Reflections on Rebellion Festival 4th to7th August 2022 Blackpool UK

 

Well, again it was a long time coming wasn’t it! It is the Glastonbury of punk (but without the flags and granola breakfasts!!). The biggest celebration of all things punk and new wave in the world that under the normal rules draws people in from all corners of that world on an annual basis. Of course in these Covid times things were by necessity a bit different as a two summers had passed without this gathering. Many tickets were sold indeed and this caused some changes to the normal order of things.

All shades of punk are covered here and it is great to see the new bands playing cheek by jowl with the bands that inspired them to form a band in the first place. A founding principle of punk that has never changed.

For the dedicated, the £200 face value of the ticket (I wasn’t confident enough to go for the slightly cheaper early bird tickets!) is a bargain. If you were only to see 20 bands (out of the 200+ bands scheduled over the four days) it works out to be £10 per band (I know, I know…. I did get a B at maths ‘O’ level). Double the band count and you are seeing bands that command £20-£40 ticket prices for a fiver.

This year a collection of friends congregated in Blackpool from Bishops Stortford, Manchester, Sutton, Milton Keynes, South London, Ipswich and Derby to enjoy rather salubrious accommodation just a couple of streets walk away from the Winter Gardens. With the exception of Mo, this particular congregation are in their ‘50’s and ‘60’s (sorry Phil!) so whilst Rebellion represents a bit of a blip in terms of the normal sleeping habits and alcohol intake things rarely get out of hand these days. The only real difference is that I was going to bed at 3 am… the time that I would normally be getting up for a nocturnal piss!

Going back to the magnitude of the festival this year, to a man and woman I think we struggled with formulating viewing plans from such a congested running order. Bless him, Nick Pryde was so organized that he had prepared a spreadsheet of the running order supplemented with ‘revision notes’….. this one sticks in my mind….. The Newtown Neurotics…. ‘’80’s political, v. good’! Seriously though the running order was so crowded that it was impossible for me to see half the bands that I would have had the billing worked for my particular good or bad taste in music. However, that is my only gripe about a festival that was otherwise extremely well run and organized. 

Perhaps it was the introduction of the separate R Fest with a stage on the promenade that threw a spanner in my best laid plans. Although not far from the indoor stages, the trek to the R Festival stage took about 15 minutes by the time you had worked your way to the front of the stage. The concern then was that if a headliner was appearing in an indoor venue that was at capacity you were rather stuck.

As I recall, the first band that I saw over the weekend was a Swiss outfit that went by the name of Fluffy Machine who were OK. I then moved on to my first ‘must see’ band, The Circle Jerks. This band had been on my radar for 38 years or more, ever since someone taped for me a ‘Rodney On The ROQ’ compilation album which featured a host of Californian bands championed and featured on Rodney Bingenheimer’s L.A. radio show of the same name. Keith Morris of The Circle Jerks is another legendary figure in the Californian punk rock seen having served with Black Flag, The Circle Jerks and more recently Off!. They did not disappoint, delivering a blistering set of US hardcore classics that hopefully would set the tone for the weekend ahead.

Next up was Mr Jobson and Co. late stand ins for Bad Religion who pulled out at the 11th hour. This was to be the first of three sets by The Skids that I was to see in 48 hours. At times Rebellion seemed like a Skids’ convention! But I wasn’t complaining in the least. They delivered a greatest hits set, the songs being interspersed with Jobbo’s anecdotes…. Something of a raconteur is Richard, his talents are not limited to cutting the rug! Aside from the hits, the new material from the excellent ‘World On Fire’ gave way to covers ‘Complete Control’ and ‘Pretty Vacant’. The Skids have released an album of punk covers under the title of ‘Songs From A Haunted Ballroom’.

And that was it for Day 1. My best laid plans to take in Misty in Roots and Hawkwind came to nothing on this occasion…. next time?

Our pitfall at Rebellion is in part to our inability to navigate beyond the Brew Room pub without falling across its threshold…. it is something to do with the holiday spirit and good company I think.

