Booted and Suited
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
‘Booted and suited’ featuring extracts from the Bristol Archives is now on the bookshelves of Britain and on the websites of the world…
Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Island Records
Saturday, June 13th, 2009
Here’s a link to a great documentary on ’50 years of Island Records’
How Chris Blackwell changed the music scene forever!
BRISTOL ARCHIVE RECORDS JUNE UPDATES
Friday, June 5th, 2009
Another busy month for the label with the following releases and additions to the site.
New Releases this month:
ARC096 The Long March Album ‘Confuoco’
Compiled and remastered by Paul Whitrow
ARC097 Colortapes Ep ‘GBH Demos 1978’
‘As we were sitting around trying to think of a name for the band, Ebo threw the name of the film The Anderson Tapes into the round. It was one of those many all-nighters, sometimes constructive evenings, sometimes just trying to figure out the meaning of life. Where the Color bit came from I honestly don’t know. If it had been now, we’d most likely have gone for the English spelling. Anyway, so there we were, remnants of a band called The News, there was me, Nick Russell, Simon Blackmore, Kevin Evans and Danny Pepworth. The News had been founded in 1977, when it was harder not to be in a band than be in one; there was Jon and James Klein, who went on to achieve universal fame as the Europeans, as you will very well be aware, Nick, Kevin and myself. Nick didn’t stay in the band too long. We did a few gigs together and after he left I was persuaded to reluctantly take over the vocals. The main reason being was that I wrote the lyrics after all. Reluctantly because the thought of playing centre forward in a band did not work wonders for my anal retention at the time. However, sometimes in life you’ve just got to get on with it. In 1978, due to the proverbial “musical differences”, Kev and I decided to split from Jon and James and Colortapes was born.’…….
Remastered by Steve Street
ARC098 Europeans Ep ‘GBH Demos 1978’
‘Johnathan Cole, Jon Klein, Steve Street and James Cole are ‘Europeans’. Before February of this year, they all had different nationalities. Jonathan was a Colortape, Jon was an Emergency Exit and Steve was a Public Enemy Number One. They formed simply because ‘We didn’t have a band’ after meeting and jamming together in rehearsal studios.
The band is a good mixture of unusual personalities. Their musical tastes cross only occasionally and so ‘There’s a good balance.’ Jon and Steve like heavy metal, whereas Jonathan, who listens to David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Roxy etc, hates it. James seems to be more of a blues person:- Rolling Stones, John Mayall.’……..
Remastered by Steve Street
ARC099 Moskow Ep ‘Crescent Studios Demos 1979’
‘Moscow is a name which conjures up no musical expectations, because of its bleakness one can’t identify any particular type of music with it. It’s the ideal name for this band. Moscow can’t be classified, their music is too varied. They have been compared, in places, to The Stranglers, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd and The Who. But it just can’t be pinpointed any more than saying, ‘this bit sounds like x, and this a bit like y.’
They mix the ‘commercial’ with the ‘weird’ drawing on a wide range of musical styles and experiences; ‘If we play varied music, we’re going to get a varied audience.’ Influences range from Capt. Beefheart and Stanley Clarke, through Led Zep, Van def Graaf Generator, Hendrix and Cream to Kate Bush.(!)’…
Remastered by Steve Street
ARC100 Tesco Chainsaw Massacre’ Album ‘Live at The Bear 1978’
Nick Sheppard - Guitar
Steve Swan – Bass
Danny Swan – Drums
Johnny Britton – Guitar
Steve Street – Bass
John Shennan – Bass
Mike Crawford – Voice
Jo Swan – Voice
Remastered by Steve Street
ARC101 Blue Movies Single ‘Mary Jane’
Originally released in 1979 via Rok Records
Produced by Blue Movies in Bristol
Track written by Embrain and subsequently played by Sneak Preview
Remastered by Steve Street in 2009
ARC102 Gardez Darkx Album ‘S.M.TIGER’
‘Probably the most striking thing about Latif Gardez is that he is an individual. He is not part of any current trend, or fashion (not even any anti-fashion!); nor does he seem to be manipulated by the desire to maintain any set image. He strikes me as being absolutely sincere about himself and about the group: There is no pretence about Latif Gardez, rather a kind of honesty and directness, which one has to admire, and yet there is something about him which makes me feel a little insecure’……
Remastered by Steve Street
Thanks to Simon Edwards of Heartbeat Records for making many of these recordings available.
