a brand new re-work from Boy George and Kinky Roland - https://state51.greedbag.com/buy/pgxayl/. 

A few more copies of Open Wide are also available — https://grd.bg/8gYaoC — a triple gatefold double LP on 180g see through clear vinyl with original re-mastered photography from Fergus Greer spanning the entire inner sleeve. 

- The state51 Conspiracy