Mark Stewart, frontman of The Pop Group, dies aged 62 | Ents & Arts News

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Mark Stewart, frontman of the experimental post-punk band The Pop Group, has died on the age of 62.

Stewart who based The Pop Group in 1977 as an adolescent in Bristol with John Waddington, Simon Underwood, Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith, was described as a “pricey pal, fellow agitator and inventive pressure of nature”.

“Mark Stewart handed away within the early hours of Friday, 21 April 2023,” a press release launched by Mute Information mentioned.

He had a “massively assured and dominating presence” that was coupled with a “heat and delicate nature”.

“Figuring out Mark, working with him, laughing with him and pondering with him was like nothing else,” the assertion from Mute added.

“His massively assured and dominating presence was coupled with a delicate, heat, artistic, curious, clever and hilarious nature – traits that have been usually hidden upon first assembly this towering tour de pressure.

“He was all the time, vocally, on the facet of the oppressed, and did all he may to make sure folks have been handled accurately.”

Impressed by punk, dub and reggae, The Pop Group launched their debut album, Y, in 1979.

They disbanded the next yr after yet another album, the provocatively titled For How A lot Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Homicide?, after a remaining efficiency at a Marketing campaign for Nuclear Disarmament rally in Trafalgar Sq. in 1980.

Stewart started to work with early hip-hop artists akin to The Final Poets and members of Sugar Hill Information.

He steadily collaborated with different artists, akin to Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and trip-hop group Large Assault’s Daddy G.

In 2010, The Pop Group reformed for a collection of reside performances, and recorded two studio albums.

Stewart’s final efficiency with the band was within the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, for Coventry UK Metropolis of Tradition 2021.

Mark Stewart. Pic courtesy of Dominic Lee via PA

Tributes have been paid by Daniel Miller, who ran the label Mute which Stewart recorded on, producer Adrian Sherwood, and his former bandmate Sager.

Miller mentioned: “His musical affect has been a lot better than is commonly acknowledged… I am unable to think about you being something aside from stressed however I hope you discover your very particular peace.”

Sherwood, with whom Stewart collaborated on the 1983 album, Studying To Cope With Cowardice, described him as “the largest musical affect on my life”.

“Mark was probably the most superb thoughts of my era, RIP,” Sager wrote.

“Thanks my brother. You have been the largest musical affect in my life and our prolonged household will miss you so a lot. Love perpetually,” he mentioned.

Large Assault, additionally from Bristol, mentioned the town would “by no means be the identical”.

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