The VIPs
by Pete Clemons
Classed as a local band, possibly because they were formed at Warwick University in Coventry, The VIP's were based in South London. They were closely associated with the mod revival scene towards the end of the 1970s. As a band the VIP's were short lived but certainly left their mark. In part because band members were a part of the resident campus society 'Now Society' – previously known as Rabid Rat - who were hell bent on bringing, the unfashionable, new wave/punk/mod music to the university.
Rabid Rat, formed around 1977, were a university based club that catered for new wave enthusiasts. From the beginning they were formally told of the imposition to ban them following incidents at two new wave concerts they had organised.
The first concert had been by the band School Meals. It was a private booking held in the Disco Room and arranged through normal Arts Federation channels. According to an Arts Federation Rabid Rat had made a mess of the stewarding with only one person at the door.
After the concert abusive slogans were daubed in prominent areas of the union building. At least half of the audience had come from outside the university and it was them, rather than the students at the concert, who were believed to have done the daubing.
Also during 1977, and a week after a gig by School Meals, Rabid Rat organised a concert featuring the VIPs. On this occasion, after events the previous week, the Arts Federation installed its own stewards in the Disco Room, but again ugly incidents occurred.
'It was like the inside of a powder keg in there', an Arts Federation source said. 'The only way to handle gigs like that is with professional bouncers'. Again half the audience was non-student. There were plenty on the campus who were in favour of a ban on new wave concerts but, at the same time, there was an opposition group seeking to retain them.
By 1978 The VIP's had gained significant support. They had become known as the 'top campus pop group'. Unfortunately however it also brought notoriety. A gig at the campus was almost drowned out by hecklers rumoured to be the university rugby team who had just returned from an away game.
With a changing music scene 1979 saw The VIP's move into the Mod Revival arena. A gig at the campus began with a film shot on site. Sadly it fell flat. One of the band members said ' It was supposed to impress you, out obviously it didn't'.
Technical problems plagued them throughout. The set seemed sloppy and disorganised and never really seemed to get started, until the end. They also seemed to concentrate far too much on other people's songs. Chris Montez' 'Let's Dance'. They covered some old Beatles songs too.
To be fair, the set did pick up towards the end and the audience began to join in demanding, perhaps somewhat excessively, two encores. The drumming was excellent and The VIP's were obviously all competent musicians. If the VIP's were going to succeed they were going to have to do a lot more work and think again about what direction they were aiming to go.
And that appears to be exactly what happened. Between 1979 and 1981, away from the university, The VIP's cut several singles. These included: Just Cant let you go, The Quarter Moon, Need Somebody to Love, Causing Complications, Things Aren't What They Used to be. The band did record an early single in Coventry with John Rivers during 1978 but, arguably, their best work can be found when they signed to GEM records.
I remember the VIPs, I played sax on one of their recordings at the old Horizon Studios and guested with them at a gig at Dingwalls Lock. I remember a couple of the Specials were in the audience. Their manager, Solly, bought and sold records on the campus and later moved to a shop in South London. I had a transit van at the time and did the removal for him. They were a great bunch of lads, a lot younger me and I think they dropped out of uni in the hope of becoming stars.
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