Tamworth Bands History : 1982 : August
02/08/82
Omen
Polesworth Working Mens Club
Tamworth Herald – 06/08/82
Those Attractive Magnets : Park Avenue
CONGRATULATIONS to Tamworth electronic band Those Attractive Magnets on another ground-breaking achievement.
They recently became the first live band to perform at the plush Sutton Coldfield nightclub Park Avenue.
And what a performance it was.
Playing as a four-piece, the band served up their best-ever gig.
They made up for their scrappy live show at Tamworth Assembly Rooms by producing a musically-tight set which was warmly received.
The venue suited the band and they replied by coming up with the goods as we all know they can.
Tamworth Herald – 06/08/82
MUSICBOX reader Steve McNamee has sent us this review of a new cassette recently released by Midlands band Kairos.
Kairos : Life for a Life
This LP marks the recording debut of Kairos, a five-piece Christian rock outfit from Sutton Coldfield.
09/08/82
Flash Harry
Polesworth Working Mens Club
Tamworth Herald – 13/08/82
A GROUP of have-a-go heroes chased and caught a 23-year-old man who smashed a town centre pub sign with a stone and ran off, Tamworth magistrates heard.
Landlord Des Harkin chased the man from the Tavern in the Town in Corporation Street after he saw him throw a stone at the pub sign, said Mr. Phillip Wassall, prosecuting.
The man was eventually caught in George Street by passers-by who made a citizen’s arrest.
ABUSIVE
The man, Dennis Patrick O’Neill, aged 23, of the Equestrian Centre, Middleton, had drunk a substantial amount of alcohol in the pub shortly before the offence around night-time closing, said Mr. Wassall.
O’Neill had become abusive and his behaviour had aroused the suspicion of Mr. Harkin who followed him outside.
Tamworth Herald – 13/08/82
Caption: Omen…a band with a great future, or old hat failures? The answer to that question lies with the members.
IT’S NOW about two years since Steve Wilson, Tim Latham, Daz Williamson and Richard Liggins sat down together and decided to form a band.
In two years they have played to sell-out audiences at Tamworth Arts Centre, added a keyboard player to their original line-up, written some classy progressive rock numbers and generally established a fair reputation locally.
However, all those achievements will pale into insignificance if Omen don’t now start to take more steps forward.
This latest Polesworth set was the first time I’ve not really enjoyed one of their performances.
Despite the fine material – including a superb new number ‘Please Let Me Die’ – their lack of stage presence and inability to entice any response from a large but uninspiring audience meant that all the good songs in the world wouldn’t have made any difference.
They need a vocalist/front man who can command a stage and demand attention from lethargic audiences.
They need to learn how to present and structure a set and stop doing things like opening with hackneyed cover versions such as ‘Green Manalishi’ when they have an ideal opener in the self-penned ‘Get Out’.
TAPE
They need to record a tape of four of their best numbers and having done that, not leave it to collect dust, but promote and tout it as widely as possible. As everyone knows a good tape is the key that opens the door to more gigs, more press coverage and a record deal.
In short Omen need to do all these things or else a band with so much to offer will simply sink without trace.
Tamworth Herald – 13/08/82
MUSICBOX reader Troy Morgan delivered his own account of the Omen concert to the Herald offices.
We decided that Troy’s review was so well written and controversial that it just couldn’t be left out. So take it away Troy.
OMEN are a heavy rock band. They play songs with titles like ‘Revolution’, ’Dawn of the Dead’ and ‘Children of Sound’.
They have lots of shiny, expensive guitars and they write their own material. These are the facts. The truth of the matter is that Omen are unbelievably dull.
Music of any sort – whether it be punk, jazz, funk or HM should set out to excite, inspire and uplift the listener.
However, Omen fail to give vent to any of these emotions.
They fail to excite because they themselves appear to be utterly bored with their own music. Or at least this is the impression given by their total lack of stage presence.
