[Brighton] Bob Grover dead

[scooter1]

Tony Byford was the manager's name at the time, he used to live in Buckingham Road, which sort of became the band's default HQ. Thinking back, how on earth did anything ever get arranged with total reliance on landlines?

Clang…….Tony is my dad, and our phone never stopped ringing during those times. The shit Transit they toured in lived over the road, much to the annoyance of neighbours. He lived above Attrix for a while at 4 Sydney St. I was lucky enough to experi everything from gigs at the vault, to sound checks at the Ctr for the Jam gigs. I was very young, but remember it fondly. Dicks gold Premier kit became my first kit, when the Tom Hark money came in

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Oh gawd - don’t start me on the Hungry Years, that was my Baz Clifton, Laughing Gass era. Mick Perrin on Guitar who went on to play with Sue Bradley (Reward System). If I recall, Baz’s mate Clive had a band together with Baz at 6th form called the ‘Sliding Doors’? LG Played at the Vault.

punkbrighton | The Bands | Laughing Gass

Friday nights at the Hungry Years late 70s, beer on the floor, air thick with the smell of patchouli and Old Holborn, head banging and Afghan coats …

Mid 70s for me. As soon as Stuart smashed up his Anarchy in the UK 45 one night, I was off. Cut off my long hair with a pair of kitchen scissors and never ever** wore flares again.

Before that me and @monty uk (and our pal Andy M who seemed to 'get off' with someone new every week, the unfeasibly ginger bastard) practically lived in The Years. Martin ('sweetie') Webster's sister was a regular.

My faves:

Eno- Third Uncle
Montrose - Space station #9
UFO - Rock Bottom

I was nine and a half stone of lean* gristle back then, all flailing hair and hot moves (in my head).

*or more likely, wet piss.

**ever. Fact.

 

[aolstudios]

Blimey, this thread has some revelations

Wasn't that a night club .... Revelations?

Yep

 

[razer]

Of course John Helmer went on to form Pookiesnackenburger with Nick and Paul Dwyer (from Nicky and the Dots) , Sue Bradley from the Reward System and Luke Cresswell who went on to form Stomp. All good and very close friends from an amazing era.

Luke Creswell nicked my bird Tracy Leppard. Twat.

 

[Zeberdi]

I remember Barry dragging me along to see his band at Knoyle road Church Hall. I'm guessing that pre-dates the era we are talking about, but not by much as Peppa banned me from the Hungry Years maybe a year later around the time of my 17th Birthday

I think I may have been in the lower VI Baz was a few years older so I was about 16 or 17 at the time I guess. My memory fails me! Pretty sure my brother was in a band with someone at that time too - (and also did a few gigs at the Knowle Rd ) but he was older than me. Used to practice in our double garage.

 

[razer]

Definitely was my music teacher at Fawcett, late 70s early 80s.

And mine at Fawcett Annexe

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think I may have been in the lower XI - Baz was a few years older so I was about 16 or 17 at the time I guess. My memory fails me! Pretty sure my brother was in a band with someone at that time too - (and also did a few gigs at the Knowle Rd ) but he was older than me. Used to practice in our double garage.

Ooooh. A double garage

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Luke Creswell nicked my bird Tracy Leppard. Twat.

When he was just 17 he had an evening of tentative intercourse with a pal of ours, the then lovely M. O-S

Who was at the same time 'linked' with John Ellis (singer with the Molesters, and part-time porn 'stud' )

Possibly too much info. I may delete this post later, after I've had a few more drinks

 

[Zeberdi]

Ooooh. A double garage

View attachment 194422

All five of us lived in cardboard box on one side of the garage while the band practiced on the other - it wasn’t much but we didn’t complain.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

All five of us lived in cardboard box on one side of the garage while the band practiced on the other - it wasn’t much but we didn’t complain.

A cardboard box?

You were lucky.....

 

[razer]

When he was just 17 he had an evening of tentative intercourse with a pal of ours, the then lovely M. O-S

Who was at the same time 'linked' with John Ellis (singer with the Molesters, and part-time porn 'stud' )

Possibly too much info. I may delete this post later, after I've had a few more drinks

I knew him and Addison pretty well (Addison was my older sister's mate really). They lived on Queen's Park Road just up the road from my home in Southampton Street.

It wasn't my fault the prick was cooler than me and Tracy was a trophy bird. I was gutted.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Luke Creswell nicked my bird Tracy Leppard. Twat.

As I remember, she was ....................

 

[Gwylan]

I remember Barry dragging me along to see his band at Knoyle road Church Hall. I'm guessing that pre-dates the era we are talking about, but not by much as Peppa banned me from the Hungry Years maybe a year later around the time of my 17th Birthday

If it pre-dates punk then that would have been Barry's earlier band, Lunahare. Tony Towner's Fridge used to manage them. As he and I used to help run the Knoyle Rd youth club, that was an easy connection. TTF later played guitar in the Brighton Riot Squad and manage Laughing Gass.

