Heartland

The Fat One wrote:Good evening to you all. I've lurked about here for a while and whilst some of you try to be as aloof as I can tell you all like kittens and horlicks... all the same, please be gentle with me, it's my first time.
I was at the Albert Hall and my colleagues and I had a wonderful time. We were sat soaking up some rays and cider on the Albert Memorial when someone shouted from across the road "Oi! They're going on now!" or words to that effect so we hoofed it across the road. We made it just in time to hear the opening bars of FALAA and for me, being a fat bastard, to have someone clamber onto my shoulders. My overbearing memory of this gig is of the smell of a drycleaners caused by someone, who might or might not have been the Jo immortalised in the "Jo's So Mean To Josephine" song, spilling a medicine bottle of poppers onto the floor. The ticker tape was nice too. We knew beforehand that the band weren't getting on with each other but that didn't seem to dampen our spirits too much...... I think Killing Joke were playing soon as well as The Chameleons...... which was nice. I'm glad I went as this was the last time I saw The Sisters (until 090409 which lasted about three songs for me) and to think I nearly blew this gig out to go fishing. Top day out.

cool story.... thanks for sharing

and welcome aboard

Quiff Boy wrote:

The Fat One wrote:Good evening to you all. I've lurked about here for a while and whilst some of you try to be as aloof as I can tell you all like kittens and horlicks... all the same, please be gentle with me, it's my first time.
I was at the Albert Hall and my colleagues and I had a wonderful time. We were sat soaking up some rays and cider on the Albert Memorial when someone shouted from across the road "Oi! They're going on now!" or words to that effect so we hoofed it across the road. We made it just in time to hear the opening bars of FALAA and for me, being a fat bastard, to have someone clamber onto my shoulders. My overbearing memory of this gig is of the smell of a drycleaners caused by someone, who might or might not have been the Jo immortalised in the "Jo's So Mean To Josephine" song, spilling a medicine bottle of poppers onto the floor. The ticker tape was nice too. We knew beforehand that the band weren't getting on with each other but that didn't seem to dampen our spirits too much...... I think Killing Joke were playing soon as well as The Chameleons...... which was nice. I'm glad I went as this was the last time I saw The Sisters (until 090409 which lasted about three songs for me) and to think I nearly blew this gig out to go fishing. Top day out.

cool story.... thanks for sharing

and welcome aboard

such stories are very nice. we should start collecting them, as long as our memories are with us.

I was 10... but I have watched wake so many times sometimes I think I was there!!

I was 15 & had only been into the Sisters for about 6 months. I think I just had F&L&A & a couple of live tapes by this point. I remember reading the review of Sounds or the NME the following week & hoping that they'd play Leeds again later in the year.....yea right!

A girlfriend bought me the Wake video for Christmas 86 & I must have come close to wearing it out over the following years. I'd always assumed that the gig was a sell out & it was only from reading accounts on HL, from people that were there, that I learned that it was only around half full on the night. Not sure what the capacity is for the Lyceum which they'd palyed a few months earlier but why did they make the jump to such a large venue if they were never going to fill it?

Definaitely a gig that I would have loved to have attended.

Spiggy's hat wrote:I was 15 & had only been into the Sisters for about 6 months. I think I just had F&L&A & a couple of live tapes by this point. I remember reading the review of Sounds or the NME the following week & hoping that they'd play Leeds again later in the year.....yea right!

A girlfriend bought me the Wake video for Christmas 86 & I must have come close to wearing it out over the following years. I'd always assumed that the gig was a sell out & it was only from reading accounts on HL, from people that were there, that I learned that it was only around half full on the night. Not sure what the capacity is for the Lyceum which they'd palyed a few months earlier but why did they make the jump to such a large venue if they were never going to fill it?

Definaitely a gig that I would have loved to have attended.

