Behind The Scene Gloucestershire Issue 2 December 2013 by Behindthesceneglos

BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Issue #2 December 2013

BEHIND THE SCENE ISSUE #2 Welcome to issue #2 of BEHIND THE SCENE. The response to November’s issue has been brilliant and far more people read this thing than I ever could have imagined. Slowly but surely the fanzine is taking shape and hopefully will provide you with a taste of what’s going on (and also what went on) in Gloucestershire each month. This month there were gigs in cafes, gigs in venues, gigs in pubs and even gigs in houses. If I could watch a band every night then I would, but sadly, real life gets in the way. But if you want me to review your gig, then give me an e-mail and I’ll see what I can do. Elsewhere this month the old Axiom Arts Centre has come up for sale, Sportbeat Festival won a Believe Gloucestershire award for best Community Event and Sound Music Venue was recognised at the Club Mirror Magazine awards for ‘Best Business Initiative.’

So, as Christmas approaches, settle down in front of a warm fire and enjoy December’s issue of BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE. PLEASE keep sending me your gigs for the gig guide. PLEASE keep sending me photos for the gig gallery (this is something I’d love to expand). PLEASE let me know if have a gig in January you’d like me to preview. PLEASE get in touch if you are a band/venue/promoter.

PLEASE e-mail if you have any ideas or would like to contribute in any way! Issue #2 December 2013 Soul Strutters cover photo by Katie Thomas. https://www.facebook.co m/katie.ccphotography

Contact via e-mail: averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk Follow on twitter: @behindsceneglos Facebook: facebook.com/behindthesceneglos Tumblr: behindthesceneglos.tumblr.com/

GIG REVIEW Gabby Young and Other Animals @ Secret House Show, Cheltenham (09.11.13) Shhh…it’s a secret. Well, a secret house show. Don’t tell anyone. In fact, it’s such a secret that you can’t even read this review. There was a house in Cheltenham, a living room, a band and sausages in buns (or were they hot dogs? You’ll never know). We found the right house and loudly knocked on the door, as per the instructions on a soggy piece of paper left on the doorstep. It opened and our names were ticked off the list. We took our shoes off and my girlfriend instantly regretted wearing a pair of tights with a hole in the toe. We should have been warned about this on the invite (but it was so secret that there were no invites…shhh). Conversation with strangers revolved around how lovely the house was and how it’s much bigger and nicer than everyone else’s. We were all in agreement about that as the lanterns flickered and lit up the place.

At ten past eight we all gathered in the lounge. It was sitting room only as Gabby Young and Other Animals picked up their instruments, said a quick hello and proceeded to charm the place with their eccentric brand of jazz and folk. The band oozed character and silenced the room, except for the occasional chink of bottles onto glasses as wine glugged noisily out of them. Hands were clapped, ukulele’s strummed and kazoo’s blown by the plenty. By ten o’clock we were all up and stomping our feet as the band marched themselves into the centre of the audience. What a performance. http://chunderground.tumblr.com/

GIG PREVIEWS Winterfest takes place at the Frog & Fiddle on Saturday 14th December. If you like your music loud and abrasive then this event will be right up your street. Headlined by Hampshire’s INSTILL and North Wales’ BASTIONS, it also features local bands including EMPIRE, MILK TEETH and WHITE CROSSES across two stages. The second stage is in the pool room, so feel free to hustle other punters between bands and then spend your winnings on t-shirts and vinyl.

Tickets can be bought for £8 from http://www.wegottickets.com/ev ent/247286

GAZ BROOKFIELD

CAFÉ RENE, GLOUCESTER Wednesday 11th December With his new album ‘In The Company Of Thieves’ out this month, hard travelling folk storyteller Gaz Brookfield returns to Café Rene in Gloucester. Taking cues from Frank Turner and The Levellers, he’ll sing you songs of love and life on the road. Here’s a word from Gaz himself: “I love playing at Cafe Rene! It has a great atmosphere and it's always a great night there!” The gig is free entry.

