Here's an interesting night that was going on at Tiffany's in the Nethergate in April 1981. A competition to see who was Tayside's no1 band. Unfortunately, apart from The Grip, I don't know who else was participating or who won it, so if anybody has any info on the contest, feel free to pass on the details in the comments.In the 70's, Tiffany's had a bit of a nasty reputation for being a place notorious for fights. I remember visiting it around 77 just to assess it for myself. Think I stayed for 1 hour in which there were about 3 scuffles, so scarpered and never went back. Amusingly, an anagram of Tiffanys is - ANY TIFFS - yeah, loads!
The place did try to get a change of image around 1980 in which putting on events such as this helped.
Still involved doing battle though!
Thanks to DD.
I remember writing about this for Cranked Up's predecessor Le Sinistre - entitled "The Tiffany's Farce".
ReplyDeleteFabian Bell
i read that article, didn't you "expose" a little set up by organisers and local band mafia for use of their PA? and that they got paid to play and a guarantee that they would win? jeez, it's funny how things come flooding back to you all these years later, i might be wrong here but wasn't there also a panel of celebrity judges? i think street level too part too, (not too sure)
ReplyDeleteYes Street Level did play that night but if I can remember it was a disorganised mess. Management ploy to get entertainment by Dundees leading bands free of charge and the promise if it was good then a gig for real at a later date. Its a bit hazy but I do recall something about the PA.
ReplyDeleteThe grammar on the ticket/flyer is fairly shoddy! Who says standards have slipped in the past 28 years???
ReplyDeleteI have no memory of this although there is something at the back of my mind which rings a bell. Maybe I've blotted it out due to the trauma. I love the advert it really shows how in touch Tiffs were with the 'scene'. God only knows who the DJ was, but I bet he didn't look anything like the poster. I only remember being in Tiffany's a couple of times and marveled at the little bits of coloured glass they had lighting up the pillars it looked like a bric-a-brac stall in the Lorne Street Market. The bouncers had a fearsome reputation and when exiting down the side alley you often had to pick your way through the bodies of those who had been thrown out earlier.
ReplyDeleteI've just checked my old article and the bands who took part were the Megazones, No Fixed Abode, Street Level, The Spies, The Grip. I'm not sure in the end that Mafia did take part. I can't reproduce the article here because I remember that the article was libellous(!) and closed Le Sinistre down to relaunch as Cranked Up. I can send a scan of the article to anyone though if they email me at craig_methven@hotmail.com - its pretty badly written but was bold I suppose.......
ReplyDeleteyip, that's reminded me, Mafia were "offered" to play with a winning guarantee but declined, i think in one heat it was Steet Level's PA used and they were competing that same night, i think their sound engineer got accused of giving all the other bands a crap sound, (nothing changes gigwise then) i may be wrong but i was at the bar and am sure after the grip played their drummer kicked over some gear , gave the engineer a blast over a microphone, ending up in a near rammy later!!! maybe not but that's how i remember it :-) PS this is a vague one , was "Anne Crawford " not one of the "celeb" guests? now where have i heard that name before ??? ;)
ReplyDeleteI still only have the vaguest recollection of this, so I'm guessing I wasn't said sound engineer. I will check with Calum and get the inside story.
ReplyDeleteThe judges were: John McGuire - entertainments officer for the Council, Anne Crawford (aka Toni Scott of Poparound fame), her boyfriend ( I think posing as a member of the public...?) and somebody from Ellerman Travel.
ReplyDeleteer Keith - was your brother Drew Ramsay?
ReplyDeleteYep was and still is. He just left a comment on here about the Tayside Bar.
ReplyDeleteJohn McGuire thats a name I havent heard for a while.
I remember he had a girlfriend called I think Moe.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember my 21st birthday at Genna's? Sykes from the grip gave me a dil*o and the last song was Atmosphere by Joy Division. Ricky Ross was there way long before Deacon Blue....
Craig
Had a feeling it may be the sound engineer extrodinaire. I'll catch up for a beer at the Blues bonanza next month.
ReplyDeleteI think we must have been very music scene naive in these days.
I wouldn't have thought Tiffany's would have many patrons on Tuesday nights and guess whose got sucked in 8-).
