Nottingham and Derby Punk scene

Historypin

NotTingham and Derby PunK Scene

During my late teens and college days 1976 - 1980, I found the New Wave (Punk) music scene to be an alternative to the mid 70’s manufactured processed mainstream pop. The early Punk was fast raw and refreshing from what had preceded it, until it became too commercial that is, by which time, during 1979 it had started to exhaust itself and the popularity of a Mod SKA re-emergence began to replace it.

In the early days, Punk fashion wasn’t available anywhere locally that I knew of (only London) so as far as wearing the app gear went, it was very much a case of DIY clothes, improvising with your flares and stitching them into drainpipes. Many of us wore Doc Martens or baseball boots, ripped t-shirts with zips, black string or fishnet vests and of course some badges. I wore an old sports jacket from a jumble sale complete with authentic fag burns and slops down it. Many of the crowd just wore flares and trainers and the hair style of the time (just over the ears) or spiked for the authentic look; you got all sorts of people in there, many unexpected.

During this period I lived between Nottingham and Derby and there were two main gig venues to be a part of this memorable era of progressive music – The Kings Hall Derby and the Sandpiper in Nottingham.

The first band I saw was The Adverts at the Kings Hall on 9 February 1978 (can’t remember support, but remember Gaye Advert!) and over the next year or saw here - The Buzzcocks, Sham 69, The Slits, Patrik Fitzgerald, Squeeze, The Tourists, Radio Stars and last but not least The Clash, and of course the many other support groups, including The Prefects who as I remember were a gimmicky band with a stammering lead vocalist. Some of the bands, as expected were completely out of tune, and some did the odd bum note, but there were some really polished groups like the Buzzcocks and Clash

The Kings Hall, was a converted swimming pool, boarded over for its purpose as a crowd pulling venue floor. As I recall the place looked a bit run down and the bouncers (one of them an Ian Dury look-alike) looked a bit menacing at you while queuing to get in.

My first experience here recalls that before and during the breaks between performances, Reggae was played, often Steel Pulse; maybe as a contrast to the raw energy of the groups eagerly awaited. When the group was about to come on everyone surged forward towards the stage elbowing each other for the best view. When the band hit the first chords the pogoing started and you were almost instantly showered with beer, spit and falling pint glasses. The bouncers dragged out anyone causing trouble near the stage and often the group would pause and announce that they would walk off if the crowd didn’t f---ing stop spitting or throwing glasses at them; often the band members had no qualms about giving the crowd some abuse and sometimes this was unprovoked. After the gigs we would swarm out towards Derby Bus Station and that would mean running the gauntlet, trying to avoid trouble from gangs who didn’t like Punks.

The Sandpiper was quite a different venue (compact to say the least) in Broadway, a small back street in the Lace market, not far from Nottingham city centre. The club was basically a basement with a very low ceiling, divided into a couple of areas, the bar as you entered down the stairs and then the main part, plus some open booths. It was traditionally thick with a fog of cigarette or cannabis smoke, dark, dingy and dimly lit; a bit seedy with no frills, but very fitting for that time. The club was always rammed full and despite its size I reckon they must have fit in the same number as at the Kings Hall. It was standing room only and the crowd were always wedged in together by the small stage, sweat literally pouring off me. Of course the low ceilings amplified the decibels three times over. One band in particular, Wayne County and the Electric Chairs were loud anyway and did my ears sing that night. I would always come out of that place hot sweaty and deaf, ears ringing with the early symptoms of tinnitus and usually for a couple of days – not good! One memory there was at the time of Nottingham Forest’s hey-day and ‘The Whole World in our Hands’ was played over the speakers repeatedly, everyone chanting along. Often while queuing to get in a friendly band member would come out and mingle with us for a chat, as did the vocalist of Spizz Oil/Energy. Other bands I also saw at the Sandpiper included The Raincoates, Sham 69, The Drones and loads of supports, including Nottingham’s own, Some Chicken, who were also very loud. After a mid week gig here, my mate and I, Holly, normally spent up, walked it to my house at Kirk Hallam (7 miles) and getting as far as Raleigh island were picked up by a plain clothed policeman, who thought we looked suspicious in zips and chains at two in the morning; he did give us a lift home though.

During my travels elsewhere I visited the Marquee (Showbiz Kids) and The Rock Garden (The Carpets) in London, The Limit Club at Sheffield (saw 999), The Grey Topper at Jacksdale (The Members, and Toyah?) and many more I can’t remember now aged fifty five.

When not at those gigs, most of my time and money was spent in record shops, mainly Virgin and Selectadisc in Nottingham; eventually though I did grow up and did all the things you’re expected to do in life as a responsible adult, but they were great fond memories though.

David Mudd