WITCOMBE LODGE Do you remember when Madness played in Gloucester? No? Not many people do. In August 1979 the young ‘Nutty Boys’ played to less than 50 people at a short-lived venue in Brockworth called Witcombe Lodge and I couldn’t resist digging around to find out more information about the place. Between the autumn of 1978 and September 1979, Witcombe Lodge played host to all manner of local and national bands. It’s now a Premier Inn, but 35 years ago the likes of The Specials, Madness and the Cure stopped over in Gloucester whilst making their name in music industry. I made contact with a number of people who painted a picture of Gloucester’s late 70’s punk scene as both an exhilarating and breathless place to grow up. The man responsible for making Witcombe Lodge in Brockworth an unusual epicentre of the Gloucester punk scene was Chris Garland. After returning from living in Brazil, he based himself in the Cotswolds and opened a shop in Cheltenham selling punk style clothing.

The clothes shop was run by Jonathan Grey (now Ibiza superstar DJ Jon Sa Trinxa) and below it was a record shop – both of which were always full of young, ‘punkish’ people.

Garland takes up the story: “In Cheltenham, and the whole area, there were huge amounts of young people with absolutely nowhere to go, and a local authority so out of touch with youth culture and pop-culture in general. Jonathan was always complaining that nothing was going on in Cheltenham so I decided to start promoting a few shows! I had always maintained close contacts with the music scene in London, and from around 1974, was aware of this thing called ‘punk rock’! I also knew Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood and numerous others within the London music and fashion scene so I was aware of what was going on in that subculture. I loved the freshness and energy of it all, the look, the sound, the attitude - the whole thing was a cultural revolution!” The early shows (featuring the likes of Stiff Little Fingers, The Buzzcocks, Generation X and Siouxsie and the

The Cure at Witcombe Lodge.

Banshees) Hotel in (now the immediate

took place at the Plough Cheltenham’s High Street Regent Arcade) and were an success.

So much so that it all became too much for the owner who called time on the masses of punks who assembled at his bar each weekend. At a loss for a new venue, Garland stumbled upon Witcombe Lodge – a large entertainment venue with a generous stage, disco balls and owners eager to fill a hole in their finances. The only problem was that it was in the middle of nowhere.

Black Flag featuring Chris Barber (Joe 90) and Paul Hooper. “It was hardly the style centre,” Garland continues, “however, I decided to go with it and booked the first show for a Saturday night. In order to make it easy for the young punk enthusiasts in Cheltenham to get there (who were all very nice people) I decided to lay on a coach or two from Cheltenham for free. It was a huge success from the off. We had some wonderful and incredibly wild nights.”

Paul Hooper, who played bass for local punk band Black Flag (no, not that Black Flag) echoes these sentiments. “For me Witcombe Lodge was a place of birds, booze, laughs and above all else music. Most of the bands were on the verge of a breakthrough. My memories as a punk and later a skinhead centred around the early gigs. I was a fairly crap bass player in a fairly average band. This ability to knock out a couple of rough tunes led to local infamy and a lot more girls.” One band who could certainly knock out a tune were a little known group called The Cure, who played at Witcombe Lodge on 2nd June 1979, just days after the release of their debut album ‘Three Imaginary Boys.’ Others that passed through the doors of the venue between 1978 and 1979 are now legendary names in the world of punk and new-wave, such as Echo & The Bunnymen, The Damned, The Slits, The Ruts, The Cramps, The Pop Group, The Selector and The Specials. Two months after Robert Smith belted out ‘Killing An Arab’ in spitting distance of Cooper’s Hill, Madness came to town. Chris Garland recalls, “Every night with them was ‘madness’! They were the support band but the headliner didn’t turn up. I got them to play twice by giving them another £100 which they were very happy with!” Britain’s finest ska band, The Specials, played at Witcombe Lodge a number of times – once with unfortunate consequences. Paul Hooper remembers that, “The gig ended early with a mass brawl between visiting Coventry

skinheads and local lads (mainly Brockworth boys and Churchdown skins who formed an unlikely alliance for the night). All I remember from the end of the night was blue lights and police everywhere. We evaded capture by fleeing over fields towards what is now the Bentham Domes.” In fact, Sir Horace Gentleman, founding member of The Specials, wrote on his blog that he vaguely remembered the gig, “Where the Coventry Skins, under the pretext of ‘following’ The Specials resoundly whupped their Cheltenham counterparts.”

After one particular night of mayhem, I had really had enough! Also my reasons for doing it all in the first place, had nothing to do with business! It was simply, I suppose, ‘artistic vision’, if that does not sound too precious and wanting to create something interesting! I found it more and more becoming a business (which I hated) and everybody thought I was making a fortune (which I was not). I was aware that I had become this ‘ersatz cult figure’ and this persona had little to do with who I was or indeed wanted to be!” In fact, Garland laughs off the image of himself as Gloucestershire’s own Malcolm McLaren.

