I Was A Teenage Psycho Viking - A History In Gigs - Part One - 1988

A.K.A. - These are the shows I have definitely been to and some recollections and info.

001 Def Leppard - Wembley Arena, London 11-4-88
 And so we start at the very beginning and my first ever gig. It is the 11th of April 1988 and I'm 15 years old. My friend Kevin and I are coming out of a short lived Rock phase. In fact we'd already moved on to blacker things but we had bought the tickets ages ago and we were going to see Def Leppard at Wembley anyway. This was part of their mammoth tour in support of the Hysteria album and neither the band nor the album are typical of my tastes, I'd normally describe them as shit even if a small part of me has a tiny piece of affection for them to this day. Probably mostly down to the fond memories and the new experiences that a first gig throws up.
As for the night, I recall turning the corner towards Wembley Arena to be greeted by a swathe of hairy, denim clad, patch wearing New Wave Of British Heavy Metal fans. You know exactly what they looked like, and even though I was by this point a skinny little Goth and didn't really fit in with the crowd, they were far more my kind of people than the Acieed loving ravers and casuals who seemed to be everywhere back home. And they made Kev and I feel totally welcome. They weren't buying us any beers (not that we thought they might) but they were friendly and polite.. and probably thinking 'aw, look, little weirdos. How cute'. It was enough.
      Loverboy were the support act and possibly the first band I ever saw live but my memory is normally very good and I have no recollection of seeing them so I think we missed their show. Def Leppard's Hysteria tour made much of how they played 'in the round' or, on a stage in the centre of the arenas. Not at Wembley though, it was a standard stage at one end of the hall and we were half way back to their right on the circle area. They opened with Stagefright and as Joe Elliott launched into opening line 'I said welcome to my show!' the blood red curtain dropped and everything kicked in. I remember very little specifics after that but I do recall they played most if not all of Hysteria and all the expected hits and fan favourites. I thought they were petty damn good to be fair and I'm still kind of glad I saw a monster Rock show performed by a band at their commercial, if not creative peak.

The biggest takeaway from that night was that I loved live gigs and that was not gonna be the last.

Still got the ticket too.




002 Hawkwind - Tunbridge Wells Assembly Rooms 12-9-88
My 2nd gig didn't arrive for a while due to my GCSEs, leaving school and other distractions. I'd started college and a few people had mentioned Hawkwind were playing nearby. I knew vaguely who they were. I'd never liked them and to this day have never owned an album or single of theirs, but friends were going and it would be a laugh and a night out. It was Kev and I again mainly but we knew others on the night, even if they were in their own groups and a guy from college called Graham, who would soon become a firm friend. I'm now know that loads of people I would later become friends with were there but that was yet to come.
As for the show. Lots of psychedelic projections and space rock stylings. I didn't care for it much buy hey, I saw Hawkwind which is... something. I'd probably have enjoyed them more had it have been a few years later but that's another story.
No idea what happened to my ticket.



003 Fields Of The Nephilim - Top Rank, Brighton 19-9-88
The first one that really mattered. The Neph had been a huge part of my musical diet for about 12 months by now and I'd missed out on the Mark Of The Watchman tour back in May. This was their first UK tour since they'd released their 2nd album 'The Nephilim' and my first of many gigs in Brighton. The Top Rank has been renamed many times over the years but is now called Pryzm and is just a nightclub. It sits beneath the Odeon cinema and was a pretty decent venue back then.
As Kev and I turned the corner to the entrance we were greeted with the expected wall of black clad, stetsoned Bonanzas, the Neph's hardcore traveling fanbase, and we duly lined up alongside them. They acknowledged us but didn't really engage. Shortly after some others turned up and a proper queue began to form. After a while somebody produced a bag of flour, ripped it open and proceeded to begin chucking it over everyone. Friends and strangers alike, including us, but not the Bonanzas. It seemed like an unwritten rule that everyone knew - you don't flour them, but it wasn't like they disapproved of it. Just didn't do it.
Soon, the doors opened and, after a trip to the merch stand we managed to snag spot just behind the front row. Underneath What were the support and their brand of sleazy psychedelic, grebo rock was great fun. Firebomb Telecom and 2000 Light Years From Home stood out.
However, the Nephilim were the reason we were they and there will always be something special about that first time I saw the lights dim and spotted their silhouettes through the dry ice as the intro music began to swell and the first note of Endemoniada rang out. Kev and I were quickly separated and I didn't see him again until the end. They played a great set of tracks from both their first and second albums - many I'd never hear them play again - and I made my way to the barrier at some point. After a set closer of Last Exit For The Lost and an encore of Preacher Man, Carl uttered the words 'thank you and goodnight' and they were gone. One of the roadies handed me a set list (why me over others I don't know), I found Kev and we departed into the night. The Nephilim had been an incredible show and I would see them again many times, some of which were more akin to a spiritual gathering than a gig, and there would be better performances than this night too,but this one will always hold a special place for me.

