Coventry Music 1978

Coventry Music 1978

by Pete Clemons

On the face of it, 40 years ago seems an awfully long time ago. And of course, it was. But looking back over that particular passage of time, and at some of the moments that took place, it seems like only yesterday. Apart from those directly involved - although even they may not have even realised – we certainly didn’t know it at the time, but history has proved that 1978 was one of the most significant years the Coventry music scene has ever known. It preceded and gave rise to one of the most important musical movements which, even today, continues to create ripples.

The celebrations that heralded in 1978 had hardly died down when almost immediately The Automatics, very soon to be known as The Coventry Automatics and namely Jerry Dammers, Horace Panter, Terry Hall, Silverton Hutchinson, Roddy Radiation and Lynval Golding, began a residency at Mr Georges Club.

These regular Monday night sessions lasted for several months. Almost, in fact, until the club finally closed its doors for the last time. It was a period of great change for the band. Those first few months of the year would see also the band’s name change to The Jaywalkers for a short while.

By the middle of 1978 things would change again. The following extract was written by Gary Bushell and was published in the 5th July 1978 edition of Sounds magazine. It is part of a review he wrote for a gig by The Clash at Aylesbury Friars the previous week on June 28th.

‘SURPRISE number one last Thursday were support group The Specials (as they'd been known for four whole hours. were formerly the Automatics which was very confusing far the other Automatics, you know, the tanks rolled over Poland ones). The Specials are a five piece multi-racial punk reggae group from Coventry, and the two cultures don't so much clash as entertainingly intermingle. Whereas Clash play punk songs and reggae songs, The Specials' ditties combine elements of the two’.

That tour with The Clash was also significant for other reasons. As bass player Horace Panter remembers – ‘We started the tour as a 6-piece but ended it as a 7-piece’ (Neville Staples had graduated from Roadie to full-time performer).

The final piece of the jigsaw of the classic recording line up of The Specials would drop into place toward the end of 1978 when Transposed Men drummer John Bradbury replaced Silverton Hutchinson. Word has it that Silverton, a reggae drummer, had become disillusioned with the direction the band was taking. Brad’s unique drumming style would become integral as firstly, The Special A.K.A, and then The Specials developed their distinctive sound.

But, as important as it was, the birth of The Specials was not the only thing that happened in Coventry during 1978.

Bands such as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, The Jam and The Buzzcocks who, less than a year or so earlier had been playing the nightclubs had found that their fan base had grown significantly. As such they were now returning to the city and appearing at the far larger Coventry Theatre.

Also appearing at the theatre were the more established rock acts like Be Bop Deluxe, Wishbone Ash, AC/DC and Rory Gallagher alongside the more soulful sounds of Johnny Mathis, The Stylistics and George Benson.

There were also some notable support bands playing the Theatre as UFO and Van Halen each supported Judas Priest and Black Sabbath respectively.

On the outskirts of the city, at the Warwick University, other memorable gigs were taking place. Those by The Ramones, Third World and a Stiff Records tour that included Stiff recording artists Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewie and Lena Lovich certainly spring to mind. Looking back in hindsight, time has told us that it was an incredible year for Coventry, although I think in this case we all realised it. But it was also one that continues to provide many a talking point.

The Manfreds

The Manfreds

By Pete Clemons

They say that great music lasts a lifetime. And, any band that can sell out 1000 seated venues, with regularity and with ease, must have had something going for it at some point. What is even more remarkable is that the band in question have been in existence for more than 55 years and each of its core band member are now in their 70s. But I am talking about the music of Manfred Mann.

One of the earliest memories I have is one of receiving a 45-rpm record by Manfred Mann back in 1964. I know that as I still have it and I wrote on the sleeve the date I received it. I was captivated by it. More so the B side of the record, as I remember it though.

Little did I know back then but all these years later and I would still be getting to at least one Manfred’s gig per year. Honestly, it is one of the highlights on my gig going calendar. And I am clearly not alone as the loyalty of those who follow The Manfred’s is really, quite staggering.

