1978 |
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Support acts during 1978: | ||
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DATE/VENUE | ||
December | ||
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19/12/78
- Purley,
Tiffany's Club Helter Skelter |
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November | ||
22/11/78
- Liverpool,
De Montfort Hall
Helter Skelter |
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16/11/78
- Plymouth, Locarno Club
Helter Skelter |
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15/11/78
- Malvern,
Winter Gardens
Helter Skelter |
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14/11/78
- Blackburn,
St. George's Hall (Cancelled) |
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12/11/78 - Croydon, Greyhound (Cancelled) | ||
11/11/78 - Essex, University of Essex | ||
10/11/78 - Canterbury Kent, The Odeon | ||
04/11/78
- Manchester,
Manchester University |
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03/11/78
- Liverpool, Liverpool University (Cancelled) |
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01/11/78 - Lancaster, Lancaster University (Cancelled) | ||
October | ||
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31/10/78 - Sheffield, Top Rank Club | ||
30/10/78 - Newcastle, City Hall | ||
29/10/78 - Middlesborough, Town Hall | ||
27/10/78
- Glasgow,
Apollo Theatre
Helter Skelter |
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25/10/78
- Hanley,
Victoria Hall
Helter Skelter |
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23/10/78
- Birmingham,
Mayfair Club
Helter Skelter |
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21/10/78
- Leeds, Leeds University
Switch |
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NME 04/11/78 | ||
Hello Siouxsie! Good to be back, huh? Well, not that good. The Banshees’ third or fourth trip to Leeds was the first time the city had seen the band since they finally put their cards on the table, generated some capital investment and decided to take their music to the people. It took a lot of time, sporadic fracas, dry frustration and several rounds of ‘Sid Vicious Is Innocent’ before Siouxsie introduced herself to the gathered multitudes at the university. When she did, it seemed to have been worth the wait. Moving like an impassioned Marionette (her critics would say sub-Patti Smith), dressed almost haute couture in various permutations (and layers) of black and white, Siouxsie rightfully presented herself as another Star for the New Age. The rest of the band are no stooges: black-dressed, implacable guitarist John McKay, the last recruited Banshee, hair falling like a German egghead’s thrummed some interesting up-tempo dirges, while drummer Kenny Morris (employing the same wrist action as the guy from Sham) treated concepts like ‘convention’ and ‘orthodoxy’ like they were dirty words. Bassist Steve Severin, of course, is a different player in a different ball game. Co-architect of The Banshees’ integrity putsch, Severin has come a long way since the days when the band was contract-less, their music was ‘copyright control’ and he used to dedicate "Helter Skelter" - the first number here - to Roman Polanski. (Alienation is up for grabs in this band). But if you can’t believe everything you read about Siouxsie and The Banshees, you still have to believe something - and if only 10 per cent of their much-vaunted obsession with ice-honesty and complete control is really true then that’s 10 per cent more than on offer most other places. They got a bad deal here. Apart from having their road crew busted after the gig, the roughnecks here were even more boorish than usual. The songs are a problem, too. "Switch", "Mirage" and "Suburban Relapse" are pretty good live numbers, but they came over as computerised punk to the people who had no previous experience of the band. Similarly, "Metal", ‘for John Heartfield’ (the legendary anti-Nazi montage propagandist) meant little to the uninitiated: like the others, this song really needs to be recognised, which is why (in the provinces, anyway, and before the release of "The Scream") the band seem to distance themselves into an identity crisis. "Hong Kong Garden" - received ecstatically - proved the point: much of this audience (if not the bulk) thought of The Banshees as an avant-garde singles band (with a very nice-looking cantatrice). Which is why, after average responses elsewhere, the band played their traditional "Lord’s Prayer" finale and declined to encore. Siouxsie had sensed all along that the circumjacent mood wasn’t too cool. Deprived on the night (at Siouxsie’s request?) of canned grog, there was nothing