004 Christian Death - The Basement, Brighton 18-10-88
A significant gig in a couple of ways. It was the 1st of 8 times (so far) in seeing Christian Death live and the one that introduced me to 2 lifelong friends.  Kev and I were in the same class with Graham but hadn't really hung out with him properly until he overheard us discussing going to this gig. We made arrangements to go down together with him and his mate Neil, who would go on to be a regular gig partner for me.
     We all got a lift down from my very generous father and despite some difficulty finding the venue - literally a basement in a row of terraced houses - we were in fairly early. This was the first venue I'd been to that could be described accurately as 'a shithole', although far from the worst ever. Cramped, in need of repair and with a stage that appeared to be little more than some pallets placed on top of milk crates it was ridiculously intimate. It was the first time I got to meet any band members but otherwise my memories of the show are vague. They started with Valor reciting a long monologue which was probably the as yet unreleased Third Antichrist, somebody shouted out a request for Dogs and Gitane retorted 'you got bored of the old songs so we're playing the news songs' or something very similar. Most of the set was from The Scriptures, What's The Verdict and some new material from the upcoming album Sex & Drugs & Jesus Christ which no-one knew yet.
   I remember thinking they were good but in the all time list of gigs it matters for the people I made lasting friendships with more than anything else.


005 The Mission - Wembley Arena 02-12-88
My unofficial quest to tick off all the major Goth bands of the time meant the The Mission were next up as they toured their hugely successful Children album. Kev and I were the participants once again and Wembley Arena became the first venue I visited twice.
    I recall we grabbed a beer or 2 before catching the end of support act The Mighty Lemon Drops who left little impression on me. We were seated to the bands left on the balcony section not too far from the stage. The band were in the process of transitioning from their early Goth leanings to full on Rock bombast and they were pretty damn good actually. Turning in a performance very true to the studio recordings. It would eventually be broadcast on Radio 1 and released in part at least as part of the live box set so you can decide for yourself how good they were that night. They played all the tracks you might hope for and left the stage triumphant.

006 Christian Death - The Pied Bull, London 7-12-88
My final show of 1988 was my 2nd chance that year to see Christian Death liveand was in Islington's Pied Bull - later to be renamed The Powerhaus. Cristabelle Children and Webcore were in support. Cristabelle Children were sort of proteges of Valor and utilised a similar male/female vocal dynamic and similar stylising to Christian Death. They would tour together frequently around this time and I would catch them again. Webcore were more of a Psychedelic/Prog Rock concotion that I must confess did nothing for me.
      After what seemed like an age squashed in at the barrier Christian Death finally took to the stage. I remember myself, Kev and Neil being in attendance, squashed down at the front, the band having a number of technical issues and one of us had decided to record the event on a cheap portable tape recorder (probably Neil). It came out unlistenable in the end but thankfully a decent quality bootleg does exist although it is incomplete, sadly cutting out before an instrumental encore of Romeo's Distress.

