Heartland

do any reviews exist of the 1990 ireland dates, and maybe even some fotos?
and did anyone of the present heartlanders attend these?

I only found out after the event, but I think Spigel and/or Doc Moody may have been there. Over to youse lads (stoooorryyyyy buuudd).

Yeah, I found out about them a few weeks afterwards. Was gutted.

My wife went though and she said the Drogheda Speed Kings gig was epic. Drogheda is a fairly small town north of Dublin, and while it had a well regarded small venue (The Boxing Club) The Sisters gig was by far the biggest thing to happen to the place in years. She said bus loads of goffs turned up from Dublin and abroad and the town found the whole thing bizarre!

I couldn't go as some serious poo hit the fan the day before. Looking back though I should have gone, but I did go across to wembley a couple of weeks later.
Dr Moody did go so I will pass the mike to him.
Oi, Moody you're wanted on the fourm !!!

just saw this....gotta dash but will post full review later....promise !

Dr. Moody wrote: just saw this....gotta dash but will post full review later....promise !

thats great, looking forword to it!

i was listening to parts of it recently, and that made me wonder, as this obviously must have been a strange one. i will never forget seeing them the first time a few weeks later in heidelberg.

btw, maybe we should think of how to collect all the memories, especially of those gigs not covered in the well known sites that for. maybe also we should add (quality-)infos about recordings.

This was the best there was, not updated anymore.
http://tours.tsom.org/

Rise891 wrote:This was the best there was, not updated anymore.
http://tours.tsom.org/

of course a great site for many years - we need that for 90-93, not to talk about 81-85

So one dark day in 1990 ......

On an unconfirmed rumor and a prayer or two I travelled to Drogheda with the insane notion the Sisters of Mercy were gonna play a secret gig, their first since Wake, with a new band and on the back of "More" which had been released about a week or so earlier. Dublin at the time was covered in Vision Thing posters without any text on them, just a b&w vt logo, they were replaced on the Monday after the gig with full colour ones announcing the new album.
Anyway around lunchtime a minibus turned up outside the venue and out popped and the gang all looking a little surprised to see around ten or so young fans hanging around, a quick hello and soon after we could hear Doctor Avalanche shake the foundations of the small venue. They soundchecked all afternoon around eight songs or so, at the time we had no idea what the setlist could be but were delighted to hear Alice, Valentine and Dominion amongst the new songs. So after getting quite happily pissed outside we were admitted for the grand fee of £5.
The support band was Doctor Millar and the Cute Hoors and at the time felt like the longest hour of my life.
Soon though on rushed the band and everybody went instantly mental.
The ceiling was so low TJ couldn't wear his hat and eldo had something written in black marker on his forearm.
Not much smoke but very very loud, perfect sound, skullcrushing and with a pristine vocal mix.
Couldn't believe my luck really, great performance from start to finish with everyone onstage and in the audience really into it.
For the encores when Von was climbing the steps on the side of the stage he slipped, fell over and was picked up by a host of flailing arms. 1969 was a shambles as the drum machine gave out towards the end and everone on stage sort of abandoned it and fell about laughing (I guess with relief too as I'm sure there were lots of nerves about the show).
Still reeling from such a top nite out all these years later.
We had the chance of a lift to Cork for the Sir Henry's show the following night and I still regret not going, but sadly homework and parental death threats won out. Both Spigel and I had the pleasure of taking Gangwar to play there a few years later but hey that's another story......

Thank you for the eyewitness report!

dr. moody, thx for your very nice review nearly 19 years later! this must have been a great event by all accounts, and the recording proves that it was a good show, 1969 simply was f**ked up by one of the guitar players, not familiar with ist particular rhythm.

must have been a special place
http://www.bebo.com/droghedaboxingclub

would love to see some photos, and more reviews of old gigs!

You can hear my voice all over the recording too ! (not the really high pitched one though )

19 years oh dear, feel old now.
By the way although I've never heard it, a friend once told me the Sir Henry's gig in Cork was recorded, maybe it will turn up one day.

Nadia81 wrote:Thank you for the eyewitness report!

