Trouble / violence at gigs.

kevo · Jul 28, 2019

wigman said:
Was having a conversation at work earlier with colleagues on this very topic.
We spoke about the likes of the Specials and Sham 69, where it seemed as though trouble at these gigs was the norm.
My mate was saying that the Jam gigs could also be a little lively and he said his best friend had his nose broken at one of their gigs.
Just wondering if anyone over the years had witnessed or heard stories on this topic and would like to share them with us.

Went to see 999 at the Richmond once and it was stormed by skinheads who wanted to beat up the punks. Me and my mate just looked like your average students so were ignored by both sides as the punches were flying. Reminiscent of the bad old days of football violence when it was casual crew v casual crew, and providing you weren't wearing Fred Perry or Pringle no-one would pay any attention.

LlcoolJ · Jul 28, 2019

Got quite feisty in Manchester one night, 2005 I think, when my Mrs nicked a pint off another bird. She pointed it out to her mate and the two blokes she was with and I had to calm the situation down.

Kylie was brilliant though.

pasty · Jul 28, 2019

Earning some serious brownie points a few years back I took Mrs P and her daughter to see Robbie Williams and Olly Murs at Wembley. Didn't expect to see this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpeSS25B5Mc

Behind Enemy Lines · Jul 28, 2019

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b068xrkt

Pretty Plnk Fairy · Jul 28, 2019

some bloke disrespected ginger spice at one or the reyounion concerts so i was about to teach him a lesson but my mum wouldnt let me as they were about to song when too become one other wise there would have been serious damage

Regards
DR

boik · Jul 28, 2019

Only really been at a couple of gigs that got lively in an unfriendly way. Upstarts at the Nashville was stormed by a gang with stanley knives, and the Beat (I think) at the Top Rank when NF came in kicking and shouting. Been to loads of punk gigs that involved a fair bit of energy, but never a problem.

LlcoolJ · Jul 28, 2019

pasty said:
Earning some serious brownie points a few years back I took Mrs P and her daughter to see Robbie Williams and Olly Murs at Wembley. Didn't expect to see this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpeSS25B5Mc

Had someone spotted Murs in the crowd? Fair play if so.

rippleman · Jul 29, 2019

Bob! said:
Were you at the Buzzcocks gig at the Top Rank in 78?/79?

Steve Diggle got a full beer can in his groin, the band went off.

Then it kicked off. I remember walking up to the Clock Tower and a massive (about 7ft?) speaker was being liberated up the road.

The there was the Clash at Crawley Leisure Centre in '78, Suicide supporting, Coventry Automatics (later to become The Specials) 3rd on the bill. For some reason Jimmy Pursey was there amd did the vocals on White Riot during the encore.

Suicide lasted about 2 numbers before the skins got on stage and proceed to wrap the singers microphone lead round his neck!

I fondly remember that Buzzcocks gig. One copper on the dancefloor, truncheon drawn, and all kinds of stuff being lobbed down from the balcony. People wandering off up West Street after with bits of their kit. It was a shocking gig though.

Most scary was certainly Sham69 at top rank. We had a game that evening (can't recall who it was but it was a London team). Had left game bit early and a couple of oppo fans at Hove station warned us that it would kick off.............and it most certainly did. Usually the bouncers at the Top Rank were heavy -handed bullies. That night they were nowhere to be seen. Rather than taking my place at the front as I usually would do, I stood at the bottom of the stairs in order to make a quick getaway!

rippleman · Jul 29, 2019

brighton bluenose said:
Used to go and see the Pirahnas regularly back then - good times! And a couple of my pals were in Chicane too!

Was a regular at Pirahnas gigs at the Alhambra (and wherever else they played). Went up to a couple of London gigs with them too - which were uneventful (fortunately)!

Happy days. Great memories

rippleman · Jul 29, 2019

Return of the Rev said:
sunday at the alhambra surely

Yes indeed. It was the Alhambra (RIP) on a Sunday night.

I remember the night John Peel turned up and rather than the 30-40 regulars there was a huge queue to get in and it looked like we would get locked out until their manager recognised me and pulled me straight to the front of the queue. Happy days!