One thing I do remember at the time is that there was little tribalism. We'd hang out at the Northern watching rock bands as readily as going to the Alhambra or the Buccaneer. In fact, I remember members of a Northern rock band (Woodbine?,) coming to my 21st birthday party and seeing them chatting to my dad about the Albion in the 50s.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I knew him and Addison pretty well (Addison was my older sister's mate really). They lived on Queen's Park Road just up the road from my home in Southampton Street.

It wasn't my fault the prick was cooler than me and Tracy was a trophy bird. I was gutted.

I feel your pain.

I remember Addison as booker and cool dude at the poly. He had a GF from up north somewhere (Leicester?) whose favourite insult was 'you goppa!'. Its a northern thing apparently. She was part of our group for a while.

Her connection with Addison seemed somewhat tenuous and unrealistically hopeful to me.

I could say more but best I don't. Loose lips, and all that.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

As I remember, she was ....................

A bit of a risk taker? This from 2002.

Leigh: Nurse's lesbian affair

A nurse has been struck off over her lesbian affair with a killer convict who once tried to beat Myra Hindley to death.

www.gazette-news.co.uk

 

[Zeberdi]

If it pre-dates punk then that would have been Barry's earlier band, Lunahare.

Yes that was definitely before my time - I was probably going to teenage discos at Knowle Rd then.

I remember members of a Northern rock band (Woodbine?,) coming to my 21st birthday party and seeing them chatting to my dad about the Albion in the 50s.

I remember a band called Woodbine but thought they were a local band?

Edit - yes - started by Ada Steven’s who is/was a member of NSC

Hi - I started Woodbine in 1974 when we used to play on Fridays then oer the years we ended up playing Fridays Saturdays and Sundays.
The line up was Wince (Winston) Weatherill on lead guitar, Stu (Stuart) Parkes on bass, Ada Stevens on lead guitar and Richard Cox or Pete Boughton on drums. Bob Hawkins joined us late 70s just before we moved to the Fortune of War. There are a few old clips on Youtube somewhere.

Do you remember a mate of Baz’s called Clive - also in a band ( another guitarist I think) - maybe a Varndean connection?

It’s hurting my brain trying to remember so many names and connections and trying to get it in chronological order - especially when we were half cut much of the time and putting god knows what up our noses (well for nearly 2 decades afaic -sobered up in the late 80’s )

 

[WATFORD zero]

If it pre-dates punk then that would have been Barry's earlier band, Lunahare. Tony Towner's Fridge used to manage them. As he and I used to help run the Knoyle Rd youth club, that was an easy connection. TTF later played guitar in the Brighton Riot Squad and manage Laughing Gass.

One thing I do remember at the time is that there was little tribalism. We'd hang out at the Northern watching rock bands as readily as going to the Alhambra or the Buccaneer. In fact, I remember members of a Northern rock band (Woodbine?,) coming to my 21st birthday party and seeing them chatting to my dad about the Albion in the 50s.

I'm pretty sure it was LG by then. Woodbine were proper old liggers who really knew how to play, not like us young kids

 

[Eeyore]

Luke Creswell nicked my bird Tracy Leppard. Twat.

Can't have anything said against him. St Luke's proudly holds Stomp is reverence as our greatest alumni. I think his sister was in my class.

 

[Gwylan]

Yes that was definitely before my time - I was probably going to teenage discos at Knowle Rd then.

I remember a band called Woodbine but thought they were a local band?

Edit - yes - started by Ada Steven’s who is/was a member of NSC


Do you remember a mate of Baz’s called Clive - also in a band ( another guitarist I think) - maybe a Varndean connection?

Clive Mitten - he played bass at the time but maybe played guitar as well. I think he's still involved in music. There was definitely a strong Varndean connection - Baz and Clive both did a stretch there. There was a drummer called Glenn Mitchell knocking around then too.

EDIT: Clive is definitely still active in music

In his own words " “Later, when I went to grammar school in Brighton I started to learn classical guitar and a couple of years after that I formed my first band. I played lead guitar. I moved to bass when I formed a band at school called Luna Hare. This would have been about 1974, so I would have been 15 or 16. Luna Hare was just a fun school band who played two or three gigs playing the usual rock covers, primarily. Our influences at that time were Curved Air, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Yes, Can, Pink Floyd, Man, and ELP.”

Good to see the post from Ada. I can't remember which of the band came to my party but there were obviously a couple of Albion supporters there.

Another good local band were the Depressions, who were a heavy rock band who, misguidedly IMO, adopted a punk persona, peroxide hair and all. They really could play.

 

[Zeberdi]

Clive Mitten - he played bass at the time but maybe played guitar as well. I think he's still involved in music. There was definitely a strong Varndean connection - Baz and Clive both did a stretch there. There was a drummer called Glenn Mitchell knocking around then too.
there.

That was him. Remember Glenn too - all from Varndean.