The Official Punk, Indie, Goth, Alternative 1976-1986 thread

[V8mate]

Inspired by the 'Rave' thread, I thought I'd start an homage to another great decade of British music.

While the rave boys were wetting their pants over the latest XR3i, us slightly older peeps had none of the insurance shockers they faced; in fact, it cost me less to insure a 5.0 V8 as a 17 year-old on 'L' plates than it does for my V8 today!

Anyway - let's share the music, the culture, the memories. I know you're out there as there have been several times when musical nods have been given in other threads.

So, favourite tracks, favourite bands. (if you're gong to post youtube links, can you add the artist's name and song title too - just a list of youtube URLs is so off-putting)

What did you wear, eat, smoke? Best gig? Most memorable gig? Most treasured record (whether you still own it or not)

Rather than extend this opener, I'll post some of my favourites in due course - just let rip with the memories.

[V8mate]

Best gig - Sisters of Mercy at the Lyceum in the Strand, 1984. As the lights went down and the smoke was pumped in, Led Zeppelin's 'Kashmir' was played. It was the first time I'd heard the track and it was just such an awesome intro to the gig.

Most memorable gig - probably got two of them: both the same band! Was at both the ICA and Camden Electric Ballroom for the Jesus & Mary Chain gigs when the viewing masses rioted following the 5 minute sets.

[V8mate]

bob1179 said:

I come from an 'Indie, Alternative' music background, but I'm a decade later and more mid 90's.

Can I still join in...?

Is that when 'Indie' went all floppy-haired?

Ah, go on then, I bet none of the early-adopters ever grew up anyway!

[V8mate]

Yertis said:

Looking back I'm quite surprised I didn't end up as one of those Mutoid Waste Company types, with a skinny dog on a bit of string.

I sometimes wonder if life wouldn't be a whole lot less hassle if we did!

Tune in, turn on, burn out, man!

[V8mate]

vernan said:

1986 is a little early for me as a cut-off, as I was emerging from metal via glam stuff like the Lords of the New Church, Hanoi Rocks etc. It was stuff like the blonde bands (Darling Buds, Primitives, even Transvision V) that really floated my boat and that's a bit later. but I spent most of the 80s and 90s going to one gig or another.

The Bolshoi
Zodiac Mindwarp
GBOA
PWEI (grebo version)
The Godfathers
The Mary Chain
and the omnipresent Julian H Cope (roll on the RFH in November)

all seem to fit into the title

We were probably at the same gigs!

I loved the Bolshoi, saw them several times including at the original Marquee in Wardour St. Went to a lot of Zodiac Mindwarp gigs as I use to follow Dr and the Medics about and they were often on the same bill. Here's a horror story of an 80s 'pop' video - 'Prime Mover' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtnCcWOS7y8

Saw GBOA (and their alter-egos, the Lesbian Dopeheads on Mopeds) a few times. PWEI - still about today! - managed to spill an entire pint down Clint's front just before he was going to go on stage in a pub in Hammersmith (didn't matter, it was his pint, not mine).

Ah - the memories come flooding back - great post Vernan!

[V8mate]

vernan said:

V8mate said:

We were probably at the same gigs!

I loved the Bolshoi, saw them several times including at the original Marquee in Wardour St. Went to a lot of Zodiac Mindwarp gigs as I use to follow Dr and the Medics about and they were often on the same bill. Here's a horror story of an 80s 'pop' video - 'Prime Mover' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtnCcWOS7y8

Saw GBOA (and their alter-egos, the Lesbian Dopeheads on Mopeds) a few times. PWEI - still about today! - managed to spill an entire pint down Clint's front just before he was going to go on stage in a pub in Hammersmith (didn't matter, it was his pint, not mine).

Ah - the memories come flooding back - great post Vernan!

Bloody hell, that's the truth - I got into the Warps via the Medics too, and the Nephilim as a result of the Warps. The excitement of seeing that video on Top of the Pops (was it Ade Edmondson directed it?)
I found a picture of myself the other day with a Zodiac Tshirt on with the cover of High Priest of Love - god how I wish I still had that, but I wore it til it fell apart.....

The Bolshoi - did you see them at the Marquee with Westworld (Bolshworld). Was a warm-up for the 86(?) 87(?)Reading Festival, which was great, the Mission on Fri night, Iggy Pop........

The Medics - Crystal Palace Bowl with Hawkwind and the Enid (and the Armoury Show as I recall). Kettle on a Long Chain, Nobody loves you when you got Brown Shoes.......... Bizarrely I booked the Medics a couple of years ago for a conference, just before the TV "battle of the has-beens". Clive looked at me with amazement when I asked for "Kettle..."