Nicky & The Dots was another favourite of that era (remember they seemed to play the Richmond mostly)

B-right-on · Jul 29, 2019

Saw Bad Manners in the early 80s at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. Kicked off between a few chick's and blokes. Band walked off but came back on after it calmed down a bit.

bhadiv1 · Jul 29, 2019

In my experience violence ensued when they tried to mix genres of music at the same gig, such gigs as
a) Madness and the Ruts at the Brighton arts college,
b) Amazing line up at the Brighton centre (from memory) Theatre of Hate, followed by the Meteors with the Stray Cats headlining, a mixture of punks, psychobillies and older Teddy boys
c) Most Cure gigs due the palace Brighton rivalry.
d) And to a lesser degree at few Mod Punk combo's, inc the Merton Parkas at the Escape
e) Brighton legend Smeggy, fronting King Kurt was always exiting

pearl · Jul 29, 2019

bhadiv1 said:
In my experience violence ensued when they tried to mix genres of music at the same gig, such gigs as
a) Madness and the Ruts at the Brighton arts college,
b) Amazing line up at the Brighton centre (from memory) Theatre of Hate, followed by the Meteors with the Stray Cats headlining, a mixture of punks, psychobillies and older Teddy boys
c) Most Cure gigs due the palace Brighton rivalry.
d) And to a lesser degree at few Mod Punk combo's, inc the Merton Parkas at the Escape
e) Brighton legend Smeggy, fronting King Kurt was always exiting

e) yeah and that was the end of the New Regent

PFJ · Jul 29, 2019

bhadiv1 said:
In my experience violence ensued when they tried to mix genres of music at the same gig, such gigs as
a) Madness and the Ruts at the Brighton arts college,
b) Amazing line up at the Brighton centre (from memory) Theatre of Hate, followed by the Meteors with the Stray Cats headlining, a mixture of punks, psychobillies and older Teddy boys
c) Most Cure gigs due the palace Brighton rivalry.
d) And to a lesser degree at few Mod Punk combo's, inc the Merton Parkas at the Escape
e) Brighton legend Smeggy, fronting King Kurt was always exiting

I remember The Madness gig at the Art College. Proper tear up on the green between the skins from the gig and Leeds fans coming out of the King and Queen. We had played Leeds earlier in the day where they had chased the North Stands finest all over Hove Park. I remember the Ruts as well, as just got back from Charlton away. Very lively day.
Stray Cats, TOH and The Meteors was at the The Top Rank. That was a load of skins against the Psychobillies and the Teds. That was the last straw for the Top Rank, after trouble at The UK Subs, The Damned , Specials , Selector and Chelsea, so they banned the local skins. Ironically the next gig was The Cockney Rejects. Their lot got in, but ours didn't. Just as well probably.
No recollection of violence at The Cure, but then again I hated the Cure so never went. However seems an odd one .
I remember a load of skins waiting for the Mods after a Secret Affair gig at The Top rank. They all piled over the wooden fence which surrounded the waste ground that is now occupied by the hotels at the bottom of West Street.
King Kurt and Meteors gigs were always well advised not to get to close to the wrecking crew unless you possessed a twelve inch rhino horn quiff. They didnt like outsiders at their gigs. I got a proper smack at a Guana Bats gig just for daring to dance and not being a psychobilly.

lawros left foot · Jul 29, 2019

pasty said:
Earning some serious brownie points a few years back I took Mrs P and her daughter to see Robbie Williams and Olly Murs at Wembley. Didn't expect to see this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpeSS25B5Mc

I took Mrs LLF to that gig, wish I’d have seen the scrap, looked to the best thing that happened.

Nottseagull · Jul 29, 2019

Can anyone remember a gig at the TRS one Saturday night in the late 70s where an empty glass was thrown on the stage, causing the band to threaten to walk off? I'm not interested in the incident, it's just that I can't remember if it was the Members or the Piranhas that I was watching :blush:

Psychobilly freakout said:
Not sure to be honest, I like the bottom one of the skins walking past the hippies....
They look terrified, trying not to make eye contact with the skins.... It's funny, but they did instill fear like no other sub culture.

They used to scare the s*** out of me even though I wasn't in a subculture. However, encountering them travelling to or from Albion matches was never a concern as I instinctively knew they wouldn't bother their fellow fans.

jevs · Jul 29, 2019

I'm a huge ELO fan and seen Jeff Lynne's ELO three times in the past 3 years. They announced their tour dates earlier in the year but no UK dates...just USA.

I asked the official site why no UK gigs and they said it was because of a lot of fighting in Manchester arena last autumn....they refused to tour the UK because of it.

Fights...at an ELO gig.... :lolol:

The Birdman · Jul 29, 2019

This was good gig

Return of the Rev said:
buzzcocks was a riot and the clash at Crawley with suicide was funny "your all gonna die" then the skin jumped up! Seem to recall Croydon v Brighton skins v punks and then we just swerved the crawley smoothies outside after the gig! Great night!

Mr Banana · Jul 29, 2019

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster at the Hanbury Ballroom ten years ago had a very genuine promise of violence throughout. Can't really remember what happened but I think it was abandoned because the band started fighting with the crowd, who had turned on each other by the time it came to blows.

When The World/Inferno Friendship Society played the Albert a while back, a guy fell backwards, half-naked, from someone's shoulders onto a floor containing large shards of glass, making his back resemble a rectangular pizza.

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