Location very first gig

brunobossier · 25 Dec 2005, 13:27

OK, we all know that the very first gig was on 16/02/81 but I'm confused about the location.

I was always informed that it was York Alcuin College and not Vanbrugh College. The official site however referes to Vanbrugh, the 20th anniversity gig was in Vanbrugh College.

Can anyone sched some light on this ?

pearson · 25 Dec 2005, 14:27

brunobossier wrote:OK, we all know that the very first gig was on 16/02/81 but I'm confused about the location.

I was always informed that it was York Alcuin College and not Vanbrugh College. The official site however referes to Vanbrugh, the 20th anniversity gig was in Vanbrugh College.

Can anyone sched some light on this ?

the Alcuin College in york doesn't exist anymore!
this is what i know..from GPS!

Dan · 25 Dec 2005, 21:29

As it was explained to me (but may be wrong), Alcuin College is a smaller building within the main premises of Vanbrugh College.

Andie · 25 Dec 2005, 21:50

Dan wrote:As it was explained to me (but may be wrong), Alcuin College is a smaller building within the main premises of Vanbrugh College.

aye...that's how it was explained to me...i've never been there so i can't say for sure

paint it black · 28 Dec 2005, 10:58

they played their first gig in Alcuin: a charity benefit and they were supporting the Thompson Twins. Guitarist Gary Marx had plugged his guitar into a record player pre-amp which fed back uncontrollably throughout the gig. Von Eldritch turned the delay echo up to max. The set ended with a juggernaut howl which might have been ``Silver Machine'' but was in fact ``Sister Ray''. The audience got the point. The Sisters also played Vanby twice in 1982 and 83, and Derwent on 7 Oct 1982.

Dark · 28 Dec 2005, 12:13

paint it black wrote:they played their first gig in Alcuin

That we know of.

I think I mentioned it before, but my friend swears blind they played in Lincoln in 1980, because he went there. Apparently the gig was with the Violets, and was advertised in the local newspaper (though I don't know if they keep archives).

Apparently the Sisters were awful, and the Violets only marginally better, but the aforementioned friend was a punk and loathed drum machines, so there was a slight bias.

I won't take his word as gospel (best way to prove it would be to find his diary, where he logged who had performed in town, or to find a copy the newspaper from Sep 1980)

It is always possible they played some gigs before the first recorded date but felt the gigs were too bad to mention.

brunobossier · 28 Dec 2005, 12:15

Very interesting, thanks for the feedback.

Did you attend that gig as you seem to know these details ?

And what was the benefit for ? I heard about CND ? Isn't that a British group who protested against nuclear weapons ?

There was a lot of protest in the early 80ties against the nuclear threat. I remember atteding several of those protest marches in Brussels in those days.

03 Jan 2006, 10:34

Dark wrote:I think I mentioned it before, but my friend swears blind they played in Lincoln in 1980, because he went there. Apparently the gig was with the Violets, and was advertised in the local newspaper (though I don't know if they keep archives).

The paper itself might not keep archives (although they probably will) but Lincoln Library almost certainly will. They might be on microfilm or microfiche but if you can be bothered, the library should let you search the archives and take photocopies.

03 Jan 2006, 12:07

nah...

Dark · 03 Jan 2006, 13:42

markfiend wrote:
Dark wrote:I think I mentioned it before, but my friend swears blind they played in Lincoln in 1980, because he went there. Apparently the gig was with the Violets, and was advertised in the local newspaper (though I don't know if they keep archives).
The paper itself might not keep archives (although they probably will) but Lincoln Library almost certainly will. They might be on microfilm or microfiche but if you can be bothered, the library should let you search the archives and take photocopies.

I'll take a look next time I'm in. I'll have to search through every copy of the daily newspaper from September 1980 to find a little advert.

Apparently both bands played appallingly, though. IIRC he said the Sisters were just two guys (Gary and Von, probably) and a drum machine, and even though he didn't like the sound of the Violets, he said they played much better than the Sissies.

