gigography

page 1

The Isle of Wight Festival, 1970.: not sure what day i was at, but i was five years old and can remember sitting on the bank looking at the massive crowd. maybe i saw the doors? or maybe hendrix, the who or janis joplin? who knows?
Hot Chocolate, Isle of Wight Agriculteral Festival, 1973: my mum sat in a field for hours so we could be in front of the stage. Errol Brown noticed this little kid. he copied me punching my arms in the air & I touched his bare feet. i was only 7yrs old.
David Essex, Earls Court 1975.: david was the biggest heart-throb in the land. my cousin & i travelled with the daily mirror pop club to see this show. his lp 'on stage' captures this gig. we had shite seats and cried our eyes out.
The Rubettes, Sandown Pavilion, Isle of Wight, 1975.: they must have been booked to play this gig before they hit it big with 'sugar baby love'. the lead singer alan williams held his hand out to my mum, she accepted and promptly caused a stampede.
David Essex, Newcastle City Hall, 1976.: my cousin and i couldn't get enough of david at this time. my sister came too and surprised me by screaming her head off everytime david so much as glanced her way.
Blondie, Portsmouth Guildhall, 10th September 1978.: 3 days before this blondie appeared on totp singing 'picture this'. debbie wore a purple version of the same outfit. this started my love for debbie and the guildhall. my 13th birthday too. magical.
Buzzcocks, Portsmouth Guildhall, 3st October 1978.: the 'love-bites' tour. 'ever fallen in love' was still in the charts. pete shelley kept begging the crowd to stop spitting or he'd walk off. luckily, he didn't!
Sham 69, Portsmouth Guildhall, 24th November 1978.: 'hurry up harry' was out and they were fun. jimmy pursey pulled a little kid onstage to cool the crowd down. a few months later he pulled the same kid out for a concert on tv. all an act?
The Jam, Portsmouth Guildhall, 28th November 1978.: one of my most memorable nights. 'down in the tube station at midnight' was in the charts. the jam were sheer class. patrik fitzgerald & the dickies were also on the bill.
Darts, Portsmouth Guildhall, 5th March 1979.: well I was only 13yrs old, the darts were a fun pop/rock and roll band. kinda like a 'sha na na' of the late 70s/early 80s.
The Tubes, Portsmouth Guildhall, 13 June 1979.: alot of the gigs on this tubes tour got cancelled. we were the lucky ones. i got to see the quay-lude incarnation up close, high heels and bare ass.
Pretenders, Portsmouth Guildhall, 20th July 1979.: remember being squashed down the front of the stage right in front of chrissie hynde. 'kid' was in the charts, they were fucking great. martin chambers passed me his drumsticks as they left the stage
Ramones, Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th August 1979.: left my mum in the balcony and got downstairs right under dee dee's nose. i couldn't believe how frantic they were but they were awesome. pinhead came onstage with his 'gabba gabba hey' sign too.
Tourists, Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th September 1979.: the barracudas supported, remember their 'summer fun' hit? i sneaked around backstage and met them. the tourists were great, my first taste of annie lennox live and in a ponytail like a horse.
Siouxsie & The Banshees/The Cure, Southampton Gaumont, 28th September 1979.: my first chance to see siouxsie live. robert smith played with them as well as supporting them. the time of 'carcass', 'helter skelter' and 'playground twist'...amazing.
Gary Glitter, Pontin's Holiday Camp, Isle of Wight. October 1979.: this gig cost a tenner, i was only paying Ł3 for the others. but glitter was broke and playing these kinda gigs. he came up and wiggled his bits in front of our table. a real showman on hard times.
The Jam, Portsmouth Guildhall, 16th December 1979.: my mum gave her ticket up for my sister who was desperate to see the jam. 'eton rifles' was in the charts and we felt like the luckiest people alive that night. fucking amazing.
Selecter/Bodysnatchers, Portsmouth Guildhall, 6th March 1980.: we were 14yrs old and everyone was into the 2-tone movement. i loved the bodysnatchers, their single 'let's do rocksteady' was one of 2-tone's finest. this gig was filmed for the 'dancecraze' movie.
Undertones, Portsmouth Guildhall, 14th June 1980.: can't remember much about this gig actually except being squashed down the front as usual. i had just bought their 'here comes the summer' single.
Specials, Portsmouth Guildhall, 19th June 1980.: we were all mad about 2-tone. the specials were chaotic on-stage. 'rat race' was out and again i was in the middle of it all, squashed and sweaty.
