First published in 2016 in the NGG fanzine...
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| Poster by Syd Matthews |
In January 1982 I was still at school half-heartedly studying for A levels, which I would sit in June 1983, with no idea at all what I would do after that. But I was in a band. This was purely by virtue of owning a drum kit. I had only a basic grasp of what I was meant to be doing with it, but it was enough for me to be a member of the Rubberman 12 (pronounced Rubberman Dozen); a trio with my pal John Gawen on bass, plus singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike O’Halloran.
Mike’s main influences, courtesy of his older brother, were Todd Rundgren, Love, the Velvet Underground, The Jam, Orange Juice, Talking Heads and Joe Jackson. His songs would not have been out of place on the Postcard label; post-punk pop with a funky twang that just fell short of being twee. C-86 before its time, I suppose. The-Beatles-in-Hamburg it was not. John was a big Bunnymen and Bowie fan and I was mad on The Doors, Magazine, Vic Godard, Love, The Fall and Frank Sinatra. However, since that Christmas party, we had each endeavoured to see The Milkshakes and Prisoners as often as possible.
We had done a few gigs at parties and village halls over the previous year and were looking to start doing proper dates in proper venues. On Sunday 28th February we turned up to watch the Prisoners at the Red Lion in Northfleet. It was one of the rare dates in those days where the Milkshakes were not playing with them as the two bands used to gatecrash each other’s gigs as a readymade double bill. The Prisoners were now no longer a trio, Jamie having joined them a month earlier.