I did extract myself from the pub to make it into see the Newtown Neurotics, a band that I have been listening to since 1983 and seeing live since 1985. Whilst it is always great to hear the likes of ‘The Mess’ and ‘Living With Unemployment’ it is refreshing to know that the band are not resting on their laurels as they have a new album soon to be available called  ‘Cognitive Dissidents’ on Cadiz Records and a new single ‘Climate Emergency ‘ that got an airing on the day. I am sure that the new album will also have something to say about the old foe as things are bad and on the verge of getting worse I fear…. Like 1979 again but without the decent music!

Following on from that and 10 minutes of Attila’s poetry from the Literary Stage it was over to the promenade for me for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening.

So how’s this for a line up of consecutive bands!

From The Jam

The Skids

The Undertones

The Stranglers

What was it I said about 1979… well here the good music was to be found!

From The Jam I was particularly looking forward to. This will for evermore be the closest that I will ever get to seeing The Jam. Many years ago I missed the early incarnation of FTJ at the Junction in Cambridge when Rick Buckler was on board. The following year having enjoyed a modicum of success they played the Corn Exchange and with my dislike of the venue, I elected not to go. I had a ticket to see them more recently in Bury St Edmunds but missed it as I lost track of reschedule after reschedule!

Despite the current health problems endured by both Russell and Bruce they played a blinder, more than enough to moisten the eye of a Jam fan what missed out first time around!

As I stood in the sun listening to ‘Going Underground’ that closed their set the line 

‘You choose your leaders and place your trust

As their lies wash you down and their promises rust

You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public gets

But I don't get what this society wants’

Hit me hard. A strong resonance 42 years down the line as 0.42% of the electorate stand ready to foist Margaret Thatcher’s stunt double upon us! 

Back then to the narrative…. The Skids ran through another set (that I thought might have included more recent material amongst the well known tracks) similar to the Bad Religion stand in set, but it was none the less enjoyable for that.

More health casualties were evident when The Undertones took to the stage when a Billy Doherty stand in was occupying the drum stool, Billy having been laid low. His deputy did a fine job however and the Derry men delivered an anticipated set full of smiles and the exuberance of youth not often seen from a band of 60 year olds (Paul excepted!).

This just left the Stranglers for the R Festival stage and here I have to say that I rationed myself to the first five songs due to a need to get back to the Wintergardens for the Ruts DC acoustic set. On balance, I see The Stranglers many more times that any other band in a given year and so on this occasion a compromise had to be made.

So I found myself in Spanish hall for Ruts DC amongst a sea of bodies! By my reckoning there were about 500-600 people in the hall for an acoustic set at 10.30 at night. Impressive stuff and affirmation, if any were needed as to the affection that the punk fraternity have for Segs, Ruffy and Leigh!

The Skids closed the evening for me by which time I was getting the impression that Richard Jobson Doppelgangers had infiltrated the Wintergardens for the weekend, so ubiquitous was the man!

And so closed Day 2 bandwise.

Saturday’s musical adventure commenced with 999, never to be missed for me! This was the second time around in a couple of weeks after the long pandemic musical drought. Auturo explained from the outset that Nick had been hospitalized the day before with a heart issue but had managed to be signed off in time to play the gig…. The show must go on eh Nick! They were great as usual, mush appreciated in the Empress ballroom. 

Post 999 I thinks that the need for food had to be addressed. I did return to the Empress Ballroom for a couple of quick rounds with Stinky and the Rejects before returning to Spanish Hall for a second dose of Nick Cash. Nick was followed by Henry Cluney. At this point in the day’s proceedings it is entirely possible, nay, likely that I was not my usual sharp witted self! I do recall that Henry berated me for coming in at the wrong time with my Oooh-oooh-oooh’s during ‘Gate 49. Apologies Henry!

Owen's comment 'Like looking in a mirror' was noted!

Reading through the list of bands that I saw, it is becoming ever more apparent that I was done musically very early on each night! What a lightweight, although I recall bollocks was talked each night into the wee hours back at the house.

Sunday becomes even weirder as I saw just four bands I think!! 

