Coventry's First Taste of the Mod Revival Era Live

 Coventry's First Taste of the Mod Revival Era Live.

by Pete Clemons

2024 sees the mod revival period of 1979 hit 45 years. And, as is now customary, a celebration of the music will be held in London later in the year. In fact several of the bands from that era still tour on a regular basis today.

The Mod revival tended to trend almost in tandem with the rise of 2 tone. Both became inextricably linked. And Coventry was, once again, very quick to pick up on this up and coming scene. Around these parts however, and unlike other areas of the UK, the Mod generation, I felt, gradually became overshadowed by the whole Ska scene.

During September 1979 The Purple Hearts, soon after a tour with The Secret Affair and Back to Zero on the 'March of the Mods' tour The Purple Hearts undertook a few headline dates of their own. The Purple Hearts themselves, you may remember, had scored something of a minor hit with their debut single 'Millions Like Us'.

And one of those gigs was a hurriedly arranged date in Coventry. Support for that night was a relatively unknown band from Birmingham called The Beat. The gig had been a couple of months before The Beat had released their amazing debut record, an excellent version of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles 'Tear of a Clown'.

The Beat opened the evening with a lively mixture of Reggae, Ska , Rock and Roll etc. which soon got everyone off their feet. The five piece band played a very tight set , although slightly loud out front.

Cross cultural fusion with dual rockability guitarists Dave Wakeling and Andy Cox were both twangy and semi- acoustic. Art school bassist David Steele wearing mohair threads. Everett Morton, a powerful drummer who kept the beat like a bionic quartz watch. A squawking Ranking Roger up front on vocals with guitar.

You may have noted that saxophonist, Saxa, whose sublime playing summed up the bands mixture of sensitivity & street roots appeal, was missing. Well this gig was either before he joined or he was simply unavailable.

The set was a mixture of impressive covers of Prince Buster like 'Whine and Grind' and 'She's a Rough Rider', a moving 'Tears of a Clown' and many of their own originals which had the audience gyrating. The encores were, without doubt, needed to to satisfy the audience and at the risk of using a well worn cliche, The Beat were without doubt the future of British Rock and Roll.

Purple Hearts followed half an hour later with some impressive Mod music which had all the audience up and dancing. But quite honestly didn't match up to The Beat and, as the gig was arranged at such short notice, Coventry's first mod revival gig went off relatively unnoticed.