Memories of a thousand* gigs #28, #29 & #30

(* probably not actually that many, but who’s counting?)


Three very noisy gigs hosted by the Cavern in Exeter, possibly my favourite ever venue.

#28: Silverfish
The Cavern, Exeter - c. 1992 (cannot find a date for this anywhere! Any offers?)
Also present: Steve B

A year after they blew My Bloody Valentine into the middle of the following week, I saw Silverfish headline on their ‘Organ Fan’ tour. It was a sweaty and über-raucous affair, as you might expect; memorable in part because vocalist Leslie trod on my hand. The Cavern, being such a small and intimate venue, has no barrier between audience and stage. As usual I was at the front. There was a surge from behind me, I fell forward, and put my hand on the stage to break the fall. At that precise moment, and completely by accident, Lesley Rankine, in full flow, unwittingly stomped her Doc Martin down onto my fingers. Sweat, bruises and broken fingers – that’s rock ‘n’ roll!

Soundtrack:

• This Bug – Silverfish (from ‘Organ Fan’)

#29: UK Subs
The Cavern, Exeter - 12th May 1995
Also present: Tim, Strimmer & Midget

Charlie Harper at the Cavern
pic by TheRobster

Pre-dating Tim's episode at the Bis gig by a year or so, here's another Tim story: He drank far too much and during the show was set upon by a young lady who he was repeatedly falling onto. This resulted in her inflicting a sizable scratch down his cheek that bled long into the night. How a girl of her diminutive stature managed to inflict such a wound on the six-foot plus frame of Tim is a mystery, but impressive nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Strimmer had a chat with his hero, Subs frontman Charlie Harper, which made him a very happy bloke. What a performer Harper was too. At 50+ years of age, he still had more energy, attitude and rock and roll grit than any of the numerous young pretenders half his age in so-called punk bands at the time.

Soundtrack:

• Young Criminals – UK Subs (from ‘Another Kind Of Blues’)

#30: Blaggers ITA/Naked i
The Cavern, Exeter - 7th April 1995

Another great Naked i support slot, this was also one of their last gigs – they split a year or so later, but didn't get out too much after this show. A shame as they were on blinding form and showed off a clutch of new songs. They also released the Kite Flyer single around this time, so it's even more unfortunate they didn't make more of it. I think I may have done their lights for them at this show. 

The Blaggers set was mental. Rapper Christie hurled himself into the audience on a few occasions, while vocalist Matty was quite literally dragged into the crowd, mic still in hand, performance completely unaffected. It was the second time I'd seen Blaggers ITA and their popularity had exploded by now. You don't get gigs as raucous and energetic as this anymore; there are too many passive hipsters with silly hairstyles that might get a bit ruffled if anyone dared jump into them. But then, there aren't many bands like Naked i and Blaggers ITA around these days either, more's the pity.


Soundtrack:

• Kite Flyer – Naked i (from ‘Kite Flyer’ 7")
• Mantrap - Blaggers ITA (from ‘Bad Karma’)

Memories of a thousand* gigs #14, #15 & #16

(* probably not actually that many, but who’s counting?)

#14: Gene

Cooperage, Plymouth – 5th November 1998
Also present: Steve B, Jim, Stu

My memory being what it is, I could have sworn I saw Gene on the ‘Revelations’ tour in 1999. Research reveals however they were actually still touring in support of their second album ‘Drawn To The Deep End’. Nevertheless, ‘twas a great performance in which we were not only blessed by the sartorial elegance of singer Martin Rossiter, but a certain Mick Talbot (he of Style Council fame) was playing keyboards with them too!

Soundtrack:

• Olympian [live at Sheffieid Leadmill] – Gene (from ‘Gene Live’ DVD)

#15: Tar
TJ’s, Newport - 1st November 1993
Support: Grotus, Naked i

Was I a roadie, an assistant, or just a bloke who hung around with a band? Whatever my role, I was part of the Naked i ‘party’ for a short period when it looked like they might just be getting somewhere. My (sadly) one and only visit to the legendary TJ’s followed the band playing a prestigious showcase gig in London the previous night and a subsequent meeting with EMI Publishing. TJ’s was an awesome venue, perfect for a hot sweaty night of industrial-strength hardcore. Tar and Grotus were touring the UK together, Naked i managed to get an opening slot for this show. They were brilliant, as always – just a shame there wasn’t a few more people there to see them. As expected, Tar also made a fabulous racket. Grotus were the standout, though – ridiculously heavy, ridiculously loud and ridiculously watchable.