I’ll always be in the running to see Conflict. I was a bit late coming to the Conflict/anarcho party and I did not get to see Conflict until 1986 at The Richmond Hotel in Brighton. At the time ‘The Ungovernable Force’ had just come out and I was rather terrified by them. By the time I saw them at ‘The Gathering Of The 5000’ gig at Brixton there was a very heavy scene around Conflict, some serious shite with the Metropolitan Police. Colin would hate to hear this but whilst the message is still there it is not delivered with the same menace as 36 years ago. Perhaps it’s something to do with social media. Information sharing through a whizzy Facebook page is a long way from receiving badly photocopied flyers through the post. On the last few occasions that I have seen Conflict play I have to admit that I struggle to hear what they are playing. Stuart (the drummer) said that they have slowed down over the years so I guess it’s all down to multiple lost frequencies in my hearing range…. I blame Jean Jacques Burnel!

And so back to the Empress Ballroom for the last time for the UK Subs and Ruts DC. The Subs, were just… well…the Subs. It’s good to see Charlie Harper back in his natural habitat after this two year hiatus!

Ruts DC have the work ethic akin to that of the Stakhanovite’s of the old Soviet Union. If they are not touring or on stage at one festival or another they appear to be in the studio recording new material! Also they never baulk at the idea of playing new material whenever and wherever the opportunity arises. Lesser bands may save new material for a lower key gig or a better known Ruts DC audience. No…. let’s knock these new tunes out to 3,000 people! Tonight there were no less than three new songs being showcased tonight ‘Faces In The Sky’, ‘Counterculture’ and ‘Born Innocent’ and I am happy to report that they sound just fine!

Having seen Stiff Little Fingers very recently I decided to take on the sea air for the last in the company of Squeeze…. Or at least part of Squeeze, Chris Difford being yet another medical casualty knocked out for the weekend. Nevertheless, Glen Tilbrook and the musicians surrounding him pulled the gig off brilliantly as the band played a fantastic greatest hits set to round off my weekend.

See you next year Blackpool!

Wreckless Eric The MOTH Club Hackney 30th July 2022

 

Wreckless Eric at The MOTH Club

30th July 2022

This was an opportunity to see a rare UK date by Wreckless Eric, the enfant terrible of Stiff Records (not a bad epithet if your label mates are The Damned!). It was a spot by my daughter who loves Eric’s material. The gig was the first night in a three day festival run marking the 20th anniversary of the Hello Goodbye Show, a platform representing a range of leftfield, independent performers. The money raised by the event was to be ploughed back into efforts to get the independent radio station Resonance FM, home to the Hello Goodbye Show, back on the air.

We saw one of the two other acts on the bill, namely Meatraffle from Brixton I believe. I think that all three of us thoroughly enjoyed them…. We even danced! A bit of Pigbag, Chumbawamba and God knows who else, not to mention an avant garde dancer (every band needs one don’t you know) and a keyboard player who does a very good impression of the 1977 Dave Greenfield!

Decamped from the pub across the road Eric was on stage setting up his minimalistic gear (an electric and acoustic guitar and an amp). I am ashamed to say that I was unfamiliar Eric’s new material, although I did recognise ‘Father to the Man’ a reflection on his relationship with his father ‘Now I’m older I’m a lot like him, history coming back again…… I love my Dad but I don’t wanna be him’,  and ‘California/Handyman’ from his last album ‘Transience’. Whilst it was great to see a truly original artist of the punk era in such intimate surroundings, the venue started to work against him. A word here about the venue. The M.O.T.H. Club is situated behind the Hackney Picture House. It was established back in 1972 as the Hackney headquarters of The Memorable Order of Tin Hats, a South African Brotherhood established in 1927 to support Great War veterans. As in Royal British Legion Clubs throughout the country, regimental insignia adorn the walls. The capacity is small, about 400 by my reckoning, and tonight many punters were crowded around the bar and at the back of the hall deeply engaged in their own group conversations. Now I am all for socialising at gigs but always advocate reigning it in when the performer is on stage. The time for discourse is plentiful before, between and after performances. When the performer is solo on that stage with just a guitar and a mike, it’s disrespectful to expect them to compete with the indistinct yet volumous clamour emanating from the rear of the hall. And so it was with Eric, a couple of earlier comments culminated with a screamed demand from the stage ‘Fucking shut up!’. Clearly irked now he picked up the acoustic for a run through ‘Whole Wide World’, an attempt to engage the audience with something that they knew. Clearly they did not know anything else, and as I mentioned above I too am guilty of that, but we stood there and took it in. For fuck’s sake, the man hasn’t been standing still since 1977!

