Random Play: It’s Only Rock’n’Roll
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On the timing of gigs: it was directly related to the extension of opening hours. Bar owners could then make people stay longer and drink more.
In the 80s, midweek gigs were great - you could grab a bite to eat, see a couple of bands play and still be home in time for the late news. And on 11pm nights, you'd just have to find out where all the parties were. Oh, we made our own fun in those days ...
Re violence: I think gigs are far less violent now. I actually can't recall ever seeing a fight at the King's Arms. We're lacking the two main contributing elements: boot boys and police. The boot boys were stupid and destructive and the cops weren't much better.
The team policing units would turn up somewhere like the Windsor at closing time, hassle people, wait for someone to give them some lip, then it was all on and punters were being chucked in the back of vans. It was unforgiveably bad policing: the opposite of keeping order.
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Re violence: I think gigs are far less violent now. I actually can't recall ever seeing a fight at the King's Arms. We're lacking the two main contributing elements: boot boys and police. The boot boys were stupid and destructive and the cops weren't much better.
posted the below on my blog last year in a gig review thingy...thought it might be appropriate here...the was under worst gigs listing:
The Anti Violence Gig….XS Café, Auckland, 1980….somebody thought this would be a good idea….back, 26 years ago, the AK live scene was plagued with violence, mostly wrought by the skinhead and boot girl (who were often worse) element that tagged itself onto punk. I can’t recall who played, I know The Features and Shoes This High did, but it almost didn’t matter. It was perhaps the most violent thing I’ve ever seen. As skinheads beat anyone they could, including members of the bands who were dragged off stage, club owner, Bryan Staff, stood in the corner taking photographs (there is one inside the AK79 CD sleeve) saying there was little he could do but wait for the police. Before they arrived the Ponsonby gang, The King Cobras arrived and it moved into the street. The third gang, the Police then turned up and beat anyone still standing into a pulp.
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Zwines could be pretty hard core - didn't go there many times - but on the whole most other venues seemed only very randomly violent, directly related to alcohol consumption. (hmm, or was I in cuckooland) Seems more kids have fewer inhibitions these days ?
the punk gigs from about 1978-82 were pretty full on, especially at the likes of Toy Love or Proud Scum at the Windsor, or anyone at the Reverb Room (which was the one in Symonds St...the former Liberty Stage), or, on blood splatterd a level of its own, XS Cafe. It was generally directed at outsiders though, or battles between bootboys and Polynesian or Maori gangs. The intellectual level on display with both those groupings left a little to be desired.
The police openly used the punk / band scene as a practice / dry run for the 81 tour too, with baton charges from Murrant's mob at several parties I was at. A sergeant at a party in Parnell, which was fairly orderly, but was charged anyway, told me at the time, as several of us pleaded for restraint, that they were trying out new techniques. That was the first time I saw long batons.
Zwines, which I went to probably close to 100 times in 78 and 79 had a danger factor all of its own...the disco kids in Babes which you had to pass on the way into it. Once there it was more or less a private members club...90% knew each other, were in bands, going out with band members or close friends with such. It wasn't that heavy.
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Graham, I think it was called the 'Pod' among other names.
Yeah, Pod - was that in Canterbury arcade? I've been away for a while.
A flatmate in the mid 90's played there with his band "Spine". He could play Chuck Schuldiner solos note for note by ear. Man he could play. His original stuff was great too. Their gig was replete with a backstage fight, supposedly "justified" by a competing band's slight.
This stuff sounds so foreign living in Japan now. Never seen a fight here - it's not really in the Japanese mentality. At any large gigs they have big black guys for security, though they're almost unnecessary. Foreigner's cause some trouble, but you're probably out of the country if you get arrested, so it's rare. Anyway a bit OT, sorry.
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This has been fun: yep it was Pod and it was very effective wee venue. And probably the Rhumba Bar where I got ther (glass) jug thrown at my head.
Russell recalls Public Enemy in Camden: I recall before they came here the first time and for the Herald I tried to get an interview with Chuck D but he wouldn't talk to us. (I did one recently actually and it wasn't easy, he was in a business meeting and kept shuffling papers)
Anyway we tried and tried, but eventually gave up but said to our readers how great it was going to be etc.
On the night Chuck got up and said, "the meee-dia tried to stop this show, the po-lice tried to stop this show" etc and to my way of thinking neither of those assertions were true -- but the room rang with applause. just another version of 'Good evening Auckland' I think.
I don't recall Zwines ever being especially violent in the sense of feeling like I was going to be beaten up (unlike a gig I attended where I worked the door for a band and they hadn't told me it was on the interesection of two gang territories near Tauranga)
Zwines always struck me as being rough inasmuch as people were into slam dancing, but you didn't have to participate.
The only time I have been beaten up -- steel cappped boot to my face which explains the nose -- was back in the late 60s near Albert Park on my way down to the old 1480 Village (which was where Zwines is/was).
A coupla longhairs picked on a group of me and my school friends (all of whom had pretty long hair too) and said that we'd be mates if we had a fight. Weird logic.
They were about 20 and we were 16.
They won.
I bled. -
Nick,
Totally agree with comments about Japan. Working on shows there was always great - as mentioned Japanese audiences are distinctly enthusiastic and non-violent. They want all the wackiness of rock n roll - but it's about enjoyment, never about aggro.
Fuji Rock Festival has to be my favourite outdoor and festy venue ever - in large parts due to that approach to live events.
I remember standing on stage thinking you could draw a long line in the sand in front of the stage, and they wouldn't cross it. Who needs steel pit barriers? The "large black guys" there - are Marines from the nearby US bases - who just do a lot of standing around looking large.
Japanese road crews are without exception highly professional and well managed. I seemed to have one crew for every piece of equipment. My operating table was marked out with tape - with individual components labelled, then carefully packed away after sound checks - then on show day - everything was exactly as I left it.
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