Back to handwriting again for a while – just to see how things go! Well, lots has occurred once again in the last ten days and too much for me to describe in detail but briefly.
Me and Bronwyn babysat for Chrissy while she went skiing (practising for her trip to America). I went back to work, though just driving for now and I’ve been continuing with physio.
We’ve had a few frank discussions this week as we’ve both been a bit pissed off with each other at times though I’m confident now that we can sort them out.
We went to see Schindler’s List with Kerry. What a brutal movie that is. Went after to a beautiful Thai restaurant.
Yesterday we went to Southampton and recorded the poem ‘Friend’ for Thirst’s 7″.
I’m here now writing this and chasing monster fleas around the room. They are huge! More details as they happen.
How do you react to the loss of a friend? On the evening of December 28th, I got a phone call, it was Rob. Of course, as I recognised his voice, I gave him a cheery “Hello” + expected to be told when our next practice was. As if reading my thoughts, his next words were “We won’t be practising for a few weeks”, there was a pause before the hammer blow “Steve’s dead”. I was stunned, I just couldn’t believe it. Rob was understandably, in a bit of a state + after giving me all the details he had, he rang off. I just sat there in a daze, there were no tears, no overwhelming sense of grief, nothing, except that I couldn’t get Steve out of my thoughts. For the next few days, I would suddenly find that I had been sitting just staring into space thinking of Chrissy, Amanda + Rebecca, the band + then back to Steve again. It was like I was numb. I still couldn’t accept that I wouldn’t be seeing him again.
I had known Steve for years but not all that well. I’d see him at gigs, we might say “Hi” to each other but that was it. Then we started THIRST together (with Shaun + Shane) + as the band progressed + we got to know each other better, I’m pleased to say we became quite good friends. He would often say that, above all else, the band were all good friends + that’s what kept us together when we’d have bad practices + couldn’t find a compromise. We stuck at it + things got: better + because we all got on so well, being in THIRST became cool.
Our first: demo may not be perfect but the time we spent recording + mixing it was fun, we were having a good time + achieving something with our band, it’s a happy memory I will keep forever. Like me, he was a football nut + we were talking about playing for the same team, something 1 was really looking forward to.
Steve was really into THIRST, so Jon, Rob + I have decided to keep the band going, keeping the name + recruiting someone who knew Steve + who Steve liked. Rob will move over to guitar + we have Phil of CHICKEN-BONE CHOKED, coming in to play bass. I’m not sure how permanent this will be as obviously Phil has his priorities with CBC but we hope to record a single as a tribute to Steve, featuring a couple of tracks he played on, plus some new stuff.
So, how did I react? Just shock I suppose, I still find it hard to come to terms with, it’s just so sad to lose someone you liked + respected. Writing this, along with reading the obituaries, was the hardest thing I’ve had to do since he died, it’s kind of brought it all home to me but (as l write) the funeral is still to come + that will be worse.
Now our thoughts must be with Chrissy + the kids + in that we will always remember Steve. He was one of the nicest. people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I may not have known him well for as long as a lot of others but I value the time we spent as friends. Steve, I will never forget you.
Well, the service station was interesting for about 5 minutes! I was lucky it was open 24 hours I suppose.
I kept occupied by playing the arcade machines and reading the Nirvana interviews in Q, Select and Smash Hits! I tried to crash out behind a barrier in one of the restaurant areas, but couldn’t sleep at all. Back to the machines. Had my dinner at 2am! I tried to crash out again, but a security guard said I couldn’t, but by now it was light again. Just dossed about for the next six hours or so and went to check on my car.
The extremely unhelpful chap there said, “Oh, it might be ready today. ” Fuck – I did not want to spend another sleepless night here. He said he’d do his best and to try later. Hmm! Pissed about for three more hours and really got fed up and miserable. I prayed it to be ready on my return, and lo and behold, it was parked outside – yeah!
The chap asked how I’d like to pay, and I said by cheque, but he said he could only take two cheques for £50, and the bill came to £185!