Soundtrack:

• Giblets – Tar (from ‘Toast’) - no YouTube alternative, will not re-up.
• Hourglass – Grotus (from ‘Slow Motion Apocalypse’)
• Panic – Naked i (from ‘Anus Horribilis’ EP) - will re-up by request

#16: Frank Turner
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff – 16th February 2014
Also present: TheMadster (a.k.a. Sprog the elder)

Notable for it being my first-born’s first ever gig! TheMadster (as she is to be known on these pages) soaked it up, wanting to get as close to the front as she could, though the protective dad in me didn’t want her to get hauled into the mosh pit. Thinking about it, the sport-obsessed Madster could probably have handled it; her relentless training and running events, as well as turning out for her school’s netball and girls rugby teams, makes her stronger than I ever was at my first gig!

Frank is a showman, there’s no doubt about that, and he doesn’t really do songs that the audience can’t sing along loudly to, so this was a great choice for a first gig. Madster jumped around, sang and punched the air as if she was the one who had been doing this sort of thing for 25 years! I was out-rock ‘n’ rolled by a 16-year-old debutant – but I felt pride, not shame. How long she’ll want to go to gigs with her old man remains to be seen, but for as long as she wants to rock, I’ll be happy to tag along…

Soundtrack:

• Four Simple Words [live] - Frank Turner (from ‘Tape Deck Heart’)[1]

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[1] Specially chosen for you by TheMadster! 

Torrington: so much to answer for

Up and running again - for how long I'm not sure, but here goes nothing.....

My old home town (Great Torrington) may have never been anything more than a pin prick on a map, but at one time it did have a fairly decent music scene. You probably won’t have heard of any of the bands, but had you dropped by sometime during the early-mid 90s, you may well have seen posters advertising gigs by the likes of the Sweet Thangs, Electric Orange, Naked i, the Desperate Men, the Push, the Candyabyss, Shrug and numerous others.

A few bands were particularly dominant. While none of them went on to greater things, some of their music still holds up pretty well. I recommend you have a listen to the MP3s below at least once.



Jive Turkey
The story goes that there were three brothers who arrived in town sometime in the mid-80s. They were amiable, softly spoken and largely kept themselves to themselves. Then one night at a gig in the local Plough Theatre, these same three guys walked out on stage and proceeded to blast those present into the middle of the next week! Collectively they were known as Jive Turkey and no one looked at those three guys in the same way ever again.

Jive Turkey put out several singles and EPs plus two albums during the 80s and early 90s. Debut album ‘The Perfume Experiment’ had a hint of Madchester meets Jesus & Mary Chain about it, while ‘Can U Dig?’ was altogether rawer and noisier, a return to their punky roots, but also a hint as to where they were headed next. They signed to a number of record labels over the years but never really settled, leading to a great deal of wariness and cynicism of the industry. A shame really, because reviews were generally positive in the national press and they could well have achieved far more than they actually did. They did once reach number 5 in the French indie charts however!

• Goodbye Johnny Ray - Jive Turkey (debut single) - will re-up by request
• 50 Dollar Bill - Jive Turkey (from ‘Perfume Experiment’) - will re-up by request; here's a clip from old TSW show 'Tongue & Groove' circa 1989)

Jive Turkey called it quits in the early 90s, but immediately reformed as…

Naked i

Naked i (l-r): Sean, Joel, Nijel
pic by TheRobster

A reinvented and re-energised version of Jive Turkey, Naked i were my favourite band on the circuit. Their biggest influence was undoubtedly Fugazi, but their music crossed over into grunge territory too, though I’m not terribly sure they ever appreciated that comparison.

I spent a bit of time with the band helping out as a sort-of ‘roadie’[1].