Gary Numan, Southampton Gaumont, 10th September 1980.: another gig on my birthday, thanks gary. 'i die you die' was out and we were stuck in the fucking balcony 'cos he was the hottest act around. a great show though.
Pretenders, Portsmouth Guildhall, 10th October 1980.: back at the guildhall for a second time to see the pretenders. this time armed with a brand new 35mm camera. a canon ae-1. i'd been sneaking little 110 cameras in before this. this was much better!
Orchestral Manoevres In The Dark, Southampton Gaumont, 4th November 1980.: 'enola gay' had just been a hit and i loved omd but they were pretty boring live. i loved 'electricity' and they played it three bloody times.
Adam & The Ants, Southampton Gaumont, 28th November 1980.: i took a day off work for this one. they were doing a signing session in town too, adam was impressed when he signed my original 'young parisians' 45. it was chaos. their current 45 was 'dog eat dog'.
Hazel O'Connor, Portsmouth Guildhall, 4th February 1981.: hazel was great live. 'd-days' was out and she played all the 'breaking glass' stuff too.
Siouxsie & The Banshees, Portsmouth Guildhall, 20th February 1981.: siouxsie posed for me the whole way through 'red light', a track of theirs about photography. got some great colour photo's. i loved the banshees.
Kraftwerk, Southampton Gaumont, 16th May 1981.: i'd loved kraftwerk for years. missed the boat back to the island for the encore, no way was i going to miss that. they came down front with their 'pocket calculators' and i got to have a little go.
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Leeds University, 23rd June 1981.: travelled up to visit my sister for this one. leeds uni was famous to me for the 'who live at leeds' album and i got to check out a few places used in 'clockwork orange'. elvis was a great live act.
Duran Duran, Southampton Gaumont, 30 June 1981.: just before 'girls on film' came out, but we all loved it already from their first album. this was a real teen show, lot's of screaming girls we weren't used to.
Split Enz/Department S, Portsmouth Guildhall, 2nd July 1981.: split enz were good, 'i got you' had been a hit but i wanted to see department s who were supporting. i loved their single 'is vic there' and got a chance to watch them do it live.
Siouxsie & the Banshees, Southampton Gaumont, 31st August 1981.: third time i saw the banshees. 'arabian knights' was still in the charts and the banshees were wonderful as always.
Human League, Southampton Gaumont, 2nd September 1981.: 'love action' had been a hit and we all had the 'dare' album. i was stuck in the balcony for this one, a victim of their popularity. no pictures of this gig and not much memory i'm afraid.
Depeche Mode, The Venue, London, 19th September 1981.: this was the day 'just can't get enough' hit the charts. it was an under 18 show which meant we could get back home to the isle of wight and it cost Ł2. worth every penny. the vince clarke days.
Hazel O'Connor, Portsmouth Guildhall, 30th September 1981.: the second time seeing hazel at the guildhall. 'd-days' was out and we loved the 'cover plus' album. she looked right into my lens.
Bauhaus, Portsmouth Guildhall, 10th November 1981.: i remember having bruised ribs from being pushed against the wooden stage of the guildhall. they used really horrid dry ice, people said it was supposed to smell corpse-like. i took colour pictures.
Japan/Blancmange, Portsmouth Guildhall, 8th December 1981.: japan had just released 'visions of china'. i'd heard a session by blancmange on john peel & was keen to see them. blancmange were great this early on.
Toyah, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, 23rd December 1981.: my pal michael & i travelled up to see toyah's christmas show. 'thunder in the mountains' had just hit the charts. the stage barrier gave way as we pushed forward. scary stuff & lots of silly string.
Stranglers, Portsmouth Guildhall, 6th February 1982.: 'golden brown' had just been a huge hit. i'd been a huge fan of the stranglers since they started but had to wait this long to see them live. they seemed bored and so was i.
Depeche Mode, Portsmouth Guildhall, 14th February 1982.: second time seeing dm. vince clarke had left and 'see you' was in the charts. me and four girl friends were squashed down the front right under dave gahan's nose.
Toyah, Portsmouth Guildhall, 30th June 1982.: 'brave new world' was toyah's latest single. her hair was bordering on the ridiculous these days. big ain't the word.
Bow Wow Wow, Hammersmith Odeon, London, 21st August 1982.: i'd loved bow wow wow for ages and they never played near me so me and a pal came up to london for this one. i managed to sneak my camera in and get some great colour pictures.