He suggested a bank transfer, so I had to ring up my bank but they wouldn’t do it without written permission, and said it would take three days anyway – oh my god! You can’t even begin to imagine how I felt just then!
Finally, I phoned good old mother and used her Access to pay the bill – that’s what mums are for, right? (thanks mum!).
At last – on my way home. It was a pity I had to fuck about for the last day, and I nearly stopped off on the way back to try and find another gig (Citizen Fish), but I was so tired I thought better of it. I got back at about 8.15pm, by which time meant I’d been awake for about 34 hours! Needless to say, I had a beer and fell straight to sleep, to dream about driving, and some band I met – forget their name now!
ASK YOURSELVES A QUESTION?
Ralph: No, how about if I ask you: Did you enjoy following us around all week, considering you needed your clutch repaired to the tune of £200 because of it, and what are your impressions of VF as people?
Shaun: Yeah, I really enjoyed following the band around. I wasn’t really expecting to get to all the gigs because of my car (I knew it was going to break down somewhere!), but as there were only 2 shows left and I was halfway towards the Wigan show, I just thought fuck it – let’s do it! The car is a bummer, but what the fuck, you gotta have some fun! I had adopted a kind of motto after the car broke down, which goes “First comes the Victims Family, second my welfare and finally my car’s welfare!”
The Victims Family as people? Well, anybody who’s prepared to talk to an ugly bastard like me has to be cool!
Larry is just great! Initially, I thought of him as a kind of Cheech character. Not quite with it if you know what I mean! But fuck, it’s always the quiet ones who make you laugh the most, and he’d often come out with great one-liners or even one-worders!
Tim was happy to talk, especially about music (‘cept maybe his previous metal band!). He was surprised at my knowledge of bands that he liked or knew and “chuffed to fuck” I picked up the Pitchfork CD for him in Wigan. He especially had an affection for English sayings such as “champion” and “fark right orf mate!”
Ralph, I talked to most and he was prepared to chew the fat about anything from music to politics and didn’t mind giving me the rundown on the history of Nicaragua. To discover the fact he used to drop acid and still smokes dope really surprised me – he’s a pretty together bloke, though he has the benefit of more years than the rest of us! Is that ageist, Ralph?
I don’t think you can fault their musicianship in any way, even if you don’t like their music, and I still stick to the fact that most good technical bands are three pieces. It seems that you have to make do with what you’ve got and it’s fun to explore new ways to do things with your instruments.
You’d never realise Tim only has a tom, a floor tom and one cymbal (besides the regular bass, snare and hi-hat) by the amount of different rhythms he gets from the kit. Larry’s bass playing is incredible – I’ve never seen hands move so fast. Ralph is also exploring the guitar and looking for new bits of it to play, and all at the same time as streamlining the songs into more conventional patterns. Wow – what a band!
Of course, I have to mention sound man and part-time merchandiser Josh, who, again, was very approachable even though suffering from a cold for most of the time. Hey Josh, how many of those guitar string bearings did you end up with? Enough for a necklace, I’m sure! And finally, Hetty, tour organiser and main driver, who had to put up with many jibes about her love for house music! She told me they got their van tyres fixed in Newport within a half-hour, and a clutch sorted out in Stoke in a couple of hours. She couldn’t understand how come how come my car was going to take so long to fix. I think maybe I can put it down to not being a pretty blonde Dutch girl!
Five cool people, six progressively better rocking shows, mad music, mad people, mad times – you want to know if I enjoyed myself? Go figure!
Was woken at eight by Simon’s screaming kids. That’s not true, but it conveys the state we arose in that day. After a couple of refreshing teas, I set off again, leaving Simon and John (Round Ear Records) to go hunting for a record fair venue in Cardiff.
I took it easy all the way, stopping at every service station. This became necessary as half of them were undergoing reconstruction and had bugger all facilities. Actually, I had no cash!
