Tuesday 30 March 2010

AZTEC CAMERA / SWING CLUB - TEAZERS - 1982

From the pages of Deadbeat comes this review of a gig that took place at Teazers (Royal Hotel), in 1982.
This venue (complete with candles on the tables) was the main home of Dundee's "Dance Factory" nights, before Fat Sam's opened.
I was at this gig, the headline act being Aztec Camera, from East Kilbride. Main man, Roddy Frame, who was still a very young whippersnapper at the time, was quite a flashy guitarist I recall. Not in a Jimi Hendrix way, but it showed through in his choice of chords and his solo runs. Quite sophisticated for bright & breezy pop songs. I mean, goodness knows how many chord changes there are in their chart hit "Oblivious"?!!!
Anyway, it was an enjoyable evening of upbeat sparkly tunes which began with support act, Dundee band, The Swing Club.
No need for me to describe their performance, for it is they who are the subject in the above review.
If you can't read it as it is, just click on it to enlarge.


4 comments:

  1. I was a bit too young to have went to the Dance Factory at Teazers... and it pisses me off that I missed the likes of Durutti Column, Monochrome Set, The Fall etc...

    My first visit to the Dance Factory at Fatty's was to see "punk-skiffle" merchants Terry & Jerry, sometime in 1985! They went down so well that after their 3rd encore, the soundman cut the PA, but the DJ (Nick Wright) persuaded Terry & Jerry to play acoustically on the dance floor in front of the stage... was a great night!

    I can remember the Fat Sams bouncers at that time (Rab Glennie?) wearing tartan blazers! On a Sunday night they used to ask you what band was playing, and if you knew they'd let you in! If you were suited up you wouldn't get in - total reverse of the other nights Fatty’s was open!

    Some bands I remember seeing - The Men They Couldn't Hang, The Pastels, The Vaselines, Pop Will Eat Itself, The Mighty Lemon Drops, The Soup Dragons, Primal Scream, Dog Faced Hermans, The Thanes, Teenage Fanclub, The Go-Betweens, Wedding Present, Inspiral Carpets, Lush, Throwing Muses...

    I wonder if anyone has a definitive list of all the bands that played over the years?

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  2. I reckon that "couple" who danced, may have been the same ones who were always one of the first up to break the ice at Fat Sam's. Can't remember their names now, but they used to dance in twisty contortions, which was quite cool at the time!

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  3. Were the dancers not Scooby and Sylvia ?

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  4. yeah Scooby and Sylvia thats right! Good review! I was part of the rhythm section!

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