Email Updates

Email Received Friday 10th April 2009

A quick note to say I was at the festival and have a (very low quality) cassette recording of some of the event. This was put together by a friend and is dated 31.8.77, rather than 29th August.

Someone missing from your line-up is Spizz. This was, I believe, Spizz's debut performance: after getting up on stage and making stuff up for a while, management pulled the plug, whereupon Spizz performed a new song called 'I've been switched off', which prompted a merry sing-along. I will ask around and see if anyone has photos or other memorabilia.

At the time some friends and I were ligging around with the Killjoys and we were regulars at Barbarella’s. The club used to attract a lot of excellent bands, so I was lucky enough to attend some excellent gigs, including Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Blondie, Penetration etc, etc. Halcyon days!

Ian Goodyer

Email Received Wednesday 16th February 2011

Hi Folks,
Came across your website last night while trying to find out why people are paying so much for the book "100 Nights At The Roxy". Brilliant website, I spent hours in there.
As for the Birmingham Punk Festival, I spent hours in there too as it was an all-dayer (2pm to 2 am, must have been the August Bank Holiday). I went to my first Punk gig on 22.05.77 (Slits, Subway Sect, Buzzcoks and Clash at Wolvo Civic) and turned 18 the next day.
From then on I got to see as many bands as I could, mainly in Brum (Barbarellas and Rebeccas), Wolvo (Civic Hall) and Dudley (JB's) and also around the country where we would cadge lifts from The Killjoys. I don't have a brilliant memory but fortunately I kept a sort of mini diary of all the gigs I went to, when I get a scanner I will let you have a copy and also some old cuttings and photos of The Killjoys at The Hope & Anchor in 78 just before the change in direction that led to Dexys. Kevin Rowland has his critics but I personally thought he was a great bloke, very generous, he would pick us up to go to gigs mainly in London (Marquee, Vortex, Nashville)and drop us off at our front doors in West Bromwich. We often met down Smethwick for a pint when things were quiet and talk about what music we were into before Punk. We had a great night too at the unusual venue of Matlock Pavilions near Derby. He got me and my mate Backstage Passes for Barbarellas, we used to pretend to be roadies and get into gigs for nothing.

As for the Brum Punk Festival, I went with my brother Mac, and mates Steve (Sladey) and Julie and Maxine who are sisters from West Brom who bought along a packed lunch and picnic basket. Admission was only £1 and my listing shows the following;
The Drones
D Features
Accelerator
Rudi & The Rationals
The Worst
The Victims
Model Mania and
The Killjoys.
There was another Barbarellas all dayer later that year on Boxing Day which featured amongst others TV Eyes, Onslaught, Neon Hearts, The MPs and The Killjoys, again it was only £1 in. Barbarellas was superb, I was there the night Elvis died and no one believed Gene October when he told us all midway thru a Chelsea gig, we thought it was another No Elvis...etc etc. I found out for real when i got home about 4 in the morning to find my mother still up in shock. I was also at Barbarellas for The Damned just after Marc Bolan died, they did a blistering tribute to him as an encore.

Those two nights and any Clash or Killjoys gigs at Barbarellas are stand out gigs in a great club, also the massively under rated Aussie band The Saints played a blinder. There was also some dispute on your site or Clash Blog about a gig The Clash done at Barbarellas. My records and memory have it that The Clash played Barbarellas on Tue 24 Jan 1978 (£2 in with support acts Model Mania and The Lous). I made it to this gig and Strummer wasn't happy that we had been charged £2 and vowed to do another show for 50p.

The Clash kept their word and played again shortly afterwards and Steve Jones and Paul Cook helped out in the encore (White Riot). My Brother and mates were there but I had started "courting" and never made it, I didn't think it would go ahead to be honest but there you go. I was in Birmingham for the ill-fated Rag Market gig that was cancelled. The funniest part of the day was The Police telling a group of us that The Clash had been turned back on the Motorway so we may as well as go home. In that group was Strummer and Simenon!
So many memories. I'm nearly 52 now and still play some old tunes now and then and love reading about that era and for this reason I promise I will get some stuff together for you.
All The Best

Pete(Paddy) from West Brom.