In fact, as their set dragged on, many people didn’t bother to face the stage. They merely talked among themselves as the music droned on in the background. What an advertisement for live music!
The band also fail to succeed on an inspirational level. Their lyrics – at least those that were decipherable – are mostly standard HM fare i.e. demons, devils, doom, gloom and more doom.
A bit old hat in other words. Groups like Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep drained the doom-laden theme dry in the early 1970s.
Omen prove that ‘expensive equipment does not a good band make’. OK, their guitars make lots of weird and astonishing sounds – so what?
Music is about self-expression, passion and energy. Omen have none of these things – so why waste hundreds of pounds on equipment if you play with all the passion and energy of the next-door neighbour’s tom-cat?
To sum up, Omen so nothing for Tamworth’s music scene. They are a giant step backwards. If they played with more enthusiasm, dash and style, then perhaps they would gain some admiration for trying.
Omen are everything the Tamworth music scene doesn’t need. A town in the doldrums needs fresh ideas and vitality.
TROY MORGAN
Tamworth Herald – 13/08/82
TAMWORTH’S own alternative entertainer Dave Hewitt presents a show with a difference tonight at Tamworth Arts Centre.
Dave has arranged his own show of humour and music.
At the moment Dave is finalising details of who exactly will appear but he promises plenty of surprises.
The show was originally planned earlier in the year but had to be called off when the arts centre was double booked.
Dave’s folk performances have been well received at other gigs he has done and his act won high praise from Musicbox reviewer Sam Holliday.
13/08/82
Dave Hewitt
Edward ian Armchair
Jed Moore
Tamworth Arts Centre
16/08/82
Warrior
Polesworth Working Mens Club
Tamworth Herald – 20/08/82
Troy Morgan’s controversial Omen review last week has, as expected, provoked reaction from the band. Here bassist/vocalist and group spokesman Richard Liggins replies to some of Troy’s criticisms.
“Firstly, Troy Morgan implies that we cannot play our guitars (he makes no mention of drums or keyboards). I cannot speak for myself, but I know many people who reckon Tim Latham and Steve Wilson are the best guitarists in the area – myself included.
“Troy Morgan appears to be obsessed with our ‘shiny expensive guitars’. The only one that was really expensive is Steve Wilson’s Gibson SG standard, his other being a John birch SG copy that cost £100.
“Tim plays an old, battered Kay copy and a Vox standard, recently bought to supplement his dodgy Kay.”
Ability
“If our equipment is so good why then have we never played a gig without something going wrong with it? On the whole we have been able to cope with such mishaps but breaking the E-string on a bass guitar and then discovering that a bass amp isn’t working is a situation that can’t be ignored.
“I make no apology for our lack of stage presentation. This is something we have been working on and in the past our musical ability has carried us through. This time, incidentally the first gig at which I have seen Mr. Morgan, it let us down.
“We admit we did not play well, but are we to be written off simply because we play one bad gig?
“Mr. Morgan’s comments about our lyrics are simply wrong. If they were indecipherable that was because he wasn’t listening. Everyone else I spoke to after the gig seemed to think it was OK.
“Only one song in the 15-song set made any reference to ‘demons, devils, doom, gloom and more doom”. This song is ‘Dawn of the Dead’ the first song we ever wrote and certainly a HR cliché.”
Moving
“He ignores songs like ‘The Clouds’ and ‘Through Another’s Eys’, the latter being total self-expressionist.
“Omen have spent the last two years trying to get the Tamworth scene moving and we have worked along with other bands like the Classified Ads’, Thirty Frames a Second, Ethis and Aardwolf. It’s only negative reviews like Mr. Morgan’s that damage the scene.
“If perhaps he played a few gigs around Tamworth, perhaps he would discover the barrier of lethargy we have had to face for the last two years.”
RICHARD LIGGINS
Tamworth Herald – 20/08/82
TAMWORTH electronic duo Know have their first single released this week.
