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| BACK ON THIS DAY 30 YEARS AGO ....THURSDAY 17TH 1977 |
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| The Saints from Brisbane Australia were literally the other side of the globe from London and New York's concentrated punk rock scenes and certainly were pioneers of their day. The Saints were literally outlaws in their own outback, banned from gigs, big drinkers and shunned by local record labels. They released theIr self-financed classic debut 45 'I'm Stranded' in September 1976 and sent a few spare copies to UK critics. It soon became a hit amongst the UK music press with it's raw Ramones pace and dumb vocals. Growing interest in the Saints from the UK led to em being signed by EMI giants, who after the Sex Pistols exploits weren't taking any chances and were set to release em on their subsidiary 'prog rock' label Harvest. The band now fired up with major label backing, start recording their debut album 'I'm Stranded' today in an amazing non stop 48 hour rampage of drunken fury. Due for release in March It's rough, it's raw, its essential! |
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| play The Hope And Anchor in London's Islington tonight. |
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| Sheffield (1977-80s): Sheffield was originally home to four fanzines, but neither of them lasted longer than a year. GUN RUBBER In February 1977 Gun Rubber's first issue, a stapled collection of hand-written Xerox sheets, was handed out free at the Craisy Daisy. It was written by Glenn Gregory (AKA Bert Vinyl) who later fronted Heaven 17 after the Human League splintered in 1980. Gun Rubber was an influential fanzine on Sheffield punk scene and managed to produce 7 issues before folding at Christmas '77. It was roughly put together and It's content showed diversity. By number #5, it included interviews with the Ramones, Rat Scabies and to broaden people's horizons . . . the storyline to the film Deep Throat (gulp!). With No.6 it had The Stranglers, The Saints and an early guide to 'Who's Who in Sheffield' (featuring probably Sheffield's first punk band to appear and disappear, that of '2 Point 3'). Their final issue had local hero Paul Shaft on the cover. By the end of '77, though, Gun Rubber had become disillusioned with the Punk scene. For them it had become stagnant and began to lament the past. And then Marc Bolan's death seemed to be the final straw for them. Even though the zine was on its last legs, Bert and Co. still had enough conviction to attack the rise of the National Front. It spawned a dozen or so other fanzines by future post-punkers after it's last issue in late '77)...I don't have a copy but some of the pages are reproduced in 'Beats Working For A Living' the coffee table book supplement to the 'Made In Sheffield' documentary on sheffield post-punk. |
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