The Door And The Window

The Door And The Window was a short-lived British art punk DIY band, formed by the duo of Nag (2) and Bendle in London, and active from 1979 to '81. Nag and Bendle lacked any musical training or experience, but they nevertheless started by securing a concert gig for T.D.A.T.W., and then booked rehearsal studio to record their debut EP on a simple cassette recorder. Inspired by Throbbing Gristle, File Under Pop and the 'do-it-yourself' aesthetics of UK punk movement, the duo recorded and self-released 816612 on 7" through the newly established NB Records (4) label. The edition of 1000 copies arrived from the pressing plant with white labels in plain sleeves, so Nag and Bendle hand-painted all the covers, and managed to distribute the entire stock. The follow-up 7" 816595 was released the same year, distributed by Rough Trade. Vinyl with photocopied cover and folded A4 inlay was packaged in a clear plastic sleeve, with 'tracklist' stickers on white labels. Inspired by anarcho-punks Crass, T.D.A.T.W. wrote Do not pay more than 55p on the cover, but the distributor nevertheless managed to sold out the edition of 2000 copies. Production Line charted as a joint Single Of The Week with Ian Dury's in New Musical Express magazine. The band's popularity quickly grew, and they started regularly performing with The Pop Group, Scritti Politti, Delta 5, Swell Maps, The Raincoats and other prominent UK bands. The Door And The Window joined The Instant Automatons on Weird Noise Tour. They also produced a couple tape releases on NB Records, incl. 2298064 (NB 2), available for £1.50, and 2298080 (NB 9) in 1980. NB Records was responsible for a few releases by T.D.A.T.W's friends and colleagues, such as Wonder Only 85 Pennies, a debut 7" single by The 49 Americans. Mark Perry left Alternative TV in late 1979, and joined T.D.A.T.W. as the drummer and co-writer. The band had a flexible line-up, with occasional guest members including Fritz Catlin of 23 Skidoo, Dennis Burns (ATV/The Good Missionaries), Grant Showbiz, and 49 Americans' founder Giblet. In 1980, the band self-released their debut 1412008 LP, in stores at the ridiculously low price of £3.00, and again selling out 2000 copies. The album was re-issued by Overground Records as OVER99VPCD (2002) and OVER146LP (2015). The Door And The Window disbanded in 1981, but managed to reunite on several occasions. In 1983, Nag and Bendle released The Door + The Window ‎play Squeekybop Jugband cassette on Conventional Tapes label, recorded with Dave Morgan, Chris Cornett, and Anthony Clough. A collection of 1983–87 live recordings by T.D.A.T.W. was released on Dr Egg's CD compilation in 2003.