I’ve been sitting on this absolute gem for a few months now, waiting until I was ready to blog about the Manics gig. This is not just the only visual footage of any of the Buzz Club nights, far more importantly it is of The Manic Street Preachers legendary Aldershot appearance.
This film has been in an attic for twenty years and has only recently been unearthed. You can’t hear James Dean Bradfield’s vocals at the start as Ben (the camera man) is standing to the side of the stage. However this is where Richey is playing and so it makes it all the more wonderful. Ben moves to the front of the stage at 4:45, and the rest of the clip has great sound. Watch for the fight in the crowd at 6:52 and how the band deal with it. Many thanks to Ben Startup from the band Phobia who supported that night and who luckily enough had a video camera back in 1991! Many thanks also to Pete Cole, Buzz Club regular who has helped unearth this wonderful artefact.
The Manics came to Aldershot to promote their ‘Motown Junk‘ single, released on Heavenly. The gig easily sold out with people travelling down from London and far further a field than the usual Buzz Club gigs, as you can see by this letter which appeared in the ‘N.M.E.‘ the week after the show.
We also have have a live recording of the set, once again provided by Dave Driscol and his handy hand held tape recorder. Here from February 16th 1991, live from The Buzz Club, The Manic Street Preachers and ‘You Love Us‘
and also, recorded front of house, so a better sound quality than the video, ‘Motown Junk‘
Seems we were blessed with cameras, tape recorders and letter writers that night!
Without wishing to sound like my dad, they don’t make em now like they used to!!
MANIC STREET PREACHERS @ THE BUZZ CLUB, ALDERSHOT WEST END CENTRE 16 FEBRUARY 1991
Even though this gig was 22 years ago, I still remember it like it was yesterday.
Being fan of punk rock, especially of The Clash and The Skids/Stuart Adamson/Big Country, I was more than happy to hear ‘Motown Junk’ on Snub TV and although I chuckled at their arrogance/hype (see http://youtu.be/EGbkiTdEuFU) I was very excited to discover a band that could become your heroes and were ‘for real’. I was really pleased that Jo & Danny had them lined-up to play the Buzz Club the following week. The gig was totally sold out and jam packed, I am sure the fire safety limits were more than exceeded that night and it was hot as hell. I can honestly say that I was totally blown away by their stage presence, songs and in short the Manics totally lived up to the hype. One thing I noticed while watching the footage of the Aldershot gig is that it totally disproves the rumours that Ritchie Edwards wasn’t plugged in and simply mimed, as he can be heard loud and proud. Their short 30-minute set was over in a blink of an eye and how I survived being down the front beats me. A fight broke out during the set and the band stopped the song half way and quipped ‘stop fighting, do something constructive instead – like form a band’. Inspirational stuff.
Fast forward to 2012, 10 albums later (only 9 more than they predicted in 1991!) and band member down, the Manics are still relevant .
Pete Cole, Woking
proud to say i was there. cant remember much of the night except it was hot, sweaty and raucous. i was 16 and thought every gig was going to be like this! in hindsight i think we caught them at their apex.
As an avid attender of ‘Buzz Club’ gigs I knew I had to be at the Manics ‘West End Centre’ show. I was an avid fanzine reader too and prior to this had just bought the fanzine that the Manics’ ‘UK Channel Boredom’ flexi came free with. Despite the postman bending my copy slightly I knew they were a band to look out for.
My band “Who Moved The Ground ?” met our drummer at the gig too. We had been gigging around for a short while when our first short-lived drummer left. The rest of us were friends with “Phobia” (who supported the Manics that night) and when their guitarist Ben asked me if he could borrow my guitar for the gig I was only too happy to oblige. Mine was nicer than his I believe! I arrived during the soundchecks but the only memory I have of this is that Ben preceeded to take the Top E string off of my guitar! Apparently he only played with 5 strings on his axe!
“Phobia” played well that night I remember but the Manics were incredible. I have a funny feeling that they started AND finished their short incendiary set with ‘You Love Us’ that night but that may not be right, it might well be just a romantic notion that I’ve factioned.
Then, after the gig “Phobia”s drummer introduced me to another drummer friend of his. We talked. He joined “Who Moved The Ground ?” a matter of months later and “Who Moved The Ground ?” went on to be together for 5 years, do 4 tours of Europe, release 4 well received singles, appear on TV with Jools Holland and play hundreds of fun filled gigs wherever people would have us. In it’s own small way the Manics gig at the ‘West End Centre’ was the start of something great for me.
Sid Stovold (2013)
Who Moved The Goround ? / Inter / Wherewithal / Brassneck / The Stylettes.
http://www.thestylettes.com