Despite its short life span, Witcombe Lodge was a great place for local bands to cut their teeth. Demob, Pigbag, The Dead Airmen, Vox Phantoms and the aforementioned Black Flag are just some of those that played regularly. Chris Barber, frontman for Black Flag, remembers the final night on 15th September 1979.

Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible of The Damned It was because of nights like this that Garland decided that it was time to put an end to promoting punk gigs at Witcombe Lodge. “I stopped because it all became very unpleasant. A huge crowd of very nasty punks from Birmingham and elsewhere started turning up, and there was more and more violence, which was really not for me at all!

Robert Smith of The Cure

“The UK Subs headlined, and every local band got to play a set in support. The building was scheduled for demolition so the locals helped with some large scale vandalism and souvenir hunting, I remember someone coming out of the place with a wash basin.”

management company and then a year or two later left the UK for good. I was finding the whole scene less entertaining and my great love was German electronic music (particularly Kraftwerk) and dub reggae!” After moving to Germany and the United States, he has since gone on to work with musicians such as John Cale ‘who is a genius’ and had a successful career in the fashion industry. Now in his mid-sixties and a ‘fairly devout follower of the Buddhist path,’ he describes himself as still being ‘youthful and fit and a blissfully happy man,’ put down in part to being a lifelong vegetarian and not smoking or drinking for 25 years. Would he recognise or even like the person he was all those years ago? “I somehow doubt it! I have indeed had my wild times and enjoyed them immensely! These were wonderful, magical, times but after thirty five years and a lifetime in the music and fashion industry, it’s hard to remember it all!”

There were some bands that Chris Garland would have loved to have put on in Gloucester, such as Joy Division, Public Image Limited and The Ramones. He once turned down The Police because he thought that they were ‘boring and fake.’ But in late 1979, Garland knew it was time to move on. “Cheltenham had always been such a lovely and easy place to live, perhaps too much so! So I moved to London, to start a label and

Huge thanks go to Chris Garland (pictured above), Chris Barber and Paul Hooper for their input and photos. I hope that it’s stirred memories for some people and enlightened others.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR DECEMBER When?

Who?

Where?

1st

Oysterband Homecoming Tour

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

1st

Thrill Collins

Old Spot

Dursley

1st

Martin Harley, Sam Lewis

Prince Albert

Stroud

2nd

Folk Unplugged

Guildhall

Gloucester

3rd

The Woodwards

Prince Albert

Stroud

4th

Soul Remedy

Café Rene

Gloucester

5th

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

5th

The Ultimate Tribute To The Jersey Boys, Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons. Simon McBride

Guildhall

Gloucester

5th

Ian Luther, Rachel Kane

Brunswick

Gloucester

5th

Iron Boots Scrapers

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

5th

Open Mic

Prince Albert

Stroud

6th

Anthony Craig, Triinu

Peppers

Gloucester

6th

Rebecca Newman

Guildhall

Gloucester

6th

Brunswick

Gloucester

6th

Snowblind (Black Sabbath Tribute), Blood Dedt Beate Route Foundation

Café Rene

Gloucester

6th

Scott Jackson

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

6th

Clay Gods

Sound Music Venue

Cheltenham

6th

Jim Blair

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

7th

Smooth Saturday (local showcase)

Cross Keys Inn

Gloucester

7th

Vince Freeman

Royal Oak

Cheltenham

7th

Red Shift

Brunswick

Gloucester

7th

Galloping Cows

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

7th

UK Subs, Chinese Burn, Mick O’Toole Georgie Henderson, The Gunpowder Plot, Vapor, Black Train Bookstore, Joey Prescott

Frog & Fiddle

Cheltenham

Golden Lion

Cinderford

7th

GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR DECEMBER When?

Who?

Where?

