THE CULT FIGURES LIVE AT THE CEDAR CLUB
SLEEVENOTES BY GARY JONES NOVEMBER 2004
...a little background info about how awful the gig was... it could serve as a 'don't do this kids' lesson to up and coming bands!
I can't remember how the gig came about, except we knew 'Charged GBH' from the Crown Inn, a central Birmingham pub where all the punks, skinheads, junkies and other misfits congregated. We had already released two records, and GBH were starting out but had a pretty big local following of hardcore punks and skins. Rather foolishly we accepted the offer of a double-bill gig at the Cedar Club.
The omens were bad right from the soundcheck. I broke several strings on my guitar, and discovered that I hadn't brought any spares and that nobody else had either! Martins bass guitar was knocked over by one of GBH during their soundcheck, usually not a problem as bass guitars are quite robust, however this time a machine head broke off! It was too late to do anything about this and GBH agreed to lend their bass to Martin, and their guitar to me.
The bass was OK[ish], but the guitar was like a slightly refined scaffold plank (it turned out that a neighbour had made it), which was terribly out of tune, and very hard to tune. When I handed the guitar back to Jock [?] of GBH after our set I was asked "What have you done to my guitar?" "I've tuned it", said I .. "?.. I usually just tighten 'em all up", came the horrified reply!.
On the night we had agreed to go on first as we preferred to be able to get a good session of drinking in afterwards but this set us up as fodder for the impatient, mainly skinhead/punk GBH fans in the club. We didn't look right, and we certainly didn't sound right!
What follows is the sound of a band unravelling. A band struggling to ply their trade in the face of hostile indifference. Skinheads and punks staring and jeering, occasionally gobbing, (not in the 1977 appreciative way, but in a fuck off kind of way!) and somewhere on the disc I mention the first glass that was lobbed at us! It was weird at first, but without saying anything to each other we started fucking about, and in the end, in a masochistic way enjoyed it. My only regret on listening back, is my lack of clever stage patter.. But you've got to laugh ain't ya?!!!!
I hope you enjoy it too, come ride with us on the crazy rock'n'roll merry-go-round... Carry on riding until you throw up yer chips...

I made this music player at MyFlashFetish.c

1. SILENT MAJORITY 2. CLAMBAKE 3. PAINTING BY NUMBERS 4. 24 HOUR TV 5. REACTIONS NIL 6. SUBMENGED CUTLERY 7. WAR ON FUN 8. BATTLESHIP GREY 9. I REMEMBER 10. MARTIN'S HOLIDAY 11. THE RELIGION 12.. ZIP NOLAN
Cover versions of Cum On Feel The Noise and NoFun have been left off...

The live version of Zip Nolan has been released on the Messthetics#103 CD which is the latest in the series of UK DIY compilations from 1977-1981. This compilation focuses on the Birminghan and West Midlands area and has tracks from the Swell Maps, TheVersatile Newts (an early version of Felt), Spizz Oil, The Shapes, The Prefects, Digital Dinasaurs, The Cravats and many more! This CD can be bought directly from the Hyped2Death website or from good record stores!