‘Whole Wide World'

Wreckless Eric at the MOTH Club 

30th July 2022

A few more songs followed and the set was closed. Eric left the stage but despite the compare’s best efforts to bring him back it became clear that he was not returning to the stage for an encore.

Having only seen Eric once (nearly 30 years ago at the 12 Bar Club in London's Denmark Street) I had no way of knowing whether this was typical behavior or not, although I suspected the latter. This was proven to be the case when he posted a tweet the following day.

So it was clear that whilst indifference amongst some of the audience was a contributing factor, the issues were multiple as the venue seemed to conspire against the pint sized troubadour.

So Eric, I hope to see you play these shores again under more favourable conditions.

Interview with Chas de Whalley Sounds 17th September 1977

 Here is a really nice piece that appeared in UK music weekly Sounds on 17th September 1977. It was written by one of the earliest, if not the earliest serious music journalist to take a positive interest in the band, Chas de Whalley. In it he gives a fantastic early insight into the dynamics of the band at the time of the recording of 'No More Heroes'.... and producer at the point that the band were rapidly becoming the biggest commercial draw on the punk/new wave scene. Something is said about the songwriting processes that were employed within Fulham's TW Studios. This was of course before Martin Rushant, 'The Fifth Strangler' famously fell out with the band over that old creative chestnut.... musical direction!

TWSTUDIOS are tucked away behind a drab shopfront off London’s Fulham Palace Road. To gain entry you have to go round the side, through a used car lot and down three crumbling steps. The building looks so ramshackle it’s difficult to tell whether it’s in a state of terminal collapse or whether it’s being shored up at the eleventh hour. 

It's a far cry from the slick recording establishments you might find in the West End. You can hear the music out in the street, but it still comes as a surprise to push open the battered white door and stumble straight onto the mixing desk. 

No lap of luxury this. There is hardly room to swing a cat in the tiny control room. And there are few chairs. The walls are painted some shade of dirty brown. The ceiling tiles are battered and broken while the air conditioner, if it's working at all, fills the square concrete cell with a hum as pervasive as the tobacco smoke in the air. 

But as a recording studio, as a place to capture those rock’n’roll vibes piping hot as and when they happen, TW and its twenty four tracks are highly regarded in London circles. Despite its lack of facilities, TW comes out top of the pile for its atmosphere and intimacy. 

Even on those terms, however, the place has its drawbacks. Like if you've been drinking too much you’ll have to step out into the cold to hang a rat. Once you're there, (up the steps over the rubble and turn right, okay?) you’ll find there's no door on the bog. And should have been foolish enough to sample some of Fulham’s awe-inspiring array of takeaway food, you'll discover there's no bog paper on the roll either. 

What a bummer! 

WHILE YOU and I spent the first week of July basking in the sun or staring longingly out of an office window, the Stranglers were locked away in this grubby little pit. Working on their second album even as their first ‘Rattus Norvegicus' crested the New Wave and their double headed single 'Peaches/Go Buddy Go’ became THE Summer Hit of Seventy Seven. For ten days the toasts of the nation might just as well have called TW home. 

But if it wasn't actually home the Stranglers were still receiving visitors. A steady flow of well-wishers. Like the dressing room of a successful football team an hour before the match. Stranglers people like Steve, Dennis and Leigh from Finchley (first the band's fans, now their personal friends, these three young guys recently promoted the Stranglers at a secret North London Youth Club benefit). Stranglers' comrades in arms like Dick and Sheds from the road crew. Representatives from the record company United Artists. 

And while the boys were at work the control room was filled with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere that was jaunty even to the point of being jovial The Stranglers know this studio inside out. They recorded everything they’ve released there and its seedy backstreet ambience suits. Perfect|y at ease, the Stranglers were working under little strain.

Unlike producer Martin Rushent, chain-smoking with a look of genuine harassment on his face.