Heartbeat Records
New photos and press cuttings added to this section of the site, including Glaxobabies, Private Dicks and Storm Trooper.
Also a radio interview with Simon Edwards from 1978.
Loaded Fanzine
All seven editions of this fanzine available as complete downloads. Written by Tim Williams and started in 1976 these are real Punk Rock documents…..
‘Loaded. Good name for a magazine. At least, James Brown and IPG, the publishers of Britain’s first ‘lads mag’ thought so. But their’s wasn’t the first monthly to bear that ambiguous title. I got there first at the dog end of 1976. When the slightly glossier Loaded appeared in 1994 I noted that they had resisted the strong temptation to scrawl the title in felt tip. They knew I was out there waiting to sue their ass.
My Loaded was named after the Velvet Underground album of that name because back in 76 the Velvets were one of those bands you had to revere, like the New York Dolls and the Stooges.’………
Other Fanzines
Complete PDF downloads available of other notable fanzines including, Black Dwarf, React and ‘Keep Upright, Do Not Bend’ featuring interviews with The Media and Gardez Darkx in 1978.
Videos now added:
Check out videos from The Escape, Love Jungle, Fear of Darkness, Dry, Either/Or and Apache Dropout all added to the site or visit www.youtube.com/bristolarchiverecord
New T Shirts:
Recently added new designs from The Pigs, The Long March and The Delegates.
Photos and text additions from:
Gardez Darkx
The Media
Moskow
Europeans
Colortapes
Rita Lynch
Fear of Darkness
Love Jungle
Misdemeanor
Dry
The Peoples Section – ‘The Hot Bear Club 1977’
Check out the amazing pictures and story from Dave Alax Riddett
‘Fresh from Art college in Leeds I came to Bristol in 1977 to do a Post Grad film course at the University Drama Dept., by christmas that year I had moved into 73 Queens Rd an infamous shared house above a shop on the Triangle, Queens Rd. , and home to an eclectic collection of Artists, Poets, Musicians etc. Very soon I got to know several very young musicians the likes of Paul Hollywood, Marc and Jerry Clements and was rather surprised to find that there was a seemingly lack of venues for new bands.
Still buzzing from my experience of a 70s punk fuelled arts and music scene in Leeds where any empty space, building, back room was quickly turned into a venue I searched for a similar blank canvas in this wonderfully laid back Bristol. ‘………
More next month with new releases from:
Apartment
Social Security
The Delegates
Headlines
Tropical Hearts
Joe public
Primates
The Media
The Numbers
The Homecoming
The Gas Taps
News Flash:
If you live in Bristol – Don’t forget The Stingrays at the Thunderbolt Sat 13th June.
Plus more videos and more T SHIRT designs, keep checking back for more info
June updates
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Loads of new releases and new features coming very soon…
http://www.youtube.com/bristolarchiverecord
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Please check out our new youtube account where you can catch videos from
http://www.youtube.com/bristolarchiverecord
APACHE DROPOUT
DRY
THE ESCAPE
FEAR OF DARKNESS
LOVE JUNGLE
More videos to appear in the coming months…..
BRISTOL ARCHIVE RECORDS – MAY UPDATES
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
Another busy month for the label with the following releases and additions to the site.
NEW RELEASES:
THE PIGS ALBUM
Originally released in 1977 via New Bristol Records, the very rare ‘Youthanasia’ep.
Plus ‘1977’ the album of the complete demos from the session at Sound Conception which produced the above mentioned release. These recordings have previously been unavailable….
