Author: Paul Lewis

Ron Watts

It would be fair to say if it wasn’t for Ron Watts, the live music scene in High Wycombe during the late 1960’s, through the 1970’s and the into the 1980’s, would have been a much duller place.

Watts first promoted gigs in High Wycombe in 1968, with some of those early names including: John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Jethro Tull, Status Quo, Thin Lizzy and Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Then, having taken a break from promoting gigs in High Wycombe, it was a chance viewing of the Sex Pistols at High Wycombe College in February 1976 that led to him giving them a series of shows at Oxford Street’s 100 Club venue.  In September 1976 he would bring the Pistols back to The Nag’s Head just a couple of weeks before appeared at the famous 100 Club Punk Festival and less than three months before they hit national notoriety via the ‘Bill Grundy’ episode.

Watt’s would go on to bring the up and coming ‘punk’ and ‘new wave’ to High Wycombe during the remainder of the 1970’s and early 1980’s. The most well-known names include The Stranglers, The Clash, The Damned, The Jam, Generation X, The Jam, Siouxsie and The Banshees, XTC, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Tom Robinson Band, The Psychedelic Furs and U2.

Ron sadly passed away during the initial research for this website and, in the absence of a working version of wycombegigs.co.uk, I wrote an obituary that was published on chairboys.co.uk on 16th July 2016.

I introduced the piece thus:

Watts is best known for his involvement in the rise of the punk scene in 1976 and 1977, promoting gigs at the famous Nag’s Head venue in High Wycombe in addition to the legendary 100 Club venue in Oxford Street, London. However, it  would be an insult to his legacy to leave unmentioned his part in bringing top Blues acts to venues in the UK during the late 1960’s and beyond, plus his front man role in legendary Cajun Blues band, Brewer’s Droop.

You can read the full piece at:

http://www.chairboys.co.uk/history/2016_07_ron_watts_obit.htm

Ron’s name will pop up time and time again on this website and it would be great to hear your memories and tributes to the man responsible for so many gigs in High Wycombe, many of which provided the inspiration for future bands to form, or in my case, a leading figure in inspiring the creation of this website.

3 February 1977 – The Jam & The Boys – Nag’s Head

Thursday 3rd February 1977 – The Jam and The Boys – Nag’s Head

The rise of the Punk Rock scene had provided the perfect vehicle for Woking’s mod revivalist band, The Jam.  Leader singer and guitarist Paul Weller had formed the band in 1972 at the age of 14.  By the time of their February 1977 appearance at The Nag’s Head, Weller was still only 18, with bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler – both 21 years old at the time – making up the three-piece.

The Jam came to High Wycombe on the back of several Ron Watts’ promoted gigs at The 100 Club and the trip to High Wycombe was a rare adventure outside of the capital at a time where they were on the verge of signing for Polydor.

A week after the Nag’s Head gig, The Jam recorded their first demos for Polydor – laying down four tracks: In The City, Time for Truth, Sounds From The Street and I’ve Changed My Address.  They would put pen to paper on their Polydor deal on 15th February 1977 and it was announced in the press on 24th February 1977.  The reported advance seemed a measly £6,000 compared to the £100,000 coughed up by CBS for The Clash in January 1977.

Their powerful, in your face, style proved popular with The Nag’s Head crowd and they returned to the same venue later in the year as a thank-you to Ron Watts.

Support for The Jam for the February gig were The Boys, a UK punk band formed in late 1976.

27 January 1977 – Clayson & The Argonauts – Nag’s Head

Thursday 27th January 1977 – Clayson & The Argonauts – Nag’s Head

Led by Alan Clayson, this weird looking bunch are reported to have made their debut at a Ron Watts’ 100 Club gig on 9 January 1977.  However, they were listed to have supported The Clash at The Nag’s Head on 18 November 1976.

According to some notes from Alan Clayson via the link below, that night at The 100 Club his band were the warm-up act, along with The Jam, for a band called Stripjack.

 

You will also see they played The Nag’s Head some ten years later, in front of a crowd of twelve!