The set list  was -

The Third Antichrist
This Is Heresy
Dogs
Will O' The Wisp
Jesus Where's The Sugar
Jezebel's Tribulation
The Wind Kissed Pictures
Ten Thousand Hundred Times
Incediary Lover
Erection
This Glass House
Romeo's Distress

Hands Off Gretel at The Hope & Ruin 6-4-19

One of my most eagerly awaited gigs for a while paid off in spades as Hands Off Gretel put on a storming show with help from 3 support acts in the form of Ragweed, Preacher and My-Hi.

Ragweed were up first and the three piece act from Brighton played a fine set of grunge inspired alt. rock. This was my second time seeing them live and they remain an entertaining live act. There were between song quips about wrestling and beer spraying  aplenty as the warmed the early bird crowd up nicely. They played a handful of news tunes whilst also dropping the 'this might be our last show... we don't know' bombshell. If it was it was a great way to bow out but I personally hope to hear more from them again soon.

Preacher followed them and they're another 3 piece act but one I wasn't familiar with. Their take on the genre was slightly more traditional but they continued the party mood, playing with energy and verve as the venue slowly filled up. I think is would be fair to say however that My-Hi had the largest crowd of the night though despite not being the headliners. They also had the liveliest audience as they launched into their final number and a mosh pit finally broke out scattering a full section of the crowd standing in front of me.


And so to the headliners,  Hands Off Gretel, who's singer Lauren Tate holds a commanding presence on the stage -  equally flashing smiles and sneers with her eyes darting seemingly everywhere at once. If there's one thing she knows it's how to entertain a crowd, she's as attention grabbing a singer as one could ask for but yet never seeming unapproachable or simply putting on an act. Engaging with the crowd as 'one of us', it's just she is the one singing but we're all at our party, not her's. Judging by the crowd response she appeals to all ages and genders as someone to admire and respect.
The band meanwhile tear through tracks mostly off their new album, the brilliant I Want The World before finishing with old favourite Be Mine. And with that short set they were gone. From the stage at least, happy to mingle with after the show and chat.
At the moment they feel like a well kept secret that is about to blow up big time and they certainly deserve on this evidence. Check them out while you can still get close to them.

Desperate Journalist, She Makes War & Projector at The Garage 5-4-19

Desperate Journalist pulled together a strong line up for this show at London's The Garage, a venue in the heart of the Highbury area. In support were fellow Londoner(s) She Makes War (aka Laura Kidd and her band), and Brighton's upcoming and hotly tipped trio, Projector. The main reason for the author's attendance

Projector were up first in what was their first proper show of the year. They came on stage and promptly began with a track both unreleased and not played live before - a sign of the confidence this band has in their new material. Both guitarist Ed and bassist Lucy perform lead vocals in the band, depending on who is the main composer behind the song but this time it was the latter who sung the opening 2 numbers. The aforementioned new track and the familiar Full Circle - previously named Death March. It was a strong and impressive opening. The band sounding more confident and powerful than ever before. Unfortunately, right at the climax of the guitar break in Full Circle there was suddenly silence from the guitar's amp. Lucy and drummer Demelza continued on without breaking stride and finished the track.
After a momentary break things appeared to be corrected and the band played earlier singles I Am Shamed and Break Your Own Heart to an ever swelling audience who received the band well. However, as soon as they launched into another new track - JG Ballard -  the gremlins struck again, Ed laying his guitar down as the 2 vocalists sang in unison over only  a bass and drum backing. Strangely it still worked somehow but wasn't how the band wanted it go and with their frustration becoming more evident by the minute they elected to cut short their set.

They were followed by She Makes War whose performance suffered no such difficulties and the highly acclaimed singer and her band showcased a solid set that appeared to go down well with the crowd.  Her brand of alternative/indie rock acted as a perfect warm up for the headline act.

Desperate Journalist took to the stage around 9pm with the crowd now filling a not quite sold out venue. The post-punk act whose sound is clearly influenced by The Cure (just look at the name) and similar early 80s fare, are fronted by Jo Bevan. Jo's voice is pitched somewhere between those of All About Eve's Julianne Regan and Sleeper's Louise Wener, moving as it does between silky smooth and the occasional hint of rasping. The band's bass driven tracks often feature Rob Hardy's spider-like guitar lines and licks across the top. The result is an engaging brand of post-punk/indie that has strong melodies and hooks with an attention grabbing singer. I approached them with a 'wouldn't mind checking them out' attitude and left with nothing but a positive impression.

