Circles Club – Coventry - A History (Silk Disco)

 Circles Club –  Coventry - A History (Silk Disco)

by Pete Clemons

Silk Disco didn't just provide disco nights. They also began to put on bands. And a band would be incorporated with a disco evening. This type of event began almost immediately.

Graham Wood of Silk disco remembers: 'When we (Jim Twyneham and myself) started promoting bands at the Plough we soon knew it wasn’t large enough for some of the better known bands and so probably started planning for Circles in late 1970'.

Circles worked within small budgets and, quite correctly, felt they were up against larger outfits like the 'Lanch' who could sustain any greater losses.

Graham's genuine love and enjoyment of the newly developing progressive rock scene provided the temptation to move into the world of band promotion.

'Promotion of bands began at The Plough. But we soon knew it wasn’t large enough for some of the better known bands and so probably started planning for Circles in late 1970'.

Building Trades Club, Whitefriars Street – (the numbers are attendance figures)
8 July 1971 Boots and Liberation 154
15 July 1971 Phineas Hog and Fresh Maggots 140
22 July 1971 Fang and Good Habit 130
29 July 1971 Hackensack and Lucrezia Borgia 118
5 August 1971 Stray 350

Circles tenure at the Builders (Building) Trades Club was short lived. As Graham remembers 'They sacked us after 5 weeks due to the mess left after the Stray gig on 5 August. The place was rammed with, approx 350 people. And yes they did spill a bit of beer. Also a few glasses were smashed. All this was not helped by Stray's exploding dustbin that showered confetti all over the floor'.

Graham conceded that the place did look a mess but the club probably took more money in beer sales that night, than they had in a complete month. A 15 strong committee summoned Silk representatives, Graham and Jim Twyneham, to a meeting the following Sunday and we 'were out'.

It left us 5 days to find a new venue !!. And that new venue was The West End Club just off the ring road at the Spon End junction.

West End Club – (the numbers are attendance figures)
12 August 1971 Hookfoot 284
19 August 1971 Mick Abrahams 311
26 August 1971 Dando Shaft (Palladin - Cancelled) 280
2 September 1971 Bronco 287
9 September 1971 Paul Brett's Sage 138
16 September 1971 Stackridge 163
23 September 1971 Quiver 90
30 September 1971 Ginger (Bell and Arc - Cancelled) 85
7 October 1971 Supertramp 104
14 October 1971 Caravan (Toby - Cancelled) 304
20 October 1971 Palladin 90
28 October 1971 Hackensack 156
11 November 1971 Stray 203
18 November1971 Writing on the Wall (Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts - Cancelled) 146
9 December 1971 Hookfoot
16 December 1971 Man 138
20 December 1971 Hookfoot 95
23 December 1971 Hackensack and Butch 163
30 December 1971 Van der Graff Generator 355
27 January 1972 Duster Bennett 102
24 February 1972 Mick Abrahams Band 115
30 March 1972 Hackensack and Jizzel 223


Locarno – (the numbers are attendance figures)
13 April 1972 Hawkwind and Barnabus 678

27 April 1972 Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, The Pretty Things and Pugma Ho (Words promotion)

11 May 1972 Argent and Vinegar Joe (Words promotion)
18 May 1972 Emperor Rosko Show and Hackensack 320
21 December 1972 Hackensack 225

2 Locarno gigs, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come and Argent) were promoted by Words, a southern based promoter, who asked Silk to provide the disco and light show. Both good nights but not great attendances.

When Silk promoted Hawkwind and Emperor Rosko they only chose the Locarno because of its larger capacity and it was a kind of swansong and was never going to be a regular promotion like Circles.

In truth Graham cannot remember why Silk never continued booking bands for Circles beyond mid 1972, with the exception being Hackensack at the tail end of 1972, 'which I guess was our Circles finale'.

John Coles attended and, still clearly remembers, the vast majority of the above gig nights. He was just 16 in 1971. John had been challenged about his age during a Silk night at The Plough in 1970. Of course he had to think on his feet and distort the truth in order to get in.

If Graham Wood has one slight regret then that was that he and Jim didn't gamble more on bigger bands, the likes of Mott the Hoople for example.

With no disrespect for the bands they did promote Graham thinks the problem was a mixture of; competing with the Lanch and Warwick Uni and trying to get the right bands at the right price. And, of course, there was all the other admin stuff which all took time!

But, in my opinion, Graham Wood and Jim Twyneham had real bottle to go for it. And there is absolutely no need for regret. The legacy that this pair have left us, with their Silk and Circles ventures, is really quite amazing. They even made a national newspaper. But that story is to come.

My sincere thanks to Graham for all his time and insights.