for the loons to fling but huge quantities of slanderous abuse and multi-coloured sputum. (Your lensman for the night paid the price for coming between Siouxsie and the line of fire). She tried hard to get them to "calm down" (and it was no punk put-on) but, as she said, she couldn’t "feed" off us such was the aggressive, distasteful attitude. Siouxsie probably thought she’d seen the last of this number a long time ago. The Banshees have played better and they will bring it on home again. It was suggested that they couldn’t handle an audience of this size. Or that even Snow Queens can have off-nights. But I’d guess that The Banshees really are trying to rip the perimeters of Radical Art, and that they recognise they’re not going to achieve that without intelligent support. Emma Ruth |
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20/10/78 - Hastings, Pier Pavillion | ||
19/10/78 - Bournemouth, Village Bowl | ||
17/10/78 - Bristol, Locarno Club | ||
16/10/78
- Plymouth,
Fiesta Club
Helter Skelter |
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15/10/78 - Cardiff, Top Rank Club | ||
12/10/78 - Bath, Pavillion | ||
11/10/78
- Hemel Hempstead, Pavillion
Helter Skelter |
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September | ||
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23/09/78
- Aylesbury, Friars
Hong Kong Garden |
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Melody Maker 23/09/78 | ||
Siouxsie's on the warpath Aylesbury Friars is one of those complexes that warm the heart of any local council. A relatively new piece of slightly quirky modern architecture, it screams out for fringe theatre productions and rugby club dinner - dances. Amazingly, it's also very sympathetic to rock 'n' roll. Last Saturday was a good case in point. ...Siouxsie & The Banshees took up their places. They were superb. Since I last saw them (peace, Nils), they have evolved into a toughly integrated, hard-hitting and experimentally fearsome unit. Really. The nature of their performance, their interaction, their musicianship and astringent material have all meshed and the effect certainly impaled me. They were like a resistance movement, challenging but concerned, true to themselves and faithful to the people who had helped give them that well-deserved chart smash in "Hong Kong Garden." "My, my - Top Of The Pops" smirked Siouxsie by way of an intro to the song, which she incidentally sang in the strangest key. Kenny Morris drums with incisive determination, creating an indomitable backbone which is further highlighted and expanded upon by Steven Severin's rigorous bass. John McKay seems to have done much to co-ordinate and solidify the overall Banshee vision. His guitar directed as it threw out shards of tungsten thrills. Siouxsie's voice was a daunting mixture of ice and fire, though I wish I could have heard many more of their excellent lyrics. With the minimum of between-number patter, they soared through several stage faves, including a wonderful version of "Overground," plus various new songs which one hopes will be on the forthcoming album. One that HAS to be singled out is "Pure," a momentous slice of escalating power. Forget all the silly ice-age marginalia that has been forced on the band: nearer the truth is their ability to harness, dovetail and put over so forcefully emotions that might seem to conflict. Like scorn and sensitivity; anger and subjugation. Siouxsie & The Banshees confront what they see, and re-direct it to us. Their paradoxes are as simple and unnerving as the art of savage love. Ian Birch |
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August | ||
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18/08/78
- Edinburgh,
Clouds Club
The Staircase (Mystery) |
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20/07/78
- Manchester,
The Factory
Jigsaw Feeling (Live debut) |
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May | ||
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07/05/78
- Croydon, Greyhound
Helter Skelter |
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04/05/78
- Plymouth, Metro Club
Helter Skelter |
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03/05/78 - Newport, Stowaway Club | ||
April | ||
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28/04/78 - High Wycombe, Town Hall | ||
25/04/78
- Birmingham, Barbarella's Club
Helter Skelter |
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22/04/78 - Huddersfield, Polytechnic | ||
21/04/78
- Liverpool,
Eric's Club
Helter Skelter |
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19/04/78
- London, Music Machine
Helter Skelter |