Bearing in mind the Lyceum underwent a total refurb back in the 90's the capacity now is approx. 2000 seats. When The Sisters played there for two nights in March 85 the stalls (downstairs) were standing only and I can't remember if the two upper circles (seats) were open or not....... sorry, I blame the drugs and the dry ice but it's probably just old age. I did go there to see other bands and the upper circles were used sometimes. Anyway...... for arguments sake lets say the capacity of the Lyceum was 1500/2000, spread over two nights that still only covers half the original capacity of the Royal Albert Hall (approx. 8000 although recent health and safety wallahs have restricted this to around 5000). I remember us all wondering why the Blow Monkeys were supporting at the Lyceum shows. Apparently thought they were the ideal support band
Found this whilst trawling:
http://www.monokrom-photos.com/BlowMonkeys.htm
Taken at the first night at the Lyceum. Look at the flight case by the bass player's leg. There are photos of the Sisters (and Ghostdance) on the same site including some of Gary's lovely patchwork psychedelic shirt albeit in b&w.

The Fat One wrote:

Spiggy's hat wrote:I was 15 & had only been into the Sisters for about 6 months. I think I just had F&L&A & a couple of live tapes by this point. I remember reading the review of Sounds or the NME the following week & hoping that they'd play Leeds again later in the year.....yea right!

A girlfriend bought me the Wake video for Christmas 86 & I must have come close to wearing it out over the following years. I'd always assumed that the gig was a sell out & it was only from reading accounts on HL, from people that were there, that I learned that it was only around half full on the night. Not sure what the capacity is for the Lyceum which they'd palyed a few months earlier but why did they make the jump to such a large venue if they were never going to fill it?

Definaitely a gig that I would have loved to have attended.

Bearing in mind the Lyceum underwent a total refurb back in the 90's the capacity now is approx. 2000 seats. When The Sisters played there for two nights in March 85 the stalls (downstairs) were standing only and I can't remember if the two upper circles (seats) were open or not....... sorry, I blame the drugs and the dry ice but it's probably just old age. I did go there to see other bands and the upper circles were used sometimes. Anyway...... for arguments sake lets say the capacity of the Lyceum was 1500/2000, spread over two nights that still only covers half the original capacity of the Royal Albert Hall (approx. 8000 although recent health and safety wallahs have restricted this to around 5000). I remember us all wondering why the Blow Monkeys were supporting at the Lyceum shows. Apparently thought they were the ideal support band
Found this whilst trawling:
http://www.monokrom-photos.com/BlowMonkeys.htm
Taken at the first night at the Lyceum. Look at the flight case by the bass player's leg. There are photos of the Sisters (and Ghostdance) on the same site including some of Gary's lovely patchwork psychedelic shirt albeit in b&w.

I remember he once did the reviews in Smash Hits and he chose the Blow Monkeys as his favourite release that week

Ah, I too was a tad too young to venture to the old smoke to see them at the RAH (just coming up to 15), although a mate and his brother went - very jealous at the time.

I don't know if this memory is made up as well, but I seem to recall Ian Astbury being on TVAM (or whatever it was called then) talking about the rise of "alternative music" (She Sells Sanctuary being a 1985 summer "hit" and all that) and name checking that the Sisters had played the RAH the night before - showing the growing size of the movement...

splintered thing wrote:but I have watched wake so many times sometimes I think I was there!!

Ditto. But then I remember that they weren't even that good when I saw them with Marx and I wake up and realise that it's all post-production wizzardry!

I WAS there ...
A few things I would say

I remember them coming on very early and it seemed to finish pretty early from what I remember.
TBH in my humble opinion they weren't great - but of course it's a BRILLIANT Gig to be able to say "I was there" ...

Memories of Gigs can vary depending on lots of things APART from the Band ; who you went with, level of alcohol intake, etc. etc.
I'd say my favourite Sisters Gigs were The Electric Ballroom, Camden in '83 and on the Black October Tour in '84 when they WERE BRILLIANT

And I STILL have my Royal Albert Hall ticket ; it was Standing and - I think - about a fiver

If all the gobsh!tes I've met over the years who claimed to have been there ("oh, yeah, I used to be into that sort of music, but long before you ever heard of it") had been telling the truth, then it's a wonder the Sisters didn't sell out Wembley Stadium that night...

Before anyone gets irate I don't mean to suggest that anyone on here is fibbing about being there (why the hell would you, here and now? ) but when I first moved to Leeds it seemed like everyone and their dog had a Sisters story with which to patronise young goffics.

