TV Smith & The Bored Teenagers Sojus 7 Monheim Germany 3rd February 2014

 

TV Smith loves Germany and the Germans love TV Smith... and The Adverts. 

Here is a very recent marathon two part set where The Bored Teenagers 'Replay The Adverts' before embarking on a second set with highlights of what Tim did in the last 45 years since the demise of The Adverts. 

Just to return to The Adverts for one moment. Listening to the first half of the set, it still amazes me how well material from both of the band's albums have with stood the test of time.

Thanks as ever to Peter for the share!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-avMauxjFVk

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-QVLCJnAJqn

Luxor Cologne 24th April 2012

 

A nice sounding recording from 'Giants' in Europe. A hectic year for the band on the touring front.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-h0ujbA0PmS

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-w6X9QmzS13

01. Intro

02. Burning Up Time

03. Sometimes

04. The Raven

05. Lowlands

06. Hey! (Rise Of The Robots)

07. Hanging Around

08. Unbroken

09. Time Was Once On My Side

10. Golden Brown

11. Strange Little Girl

12. Always The Sun

13. Walk On By

01. Giants

02. Peaches

03. Mercury Rising

04. 5 Minutes

05. Relentless

06. Lost Control

07. Shut Up

08. Something Better Change

09. No More Heroes

10. Nice ‘N’ Sleazy

11. Boom Boom

12. Duchess

13. All Day & All Of The Night

14. Tank

Lowlands Acoustic Tour April 2011

 

Now this was great fun. Three nights of following the band in The Netherlands and Belgium. At the time, the acoustic thing was new to me and I thought it worked very well. It also meant a change to see the band in some smaller, even more intimate venues. This was the occasion that brought me to Turnhout for the first time, On that occasion, I was totally ignorant of the fact that 67 years earlier my Grandfather had been here and that every September his regiment (the 11th Royal Scots Fusiliers) were and are commemorated as liberators of the town. In more recent years I have laid wreaths in the CWGC section of the municipal cemetery. But on this occasion it was all fast food and drinking!

Here we have a nicely edited record of these shows. Apologies as I received this in a trade many years ago I cannot remember who was responsible for the authoring.

DVD image: https://we.tl/t-LfXfKQWznH

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-gC4YauTjsd

NME 24th to 31st December 1977

 

I am not sure whether visitors to this site will be interested in uploads of certain issues of the music press or not, even more to the point whether people are keen to see images of the gallic one's bare arse!

For my part I love to peruse old issues of the UK music weeklies that back in the day served as indicators on what we would spend our money on and how we would use our social lives! I have on many occasions (OK it is maybe a bit of a bloke thing to do... akin to making lists!) turned to the gig listings, picked a day in order to decide in whose company I would have spent that particular evening. 

What these old issues also provide is band histories as they happened. Snapshots of long careers. Given the very high price that the original papers (yellow papers as Gunta calls them) command online it is a shame that more are not digitised and put out there.

This was the infamous issue that featured our bass player as 'Stud Of The Year'. What is clear from this issue was that 1977 was unquestioningly the year of punk. The 'King of Rock 'n' Roll is dead 'Long live King Punk Rock!'. 

If anyone on here has old issues of NME, Sounds or Melody Maker etc scanned and would be happy to share please get in touch/

PDF: https://we.tl/t-VSOaLVsrCu

Ombudsmen The Lexington London 18th February 2024

This then was Ombudsmen's third gig in the capital and their biggest yet. A birthday gig for Christopher Plummer, the audience travelled for the occasion (many braving the current vagaries of our public transport system to make it up to North London). Ombudsmen were second on after 'College Boy Haircut'. The sound on the night was good, the band having enjoyed a soundcheck, a luxury that they have not enjoyed at some of their gigs to the detriment of some shows.

The set was essentially a run through of the material on their two E.P.s, 'Fizzy Milk' and 'Terms & Conditions Apply' (both are on Spotify). John, the bass player assured me that new material is being worked up and will appear on a further E.P. release before too long. 

Before the gig Mo told me that she was very nervous, said in slightly earthier terms I may add. This was by far the biggest audience that the band have played to to date, by my reckoning 150 people or so. Once on stage though there were few signs of nerves although that can be difficult to tell as the singer stands stock still throughout... only movement of the eyes and mouth confirm an existence of vital signs!

Mo Andrews and John Bardsley (Ombudsmen)

The Lexington London

18th February 2024.

(Photo: Paul Jenner)

With this larger audience, I took some moments to look around me. Here we had a situation where the audience were not primarily made up of friends and relations of the band, so to see strangers genuinely getting into the band was quite a thrill. 

The elders look on.

(Photo: Paul Jenner)

After 30 minutes in the merch booth the band had to hot foot it back to the M6 and Manchester to be up for work in the morning. But hey, they are young, they can do these things. I on the other hand cannot! 

Loved the day, very proud of Mo and the band and it was great to spend the evening with Owen, Jac and Peej. And thanks to Christopher for putting the thing on and giving such encouragement to new, young bands!

'Take Everything'

The Lexington London

18th February 2024.

