Sigue, Sigue Sputnik Newcastle Mayfair 12th March 1986
Recipe for a successful pop/new wave band.
1. To start off you must have some existing credibility. In this case, Tony James had a significant punk pedigree, and had starred in Generation X. Tony was, and remains, a good friend of Mick Jones of the Clash, who was to be the new band’s sound engineer.
2. Find a charismatic and, ideally crazy, lead singer. Enter Martin Degville, or simply “Degville”.
3. Craft a new art-based image, and wear the wildest clothes you can. It helped that Degville was a clothes designer and worked in YaYa clothes shop in Kensington Market.
4. Choose a wild, obscure, strange name for the band, so everyone can talk about you and discuss what the name means (by the way what does Sigue, Sigue Sputnik mean?).
5. Rehearse a lot, and play rarely, and only at select trendy venues.
6. Talk to the press and “big up” your band. James described the band as “Hi-tech sex, designer violence, and the fifth generation of rock ‘n’ roll”.
7. Wait until you feel the time is right, and the band have gained enough of a buzz around them and then, and only then, release a single. Link the single with a movie, for mass exposure. In this case the band’s first single “Love Missile F1-11” was included in the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. It reached No 3 in the UK charts.
8. Go out on tour at last. Make sure that there is lots of publicity around the tour. In this case the band were billed as the latest shock rock band; the next Sex Pistols. The Sun featured the usual shock-horror stories. Some of their shows were marred by violence and Sigue, Sigue, Sputnik were, as a result, banned from several venues. The Newcastle gig was moved from Tiffanies to the Mayfair, because of fears of violence.
Now to the concert. The gig itself was not that well attended, and the security entering the venue was one of the strictest I have seen. Full searches on the way into the ballroom. The show was as expected; outrageous, strange, fun and like nothing else we had seen. The music was a mix of dance, electronic, rockabilly and punk; if that makes any sense. Degville was very much a star, wearing the most outrageous headgear and costume. A video of the Newcastle gig can be seen on YouTube. Google Sigue, Sigue, Sputnik and Newcastle Mayfair and you’ll find it.
Sigue, Sigue Sputnik were Tony James – space guitar; Martin Degville – vocals; Neal X – electric guitar; Ray Mayhew – drums; Chris Kavanagh – drums; Yana YaYa (Jane Farrimond) – keyboards, space echo, special effects.
I saw them once more at Newcastle Riverside a year or so later.
Posts Tagged ‘punk’
10 May
Sigue, Sigue Sputnik Newcastle Mayfair 12th March 1986
1 May
Stiff Little Fingers Newcastle City Hall 23rd January 1982 (and/or October 1982?) and farewell on 5th February 1983
Stiff Little Fingers 23rd January 1982 (and/or October 1982?) and farewell on 5th February 1983
The fourth (also to be the final) album of Stiff Little Fingers’ first incarnation, Now Then… was not as successful as their earlier albums. The album took the band towards a more pop/new wave-oriented sound than their previous releases and wasn’t received that well by fans and critics. Having sad that, it did reach No 24 in the UK album charts. In 1981, drummer Jim Reilly left, and was replaced by Dolphin Taylor (from the Tom Robinson band).
“Looking back, for me, that was the end of the REAL SLF. After touring and recording for four years, Jake decided that 1982 would see the end of SLF. He wanted to pursue a solo career and walked away. I went back to a life in Belfast.” (Henry Cluney, from his website).
Live, however, they continued to be a major attraction and toured again in 1982, in support of Now Then…
Frustratingly, my tickets and programmes for SLF in 1982 leave me confused once again. I have a ticket stub from a concert at the City Hall on 23rd January 1982, yet the programme from the same year shows that they played twice at Newcastle City Hall on 11th and 12th October 1982. So….was the January gig postponed until October? Or did I see them in January and October? And if I did, where is my ticket stub from the October gig? Who knows….I’ve giving up beating myself up about such things, and just accepted that my memory is not good these days. Perhaps if you read this you can help solve my dilemma. Support for some of the dates on the October tour came from Midnight Oil, an Australian rock band who hit the UK charts “Beds Are Burning” later in the ’80s.