The band itself began as The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers, playing The Wine Lodge (aka Tally Ho, Tudor Rose and now Philip Larkin) during 1963. An ever-evolving group, The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers has an interesting history all its own. And it was during mid 1963 that the band became known as Manfred Mann and gained a recording deal with the HMV record label.

Below is a reproduction of a revealing article from early 1964, that contains an interview with Manfred, and touches on the bond that developed between the band and our city………….

"Manfred Mann is to appear at Coventry’s Matrix Hall soon and what a crowd will be there to see him, or rather them, because Manfred Mann is more than one person.

In the bleak wintery days of early 1963, the five members of Manfred Mann, the rhythm and blues group who have established a large following in Coventry were so hard up that they all slept in one room.

This was the only room in their South London flat they could afford to heat, drummer Mike Hugg mentioned.

Existence depended on pooling resources and, from the bond which developed among the group, has grown a strong co-operative alliance. Although it takes its name from pianist Manfred Mann it acknowledges no leader. This alliance is paying off now the groups growing popularity is bringing regular well-paid work.

They are contracted to Southern Television for a new series and their recording ‘5-4-3-2-1’ was written at the request of producers of Associated Television’s ‘Ready Steady Go’ who were looking for a new signature tune.

Manfred Mann work with the future in mind and after a job, draw only £3 each, the bare minimum to cover everyday expenses. The rest goes into the bank with the result that the latest recruit, bass player Tom McGuiness joined, he was immediately equipped with a new £155 instrument.

During the last year the group estimate they have spent £1600 on such items as a van, equipment and uniforms. And they still claim to have £900 in the bank.

The group was formed in 1962 by Manfred and Mike Hugg who played drums and vibes after a summer season at Butlin’s Clacton where they had been playing in the same dance band. It was at this time that the two founder members began to be noticed by Coventry youth as there was a party of local lads and lassies at the camp at that time.

The boys formed a modern jazz combo which provided rewards neither financial nor artistic, shrugged Manfred. We became steadily more disenchanted with the scene. It wasn’t just that there was little money to be made, but wherever the band played it was always in competition with audience conversation.

‘They didn’t participate. But gradually we drifted into rhythm and blues where we found that the audience were participating in something-alive. In a way rhythm and blues is the music of today – it is modern folk music, inasmuch as modern folk dig it’. At this point Manfred broke off to stroke his long hair away from his eyes.

‘Our idea is to play rhythm and blues, but not as most people think it should be played, as an imitation of an American sound. We want to create some sounds which are different and original to us. Our interest is not short term and we feel that turning out our own material will pay us in the long run’.

Originally known as the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers the group change their name just before their first disc ‘Why Should We Not’ was released.

Explained Manfred ‘when we started recording it was impressed upon us that we were using a name that was not commercial. I agreed to the new one on the understanding that it refers to us all. We work as a team and I don’t want to be singled out for special attention’.

The full line up of this interesting group with the interesting sound that is soon to rebound from the ceilings of the Matrix Hall, Coventry is Mike Hugg drums and vibes, Manfred Mann piano and organ, Paul Jones singer, Tom McGuiness bass and Mike Vickers alto sax, guitar and flute. "

Incredibly today’s Manfred’s still contain at their core, three members of the band from those early days, namely Hugg, Jones and McGuinness. In fact, when the band reconvened for Tom’s 50th birthday during 1991, Mike Vickers was also a part of it all. The current band also features vocalist Mike d’abo who was successor to Paul Jones when Paul left the band during 1966 to begin a solo career. And together The Manfred’s set is generally made up of songs from the entire Manfred Mann spectrum along with a few surprises.

Porcupine Tree – Live, where it began

Porcupine Tree – Live, where it began

By Pete Clemons

I couldn’t just let this pass. But the 4 December 2018 marked exactly 25 years since the first ever Porcupine Tree gig at the Nags Head, High Wycombe in 1993.

