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Last updated 16 January 2016
last updated 22 January 2022 - added (poor) 48 Thrills review
updated March 2024 added FB post
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RETURN OF THE LAST GANG IN TOWN:
LACY LADY, ILFORD
While discussions were going on, the Clash continued with their eclectic approach to live work. On 11 November 1976, a gig was arranged at the Lacy Lady, a soul boy haunt in liford, east London, with Subway Sect again providing support. Bearing in mind Steve Mick’s comments about tension between punks and ‘discos’, the gig might well appear to have been asking for another ULU-style confrontation.
Reviewing it for the first issue of his Clash-inspired fanzine, 48 Thrills, Adrian Thrills mused on the possibility: ‘the disco audience didn’t know how to react. Would it be cool to dance? sit down? beat each other up?’ In fact, the division between punks and soul boys was not quite so clear cut as that between punks and teds.
For a start, soul boys were not exactly the same species as Steve Mick’s ‘discos’, who were just your average nightclub-goers of the day. In effect, while punks were one type of latterday mods, soul boys were another, and the difference between them was further blurred by the fact that — in 1976, at least — they shared much the same wardrobe.
Pop sociologists have amused themselves for years debating who took the role of the chicken and who the egg in the Great Soul Boy/Punk Style-Crossover. Some commentators have maintained that the early punk look borrowed much from the soul boy styles of the 1975-76 period.
Adrian Thrills made his position clear in his review, describing the Lacy Lady as ‘one of those soul discos where kids are now starting to dress in the new trendy punk fashion’.
In Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, Johnny Rotten rubbished the idea that punks stole clothing tips from soul boys, insisting instead that he and his similarly eccentrically dressed friends had started something of a punky trend when they visited the Lacy Lady one night early in 1976 and dominated the dancefloor with their wild cavortings.
His claim is both simplistic and typically self- aggrandising. There was, in truth, a two-way exchange of stylistic influence. As early as 1974, the soul boys’ mod-like obsession with up-to-the minute clothing had already led some of them to investigate the wares in Sex. In return, their own short hairstyles, mohair jumpers and plastic, or jelly, sandals had indeed become features of the nascent punk scene.
Any outbreak of violence between the two tribes at the Lacy Lady on Thursday 11 November 1976 would have been hard pushed to get out of hand: only 20 people showed up.
With low audience turnouts and less than keen record company reaction, the Clash hype needed to be stepped up a notch. On 22 October, Stiff had released the Damned’s single, “New Rose’, the first recording by representatives of the UK punk movement.
Jonh Ingham had made it Single of the Week in Sounds. In the light of this development in the Damned’s career, Caroline Coon was quite justified in interviewing them for Melody Maker.
Instead of running the piece on its own, however, she twinned it with an interview she conducted with the Clash on 5 November — the day of the RCA gig — for no discernible record or tour related purpose, and rushed both into the 13 November issue under the joint headline: ‘NEW FACES: Caroline Coon introduces two hot punk rock bands.’
Poster - Lady Lacy, Ilford
Original, larger photo of poster with The Damned
Seven Kings Hotel, High Road, Ilford, Essex
The Lacy Lady, located at the Seven Kings Hotel on High Road, Ilford, Essex, was a renowned soul club that operated from 1978 to 1984. It was a popular venue, drawing crowds from all over London. The club was known for its vibrant music scene, with resident DJs such as Tom Holland and Chris Hill. The Lacy Lady was a significant part of the British club scene during that era, hosting a variety of music performances and contributing to the cultural landscape of the time.
The Kings Pub ran a popular soul night called “Lacy Lady”
A local pub in Seven Kings, Ilford. Called The Kings Pub ran a popular soul night called “Lacy Lady” had started their own following of people. This became a form of sanctuary where I could finally express the love of dance through the joy of music.
The Lady Lacy was a soul club
It wasn't overly populated, no. Thursdays were normally Bowie nights and Lacy was a soul club run by Chris Hill and Tom Holland. But it was right up there as far as dress code was concerned. Lots of Acme and SEX clothes. Big crossover with soul scene early on. Never gets reported
— Dress up to Mess Up...(Official) (@e17hero) April 9, 2018
Seven Kings Hotel, High Road, Ilford, Essex
There's some comments on the venue here (Ilford.co.uk). Venue Facebook page is here. Link to a bit about the venue here (Punk 77) too. A long history of the venue can be found here (The Caister DJ team).
'48 Thrills' fanzine, Issue #1
Link
(poor quality but we've re-done it typewriter style!)
Review of The Clash at Ilford
Special note to readers: I’ve get bored with typing on the typewriter (unreadable)
+ Subway Sect
The Lady Lacy, Ilford is one of those trendy soul discos where they are now starting to dress in the new trendy punk fashion. On Thursday the 11th of November they got their first take of the real thing when The Clash played there, supported by Subway Sect.
It was one of those gigs with no end of problems with the PA and mikes etc. with Subway Sect suffering most.
So The Clash had to play quietly, but they were still great. The disco audience – there were a few faithful Clash followers - didn't know how to react. Would it be cool to dance? Sit down? Beat each other up? The Clash themselves didn't have the real full power of some of their other recent gigs, but their songs are just so great that it is always worthwhile.
And is not only the well known songs that do it, “White Riot”, “Janie Jones”, “London's Burning”, etc. but the others like “Deny”, ‘Flies”, “What’s My Name”, and “Got a crush on you”. Even the very fast song in the set, “Short Walk” is a classic with a good chunky guitar bit from Micky Jones.
Nothing can take away The Clash’s energy. Even at the sound check, with the faulty PA, when there did brought “Protex Blue” without the vocals, it was great. (They are probably the only group on our scene that called get away with instrumentals!).
The set continued as Joe yells “I don't dig this disco shit …”, well, the audience hadn't really been that responsive.
Subway Sect: up real of the clash who followed them. Subway sect play very loosely, but I still always enjoy their gigs.
Subway Sect
Subway Sect at the Lacy Lady, Ilford - 11/11/76. Picture by Jonh Ingham, from 'The Spirit of 76'. Rob Symmons goes Mod, Vic in old man's clothes pic.twitter.com/tlXMW7ESCF
— Jon Savage (@JonSavage1966) July 29, 2020
Subway Sect
Subway Sect at the Lacy Lady pic by Jonh Ingham pic.twitter.com/Y6b1yxZO9W
— Jon Savage (@JonSavage1966) April 10, 2018
The Clash : Live at The Lacy Lady, Ilford
Live at The Lacy Lady, Ilford, UK - 1976
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Jonh Ingham?
Joe Strummer, and the legend of The Clash
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Photos - Jonh Ingham?
Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the early gigs in 1976
Archive - Snippets - UK Articles - Video Audio - Social media - Fanzines Blogs - Retrospective articles - Photos
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If you know of any recording, please email blackmarketclash
Setlist (from 48 Thrills)
White Riot |
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Extensive archive of articles, magazines and other from the early gigs in 1976
EARLY GIGS '76, A collection of from early 1976 to New Year 1976.
EARLY GIGS '76, BOOKS
Black Swan pg142 ...
Black Swan pg95, 96 ...
Black Swan pg ...
Black Swan pg42 ...
There are several sights that provide setlists but most mirror www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. They are worth checking. from Setlist FM (cannot be relied on) from Songkick (cannot be relied on) & from the newer Concert Database and also Concert Archives Also useful: Ultimate Music database, All Music, Clash books at DISCOGS Articles, check 'Rocks Back Pages'
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