7th

Over The Hill

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

8th

The Beat

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

8th

Myles Manley

Prince Albert

Stroud

8th

Frog & Fiddle

Cheltenham

Prince Albert

Stroud

11th

Oxygen Thief, Welcome Back Delta, Buying Lies Hipkiss (Patsy Gamble Muddy Manninen) Gaz Brookfield

Café Rene

Gloucester

12th

Sons Of Delta

Brunswick

Gloucester

12th

Thrill Collins

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

12th

Prince Albert

Stroud

Two Pigs

Cheltenham

13th

Andy Oliveri, Kitten & Bear, Kingdom The Me, Me, Me’s! Gag Reflex, Oui Legionairres Folklaw

Café Rene

Gloucester

13th

Doreen Doreen

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

13th

Heartland

Cross Keys Inn

Gloucester

13th

Ed Arnold

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

13th

Brunswick

Gloucester

13th

Mad Apple Circus, Check Da Cone, Wet Cheese, King Solomon Charlie Baxter

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

13th

Queen Alive

Sound Music Venue

Cheltenham

13th

The Comrades

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

13th

Adrian Byron Burns

Prince Albert

Stroud

14th

Fairey Band

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

14th

Arankas Cackle

Prince Albert

Stroud

14th

Too Rock For Country

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

14th

Winterfest – Instill, Bastions, Empire, Let’s Talk Daggers, Bangers, Black Art + more

Frog & Fiddle

Cheltenham

10th

13th

GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR DECEMBER When?

Who?

Where?

14th

John Dambrosio

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

14th

Sound Music Venue

Cheltenham

Brunswick

Gloucester

14th

The Maddigans, Face The Ocean, Over And Out, Aztecs, New Lake Isolation, Karma Slave, Amateur Drive By Tripwire

Railway Inn

Newnham

14th

Winter Blues

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

14th

Vince Freeman

The Swan

Broadway

14th

Thrill Collins

The Old Badger Inn

Eastington

14th & 15th 15th

Ezekiel Butler

The Quays

Gloucester

Lost In The Light

Sound Music Venue

Cheltenham

15th

Stroud Vinyl Club

Prince Albert

Stroud

15th

Death Bullet, Black Tamanous

Brunswick

Gloucester

18th

Café Rene

Gloucester

18th

Live @ Gloucester Studio Acoustic Night Andy Hughes

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

18th

Thom Tuck

Prince Albert

Stroud

19th

Pauly Zarb

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

19th

Open Mic

Prince Albert

Stroud

20th

KSH & The Going Goods

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

20th

King Solomon

Peppers

Gloucester

20th

Steve Williams

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

21st

Johnny Coppin "All On A Winter's Night" Christmas Smooth Special

Subscription Rooms

Stroud

Cross Keys Inn

Gloucester

Lord Misery, Scene Of My Demise, Snog The Dog, White Crosses Stressechoes

Two Pigs

Cheltenham

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

14th

21st 21st 21st

PLEASE CHECK WITH THE VENUE FOR PRICES & START TIMES

GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR DECEMBER When?

Who?

Where?

21st

All Stars Reggae Dub Band

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

21st

Brunswick

Gloucester

21st

Riff Raff (AC/DC Tribute), Raptor, DamonT Hot Feet, Sam Brooks & Friends

Prince Albert

Stroud

22nd

Whole Lotta Led

Guildhall

Gloucester

22nd

Jamie’s Welcome Home Party

Cross Keys Inn

Gloucester

22nd

The Mizen Experience

Railway Inn

Newnham

22nd

Profound Poets

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

23rd

Mary Jess Leaverland

Guildhall

Gloucester

23rd

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

24th

Festive Singer Songwriter Night with We Are War and Peche Radio Nasties

Café Rene

Gloucester

24th

The Ian Luther Band

Brunswick

Gloucester

24th

Lewis Creaven Band

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

26th

Lewis Creaven Band

Café Rene

Gloucester

27th

Festive Open Mic with Rich Howie

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

27th

The Laurence Jones Band

Café Rene

Gloucester

28th

Stop Stop!

St Paul’s Tavern

Cheltenham

28th

Lonesome Crew

Brunswick

Gloucester

29th

The Revue

Seventeen Black

Cirencester

30th

Miss Fusion

Café Rene

Gloucester

31st

Over The Hill

Bayshill Inn

Cheltenham

31st

A Night With Vince Freeman

Monty’s Cocktail Bar

Cheltenham

31st

Alice In Neverland

Prince Albert

Stroud

*** VENUES & PROMOTORS *** Please send me your January gigs in a nice plain format similar to: When? Who? Where? averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk

OLD GIG PHOTOS 4FT FINGERS @ CHELTENHAM BRANSON’S 2001

These photos are from 2 different gigs at Branson’s in Cheltenham, a venue that no longer exists (where have you heard that before?).