Gee these names John McGuire etc. and the 'obscurely' Ann Crawford
You wouldn't be dead for quids.
Hey Craig I remember you now from the Scrotum P's. I always wanted to ask you if you had springs in your wayfinders when you played live 8-).I remember a song about Radio Tay I think. I just need a bit of memory jogging from time to time.
So the Scrotes were the only band that never got sucked in. mmm the plot thickens
this was in the days well before you tube and my space, most of the bands did it for promotional reasons, even got a write up in the "tullie" don't think any of them were really bothered or even wanted to play "tiffs" on a proper night, but hat's off to the scrotes for keeping their street cred intact and not playing, or did anne crawford put the kybosh on it????
ReplyDeleteNow you mention it Craig I have a shadowy memory of that. Drew now lives in Edinburgh but I sometimes see Morag around, she hasn't changed a bit.
ReplyDeleteHere is a laugh for everybody, I came across this on Facebook here is the link http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=30551929534
Its some by some Jackie Bird stalker type and he has written
"Not many people know that Jackie Bird used to be a backing singer with Echo and the Bunnymen in the early 80's, and in about 1980 they played the Mermaid lounge in the Cabarfeidh Hotel to wild approbation from the massed ranks of the Stornoway punks."
The fact that she had just left school and moved through to Dundee in 1980 and her musical tastes ran to Billy Joel and Dean Friedman seems to have escaped this chaps notice. So I found this all very amusing. However Echo and the Bunnymen did play the Cabarfeidh Hotel in July 1983 and there is some evidence to suggest that she might have been there 'singing'. Stunned!! I havent spoken to her since I lived in Glasgow but she certainly never mentioned that to me.
So we are in agreeance it was a stromash but was an official winner announced and if yes what was the prize?
ReplyDeleteas far as i remember muzza there were 2 heats, street level (with their own PA ;) ) won the 2nd, i think NFA won the first, there was to be a play off which "guess what?" never happened, no outright winner was ever announced, no gig, no prize, so tiffs really did get 2 Tuesday nights of bands and music lovers inside their establishment spending money on a night they would normally be closed, hmmm !!! :-)~
ReplyDeletehere craig, i spoke to ricky ross that night, he had a shabby parka on and glasses, looked like "lofty" from eastenders, i was introduced to him from the drummer of the grip saying "this is ricky , he writes his own stuff" i took one look at him and thought "eh right! so he does" :) that's true . honest.
ReplyDeleteThere were indeed two heats but heat 1 was No Fixed Abode against the Megazones. BOTH were elected to go through to the final! Heat 2 was Spies, Street Level and the Grip. I think Street Level won that. But you're quite right, no final, no trophy, no winner.
ReplyDeleteApart from the Scrotes who refused to play "on principal", also Waiter Waiter and St.Andrew & the Woolen Mill gave it a wide berth.
Craig
it was ok for the scrotes and st andy to knock it back, they were getting regular work in the north end clubbie and playing weddings, some of the others were just starting up and trying to be the first jump the Q :)
ReplyDeleteThe scrotes never played a clubbie or a wedding....
ReplyDeleteCraig
I saw Deacon Blue and Ricky Ross in the mid eighties in Adelaide, Australia live at Le Rox and he sang with an Aussie accent.Thats true, really honest.
ReplyDeleteCraig I think Street Level ended up getting a proper gig from that night so it wasn't entirely a waste of time. All the members of the entourage survived to tell the tale however Jackie did escape to Glasgow.
hmmmmm , i'm not so sure did the poles no play "club" feet ??? might be got on a technicality there, :)
ReplyDeleteClub Feet was not strictly a clubbie I think.....
ReplyDeleteActually I think it was called Junction Nine then anyway......
ReplyDeleteCraig
I was the bassist with the Grip at the time and I'd like to clarify any grey areas.
ReplyDeleteAlas, the 80s sped by in a bit of a blur and my recollections of the whole decade are fuzzy at best.
I do remember one of the McGlone brothers was there in our corner. I think he was there to show Neil which keys to cover because apart from the Batman theme he couldn't play diddly squat.Apparently we came second. The comment about the sound and Sykes throwing a wobbly sounds familiar ;)
Well, well, well, Gary Young ! hope your keeping well , still surprised you remembered as much as that mate, it's all a blur to me like :)
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