Le 112 Terville 4th February 2009

 

A great sounding gig from France back in 2009.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-pyE1Qq1e1E

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-NChy5l9s4M

01. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
02. 5 Minutes
03. Peaches
04. Nice'N'Sleazy
05. Spectre Of Love
06. Skin Deep
07. No Mercy
08. Always The Sun
09. Strange Little Girl
10. Golden Brown
11. The Raven
12. Thrown Away

01. Walk On By
02. Hanging Around
03. Straighten Out
04. Big Thing Coming
05. All Day & All Of The Night
06. Duchess
07. Tank
08. JJ
09. Nuclear Device
10. Something Better Change
11. Encore Break
12. No More Heroes

This Is Britpop At The BBC

 

A bit of a departure here for which I make no apologies. I am of an awkward age. Too young for punk in its prime, I saw those bands either late in the day or at the point that their initial animosities had sufficiently abated to allow them one again to share the same stage. In between there was a musical vacuum in the UK. Just horrible.

That changed a bit in 1994/95 with the appearance of a number of young bands that put guitar, drum and bass at the forefront of their material once more. The music press ever keen to pigeonhole a scene labelled these bands Britpop and the rest is history.

For my part there was one band that got my pulse racing and that was Elastica. I loved them, the sheer neck of the band! Listen to most bands and you can recognise their influences. With Elastica, it was possible to take that to the next level... influence per song. But no matter, they were just brilliant. They had it all, the look, the sound and the attitude. 'Martens and leggings' in Owen's words!

In some ways, Britpop was the next 'punk' revolution... like its older '77 cousin, it was intense, much hyped in the press and very short lived. And yet, as was the case with punk, most of the bands involved are viewed 30 years on with great affection.

The eagle eyed amongst you may well spot an honorary Wingman.

DVD Image: https://we.tl/t-AQCc8kTcdh

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-RSl9wsEok5

Edinburgh Playhouse 17th February 1985

 

Another anniversary gig from the Aural Sculpture marathon some 39 years ago. Hugh on great form on this good sounding recording. Elements of the crowd get the traditional (for the time) barracking for persisting with the spitting, whilst Hugh pulls of fthe worst Scottish accent ever for 'Nubiles'... 'Let me cover your tits with porridge'!

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-GN54tgETr2

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-DS0pgeIJw6

CCW Demos (November to December 1990)

 

Revived and reposted from 2013.

Here's for your listening pleasure are three demo tracks recorded by CCW (a.k.a. Cornwell, Cook and West) in late 1990. The first post Stranglers recordings from Hugh I would imagine. Thanks to Paul N.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-kEkGjKXltx

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-A3SEdY2LNH

01. Let It Fall
02. E O Eleven
03. Heaven And Hell

Hugh Cornwell Ottakar's Bookshop Walsall 23rd November 2001

 

Here's a DVD received in a trade many years ago. Hugh is in Ottakar's Bookshop in Walsall promoting the 'Song by Song' book that he collaborated with Jim Drury on. A short acoustic set is followed by a short Q&A session.

DVD Global Image: https://we.tl/t-njQXZ6EusO

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-yS1BWOq3Km

O2 Academy Newcastle 12th March 2010 DVD

 

Still sorting through piles of discs. I had a look at this one. Received in a trade at around the time of the tour (sorry I cannot recall from whom it came) this is an audience shot film of the band on the 'Decades Apart' tour. For an audience recording it is very watchable and the sound is good.

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

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-WgH4Y1xutq

Thebarton Theatre Adelaide Australia 10th February 2018

 

These are becoming harder and harder to locate as the years go by, but I have found another anniversary gig from 2018 down under. Nice sounding recording too. Sorry I do not recall the original taper/uploader, but many thanks. 

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-vIE89gZV9s

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-fQOIRj4PQ0

01. Intro
02. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
03. Curfew
04. Was It You?
05. 15 Steps
06. Nice 'N' Sleazy
07. Peaches
08. Always The Sun
09. Golden Brown
10. The Raven
11. Bear Cage
12. Nuclear Device (The Wizard Of Aus)

01. Freedom Is Insane
02. Just Like Nothing On Earth

03. Baz
04. Walk On By
05. Relentless
06. Norfolk Coast
07. Hanging Around
08. 5 Minutes
09. Tank
10. Baz
10. Duchess/No More Heroes

Hugh Cornwell Epic Studios Norwich 7th December 2014

 

The winter tour of 2014 saw Hugh and Hazel reunited. Here is Chatts record of an evening in Norwich. Cheers. This is the larger 24 bit version which will have to be converted if you intend to burn the recording to CD.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-1PEMXOSQi0

Artwork: https://we.tl/t-WNrmArEAJt

Chapiteau Nancy 14th October 1983

 

Here's another one from the marathon that was the 'Feline' tour when the band found French audiences very receptive to the less raucous feel of that album.

FLAC: https://we.tl/t-eIXEWWvCFk

Artwork: Included in download file

01. Intro
02. Down In The Sewer
03. Toiler On The Sea
04. Ships That Pass In The Night
05. It’s A Small World
06. No More Heroes
07. Who Wants The World?
08. Never Say Goodbye
09. Golden Brown

01. Midnight Summer Dream
02. European Female
03. The Raven
04. 5 Minutes
05. Tank
06. London Lady
07. Nubiles (Cocktail Version)
08. Bring On The Nubiles
09. Hanging Around

Bear Cage Lyrics Record Mirror 29th March 1980

 

Accompanied by a picture that I haven't seen before.