Saw PWEI at Shepherd's Bush about three years ago - still kicking.

God's Own Medicine coming out........

It's all coming back now - thanks for that V8mate, much respect. Don't tell me you went to see the Larry Miller Band at the Marquee too..........

I've never heard of the Larry Miller Band - clearly too many gigs and not enough time.

I loved the Marquee - it was one of the travesties of my youth when it was closed and redeveloped as a poxy restaurant. It was a true leftover from the 60's (Hendrix played there) and you could feel all the ghosts of every band the walls had ever seen whenever you went in there. Always use to go to the Intrepid Fox across the road for beers beforeit opened. Would often find the bands in there too. Female landlord - stunning, petite woman, hard as nails. Always had her bar staff dressed in BDSM gear - I'll NEVER forget the 6' brunette barmaid.

One of the surprise nights at the Marquee was an All About Eve gig. I always got there as doors opened, but most people didn't bother with the support acts. That night, shortly after the demise of the Sisters of Mercy, Wayne Hussey & Co turned out with the Mission as support. Only their second outing (the previous having been at Gossips, round the corner in Meard St.)

I saw the Nephilim a few times, but that was right at the end of my 'youth' period. Had to start growing up unfortunately. (Have stuck the gearbox firmly in reverse since though!)

Dr & the Medics - awesome. Not sure when you first started seeing them - but my favourite song was the Beetle Ride. Clive would make the crowd absolutely hush, then all lay down on their backs with their arms and legs in the air, mvoing slowly like a dying fly. (How many gigs diod you go to where you had to lay on your back???) The verses were really slow while this oddity was going on and then the choruses really fast; you had to jump up for the choruses and dance 'conventionally' before dropping back down for the next verse. I understood that they stopped doing the song live because of 'injuries' in the crowd.

I had a purple frill-fronted shirt made by Wendy Anadin from their shop in Ladbroke Grove too.

Did you go on any of the Magical Mystery Tours? I managed to miss all of them; one of life's regrets

[V8mate]

vixen1700 said:

Best gig: Flux of Pink Indians, Rudimentary Peni & The Subhumans.

Leytonstone Red Lion September 1981. What a laugh

I never got much more into punk than The Damned, so had to look them up.

Inspired title for Flux of Pink Indian's second album: 'The fking s Treat Us Like Pricks'



On the subject of The Damned, anyone go their 10th birthday party in Finsbury Park? Whole weekend jobbie, Hawkwind played too!

[V8mate]

MikeyT said:

97octane said:

A teenager in the punk era....

The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall
The Fall

Best ever track - "Smile"
after 1986...

The Fall

There are others, too many to mention, but

"The Fall, always the same, always different"

I love the Fall - seen 'em twice - once in the early 80s when MES looked close to death and then about five years ago when he was actually dead but somehow still singing ...

Best track: Hip Priest ... decent others - hundreds to be honest but Man Whose Head Expanded, Hey Student, loads of 'em.

But if we'tre going back to late 70s/early 80s then stuff from A Certain Ratio, Monochrome Set, Diagram Brothers, early Japan, very early Simple Minds, Kraftwerk, Durutti Column, 23 Skidoo, all decent indie bands (before some got mainstream) and all very much seen on the gig circuit.

Remember driving to Bristol in my old Hillman Hunter with some washed up Billy mates to see The Monochrome Set at Dingwalls ... class.

I ahve some pics somewhere of mymate who in 1981 was the spit of David Sylvian from Japan (just prior to the Tin Drum album) - must try and scan it in ... he looks like a cross between Steve Strange/some Blitzkid and Sylvian ...

A Certain Ratio - still regularly have 'Shack Up' blasting out here at home.

I was always too busy doing the hippy/goth thing to get into Japan back then, but love listening to their stuff now. 'Ghosts' is awesome - outstanding use of early synths. Really like the whole early 'New Romantic' thing now actually: The Associates, Spandau, Teardrops, Gary Numan, Modern Romance, ABC etc.

And another Hillman guy! Most of my early V8s were too unpredicatable for daily use, so I ran a 1964 Hillman Super Minx as daily barge for a couple of years

[V8mate]

vernan said:

This book is good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rip-Up-Start-Again-1978-19...

Cool. I also throughly recommend this one too. Especially if you like the early New Romantic era, it has some great memories.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Way-We-Wore-Life-Threads/d...

[V8mate]

Yertis said:

Also of this era - the glam stuff. Anyone know what became of The Quireboys?

Still about, apparently http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quireboys

[V8mate]

Get Karter said:

parakitaMol. said:

I would like to see some pictures of people who were punks circa 76.

That would be funny.

Please.

Thanks.

No one took photos back then.
Cameras were expensive....developing film was expensive....and the picture quality was rubbish.