After a couple of demos, they released the awesome EP ‘Anus Horribilis’ and two cracking 7” singles, Step Inside You Weirdo and Kite Flyer. Several other later demos were recorded, which I am privileged to have copies of, but were never issued. Sadly, in spite of playing several prestigious gigs around the country and favourable write-ups in NME, Naked i split in 1996. They had intended to just disappear without a word, but they were too good for that. I persuaded them to do one final show to say goodbye – I’d even organise it myself. They agreed, and thus my brief stint as a concert promoter began - and ended - with Naked i’s farewell gig. They made a ferocious racket and I still love hearing their stuff.

• One Of TheSons - Naked i (from ‘Anus Horribilis’ EP) - will re-up by request
• Step Inside You Weirdo - Naked i (from ‘Step Inside’ 7") - will re-up by request

The Cult Maniax

Cult Maniax (l-r): Benj, Mildu, Fox, Al

Fronted by the charismatic Big Al, the Cult Maniax was a punk band that released several singles, the studio LP ‘Cold Love’ and a live album. They achieved national recognition, gaining a reputation on the underground punk circuit and charting on more than one occasion in the UK indie charts during the early 80s. Every now and then their records crop up on eBay and sell for rather a lot of money. 

Drummer Mildu lived three doors down from me and I walked to school each morning with his youngest brother. Big Al could also be seen driving through town in his American Cadillac. Even so, all I knew about the Cult Maniax when I was growing up was that they made a record about a local pub landlord that was banned by the courts, and I often heard Mil practicing while I was kicking a ball around my backyard.

In their later years, they were known as Vibe Tribe following a name change to avoid confusion surrounding themselves and the increasing popularity of The Cult (of She Sells Sanctuary fame). A sole single emerged under that banner before they dissolved. They reform periodically and toured just last year. (Here's a clip of them playing Blitz in London last year, with Sean from Naked i/Jive Turkey now on bass.)

• Psycho Rocker - Cult Maniax (from ‘Full OF Spunk’ EP)
• Lucy Looe - Cult Maniax (b-side of Blitz)

Lucy Looe is an absolutely filthy song that was not only a firm fave of Maniax fans, but was also the regular set closer of Al's next band...


The Sweet Thangs
Following Vibe Tribe’s split, Big Al formed the Sweet Thangs, a seven-piece collective which blended fast, heavy punk rock with reggae, ska, Latin American rhythms and 50s rock & roll. They were the most popular band on the circuit among locals and always filled every venue in the area. A Sweet Thangs gig was always a raucous and extremely sweaty affair, but great fun. Two demo tapes were issued, but they only released one ‘proper’ EP, ‘Umgawa’.

• Poison - The Sweet Thangs (from ‘Umgawa!’ EP) - will re-up by request

Electric Orange

Electric Orange (l-r):
Benj, Kaj, Jez, Harj
pic by TheRobster

Former Cult Maniax/Vibe Tribe guitarist Benj formed Electric Orange with Big Al’s partner Jez and brothers Kaj and Harj. They were also popular among the local audiences and had a lot of potential to go further. Their songs and sound would have gone down really well during the Britpop era, I reckon. Sadly this commercial potential was never fulfilled, and while there were plans to release a single, the only material they managed to put out was a demo tape and two tracks on a local compilation album, one of which is included here.

• Slimelight - Electric Orange (from the Fluid Emissions compilation album ‘Junior's First Words’) - will re-up by request

Torrie had long had music at its heart; Christ knows there wasn’t much else to do there. There was, however, a Sunday League football team West Of England FC - named after, and sponsored by, our fave pub - which featured all of Naked i, three quarters of Electric Orange, yours truly and a few other roadies, friends and associates. We played in a red, gold and green kit (yes, seriously!) and were more often than not suffering from post-gig exhaustion, hangovers or both.

I have particular memories of one other Torrington band, Shrug, as somehow I ended up joining them as guitarist. That story is coming up next week so you’ll have to wait…

[Sidenote: This is my 50th post. Woo-hoo!]

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[1] I travelled with them for a week and helped carry their gear. On a few other occasions I did their lights, but I mostly jumped around like a twat during their set or drove their wives/girlfriends to and from gigs. I’m not sure if that’s what a roadie is supposed to do, but that was pretty much my role!