Blondie The Greek Theatre Los Angeles 15th August 1979

It's the Summer of '79 and the world is in the hand's of Blondie. This was around the time when I started to take note of music for myself. What I mean is that it was in 1979 that I really became aware of music that didn't belong to my parents or Terry Wogan (who at the time hosted the Breakfast Show on Radio 2 - and always in the background when getting ready for school). Also, being an only child, there was no older sibling with a more contemporary record collection to overhear. Some additional musical education came my way from my best mate's Dad. Paul lived next door and his Dad was the local DJ, who had a bit of a name in our part of Sussex. If we were careful, we were allowed to play the hits of the moment and I remember a lot of Blondie and a fair bit of Squeeze lying around. Into the early months of 1980 and Paul and I were getting into the 14 to 18 disco's in town (only because his Dad was playing the records mind!) and it seemed that Blondie was played twice as much as any other band. I guess this was just because throughout '78, '79 and '80 Blondie were a hit making machine.

It's easy to see how the formula worked for the band. They has a receptive audience across musical genres. Part punk, part New Wave, with disco sensibilities and the aforementioned knack of releasing singles that guaranteed heavy rotation on every radio station in the land. Oh and there was the singer too!

This is a recording from The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. This was recorded a month or so before the release of the band's fourth studio album 'Eat To The Beat', and two tracks appear in the set from the album, 'Dreaming' (to be the next single and yet another hit in the UK - peaking at Number 2) and 'Slow Motion'. The rest of the set is very strong in my opinion, but then I love early Blondie albums!

Thanks to Mark for the share of this one!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-OK7WJQhrd6J7DwWL

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-DRTb5uWRfz8m0yGA

This album was reviewed in the pages of the 15th September 1979 issue of Sounds - it usually took several weeks for overseas gig reviews to make it into print.

Sounds (15th September 1979)

The writer clearly has time for the band, wants to like the gig but is struggling with the fact that post the mega global success of 'Parallel Lines', the band were in transition, leaving the clubs behind them and catering for an altogether different audience.

Still I would have given my right arm to see Blondie in 1979!

Dave Formula And Noko Opera House, Wintergardens, Blackpool 8th August 2026

 

This is something special that has emerged in the last twelve months! It was seventeen years ago that Magazine briefly reformed for some dates and so it is a long time since that great band's songs have been aired in a live setting... cue Dave Formula and Noko.

Noko filled the sadly vacant shoes of John McGeogh for those 2009/10 Magazine dates and of course Dave Formula was there from (almost) the beginning. Further teaming up with French vocalist, Peter Petersen (who has a remarkably similar vocal style to Mr Devoto!), bass player Tim Petersen and Formula Jr, Max Tomlinson, on the drums, this quintet bring the music of Magazine back to life. And they do it brilliantly!

'Real Life' is one of the greatest albums to come out of punk, a mix of punk, psychedelia and progressive rock that I am sure that few people could have anticipated. Howard Devoto, alongside Pete Shelley, was one of punk's originators who got bored with it almost before it was a thing! Such was the enigmatic character of Devoto, there was a great expectancy as to what his next move in music would be. He took his time and gathered a collection of highly competent musicians around him before launching Magazine.

Thanks as always goes to Chatts for sharing this recording which really does capture the energy and joy imbued in these songs.

I was due to see them in London earlier in the year with Mo, but plans had to change. We will certainly be there when new dates are announced either in London or Manchester.

Dave Formula & Noko

(Opera House, Wintergardens, Blackpool

8th August 2026)

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-7fPBHFcVzBtxSmOS

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-2vA0udbr5JHoLHJm

Town And Country Club, Kentish Town, London 17th February 1993

 

This is  the first of two night's the band played at Kentish Town's Town & Country Club in North London (the venue has long since gone under the name of The Forum). A word about the recording. Generally, it is of very good quality, but 'Burning Up Time' cuts in part way through and for some reason from 'English Towns' on, the volume is a bit lower, possibly due to movement in the crowd relative to the taper. Otherwise it is a good capture. Also of note is the inclusion of 'Mumble Jumble', a rarely played track, that was replaced in the set the following night by 'Mr Big'.