And what a journey it has been for Steven Wilson ever since. To get to the position of being a musician, simply creating music from his bedroom, to an internationally acclaimed artist has not been easy. The fact is that it has been far from an easy ride. There has been an incredible amount of hard work, commitment and an awful lot of self-sacrifice along the way.

Additionally, Steven is at the forefront of giving the listener as complete an aural experience as possible. From the artwork of an album right down to its final production and mastering. Steven oversees the whole thing. He is also seen as a leading light in the field of state of the art recording techniques. Which is where Steven’s real passion lies.

As far as Porcupine Tree, being a live band were concerned, questions were being asked a couple of years prior to that first gig as to whether Steven’s ‘bedroom’ project would ever be heard by a wider audience. It wasn’t as though Steven had not already had experience on the road. He had, through his ‘other band’ No-Man. But by the time of those first gigs, Porcupine Tree had already had a couple of albums released. Those had been through their independent label, Delerium Records who, it must be said, deserve a lot of credit for getting the band heard during those early days.

Even in a news update from mid-1993, when asked about playing Porcupine Tree music live, Steven mentioned that he was no nearer having a live band than he had been at the previous update. He continued that, he had hoped to do a few gigs to promote the release of ‘Up the Downstair’ but the whole project just didn’t justify the expense of touring yet.

Suddenly, during October 1993, a news update was released that was a lot more up-beat about the whole live thing. It read ‘To promote the imminent re-release of Voyage 34 (Nov 29), I’m doing some gigs. This is a bit of an experiment and we are only doing three to start with, just in case it’s a total disaster’. These will be at High Wycombe, Nags Head on Dec 4, London Borderline on Dec 7, Coventry Tic Toc on Dec 11 (although by the time of the gig the venue had been renamed Antics).

The news update also mentioned that Porcupine Tree were doing a radio one session on December 6 for the Marc Radcliffe show. The band, who would be accompanying Steven, was also announced. Steven Wilson on vocals and guitar, Colin Edwin on bass, Richard Barbieri on keyboards (who both played on ‘Up the Downstair’) and Chris Maitland (from NO-MAN’s live band) on drums.

Surprisingly that first gig, held in an upstairs period styled room that I remember contained a lot of old timber, sold out as it drew in people from far and wide. From memory it was, understandably, a slightly nervy but very competent debut. I cannot think of very much interaction between band and audience. A couple of the musicians were laughing and joking before the gig but as soon as the first notes of V34 were released they all came across as highly committed to the task in hand. For what it’s worth, I did come away feeling hugely impressed. For me, that live debut at The Nags Head came across as a complete success. The gig in Coventry on the following Saturday was an altogether different affair. But what did the band think about it all?

An update received during the early part of 1994 mentioned that Steven had been happy with the way that the PT shows had gone. Changes had been made of a consequence of finding that certain pieces had not worked in a live context (‘Fadeaway’ for example) and others had been introduced to replace them. At present Porcupine Tree are doing several shows in Europe, where a lot of interest had been shown.

Toward the end of 1994 things were gathering momentum as half a dozen UK gigs were announced. One being at the Old Trout in Windsor on November 9 which I managed to get to. News of these events came with a couple of cautionary lines. One being how it had been difficult getting decent gigs in the UK. The other was whether or not the ‘professionals’ would recognise the quality and appeal of the music.

Remember, all this was happening at a time when Britpop was taking the country by storm. And the kind of music which Steven was creating, was very much a part of the underground. Plus, the internet was very much in its infancy. So, getting the word out there was still very much hand to mouth. How times have changed over the last quarter of a century.

After more than 700 gigs, culminating with a gig at the Royal Albert Hall, 10 studio albums and several live releases Steven pressed the pause button on Porcupine Tree as he concentrated on his solo career where he went on to become the biggest selling artist for the K.Scope label. And still, to many, the music of Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson is still to be discovered.