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Southampton Gaumont, 11th September 1982.: a day after my birthday. his album 'imperial bedroom' was a fixture on my turntable. after 3 or 4 encores he said 'sod it, i'm in the mood to play all night' and he played for an age. amazing.
UB40, Hammersmith Odeon, London, 23rd September 1982.: another band i'd liked for a while but never seemed to play down my neck of the woods. ub40 were great, these were the days when they played their own material.
Depeche Mode, Southampton Gaumont, 10th October 1982.: dm were back in our area. 'leave in silence' had just been a hit & i loved their 'a broken frame' album. dm gave me a photo-pass for this show. the first band to do so. cheers.
Japan, Portsmouth Guildhall, 20th/21st October 1982.: never before had a band played two nights at the guildhall. i made sure i was at both. their album 'tin drum' was huge & their old singles were being re-released. i took colour pictures.

Bauhaus/Southern Death Cult, Leeds University, 30th October 1982.: had to visit my sister to catch bauhaus again and southern death cult were on the bill too. they had grabbed our attention via their 'moya' single. a classic gig. my sister got me a photo-pass too.
Mari Wilson, Leeds Polytechnic, November 1982.: me & my sister got crushed down the front. mari wilson was a great vocalist and put on a real little show. 'just what i always wanted' had just been a hit. 6music dj liz kershaw was at this gig too.
Duran Duran, Southampton Gaumont, 21st November 1982.: the second & last time i'd see duran. 'rio' was just out and everyone had the album too. a scream-fest of a gig.
Joe Jackson, Portsmouth Guildhall, 14th January 1983.: came back to the guildhall armed with a brand new nikon. security asked me to stop using flash & i started to photograph artists in b&w using available light. joe gave me one of my favourite pictures.
Funboy 3, Portsmouth Guildhall, 7th March 1983.: a real fun gig, 'tunnel of love' had just been a hit and we were glad to see terry hall live again, post specials.
Eurythmics, Portsmouth Locarno, March 1983.: this was moved from a disco to a slightly bigger disco. i'd never been to the locarno before, you had to be 18 to get in. got great pics of annie and met blondie's ace drummer clem burke.
Mari Wilson/Paul Young/John Cooper Clarke, the Palladium, London, 27th March 1983.: went to see mari wilson a second time mainly 'cos i wanted to see johnny clarke. i'd never seen him before. he did the lot, 'beasley street', 'salome maloney', a great night.
Culture Club, Portsmouth Guildhall, 29th March 1983.: just as 'church of the poison mind' came out. saw george for the first time. i loved culture club and they were a great live act. i was a permanent fixture front of stage at the guildhall in '83
Marc & the Mambas, Duke of York Theatre, London, 29th April 1983.: came up alone for this intimate gig. will be in my all time top ten. marc almond up close and on terrific form. marc loved my photo's from this gig, he wrote to me about them.
A Flock of Seagulls, Portsmouth Guildhall, 28th April 1983.: liked their singles but a bit boring live. just wanted to get some pictures and they stopped me after a while. the first band to make me stop photographing them. bastards.
Kajagoogoo, Portsmouth Guildhall, 9th May 1983.: 'too shy' was still around and i wanted pictures. not the best live band but fun to have been at. another scream-fest.
David Bowie, Wembley Arena, 2nd June 1983.: the 'let's dance' tour. i couldn't miss this. he was amazing & played what we wanted to hear. i had a chance to hear 'life on mars' live and remember him holding the skull for 'look back in anger'.
Bauhaus, Southampton Gaumont, 16th June 1983.: the second band to give me a photo-pass. finally stood in the photo-pit of the gaumont theatre. i loved bauhaus at this time. the single 'spirit' was out.
Eurythmics, Southampton Gaumont, 28th June 1983.: annie loved my last lot of pictures i took of them and gave me a pass for this show. she deliberately posed my way many times this night. she had that red stripe across her eyes.
Depeche Mode, Southampton Gaumont, 14th September 1983.: dm were getting to know me and gave me another photo-pass. hung around the soundcheck photographing them too. a friendly crew. 'love in itself' was about to be released. dm were a great live band.
Siouxsie & the Banshees, Royal Albert Hall, London, 1st October 1983.: another chance to catch siouxsie live. this was filmed for the 'nocturne' album and video. a historic piece of music film. 'dear prudence' came in the charts this exact day.
Gary Numan, Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th October 1983.: a stripped down version of the lavish tour we'd seen a few years ago. 'sister surprise' was out and gary was fading fast. i'm glad i got pictures of him though.