WAV: https://we.tl/t-ABp1PmzDPyjUR82P

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-nhhLVgcvaEmBJYbc

Eater Conference Circle, Wintergardens, Blackpool 7th August 2026

 

Okay, bringing things a little more up to date, with the gigs at least, if not the bands. Here are Finchley's finest, Eater, captured at Rebellion back in August. Eater, or at least the Andy Blade component of Eater do keep coming back. A few years ago a friend of a friend was drumming for them. Well, the band are back again.

I have never really taken the time to listen fully to Eater. Familiar with the singles, 'Outside View' and 'Thinking Of The USA' and an old tape of some demos they did, I should set aside some more time to listen to the Eater album.

Anyway, here they in Blackpool. many thanks to Chatts for the share!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-dypEe0oFvshEDNBv

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-gSHQfAKWGDTGmkv2

The Damned 100 Club Punk Rock Festival London 21st September 1976

 

If there was a hierarchy withing the burgeoning punk scene it was apparent at the 100 Club festival and the running order. Was it the case that Monday 20th was the night for the in-crowd (the Pistols ('Malcolm's band'), The Clash and Subway Sect ('Bernie's bands') and the Banshees (a band made up of the original and earliest Pistols' acolytes) whilst Tuesday 21st was 'Outsiders night', The Damned (ideological outsiders) and Buzzcocks (geographical outsiders)?

The Damned turned in the shortest and fastest set of the festival. Just 19 minutes from start to finish (excluding string changes)! Actually, whilst I do not have the wherewithal to analyse speeds, my version here sounds rather slow (can anyone check?).

Listening back to this, its is surprising that even at this stage (the band's live debut, also at the 100 Club, was as recent as 6th July 1976) they were tight live... showing that the 'can't play' accusation levelled at them (and other punk bands) by critics and to an extent a myth perpetuated at the time by the band themselves, was not strictly true.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-ej1bSf4UYR6THME7

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-RGHWRYmHS7HDdFqY

Here's Mark again...

'Tuesday: "It's back to jazz from now on, we can't play here again... not after tonight".

It had to happen. Let's hope it doesn't happen again! It was a quieter night than Monday, except for the violence of course.

The Damned emerged next. They were really pissed off with things as they powered through their raw set. For a start, Dave Vanium's (sic) mic kept cutting out plus there was loads of jeering from the "wonderful" Vibrators in the audience. The atmosphere was growing tense, it cracked when one of Bryan's (sic) guitar strings broke, 15 minutes it took to restring the thing, more jeers etc. Vanium was all over the place when they restarted, throwing beer into the crowd and he ripped Chaotic Bass' Sex Pistols t-shirt. Suddenly there was a bit of violence at the front of the stage - a glass had been thrown. Dave jumped down into the crowd to see what happened, he was soon back on stage - "Which one of you bastards hurt someone near and dear to us... Come up here and we'll kick the shit out of you, you bastard!"

No one admitted throwing and the music raced on, the Damned were fucking great, it's a shame the atmosphere in the place didn't match it. Suddenly, a heavy's on stage, the music stops - "There's three people outside waiting for an ambulance, if there's any more glasses thrown, we'll stop the show and have you all out!"

One more number an the Damned left the stage. Someone said the Damned are awful. Don't you believe it, there's no fucking pussyfooting with the Damned. They put everything into what they do.

"The Damned are better than most bands but they've got no good lyrics, I mean, you can't hear 'em. The kids can't go, ru de dum de dum and remember the tune, and it'd stick in their heads so they can pass it on. With the Sex Pistols the kids really bop- that shows you they've made it, I mean did you see anyone bop to the Damned? "They played Iggy Stooge, that was 1969, I mean, we're seven years on, this is 1976!" Malcolm McClaren said. He's got a good point but we think the Damned are saying something through their energy, the way they behave on stage, etc. They're certainly the most controversial band in London at the moment!'

The Damned as 'the most controversial band in London at the moment!'?  Well, Mark P's works were written some nine weeks before the Grundy event... at which point The Damned undoubtedly lost their 'Kings of Controversy' crown!

Listening to the recording, there are a number of cuts in evidence. Brian James's 15 minute restringing interval is removed, but more interestingly so is Dave Vanian's chastisement of the audience after the glass throwing incident. I did not know that the girl who was injured by glass was associated with The Damned until reading the Sniffin' Glue review. What you can hear throughout The Damned's set is the heckling from the audience, some of it at least coming from members of The Vibrators of who Mark P had nothing positive to say.

