Ruts DC The Garage Islington London 30th November 2025

 

It felt that this gig was slow to come round, the date that is, not the tempo of the gig! Gunta and I made our way across a freezing cold Islington (narowly avoiding being mown down be several hundred young folk streaking (not literally... not in that weather) down Upper Street on roller skates... quite a sight, last seen in Paris). We reached our rendevous, the Hen & Chickens pub to find a bar full of punk guitarists.... there was Leigh, and Jet (who was in the UK Subs for a time)... and is that Damian O'Neill over there? It was indeed, with two other former members of That Petrol Emotion, so possibly another guitarist. Segs was in the house too, representing the bass players.

It was due to be another one of those early gigs with Ruts DC taking to the stage at 8.30. I was a little concerned at first since that as of 8pm the audience was rather thin on the ground but the venue filled quite rapidly in the minutes before the band were due on stage. I don't think that it was a sell out, perhaps some were deterred by the idea of venturing out on a very cold Sunday night. In the end though the numbers were good. Opening with 'Vox Teardrop' what was to follow was an eclectic set and a long set to boot. Ruts DC have such an extensive back catalogue now that entire albums worth of material can be left out such that there was nothing from 'Rhythm Collision I' or 'Animal Now' to be heard tonight, which is always regretable, but for sure the replacement material in the set more than made up for the necessary omissions.

'Something That I Said' was up next followed by the ever brilliant 'Mighty Soldier', still the best song that the band have written since coming back (and that is in no way meant as a sleight on all the other stuff)... it came with a plea for peace, but I don't thing that Vladimir Putin was there on this night. The first surprise of the night (well I say surprise... but Andy Peart had let on after the Brighton gig.... but that's okay, I have never been one for ducking and diving to avoid knowledge of a set before a gig!) was 'Demolition Dancing'. Before the song, Segs mentioned that it was the 45th anniversary of the 'Grin & Bear It' album so it was time that this one got an airing.

A rousing 'Back Biter' and a brilliant 'Counterculture' racked up the tempo before it was slowed back down for very rare coupling of 'Love In Vain' and 'Give Youth A Chance'. Unfortunately, momentarily caught short at this point, I found myself up against the urinal as a bloke emerged from a Gents cubical shouting 'Are they a punk band or a reggae band? I don't get it. I HATE it when they play that reggae shit!' When there you go, the guy said it himself... he didn't get it... I mean 'Love In Vain'!!!

The night before the band had played in Norwich and on their journing down to London they had cause to pass through Harlow (the town next to me and where I have worked for many years). Segs stated that he had never seen so many flags and grinned without making any further comment.... I suspect like the reggae hating gentleman from the lavatory cubicle, Segs doesn't get it either.... the flag thing that is, and to that point neither do I! Such was the introduction to 'Born Innocent'.

The third 'treat' for the night and once again lifted from 'Grin & Bear It' was 'Secret Soldier' - have they ever played this one before this tour?... I cannot recall. Very, very rarely if they have.

'Bound In Blood' nearly saw us to the end of the first page of a two page set list! With the big hitters, 'In A Rut', 'Babylon' and 'Rude Boys separated by a couple of attacks on bad politicians in the forms of 'Poison Games' and 'Pretty Lunatics'. 

It was an exceptional evening, 90 minutes of brilliant music that did much to reaffirm the fact that intolerance and hatred have not quite yet permeated every part ofthis country.

TVS Television Theatre Gillingham 18th October 1982 DVD

 

I am sure that this is a common scenario for any of us who have invested many years in collecting live material by the bands we love. Some recordings are held in higher regard than others, those of superior quality in either content or sound/vision tend to do the rounds more than others. No surprises there. In the early 1980's The Stranglers played three notable TV gigs. 'Rockstage; from the Royal Theatre in Nottingham in 1980, the 'No Nukes Festival' in Utrecht in 1982 and in the same year, 'Off the Record' in Gillingham. 

These shows were recorded on early video cassette recorders time and time again with a notable decrease in audio and picture quality every time a copy of a copy was made. Thus for the collector multiple copies would be sought in the hope that a better quality 'low generation' copy would turn up. For this reason it is not unusual to have half a dozen versions of  recording, each of different quality. This is very much the case when it comes to copies of the gig that the band played in October 1982 at the TVS Studios in Gillingham as part of the TV stations 'Off The Record' series. As some point it makes sense to try to pin down the best of the bunch and that is what I have done here. This is the best quality version of this 30 minute set of TV gold that I have yet to see.

DVD image: https://we.tl/t-3v1UKV2RjX

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-wQCPEF5EFy

Graeme Mullan (Mully) RIP

Yesterday I was extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Mully. Our paths first crossed on a long weekend in June 1989 when The Stranglers played a handful of consecutive dates across the UK and Ireland. I was 21 then and had never encountered anyone from Belfast, so Mully was quite exotic as far as my world view from Sussex was concerned!. Then as now I was fascinated by the Troubles and he in turn was always happy to accommodate my many questions on the topic. Of course our paths continued to cross on many, many occasions in the years that followed and it was always a joy to see him.

