Your musical youth- bands who played Leeds

[liits]

grumpytramp wrote: liits wrote: Saw The Enid a few times at the Poly [and the Irish Centre]. Both good venues cos the beer was cheap! I seen the Enid at the Poly too and also at the Bierkeller which I vaguely remember was in a basement at the Merrion Centre You might be interested if a fan that they are alive and kicking once more (excellent new album and some impressive live shows see www.theenid.co.uk ) Indeed the Enid are alive and well. I saw them quite recently at a charming little venue [not] in Kent and despite the fact that they’ve re-launched more times than the space shuttle, they were just as good and Robert John Godfrey is still barking mad- only not so fat.Like Grumpytramp I also recall the folk festival at Temple Newsam. I went specifically to see Ray Laidlaw and Rod Clements from Lindisfarne and got the added bonus of Neil Innes.

[raveydavey]

We often went to gigs in the pubs around the city centre (and further afield) featuring a host of mainly unsigned bands whose names I can't remember and who presumably never went on to chart success, Top of the Pops or a house in the Hollywood Hills.The Central used to host a lot of bands as did the Three Legs (or was it The Vine? My memory gets a bit hazy these days...). In fact there was always a live band playing somewhere, or so it seemed. Some were fantastic, some weren't but that was part of the fun.One thing I do remember though is that the pubs put the bands on to attract customers - at some point that changed and they started charging anything up to a fiver on the door to hear some band you'd never heard of and that was that. It was one thing to take pot luck for the price of a few pints, but once the admission charges came in we drifted away. Then house music came on the scene, which is a different thread altogether...!

[exiled in essex]

Myself and a friend were supposed to go and see the Charlatans at the Warehouse one night back in 1989, so before they were famous really. However - her dad gave us some tickets and a stack of drinks vouchers for a work's Christmas party he'd organised at Mister Craigs and the promise of as much free alcohol as we could get down us was too much of a lure so we went to that instead. We even met Jim Bowen at said party - it was super, smashing, great!I have since seen the Charlatans several times.

[cnosni]

grumpytramp wrote: Living out my teens in late 70's and early 80's Leeds; I recall reading the gig guides in Sounds with a great deal of envy of the other great northern cities such as Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle where all the big bands routinely turned up at (read the back of every black tour t-shirts of the time ......... Sheffield City Hall, Hanley Victoria, Bradford St Georges, Manchester Apollo, Liverpool Empire, DeMontfront Hall Leicester & Newcastle City Hall were always listed). Rock fans in our great city relied on the whims of the "Ents Secretary" at the Poly or Uni and the occasional tour promotor brave enough to try to set their band up in the hovel that was the Queens Hall!My musical youth flitted therefore between the University, Queens Hall, the Fforde Greene and the occasional surprise venue. The Poly at that time, apart from a gig by the Enid was off limits as its booking policy seemed focussed on the new wave which I still had not caught up with!Of the bands I can recall , I am sure that I managed to catch at the Queens Hall:Black Sabbath (twice in the Ronnie Dio days)SaxonLindisfarne (sponsored by Radio Aire and re-broadcast)Rainbow (night after the riots in Chapeltown & Harehills)MotorheadWhitesnake (twice; the second I am sure broke the attendance record)     grumpy,the Whitesnake gig you mention had to be split over two nights.It was the "Slide it in " tour,along with DC was the maestro Jon Lord on t' ammond,the late great Cozy Powell on drums and the gig was scheduled just after some kids had been crushed at a large gig somewhere abroad,i think some were killed in the crush or something.It was blamed on the number ,or lack of,suitable exits,and the people (IIRCC) were crushed in an emergency evacuation.They reduced the capacity at the Queens Hall in direct response (as did a lot of other similar venues) to this event abroad. A gig by cultire club in the preceding weeks had its capacity capped and the number of tickets were reduced in accordance with the number of exits per head at the Queens Hall.Unfortunately Whitesnake had already sold out the venue, i believe the YEP said 17000 at the time (they filled it to the rafters on the previous "Saints and Sinners" tour)and it was reported in the YEP that the police would be on the doors to ensure first come first served for the gig,those that came after the new reduced number would be told they couldnt get in even if they had a ticket.After careful consideration (as the fans turning up to see this band would not be dressed as Boy George and didnt buy Jackie) the police believed they could have a serious crowd incident outside the venue.The band was asked,and they agreed,to put an extra night on the next day (sunday) with a view to pursuading some of those with the saturday night tickets to come on the sunday.As an enticement a free tour t shirt was offered to the first people to come forward and do this,so we all did and went on the sunday.Great gig,Cozy battered his kit (633 squadren) Lordy rocked that Hammond and DC ,well,what can you say about him in those days,top of his game.Me and my mate Mick got right to the very front row,right in front of DC,something we managed to pretty much well do at the Manics last week.