Thanks indeed! Nice!

Yes, thanks for your report ... ...

the regrets I have about this - still cause me pain to this day! I'd my tickets for the saturday & monday in wembly and was feeling quite excited. Then I hear a rumour that the sisters are playing Drogheda & there will be buses running from the Grove (local underage Alternative club in a schoolhall in Dublin...) To put in context, this was like hearing your local school disco will be ferrying people to Slough to see TSOM - who haven't played live in 5 years.... Actually there's no comparisson between Drogheda & Slough but you get the jist...
The family were not keen, the friends were sceptical, and considering it was the single most unlightliest thing I've ever heard - to this day(!) - I stayed at home... and gutted ever since! Everytime I travel to see the Sisters I still think I'm subconciously trying to make amends for this appalling oversight...
Woe is me...!

Likewise! Had bought tickets for both Wembley gigs, plus And Also the Trees on the Sunday inbetween at the Marquee. I think the Happy Mondays were on at Wembley on the Sunday. It was also if you didn't have a car bloody difficult to get from Derry to anywhere in those days without spending a fortune, God, 1990 seems a different age. As I recall I had to get the boat and bus via Scotland to get to London as it was the cheapest way.

my sisters carreer started with a half-day long train trip to stuttgart in 1990 to see them in ludwigsburg. oh my good, what a shock after having read the infos onlyy at the venue at night that the gig had to be cancelled due to illness of the singer. oh boy i was pissed.

10 days later next even longer trip to heidelberg to finally seeing them. i had a great time, although i wasn't to keen with the show, maybe due to the voice having had these strange effects/balance. i remember some guy from britain looking 99% like andrew in 1985 (hat, glasses, jacket), and others being that drunk that they were unable to attend the show, laying around outside the venue

all in all great night out

I was there. It's kinda our 1916, isn't it? The missus had heard on the radio that The Sisters would be playing secret gigs under the name Speed Kings. (She also won a Vision Thing t-shirt, belt and badge-set on the Ian Dempsey Show, by the way.) Nobody really believed it, but I wasn't going to risk missing them, even though I was a bit of a pre-FALAA fundamentalist back then. A lotta people still regret not making that trip!

Drogheda was a panic that day, with (small) hordes of goths wandering about the place. Bartley Dunnes must have been empty. We had to get a lift down from Dublin from the mother-in-law-to-be - not very rock'n'roll, but a small price to pay under the circumstances. I think the gig started fairly late and had been put back a couple of times, adding to the general sense of disbelief, so by the time it started we were well on.

The atmosphere at the gig was great - as much from the excitement of seeing The Sisters under such odd circumstances as anything. Although not Ye Olde Sisters, they were LOUD. I got a good tape of it. Not surprisingly, most songs were announced as "here's one we haven't played before" or something like that, though I was thrilled to hear Body & Soul.

Apart from Drogheda and Cork, they had also been rumoured to play the New Inn in Dublin. Sadly it wasn't to be, even though the brother's band thought they had secured the support slot!

The only other gig I've ever been to in Drogheda was Arvo Part a couple of years ago. Not quite the same buzz, but nothing the Doktor couldn't cure.

mickydazzler wrote: Bartley Dunnes must have been empty

thanks for emotional reviews
and thanks jost 7 for starting the thread
that was was really interesting.

Hi,

I was there too.

Great gig & the first time I saw The Sisters. A tape was made of the Cork gig & was sold to a bootlegger from the UK to be made into a LP. Never happened though. More was played in Cork but not Drogheda. There was photo's taken of the Drogheda gig which were later sold to NME. I used to know the photographer, lost touch now. Most of the were taken from my armpit as security had been instructed to confiscate camera's.

I was also the guy that brought over Gangwar to McGonagles & to Sir Henrys. The driver was the drummer from The Subhumans.

Good days.

Digdug

Hi Shane

EDIT: If thats who I think you are? if not then you have been caught red handed

fess up ! is that you Shane, be great to hear from you.....

you people do too many drugs!

nah not Drogheda, it was Reading when the real fun started...


Trotsky