In no particular order...
1)Beach Boys---Knebworth 1980.
You know how it is,some mates have hired a van to travel down from Wolverhampton to Knebworth to see The Beach Boys and there's a drop out.Fancy it?
Well i had never really taken much notice of the band but hell they had a spare ticket and it was an excuse for a weekend on the lash with a few mates.
To get into the spirit of the day i tied The Stars & Stripes round my waist and got a woman outside the gig to scrawl "Surf's Up" on my forehead in red lipstick.
Truth be told i was more interested in support act Santana,who were as good as i'd hoped but being a little fella the not ironically nicknamed "Big Pete" hauled me up on his shoulders and cut a swathe to the front,it was like Rommel uptop on his tank in the Sahara...The Beach Boys were taking the stage.
They were magnificent! I did'nt realise that i knew all their tunes...Lawwwwd bless the sub-conscious eh?
It was also the last ever time the original line up gigged together...
2)T-Rex---Wolverhampton Civic Hall 1971(?)
I'm a bit dubious about the exact year but i think this is correct.Whatever,it was my first ever live gig.I was about 11 and went with my two elder sisters,Helen & Liz.It was just after the release of "Ride a White Swan" and Bolan was transforming the band from drippy hippie pixie & elves rubbish to Glam rock kings.
Frankly i don't recall much about the gig except that i enjoyed it,just wish i had seen them later on at the height of their fame...
3)The Clash---Victoria Park 1978
Badges of Honour.
At the time the National Front--later to become The BNP---were making headway in British politics and were close to making electorial breakthroughs in numerous areas.Coupled with this such rock luminaries as Eric Clapton & David Bowie had made disgusting racist remarks in the press.Out of this Rock Against Racism and the Anti Nazi League were born to counter this threat.
The Wolverhampton branch of The CPGB(Communist Party of Great Britain)hired a coach for the day---yes we had enough members to fill it!---for the journey down to London.We came to march from Trafalgar Sq to the then NF stronghold of Bethnal Green and to the gig in Victoria Park.Into the belly of the beast...
It seemed that the whole world and his wife had come from all over the country to fight the good fight...750,000 marched.A wonderful and life affirming turnout.
One abiding memory of the day is us getting left behind at the back of the march after stopping off in a pub on the way---well c'mon walking's thirsty work---getting lost and rather scarily stumbling into a Bethnal Green housing estate.Locals were hanging out their windows hurling abuse and some objects at us.A stirring rendition of "Martin Webster f***s Alsations" shut the buggers up.Webster was co leader of the NF.
We got to the park unscathed though and this i what greeted us...
We missed all the other acts but frankly the music did'nt matter.It was all about being there...
4)Pink Floyd---Earl's Court 1980
This was Floyd's The Wall gig's in West London.I was on holiday camping in Paignton with my then girlfriend Hellen and my brother's family.But myself and H had tickets for this gig and had to get from there to West London.Let me tell you here a week camping in the wet knocking back weapons grade farmers cider is not ideal preparation for a six hour train journey...then a gig on top.
We booked into a scummy B & B in West Kensington where the curtains did'nt close,much to the delight of the voyeur in the flat opposite,Got to Earl's Court only to find our seats were miles away from the stage.As it turned out this was ideal to see the superb set Floyd built as they played The Wall.Wonderful...
I also seem to recall next morning dancing on the bed in the scummy B&B to the Banana Splits theme tune and being told not to darken their doorway again...
5)The Jam---Wolverhampton Civic Hall 1981
This was a few weeks before i left my hometown for good for pastures new.I had packed up my job and was having a few afternoon drinks in a pub by the Civic with a couple of mates before the gig.Who should walk in but Jam bassist Bruce Foxton.Needless to say we hijacked his quiet afternoon bevvy...
He was a very decent chap and we spent a good hour in his company,as he was leaving he asked if we fancied coming to the soundcheck? Does the Pope shit in the woods?
That's about it for that gig except for standing in the bog with Paul Weller during the soundcheck and him not unreasonably asking me who the hell i was and what the hell i was doing there?
6)Two Tone Tour---Wolverhampton Civic Hall 1979
Ah the infamous two tone tour! Somewhere among the fighting a gig broke out...
It's a very odd quirk of Britain's musical history that bands like Madness and The Specials played Ska and promoted a multi cultured outlook but attracted their fare share of racist scumbags as fans.So this night in Wolves civic hall the NF boot boys tried to intimidate and hurt anyone who appeared to be a fully paid up member of the human race.
You'll be pleased to hear they took a right old beating and were run out of the place.
Oh and the music was fandabidozzie...