Arrived in Stoke some 5½ hours after leaving Newport. This included a slight delay at one service station as I’d left the lights on on my car! I was sweating for a minute there! Found a cool place to park in Stoke. Just 25p for 12 hours. Bought a copy of the NME to read, which was actually quite interesting for a change. Especially enjoyed an article on who will be the next Nirvana, which slagged off journos building up bands and knocking them down again!
Walked up to the Wheatsheaf, where things were in the setting-up stage. Approached some guy at the bar in the hope of finding somewhere to stay, but he said he wasn’t from Stoke but from Warminster. I said, “Are you with Citizen Fish?” to which he replied, “Yeah, I’m the drummer!” Wow, here I was, talking to Trotsky! The reason I didn’t recognise him was that he’s had all his hair cut off!
The next couple of hours were spent bumming around the bar, reading fanzines, drinking beer and chatting with various members of both bands. People started turning up at about 8.30, and it was reasonably crowded by the time the Victims Family hit the stage. Due to time restrictions, they played the same set as Newport. The sound was a bit too loud at the front, I thought, and I think some people may have found it hard to comprehend the Family’s little subtleties. It sounded better nearer the back of the hall, though. A couple of guys I was chatting with were dead impressed and a fair bit of merchandise was sold. I think the band enjoyed themselves too.
Citizen Fish came on and played a pretty good set, though I’m not a huge fan of theirs. Spent a fair proportion of their set chatting with Josh, sound man cum merchandiser for VF, and wrote out some questions for the band. Ralph was telling me he saw the Minutemen play on a six-band bill – all great bands but he couldn’t remember any of them! Probably five bands people in the UK would’ve died to see, and he couldn’t remember them!
Talked to the band about their friends Nuisance, with whom they hoped to do a split 7″, covering each other’s songs. This, I thought, would be a great idea and I hope it comes off. We all agreed ‘Big Sky’ would be the Nuisance song to cover.
After taking some photos, Citizen Fish wound up their set and much bartering went on at the merchandising table, which should keep the Family in Citizen Fish shirts til the end of the century (slight exaggeration). Managed to squeeze in a place to stay with the band, along with another chap, Rob, who had been to the Newport gig and was also going to Leeds. We all squeezed into a front room and drank some beer.
Entertainment was provided by Chong movie (or was it Cheech?) ‘ Rude Awakenings’, which was extremely funny, though due to overindulgence and a few sucks on a spliff, I remember little of it now. One thing I do remember, though, is the phrase “Ungowa” kept popping up in the movie, which anyone familiar with V.F’s 3rd LP will recognise – weird coincidence!
Not content with this, Bucky wanted some cartoons and was totally thrilled by Yogi Bear and Oggie Doggie & Doggy Daddy. I said to Bucky, who was getting really excited by now, “Are you serious?” but the look on his face said he was serious! Apparently, these are the cartoons he grew up on. These are the cartoons you can only see here on TV-AM! And I thought we had it bad here in the UK!
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND ENGLAND IN ITS TREATMENT OF BANDS COMPARED TO EUROPE AND THE USA?
Tim: England is nice. It’s sort of like the U.S. in the fact that people have to know a band before they come to the shows, it seems. The people rock out and move around, which is a good sign. Larry: England seems to have the DIY aspect of Europe and the hype dependency of the U.S.
ARE THERE ANY ENGLISH BANDS YOU ADMIRE?
Larry: Citizen Fish and Herman’s Hermits. Ralph: Yes, Citizen Fish definitely. Tim: Snuff and Motorhead.
Starring: Shaun as the driver on the road to rock n roll oblivion! Morris Marina as the nightmare in transit!
And Introducing: The Victims Family Crew Ralph Spight: guitar and vocals Tim ‘Bucky’ Solyan: drums Larry Boothroyd: bass
Assisted by: Josh Ray: sound and sales Hetty: Tour coordinator and Diks van driver
SPERMBIRDS/VICTIMS FAMILY/RECTIFY Newport TJs
I departed home at about 12.30, allowing enough time to get to Newport and give me a chance to find a decent place to park and find Rockaway Records. I was pretty nervous of my car on the way as it hasn’t always been the most reliable of vehicles (as certain people on an ill-fated journey to Leamington Spa to see Shudder To Think will testify). Travelling along all the A roads gives you chance to see some pretty nice scenery and towns (particularly Bradford Upon Avon). Having made it to the motorway with a couple of brief rest breaks, I headed towards the Severn Bridge and Wales. The bridge is pretty spectacular in size, and offers a mean view in all directions.