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NME 29/04/78 | ||
A peace-offering of flowers from a fan in the dressing-room and what seems like the millionth debut for the great unsigned... Yeah, you’ve probably heard all of this before with regard to The Banshees, but tonight’s advance ticket sales were only out-done by the Tom Robinson Band when they appeared at the same venue recently. A full-scale attraction without a contract! Off-beat combo The Table deviate just for the sake of it and the redoubtable Spizz Oil harangues the audience to a standstill, but both he and the tabloid-trio end up sinking without a trace in the mire of anticipation. Tonight belongs to the headliners. The Banshees take to the stage in a twilight of spotlights, crystalline, dissonant guitar splinters heralding the intro to "Helter Skelter", a song that’s been in their repertoire for nigh-on a year, but of which they acquit themselves with energy and enthusiasm, forestalling any bitterness they might feel for a blinkered and unresponsive industry with stoical perseverance. "Mirage" follows, then "Nicotine". The crowd call for "Captain Scarlet" (still!) but the Banshees don’t pander. Instead we get "Metal" and "Hong Kong Garden". "This one’s for all you A & R men at the bar..." Their mood becomes apparent... Remaining still is the primeval, anchor-beat of the drum sound, over which the Bromley chanteuse pins her starched, catatonic vocalese. Between these two extremes the guitars cover the middle-ground. Mixers and P.A.s permitting, they steer well clear of post ‘77 wall-of-sound conformity, every instrument maintaining an identity of it’s own in the overall sound pattern. And so a band who started life as a ‘ragged and naive’ figment of post-Pistols’ punk euphoria, develop through experience into a force to be reckoned with. Possibly not esoteric enough for ‘New Musick’ snobs and dilettantes to drool over, certainly not dumb enough for the boneheads, The Banshees may find themselves lost in limbo unless they surface in this year’s vinyl stakes. But I see no reason why not. Though this sound was marred by bad sound they proved themselves capable of delivering the goods (as they say in the business) and their ability as songwriters cannot be doubted as recent material like "Overground" and "Suburban Relapse" goes to show. As Siouxsie says, "Here’s something for all the record companies, ‘cos it’s their loss not ours..." It’s time someone listened. Steve Walsh |
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15/04/78 - Durham, Denim Club | ||
14/04/78 - Tynemouth, Maxwell's Club | ||
13/04/78
- Manchester,
Rafters Club
Helter Skelter |
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12/04/78
- Leeds,
F. Club Helter Skelter |
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09/04/78 - Chelmsford, Chancellor Hall | ||
07/04/78
- Margate
Kent, Dreamland |
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05/04/78
- Reading, Bones Club
Helter Skelter |
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March | ||
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30/03/78 - Sheffield, Limit Club | ||
27/03/78
- Kingston,
Coronation Hall
Helter Skelter |
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16/03/78
- London,
Alexandra Palace
Helter
Skelter |
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03/03/78 - Liverpool, Eric's Club | ||
February | ||
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25/02/78 - Exeter, Exeter Technical College | ||
14/02/78
- London, 100 Club
Helter Skelter |
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Sounds 25/02/78 | ||
"Happy Valentine's Day" was the first thing she said; then "What is it the sheep like now? Power pop innit?" You knew from the start that it was not to be a gig for the faint-hearted. The mad love of butcher's for their slabs of dead meat is hardly consistent with the sending of valentines. Unless of course Siouxsie's butcher sent his own heart. Pause to consider the hideous possibility. (this little fantasy has been inspired by their song 'Carcass' which also contains one of the great alliterative catch-phrases of all time "limblessly in love".) This was about the fifth (and best) time I saw the Banshees. I can't pretend to be an early advocate; faint interest at first and in the end, total capitulation. What they're really good at is building a song from a slow, sparse beginning to a doomy climax. No hysteria though: just a steady thorough working over with all the impact of a well-placed heel in your inner ear. 