We were the Pigs, a garage band that got lucky – but not that lucky. We formed in March 1977 and we disbanded in March 1978. In those twelve months we hit a few high notes and we hit a few bum notes.
High note: first rehearsal, first garage, Henbury.
Ricky was a guitar player, so he plays drums. Kit was a bass player, so he plays guitar. Nigel has never touched an instrument before, so he plays bass. Eamonn is the front man. He has the best shades.
High note: second gig, 23rd June at the Progress.
From now on, we have Vernon and John on board as management. We’re seventeen/eighteen and we’ve played two gigs – we definitely need management. We’ve moved on to our second garage, at Rick’s.
High note: third gig, Exhibition Centre, the very next night.
The previous day, the Stranglers were involved in a punk wars incident in Cleethorpes. Now they have to cancel tonight’s gig, probably the biggest punk gig Bristol has seen so far. Support act the Cortinas will have to fill the Stranglers’ shoes……….. ( The full story can be found at www.bristolarchiverecords.com)
ESSENTIAL BOP
The ‘Eloquent Sounds ep – remastered by Steve Street.
THE ROYAL ASSASSINS ALBUM
Previously unavailable recordings from Chris Scott. An amazing piece of work…..
‘Recorded in ’82/’83, and never before released, ‘Flux’ is not, strictly speaking, a Royal Assassins recording. It is, in fact the blueprint from which the Royal Assassins was fashioned. Recorded and produced mainly by Chris Scott in his home 4 track studio, with the collaboration of Dave Hares and Sean Henneberry and featuring guests such as the late lamented Sax maestro Jerry Underwood, this collection sets out to establish the sound and feel of Scott’s particular vision of rock music at the time…………..
THE EUROPEANS
Live at Bower Ashton College 1978, mastered by Steve Street
DECAY SISTERS
Recorded live at Trinity Hall in 1983, mastered by Steve Street
RECORDED DELIVERY
The only single released by the band in 1981 and featuring Charlie Jones who later went on to form Violent Blue with Neil Taylor.
Remastered by Steve Street
ADDITIONS TO THE PEOPLE SECTION:
Stories and memories from Tim Williams (Funk to Punk – an amazing tale), Chris Scott and Ken Lintern ( mainstay behind Rainbow Entertainments)
VIDEOS:
We’ve added videos from the following bands:
CRAZY TRAINS
TALISMAN
THE CORTINAS
HEAD
THE REVIEW
THE DRISCOLLS
CLAYTOWN TROUPE
RIP RIG AND PANIC
STRANGELOVE
MARK STEWART AND THE MAFIA
MAXIMUM JOY
THE BRILLIANT CORNERS
THE POP GROUP
More next month with new releases from:
GARDEZ DARKX ALBUM
BLUE MOVIES SINGLE
TESCO CHAINSAW MASSACRE LIVE ALBUM
COLORTAPES ‘GBH’ STUDIOS DEMOS
EUROPEANS ‘GBH’ STUDIOS DEMOS
MOSKOW ‘CRESCENT STUDIOS’ DEMOS
THE LONG MARCH ALBUM
Plus more videos and more T SHIRT designs, keep checking back for more info
The Pigs Story
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Album out in May !
PIGS STORY
We were the Pigs, a garage band that got lucky – but not that lucky. We formed in March 1977 and we disbanded in March 1978. In those twelve months we hit a few high notes and we hit a few bum notes.
High note: first rehearsal, first garage, Henbury.
Ricky was a guitar player, so he plays drums. Kit was a bass player, so he plays guitar. Nigel has never touched an instrument before, so he plays bass. Eamonn is the front man. He has the best shades.
High note: second gig, 23rd June at the Progress.
From now on, we have Vernon and John on board as management. We’re seventeen/eighteen and we’ve played two gigs – we definitely need management. We’ve moved on to our second garage, at Rick’s.
High note: third gig, Exhibition Centre, the very next night.
