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Next up is a big bundle of photos spread over 2 days featuring bands who played at the Dance Factory in the mid/late 80's.
Unfortunately, the bands in the pictures weren't catalogued, so although the reason I put them up was because they are a fine set of images in the first place, if you think you can identify any of the acts, that'll be a nice added bonus.
Some bands have 2 pics, some just 1.
See how you get on.
Photos by The Bear.
I'll bet there wasn't an ounce of stagecraft among them and if any of them are making a living from music now, I'll be a monkey's bum.
ReplyDeleteThe bedsheet backdrop sums it all up.
This was a crap time for music and these geeks abused punk's kicking down of the door.
Perhaps excepting the hairy rockers, there isn't a set of knackers between the lot of them.
A fifty six year old Adam Ant gave a lesson in putting on a show at Fat Sams on Saturday and the songs were pretty good too.
Like someone wrote earlier, the acts here are a perfect storm of rubbish.
Dance Factory?
Good riddance to them and their twee shite.
(an auld punk writes)
Quote...
ReplyDelete""A fifty six year old Adam Ant gave a lesson in putting on a show at Fat Sams on Saturday and the songs were pretty good too.""
...Unquote
Adam Ant?
HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!!
YA FUCKIN KNOB!
Yeah, that's the kind of gadgie comment that just about ruins sites like this.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder people speak about Dundee the way they do.
People like you are scum.
I wonder if Mr Anonymous ever enjoyed a gig where safety pins and spitting wasnt the order of the day. Music evolves, may not be the way you like it, but these were fun times, and I enjoyed the dance factory and all the live bands they offered, at least they gave it a shot, and ithey werent your usual wedding covers bands. What did you do Anonymous?
ReplyDeleteI'm an Auld Punk myself, just not so narrow minded and bitter.
Going to see Adam Ant at Hard Rock Calling this summer, hope he's as good as you say!
Auld punk here as well ...
ReplyDeleteI don't recognise any of those bands in the pics but what about the other gigs, Housemartins, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The Men They Couldn't Hang etc ... I seem to remember them as great gigs although I was very, very drunk :-)
Sorry, I don't recognise any of these bands-does anyone know them?
ReplyDeleteThe 2 best gigs I remember at that time were throwing muses-kristin hersh is still amazing, check out 50ft wave- and the bhundu boys. Any photos of those gigs retro?
just a couple of randomm thoughts can you gauge "stagecraft" from a still photo? The "Bedsheetbackdrop" was an inhouse fattie's/ dance factory thing so can't blame the bands.
ReplyDelete"punk" was a pretty broad church if I remember correctly from the stranglers mainly hairy old rockers (who could play) to reconstructed younger and less hairy rockers who could play and pose (the Clash) to hairless young manipulated scene stealers who couln't (at least at first Cook, Jones and Matlock or at all- Vicious)- the Sex pistols.
Saw them all, live at the time (1976- 81) as well as Foreigner, AC/DC, Whitesnake etc. Never saw the contradiction, didn't think then or since that "punk was anything else than shorter and faster guitar based rock.
Don't believe the re written history of the (mostly) London centric media that this was some kind of game changer ELP, Zep, Abba etc continued to sell and still do! most people went and did what they always did bought music they liked (irrespective of genre or hyped fashion), then those who wanted to or could formed bands that either took punk as a cue, or ignored it and aspired to be Black Sabbath. What it did do was maybe inspire the notion that you did not have to be an instrumental genius to be musical- that was a good thing!
It was ever thus
If punk "kicked down the door" what has happened since?
Here endeth the sermon
One of the main reasons I'm struggling to identify the bands in these shots is because the bulk of music I was interested in during this mid to end of 80's period, was turntable based action. Hip hop, house, ragga and acid. The clubbing scene ruled and the DJ was king. Live bands on stage was a thing of the past! It wasn't until the bands involved in the acid jazz scene as well as the likes of Sonic Youth, sparked live music back to life again in the early 90's.
ReplyDeleteThe hairy rocker types were called Crazyhead, hd two or three sub ac/dc type tunes.
ReplyDeleteAdam Ant may in his 50s but he can still put on a good show
an auld punk ..... that would be Jock again?
ReplyDeleteOr Burt Spurt?
Harty you're bang on the money
C.O.Jones
For the record, this old punk isn't Jock !
ReplyDeleteI agree with much of what Harty wrote regarding the myth of punk rock, we just far too busy turning rebellion into money to care
Pix 1 - 2: Bobby Valentino from the Bluebells on violin... looks like the Men They Couldn't Hang, but not sure.
ReplyDeletePix 3 - 4: Crazyhead
Pix 5 - 6: Stephen Tin-Tin Duffy
Pix 7 - 8: The McClusky Brothers... maybe?
Pix 9 - 10: Trash Can Sinatras
Pic 11: Swamptrash... maybe?
Pix 12 - 13: No idea...
The McKluskey's and Swamptrash photos were put up earlier in May and don't appear to resemble the acts in these pictures.
ReplyDeleteI've got a list of some of the acts who played the Dance Factory around the time these photos were taken - so if anyone thinks they can match the images to the names below, be sure to let us know.
Here goes...
Pop Will Eat Itself - The Motorcycle Boy - The House Of Love - The Oyster Band - Mighty Lemon Drops - Nyah Fearties - Le Roux - The Men They Couldn't Hang - Close Lobsters - New York Pig Funkers - Texas - Loop - Fairground Attraction - Slide - The Critterhill Varmints - Avo-8 - Balcony Dogs - The Silencers - The Wedding Present - The Bible - The LA's - The Weather Prophets.
(this list will accompany the other batch of photos too)
Pics 1 and 2 definitely The Men They Couldn't Hang
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it's the Men Thet Couldn't Hang, because they had a female bass player... could be wrong though.
ReplyDeleteAlan, that is 100% them. Female bass player left after first album.
ReplyDeleteGG...your home must be even more cluttered with ..ephemera (stuff).. than mine, and that is saying something! Still having lists of who played at the Dance Factory in the 80's is above and beyond the call of hoarders duty!
ReplyDeleteThe Trash Can Sinatras all look about 14 years old. Amazed they got into Fatties in the first place.
ReplyDeleteBridie, I'm affy methodical me. My filing system at home is fine, it's just my computer content that's a shambles! GG
5 and 6 are The Lilac Time, rather than Stephen Duffy on his own. That's Stephens brother playing the accordian.
ReplyDeletePic 2 is Zodiac Mindwarp!!! Me and my mate Sylvia Paterson worked for DC Thomson and we used to get into the Dance Factory free by phoning Stuart Clumpas who I think had dated Sylv's flatmate. Other bands we saw were Simply Red and Hue and Cry. I was always drunk as a skunk and we used to slam dance at the front of the stage, cigarette in hand! Sylvia went on to be a top music journo. She'sone of the best people I ever met. We used to get high, listen to great music and eat biscuits the morning after seeing a gig...hehe
ReplyDelete