'Helter Skelter' is like that; also 'Pure' which leads into 'Love In A Void'. With hundreds of people turned away (and a brief visit from the police), it was bound to be weird. Lot of Sham fans too and a phase of people getting onstage and yelling things about The Moor Murderers. Siouxsie came back and settled that one ('castrate Myra Hindley'). It's a pity if people associate her with every sicko creed going, but hell she can handle it. And no one who writes a song with the subtlety of 'Mittageisen' or the brilliant new 'Overground' should be shoved away for people to inflict all their little private fantasies on. Enough has been written about Siouxsie's extraordinary voice, but just a few general points about the gig: good sound; the songs seemed more varied than in the past without losing any of their starkness; Siouxsie frosty but looser, more confident; still can't hear the words though, bleat bleat, and I know they're worth hearing. ATV, the Banshees and the Buzzocks form the triumvirate of British bands. And as for Siouxsie - you don't really mind that she probably regards you as a sheep too. You don't even mind when, on the way home, your old man announces he's "definitely in love" with her! Lindsey Boyd |
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12/02/78
- Croydon,
Greyhound
Helter Skelter |
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11/02/78
- Brighton, Polytechnic
Helter Skelter |
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04/02/78 - Hitchin, Hitchin Technical College | ||
January | ||
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28/01/78
- Bristol,
Barton Hill Youth Centre
Hong Kong Garden (Live debut) |
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14/01/78 - Bishop Stortford, Triad Centre | ||
13/01/78 - Doncaster, The Outlook | ||
07/01/78
- London,
Nashville Room
Helter Skelter |
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06/01/78 - London, Nashville Room | ||
1977 | ||
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Support acts during 1977 | ||
The
Slits Adam & The Ants The Unwanted Spizz Oil Aurtie Pus The Void Richard Hell Levi & The Rokats The Crabs Wrist Action |
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December | ||
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26/12/77
- London, Music Machine |
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22/12/77
- Colwyn
Bay, Dixieland Showbar |
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18/12/77
- Manchester,
Elizabethan Hall Helter Skelter |
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11/12/77
- London,
Roundhouse
Helter Skelter |
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06/12/77
- Leeds,
F. Club |
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05/12/77
- Doncaster,
Outlook Club |
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November | ||
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30/11/77 - Newport, Stowaway Club | ||
30/11/77 - Newport, Stowaway Club | ||
25/11/77
- Brighton,
New Regent |
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17/11/77 - Nottingham, Katies Club | ||
15/11/77 - Manchester, Belle Vue | ||
10/11/77
- Leeds,
Polytechnic
Helter Skelter |
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08/11/77 - Birkenhead, Mr. Digby's Club | ||
October | ||
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31/10/77 - London, Vortex Club | ||
27/10/77 - Coventry, Locarno Club | ||
26/10/77 - Liverpool, Eric's Club | ||
25/10/77
- Birmingham,
Barbarella's Club Scrapheap Psychic 20th Century Boy Carcass Love In A Void The Lord's Prayer Suburban Relapse Bad Shape |
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21/10/77 - Colchester, Technical College | ||
20/10/77
- London,
Rainbow Theatre |
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18/10/77 - Cardiff, Top Rank | ||
17/10/77
- Stafford,
Top of the World Club |
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15/10/77
- Manchester,
Umist |
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14/10/77
- Edinburgh,
Clouds Club |
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13/10/77
- Middlesborough,
Town Hall |
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11/10/77 - Sheffield, Top Rank Club | ||
09/10/77
- Croydon,
Greyhound |
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September | ||
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26/09/77
- Amsterdam,
Paradiso
Helter Skelter |
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24/09/77 - Paris, Gibus Club | ||
23/09/77 - Paris, Gibus Club | ||
22/09/77 - Paris, Gibus Club | ||
21/09/77 - Paris, Gibus Club | ||
20/09/77
- Paris,
Gibus Club
Suburban Relapse (Live debut)....(Not complete or in correct order) |
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15/09/77 - Leicester, Bloo Bloo Club | ||