Public Image Ltd, Top Rank, Brighton, 2nd November 1983.: the first gig of the tour. johnny hadn't played live in this country for years and we were there, at the soundcheck, outside the hotel and inside the gig. they even played 'anarchy'. a classic gig.
Eurythmics, Portsmouth Guildhall, 12th November 1983.: the last time i'd see the eurythmics live. 'right by your side' was out and i had real trouble keeping steady with the manic crowd. never know why i didn't see them again. i loved this band.
Culture Club, Brighton Centre, December 1983.: culture club were massive, my cousin & i would speak to george on the phone. were going to see them in newcastle a few days later but they cancelled the rest of the tour. lucky we saw this one.
Soft Cell, Hammersmith Palais, London, 9th January 1984.: these were soft cell's farewell shows and we couldn't miss this. they were loud and messy. watching soft cell fall apart so to speak. 'down in the subway' was about to come out.
Smiths, Brighton Polytechnic, 25th February 1984.: 'what difference does it make' had just come out and we were desperate to see the smiths. they were still raw and exciting. one of my classic gigs.
Clash, Portsmouth Guildhall, 6th March 1984.: great gig an we got backstage afterwards and hung out with the clash. got our tickets & t-shirts signed. laura was drooling as she was in love with strummer at the time.
Thompson Twins, Southampton Gaumont, 7th March 1984.: being the night after the clash this doesn't fare so well. got a photo-pass so i was happy but hardly vital stuff.
Style Council, Southampton Gaumont, 13th March 1984.: i'm sure this was their first uk gig or something, there was certainly a buzz around. i was bitterly disappointed, had seen weller twice in the jam and i hated all this soul shit.
Patrik Fitzgerald/Anne Clarke, Trashcan, London, 29th March 1984.: i always loved patrik fitzgerald even before seeing him supporting the jam back in '78 and wanted to check out a little pub gig of his. he was enchanting. anne clarke also did a great set.
Gary Glitter, Portsmouth Guildhall, 30th March 1984.: gary was back in concert halls again. he dragged me on-stage & made the band leave their instruments and line up at the front with him for a picture. he held my hand for the whole next song. fun!
The Cure, Portsmouth Guildhall, 6th May 1984.: got one of my best pictures this day. robert smith hung around outside with fans for some time & sorted me out with a photo-pass.
Billy Bragg/Redskins, Portsmouth Polytechnic, 12th May 1984.: billy let my pals interview him & me photograph him prior to this gig. hearing billy playing stuff like 'new england' & 'the milkman of human kindness' showed what a great songwriter he was.
Blancmange, Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th May 1984.: these were a bit boring but i wanted pictures. had seen them years ago supporting japan and i much prefered their earlier stuff.
Lotus Eaters, Portsmouth Polytechnic, 2nd June 1984.: they were a cute band. had just hit the charts with 'the first picture of you'. they let us interview them for our fanzine and gave me a photo-session in the afternoon leading up to the gig.
Siouxsie & the Banshees, Brighton Centre, 22nd June 1984.: siouxsie was in reach of us again and we never missed a chance to see the banshees live. their album 'hyaena' was out, as was the single 'dazzle'. another great gig.
Divine, Brighton Bolts, 24th June 1984.: not really a gig, but a live pa. divine was awesome. we interviewed him after the show for our fanzine. this was the first of many times i'd photograph divine.
Divine, Heaven, London, 7th July 1984.: divine performed 'you think you're a man' a week after this show on top of the pops in the same attire as this gig. got to show divine my brighton pics & he loved them, said he looked like diana dors.
Damned/Spear of Destiny/Strawberry Switchblade, Brockwell Park, London, 4th August 1984.: my mate mac flogged loads of copies of our fanzine here. it was a great day until the damned came on-stage and the bottles started being thrown. turned pretty ugly. first time i'd seen this at a gig.
New Order, Portsmouth Guildhall, 26th August 1984.: to be honest, new order weren't on top form this night. we had a laugh but not much sticks in my memory. got a cute picture of bernard sumner in the afternoon though.
Marc Almond, Royal Festival Hall, London, 8th September 1984.: two days before my birthday marc plays his first solo gig since splitting up soft cell. 'you have' was out the week before. this is one of my classic gigs and i got a great shot of marc before-hand.
Echo & the Bunnymen, Portsmouth Guildhall, 2nd October 1984.: ian mcculloch was a moody bastard to us in the afternoon but i still got a photo-pass. the bunnymen were a bit of a let down, not on top form.