7)Sex Pistols---Wolverhampton Laffeyette 1979
One of the Pistols last ever UK gigs was at the Laff--a notorious hard place for bands to succeed---They had already played there twice,first as an unknown,and frankly rubbish,band in 1976.Then as SPOTS(Sex Pistols on Tour) a pseudonym that they had to adopt owing to being banned from touring under their own name.
Needless to say when they toured as SPOTS nobody was unaware as to who they really were.So much so that i could'nt get into the gig as coach parties had come from Manchester & London to see them.
But they did play the Laff again and i made sure i got a ticket--for the sum of £1---Whatever you think of Johnny Lydon(nee Rotten) he's a charismatic frontman and i was transfixed by him.It was a sweaty,beery,magnificent night...
8)Oasis---Knebworth 1996
Knebworth again.This time Oasis on top of their game.Their first two albums were modern day classics,sadly they have plummeted down the divisions since those halcyon days---in my humble opinion---However Knebworth in front of 250,000 was made for them and they nailed it.
I went with a fellow Wolves fan,Pete,and a few of his mates who're Derby fans.Getting the coach from Paddington to the gig.Not a bad journey but hellish on the way back with a belly full of very expensive beer.I seem to recall getting back to London about 4am.All good fun.
Their main support act that day were The Prodigy.Not really my taste in music but they also nailed their set.Great day all round.
9)Specials---Coventry 2011
The homecoming for The Specials last October was a gig we could'nt miss.Three of us--all Wolves fans--went up to Cov for the weekend .
For years we have been going through Coventry on our way to Wolves home games and always mentioned we should visit the pub by the station called The Rocket.This gave us the perfect opportunity.We certainly did'nt expect it to be a West African shebeen transported to the West Midlands...Life's full of little pleasant surprises...
The Specials back in their hometown was always going to be a triumph but to give them credit they were in tip top form and did'nt just phone the gig in knowing they were preaching to the choir...The locals--and not so local---lapped it up.
Knebworth again.This time Oasis on top of their game.Their first two albums were modern day classics,sadly they have plummeted down the divisions since those halcyon days---in my humble opinion---However Knebworth in front of 250,000 was made for them and they nailed it.
I went with a fellow Wolves fan,Pete,and a few of his mates who're Derby fans.Getting the coach from Paddington to the gig.Not a bad journey but hellish on the way back with a belly full of very expensive beer.I seem to recall getting back to London about 4am.All good fun.
Their main support act that day were The Prodigy.Not really my taste in music but they also nailed their set.Great day all round.
9)Specials---Coventry 2011
The homecoming for The Specials last October was a gig we could'nt miss.Three of us--all Wolves fans--went up to Cov for the weekend .
For years we have been going through Coventry on our way to Wolves home games and always mentioned we should visit the pub by the station called The Rocket.This gave us the perfect opportunity.We certainly did'nt expect it to be a West African shebeen transported to the West Midlands...Life's full of little pleasant surprises...
The Specials back in their hometown was always going to be a triumph but to give them credit they were in tip top form and did'nt just phone the gig in knowing they were preaching to the choir...The locals--and not so local---lapped it up.
A superb weekend...
Finally a bad one---kind of.
10)Bob Dylan & Van Morrison---Finsbury Park 1993
Sorry Pop pickers but this was a total let down.A gig that promised so much delivered so little.I have to admit to never really being a great fan of Dylan but i recognise his stature in the music world.I'm also aware that Van the Man is hit or miss depending on what mood the grumpy old bugger's in.
To have them both on bad form on the same day however was a let down.Dylan's voice was never what can be called "Beautiful" but on this day he sounded like Lee Marvin after chain smoking 40 Woodbine.
But he tried whereas Van Morrison just could'nt be arsed.
The day was'nt a total letdown though.The Hothouse Flowers were superb,as were The Pogues...
So that's my top 9 & 1/2 top gigs...
Happy memories...
Finally a bad one---kind of.
10)Bob Dylan & Van Morrison---Finsbury Park 1993
Sorry Pop pickers but this was a total let down.A gig that promised so much delivered so little.I have to admit to never really being a great fan of Dylan but i recognise his stature in the music world.I'm also aware that Van the Man is hit or miss depending on what mood the grumpy old bugger's in.
To have them both on bad form on the same day however was a let down.Dylan's voice was never what can be called "Beautiful" but on this day he sounded like Lee Marvin after chain smoking 40 Woodbine.
But he tried whereas Van Morrison just could'nt be arsed.
The day was'nt a total letdown though.The Hothouse Flowers were superb,as were The Pogues...
So that's my top 9 & 1/2 top gigs...
Happy memories...
No comments:
Post a Comment