Ramone · 23 Mar 2006, 18:13

Who cares? No one probably went, it would of sounded like a cat being dragged through a cement mixer backwards and if you had been there you would of more than likely laughed yourself stupid and these nerdy students trying to play. Count your blessings they actually got better - til Hussey left, then it all went downhill after then. Gabba Gabba hey.

eastmidswhizzkid · 23 Mar 2006, 18:30

although i think you'll find a poll of this forum voted floodland the favourite album by the band.

(not my personal opinion but an indication of the general conscensus.)

nick the stripper · 24 Mar 2006, 04:17

Ramone wrote:Who cares? No one probably went, it would of sounded like a cat being dragged through a cement mixer backwards and if you had been there you would of more than likely laughed yourself stupid and these nerdy students trying to play. Count your blessings they actually got better - til Hussey left, then it all went downhill after then. Gabba Gabba hey.

Correction: until Marx left.

Floodland is a great album - technically much better than FALAA - but I see it as more of a Andrew Eldritch solo project masquerading under the TSOM moniker.

IMHO The original line up was the best live, then the Vision Thing era line upâ€¦ the new line up is ok, not overly impressive, but Iâ€™m still going to go see them.

Badlander · 24 Mar 2006, 09:17

nick the stripper wrote:
Ramone wrote:Who cares? No one probably went, it would of sounded like a cat being dragged through a cement mixer backwards and if you had been there you would of more than likely laughed yourself stupid and these nerdy students trying to play. Count your blessings they actually got better - til Hussey left, then it all went downhill after then. Gabba Gabba hey.
Correction: until Marx left.

Go all the way while you're at it : until Ben Gunn left.

paint it black · 24 Mar 2006, 09:41

the first gigs were in a pub in wakefield and included silver machine.i know a man with the tapes to prove it. The first official gig was 16.02.

Badlander · 24 Mar 2006, 10:00

paint it black wrote:the first gigs were in a pub in wakefield and included silver machine.i know a man with the tapes to prove it. The first official gig was 16.02.

I'm surprised somebody even cared to tape it at all.

aims · 24 Mar 2006, 18:35

Badlander wrote:
nick the stripper wrote:Correction: until Marx left.
Go all the way while you're at it : until Ben Gunn left.

Ahem, it was obviously until Andrew stopped playing drums

Dan · 24 Mar 2006, 18:52

paint it black wrote:the first gigs were in a pub in wakefield and included silver machine.i know a man with the tapes to prove it. The first official gig was 16.02.

Another hit and run by pib. More info please!

Badlander · 24 Mar 2006, 18:56

Motz wrote:
Badlander wrote:Correction: until Marx left.
Go all the way while you're at it : until Ben Gunn left.

Ahem, it was obviously until Andrew stopped playing drums

[/quote]

You win.

Still one question remains : are we 100% certain this gig was actually taped. It must have been a bloody mess.

Dan · 24 Mar 2006, 20:05

Badlander wrote:Still one question remains : are we 100% certain this gig was actually taped. It must have been a bloody mess.

pib claims so, but then he was probably in the house next door to Von's with a microphone pressed against the wall when Von played that drumkit for the first time.

If you mean the gig on 16.2.81 then yes, one track of it is on the Kenny Giles disc.

Badlander · 24 Mar 2006, 20:10

Dan wrote: pib claims so, but then he was probably in the house next door to Von's with a microphone pressed against the wall when Von played that drumkit for the first time.

If you mean the gig on 16.2.81 then yes, one track of it is on the Kenny Giles disc.

Ramone · 25 Mar 2006, 17:27

I've got numerous 'walkman' style bootlegs from '83 - '85 and my god some of them are awful. Can you just imagine how bad the 'original' gig from '81 or whenever it was would of sounded. Not only on the night but later played back on some creaky TDK C60..makes you shudder just thinking about it...*shudder*.. Ah Bugger, Liverpool just beat Everton 3-1..now I'm depressed...I know ,I should put some Radiohead on ;that always people up!!! or some Coldplay...whoooooo paaaaaarttttayyyyyy..

Now they are s**t - no contest.

Ramone · 25 Mar 2006, 17:28

i mean cheer people up..