Collect Call at The Green Door Store 27-03-19

Brighton newcomers Collect Call made their live debut at the Green Door Store as part of a triple bill featuring headliners Submariner and opening act Drowning Boy and showed that they have genuine potential.

For a midweek show there was a sizeable turnout in place by the time Drowning Boy were winding up their set, and seeing the members of Collect Call chatting to various groups that a decent proportion were out to see them. Perhaps they're well connected, or perhaps a lot of people owe them favours. Either way there's a buzz building around them that will only grow after tonight.

So far they have release only 2 mid tempo, largely electronic influenced singles, Greenhouse and BluPil, both of which were played, but judging by tonight there's more diversity in their repertoire to come. The 3 piece act comprises of  DJ/percussionist Seb Muller, bassist Edward Norton and vocalist/guitarist Joe Thorpe. The majority of the tracks feature Seb's dance influenced beats countered with Joe's more subdued, at times melancholy, vocals. Although the band certainly move things up a gear towards the end of their show.

It was unfortunate that a planned visual display didn't quite work out as hoped. An intended projection of the band over themselves not coming off but they made up for that with a committed performance to a steadily growing crowd who cheered and applauded enthusiastically in the brief pauses, often drowning out the samples playing between tracks.

If this debut show is anything to go by they will steadily build from here and have a bright future ahead.

Calva Louise - The Prince Albert, Brighton 13-3-19

Calva Louise popped up on my radar last year after seeing their name about often in glowing terms and so I investigated their singles and discovered another hugely exciting new band. They announced they were playing Brighton around the same time they dropped the album Rhinoceros - an album which sits unchallenged as my favourite of the year so far - and I resolved immediately that I was going.
I went into this gig with genuine excitement and no little anxiety - how would they come across live, and have I dragged my mate to something he'll hate? The Prince Albert was almost deserted on arrival, which kind of contradicted my comments about how they should be playing somewhere bigger -even suggesting The Haunt.
Opening act Short People came on and delivered their brand of Small Faces meets Brit Pop to a building crowd that greeted them warmly but it was semi local (Hastings) band Kid Kapichi that shifted things up a gear, bringing with them a sizeable following. It's hard to place their sound but it's somewhere between Punk and '70s Rock - a bit like early Manic Street Preachers. By the end of their set the room was packed and you feel feel the excitement building.
Shortly before Calva Louise were due the photographers appeared, a sure sign of a band with forward momentum and the room was now getting very hot - full as it was now.
Then the lights dipped, the music faded out to be replaced with the Countdown 30 second clock. A perfect way to increase the anticipation before the band hit the stage and launched straight in to I'm Gonna Do Well - a statement of intent if ever there was one. Jess and Alizon bounced around the stage and the sheer enjoyment both on and off the stage was unavoidable. Outrageous followed and the crowd went with it. Between songs Jess chatted away about the tour so far and what some of the songs meant. Moments of calm  before they launched into the next number. There's no doubt that Jess is a remarkably charismatic presence in stage. Her distinctive vocals never faltered no matter how much she careered around the stage, screamed or thrashed at her guitar. Alizon and her would occasionally face off like in some ritual challenge before wheeling away in unison, all whilst drummer Ben keeps everything tight. Almost the entire album was played before a rousing Getting Closer finished the show. Everyone had thoroughly enjoyed themselves but they were out of songs by now and it was time to unplug and pack away. In the midst of this the crowd broke into a chant of 'one more song'. 'Are you sure?' asked Jess before the band nervously looked at each other, laughed and committed themselves. Picking back up their instruments and plugging back in the treated us to an improvised rendition of long retired song Eleanor -  a cracking track in itself and apparently the only other song they know.