A straightforward drive took me into Newport and I found a place to park easily enough.
Check out the monument by the river! I headed in the general direction of the shops and found the Provisions Market, home of Rockaway Records (run by Simon, who helps put on the shows in Newport). Hung out til closing time, checking out the great selection of new and secondhand records – picking up a couple of bargains with the ‘Happy World’ 7” and the World Class Punk’ Rior cassette. Headed over to TJ’s after my first portion of chips of the tour so far.
Simon had been hassling me to come to a Newport gig for ages and this one promised to be a treat. TJ’s is quite a small place, but just about the right size for this kind of show, i.e. not too full, not too empty. As it’s a club things start and finish a bit later too which meant a fair while sitting around and waiting. Most people didn’t start coming in til 9.30. A stall had been set up with tons of merchandise available (like a mini-market!) all at very reasonable prices too.
Rectify came on stage at about 9.50 and blasted out their hardcore attack to an appreciative audience (gosh! people dancing to a support band!). I enjoyed Rectify live but it’s not what I’d choose to listen to at home. Their set was halted due to a broken bass drum pedal.
After a short break, the Victims Family took the stage and plenty of people gathered around to watch. Even knowing the old songs they are still a great spectacle live. The quirky stops and changes never cease to amaze me, and they played a couple of songs way faster than their vinyl versions. Highlight was a song which reminded me of The Minutemen and talking to Ralph later he confessed an affection for both them and the Big Boys. A couple of people in the crowd were literally stunned by the Family’s musical accomplishment and the new songs are easily added in to their set. After a short gap, they came back to finish with an ultra-fast ‘Anti Satan Song For Mom’.
Again, after a brief gap, the Spermbirds hit the stage and knocked out their own brand of HC, putting in tons of energy and huge riffs aplenty. Lee (singer) was slightly perplexed at a girl screaming at the side of the stage, “I want to come on your fucking face!” She was quite adamant about it too! The masses of people dancing sucked up all the energy the Spermbirds gave and after about 40 minutes, it got a bit too much for me, so I went outside for a while til the encore of ‘Shit Job’, which went down a storm.
The piles of sweaty people went home contented. They even found it in themselves to donate £40 to Victims Family who had had their tyres slashed by some arseholes outside the venue earlier. I eventually left at about 3am to go back to Simon’s with him and a couple of other guys (sorry, forgot your names already!). Over a nice hot cup of tea, we chuckled at the local newspaper with Pig from Rectify and Chaos from Chaos U.K. in a full colour cover, with a centre page spread about the Newport HC scene. Good stuff, which will hopefully encourage others to support one of the best scenes I’ve come across.
After that it seemed like a good idea to get some sleep as we had to be up early next morning.
HAVE YOU BEEN IN ANY PREVIOUS BANDS?
Larry: Yeah, lots of ’em. The one right before VF was Skirt Boys, a sort of mid tempo, groovin’ peace punk band. Tim: Only a local metal sort of Victims Family outfit. Ralph: I was in a sort of power pop thing.
WHAT WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD AMBITIONS?
Larry wanted to play music and travel in a van! Ralph wanted to play baseball until he discovered guitar. Tim had no childhood ambitions.
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE HEAD OF THE NEW JAZZCORE EXPLOSION?
Larry: It wasn’t us, we were outta town, you can’t prove anything! No, but really, if jazzcore means breaking down barriers, that’s cool, but if it’s just this year’s trend – fuck it! Tim: I could hardly call it jazzcore. I think that’s a bogus description. I personally feel 2nd to No Means No if there were some chart. Ralph: Or John Zorn.
1994ever 