“THATS GREAT JJ. If you really want drum spill all over the track, you're doing a really great job." 

At the mixing desk Rushent sits with a smile of playful sarcasm hiding his exasperation. On the other side of the glass Jean Jacques Burnel bounces past the amplifiers and tiptoes through the trailing leads with his face fixed in an impish grin. He thrashes at Jet Black’s kit with all the energy and skill of a three-year-old with a tin drum. 

Martin Rushent groans again in mock despair, but Jean Jacques pretends he can't hear. Secretly watching the window along his sly black fringe he crashes the cymbals with renewed vigour. Le gamin français raises titters and smiles as usual. Even the producer has difficulty supressing a snigger. 

But Dave Greenfield is not amused. He stands at his keyboards, fingers poised, headphones over his cars, ready and waiting to lay down a lil’' overdub. He shoots Rushent a look of I mild irritation as Jean Jacques bashes on. 

The bearded producer takes the hint immediately. 

"Okay. Jean. Dave's ready to do this take. If you don't cut that crap out immediately, I won’t let you go home tonight. Come back in here." 

Burnel recognises the tone of authority and obediently he lays down the sticks. But, as he appears at the console door, with the hangdog expression of a truant summoned to the headmaster's study, he looks like there's still a dodge or two up his sleeve. Dennis the Menace with a history book in the seat of his pants. 

"Oh Martin. It’s getting late, man. Recording's supposed to be fun. You're too much of a slave driver." 

"And you 're a c—. Stop giving me a hard time' eh." quips our man. 

"I don't need to take that from you." 

The room bursts into laughter. 

Rushent has this 'Look-I-could-get- I just-a-little-pissed-off-with-you-guys' rap that always begins with the line 'I don't have to take that from you’. And it’s invariably a show stopper. Jean Jacques played for that point and he won it in a game of verbal tennis the two strike up every time they meet. 

Backchat and banter, mental muscle flexing and friendly rivalry make up the twenty fifth track in any Stranglers mix and as the hours drag on, the sun shines bright outside but the tapes continue to roll down below, the jokes and the pokes serve to keep the corporate pecker up, the band cheerful and relaxed and the morale high. 

Making records, you see, isn't the most exciting thing in the world. Unless you’re personally involved, a recording session can be a remarkably tedious experience. And even if it is you that’s got your head in the bucket screaming your thoughts to the world or else lacing your vanillas with electricity, the process is hardly one big party. 

For the Stranglers, the same as any , other band, it means work. And like every other aspect of rock'n'roll it is money earned under extremely high pressure. Short bursts of high activity, real mental energy squeezed into a thirty second organ break the same way as the whole working day might be compressed into sixty minutes on a stage. The action is exhausting and the subsequent inaction sometimes deadly boring. 

Just ask Jet Black what it's like and, reaching for his rolling tobacco, he’ll tell you how he spends two thirds I of his time simply sitting about. Rolling cigarettes, opening beer cans, I drinking coffee and .. . sitting about. 

There's not that much for him to do, you see. After the basic group backing tracks have been laid down Jet has few if any overdubs to see to. 

So he sits at the back, next to the mixing desk, and chips in short and pithily but with fatherly wisdom as the Stranglers and their producer toss ideas around off tape. Otherwise he is silent for hours on end. 

So while Dave Greenfield sucks on his Sherlock Holmes pipe and rattles through books of crossword puzzles; while Hugh Cornwell talks knowledgably about cricket, discusses the virtues of Strangler schoolgirl fans or reads socialist book club paperbacks about prisons; while Jean Jacques Burnel bounces between serious conversation and comic riot, Jet Black leans back, puts his hands behind his head and closes his eyes in repose. 

You asleep Jet? 

“Nah. I'm thinking about my holiday." The bearded face breaks into a smile. "I'm going to Tenerife next week. It’s the first holiday I’ve had for years." 

In the beginning there were the Guildford Stranglers and they starved for nearly two years. Then they signed a record deal with United Artists last December and since they have been moving at a pace that would cripple most other bands. 