Yep - I used to take camera and sound recorder to almost every gig. Had to shoot with 1000ASA film as a flash was pointless.
Had a huge album of pics. A girl asked to borrow them - last I ever saw of them. bh.

Pretty much same happened with (huge) record collection. Relationship ended, she refused to return records and all the tapes of live recordings. bh.

Started to pull it all together again a few years ago in mp3 format (though picture discs really aren't the same!) Got to around the 3000 album mark and hard drive failed in a big way. bh.

So started yet again about 2 years ago. Appoaching the 1000 mark, but fading memory and availability mean it's more and more of a struggle each time.

Still love the sounds though!

I wonder what 'She Sells Sanctuary' sounds like in one of those huge ICE systems youngsters fit in their cars thesedays?

[V8mate]

parakitaMol. said:

I would like to see some pictures of people who were punks circa 76.

That would be funny.

Please.

Thanks.

Not a photo of me, but it could easily have been: my style role model

[V8mate]

Was looking for a video of Bauhaus performing my favourite track of theirs (In the Flat Field) and found this one of them performing it at Brixton Academy in 2006

Had no idea that they got back together.

Live footage recorded from the crowd, so not the best, but enjoy anyway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQbGhz6R_s

[V8mate]

Catz said:

My OH and myself sometimes have a nostalgia night and get out all our old vinyls.

Records, right? Or the shiny clothing?

[V8mate]

Catz said:

I'm on stage in this youtube clip of Nice and Sleazy.
Edit to add the sound quality is terrible as you might expect!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw6BLzl9wDE

No further indications of which one was you, Catz?

A clearer () version of the song at a different venue in 1978

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-sN1Yi4fQlo&feat...

Awesome leggy female comes on stage at 2:08

[V8mate]

nerf said:

I went to the Lyceum that night too! i remember not being able to see the band for the smoke! i was up on a balcony, great night. that was before i realised eldritch was a completely dick mind..

But don't you think that Eldritch is one of those egos who is such a dick that he left the end of the spectrum and was/is, therefore, cool?

Do you 'get' what I mean?

[V8mate]

nerf said:

V8mate said:

nerf said:

I went to the Lyceum that night too! i remember not being able to see the band for the smoke! i was up on a balcony, great night. that was before i realised eldritch was a completely dick mind..

But don't you think that Eldritch is one of those egos who is such a dick that he left the end of the spectrum and was/is, therefore, cool?

Do you 'get' what I mean?

kind of.. but more kind of foolish figure of fun after a while.... I saw depeche at crystal palace bowl years later and he was supporting, at the end of his little slot he said "enjoy the puppet show".. ha! DM have sold more records than he has black t-shirts etc... 'dick' aside, i treasure my gatefold first album, and just love 'black planet'. they were pretty damn good live, i have to say, but i'd never wear a t-shirt.....

incidentally, at that gig, i didnt realise at that point that Dr. Avalanche was a drum machine, i just thought i couldnt see the drummer because of the dry ice....

You only get to be a god by believing that you're a god though, right? Worked for that Jesus bloke!

[V8mate]

parakitaMol. said:

I'm now tempted to get my turntable and several crates of vinyl out of the attic this weekend.... live band faves were the Undertones, Clash, UK Subs and the Ramones.

I knew we'd get you. Your first couple of posts showed only a cynical and sneering interest. But now, all you want to hear is "one, two, three, four.......<cue band>"



If I could take a few nuggets of life's experiences with me, I'd gladly be propelled back to 1985!

[V8mate]

Mst007 said:

Great thread! In `82 got into goth bigstyle after a flirtation with the new romantic scene. Played in a goth band in the eighties, and after a 20 year hiates we reformed recently. Not a famous band I might add, but did the UK circuits and europe etc i`m 41 now, so thought if i dont do this now, i never will, and besides, all the originals are reforming

Was really into Sisters, fields, bauhaus, cure, lorries, sex gang etc. Then got into a lot of the smaller goth bands that came along toward the end of the original scene.

I`ve got short hair now, butmy soul is still black. Still got my 80`s leather jacket complete with band logos handpainted, but can hardly fit into the bugger now, must have shrunk eh?
Mark

Oh yeah! My leather jacket! Hand-painted too! Lost that many years ago

I also had one of those long black, suede, 'red indian' style jackets with the 'tassles'. Big black hat, sun-glasses for 12 months of the year. Cringeworthy now - in fact, I'd have a few ripe words for anyone who wore dark glasses at night thesedays

So many good memories coming back through this thread and so many regrets at things lost.

[V8mate]

Was anyone else at the Sisters' 'farewell' gig at the Royal Albert Hall?