winter blog part 14. 1977 into 1978

The following year I was torn between the sheer enjoyment of playing music, organising gigs, promoting the band, spending increasing amounts of time around West London and the simple pleasures of the shop and life in rural Wales.

I became a bit of a waif that winter, we would play gigs in small towns and I’d stay near to the venue with whoever would have me, I would do a little work promoting shows in those towns for other acts and visit friends around the county. I began spending more time back in London, staying with Brian and at Dicks occasionally. We would play support and low key headline gigs at places like the  the Red Cow, The Nashville, the Moonlight in Hampstead, The Rock Garden. One of our shows was supporting Aswad and we turned up in my old Comma Van and the band were inevitably late sound checking leaving us just a few minutes before doors opened . I asked if, to save time, we could use their PA system and they said sure thing if we paid them £80.00. ( we were  being paid £25.00) . I think that was the first time I realised that wasn’t much solidarity between up and coming bands. It wasn’t like West Wales in West London.

John was an old friend of Murray Head, a singer songwriter more popular in France than in the UK and he was keen to get Murray on board to use his International Business contacts to promote Krypton Tunes across Europe. Dick got a promoter to give us a weekend slot at the Hope and Anchor when Murray was in London and it was going to be a showcase gig for him and some European promoters.

The single, on our own label, through Rough Trade, was doing well, getting some airplay and was reviewed by Julie Birchill in the NME ( we had hand delivered a copy to her office, the whole band hoping to make an impression) . Independent label, Lightning Records, had featured it in the independent chart they published weekly in the national music press. We had to do a second pressing. They offered us the chance to record and release the next single on their own Label with distribution and a small promotional budget.  These were good times.

The gig at the Hope and Anchor was double booked, the agent had promised the night to us and another band and we had to spend hours convincing them that it should be our night, we had already set up PA and backline and had to 'big up' the visiting business connections. I convinced Paul Riley to come and mix the show and eventually played the gig to Murray and about 12 other people, a typical showcase gig for the Hope and Anchor.

We recorded the next single in London but still got Phil in Wales to do the artwork and from a distance, looking at the gig guides in the national music press and how we featured in the alternative charts,  it certainly appeared that we had made a major impact with our rather raunchy, raw rock. 

(The covers with the spelling mistake "Version" instead of "Vision" actually sold to collectors and have recently been seen on Ebay for £30.00..........)

Audio Here

I put an add for the wholefood shop into London’s Time Out magazine and started to look for a buyer. I wanted to move back to London and do one of two things. Play in a great band or take up Artist Management and help fringe bands to negotiate the music business.

To get a handle on this needs a little explanation, I wasn’t interested “music”, what fascinated me was the opportunity that the music industry offered for the radical or left field , or the unusual and challenging, to find a way, not only to express itself, but to potentially earn enough for people to live on. I was keen to explore and exploit an industry that had once again been taken over by forces it neither understood nor even condoned (unless it would make them a buck). The Sex Pistols had already done the EMI scam and were filming the Great Rock and Roll Swindle movie. While the media concentrated on them, a much wider revolution was taking place across the country.

I loved the whole area around where Brian lived, the run down Ladbroke Grove with its multicultural, cosmopolitan lifestyles. Much of the area was still either squats or was increasingly being managed by small housing associations, it wasn’t a sought after area, definitely pre gentrification, it had an undeserved reputation for interracial violence, and was largely a bohemian and West Indian neighbourhood. The Saturday market on Portobello Road was still largely a vegetable market with some antique shops and hippie/fashion/head shop areas, indoor markets with small traders doing collectables and alternative therapies. I met folk who were returning from India with condoms full of hashish in their stomachs, artists, actors and writers, people making, repairing and importing clothes, books and records. It was much more radical than the “Kensington Market” “Bibba” London that I had previously left behind.

I still loved West Wales as well and had a huge network of friends and acquaintances. When I eventually sold the shop to a retired teacher from North London, I half imagined staying in the area, finding a soul sister to share the split life with and just venturing into London occasionally. I moved into the spare room at Jan's now she was living alone and spent time searching for the illusive kindred spirit, had brief liaisons with Smiles’ ex, Mary and almost simultaneously with another girl I was taken with ( also called Mary) who had more recently moved from London and taught me how to find and dry magic mushrooms. Jan used to mock me when I said Mary was coming round and say “ Do you mean big Mary or little Mary ?”. Jan was my rock and support in those times of personal transition, I’ll always be grateful to her. It would be another 4 or 5 years before I’d meet my soul mate and I was content to drift through casual, mutually convenient relationships for the time being.

I rented a room near Lampeter from a guy named Colin and realised I would hate a single rural life, I moved in briefly with a girl called Val who had a young son and a shared a house with another single mum, but it became clear that I was much more drawn to West London now that I had had a taste of life “north of the river” .

Partial Gigography 

05/10/77 St Peter’s Civic Hall, Carmarthen
09/12/77 Croydon
31/12/77 Victoria Hall, Lampeter
14/01/78 Nashville Rooms, Kensington, London
18/01/78 Hope & Anchor, Islington, London
22/01/78 Red Cow, Hammersmith Rd, London
25/01/78 Rock Garden, Covent Garden, London
27/03/78 BQ Club, Wilson Street, Bristol
13/04/78 Speakeasy, Margaret Street, London
16/06/78 Denbank College, Crewe
20/06/78 Tetley College, Sheffield
22/06/78 Limit Club, Sheffield
24/06/78 Frenchman’s Motel, Fishguard

28/06/78 Rochester Castle, Stoke Newington, London

29/06/78 Dixieland Leisure Centre, Southport

29/06/78 Rock Garden, Covent Garden, London

Red Cow /Nashville poster showing us headlining the smaller Red Cow venue, Brian and Chris's band 'Dyaks' supporting at the Nashville and The Electric Chairs, who will feature shortly.