The previous day, the Stranglers were involved in a punk wars incident in Cleethorpes. Now they have to cancel tonight’s gig, probably the biggest punk gig Bristol has seen so far. Support act the Cortinas will have to fill the Stranglers’ shoes.
The Vernon connection pays off immediately and we get the call – from Sea Mills pub to second on the bill at the city’s top venue in just 24 hours. In Eamonn’s case the call reaches him at work; he assumes it’s just a helpful mate providing an excuse to bunk off early. It’s only when Rick pulls up outside his house, bits of borrowed drum kit hanging out the car window, that he twigs it’s for real.
We loved the Cortinas, we respected them. It was after we saw them at the Granary the previous winter that we knew we had to get a band together. They definitely had a massive influence on us. But tonight it feels like we blow them clear off the stage. Decades later we’d be looking back and saying this was one of the best nights of our lives. It couldn’t get any better. And it didn’t.
High note: supporting Generation X at Chutes.
Miles Copeland is in the audience. He wants to record us and release a record.
High note: August 12th at Sound Conception 4-track studio.
It’s been about 20 weeks since we formed, we’ve written maybe 12 songs and played 6 or so gigs. Now we’re recording our whole set. As it turns out, most of this stuff won’t see the light of day for 30 years. Copeland chooses the four tracks for the EP that’s going to launch a new Bristol record label. They call it New Bristol Records. Yeah.
Low note: while we’re playing at the Dugout, somebody gets stabbed upstairs in the corridor.
High note: our garage days are over, now we’ve discovered the Crystal Theatre. A great place to practice and if it ever starts to seem like work, there’s props to play about with and the dumbwaiter for death-defying rides.
High note: we play at the Bamboo and totally rock the place. A live recording is made. The poster reads: ‘Have yourself a flaming good Xmas’.
Low note: We should have been supporting the Sex Pistols back at the Bamboo the next day. The gig is sold out. But the club – owned by future yachtsman Tony Bullimore – burns down overnight.
High note: At last the record comes out (complete with wrong speed printed on the label) and John Peel plays it seven times. One time he says “This is the only track I’ve heard that sounds as good at 33 as it does at 45” and plays Psychopath very slowly. Another time he says “Punk bands get accused of political posturing” and plays National Front are Fascists.
High note: supporting the Cortinas at the Locarno, with Social Security also on the bill. We get to play London’s glamorous Marquee club with the Cortinas too – but forget the soundcheck, lads, Marianne Faithfull’s recording a TV interview. Speaking of glamorous, we plug the EP with a brief live performance at Siouxsie Sioux’s Barton Hill gig.
Low note: The Rainbow agency finds us some weird gigs.
This one sees us in Luton. “Why aren’t you dancing?” “Cos you’re crap”. But National Front gets the place leaping about, punching the air and yelling the title. Shame they’ve got the wrong end of the stick so far as the message is concerned. They want us to play the song again as an encore. Then we leave in a big hurry and a borrowed guitar gets left behind.
Another low note: topping the bill at the legendary Roxy club in Covent Garden, but the spark has definitely gone out so far as this place is concerned.
Lowest point of all: we don’t know it but we’re travelling to our last ever gig.
The venue is an agricultural college in deepest Essex. We drive past our number one fan on the M32. His thumb gets him to the gig despite this cock-up, but by now we’re all wondering if it’s worth it. The last few months have convinced us that the ride is finished. Somebody’s pulled the plug out and the buzz has drained away. That’s it, it’s over… for the next thirty years.
High note: It’s 2009 and Mike Darby wants to release everything we ever recorded on his Bristol Archive label. If only we could get our hands on that live tape from the Bamboo… But if we have to settle for putting the demo from August 1977 and the EP up there, that’s fine. Just one more low note: we can’t find Nigel. If you’re out there, Mr Winky, please get in touch; it’s time to turn round and face the audience.
Dedicated to Jonathan Clark and Vernon Jozefowicz, two lost friends of the band.