14/09/77 - Manchester, Electric Circus | ||
13/09/77
- Birmingham,
Barbarbella's Club
Helter Skelter |
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08/09/77
- London,
Nashville Club
Helter Skelter |
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NME 17/09/77 | ||
You wish they all could be SS girls? Okay, but Ilse the She-Wolf never was my cup of barbed wire - and besides, Siouxsie Q don’t swoon for swastika armbands anymore. Now maybe someone will throw up a contract... Etched in red and black (good marching colours) the Bromley madchen hits the Nashville... such a lousy locale for one you’d expect to trade seig heils with down in the last bunker. In fact, the biggest shickhorror from the mire of Siouxsie’s allegedly Nietzchean nature was the frail, coy passes she made at the air with a raised hand in search of a Nazi nuance. Songs such as "Helter Skelter" and "Love In A Void" resound with automation rather than National Socialist partialities, neat beat songs of sick, slick love structured around machine-man scenarios or callously culled from dehumanised headlines. The normal Chinaman-in-a bull-shop barnstorming tedium of all the legions of honorary bored teenagers is liquidated in deference to the Banshees’ hollow Lou Reed-as-Sally Bowles chords, chords connect into bars around which Siouxsie swings her siren-whine - the whine to open your head... Her voice is sharp and stark, her eyes are dead and dark as she paces out her ascribed lebensraum hand-in-stand with the microphone, her human-failings dance routine snappily executed - if a little repetitive. Her movements seem to be a muted erosion of Debbie Blondie’s chrome-blooded clockwork dollbaby patent. While lacking the mass appeal of Gaye Advert or the real glee of Arianna Slit, Siouxsie has half a soft-core following and a band that doesn’t clutter the bare bones with the frills, as well as being handsome in a stretcher-case kind of way and a much neater conversation piece than all those fledgling punk pains festering down the Roxy and Vortex. If goosesteps give you a buzz you’ll have a ball, though I fear that whatever heights of minimalist muses she comes to capture, Siouxsie will never top her Sun centrespread. Julie Burchill |
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07/09/77 - London, Vortex Club | ||
05/09/77
- Birmingham,
Boar's Head Pub
Make Up To Break
Up |
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August | ||
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30/08/77
- Plymouth,
Metro Club |
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28/08/77
- London,
Sundown Club (Cancelled) |
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25/08/77
- Devon,
Tiverton Motel
Mirage (Live debut)....(Not complete or in correct order) |
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22/08/77
- London,
Vortex Club
Make Up To Break Up |
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04/08/77
- Birmingham,
Rebecca's Club |
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July | ||
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21/07/77 - London, Roxy Club | ||
11/07/77
- London,
Vortex Club
Helter Skelter (Live debut)....(Not complete or in correct order) |
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09/07/77
- Shad Thames, Butler's Wharf, London (private party hosted by Derek
Jarman and Andrew Logan.
Helter Skelter/The Lord's Prayer (Private live debut)....(Not complete or in correct order) |
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May | ||
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24/05/77 - London, Dingwalls | ||
19/05/77 - London, Music Machine | ||
17/05/77
- Manchester,
The Royal Oak
Helter Skelter |
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14/05/77 - Liverpool, Eric's Club | ||
10/05/77 - London, Enfield Polytechnic | ||
05/05/77 - High Wycombe, Nag's Head Pub | ||
April | ||
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23/04/77 - London, Roxy Club | ||
March | ||
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26/03/77
- London,
Roxy Club
Captain Scarlet |
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13/03/77 - Worchester, Bank House | ||
03/03/77 - High Wycombe, Nag's Head Pub | ||
February | ||
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24/02/77
- Croydon,
Red Deer Pub
Captain Scarlet (Live debut) |
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1976 | ||
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September | ||
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20/09/76
- London,
100 Club
The Lord's Prayer |
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