Back in the 80’s and 90’s I saw so many bands I’ve lost count and at many great venues in London, some better than others. Anyone remember the Ambulance Station in Old Kent Road? We would in the very early days make a point of arriving at the venue several hours before the doors opened and sit outside drinking dodgy cider and smoking cheap fags.
There would always be groups of fans milling around the venue at the same time and someone always had one of those large naval kit bags that looked like it was full of laundry or something. Normally they were the hardcore fans who were following the band around the country. I loved that commitment, travelling from city to city and hoping to find somewhere to crash after the gig. Only did this once myself many years ago after travelling to Blackpool with novelty punks Splodgenessabounds. Max asked the audience if there was anywhere the band could stay after the gig which actually meant him, his cousin, me and someone else also not in the band. We got several offers and ended up in a needle strewn high rise flat in which the bath seemed to double up as a second toilet. It was truly horrific!
I also remember going to Camden or Kensington market a few days later to buy a barely audible C90 cassette recording of the gig I'd attended, normally including a badly photocopied yellow cardboard inlay depicting an image of the band and the wrong set list. Still got a few of them knocking about probably in a shoebox in the loft!
The years passed and I started attending gigs less fequently but I saw the Stranglers in Brighton a few months ago and the nostalgia of the situation got the better of me. I ventured 'down the front' for the first time in about 17 years where a group of grey haired old punks were mixing it with their younger, fitter counterparts. I lasted about 20 minutes before I lost my balance and fucked my knee up. As I was pulled up from the floor by concerned audience members I thought this is akin to an elderly gentleman slipping on a patch of ice outside the post office.
My next gig will be Polly Harvey at the Albert Hall, a glass of wine or two, comfortable seats, maybe a taxi home and why not! Still great music but the experience is now somewhat more refined than accidently sitting in a pile of vomit at a Nick Cave gig in 1988.
2 comments:
Saw the TV Personalities at The Ambulence Station sometime in the 80's. Nice start to yer blog. My next gig may or may be not, Knox and The Trailer Trash Orchestra at the Borderline on Nov 5th.
Many thanks for the comment Nuzz I remember seeing Conflict there and I think I saw Flux of Pink Indians too! What a noise!!
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