#music #punk #teesside #postpunk: I Was There ...

I WAS THERE …

My first gig, at the age of 15, was on the 27th of February 1978, when I saw Eddie and The Hot Rods/ Radio Stars/ Squeeze at Hartlepool Borough Hall …

I went to a lot of gigs over the following few years, mostly in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Newcastle. And so it came to pass that, on the 25th of May 1978 , I headed off to ‘the big city’ to see my first gig outside Hartlepool, at Middlesbrough Town Hall. I’d previously enjoyed Eddie and The Hot Rods/ Radio Stars/ Squeeze gig but this was a big one since Buzzcocks (‘there is no ‘THE!’) and local-ish support band Penetration were very much MY bands.

And they didn’t disappoint - Buzzcocks’ arch, smart. tinnitus -inducing racket was a joy, and Penetration easily matched the headliners with Pauline Murray’s soaring vocals filling the hall. (Like many 16 year olds at that time, I had a hell of a crush on Pauline!)

On the 2nd of July 1978 I saw Magazine at Redcar Coatham Bowl. Still sweet 16, I can’t remember the support band but may have had 2 full pints of shandy. They were remarkable and I even shuffled backstage after the gig to get autographs. Dave Formula was really funny.

On the 17th of November 1978, I saw The Clash at Middlesbrough Town Hall. - The Slits were the support band. The centre of the floor was covered with chairs, in an inevitably failed attempt to stop people pogoing. There was a fear that they may crash trough to the Town Hall Crypt below. Although this didn’t happen, there was a brief riot and fans tried to rip off the Town Hall doors!

And it appears that it was on the 7th of May 1979 - just before my 17th birthday - that I went to Middlesbrough Rock Garden to see the acoustic punk troubadour Patrick Fitzgerald supported by The Wall, from Sunderland, and The Teardrop Explodes, from Liverpool. As I remember, it was a bright sunny day outside the dingy music venue and quite appropriately, it was the bottom of the bill The Teardrop Explodes who stood out. I saw them again later that year at the Leeds Futurama, and they really were terrific. And I saw at least once more, when they were well on their way to deserved commercial success.

© Paul D, Brazill.