Friday 14th February 1975 – Brewer’s Droop – Technical College
Ron Watts’ band, Brewer’s Droop were guests at the 1975 Valentine’s Ball at High Wycombe Technical College. If I am reading the advert correctly, your romantic night out would have started out with the charmingly named Dildo Kids!! Although that may have been a strap line for The Droop?
Music paper advert for Brewer’s Droop mini tour – February 1975, including Wycombe, Birmingham and Bognor
By the time of this gig, ‘The Droop’ had been gigging for more than four years, clocking up more than a 1,000 dates but regular gigs were on the downturn, leaving a then 33 year old Watts to concentrate on promoting.
The Technical College was also set for a change, when in September 1975 it was renamed (or in modern jargon, ‘rebranded’) to Buckinghamshire College of Higher Education. Under both banners it would regularly host gigs throughout the 1970’s and beyond, while ‘rock concerts’ at the nearby Town Hall gradually became less frequent.
It was just over a year later that Watts returned to the venue (to help book a stripper) and bumped into a ‘bunch of scruffs’ called ‘The Sex Pistols’. The rest is..etc…
Birmingham based The Move came to High Wycombe at point of their first UK chart success. Formed in December 1965 with a line-up of Trevor Burton (guitar/vocals), Roy Wood (guitar/vocals), Chris Kefford (bass/vocals), Carl Wayne (vocals) and Bev Bevan (drums), they released their first single, ‘Night of Fear’, in December 1966.
The single peaked at No.2 in the UK on 26 January 1967 and just over a week later they were the headliners at High Wycombe Town Hall’s Valentine Ball.
The Move – Bucks Free Press advert for their 13th February 1967 appearance at High Wycombe Town Hall – the ‘A NIGHT OF FEAR’ caption is a reference to their single of the time. Note the added attraction of ‘TOP DISCS’!
The Move were grouped into the ‘Psychedelic’ tag that the music press of the time were starting to use. This was during a period of mass experimentation in not only the latest electronic music gadgets but also the mind altering substances prevalent in the music industry.
A quick look at the lyrics of ‘Night of Fear’ seems to reveal more, “Just about to flip your mind, just about to trip your mind”.
Their follow up single in April 1967, “I Can Hear The Grass Grow” reached No.5 in the UK charts and was also accused of containing references to ‘the synthetic effects of hallucinogenics’.
Wood, 20 at the time of the Wycombe gig, would go on to claim fame with Wizzard in the 1970’s, while Bevan (22), would become better known for his time in the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). They were both still performing at the time of this article, 50 years after their appearance at The Town Hall!
This is what they looked and sounded like back in early 1967.
Friday 11th February 1977 – Throbbing Gristle – Nag’s Head
A common misconception about many of the early ‘punk’ bands was that they ‘couldn’t play’, had ‘no good songs’ and looked like they’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. Of course, only some of this may have been true. Some of the best pop songs of the 1970’s came out of the punk movement and the musicianship was generally of a high standard.
If you wanted real punk, then step forward Throbbing Gristle – a band consisting of 26 year old Genesis P Orridge (real name Neil Megson), 25 year old Cosey Fanni Tutti (real name Christine Newby) and, according to the Bucks Free Press Midweek review of their gig at The Nag’s Head on Friday 11th February 1977, reclusive American artist Monte Cazazza. The latter apparently coined the phrase “industrial music for industrial people”.
A scan of the review is shown below but I’ve also included the text for ease of reading and search engine recognition.
I wish I’d gone home
Anyone who reads the juicer Sunday and popular newspapers will know the name of Throbbing Gristle, pictured above featuring Genesis P. Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Monte Cazazza.
One may have asked in passing : “Who are these weirdies?” I still don’t know who they are, or why they should have attracted such publicity, and I went out of my way to see them perform at the Nag’s Head pub in High Wycombe on Friday.
Well, I say perform because just at the moment I seem to be lost for words to describe what went on.
I make no apology for saying I am a lover of heavy, noisy. Jarring, ear-splitting music. I’m young and strong and I can take it.
But I had a job to keep my pint in my stomach as I listened to the muck which was Throbbing Gristle’s claim to fame.
An ape with his hands severed can thump just as violently on a bass guitar as Genesis did. I thought that was bad, but then he picked up his electrified violin and suddenly the place was full of agonised cats.
I can’t be sure that he was trying to sing, and I couldn’t make out every word he screamed into the microphone, but it sounded like I should have ignored the man and gone home.
Our photographer gave up early. I wish I’d followed him.
But I waited, and watched dumbfounded as Cosey Fanni Tutti bared both her chest and her ignorance of music, and Genesis poured artificial blood over his head then spat it onto the stage.
At least he did stop playing for a while — but only to shout obscenities at the audience and to throw a table across the hall.
Then he invited half a dozen youngsters from the catcalling and jeering audience onto the stage, and he handed them the instruments. They sounded better than Throbbing Gristle, even though they couldn’t play a note.
Those youngsters paid 75p to go into the hail to listen to the stomach churning travesty of music which Throbbing Gristle was oozing into the Nag’s Head.