Hawkwind - The Sunday People April 1972 - Why I Danced in the Nude – by pop girl.

 

Hawkwind - The Sunday People April 1972 - Why I Danced in the Nude – by pop girl.

By Pete Clemons

She joined Hawkwind and began dancing for the group during 1971. But the legend of Stacia, actually started right here in Coventry when she made the national newspapers.

A month or so after the Coventry concert, mentioned below, Hawkwind released their single 'Silver Machine' a tune recorded earlier in the year. It reached number 3 in the charts and remains the bands biggest selling hit.

An article that appeared in the Sunday People is below. And I have left the newspapers spelling of the name Stacia as it was printed...........

People who thought the Hawkwind pop group was all male got a surprise when a naked girl danced to their music at a concert.

And, as an investigation into the act got underway last week, 19 year old dancer Statia – 'that's my only name' – made it quite clear that she did not strip on the stage of the Locarno in the Lady Godiva city of Coventry.

She said that during her 25 minute spot she first danced in a costume then went off the stage to strip and returned to dance naked.

'It sounds much more daring than it is' she said. 'We use a lot of lights flashing on and off and the dance and nudity is only an expression of the music'.

'It is music about freedom – and I feel free with nothing on'.

'A lot of the audience never even realise I'm in the nude because of the lights and the type of music the band plays'.

The act was part of a gig at the Mecca owned ballroom organised by Graham Wood a 20 year old commercial apprentice.

Said Mr. Wood: 'we would never book any group of artists or musicians if nudity comes into the act. Hawkwind is supposed to be an all male group. Investigations are going on.

The ballrooms relief manager Mr Ronald Williams said he did not see the group, but was finding out from staff members what had happened.

He added 'on this occasion the hall was hired out as a private booking to Mr. Wood'.

The group's manager Mr Doug Smith said: 'Statia isn't what you think of as your normal stripper – she's a big girl'.

In the short time after the Coventry gig Stacia became incredibly well known on the rock music circuit.

Later on in 1972 the incredibly busy Hawkwind had several concerts recorded and released the next year titled The Space Ritual. That reached number 9 in the album charts and dented the billboard top 200 in America. The Space Ritual album was an attempt to capture the music but also try to convey the whole audio visual experience of the show by way of the album sleeve. The outer fold-out part of the record's sleeve features an illustration of Stacia flanked by the hounds of the king set over stage shots of the band.

Was that gig in Coventry, or at least the reporting of it, responsible for the sudden rise in Hawkwind's popularity. Who knows but it did coincide with, arguably, one of the most successful periods for the band.

Local band Barnabus from Leamington Spa, namely John Storer on guitar, Tony Cox drums

Barnabus

and bass player Keith Hancock, provided support on the

 night. https://www.facebook.com/barnabus.rock

Sex Pistols and The Clash Lanch 1976

 

Sex Pistols and The Clash Lanch 1976

By Pete Clemons

Punk rock and, arguably more so the punk rockers, were despised when the genre initially broke through in the UK during 1976. The bands and their music were condemned before anyone had barely heard them. Initial front page headlines from the red tops didn't help either. But gradually the scene was accepted to the point where, today, it has almost legendary status.

Saturday 17th December 1977 saw The Sex Pistols, by then described as 'the most controversial rock band of recent years, play Mr. George's nightclub.

It was the second time in a year that the band had played the city. Just 12 months earlier Lanchester Polytechnic had hosted their appearance as part of the 1976 Arts Festival. The Pistols had been supported by The Clash and had been booed off the stage, declared racist and fascist and paid a mere £50.

In complete contrast the 1977 visit saw the group have an entirely different welcome. The Pistols played for just under an hour and a packed house went bananas over Anarchy, Pretty Vacant, EMI and other goodies presented.

Going back to November 1976 and punk rock artists the Sex Pistols left their entertainments fixture at Lanchester Polytechnic without full payment after an impromptu meeting of union officers at the concert heard complaints about the group's stage act.

Lanchester followed the NUS (National Union of Students), then, national policy which recommended colleges not to invite people with racist or fascist views onto campuses, and it was decided that the Sex Pistols act had included racist and fascist references.

The Sex Pistols and supporting punk rock outfit, The Clash, had been booked for £475 but were actually paid £50. Lanchester union officials then sought legal advice about their rights on further payment, and are to inform the NUS entertainments office in London about the group and the type of act they presented.

Attendees of the concert reported to union officials that it had been 'fairly obscene'. At one point the audience booed Sex Pistols after their version of 'Substitute', which the group's lead singer countered with familiar Anglo-Saxon invective,

To balance the views it was also reported that nobody saw anything 'blatant'. It is simply, and widely accepted that the band were fascist. Reasons like 'I came away with the impression that they were because they were so populist'.