By 1983 it was all over. Stiff Little Fingers announced that they were to split, and played a few farewell gigs, one of which was at Newcastle City Hall. Support came from the mighty Alarm (68 Guns). 
Now I do remember this gig well. It was a storming concert, much better than their concert at the same venue previous year, and a fitting send off for a great band. There was a sense that this was the last time we were going to be seeing them, and we wanted to make sure that we made the most of it, and we also wanted to let the band know how much they meant to us.
But of course it wasn’t the end after all. Five years later Jake Burns reformed SLF and they continue to tour to this day. I’ve never seen the band live since those early days, which is something I should really put right. I’ve just read a couple of reviews of recent SLF gigs, and it seems that they are just as high energy and passionate as ever. I must try and get to see them again one day. Until then, I’ll remember that young, raw band I saw at that crazy gig at Newcastle Guildhall 35 years ago…
30 Apr
Stiff Little Fingers Newcastle City Hall 18th May 1981
Stiff Little Fingers Newcastle City Hall 18th May 1981
It was almost two years between Stiff Little Fingers gig at Newcastle Mayfair on 9th June 1979 during their Gotta Getaway Tour and their next appearance in the city which saw them playing Newcastle City Hall on 18th May 1981. There was a reason for this.
SLF front man Jake Burns explained (Record Mirror, 1981): “We tried on ‘Go For It’ to be as straightforward as possible while remaining as clear about the world as we could. We ran into problems before for being too subtle because people don’t always see the humour in our songs. ‘White Noise’ on Inflammable Material got us banned from Newcastle for two years or so. A councillor read the lyrics and ordered that they couldn’t have bands spreading such racist ideas in Newcastle. There was a headline, ‘PUNK ALBUM COULD START NORTH EAST RACE RIOT.'” This misunderstanding stopped SLF from coming to Newcastle during 1980.
However by the time they came to tour with “Go For It” things had relaxed and the band were able to book a concert at the City Hall, which quickly sold out. “Go For It” was SLF’s third album and saw the band’s style change a little, covering new subjects such as domestic abuse in the song “Hits and Misses” but also still retaining their stories of being a teenager growing up, with the song “Kicking Up a Racket”.
Live, however, little had changed. Stiff Little Fingers remained a hot, passionate live act who really meant it, and had a massively loyal following in the north east. Support act for the tour was punk band The Wall, who originated from Sunderland.
Another great gig by a great live act.
29 Apr
Stiff Little Fingers and The Angelic Upstarts Newcastle Guildhall 28th February 1979
Stiff Little Fingers and The Angelic Upstarts Newcastle Guildhall 1979
My memories of this gig are sketchy, but what I do remember is that it was one of the wildest, craziest and most amazing concerts I have been to. It was around the time that Stiff Little Fingers were just starting to break through and make a name for themselves. They’d had some success with the singles “Suspect Device” and “Alternative Ulster”, and had just released their first album “Inflammable Material”. I’d already seen them play as support for Tom Robinson at the City Hall in late 1978. What I do remember well was that the place was jam packed; dangerously so. They had somehow crammed so many people in there that you couldn’t move at all. And there were lots of fights. The Upstarts manager, Keith Bell, aka The Sheriff, kept jumping into the crowd and sorting out the trouble. Both bands put in awesome, high energy performances; Stiff Little Fingers were unbelievably good: raw, full of energy and passion. The place went completely crazy when they played those classic songs: “Suspect Device”, “Wasted Life”, “Barbed Wire Love” their great version of Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was”; and when they played “Alternative Ulster” the crowd was going entirely nuts. I didn’t think I was going to get out of the place alive. That night SLF were, without question, simply the best new rock’n’roll band on the planet. The atmosphere was a mix of danger and pure rock energy. My mate and I lurked near the back of the crowd, being two of the few people in the hall with long hair. Where did those days go? Was it really more than 35 years ago? I saw Stiff Little Fingers again at Newcastle Mayfair in June 1979 (with support from the Starjets) and then at the City Hall a few times in the early 80s. They were always great but none of those gigs were as raw, energetic or exciting as that night at the Guildhall.