The release of the record marks their first venture into vinyl since splitting up with a Birmingham band last year.
Know are brothers Garry and Neil Todd from Stoneydelph.
Garry handles vocals and Neil plays all keyboards. The band will hire session musicians for life dates but are keen not to expand their line-up.
“Having experienced the problems of being in a group pulling in different directions we really want to stay as a two piece,” said Garry.
Both agree that they have made compromises in order to find a commercial formula.
“Ideally we would probably most like to write and play soft rock like Sad Café or Journey but we have turned to electronic music as the best way of selling our product,” said Garry.
“We’re still happy with the material we are writing though,” added Neil.
Both sides of their single ‘Times Change’ and ‘Knights of Pleasure’ are in a danceable electronic vein with Neil’s keyboards dominating the sound.
Copies of the record are available from Rock-It Records.
Tamworth Herald – 20/08/82
Tamworth’s rock poet Edward ian Armchair follows the recent trend set by local groups of producing and promoting their own tapes.
But while Ed recorded at Tamworth’s Magnadrive studios and is selling the tape for £1.99 at Rock-It Records, there the musical similarity ends.
The cleverly named and designed “Armchair Guide to Insanity” is basically Ed reading out his poems he’s written since 1975, with simple synth and drum backing from his ex-DHSS co-founder Rikk Quay – now of the Magnets.
My first thought was - who is this John Cooper Clarke anyway? (And while we’re name dropping JCC read out Ed’s ‘Adam and Eve’ track on Radio One’s Studio B15 programme recently).
The 11 tracks are all pretty powerful, image-laden, sharp observations of things around.
And Ed seems to see things pretty vitriolically. I found a definite menacing edge on all the tracks but especially ‘In Our House’, ‘Dolls, and the ‘Little Boy Down the Road’.
There’s also a sense of humour tucked away in the instructions on when to turn over the tape and in ‘The End’.
In the title track Ed asks “Why do armchairs talk when no one listens?” One listen to this tape and it’s something you can’t forget.
CATHY PETTIGREW
23/08/82
Fire
Polesworth Working Mens Club
Tamworth Herald – 27/08/82
Dave Hewitt: Tamworth Arts Centre
DAVE HEWITT’S ‘Evening of Alternative Entertainment’ turned out to be a welcome change in Tamworth and a very enjoyable gig.
Dave opened the show, treating the crowd to some great folk and blues-orientated songs which covered such subjects as CND, smoking and politics.
In among these original numbers were songs by James Taylor, John Martyn and he also played his own versions of the Doors classic, ‘Light My Fire’ and Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Hey Joe’ – all backed up by some fine guitar work.
Comedy
One track which particularly impressed was an instrumental titled ‘India’.
All through the show, Dave held the audience with a mixture of comedy and music which was well received.
Edward ian Armchair gave a contrasting show, performing material from his recently-released tape.
The Arts Centre’s very own Jed also joined Dave to perform, ‘Sick on You’.
All in all, a very unusual night, but with our all-too-common small turn-out.
TED WILSON
Tamworth Herald – 27/08/82
A NEW Tamworth band, as yet unnamed, but influenced by Theatre of Hate, are looking for a guitarist. Anyone interested in joining what could become a lively outfit, should ring Ian Toon.
Tamworth Herald – 27/08/82
TYTAN – the band fronted by Tamworth vocalist Norman Swan have lined-up their first tour of major British venues.
The much heralded outfit are to support the Tygers of Pan Tang on a nationwide tour next month.
And local fans can catch what should be a great double bill at Birmingham Odeon on September 15.
Tamworth Herald – 27/08/82
NORTH Warwickshire-based HM band Pegasus are down to a two-piece after the sudden departure of their drummer, second guitarist and vocalist.
Now remaining members Robert Hamilton and Chris Kelt are looking for a drummer in order to experiment as a three-piece.
Any skin-beaters with no current band can contact Rob Hamilton…
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