Their debut album ‘IV (Rattus Norvegicus)’was recorded at the TW studios in little more than a fortnight. They had little rest since, for they were out working on a gruelling schedule that culminated in the ‘Rats On The Road' tour and those two triumphant shows at the Roundhouse. Less than a week later they were back down in Fulham hard at work on the follow-up 'No More Heroes'. They seemed to be at what we music critics call a 'creative peak’. In fact where I expected to find them tired and drained after the months on tour the Stranglers were bubbling with ideas and motorvatin' with their  foot hard down on the floor. 

In seven days they cut eleven tracks for the LP.

And gave short measure to none. 

A QUICK look on the label of a Stranglers record will credit no one individual with song writing credits. The experienced ear can often pick out individual authorship (except for the man from the NME who thought Hugh Cornwell was responsible for the voice as well as the lyrics of 'Princess Of The Streets') but the songs as such are conceived by the band as a whole. Sitting in the dressing room, riding in the car, playing in the studio they pick up on phrases in conversation and marry them to a riff or a beat someone has in their heads. 

New numbers are normally rehearsed at soundchecks. But if nothing seems to be working out after twenty minutes or so, that number is dumped unceremoniously. A hard system perhaps, and one which might trample on a few egos from time to time. But it is one which makes the Stranglers an unusually cohesive and committed band. The strength of purpose carries over on to record. Few can have failed to notice the actual sound of the Stranglers. It’s full, round and rich in texture. A Fleetwood Mac fan with an expensive stereo might even grant it decktime — an honour bestowed on few New Wave bands. There is a quality about the Stranglers recorded sound that creates a vivid, almost psychedelic tension in the jagged nature of the music itself. 

Fanfares for Martin Rushent (although he would be the last to claim it was all his doing). This bearded young man with the wit of a used car salesman and a line for every occasion is United Artists 'house' producer and he learned his trade working with just about everybody from Shirley Bassey to Stretch and beyond. 

Not automatically the sort of person you'd expect to click with the Stranglers. A bit too Recordbiz at first sight. Talks of 'artistes' and 'acts' and such. Rushent admits that he found the four Stranglers a little perplexing when he first saw them. Now, though, he is open handed in his praise of the band as a whole and as individual musicians. 

The claims he makes of Hugh Cornwell's abilities as a guitarist are awe-inspiring. But then Martin ought to know. He started off playing the six string in public himself. He knows it all from a musician's point of view. Which is maybe why despite and because of the playfully insulting banter, Rushent and the four Stranglers get on. 

They were a winning combination at work on 'No More Heroes', and they knew it. 

But to imply that the songs were the Stranglers contribution and the sound purely Rushent's would be to over simplify the situation. Even falsify it. Admittedly it’s Jean Jaques Burnel's unique bass tone and that eerily unreal vocal timbre that's the key to the Stranglers' Sewertone. And it’s in Rushent's department to get it down on tape. He freely concedes that he uses the sophisticated modem studio at full stretch to earn his money. 

"But we use the equipment in unorthodox ways that would be frowned upon by whoever designed them originally. As far as I’m concerned , the idea is to recreate the vibe I get off the band at a live gig and to compensate for the fact that you can’t actually see the band playing in your front room. What tricks are used are to make the right noise. If somebody notices any of them merely as effects then I think I've failed.” 

But it's them Stranglers 'oo think it all up first. 

"We want to sound like ourselves " Jean Jacques Burnel insisted. "We don't want a Ramones sound like most of the other bands these days. We want to explore ways of getting through to you. Of grabbing your attention. We experiment, but we don’t go over the top. But even if we do it doesn't matter." 

The adventurous imagination department. The suggestions department. The ‘why not an echo on the guitar?’ department is staffed by Stranglers and Rushent respects their judgement one hundred per cent. He says they’re probably the easiest band he has ever worked with precisely because they are not afraid to speak their minds. In plain simple English or even in the vernacular. 

“That's great, you know. Because when you get down to it the sound and emotion of a record is only as good as the ingredients your artiste puts into it. All the producer does is mix the cake. So if you're working with a band that doesn’t know what they want you’re in real trouble. 

So what are the Stranglers looking for? 

"Well, it obviously differs from track to track," ponders Jet Black, always the man for a serious appraisal of anything. "But, basically, when we come into the studio we have a preconceived idea of what we want. 

