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updated Juy 2022 - added photo
updated August 2022 - added comment Michael

Royal Park Road pub, Royal Park Road

Merrion Centre

the 'shows' generated some excitement

BUSKING TOUR...Joe and Paul took the boys on an impromptu busking tour - playing publicly and outside venues acoustically... the 'shows' generated some excitement about the forthcoming album... They all hitched from London by the M1 and agreed to meet up in the pub near Nottingham Railway Station. The Last Days of the Clash - Vince White pg 226

Local pub rocked by The Clash

Daily Mirror - Monday 13 May 1985 Local pub rocked by the Clash

Article has different dates to blackmarketclash

Alamy Photos

"The Clash playing live in a pub in Leeds, they stunned fans with a blitz of unannounced gigs. This was part of their busking tour of Britain. Pictured, Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer. May 1985. Alamy"

Blackmarketclash | Facebook

Royal Park Road pub, Royal Park Road

No known audio or video

Think they only played a few songs there...

I moved to Leeds from the former G.D.R. to live with my 1st wife and very young daughter. We went out the day before the picture was taken to some hippy friends' couple house.

We walked through a road called Delph Lane near the spot and in brilliant sunshine saw some very neat looking leather clad punks outside a terraced house drinking beer.

We did not recognise them. When we arrived, the TV was on and Andy Kershaw said that The Clash are busking in Leeds. The next day I took a camera by chance and managed to take the pics.

The Clash or better Joe and Paul and chums played a good half hour set outside the Royal Park Pub in Leeds.

Unfortunately I may not have the negs anymore, but I'll have a tidy up in the next 2 weeks and let you known if I find them.

Tilo - tilohartig[a]yahoo.co.uk

Photos outside the Park Royal

Thanks to Tony White for helping identfy these photograpghs ...PDF

Post by Tasa » Mon 20 Feb, 2012 9:28 pm
[Park Royal ] Has someone any photos. That's definitely the back terrace and garden of the Royal Park. I'm not sure if the terrace is still there as I haven't been there for years, but there are now flats built where the garden was.

Royal Park Pub & Cellars - 29 January ·
Back in May 1985, punk mega-stars The Clash busked in our old back garden.

"No mate, ‘Joe Strummer’s in the toilet.’"

Joe Strummer | Facebook / Andy Grigg

I dropped around to see a friend of mine one lazy afternoon in Leeds. We chatted briefly, before I asked if I could use his loo. ‘Sorry mate,’ he replied. ‘Joe Strummer’s in the toilet.’ Strange but true.

John had met the band while they were busking in the city centre. When he found out that they didn’t have anywhere to stay, he naturally invited them to stay at his. That evening, as I watched The Clash busk outside the University Union building, I found it hard to believe that I’d met Joe Strummer for a second time. It was only a year since our last encounter. He claimed to remember, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

The Clash Busking at The Royal Park Pub in Hyde Park,  Leeds 6th May 1985.

THE CLASH ON PAROLE | Facebook

Septimus Dinglethwaite

In May 1985, [Clash manager] Bernie Rhodes, [manager] Kosmo [Vinyl] and Joe [Strummer] devised the Clash’s last hurrah—a busking tour of Britain. The idea was that the group would assemble at [guitarist] Vince’s flat, leave their wallets on the table and hitch to Nottingham with a few acoustic guitars. They’d then see where the wind would take them.

Over the next two-and-a-half weeks, Britain’s provincial towns and cities were thus treated to the extraordinary sight of The Clash popping up under railway bridges and in subways to entertain them with Monkees, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and Cramps songs.

The group kipped on fans’ floors and in cheap B&Bs. They survived on the money thrown into their hats. It was a genuinely exiting and unpredictable experience.

Joe described it as ‘the best tour we ever did.’Paul [Simonon] agrees. ‘It was like starting out fresh again,’ he says. ‘It was great. “We’ll meet you in Glasgow in a week’s time,” and the idea was to leave everything behind other than the guitars. You couldn’t take any money with you. We survived by our wits.

It was as exciting as the Anarchy tour, you never knew where you were going next. I remember we were in Leeds, it was 2 a.m., and it was outside this black club, and people were coming out and really digging us. There were two white guys and they were shocked it was us. They said, “Where you staying?” And we said, “We’re not staying anywhere,” so they invited us to stay at their mum’s.

The money we made from busking meant we could go further, we didn’t have a plan of where to go next. There was no rules. You didn’t have to be on the so-and-so plane at twelve o’clock.’

