Last week, The False Dots performed our last gig of the year at The Dublin Castle. We supported The Radical Sance Faction, who were brilliant. When I asked Tony, who does the music at The Dublin Castle for an Xmas show, he said "All of the headline slots have gone". I replied "We don't want a headline, we want a support, as we always have an Xmas gig and it gives us the chance to have a proper chat with the fans after the gig. He then said "How about an 8pm slot with The RDF" which I jumped at.
We have a reasonably small but loyal fan base, who turn out to most gigs. Being able to get around and have a proper chat with all of them was brilliant. The fact they got to see a brilliant band after was a massive bonus. These days, when we play, we simply have a few beers and a bit of a laugh at the venue. It is good fun, but compared to the days of old, it is relatively sedate. When the band started, most of our biggest fans came purely for the aftershow party!
What were these like? Well I've had two major relationships in my life and both started at the aftershow party for the band! In the very early days, the after show party was at "The Cottage". This was the caretakers cottage at Bunns Lane Works. The band would do the gig, then we'd all come back. The Cottage was where Mill Hill Music Complex started. Our first rehearsal was in the kitchen. The cottage was derelict at the time. When we opened the studio, all we did was nail corrugated iron over the windows. We put a few old sofa's in there and a heater. We'd leave the gear permanently set up. It was somewhere that a bunch of reckless teenagers could party until the early hours. Jusr about everything went on. All manner of illicit substances, alcohol, tea, coffee and biscuits were consumed. We'd often go on until the morning, people would fall asleep in their chair and we'd build houses of all manner of things on top of them. We had a card game, called "The barrel of doom", where the loser had to fully immerse themselve in a rainwater barrel that was full of dirty water, at the back of the premises. One of our mates lost five times in a row. The next day, he came down and emptied it, to avoid the possibility of such indignity occurring again. To his horror, there were half a dozen dead rats at the bottom. we found it hilarious.
When my parents went away, I'd move the party to my house, which was warm and comfy. That was where I met my first proper partner. We'd done a gig at The Copper pub on Tower Bridge Road. She'd watched the gig, she'd been invited by our singers sister. She was invited back and we snuck off upstairs to my room. When we finally emerged at about 10am, the party was still in full flow. It seemed normal. When we started going out, the parties seemed to me to become a bit more sedate (relatively) and when we moved in together, they more or less stopped. The band had also evolved and we were getting better and getting a bigger audience. In September 1984, the band line up split up, our relationship broke down and I had serious health issues. I didn't drink at all of six months, following a stomach bleed.
Eventually, I got a completely new line up together. Poet Allen Ashley came in on vocals. Allen was older and more sedate than previous members. He was planning to be a teacher. He wasn't into the debaucher of the Dots of old. After a couple of false starts (excuse the pun), The False Dots got Graham Ramsey in on drums. Graham was very much in the mould of the Dots. He loved a party! When we did our Xmas show at The Three Hammers in 1985, we collaborated with Rob Tasker's band Soldier Bike. It was arranged that we'd all go to a warehouse party in Aldgate for the aftershow. Allen did not join us, but about 30 people jumped in various cars and vans for the fun. Among them, a group of rather pretty girls. We'd met them the week before at The Hammers, when we'd gone for a drink to rustle up fans for the show. We invited them to the party. I took a fancy to one, and 39 years later, we are still together. Of all the after gig parties, that was the wildest. Clare told me that she thought we were really hip and trendy, going to such things! That party was in a huge, derelict warehouse and it was at the start of Rave culture. I was so besotted that I didn't really pay too much attention to it.
The last after gig party I recall of the first iteration of The False Dots was at our final gig in 1990. We'd played at St Josephs College in Mill Hill, for a party attended by the Princess of Tonga! After we finished, we all returned to my house. It was perhaps the strangest after show party of all. My mum came! It was rather sedate compared to parties in the past, but Mum stayed until 1am and drunk a few pints of Guinness. She thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. The sedate nature of the party, was part of the reason we stopped. I realised we were no longer a full on Rock and Roll band and though it was actually good fun, I rather stupidly felt the band was a bit pointless if we weren't being crazy.
In 2002, we got back to gigging. It was also the year of my 40th Party. We did a benefit gig in April, but I decided to have a birthday party. We set the date for 7th December. I asked all of my friends and all of the family. We got Huw Lloyd-Langton from Hawkwind to jam with us. There was a large empty unit at Bunns Lane Works, which we dressed out as a venue, with a stage, lights etc. It was a brilliant night. Everyone was raving until the early hours. By this time, my Mum had had a stroke, but she came and got into it. We did our set and then parties until the early hours. After we played, all manner of people got up and jammed. I wasn't quite sure whether it was the end or the start of an era. In truth it was both. It was the moment that I realised that I'd been stupid to stop playing with The False Dots and that I'd take the band seriously again. Not as in to get a big record deal, but as something that I could have a lot of fun with, do benefit gigs, write great songs and keep in touch with friends with. As we had small children, big parties until 10am was not feasable. That gig was the last night of real, hard partying after a gig.
Now, the fun is had at the venue. The Dublin Castle is a great venue, as there is a DJ after the bands until 2pm. You can have a drink and a boogie and when you are fed up you can go home! It is truly wonderful. The mad parties after the gigs were brilliant at the time. The band gave me everything that is precious to me through such a party, but I truly hope and pray that I have no need of such a thing in the future. It is odd to think that I've been with Clare 40 years next year. She's a musician as well. She plays in the BBC Elstree Concert Band, who are brilliant. I've always found it odd that such bands don't have wild after parties as we did! Being in a rock and roll band is a brilliant thing. Playing gigs is a wonderful thing, but when there is a great aftershow party it is the best thing of all.
There's only really one way I can end this particular piece! There was a great after show party when we filmed this!
No comments:
Post a Comment