Dear Paul
Hurrah - someone out there is interested in the band! Now you must remember it was over twenty years ago so forgive me the gaps.
Susy Hogarth - Drummer The Innocents. 17.5.2003 |
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There was Greg Van Cook (Electric Chairs and Vibrators) on guitar, his wife Marguerite Van Cook on vocals and initially Fiona as a keyboard player.
I met up with them after they saw me doing a gig with this left wing political band I was with called 'The Resisters'. The gig was
Highbury Fields. Greg was the only one who could play actually but Marguerite wrote some stuff. Anyway the three of them lived in a flat in
Highbury. Downstairs lived this girl called (I think) Sarah who went out with Boogie who managed the Sex Pistols. She became the bass player. Greg taught
Fiona and Sarah to play the songs he and M. had written. They were really pleased to get me because I could really play - sort of!
Greg was also playing with the Vibrators.
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Graffiti
Camden Palace 1978 |
We played some good gigs - we played the Marquee, Camden Palace and loads of pubs. Sarah was at a Clash rehearsal and she asked them if we could come on their tour - as the Slits were on the bill - and we thought we could play as well as them at least. So they said yes!
(Out on Parole Tour 1978) We had a mad manager - whose name escapes me completely but he paid for us to do some promo pics and for us to do the tour. I had a job and a child of 2 so I made them let me travel to all the gigs by train! (after work). I don't remember the name of the tour but Caroline Coon was managing the Clash.
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Photo above and
below courtesy of Mick Mercer.
Me, Greg and Marguerite had a bit of a problem with smack - and things were a bit weird. We did some great studio tapes at pathway at Newington Green - Eddie from the vibrators lent me his kit - it was pink perspex and it was loud! I don't have any of the tapes though.
A new set of managers appeared and I didn't like the look of them at all and they said there was an opportunity to go to New York - but no contracts, no retainers, no bits of paper at all and so I said I wouldn't give up my job unless I had a return ticket or a contract. I got neither so they went with a guy drummer called Terry instead. And guess what? There was no tour or gigs or anything although Greg hustled some gigs and they slept on peoples floors until Sara and Fiona and the drummer got enough money to come home. Greg and
Marguerite stayed there and that was the end of that. It lasted about two years.
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