"It's a certain sound we get live when we’ve got a good sound and the acoustics are right. That’s what we're looking for."

PUNK PURISTS may knock the Stranglers for those operatic productions. They might even claim the Stranglers aren't even a New Wave band at all and use that sound gushing from their speakers as evidence backing their case.

Certain critics will doubtless brand the ‘No More Heroes’ album another case of middle class angst from those sexist hedonistic and existentialist Stranglers . But this is still a democracy and idiots are allowed their opinions. The Stranglers hearts are firmlv with the new politics of rock even if they approach it from up the fire escape and criticise its back yard while supporting its façade.

Already classic Stranglers numbers like ‘Feel Like A Wog’, ‘Dagenham Dave’, ‘No More Heroes’ and ‘Peasant In The Big Shitty’ – all on the new album – are by no means songs of selfish appetite. They question the status quo as strongly as the Clash, and only ‘Something Better Change’ could be critisised as mere sloganry. They question the motives and integrity of the revolutionaries too. ‘Dead Ringer’ quite shamelessly points the finger at some of the big punk polititiona. 

But what about the X Certificate porn of ‘School Mam’ or the decadence of that brand new tune ‘Bring On The Nubiles’? Our feminist friends won’t buy those two, that’s for sure. 

The Stranglers are ready to pull the sheets off anybody – YOU even – and if that doesn’t give them New Wave credibility then the Boring Old Farts are right. The whole thing is nothing but a fashion.

20 From '81 (8) The Police Brighton Centre 18th December 1981

 

Now this may divide opinion. Three white guys who had all been around the musical block it is fair to say jump on a bandwagon called punk and make a name for themselves. Soon to ditch the shackles of punk they carved a niche in  the British music industry with their 'Reggatta de Blanc'. The formula worked and whilst the music press were always suspicious of The Police, the public certainly took them to heart as they churned out hit after hit over their five album career. This set alone includes nine top 20 singles, four of which went to number 1!

Where did I stand on them? On record I think they are great, especially the first three albums but live from the earliest days Sting could not suppress his jazz roots and this lead to diabolical improvised versions of some of their songs on stage. Listen Sting, 'Roxanne' is a great track but no one needs a live version of it strung out for eight minutes!

This particular gig was very nearly my first. I was offered a ticket but opted to see Adam and the Ants instead, arguably the wrong choice. 

In 2007-2008, The Police embarked on a 158 date world tour (yes really that many!) and given how public the rifts were in the band, one can kind of question their motives for undertaking such a schedule.

But anyway, here they are promoting the 'Ghost In The Machine' album in December 1981.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-oFXlRNGCL0

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-GEk1a5PIHa

01. Voices Inside My Head
02. Message In A Bottle
03. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
04. Spirits In The Material World
05. Hungry For You
06. When The World Is Running Down...
07. The Bed's Too Big Without You
08. Demolition Man
09. Walking On The Moon
10. Shadows In The Rain

01. Bring On The Night
02. One World (Not Three)
03. Invisible Sun
04. Roxanne
05. Don't Stand So Close To Me
06. Can't Stand Losing You
07. So Lonely

Penetration The Junction Bristol 16th April 2009

 

Just to mix things up a bit. This is a recording of Penetration from Bristol back in 2009. The sound is pretty good but it is audience shot... although you could argue that that only adds to the atmosphere. This is a classic Penetration set in what must have been an extremely hot club!

DVD Disc image: https://we.tl/t-oetcLoPUBM

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-984pPuRMX1

Baz Warne The Centurian Club Somersham 16th July 2022

 

Many thanks to Saz Chapman for allowing me to take the audio from her video clips and also to Jez Bottley who's recording of 'Nice 'n' Sleazy' meant that songwise this is a reflection of the full set from this most important of gigs. Many thanks to you both!

This was the near culmination of a very emotional day... tired and emotional for many, myself included. A friend's tribute in a place that Dave knew so well.

