[kj] Gigs, less violent...?

dub kIlLiNgJoKe at pUnKaSs.CoM
Thu Mar 3 20:14:37 EST 2005


Seems my mails are disappearing again, 2nd time lucky, maybe...

Guess it has got a lot to do with the times we live in too. Late 70s well
into 80s was kind of a dark period, with very little for anyone to do other
than ruck, and gigs gave the perfect let out for pent up anger (here anyway,
but I guess football in UK to certain extent), whether it be teen angst or
just societies way of letting off steam. Any number of violent gigs in
Dublin over the years, a few of which I was at, earliest remembrance of one
was in Belfield Uni, The Outcasts gig, Finglas Punks stabbed a bloke.
Saddest one was the poor girl from Cork who died while crowd surged forward
as Smashing Pumpkins came on stage. Safety in venues since then has been
improved, but in general attitudes have changed too as has the economic
climate or whatever, but that can change.

dub 

-----Original Message-----
From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On
Behalf Of Alex Smith
Sent: 04 March 2005 12:33 AM
To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
Subject: RE: [kj] Gigs, less violent...?



Juliet has a young goth son old enough to goto butcher-shop-worrying gigs?
Go know!

I remember a few Murphy's Law shows in the mid-80's there were quite
violent. The aboslute craziest gig I ever witnessed was the Bad Brains at
the New Ritz on the QUICKNESS tour. My friend Tim emerged from the  pit
wearing half a shirt and missing a tooth. The UGLIEST gig I ever went to,
oddly enough, was the Wonder Stuff. They came on really, really late,
behaved like dicks (and not just like they were renowned for doing) and
fucked off after only a half-hour set. After they left the stage, Miles'
brother/roadie came out and said "CONGRATS, NEW YORK, YOU FUCKED UP!" Cue a
spiralling pint glass that hits the drum riser an inch or two from the man's
head, sending shards everwhere and illiciting a huge, angry cheer from the
audience. 

It wasn't a violent gig, but I went to Butthole Surfers show in Columbus,
Ohio in `86 (circa LOCUST ABORTION TECHNICIAN), and the cops showed up
brandishing nightsticks (they were summoned due to the nude dancer).

There was a Cop Shoot Cop show wherein Tod slammed his bass into a
spluttering television set, fracturing the tube and sending a blinding
rainbow of wafter thin glass shards into the crowd. That was kinda cool and
severely uncool at the same time.

Alex in NYC


-----Original Message-----
From: Juliet Pleming <pricepleming at tiscali.co.uk>
Sent: Mar 3, 2005 7:21 PM
To: 'iPat' <pmdavies at gmail.com>, 
	"'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'"
<gathering at misera.net>
Subject: RE: [kj] Gigs, less violent...?

I was never at any really violent gigs, and I did go to a lot of gigs.
My first pogo was at the Rezillos at High Wycombe Town Hall, when I came
back to England for the summer of 78. That was when I was living in Detroit.
It was excruciating to be away form this country from summer 77 to summer
79. I did a paper round and saved up to come back for the summer holidays78.
I stayed at my gran's and taped John Peel every night.Going to that gig
opened up a whole new world to me. I had been watching it avidly from a
distance, but hadn't had a chance to be really there. I was aching for it.
It was like a baptism that night. Of course the Rezillos were just jolly
good fun - no violence.

The closest I got to a violent gig was Crass playing at Stonehenge - must've
been summer 80. We were daytrippers to it. While we were there the heckling
started. There was a punk band playing whose name escapes me just now -
young boys - I think they sang a song about a tube train - moorgate
disaster. Lyric snippet 'vicarious living kills your boredom'
and Steve Ignorant and the others were standing around.We came home at the
end of the day, but heard that Hell's Angels had ridden their motor bikes
over punks tents in the night etc. There was some bottle throwing while we
were there.

My young goth son tells me gory stories of people dying at gigs and
(animal)entrails being thrown into the crowd at gigs. Of course this may all
be hear say as he has not yet been to a gig. He is going to Cradle of Filth
in April. That will be his first. Is there more blood lust these days? I
think so.I'll tell you something else later.


Juliet


-Original Message-----
From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net]
On Behalf Of iPat
Sent: 03 March 2005 08:25
To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
Subject: Re: [kj] Gigs, less violent...?


The Meteors had in their road crew some of the highest profile football
fighters of that time. The lead singer was sent away for murder wasnt he? I
recall them wandering around one gig with a baseball bat looking for someone
who had thrown a plastic glass full of beer at them on stage.

btw the crass recording [out on cd] in perth of the skinhead/bnp attack
throughout the gig was off my cassette in the mixer. Not only was it self
survival but we were trying to protect the band and the younger punks the
whole night. I was hidden in the back of the Poisen Girls ambulance and
dropped off in Edinburgh so i wasnt hunted down that night!

the worst security was always in ipswich and Colchester as they used the
squaddies from the local garrison. I recall the end of the Ramones gig being
particularly violent in 78/79. Penetration in Colchester was dangerous as
well.

At a Clash gig they went over the top in Ipswich and a week or so later
Siouxsie and The Banshees came on their first tour which saw a revenge
attack planned although i cant recall what happened as i was caught up with
the band.

i recall a major off at one of the open air gigs in a London park, maybe
Crystal Palace circa 83 a march for jobs do.

Bristol was always dodgy and Birmingham when roadieing.


--
iPat
live for today, live for tomorrow
"Truth is a pathless land. Man cannot come to it through any organisation,
through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, nor through any
philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through
the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his
own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or
introspective dissection..."
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