Two particular memories came to mind yesterday when I was thinking about Mully. One was in a hotel somewhere in the Lowlands. Mully had I believe enjoyed something herbal earlier in the day and when we met him in the hotel lift, he remarked that it was great that the lift announcements were made in a Belfast accent... the reality was that Mully was repeating the announcements floor by floor!

On another occasion we were enjoying a pre-gig beer in a pub garden in Frome, prior to a performance at the Cheese and Grain. It was a sunny day and most drinkers were in the pub garden. In such a location the announcement to evacuate the pub and garden as a result of a bomb-scare was very much unanticipated. As people complied, whilst moaning about lost drinking time, I remember an ebullient Mully running around amongst the bemused evacuees laughing in his unmistakable way and loudly declaring in his broad Belfast accent 'This has got nothing to do with me!'

Farewell then Mully, it was a pleasure!

Buzzcocks Top Rank Suite Cardiff 10th May 1978

 

In my view, whilst 1977 could be claimed with reason by the Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and The Stranglers, 1978 belonged to Buzzzcocks. Like the Banshees, whilst Pete and Co were in the vanguard of UK punk it took them a long time to get signed and get an album out. But once UA had their signatures there was no stopping them. Two albums were forthcoming in 1978, 'Another Music in a Different Kitchen' in March and 'Love Bites' in September. With product came gigs and Manchester's Fab Four were hardly off the road in 1978. In March they toured with The Slits, in October and November with Subway Sect and in between times they squeezed in the 'Entertaining friends' tour with friends Penetration. It is from that tour that this little gem comes from.

On record Buzzcocks were very polished, the band benefiting greatly from the presence of Martin Rushent in the producers chair, live they were equally impressive but just that bit more raw sounding.

What a set to die for!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-oDHrD77veP

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-Xy9HXE1guM

The press were impressed too as evidened by this Record Mirror review of the band's appearance at Aylesbury Friars four days earlier.

BUZZCOCKS
Friars Aylesbury

WHERE have all the hippies gone? Aylesbury you let me down. Whatever happened to your long haired community, I suppose they've swopped their flowing locks for greasy crew cuts. Still its not how you look it’s what you look at that counts. Anyone could look at The Buzzcocks and enjoy them.

The music they are now creating is Universal. Before you think that I am (quite rightly) going over the top, let me admit that this was the best gig I have been to this year .. It was also the first time, and certainly not the last time, I will see The Buzzcocks in '78.

Right then pop pickers, lets do a bit of analyzing for you.

'Another music in a different kitchen', a weird title for an album which established The Buzzcocks as one of the most thoughtful and certainly the most talented new wave bands to emerge. Yes they are a new wave band, simply because they are pioneering a form of music which is full of imagination and mechanical energy. You can pogo to them and of course some morons still persist in showing their appreciation by spitting.

It 's strange how on stage the band keep an incredibly low profile, but still succeed in holding your concentrated attention. Pete Shelley doesn't believe in pretentiou's theatricals, but only has to rely on his distinctive loping Mancunian vocals to gain unconditional acceptance with any audience.

The band all look so ordinary that it makes the sounds they produce seem even more effective. Simple pop songs all with sixties sounding guitar hooks helps to satisfy the spikey head boppers. However the set reaches its climax during the hypnotic 'Autonomy' which has so much sheer 'musikal' originality that it made me wonder why bands like Devo are getting so much publicity when we have true innovators from the far more accessible industrial wasteland of Manchester.

Anyway, never mind the superlatives, here's the Buzzcocks.

PHILIP HALL

Bürgerhaus Stollwerck Cologne 17th November 2015

 

Apologies, it was my intention to upload this onelast week as a 10th anniversary post, but damn it, work intervened. Anyway, here it is, a little late, but it is I think worth it.... a nice sounding full set, audience record of the event. Enjoy!

22/11/2025 - It has been pointed out that this gig was actually played at Bürgerhaus Stollwerck and not at Luxor as advertised. A belated thanks also are due to Peter who originally shared this recording with me. Cheers!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-UnbWGvUVIG

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-2fIdjQrZWI

The Clash Brixton Fair Deal London 30th July 1982

 

My sincere thanks goes to DomP for this one. The previously posted Fair Deal gigs were lower quality recordings of dates that The Clash played there earlier in the month. The band returned to South London on 30th July '82 for a final London date before hot footing it back to America to consolidate their recent 'Combat Rock' success by means of a marathon four month Stateside touring schedule. Dom informs me that this was the one ocassion that Mick Jones played in front of his Dad. It also turned out to be the last gig that he would play in the capital as a member of The Clash.

A word about the recording then. The majority of it is soundboard sourced. The set is completee with a handful of audience sourced tracks in the middle of the set, each marked with an asterisk. DomP has renmastered it so that it is sounding great!

Thanks Dom. I appreciate the share!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-lScwCoN1CU

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-GP7vKHosnZ

O2 Academy Sheffield 23rd March 2012

 

One from 2012's 'Giants' tour here and a night out in Sheffield. This was the set that contained 'Shut Up', a welcome hangover from the 'Black and White' set that the band played at the 2011 Convention. For some reason, this crowd favourite didn't make it into the 'Black and White' tour that the band undertook in 2016. 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-kKfHhMY3TM

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-YiPxS7iiap