The landlord, Mick Fitzgibbon, told me that the youngsters were about ready to throw Genesis P. Orridge, plus his equipment, bodily through the door.
“I’ll never have them back here,” he said. “The kids were threatening to punch the promoter, and I don’t blame them.”
However Gig Reserves, the promoters want to make amends to customers of theNag’s Head. They promise that next weekend’s band, Phil Ram, is good, and not to be missed. I think I’ll go along to make sure
KEITH BALDOCK
Those with a strong stomach, should follow the link below to read how Cazazza funded his 1977 trip to the UK.
The Nag’s Head gig was also recorded for an official cassette release in 1979.
The track listing included: Very Friendly, We Hate You (Little Girls), Slug Bait, Anarchy And Music. Zyklon B Zombie, If I Was A Little Baby and Wall Of Sound.
Perhaps the ‘Zyklon B Zombie’ track name influenced the later Wycombe punk band ‘Cylcon B’, formed in 1979 with former members of the Plastic People?
Were you one of the people who were invited on stage at this gig? Please get in touch.
The complete audio was available via YouTube as of March 2020. Happy listening!
Saturday 11th February 1967 – Tom Jones – Town Hall
I found a picture on the internet (Getty Images) that claims it’s from a Tom Jones performance at High Wycombe Town Hall on 11th February 1967.
The Bucks Free Press archives from February 1967 has no mention of the gig, before or after the suggested date. Looking at the picture, it is certainly not in the main Town Hall but could quite possibly be The Oak Room. Did it actually take place and on what date? Do you know anybody who may have attended?
This is another gig that I’ve had difficulty in verifying if it actually took place.
Numerous David Bowie archive websites list the 11th February 1972 as the 2nd night of the Ziggy Stardust tour. However, the gig was not advertised in the Bucks Free Press and the performance (if it took place), passed without comment in the local press.
The date came less than two week’s after Bowie’s legendary performance at Aylesbury’s Borough Assembly Hall. That 29th January 1972 date saw Bowie perform tracks from Ziggy Stardust for the first time. An advert for this gig appeared in both the Bucks Free Press and Midweek in the days leading up to ‘Friars’ show.
Advert for David Bowie gig in Aylesbury 29th January 1972 – from Bucks Free Press
But what about the High Wycombe show? A young Bowie had performed in High Wycombe back in March 1966 but by 1972 he was now reaching superstar status.
Any information on any of his High Wycombe performances, gratefully received.
These are links to two websites that list the 11 February 1972 gig
Saturday 8th February 2003 – Kings of Leon – White Horse
This is another High Wycombe gig that has grown in legendary status over the years. Kings of Leon, a much hyped-up ‘pop rock’ band from the USA, were booked to play The White Horse as their first ever date in the UK and as a low-key warm-up for a planned appearance at the NME Awards Show as support for The Coral at London’s Astoria on 11th February 2003. That gig was subsequently postponed due to ill health in The Coral camp, and Kings of Leon’s London debut was switched to Highbury’s Garage venue on the same date.
Kings of Leon on stage at The White Horse – 8th February 2003 – picture Paul Lewis
Formed in 1999 when the three Followill brothers, plus their cousin, put together a four piece outfit, The Kings of Leon, apparently named as a tribute to their father and grandfather (both named Leon), took their influences from bands such as Thin Lizzy, Rolling Stones, The Clash and The Pixies.
They signed a record deal with RCA during 2002 but their debut output, an EP entitled Holy Roller Novocaine, was a few days away from official release as they took stage at The White Horse.
The line-up that night were brothers Caleb Followill (21 years old, lead vocals and guitar), Nathan Followill (23, drums) and Jared Followill (16, bass), plus cousin Matthew Followill (18, lead guitar).
It was the reputation of the venue that seems to have taken this gig into the mythological stratosphere. The White Horse is perhaps better known in local circles as an old school ‘strip pub’. But in the late 1990’s the sudden closure of The Nag’s Head as a music venue, led to the West Wycombe Road venue taking on its booking sheet. It proved a huge success, with Alternator gigs also being asked to showcase their gigs at the 200 capacity venue from late 2001 onwards. Other promoters also managed to attract the likes of the UK Subs, The Dickies and The Damned in order to keep the ‘punk’ crowd happy.
Gigs would take place after the ‘Exotic Dancers’ had finished their day-time acts at the same venue. However, on evenings when there was an extended line-up or when one or more of the bands turned up early, they could be confronted with dressing rooms still in use or with the stage still featuring a vertical pole!
It appears The Kings of Leon may have fallen into the latter category.
In an interview published on the BBC website in October 2016, Nathan Followill is quoted as saying: “It was absolutely insane. We weren’t allowed in our dressing room because the girls were finishing their dances. We’re high-fiving each other because we’re all young and we’re playing at the same place as strippers.”
This ‘warm-up’ gig for the Kings of Leon saw the Nashville boys knife and forked into a line-up that was billed as ‘Goth and Metal’ in the pre-gig flyers but also included up and coming local band Dawn Parade, plus true Metal acts Nurotica and Karn 8. The mixture of attractions, plus word of mouth suggesting that KOL could be the ones to watch, meant the venue was rammed.