I’ve just watched SLF playing Suspect Device live in 1978 on YouTube and it brings it all back:
I’ll write more about SLF tomorrow.
SLF were (in those days):
Jake Burns – Vocals, guitar
Henry Cluney – guitar, Vocals
Ali McMordie – bass guitar, Vocals
Brian Faloon – drums.
“What we need is
An Alternative Ulster
Grab it change it’s yours
Get an Alternative Ulster
Ignore the bores, their laws
Get an Alternative Ulster
Be an anti-security force
Alter your native Ulster
Alter your native land” (Jake Burns and Gordon Ogilvie, 1978)
28 Apr
The Specials Newcastle Mayfair 9th November 1979 19th September 1980
The Specials Newcastle Mayfair 9th November 1979 18th September 1980
In Autumn 1979 The Specials released their debut album, entitled simply ‘Specials’ and a 40 date ‘2 Tone Tour’ of the country began featuring The Specials, Madness and The Selecter. The tour ended at Newcastle Mayfair on 9th November 1979 and played to a packed house. The music was great, marred by some fighting in the crowd. From a review of the time: “Madness and The Selecter join The Specials for an all band finale of Skinhead Moonstomp which had become a tradition of the tour. A horde of fans invaded the stage and cause chaos. Which has by now become a tradition of the tour.” All three bands played excellent sets that night and bootleg recordings exist of the Specials and Madness from the concert.
Specials setlist: (Dawning of a) New Era; Do the Dog; It’s Up to You; Monkey Man; Rat Race; Blank Expression; Rude Boys Outa Jail; Concrete Jungle; Too Hot; Doesn’t Make It Alright; Stupid Marriage; Too Much Too Young; The Guns of Navarone; Little Bitch; A Message to You, Rudy; Nite Klub; Gangsters; Longshot Kick De Bucket; Skinhead Moonstomp; You’re Wondering Now
The Specials were back at the Mayfair for an equally crazy show in 1980. Support came from The Swinging Cats. Jerry Dammers talking about crowd stage invasions at the time: “At first it was a great laugh – we’re all in this together, there’s no stars here. Then people were getting on-stage two numbers into the set. It became tedious and dangerous, but you couldn’t stop it. One gig we told the audience it was too dangerous and they wouldn’t have it and it ended up in a massive ruck with the bouncers.”
Update 27 December 2021. Many thanks to Jimmy Burns (a.k.a. Punk Hoarder) who kindly provided me with an image of the poster for the second gig. Another crazy, crazy night. People were trying to climb on stage and sing and dance with the band. This caused lots of fun, but also numerous interruptions in the show. The Specials were really on top form in those days and a great live band who went on to have some very special (no pun intended) chart hits. I wish I could relive the punk era and go to some of those concerts again. I also wish I had taken a camera. But at least I was there to experience it and still hold (some of) my memories. Happy days!
22 Apr
Ramones Newcastle City Hall 28th September 1978 and 29th January 1980
Ramones Newcastle City Hall 28th September 1978 and 29th January 1980
I have already written about the first time I saw the Ramones, which was at Newcastle City Hall in 1977. For completeness, and as I come towards the end of acts whose names begin with the letter “R”, I am including an entry on a couple of other times that I saw the band. The Ramones returned to the City Hall in 1978 and 1980. By 1978 Tommy Ramone had left the band, his drum stool being filled by Marky Ramone. Their music had also developed a little further. Although most of their songs remained the very fast short crash bam bop slabs of pure rock ‘n’ roll, they were starting to venture further into pure pop, and their albums also includes, shock horror, some slower songs and even some, dare I say it?, ballads. However, their live shows remained largely unchanged. A night with the Ramones was guaranteed to be a night of fun with Da Brudders playing a set of lots of short hectic songs all in quick succession, and Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee up front singing and playing like there was no tomorrow. 