So the words of Mark Perry that appeared in the Sniffin' Glue festival special issue put the earlier posted Giovanni Dadomo review (here) into better context. The trouble that marred the event occurred during The Damned set early on (they were second on after Stinky Toys). In contrast, the first night seemed to have been relatively trouble free.

As mentioned earlier, as far as I am aware, the set from Chris Spedding and The Vibrators was recorded (and would be good to hear for the appearance of Sensible on stage to also play with Spedding), but sadly nothing from Buzzcocks. By all accounts by the time Howard and Co, took to the stage the venue had emptied out (public transport in the capital was not what it is now) so maybe it was the case that the taper had exited too.

Sex Pistols 100 Club Punk Rock Festival London 20th September 1976

 

The main attraction to conclude day one. At this point the Pistols had some notoriety, but infamy was some months off yet (the Bill Grundy 'Today' interview on the eve of the Anarchy tour took place on 1st December 1976).

Half of the tracks that make up the Pistols set went on to appear on their 'Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols' album whilst others cropped up as B-sides on those '77 singles. Other iconic songs, the likes of 'No Future' ('God Save The Queen') and 'E.M.I.' were still in their late stages of creation ('No Future') or the events that inspired them ('E.M.I.') had yet to happen. Although the songs were in place, the release of 'NMTB' was still more that a year away as the band became the hottest potato of all for those record companies that engaged with them (most notably the establishment label 'E.M.I.' and the American giant 'A&M').

Many of those that participated in these early punk gigs (such as Siouxsie and Marco) have gone on record to state that punk died with the Grundy interview and the furore come media circus that followed in its wake. If this is so then punk in its intended form did not even make it in to 1977 and was enjoyed by just a couple of hundred people in London and Manchester! Luckily, there was plenty more good stuff to come in 1977, but I happily concede that all of those early gigs throughout 1976 would have been something to behold... before a variety of people and organisations manipulated 'punk' and took it over to a large extent.

Once again, over to 'Sniffin' Glue'.

'During the interval the Sex Pistols showed up. I approached Johnny Rotten, who was slouched over some chairs with Glen Matlock:

SG - Would you do Top Of The Pops?

Rotten - Great, why not? Should be good.

SG - There's a rumour going around that your song, 'Anarchy In The UK' was made just to promote Malcolm McClaren's 'Anarchy' shirts, is that right?

Rotten - No, that's just other bands jealous of us... anyway the song came first!

SG - Yea, it's said that it was all planned.

Rotten - Well, all I can say to that is, "Yawn".

SG - Just, "Yawn"?

Rotten - Yea!

The Pistols were fucking brilliant! They were really on form, there was kids on chairs, tables... the following they've got is amazing. No one in their right mind could say they "can't play", they're getting better every gig. No, there was no violence, they just played!'

The punk and the prophet

Roxy, London 1977

In this briefest of interviews, Rotten does indeed allude to simmering rivalries between those bands that eventually coalesced into what we know understand to be punk.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-pqz7BCPe1DD4mTAw

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-K29q7xHH6kLztdXi

The Clash 100 Club Punk Rock Festival London 20th September 1976

 

Back again from wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen. As promised here's another set from the 100 Club Punk Festival, this time from a second on the bill Clash. From before the sniping and the one upmanship that accompanies music 'scenes' really kicked in.

An early preview of what would become 'The Clash' album (8 of the 14 tracks on the debut album appear in this set) is what you get here. Alongside them are two early tracks that did not last the course, 'Deadly Serious' and the oddly named 'How Can I Understand The Flies?'.

First album era Clash has always been my favourite.... back when Jackson Pollock was the fifth member!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-MjWGcHw9QOSntJuh

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-jLr0YmX6o0QhuokV

So, what was Mark P's take on The Clash's set...

'The Clash were really good. They seem to be getting better every time I see 'em. Their set was more loose and expressive than before. They've dropped a member (Keith Levine) and they are probably the most powerful band on the scene at the moment. The response from the audience was pretty good but they're still yet to find their own audience. They're gonna start heading in clubs so they should soon build up a loyal following, they fucking deserve it. 

After the Clash, in the dressing room I got me Count Bishops badge ripped off, someone (a 'clash') pounded it into the floor with the heel of his boot, "We'll get you a real badge", he said. Thank you, Mr. Clash!'

So who do you think was responsible for the destruction of Mark's Count Bishops badge then?.... my money's on Mick!