Skiffle
Punk? This one might have passed you by, especially if you're not of
a certain age. When word trickled out that a much loved band might
just be reforming, there was a muted but marked explosion of joy in
certain quarters.
Who are the band? Terry and Gerry, that's who. The guys who did
skiffle punk. Who would show up on gigs with Hank Wangford. Or
the Nightingales. The guys who scored Peel sessions,
to the joy of many (but remember, Peel fans: we did them first at
BRMB)
Picture the scene; it'll come back to you. You're at a punk gig in
the mid 80s; elaborate mohicans, inventive mascara and piercings are
in evidence; not that many tatts, though. Heavy heavy reggae bass
vibes pump through the sound system, and indeed through your guts.
You could cut the air: it's full of exotic smoke, and the odd whiff
of stale sweat. And then - these baby faced wholesome guys walk out
on stage, in tuxedos and string ties. Stand-up bass, acoustic
guitars, washboard.
You'd expect them to get slaughtered, right? Pah. Not a chance.
Terry and
Gerry's secret weapon is unstoppable, mountain-moving, ferocious,
beaming enthusiasm. Breakneck, super-tight song delivery that makes
the Ramones look like blissed-out prog rockers.
And now
they've re-formed. Pretty much all the original players in one place:
Terry and Gerry of course, Su Sonic and Destroyer Mick
Howson. Probably no hurdy-gurdy in the set, though.
So why the reunion? Is this for tax reasons?
Terry: Ha! We're trying to raise some VAT to try and help
the Tory Government!
Gerry: To pay for our NHS bills!
There's been
a spate of 80s bands, mainly pop,who - suddenly - reappear on tour
after years away. I guess the royalties must have dried up.
Terry: Ours dried up a long time ago!
So, back in
the day, there you were, doing benefits for the miners, doing Peel
sessions. You were a very very big name, out of Birmingham, for a
brief period. But all that was more than a generation ago. So why the
reunion?
Terry: It's ten years since John Peel died. Obviously
yourself, Mike (Davies) and John (Slater) did a lot for us locally.
But John Peel got us established nationally. He had that connection.
There's an October concert commemorating John Peel in Stockton on
Tees, with the Nightingales and a lot of other bands of that ilk.
Gerry got in touch; we were all still alive and in the same country -
and all playing music.
Gerry: But we thought it was pointless getting together for
one concert. So I put some feelers out. People, thankfully, weren't
as rude as the promoters. We tried to find some of the original
promoters - Dave Travis, in Birmingham - so now we've strung together
a John Peel commemorative tour. With an EP, with new songs. It's
going to be a good thing.
So we got
together to see it it still works. And it was the most amazing,
magical, energetic thing that brought back everything that was good
about 80s Brum, and Terry and Gerry!
Gerry: After the first rehearsal, I went home feeling 20
years younger.
When you're
doing something special, you never know at the time, do you? Because
you're in the middle of it. And you guys did put your finger on
something. But you never know if you can recapture those golden
days...
Terry: I'm confident about the music. Whether anyone else
will enjoy it as much as we do...
What about
the audience? When Miles and Erica played the Hare and
Hounds, there were chairs at the front for old crocks like me.
When Steve Gibbons played, there were chairs all the way
back...
Gerry: I don't know... we've got a few younger followers. We
do get emails from younger bands who have been influenced by us
- The United Stoats of America, who do some of our
tracks. McCavity's Cat, a Canterbury rockabilly band. Because
I've been playing in the folky world, (with ColvinQuarmby) I've heard
lots of our songs as floor spots. Wait a minute? That's my
song!
Gerry: Oh, it's brilliant! It's really nice.
Of course,
as is the way these days, everyone is in different bands as well -
Terry is running Forro Social, and Gerry has the Gerry Colvin
Band.
Terry: I'm in three bands at the moment. And Mick Howson is
in the Destroyers, who are fantastic.
click on
this link to hear...
click on the
pic for Old Grey Whistle Test video...
So at the
gig, are we in for a Brum nostalgiafest? I get the feeling there will
be a lot of faces there.
Gerry: We are not resting on our laurels. There'll be an EP,
with five new songs and a Yeah Yeah No song. And vintage T-shirts.
But Su will play the same washboard we used twenty seven years
ago.
But it is a
different climate for you guys now. That's why I kicked of with that
gag about reforming for tax reasons. You won't make a lot of money
off the record - although it won't cost as much to record. But you do
stand a chance of making more money off the gig and merchandising.
Terry: For us, music was first. We wanted to live from our
music. It was lovely to be a musician.
I'm not for
a minute saying that that's why you did it in the first place. But
the other side of the coin is, as working musicians, the challenge is
how you can make a living from your work.
Gerry: It is. With records - I still call them records -
somebody else is making money out of them. But live performances are
different. And we never really managed to get the energy of the live
performances on record.
There was a
huge political impetus to the scene you were part of. I think it was
largely driven by opposition to Margaret Thatcher.
Terry. Yes. I do wonder what's happened to the kids today.
What aren't they more angry?