[big ste]

cnosni wrote: grumpytramp wrote: Living out my teens in late 70's and early 80's Leeds; I recall reading the gig guides in Sounds with a great deal of envy of the other great northern cities such as Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle where all the big bands routinely turned up at (read the back of every black tour t-shirts of the time ......... Sheffield City Hall, Hanley Victoria, Bradford St Georges, Manchester Apollo, Liverpool Empire, DeMontfront Hall Leicester & Newcastle City Hall were always listed). Rock fans in our great city relied on the whims of the "Ents Secretary" at the Poly or Uni and the occasional tour promotor brave enough to try to set their band up in the hovel that was the Queens Hall!My musical youth flitted therefore between the University, Queens Hall, the Fforde Greene and the occasional surprise venue. The Poly at that time, apart from a gig by the Enid was off limits as its booking policy seemed focussed on the new wave which I still had not caught up with!Of the bands I can recall , I am sure that I managed to catch at the Queens Hall:Black Sabbath (twice in the Ronnie Dio days)SaxonLindisfarne (sponsored by Radio Aire and re-broadcast)Rainbow (night after the riots in Chapeltown & Harehills)MotorheadWhitesnake (twice; the second I am sure broke the attendance record)     grumpy,the Whitesnake gig you mention had to be split over two nights.It was the "Slide it in " tour,along with DC was the maestro Jon Lord on t' ammond,the late great Cozy Powell on drums and the gig was scheduled just after some kids had been crushed at a large gig somewhere abroad,i think some were killed in the crush or something.It was blamed on the number ,or lack of,suitable exits,and the people (IIRCC) were crushed in an emergency evacuation.They reduced the capacity at the Queens Hall in direct response (as did a lot of other similar venues) to this event abroad. A gig by cultire club in the preceding weeks had its capacity capped and the number of tickets were reduced in accordance with the number of exits per head at the Queens Hall.Unfortunately Whitesnake had already sold out the venue, i believe the YEP said 17000 at the time (they filled it to the rafters on the previous "Saints and Sinners" tour)and it was reported in the YEP that the police would be on the doors to ensure first come first served for the gig,those that came after the new reduced number would be told they couldnt get in even if they had a ticket.After careful consideration (as the fans turning up to see this band would not be dressed as Boy George and didnt buy Jackie) the police believed they could have a serious crowd incident outside the venue.The band was asked,and they agreed,to put an extra night on the next day (sunday) with a view to pursuading some of those with the saturday night tickets to come on the sunday.As an enticement a free tour t shirt was offered to the first people to come forward and do this,so we all did and went on the sunday.Great gig,Cozy battered his kit (633 squadren) Lordy rocked that Hammond and DC ,well,what can you say about him in those days,top of his game.Me and my mate Mick got right to the very front row,right in front of DC,something we managed to pretty much well do at the Manics last week. I went to see The Snake on the Saints and Sinners tour and it was mental.It was my first indoor concert,and only the second gig I'd been to,the first being Queen at Elland Road in the previous May.All I can really remember is that it was jammed,absolutley stuffed,and as it was December,me mam made me wear my "big" coat",little did I know what was in store.The best part of 10,000 sweaties,sweating like sweat monsters,needless to say,my coat was stuck to me,soaked to the skin,going out into FREEZING cold winter night,nearly did for me.I only kind of went for a bet,I loved Whitesnake,but mate at the time was saying I wouldn't dare get a ticket,so bought one just to prove him wrong,but it was a brilliant night,the only time I was privileged to Cozy Powell play live....

[janwit]

years since Jeffn asked if anyone remebers Jab Jab - but better late than never - here is an update on this great band
Jab Jab are releasing an album, Keep on Smiling available in July, they have a website, www.jabjab.co and are also reforming for a reunion gig and a documentary film about them is being made. Please spread the word and send a message to them via the website as they would love to hear your memories.
Despite their great popularity, they never had a record deal and their fans could not access their music outside live performances - until now! Incredibly this band are finally getting their music out there after the unearthing of lost reel to reel tapes and a live recording cassette. These have been rescued and their album will be released in July in time for their reunion gig at the Holmfirth Picturedrome Yorkshire on the 18th JULY next month. The documentary film traces their roots from the Caribbean Island of Carriacou to Yorkshire where they were based and they played professionally, nationally and abroad, for many years. They are on a mission to find their old fans and any help is much appreciated. lots of detail on their website and links to their facebook page etc. it would be great if you would be able to give them a mention - They are all wonderful people and it's geat to finally get their music shared thanks to the more affordable technology of today, compared to when bands had to have a record deal. Record companies were interested but did not have a category back then for their ground breaking fusion of traditional Caribbean calypso, funk, rock, and reggae with driving African beats. Band mottos - 'make the bad times good and the good times better' and 'one nation'.
enjoy the site and the music and help them find their old fans!