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Posted on the KLF-mailinglist by:

Frank den Bieman, Holland
frankdb@dds.nl

Text written by the KLF in Smash Hits Magazine, march 17th 1992, about the 1992 Brit Awards.

1. Played a thrash-metal version of 3 a.m. Eternal with grunge stars Extreme Noise Terror.
2. Planned to throw buckets of blood over the audience during the performance -what larks!- but we were advised not to by BBC lawyers.
3. We thought it an excellent jape to disembowel a dead sheep too, but Extreme Noise Terror (all vegetarians) refused to take part if the slaughter was carried out. Weeds.
4. But we frightened the audience -'cos they thought the machine gun we fired was loaded with bullets!! It was only blanks, ha ha.
5. Sir George Solti, a bigwig in the classical world, was present to accept the Best Classical Recording award. But he had to be persuaded not to leave the Awards during our slot, the scaredy cat.
6. We left after our bit, and arranged for a motorbike messenger to pick up our award for Best British Group. The Brit's producers, however, wouldn't let him pick it up for us. Pah, foiled! Maybe next time...

Excerpt from the KLF-faq:

Drummond, wearing a kilt and supported by crutches, announced, "The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu versus Extreme Noise Terror: This is television freedom", before the two bands launched into a raucous noise-fest of screaming guitars, super-fast drums, and guttural hoarse shouts of "3 A.M. 3 A.M. ETERNAL" from the two E.N.T. vocalists. This was live on prime-time TV, and performed in front of banks of seats of British music industry executives, at the annual Brit Awards where the KLF had been nominated for best group and best LP. "Bill was at the front of the stage, leaning on one crutch, practically shouting the vocals into the microphone. The lyrics were all-new, but with the Extreme Noise Terror guys charging around the stage, screeching guitars, and the drummer going into overdrive, most of the actual words tended to get lost. I did pick out "The Brits" and "BPI" (British Phonogram Industry), but little else. Jimmy had his coat with the hood down right up, so his face was practically concealed, but he was weaving around with his guitar. The few shots of the audience during the performance tended to suggest that they couldn't believe what the were seeing - popular 'dance' music act becomes a thrash metal band, with a mind-numbing fusion of guitar and drums to a vague rendition of a well-known tune. Actually, Bill lost his way part through the second verse, and broke up laughing, but he managed to pick it up again just before slamming into the chorus." Bill hobbled off the stage to return with a large automatic rifle instead of a crutch, and a cigar in his mouth, and the whole thing ended with sparks and explosions from the rear of the stage, and Bill shooting blanks into the audience. They left the stage with the audience incredulous, as the voice of Scott Piering announced "The KLF have now left the music industry".

Some articles about The KLF at The Brit Awards 1992

• NME: "What happened at The Brit Awards?", 22:nd of February, 1992
• Select magazine: "Who Killed The KLF?", July 1992