House of Commons (2)

House of Commons, generally known as H.O.C., were a politically charged punk band formed in 1980 by musicians from Colwood and Oak Bay, British Columbia. The principal recording lineup consisted of Andrew ‘Android’ Challinor on guitar and vocals, Neil ‘Embo’ Emery on guitar and vocals, Greg ‘Grog’ Graham on bass and Jim Nasium on drums. Earlier members included drummers Big Mike Mitchell, who played with the group from 1980 to 1981, and Lee Harvey Oswald, who was involved during 1982.

House of Commons developed within Victoria’s small but productive early punk community. They associated closely with the Dayglo Abortions and possessed a noticeably harder edge than many local groups of the period. Their performances could be confrontational, with firecrackers occasionally set off onstage and a squirt gun kept ready for audience members who spat at the musicians.

Beneath the group’s heavy guitars and growled vocals were carefully constructed songs built around political satire. Their lyrics addressed nationalism, racism, institutional authority and social conformity, sometimes with an ambiguity that allowed listeners to interpret the songs in different ways. The locally remembered ‘Colwood RCMP’ was later reworked and released as ‘Live for Today’.

The band’s sound drew from both Canadian and international punk. The forceful Vancouver guitar style associated with D.O.A. and the Subhumans was combined with elements of British punk and the darker, more deliberate side of American hardcore. Rather than relying entirely on brief bursts of speed, House of Commons often allowed riffs and arrangements to build tension.

The group eventually relocated to Vancouver after discovering a studio offering recording time in exchange for renovation work. Sessions took place at Total Sounds West, with Hal Beckett and Rob Wright involved in the recording. ‘Low’ and ‘1999’ were recorded there in 1982.

Unable to secure an established label, House of Commons formed Common Records and independently issued Patriot in 1983. The seven-song 12-inch mini-album played at 45 RPM and featured Android on guitars and vocals, Neil Embo on guitars and vocals, Grog on bass and Jim Nasium on drums.

The first side, identified as ‘Program A’, contained ‘Way Down South’, ‘Low’, ‘Gotta B. Alive’ and ‘1999’. ‘Program B’ featured ‘American Patriot’, ‘Institution’ and ‘Live for Today’. All selections were written, arranged and performed by House of Commons, with the lyrics to ‘American Patriot’ credited to Alister McKye.

Produced by Rob Wright and engineered by Hal Beckett, Patriot combined thick guitar arrangements, a strong rhythm section and gruff vocals with lyrics directed at political and social institutions. The full-colour sleeve and powerful studio sound helped distinguish it from many independently produced Canadian punk records of the period.

A contemporary review in Maximum Rocknroll praised the record’s combination of punk and thrash, its unusual guitar work, strong rhythm section, political lyrics and forceful production. Although Patriot remained the group’s only original vinyl release, it established House of Commons as one of the distinctive bands to emerge from Victoria’s early punk scene.

House of Commons performed in both Victoria and Vancouver and travelled beyond British Columbia. Surviving accounts recall appearances elsewhere in Canada and in California, along with bills featuring established punk and hardcore groups. Their performance of ‘Way Down South’ at Vancouver’s Independent Music Festival was recorded for television, and a promotional video was produced for ‘1999’.

By the mid-1980s, the original lineup had fragmented. Later versions of House of Commons produced additional recordings, including a two-piece session, and the group appeared on the Vancouver Undergrowth cassette sampler.

An Android-led incarnation recorded the five-song Guilty As Hell demo in 1985. It contained ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’, ‘Ultimatum’, ‘Attitude’, ‘Raid’ and ‘Insane’. Further material followed in 1986, with ‘Factory’ later identified as originating from the From Scum Factor demo.

Some remaining members subsequently developed into A.K.O.B., which released a 7-inch EP around 1986 and continued to perform several House of Commons songs. Neil Emery later formed Forbidden Beat, another group that released a 7-inch EP.

Android and Emery reportedly discussed working together again, but Android died in 1987 before the proposed reunion could take place. Emery later re-formed House of Commons for several concerts during the early 1990s.

The name also appeared as House of Commons A.D., represented by the 1993 recording ‘Killer’s Pride’. The band’s documented release history continued with Psycho Demo, a self-released cassette EP issued in 1994.

Psycho Demo contained ‘Peter Gunn’, ‘Killer’s Pride’, ‘Psycho’, ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’, ‘Insane’ and ‘Skiing on Mushrooms’. Several titles had appeared during earlier periods of the band, although available documentation does not establish whether the cassette contained earlier recordings, new versions or a combination of both.

House of Commons received renewed attention during the 2000s through projects documenting Victoria’s early underground. They were included in All Your Ears Can Hear: Underground Music in Victoria, BC, 1978–1984, which placed the group alongside dozens of punk, new wave and independent bands active in the region.

The most extensive recovery of their recordings arrived in 2009, when the Welsh punk publication Artcore Fanzine devoted its twenty-sixth issue to House of Commons. The accompanying enhanced CD, Guilty As Hell, collected fourteen remastered tracks from several periods of the band’s history.

The collection included the complete Patriot mini-album, five songs from the 1985 Guilty As Hell demo, ‘Factory’ from the 1986 material and ‘Killer’s Pride’ from House of Commons A.D. The enhanced portion featured a short documentary, promotional videos, live performances and television news footage.

-Robert Williston