Back to my Roots

Took a trip back in time yesterday, I went to see Urgh! A Music War – part of the Access all Areas season at the NFT.

It’s not really a film in the traditional sense, it’s not even a documentary - it’s a compilation of punk and new wave bands performing live in the early 80s. I’ve waited 20 years to see it, and when I got to the South Bank they told me it might be cancelled as there was a problem with the air conditioning. Good grief! Thanks to a man with a spanner, 45 minutes later we were in.

There’s a good variety of music – from the darker sounds of Wall of Voodoo to the poppier Go Gos and Toyah. My favourites were Dead Kennedys, Klaus Nomi, Devo and The Cramps.

I liked the Cramps most ‘cos their guitarist, Poison Ivy, makes me do a love wet. She looked amazing too – tight gold pants, black leather jacket, HUGE hair and that fabulous look of disdain. Once, when I saw them in the 80s (cue a doo-dl-doo-dl-oo, doo-dl-doo-dl-oo moment like in Wayne’s World …) Lux Interior came to the front of the stage and put his hand on my little pubescent titty. I looked over at Ivy and she sneared and tossed her hair. I was breathless for the rest of the show *whimper*.

Even some of the bands I didn’t like much in the past seemed better in retrospect. Echo and the Bunnymen were good, and I loved the totally over the top Gary Numan performance. He did Down in the Park and scooted into view in a hand operated car - more of a go-cart, really. The rest of the band appeared through windows to the side of the stage, there was dry ice and badly made trees. Never looking at the audience, never showing an emotion, Gary drove around singing and then trundled off. How we sniggered.

Oh yeah! The Au Pairs were in it too doing Come Again - I used to love them. Their singer Lesley Woods was one of the first “out” dykes I remember. I played their Playing With A Different Sex album to death. I especially liked them cos they frightened the straight boys who thought they were “anti men”. Ha ha, the fact that half the band were male completely escaped them. (Ooh! I’ve just noticed there’s a CD anthology available, I’m going to get that!)

Of course, where you have punk you have to have a bit of reggae. Steel Pulse’s Ku Klux Klan felt a bit “token” given that it appears on just about every punk compilation, but I still love it. I was more surprised at the inclusion of UB40. I actually like a bit of the UBs, especially their early stuff, but they usually get dissed because they’re white boys – it’s political correctness gone mad. They were the first live band I ever saw (supporting Pretenders) so they’ll always have a little place in my heart.

The 80s get a lot of bad press, but I love them and am glad to have grown up though that era. It was all workers collectives, down with the monarchy and ban porn. It was idealist and achingly naïve, but if it wasn’t for that strict PC grounding, I wouldn’t be the fascist I am now.