Coventry, a long-established industrial city in central England was severely bombed during the Second World War. This bleak landscape of ruins was the birthplace of Martin Bowes. The young art-school student was so intrigued by the burgeoning punk scene, along with his brother and a few friends began their own raggedy combo. Martin admits to not being a very proficient musician which led him to acquire a four-track cassette recorder and a simple drum machine. Along the way, Bowes created a Fanzine and reached out to local acts like The Specials. The contacts he developed set the path for the trials and tribulations along with lineup changes of concocting a musical entity that eventually became Attrition. 

After more than four decades, Attrition has become synonymous with dark industrial electronic music. Attrition’s vast catalogue of work is significant for the influences heard in a wide array of music throughout the years. There’s so much more to tell about the story of Attrition, so here is part one of A Conversation With Martin Bowes. Conducted over the magic of Zoom, Martin proved to be an affable, perceptive fellow with charming and distinctive West Midland’s brogue peculiar to his birthplace and now his home once again, Coventry.