Credits:
Luca Piccione art design
Seng-gye Toombs Curtis for photos
KEN LINTERN – ‘Rainbow Ents’
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
It was 1979 and a chance meeting with Kevin Draper (KGD Concerts) saw me suddenly sitting in an office at No1 Queens Square behind a desk running a Rock Agency, Rainbow Entertainments. Kevin bought it from the previous partners because he fancied the office address, and finding he knew nothing about that side of the business asked me if I fancied running it with him, to be honest I didn’t have a clue either but 15 years as a working ‘pro’ had given me a pretty good start.
Taking over Rainbow meant we booked everything into The Granary, most of the bands into Crockers, handled some almost famous Folk Acts like Mechanical Horsetrough and were constantly being called by London Agents looking for places for their bands to perform, and Students Unions throughout the South West wanting the next big thing for as little as possible.
At that time things were pretty good, I was booking people like Robert Fripp into the Granary and although Les (Pearce) who was the manager at the time, gave me a hard time ‘Robert who, has he got a demo tape….’ it was great fun and I got to see whoever I wanted, wherever i wanted free.
Kevin decided to he needed a more ‘corporate Image’ (strange as he was in charge of flyposting in Bristol) and changed KGD Concerts to Rainbow and run the 2 side by side. At that time we were promoting many really big acts into Bristol, Cardiff, Bath etc, the likes of Squeeze, Flock of Seagulls, Saxon, Hawkwind, Paul Young, OMD, Gary Numan to name but a few. The problem seemed to be that there was no middle size venue for up and coming bands and local bands to really have a bit of decent exposure.
This lead to the regular Tuesday Nights at Carwardines which we promoted as The Rainbow Rock Club placing up and coming bands like U2 (we paid them £300 if I remember rightly would you believe), Stray Cats and Split Endz, they were topping the charts but already contracted so had to appear for a flat fee, we had many local bands playing support and often had 2 local bands to cover the night.
Around that time we also tied in loosely with Andy Leighton and Alison Clout to promote their Fried Egg Record Bands
Unfortunately for me, my share of the profits was minimal (Kevin was a very good business man) and I had been left with a massive VAT bill when my band split, again stupidly it was all in my name so I started hiring out my PA, about 2.5kw, foldback etc which I soon found was great for Crockers, The Green Rooms, I even did Carwardines with it and quite a few other local places, in fact soon I was working 3 or 4 nights a week.
I soon got into a lot of the local bands, although now I cant remember them all but have fond memories of Juan Foote in the Grave, the Untouchables, Joe Public, Various Artists and Art Objects who were all massive around Bristol at that time, there were loads of other bands, but what I remember most is there was masses of talent.
After a year of killing myself with all the gear a guy in Bath made me an offer for the PA and Truck that would clear my debt with said Vat Man and I retired from that side of the business.
Kevin relocated Rainbow to Henleaze as he had decided to get into Video shops and suddenly I was in a poky office above the video shop, I couldn’t stand it and after a few months I left to form my own management company Elephant Management.
I signed the Vice Squad who were in negotiations with EMI, a heavy rock band Shiva who I signed to HM Revolver and a Gloucester Dance act Ron E Was Another One that I signed to Black.
I had a great couple of years before wandering off to sell Fender Guitars for a living because I really liked the idea of a regular salary.
These days I am back to my routes, living happily in Weston, playing cover music for a living and writing and recording during the day………I often wonder what became of everyone, there was so much talent, so much promise, still Neal Taylor did well and found a good job.
Thanks for reminding me about those days.
(Ken Lintern April 2009)
FUNK TO PUNK
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
How exactly did a group of cutting edge American urban funk aficionados throw it all away for the three chord thrashings of Hoxton, Brixton and Ladbroke Grove? It had something to do with music but a lot more to do with clothes.
Why break up the Guildhall brother and sisterhood to ape the tabloid tracked burgeoning punk scene like every city with a cathedral, an underpass and a Sunday market? The Guildhall was something special wasn’t it?