After the Axiom closed down in February 2000, the majority of their nights moved to Branson’s, an old cinema originally built in 1913 on Albion Street. Ska-punk was big at the time and local bands 4ft Fingers, Skankt and [spunge] regularly packed the place out. The venue had a raised stage, large floor space and plenty of seating around the edges. As you can see from the pictures, it was a bit run down but that was all part of the charm. In 2001 the venue was closed down, refurbished and turned into a trendy bar called Springbok. Eventually that was demolished too as the public realised that Cheltenham didn’t need another nondescript nightclub/bar (who would have thought?) You can now buy a 2-bed flat on the site for £330,000 and sleep in the same spot where the drummer jumped into the crowd at the end of the gig - Dr Marten’s and all.

THE MYSTERY TRAIN Last summer we spent several days painting and decorating our living room. In our haste, we dropped the TV and the screen shattered – it had gone to electrical appliance heaven. Needing a soundtrack for our DIY, I searched the internet and found The Mystery Train radio show on Stroud FM. It had a refreshing blend of classic bands, new talent and local artists. Impressed by this mix, I chatted to Alex Huskisson, host of The Mystery Train, about songwriters, local bands and all things radio. “I treat everything the same way,” Alex says when asked about the importance of having local music on the show. “For me music is either good or bad. Though music is subjective - I attempt to showcase the good stuff. I'm absolutely convinced this is the right way to properly 'hear' music! Why shouldn't a great song by a local group or songwriter be played alongside more established records?”

It’s hard to argue with that. On The Mystery Train you are as likely to hear a song by a bloke you saw play in a pub in Gloucester last week as you are by Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan. Alex recognises that music made locally is as valid and important as any other he plays on the program. “In fact sometimes it's more important because it may be the first time a writer or band gets to hear their own work on a radio station!” So what has led him to pleasing the ears of the listeners of Stroud FM? “I can't play an instrument - so I decided to share my passion for music in another way. Like a lot of people starting out - I joined the hospital radio station in Cheltenham.” From there Alex hosted a late night slot on local station CAT FM, but after that came to an end in 2000, it wasn’t until last year that he made a return to the airwaves via community radio station Severn FM. When this hit financial difficulties, Stroud FM offered him a similar late Sunday evening slot, something that seems to sit comfortably with both parties. “Being a community station Stroud FM's remit is to help support all things 'local' - events, the arts, music, the things happening that effect a local community. It's a valuable service most commercial radio stations appear to do so grudgingly, if at all.”

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-MysteryTrain/378183978870637?ref=hl

When asked about local artists he has discovered through doing the show, Alex produces a list as long as his arm, and admits that he was amazed by the power of Gloucester singer songwriter Russ Poole's vocals – “He performed a wonderful live set! But the biggest highlight though for me is to have so many music loving listeners that enjoy interacting, recommending songs and sharing thoughts.” This year he has interviewed Ron Sexsmith after a show at the Royal Albert Hall, Tracey Browne at Beautiful Days Festival and Mercury Prize nominated Kathryn Williams who recently played at the Prince Albert in Stroud.

Follow The Mystery Train on Twitter @alexhuskisson

So what’s the next stop for The Mystery Train? “It would be great to build things. I want to introduce people to music that's life affirming, thought provoking and genuinely moving - sometimes all three. It's an honour to share that passion with those that take the trouble to listen. I would love it if local musicians especially singer songwriters from the area get in contact. Stroud FM is committed to playing music by people within our county and community radio stations are always looking for support - be that financial or in helping to make high quality programs.”