(And now it occurs to me, us fogeys are probably as bad with the younger folks here. )

markfiend wrote: (And now it occurs to me, us fogeys are probably as bad with the younger folks here. )

I can remember when this were all factories, winklepicker factories.

The air was thick with hairspray and folk had the black lung from breathing in the fumes of burnt hair.

Something like that

CyberAndy wrote:I WAS there ...
A few things I would say

I remember them coming on very early and it seemed to finish pretty early from what I remember.
TBH in my humble opinion they weren't great - but of course it's a BRILLIANT Gig to be able to say "I was there" ...

Memories of Gigs can vary depending on lots of things APART from the Band ; who you went with, level of alcohol intake, etc. etc.
I'd say my favourite Sisters Gigs were The Electric Ballroom, Camden in '83 and on the Black October Tour in '84 when they WERE BRILLIANT

And I STILL have my Royal Albert Hall ticket ; it was Standing and - I think - about a fiver

Was the Ballroom gig the Virgin Prunes support slot? That was a good one, one of my first Sisters gigs..... that was the night they trundled off down the road after to play the Camden Palace late show.

Yeah..Quiff boy, once again is right. The RAH show was pants. O.k not major pants - just an anti climax. Considering it was the last show and the "scattering of the ashes" blah blah.. the only thing that stuck out was that they sold a commemorative t-shirt with the Albert Hall on instead of the FALAA cover with the date on it..( I had one,but it ripped - shoddy workman ship, you don't get 50p an hour Vietnamese workers like you used too!)

And YES, I am that speeded out / Cheap lager fuelled cock during No Time To cry..what I'm doing with my arms..is still open for debate!

Ramone. Out.

The summer of 85. I remember that summer very clear. I was 14, that August the first major festival took place in Athens: Depeche mode, the clash,the cure,talk talk,stranglers,culture club. Of course i missed it as i was too young(?)...but mostly because i had to work. My brother had bought falaa and i was listening to that throughout the summer...in my eyes they were the coolest band on earth. Love at first sight.

The Lyceum gig was my one and only "Proper" imho Sisters gig. We got there as the Blow Monkeys were on, I was just a kid, 17 maybe, and someone I was with told me the people with hats were Blow Monkeys fans and I believed them (although for a minority it may have been true I suppose). Problem was there was a small group of us from what I'll choose to call a commuter town in Essex, so one of of the girls in the group had to leave a bit early to get the last train.

Memories of the gig? Sketchy. Lots of shadows and dry ice to no one's great surprise, I was in the circle by the seats on the left hand side. I was just blown away that I was actually there after buying the Black October Colchester gig off the fellah on Chelmsford market and listening, classically, to the radio One sessions. Despite my logical interruptions I still have it down as the best gig I ever went to. Not technically, not musically, not lights or indeed in any particular way. Just the best.

Even though I know it wasn't... that was Depeche Mode a couple of years ago at Wembley.

Anyway, as I fancied said girl something rotten I volunteered to escort her as she left early, some might say this is still as matter of regret as we missed the Ghost Rider etc encore, then we got the wrong train at Liverpool Street and,, the story goes on, we ended up being picked up from a middle of nowhere station in the middle of the night called Turkey Street ..by her irate father.

Notwithstanding all the above to me the Sisters coming on stage and Dr Avalanche banging out the start of First and Last and Always that night IS The Sisters Of Mercy.

Not such a cool story but hey - I shared!

A very cool story

Nice story indeed

weebleswobble wrote:A very cool story

Agreed. Made me want to be there man.

Hom_Corleone wrote:

weebleswobble wrote:A very cool story

Agreed. Made me want to be there man.

Thirded.

mh wrote:

Hom_Corleone wrote:

weebleswobble wrote:A very cool story

Agreed. Made me want to be there man.

Thirded.

anyone got a DeLorean?

What we on now? Fifthed?

markfiend wrote:What we on now? Fifthed?

pardon?

Mind in the f*cking sewer

CyberAndy wrote:I remember them coming on very early and it seemed to finish pretty early from what I remember.

They were on at about 7.30. I remember leaving the RAH and it was still daylight, with people just arriving...