Without doubt. Loose tribes had stumbled around the Bristol club scene, indistinguishable from one and other but fiercely loyal to their team or postcode. The big halls like the Top Rank offered room for everyone and we all crowded in, a mass of crushed velvet and the great smell of Eau Sauvage. Hey Girl don’t bother me sang The Tams until one of them side shuffled off the stage, denting only his pride unlike poor Neil Winstone who bounced down most of the stairs because bouncers bounced in those days. But the Top Rank was too inclusive and too spacious and people huddled with their homies in their favoured corner or with their racial group. And the other above ground clubs were too interchangeable. If it’s Tuesday it’s The Blue Lagoon. Or is it The Top Cat? Either way Seymour or Superfly or someone will be there playing James Brown or Rufus Thomas and a few slow ones at the end. Time to blag of.
People ventured out of Bristol whenever a bank holiday came along, seeking the crack and the next big thing. Newquay was good but Bournemouth was better. Equal distance between Bristol and London we encountered temporary escapees from the smoke in all their finery. Mohair, plastic sunglasses, upside down trousers and the old Puerta Rican fence climbers. We skulked in the shadows, ashamed of our cap sleeve tee shirts and wedge cuts. That was Bank Holiday Monday, by Tuesday we were desperately trying to find pants that narrowed at the bottom. In those days the world wore flares. Your Dad, your history teacher. Prince Philip, Bob Monkhouse and The Pope. Lionel Blair wore flares. London already had Acme Attractions and Johnson & Johnson. We had Millets and a second hand clothes shop in Park Row that smelt bad.
Eventually we found our way to SW whatever and got kitted out and returned home where we sat upstairs at the back of the bus into town and The Guildhall. It was our own private world below a spiral staircase beneath which you could watch the plastic sandals and winkle pickers come into view descending daintily before the bulk of Bobby Iles or Wendy Clutterbuck. We had our pegs and our latest imports listed from 1 to 50 on a photocopied ASA sheet. Are you ready? Do the bus stop and get off at the one near Bristol Bridge and walk through St. Nicholas market.
You knew everyone there but occasionally a stranger put in an appearance. Mark Stewart came once or twice in pink pegs and wrap around sunglasses. He punk smirked above the older/smaller dancers. He couldn’t/wouldn’t dance. Did he know something we didn’t?
Trousers have a lot to answer for, pink or otherwise. The pegs went from cotton to something shiny and then further out to plastic, borderline fetish.
Alan Jones, ex sax player with South Wales pop soul combo The Amen Corner managed Clobber on Park Street and also in The Haymarket for another Welsh guy called Gerald, until he bought the branch beneath the bus station and called it Paradise Garage after the legendary New York nightclub. He had his contacts and soon some of the clothes we had to go inter city 125 for started appearing on some very appealing pinch faced mannequins on loan from Lloyd Johnson in the Kensington Market. Alan also had a part share in a club in Newport called Rudies and the invite went out to the Guildhall faithful to pay it a visit. It was said to be worth the bridge fee.
Vernon Josafyitch piled half a dozen of us into his Pontiac, longer than the other vehicles used that night but slower and smokier too. Ten years minimum without an air filter.
A mirror reflection of the Guildhall, Rudies was upstairs and that first visit was akin to hitting the Chelsea Village in Bournemouth a couple of summers before. Our kit was wicked, their kit was …well, wicked plus. With knobs on and knobs out. Their trousers had already passed through plastic and landed on tightened up leather. Even (whisper it) rubber.
Steve Harrington we had met a few years before at Wigan Casino but the beret and the adidas bag were gone and the Blackwood accent was soon to follow as he morphed into Steve Strange. Mark Taylor was there and Chris Sullivan, later to front up Blue Rondo a la Turk before running the Wag Club in Wardour Street with Rusty Egan. But the limelight belonged to a guy called Colin Fisher, as did the chain that danced on his cheek linking his earlobe to his nostril. My god they were, they were…well there was no name for what they were except valley boys who had got a march on the Bristol brethren. We had been below our spiral staircase for too long. Something was afoot and it had shed its plastic sandal.