You can’t say fairer than that. The Mystery Train departs Stroud FM at 10pm every Sunday night. Buy your tickets (metaphorically) at www.stroudfm.co.uk

NOVEMBER GIG GALLERY

From left to right: 1. Keith Thompson @ The Brunswick, Gloucester 2. Tripwire @ The Brunswick, Gloucester Photos courtesy of Katie Thomas. https://www.facebook.com/katie.ccphotography

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NOVEMBER GIG GALLERY

Clockwise from above: 1. Helloween @ The Brunswick, Gloucester 2.The Drawing Of The Three 3. Skinny River @ Oxjam, Gloucester 4. King Solomon @ Café Rene, Gloucester 5. Joe Banyard @ Tiger’s Eye at The Old Bell, Gloucester Photos courtesy of James Aldridge & John Plane (Local Music Events) https://www.facebook.com/groups/3178 97478324881/permalink/4921776408 96863/

Follow on twitter: @behindsceneglos

GIG REVIEW Drawing Of The Three,, Jon Masters, Small Tall Robot, Skinny River @ Brockworth Rugby Club, Gloucester (02.11.13) Oxjam Brockworth hosted its first gig at Brockworth Rugby Club on the first weekend of November. 4 local acts played live and for free to a packed venue of more than 110 music lovers. The atmosphere was lively and the audience certainly played its part to make it an amazing night. Teenage star in the making SKINNY RIVER was the opening act and played a mix of covers and his own material. He went down a storm with the crowd with his unique style and great stage presence. Cheltenham based indie covers band SMALL TALK ROBOT were up next and played a selection of indie classics and modern material. The band were well appreciated by the crowd for their brilliant set.

Local cult hero JON MASTERS came out of the music wilderness to support this gig and belted out a selection of old school punk classics which soon got the first mosh pit underway.

The headline act THE DRAWING OF THE THREE played all their own original material with a few new really catchy numbers which will further enhance their growing reputation on the local circuit. Marcus Fisher from Cheltenhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sound Music Venue provided another sterling sound production for the event.

The first Oxjam Brockworth event was really well supported - local businesses contributed to a raffle and combined with ticket sales managed to raise an impressive ÂŁ723.00. It seems that Oxjam Brockworth is well and truly born! Words written by James Aldridge. Any bands looking for local gigs can contact him at: jamaaldridge75@yahoo.co.uk

Skankt @ Fish & Fiddle, Cheltenham 1999 The Attic had closed down and all future gigs were temporarily moved to the Axiom - Cheltenham’s much missed Arts Centre (R.I.P). It was there that I finally got to go to a ‘proper’ first gig - to see late 90’s Brit-rock wild kids Symposium. I ventured into the ‘pit’ for the final song and from then on moshed my way around Gloucestershire pretty solidly for the next three years. It was at one of the Axiom’s free gigs for younger bands that I first saw Skankt. I’d never even heard of ska. When I was growing up I thought everybody who learned guitar had to play ‘Cum-by-ah’ and other shit folk music our Headteacher strummed in school assemblies. This music was different - it was lively and energetic. A girl I used to go to school with played the saxophone. Teenagers danced and wore white shirts, black ties and baggy jeans jeans - a cross between the Blues Brothers and Tony Hawk. After Skankt played their set we hung around in the courtyard and I bought a CD which I played until it was too scratched to listen to anymore. That night began my half-decade long fling with ska music (until we went our separate ways following a brief affair with emocore).

Skankt at Gloucester Guildhall in 2001

Image from http://cotswoldscascade.blogspot.co.uk/

GIGS I NEVER WENT TO #2

I heard that the band were due to play at a pub called the Fish & Fiddle several weeks later on a Thursday night. It was the school holidays and balmy outside, so, despite being 15 and looking not a day over 12, me, Tom and Dickie chanced our arms that we could get inside the pub, blend into the background and enjoy the music. I don’t think that we even wanted to buy a pint (we probably couldn’t afford it anyway - I only got paid about £7 for my paper round and that had to last me the week). That evening the three of us walked into the Fish & Fiddle at about 8 o’clock, looking for a quiet corner to hide in until the band started playing. We got ourselves inside, looked around and discovered that the place was completely empty. No band. No music. No nothing. The owner was sat on a sofa around the corner and, to his credit, did not burst out in a mile-wide grin at the sight of the three underage musketeers standing in front of him. He said something along the lines of, “You need to be 18 to come in here,” and we walked turned 180 degrees and headed straight back out. Not only did we miss the gig, but the gig didn’t even exist. Tails between our legs, we went over to the park and sat on the swings. What else was there to do?

BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE ISSUE #2 DECEMBER 2013 All content created by BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE. Thanks to all contributors who have been fully credited next to their articles & photos.

Contact via E-mail: averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk Twitter: @behindsceneglos Facebook: facebook.com/behindthesceneglos Tumblr: behindthesceneglos.tumblr.com/