Both of these concerts were great fun. Support for the 1978 tour was the excellent vocalist Snips, who had previously fronted Sharks with Andy Fraser. The 1980 show was opened by The Boys, who were one of the first and legendary punk bands; a three piece featuring Casino Steel, Matt Dangerfield and Honest John Plain.
Setlist from the 1980 show: Blitzkrieg Bop; Teenage Lobotomy; Rockaway Beach; I Don’t Want You; Go Mental; Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment; Rock ‘N’ Roll High School; I Wanna Be Sedated; Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?; She’s the One; I’m Against It; Sheena Is a Punk Rocker; This Ain’t Havana; Commando Baby, I Love You; I’m Affected; Surfin’ Bird; Cretin Hop; All the Way; Judy Is a Punk; California Sun; I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You; Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World; Pinhead; Do You Wanna Dance?; Suzy Is a Headbanger; Let’s Dance; Chinese Rock; Beat on the Brat
6 Apr
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Rip Rig and Panic Newcastle University 30th January 1982
Doing my daily blog is teaching me a hell of a lot about rock music, and refreshing my memories about the bands I have been to see. Today is a good example. I remember seeing Rip Rig and Panic at Newcastle University students union in early 1982, but have to admit to remembering very little about their performance. They performed on a Saturday night, and Marie and I were just as likely to be found in the bar as in the ballroom. I would always watch some of the band’s set, and recall Rip Rig and Panic as being an energetic band fronted by a great female lead singer, with lots of members dancing around on stage and loads of jazzy rhythms. What I had forgotten was that the lead singer was Neneh Cherry, and that the band had in part spun out of the Pop Group. Neneh would have been known to me at the time as the step-daughter of American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who I had seen touring with The Slits. Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band, founded in 1981. They had a short career, breaking up in 1983, and took their name from a 1965 Roland Kirk album. Their line-up was Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano, sax, vocals), Gareth Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards, vocals), Bruce Smith (drums, percussion), Neneh Cherry (vocals), Flash (saxophone), Andrea Oliver (vocals), David De Fries (trumpet) and Sarah Sarhandi (viola). Rip Rig and Panic’s music mixed avantgarde elements with jazz, led by Cherry’s great pop/soul singing. Don Cherry guested on some of their recordings. They had very positive reviews from the music press at the time, which prompted me to go and see this gig. Neneh Cherry had briefly been a member of The Slits, and of course she went on to massive success, starting with her single “Buffalo Stance”. She grew up in a musical family, and said she found her voice singing along with Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex: “Music was always there, it was like food in my house. But in my home I had never really found my own thing. I really identified with Poly, the voice. Culturally, she was mixed. I recognized her when I looked at her. One day I was singing along to their records, Germfree Adolescents or Oh Bondage Up Yours!, but I found my voice. And I’ll never forget it happening.” Cherry remembers singing with her dad, Don Cherry, in the voice she had found. “Oh look, I have a voice, it’s been born. It was like an ejection, like a release button. It was like, here you go, do your own thing.” (Wikipedia).
28 Mar
The Rezillos and The Mekons Newcastle City Hall 30th November 1978
The Rezillos and The Mekons Newcastle City Hall 30th November 1978
The Rezillos had appeared at the City Hall the year before as support to the Ramones. This time they returned as headliners, riding on the success of their “Top of the Pops” single. The Rezillos were a wonderful quirky punk / new wave act from Edinburgh who took a much more light-hearted approach to their music than many other bands of the time. They were fronted by vocalist Fay Fife, who seemed to me to be a cross between Lulu, Twiggy, Sandie Shaw and Mary Quant; fellow singer Eugene Reynolds, who was a very cool cross between James Dean and Steve Zodiac, and guitarist Jo Callis, who went on to join the Human League. Their influences came through very clearly as 60s pop, rock n roll, and B movie sci-fi. The Rezillos split shortly after this tour, to re-emerge with a new line-up as The Revillos. “Top of the Pops” was their biggest hit, but their earlier singles “Can’t Stand my Baby” and “(My baby does) Good Sculptures” were also both good clean fun, as were their covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Somebody’s Gonna Get their Head Kicked in Tonight”, The Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over” and Gerry and the Pacemakers’ “I Like It”. The album “Can’t Stand the Rezillos” is generally recognised as a classic of its genre and era. The Mekons were a punk band formed by a group of Leeds University students ; quite left wing and noisy as I recall. They continue to this day, and are now based in Chicago. A fun night for all super sci-fi pop hipsters.