I sniffed the air. I smelt cult. Too young to be a mod, too weak to be a skinhead, I was open to suggestion. But why were they dancing to Donna Summer?
As the leaves started to turn brown the tabloids began to see red. Punk was a New York magazine as well as a ripped up look personified by Richard Hell, bass player with art rock CBGB dwelling, guitar duelling combo Television. Malcolm McLaren, ex Ted co-owner of Sex, way down in World’s End was no stranger to this scene. He had been part of it stylising the New York Dolls through their death throes. Not only could he import the look he could sell the clothes and so punk got wheeled into the west end in a wardrobe on casters, direct from the garment district.
As the red tops cranked up the indignation, the photographs that appeared alongside the rant featured a London face or two but Fisher, Sullivan and Harrington were at the fore. And, surprise surprise, there was a soundtrack to this scene after all. Punks did not do the hustle, the bump or the bus stop (or dance to Donna Summer). They went to see bands. White, British bands who dressed like them. The Sex Pistols were one, The Psycle Sluts another. The former swore their way to notoriety, the latter disappeared somewhere between rumour and myth.
The Guildhall was still stretchin’ out and hangin’ loose in a rubber band with Bootsy but who wants a rubber band when Sex are selling rubber tee shirts for £15? All of a summer sudden the scene below Broad Street seemed tired, repetitive and as conservative as Breezin’ by George Benson, the last album I bought before the debut LP by four Brooklyn would be brothers, The Ramones. You could get punk of the US variety but it was the chill of winter 76 before the UK’s sound was captured on vinyl.
How many of the Guildhall faithful cashed in their funk chips for Soho nights at the Roxy? Hard to say but the vanguard barely looked back once it realised that Bristol, yes Bristol, had a punk band of it’s own.
The Cortinas had played the Ashton Court Festival before the nights started drawing in. They were kids from north of the river and fee paying schools. The drummer was 14. But with shades, skinny ties and part time attitude they ripped it up for the bikers, hippies and more bikers who enjoyed a free festival almost as much as a run down to Cheddar for an ice cream and a punnet of strawberries.
The road to punk was a much more direct one for the band and their followers than it was for those of us who could glare a DJ down for having the audacity to play a funk tune that you could actually buy easily in the UK. They were already listening to white British bands like The Kursaal Flyers, Kilburn and the High Roads, Eddie and the Hot Rods. Pub Rock took a step back and a line of speed, a sideways glance at Patti Smith and the rest of New York loft life and the die was cast.
The Cortinas welcomed the patronage of the former funksters with open arms. Though we had not learned to play guitar like them through terms of private tuition, we were streetwise and more than willing to scare off the beastly boys from school who had taken it upon themselves to quell the birth of punk, as they saw it, in Sneyd Park. We promoted gigs, started record labels and wrote fanzines while our new guitar toting friends flashed for a good while and almost made it. If nothing else they paved the way for a bigger post punk push, led by the ironically named The Pop Group, school friends of The Cortinas but better dressed, Grey shirts done up to the neck one week, cricket whites the next. Where was this sartorial elegance coming from? Singer Mark Stewart? For the real lowdown you would have to ask their first up manager, Paradise Garage owner Alan Jones. He was our Malcolm McLaren, but without the cynicism and with a much prettier wife.
In 2008, Mark Stewart is booked to play the prestigious Meltdown Festival on London’s Southbank with his band Maffia. His many fans from across the new Europe will go to any lengths for a ticket. And if they get the chance to talk with him after the gig and ask how it all got started his response will be the same as it always is. ‘Well, there was this basement pub in Broad Street, Bristol called The Guildhall. It was the wildest scene, the clothes, the dancing. Kit kids. Full on.’
Mark loved funk.
( TIM WILLIAMS 13TH APRIL 2009 )