WAV: https://we.tl/t-IpTglNMOXB

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-WMGJrMwXL7

01. The Man Comes Around

02. Nice ‘N’ Sleazy

03. Golden Brown

04. Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You)

05. Dutch Moon

06. Lines

07. Breathe

08. And If You Should See Dave

09. Always The Sun

'Fly Straight' A Charity Concert in Memory of Dave Greenfield The Centurion Club Somersham 16th July 2022

 

It is hard for me to get my head around the fact that it is now over two years since we grappled with the terrible news that Dave Greenfield, our maestro of the keys, had succumbed to COVID-19. He has been in my mind, if not daily, weekly ever since. Of course Dave had a funeral but like thousands of others it was limited due to COVID restrictions. Many people had been denied the opportunity of being able say goodbye until now. 

When an online announcement appeared (perhaps a little prematurely!) that a charity gig was taking place in Dave's memory, I was quick off the mark to get tickets for what was effectively Dave's wake. This was my first visit to Somersham, Dave's adopted home village. I had intended to see Dave and Baz play some years previously but as I recall work travel requirements got in the way. I bitterly regret that now.

The line up looked great, a mix of collaborators and recent tour supports. On the day, sadly Ruts DC were not with us. They had to pull out due to personal circumstances, but no matter, as disappointing as it was, today was about Dave and the gathering of friends brought together by Dave and the music of The Stranglers. 

The first band that I ventured into the hall for was Department S or more accurately their guitarist Phil Thompson. An all round nice guy, Phil also plays with The Rezillos and deps for The Vapors. As such he is steeped in that New Wave UK thing. He played a great set that took in 'Turning Japanese', Do Anything You Wanna Do', a bit of 'Psychokiller' and of course 'Is Vic There?'. A good start to the days proceedings.

My time was split between the activities on stage and the makeshift box office in the bar. This was not a problem as the box office table was commandeered by Owen, Jacquie, Nick and Elayne, so the conversation was good and the near proximity of the bar meant that the beers (and cider) flowed.

Gunta holding the box office fort.

I missed the Countess of Fife (who has a lovely hound by the way) but did see the acoustic Rezillos. In this respect the running order posted on the wall was rather misleading, suggesting as it did that the set would run to 40 minutes. In the event, the set ran to 3 songs, but that was OK, it was fun and presented Rocky with a new challenge... quieter drumming!

'I Can't Stand My Baby'

At this point the need for food intervened. The fact that I was drinking Stella Artois, a strong beer and never one that I would choose normally.... I did it all for Dave... meant that some manner of food related interlude was the best idea.

Early evening saw the worst excesses of this mad July weather abate to a degree.... or a few degrees... and we could sit outside.

Enter Baz Warne.

At 9.30 if the running order had any meaning at this point in the day.... I certainly wasn't keeping track of the time at the point that we filed in for Baz's set, we came to the most poignant part of the events of the day.

Throughout, performers had spoken fondly of Dave and their personal recollections of this remarkably talented and enigmatic musician. However, Baz's take on things was always going take things up to a higher emotional level.

Baz opened the set with a declaration that he was going to play a selection of songs that meant a lot to Dave. I was thrilled that he opened with Johnny Cash's 'The Man Comes Around', my album of the year back in 2002 when it was released. To hear a Strangler perform a non-Stranglers' song that means so much to me was wonderful. With it's visions of Armageddon it could have been a 'Gospel' era B-side! 

Photo courtesy of Saz.

The set that followed was career spanning but what came across strongly from the stage was just how supportive the quiet man on the keyboards had been of the new boy in the band. more so it seems than another band member that had significantly less Stranglering time under his belt than Dave, Jet or JJ!

The penultimate song, 'And If You Should See Dave' was clearly the most poignant point of the day. I think that the decision to close the set with 'Always the Sun' thus ending his contribution was a good call on Baz's part as it lifted the crowd after the reflective solemnity of 'Dave'. I was pleased to hear my vocals on the recording!

Dave was a part of my life for 41 years, initially from a distance of the rock star/fan but in later years rather closer. On one of the last times I spoke to him in France there were just four of us and the four members of the band drinking beer in the dressing room and I was able to talk to Dave about his early years in Brighton (my neck of the woods as well). 

So thanks Dave Greenfield for serving up the soundtrack of my life all the way from a teenager to a middle aged grump! It meant a lot!