Further reasoning within the unions report included that - It comes out of the experience of unemployment, bad housing, sleeping rough and being anti-establishment. They are not working class, more drop-outs. But their support is working class. They see themselves as mediums of these frustrations, they see their role as a political role, using the channel of popular music because other channels are being closed.

It went on – the support band, The Clash, started off the concert with a song the lyrics of which could be seen as inflammatory. The Clash were also described as 'Incoherent, inarticulate and not inter-viewable' while Sex Pistols were 'more eloquent and forthcoming'. The bass guitarist of Sex Pistols, in reply to the suggestion that the group could use their power over young people to do something about racism, replied: "Yeah, I agree with you. I'm not racist'.

However, George Melly, author, ex-film critic of the Observer and 1950s blues singer attended the concert, and asserted that: 'They are fascist'.

Meanwhile, during 1977 at Warwick University, a headline in a campus missal declared 'Yes it could have been true!. The Sex Pistols could have played here. The entertainments team were offered the band for the Xmas Party provided the gig was unannounced. After accepting those conditions the band were booked.

A major scoop indeed but then problems started. For reasons unknown all the bands tour dates were put forward a week which scuppered arrangements at Warwick.

It was then that the decision was made to switch to Mr. George in Coventry city centre. So near yet so far.

Warwick did, however, have it on good authority that if the entertainments team were offered The Sex Pistols again they will accept them if conditions are acceptable. Of course, that never came to fruition.

Hype or not The Sex Pistols still continue to excite and that's why they're the band they are and why they continue to enjoy legendary status.

Yesterday and today. No-man Coventry 1992, The Pineapple Thief now

 

Yesterday and Today. No-man Coventry 1992, The Pineapple Thief Now.

by Pete Clemons

Here is a short story that involves several of my favourite bands and artists from the last 30 years. I wouldn't normally disclose private conversations. And I haven't fully with this one. But I just felt that this needed to be out there as it shows real compassion and proves how we all change through life's strange journey. Its also a bit of a 'he said, she said' piece.

It began when I was reading, and really enjoying, a couple of recently written articles on Bruce Soord, and The Pineapple Thief's latest early career spanning box set, 'How Did We Find Our Way' had me researching the name of the author. Something I very rarely do.

I myself do a lot of writing, its just something I enjoy, and reading others always leaves me with that 'I wish I could write like that' feeling.

When I did discover the authors website I came across, within it, an overview of his career. I was staggered. It was a real 'well f**k me !!' moment.

This same guy, who I had genuinely enjoyed reading, was the very same guy who, during 1992 and under a completely different name, had slaughtered one of my favourite bands back then. No-man featuring Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness. He had been studying at nearby Warwick Uni and this had happened after no-man had appeared at the Tic Toc club in Coventry with past members of Japan. His review was printed in one of the national music papers of the time. NME perhaps?. I was completely thrown by what I had come across and the feelings it all brought back.

I wouldn't go as far as to say I challenged the author. Far from it. But I did email him to see, just out of curiosity, if he remembered that No-man gig. Incredibly I had a reply...........

'Hi Pete, Yes, I remember reviewing them, and what can I say? Cloth ears! I was pretty quick to jump to a bullish opinion back then, and didn't have a lot of patience in appreciating more complex music. I've really liked the stuff both of them have done since and I liked the sporadic output in recent years (Love You To Bits and Schoolyard Ghosts). Thanks for reminding me of my youthful follies anyway'...

Soon afterwards I excitedly messaged Tim Bowness with news of what I had uncovered. His reply was even more revealing as Tim had had actually dealt with this writer since.......

Tim: 'I remember the Coventry review well and the writer. He's been really supportive over the last few years and interviewed me for Prog magazine a few years back. It was very pleasant and I didn't bring up the 1992 gig. He was really nice (and open) during the interview I did with him. I enjoyed it'.........

This response had me writing back to the article author who responded: 'Oh god, now I just feel even more guilty. Oh well, youthful indiscretions and all that'...

Tim, as gracious as ever, and possibly sounding a little warning against that I might have been 'having a go' at the article writer (yes I admit to being a loyal fan) followed up with: 'as long as there's no bad feeling (on either side), all is fine'.

I assured Tim 'absolutely not. I actually heaped praise on the writer for his recently completed Pineapple Thief articles. Additionally, I have since read your Prog magazine interview with him. He is actually a really good writer and I have since become a bit of a fan'.

Where there was once an angry defiance is now a middle aged guy trying to do his best. And very good it is too. How could I get angry about the past. We have all been there. Google recent articles about the bands and artists hinted at above – I enjoyed them, see what you think.