They were crashing over at a bedsit in Woodhouse

The Clash @ Royal Park Pub circa 1985

Jansen Clone: They landed in Leeds and played at the Phono first, mostly before anyone knew they were around. After that they busked at the Royal Park then outside the Faversham before walking down to the refectory and famously busked the queue for The Alarm. Which really p****d them as you can imagine. They were crashing over at a bedsit in Woodhouse, after asking if anyone had anywhere they could stop. Well, you would wouldn't you... Michael

Secret Leeds

Post by Bruno »
Jogon On your outdoor photo, on the low wall behind and to the right of Joe Strummer, there are four people sitting. I'm 99% sure that the fourth one from the left (with the long fringe) is an old mate of mine, Stephen Barber. He's gone on to great things. You could contact him via this link if you wanted to ask if it's him, and if it is, what he remembers about that gig.http://fada.kingston.ac.uk/staff/stephe ... barber.php

Post by Jimmyv »
Yes, that's definitely the back terrace and garden of the Royal Park. I'm not sure if the terrace is still there as I haven't been there for years, but there are now flats built where the garden was. thats the back garden at the Royal Park the gig was organised by The Magnificent Seven who put benefit gigs on and invited local talent to play. The Clash just turned up and asked to play. i think there were 100 bands on that day

Post by tnimbus »
I was cramming for my 2nd year Biochemistry exams in an attic room in Queens Road when I heard these guys walking down the road strumming guitars and looked out the window. Saw some guys heading towards the Royal Park and I went back to cramming & didn't go down the boozer that night.

The pictures above are definitely the back of the Royal Park. Friends of mine were down there and one of them Donna, pinched Strummer's arse. The University Student paper ran a bit on it and I remember seeing the photos in it - maybe they keep a record.... 

They stayed with friends of a friend Martin. Story was that Strummer was so hard to get on with he was 'moved' around quite a bit as no one could spend any time with him.

Glad this is on here otherwise I don't think people would believe me when I recall the story.

Postby jesusaubergine »
Jogon wrote: I remember mates saying they'd seen them at the time. But the venues and sheer oddity of it seemed to rule it out and since then I've thought it a Leeds Rock-History Urban-Myth.

There was no multi-band gig going on though it is true The Magnificent 7 did organise such events, there at the Royal Park and many other venues. Fact is, we were allowed to rehearse upstairs and store our gear there in return for playing every thursday. That weekend we had been playing in Manchester friday 3rd and sat 4th. We returned to Leeds to drop the gear off beck at the Royal Park tea-timish.

BMC - Royal Park was Monday, Alarm gig Tuesday.
The [turned up] at the Royal Park - then we turned up unloading our instruments. They grabbed them and played an impromptu set. That's the story. They will have had their own guitars etc somewhere stashed for use later on and they might have gone elsewhere such as the Fav, but that's the story about them at the Royal Park.

Prof Karen Sayer - @ProfKarenSayer - 07/05/2014, 06:28
“@GTrombone: 
Nice! The Clash busking at the Hyde Park Hotel, Leeds, 6 May, 1983. pic.twitter.com/Dg6EL7rQnk” @shaunwkeaveny good honest toil :)

U-U-U-U-Stay at home please - @UtahSaints - 9 Feb 2017
This one time #TheClash rocked up & played at the back of our local pub,The Royal Park #Leeds

Post by Bruno » Tue 21 Feb, 2012 3:17 pm
JogonOn your outdoor [Royal Park] photo, on the low wall behind and to the right of Joe Strummer, there are four people sitting. I'm 99% sure that the fourth one from the left (with the long fringe) is an old mate of mine, Stephen Barber. He's gone on to great things. You could contact him via this link if you wanted to ask if it's him, and if it is, what he remembers about that gig.http://fada.kingston.ac.uk/staff/stephe ... barber.php

Post by jesusaubergine » Mon 23 Oct, 2017 3:05 pm
Jogon wrote: I remember mates saying they'd seen them at the time. But the venues and sheer oddity of it seemed to rule it out and since then I've thought it a Leeds Rock-History Urban-Myth.

[Park Royal] There was no multi-band gig going on though it is true The Magnificent 7 did organise such events, there at the Royal Park and many other venues. Fact is, we were allowed to rehearse upstairs and store our gear there in return for playing every thursday. That weekend we had been playing in Manchester friday 3rd and sat 4th. We returned to Leeds to drop the gear off beck at the Royal Park tea-timish. We turned up unloading our instruments. They [asked if they could] use them and played an impromptu set. 

Jimmyv wrote: - Tue 22 Apr, 2014 2:32 pm
Tasa wrote: Jogon wrote: thats the back garden at the Royal Park. the gig was organised by The Magnificent Seven who put benefit gigs on and invited local talent to play. The Clash just turned up and asked to play.

Merrion Centre

No known audio or video

There is no date for this - or other recollection - howeve the band played impromtiously so we have included it on this day for no toher reasonthan we only have one other 'busk'!. Any further info would be welcome...

Colin Paylor
I saw them busking at the Merrion Center in Leeds way way back in time ... nipped up to jumbo , bought a Clash single , went back and got it signed by the whole band!

Unknown Busking Photos

No known audio or video
If you know of any recording, email blackmarketclash

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