PS The Rezillos have recently reformed and are gigging again.
26 Mar
Johnny Marr Leeds Brudenell Social Club 25th March 2014
Laura and I went to see the great Johnny Marr last night at the equally great Leeds Brudenell Social Club. Johnny played two sold out gigs there as a warm up to some South American gigs. The Brudenell is an intimate club venue and the tickets for these gig sold out immediately. Johnny broke his hand a few weeks ago in a fall while he was running, and it was touch and go if the gigs would go ahead. However, his plaster came off last week, and he felt ok to do the shows. The set consisted of tracks from his latest album “The Messenger”, a couple of brand new tracks which will appear on his next album and the Smiths classics: Panic, Bigmouth Strikes Again, How Soon Is Now?, There Is A Light That and Never Goes Out. He also played a great cover of I Fought The Law (ala The Clash) and Electronic’s Getting Away With It. Really clear sound, great atmosphere, and pretty neat renditions of the Smiths songs. Great stuff!
13 Mar
The Runaways 1976 and 1977
The Runaways 1976 and 1977
The Runaways were an American all girl rock ‘n’ roll band who came along in the late ’70s. Although they were seen at the time as being part of the punk and new wave movement, and they certainly shared some of the same raw energy and directness, they were actually a pretty straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll band. The Runaways were Joan Jett (lead vocals and guitar), Lita Ford (guitar), Jackie Fox who was replaced by Vickie Blue (bass) and Sandy West (drums). Cherie Currie (vocals) was an early member of the band. I saw the Runaways twice, once at Leeds University Refectory on 9th October 1976 and again at Newcastle City Hall on 10th November 1977. Both great shows. A group of us drove down to Leeds for the first gig, which was one of the first new wave concerts that we all saw. Support came from Old Tennis Shoes. By the 1977 gig, Cherie Currie had departed, and the band became a four piece, but lost none of their raw rock ‘n’ roll power. Support at the City Hall gig was the excellent UK punk band 999, who had great powerpop songs like Emergency and Homicide (also check out their version of Little Red Riding Hood). 
From the programme: “Outdated rock n roll authorities would suggest the day of the all girl group wound up with the end of the sixties – but the raw fact is; its just begun. ..The Runaways are the new phenomenon and they not only spit out tough, raunchy vocals that would slice a man in half, but they write first class songs and handle their instruments with near phallic indecency…the idea of a cute chick sweating on stage beside the big boys is a little hard to swallow, so the idea of four such ladies is four times as hard to swallow…” Joan Jett, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie all went on to have successful solo careers.
Runaways setlist: Wasted, Take It Or Leave It, Blackmail, Queens Of Noise, You’re Too Possessive, Wild Thing, You Drive Me Wild, Rock And Roll, Wait For Me, I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are, I Love Playing With Fire, Schooldays, American Nights. Encores: C’mon, Little Sister.
999 setlist: Pick It Up, Hit Me, Quite Disappointing, My Street Stinks, No Pity, Chicane Destination, Titanic Reaction, Crazy, Nasty Nasty, Emergency, I’m Alive, Nobody Knows. Encores: Nasty Nasty, I’m Alive.
Thanks to Mitch for the setlist and his picture from the concert at Newcastle City Hall.
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