Lahost - Erotic Antiques. 1984-1985 England (archival)

Lahost are a very good example of the 1980's New Wave of British Progressive Rock scene. Tight, energetic, melodic, complex, and fun.

The above represented my scratch off notes from nearly a decade ago. And probably I need not say more, as that about covers it. But I will anyway... I first read about Lahost in the metal magazines of the middle 80s (like Kerrang for example), who dabbled with the much smaller ongoing progressive rock scene (many of the UK music writers in those days had prog backgrounds). But nothing really ever emerged from Lahost, originally known as The Host. Two cassettes were released, though neither are shown on Discogs as I write this. The 2 cassettes, plus a single, and a live recording make up Erotic Antiques.

It would be hard to find a more perfect definition of the NWOBPR movement than to play Erotic Antiques for someone. They definitely played to the commercial wing of said movement, and yet no matter how hard they tried, every track comes out very much a progressive rock composition. Only 'Just Breaking Away' comes across as one that panders to the masses. On the other side of the aisle sits 'The Drowning Pool', the only overt progressive rock track found here. They absolutely nail the ethos of the era. We're talking big puffy white shirts and poofy hair to go with it. It's Friday night in 1984, and we're headlining the Marquee club. So when I say "tight, energetic, melodic, complex, and fun", those adjectives cannot be escaped. Imagine a head-on collision between Saga's Heads or Tales and IQ's The Wake, with some early 80s Peter Gabriel solo era collateral damage, and you have found the sound of Lahost.

Lahost is the progressive rock definition of 1984 London, for better or worse. If you love the cassette culture of the era, as I do, then Erotic Antiques is an absolute must. For those where the word "commercial" makes you cringe, then you might want to give a wide berth around.

Personal collection
CD: 1992 UGUM (France)

Sadly this represents the entirety of Lahost's output, though no doubt any subsequent releases would have only become more slick and unbearable. The CD today has become quite hard to source.