Live Skull

The Profile

Live Skull are an American noise rock/post-punk band from New York City, active in the 1980s and since 2016, associated with the city’s no wave and underground scenes. They’re known for tense guitars, bleak atmospheres, and records like Bringing Home the Bait, Dusted, and Positraction.

Formed in New York City, Live Skull worked within the no wave/noise rock milieu alongside peers from the 1980s underground. Their classic run spanned 1982–1990, and they reformed in 2016, releasing new material thereafter.

One positive review digs into the 1985 album Bringing Home the Bait, highlighting deep bass, hypnotic riffs, and piercing distortion. It notes Live Skull’s New York roots and situates their sound between art-noise, hardcore punk, and dark-punk moods. The album is praised yet said to be overshadowed by contemporaries.