Arm dance

[SSolveig]

Good evening,

I am a french researcher in musicology and I am currently writing a book about NMA. I would like to know where does this strange "arm dancing" that you can see in the gigs come from? I have never seen this in other gigs...

Thank you very much for your answers,

Solveig

[JohnnyM]

A lot of the gig rituals you see at NMA gigs werent that unique to NMA - but were quite common at most mid/late 80s alternative rock gigs. Many alt rock bands had followings who would hitch around following the bands.

I think the arm dance mutated from chicken dancing (early 80s psychobilly/goth dancing). It probably developed from people sitting on shoulders, or standing on others shoulders or on human pyramids and needing something dramatic to do with their hands!

The other big factor was "circles". Gigs would get quite hectic and groups of people would form a circle facing inwards to dance and er "defend" their territory. This led to feet being firmly planted on the floor and dancing with the top half of the body

NMA are about the only band from this time who have continued without a break (give or take the mid 90s) - but you'd have found similar dancing a gigs by The Mission, Ghost Dance, Fields of the Nephilim, Salvation etc Here's some footage of the Sisters from 1985 and the MIssion from 1986

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XXMLXcf-N4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLZ_sVMLoJQ

[SSolveig]

Thank you very much for your explanation!

Sol.

[MARKXE]

Any more details on your book, sounds interesting.

[Stoney]

Johnny M pretty much nailed it there.........
There's other examples, like the Anadin Sisters dancing in She Sells Sanctuary vid by the Cult. Think they were in a Doctor n The Medics vid aswell? Lots of Goth/Alternatives bands had similar things, but NMA's following/Militia/family call it what you like took it on and it morphed into what it it became by the late 80's.......... Some of us dinosaurs still do it alot, some less......... I think it's made a bit of a resurgeance in the last 5 years........ I'm glad to be honest, it's our thing so to speak. I hate hearing the pit called a MOSH PIT to be honest. Mosh Pits are a hardcore punk thing, but maybe that's coz I'm firmly rooted in the hardcore cene as much as NMA. So the differences are more pronounced to me? Dunno.........

[Master Ray]

As long as the 'arm dancing' is going on during a sweaty moshpit, I can continue to say 'yeah.. I'm home...'

 

[lupus225]

Fields of the Nephilim:

Last Exit For the Lost http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8NMayki4Uc

[SSolveig]

Thank you very much for your answers. I have another question. Stoney mentioned "NMA's following/Militia/family". I have read a lot of things about that but it is not yet very clear in my mind.
Are following/Militia/family synonymous? Or is there any differences between these three words? I would be very happy to know...Thank you!

[JohnnyM]

Groups of people following bands have always been quite fluid with people coming & going. In the mid 80s it was quite common for band followings to give themselves a name (which you could hear chanted at gigs or scrawled on motorway signs where people stood by to hitch from) - so you had names like the Missionaries then Eskimos (Mission), Spook Squad (Ghost Dance), Sperm Bank Crew (Balaam & the Angel) and the Militia (NMA).

By the late 80s/early 90s there were probably 100-150 doing most gigs on UK tours, with any original "militia" (such as it was) gone or diluted by the new fans doing gigs. The more general term "following" would be used. People would say "i'm following NMA" but I never heard anyone say "Im in the following"

"Family" has been used by the band for many years. Maybe to try and have more inclusive term for their network of fans. i've only ever heard fans start to use it since the boom in the internet which brought in a lot of people who'd met via the internet. Though I dont think i've ever heard anyone say it in "real life".

[JohnnyM]

Fields of the Nephilim:

Last Exit For the Lost http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8NMayki4Uc

I always forget just how much FotN "borrowed" from the Sisters!

[SSolveig]

Thank you JohnnyM. I have also read that at the beginning the people that used to form the Militia were coming from the Midland (Wolverhampton). Do you know if it is true? And do you know if the name of Militia was borrowed from the song "Christian Militia" or from the name of the group "New Model Army"?

[JohnnyM]

well before my time - but i think so - i assume the name was inspired by the tune "christian militia" - maybe someone who was regularly going to gigs in the very early days can give you more info or you may find this website interesting

http://freespace.virgin.net/biffer.a/index.htm

[ChristianS]

The was an NME (British music paper), around 1989 about band followings, that interviewed the 'members'; Militia & Eskimos included.  A fair few followings were getting a bad reputation at this point, for being 'exclusive' and over-aggresive at gigs...  It was a chance for them to have their say.  If you are lucky, someone may have kept the article and may be able to scan it for you!

[CROWMAN]

Just read this post and got me a thinking of my first NMA gig 1990.I can rember the Circles and Crazy danceing i nearly black eye or two.Its was great when i got to know all the Some of Militia they were great bunch.A bit mad but looked after each other, when we were on tour.    

[dilla]

Great article and pics in May 1989 edition of Q magazine if you can get a copy