Read more at:

http://damagedgoods.co.uk/bands/alan-clayson-and-the-argonauts

25 January 1977 – Clash sign for CBS

Tuesday 25th January 1977 – Clash sign for CBS

Just a couple months after playing The Nag’s Head, The Clash sign a record deal with CBS for a reported £100,000.  Mark Perry, writing for his iconic fanzine ‘Sniffin Glue’, said at the time: “Punk died the day The Clash signed for CBS”.  Was he correct?  They certainly never played The Nag’s Head again.  The nearest they got to High Wycombe again were gigs at Aylesbury Friars.

20 January 1977 – Generation X – Nag’s Head

Thursday 20th January 1977 – Generation X – Nag’s Head

Generation X had been formed at the tail end of 1976, when 21 year old William Broad dropped his guitar playing role with early punk rockers Chelsea, to take on the pseudonym ‘Billy Idol’ and create his own band – taking with him/stealing, bass player Tony James (23), drummer John Towe – then adding 17 year old guitarist Bob Andrews.  They played their first gigs in London during December 1976, with their second ever live outing taking place on the opening night of The Roxy in Neal Street, Covent Garden.

Their appearance at one of the regular Thursday Punk nights at The Nag’s Head appears to be their first live gig outside of London and only their 9th ever gig.  Their style was more rock n’roll, rather than the chaos and political statements of The Sex Pistols and The Clash but the charismatic Idol was a crowd puller. Their set-list included Day by Day, Listen!, Youth Youth Youth and Your Generation.

Generation X at The Roxy in December 1976.

Support for Generation X at The Nag’s Head comes from The Bumpers.

It will be the first of four appearances for Gen X in Wycombe during 1977.

13 January 1977 – Roogalator – Nag’s Head

Thursday 13 January 1977 – Roogalator – Nag’s Head

Roogalator were a much talked up band at the time of their January 1977 at The Nag’s Head.  Classified by many as ‘pub rock’ band, they had signed a one-off record deal with Stiff Records in 1976 but had moved to Virgin Records by 1977.  They played alongside many of the up and coming punk bands of the time and were included on the Hope and Anchor – Front Row Festival album released in March 1978.

The advert below is from The Bucks Free Press and tucked just above an advert for dance lessons held at the Palace cinema in Frogmoor.

6 January 1977 – Sex Pistols sacked by EMI

Thursday 6th January 1977 – Sex Pistols sacked by EMI

The Sex Pistols are sacked by EMI after just three months with the record label.  The Pistols had played High Wycombe twice in 1976 prior to signing the deal with EMI for a reported £40,000.  The Bill Grundy episode, coupled with their behaviour on route to gigs in The Netherlands, had finally tipped the record label over the edge.  Their solitary release on EMI, ‘Anarchy in the UK’ remains a punk classic – “They only did it for the fame”

Press release from EMI confirming the departure of the Sex Pistols from the record label in Jauuary 1977

1 December 1976 – I swear I was there

Wednesday 1st December 1976

Less than three months after attracting virtually no publicity for their gig at The Nag’s Head, The Sex Pistols went the 1976 equivalent of ‘viral’ when they said f**k and s**t on early evening TV in the UK.

Those in the High Wycombe area at the time would have been able to tune into Thames TV ‘Today‘ programme, hosted by Bill ‘as drunk as I am’ Grundy.  Broadcast at 6pm, by the time the programme had closed 30 minutes later, Grundy’s now infamous run in with The Sex Pistols and their entourage had shot the punk rockers to the front pages of the tabloids.

Wycombe would take a little more waking up though.  Later on in the evening of 1st December 1976, the lovely Anita Harris would perform at Desborough Road’s Chiltern Rooms.

Anita Harris at The Chiltern Rooms - advert from The Bucks Free Press

£2 would have gained you entry, including a buffet supper. Or you could have pushed the boat out and spent £5.50 to include a ‘Four Course Dinner’.

Here’s the footage of the Today programme from 1st December 1976.
(Obviously contains swearing).

From that day on everything changed.

A few days later at the close by Desborough Hall, Wycombe’s Deathwish took to the stage as they became the first local band to grasp the punk scene.