And with that they really were done. All that was left was to swing by the merch and picked up a copy of the comic book - apparently all Jess's work too. I got there to discover Alizon on the desk who promptly insisted I have a signed poster too and he dragged the others over to complete the set. They all stayed and chatted and a good 20 minutes was spent chatting with them all - it seemed the band enjoyed this show as much as we did.
We all agreed they should play Brighton again. I fully expect that to be a bigger venue next time!
The only downside was all my photos came out pretty blurred but I won't be forgetting this one any time.

Calva Louise have raised the bar high for gigs for the rest of the year and staked their challenge for my favourite new band. They're looking tough to beat right now. I too think they're gonna do well.

Tundra Love Single Launch w/ Murmur, Guru and Dreamwaves at The Green Door Store 12-3-19

Tundra Love pulled a canny trick for their debut single launch at Brighton's Green Door Store by lining 3 supports acts that were all local and were all guaranteed to draw a crowd. More than one person mentioned they were all 'bigger' than the headliners. It ensured a packed venue on a cold Tuesday night and a lively evening and many local acts turned out for this one with members of Projector and Grymm spotted in attendance

Dreamwaves opened proceedings and were a solid start, they occasionally reminded me of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club during their more driving numbers but I couldn't help feel that the singer's voice was a little quiet in the mix and he seemed a little static on the night. That said I came away from them with the impression that they could be worth keeping an eye on.

Murmur were next and truth be told they were the reason I was there. Their brand of Alt. Rock and Grunge has impressed me from the moment I first heard them and their name had been bandied about by people whose opinion I take note of. They tore in to opener Cradle and follow up Common Me with gusto and played a 6 track set of mostly unreleased material - Sane being the only officially available release on their social media, although a live video of Common Me exists. They had a strong following with them and yet when they exited the stage you could tell they'd won new admirers too. Apparently the lack of online material is to be rectified soon and is mainly due to some line-up changes in recent times. I have no idea why their set list says Murmur & The Nips

Guru were next up and to say I'd been warned about them might sound harsh but I wasn't expecting to enjoy them at all. Turned out they were pretty damn good. Strong musically and with the kind of frontman that will be idolised by some and viewed strongly the opposite by others. A huge presence on stage, without dominating over his fellow members, charismatic and full of wild staring eyes that would make Jaz Coleman smile with approval. A band to watch for sure and the biggest crowd of the night.

Tundra Love, then finally took the stage and delivered a decent set of Post Punk Indie that brought to mind someone like Editors. It would be harsh to criticise them but following Guru was a tough call and by this point I'd been sidetracked into a conversation so my attention wasn't fully on them. The crowd did thin out a little but those who remained appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it.

Grymm at The Pipeline 7-3-19

Having been suitably impressed by their support at Allusinlove a second jaunt to see Grymm perform was always on the cards and they didn't wait long before dropping news of another support at The Pipeline.
As a venue it may well be the smallest in Brighton and possibly the smallest actual venue I've ever seen a band perform in. The Pipeline's downstairs bar is tiny and there's not a lot of space upstairs either. It looks remarkably like someones living room more than a live venue.
Nevertheless after a couple of warm up beers it was time to head upstairs, arriving just in time to see the opening notes of their set. Grymm were the openers and they began with the same 2 unreleased tracks as last time before going into the more familiar Gravity they were every bit as accomplished as before. There were clearly a number of people there for them and the whole show had an intimate feel to it. There were jokes between the band and audience, a loan of some tissues from one punter, audience participation was brought in via some assistance in preventing the kick drum from falling off the stage and best of all a competition to guess how often bassist Emily has accidentally undone the strap mid performance and dropped it.
There was another unnamed new song before Br-ea-the, which is my personal favourite for now before the they finished off in style with what seems to be their current set closer and the satisfied crowd filtered downstairs and outside for a break before the next band arrived.
Having seen what we came for the rest of the night was spent chatting and their was an opportunity to meet and pass thanks to Grymm themselves for their impressive work.  Apparently the new tracks are recorded and due to be released in the coming month or so.
Maybe next time I will be able to give them a name.