I think Hooker were a local band, but recollect little about this gig. I do know that I had heard of John Dowie and we turned up early to catch his set. John Dowie was one of the first acts to be signed to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records label, contributing three comedy songs to the first Factory release, A Factory Sample, along with Joy Division, The Durutti Column, and Cabaret Voltaire. His best remembered song remains the satirical “British Tourist (I Hate the Dutch)” from his debut EP Another Close Shave, issued by Virgin in 1977. It was this type of comedy punk that he was playing at the time of this gig. I think his band was The Bog Girls Blouse. In more recent times John Dowie has collaborated with Phill Jupitus and Neil Innes. One of the many great things about the punk era was that it provided a platform for new (and sometimes crazy or wacky) talent to come through, and that is exactly what John Dowie was.
Archive for the ‘John Dowie’ Category
11 Mar
Hooker and John Dowie 1977 Sunderland
23 Mar
Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias were a comedy rock band who seemed to pop up all over the place in the 70s. The ticket stub here is from a gig at Middlesbrough Town Hall, probably in the Crypt, on a Friday. I have vague memories of seeing this band, sometimes as headline, and probably at a festival or two. With shades of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, they were a guaranteed fun night. Although their songs were largely parodies of other more famous rock bands, they were also pretty serious musicians. Support came from another comedy act of the day; John Dowie. A fun time was had by all.
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