Dawn Parade – White Horse 8th February 2003 – picture Paul Lewis
Kings of Leon took the stage at around 10.15pm, they played a relatively short set based around tracks from the soon to be released EP and with the stand-out number, Molly’s Chambers.
The band members sported fairly long-hair at the time, giving more of a ‘Spinal-Tap’ visual impression than the up and coming mega rock stars they were to become. As musicians, they were still learning their trade, particular 16 year old Jared on bass but there was no denying the songs were catchy and there was an obvious gel between the band members – obvious, really, if you were aware they were all related. There was no encore but they left an impression.
The YouTube clip below was recorded at Townhouse Studios London, I believe, a week or so after the High Wycombe gig. Check out the hair!
Punk originals The Clash played The Nag’s Head for the only time on Thursday 18th November 1976 with support from Clayson & The Argonauts.
‘Punk’ was still waiting to happen in High Wycombe, so it was a half-full venue who were lucky enough to witness a 30 minute electrify set, filled with anger and hate. But for some who stood among the A&R men that night in The Nag’s Head loft, it would prove another milestone in the catalyst for a change in the local music scene.
Eight months before this gig Clash lead singer Joe Strummer had played The Nag’s Head with pub rockers The 101’ers. A month later in April 1976 The 101’ers had played The Nashville, London with The Sex Pistols and Strummer realised there and then that his band were old hat, or ‘crud’ in Strummer’s words.
Shortly afterwards, a then 23 year old Strummer was recruited as guitarist and singer for The Clash – a band consisting of 20 year olds, Mick Jones (guitar), Paul Simonon (bass) and Topper Headon (drums). An early (pre-gigging) version of the band included High Wycombe based Billy Watts.
The Clash played their first gig on 4th July 1976 supporting The Sex Pistols at a pub in Sheffield.
Advert from the Bucks Free Press for The Clash gig on 18th November 1976 at The Nag’s Head – High Wycombe – the following evening you could have seen Alvin Stardust in Slough
By the time The Clash appeared at The Nag’s Head on Thursday 18th November 1976 (their 16th proper gig) they had become the most talked about punk band behind The Sex Pistols. The Wycombe appearance, arranged by Ron Watts, was still fairly low key and a chance to see the West London based boys away from their familiar London territory. The gig, on the same night as The Miss World competition broadcast live on BBC from the Albert Hall, has such little interest that Watt’s took the unusual step to advertise the gig in the local press – 50p gaining you entry (or 70p for non-members).
In the audience that night was Zig-Zag editor Kris Needs. He wrote a review of the gig for Sounds that said:
“The Clash are now firing with more compressed energy than a flamethrower at full blast. They play with almost frightening conviction and intensity, each number a rapid-fire statement delivered like a knockout blow”.
Needs had first seen The Clash on 9 October 1976 in his home town of Leighton Buzzard. They had blown him away.
The Clash entered the stage that evening with Strummer sporting freshly dyed blonde hair and a bolier suit with the words ‘Hate and War’ daubed on the back with a paint brush. The set included ‘White Riot’, ‘London’s Burning’, ’48 Hours’, ‘Janie Jones’, ‘I’m So Bored With You [The USA]’, ‘Protex Blue’, ‘Hate And War’, ‘Career Opportunities’, ‘What’s My Name’, ‘Deny’ and ‘1-2 Crush on You’.
His description of Strummer at the High Wycombe gig said:
“Strummer was magnificent, screaming his words and punching the silly low ceiling in front of the stage with rage. With his yellow hair he looks like a paint-spattered Greek God”.
Needs’ review also touched on the subject of why The Clash had yet to be signed.
“The Clash seem forced to take a back seat on the new wave recording front while groups like the Damned, Pistols and Vibrators shove singles out. Why isn’t it that the hottest group this country has got hasn’t yet had the chance to get themselves on vinyl? Dunno, but going on last Thursday’s set, it won’t be too long before some record company wakes up.”
Needs continued with further praise for the band
“I firmly believe The Clash are the most important band to emerge in this country for years. They’re certainly the most exciting. They may be bottom of the bill on the forthcoming Sex Pistols tour but make sure you get there really early — even if it means ducking out to wash your hair during the Damned.”
They were definitely hot property and the gig is also recalled by promoter Ron Watt’s as one where much of the half-full venue was made up of record company A&R men, writing in his autobiography “You could tell tell that [the A&R men] didn’t understand the music because they kept asking me what I thought of the band.”
Saturday 29 January 1977 – Buzzcocks release Spiral Scratch
Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto had formed Buzzcocks having seen the Sex Pistols in High Wycombe back in February 1976. Close to a year later, they release what was one of the first truly independent singles. The Spiral Scratch EP is self-funded, with an initial pressing of 1,000 on their own New Hormones record label. The tracks on the EP are ‘Breakdown’, ‘Time’s Up’, ‘Boredom’ and ‘Friends of Mine’. Disappointing for the growing Wycombe ‘punk’ scene, was that Buzzcocks never made it to play in the Town.
