First NMA Experience

[Stoney]

a good few years ago me and my wife went to see joolz do a poetry gig at the old angel notts , it was in a small room upstairs and i sat and watched her do her stuff for about an hour or so and didnt pay any attention to the bloke sitting next to me , when the gig had done we left  and my wife turned to me and said - did you know who was sitting next to you - NO WHY - it was  justin sullivan -  WHAT A **** I AM - SHE NEVER LETS ME FORGET THAT 

Lmao!!!!!!!!!! Nice one mate........ we've all been there at some point!
We were in York on fathers Day this year and for ages we could hear the strains of a defltly played stinged instrument........ I was goin' "hmmmmmmm I know that melody, that's Teen Spirit, that's Cold Play blah blah blah..... Ohh it'll be some spotty student tryin' to Ed Johnson the plank. Thy are good mind....."
Eventually 30 minutes into the conversation near the Disney shop ..........
"Ere, fuckin' hell it IS Ed!!!!!!!!!!!!"........... I am a dunderheed!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still, bless him, he did vagabonds fer us and had a good natter with him fer a bit! Made my day!!!!!!!

[Darkness]

I totally remember this! Thought I'd made it up, as years ago I had a letter in the NMAFC magazine asking about it, but the reply described me as "Slightly tonto....". I reckon it as T&C era though, as I seem to remember a clip of the Stupid Questions video alongside it

I saw that on TV as well, I'm sure it was on BBC 2 on a sunday morning. I'm sure I taped it, but I doubt I have the tape anymore...

[Stoney]

I totally remember this! Thought I'd made it up, as years ago I had a letter in the NMAFC magazine asking about it, but the reply described me as "Slightly tonto....". I reckon it as T&C era though, as I seem to remember a clip of the Stupid Questions video alongside it

I saw that on TV as well, I'm sure it was on BBC 2 on a sunday morning. I'm sure I taped it, but I doubt I have the tape anymore...

No we aint Tonto, nor slighty tonto......... I recall it, and might still have it on VHS!

[shefsmog]

I totally remember this! Thought I'd made it up, as years ago I had a letter in the NMAFC magazine asking about it, but the reply described me as "Slightly tonto....". I reckon it as T&C era though, as I seem to remember a clip of the Stupid Questions video alongside it

I saw that on TV as well, I'm sure it was on BBC 2 on a sunday morning. I'm sure I taped it, but I doubt I have the tape anymore...

No we aint Tonto, nor slighty tonto......... I recall it, and might still have it on VHS!

If you could find some way to put it on here it would bring a few memories back

[Si_H]

1985 was when I first heard them.

On an A-level geography field-trip of all things. The only person with the wit to have brought along a ghetto-blaster so that we could all have some music* on the way up to Yorkshire from Bristol in the minibus was really into NMA, The Cult, Bauhaus and so on. I'd certainly not heard of NMA at the time, as I was still into mostly metal at that stage, and here was this great new set of musical vistas opening up in front of me, which made an instant and indelible impression. So I can say that I first heard "Vengeance" whilst going through the M5 / M6 interchange at Birmingham

I'm not sure that most of the rest of the minibus appreciated the tape, but it was their loss 


* For the benefit of our younger readers, Walkmans cost an absolute fortune at that point, and there was a radio but no tape-player in the bus. 

[maggieloveshopey]

I'd listened to the music through the 80's but being a pup had no real way of getting around, then back in december 91 NMA came to my home town and things kicked up a pace

Which gig was that?
Brum', Chester, Chippenham, Bratfud (that's just how we roll hombre'! lol), Brixton, I forget the others....... it'll come tho........ happy days!
it was fuckin' cold sleeping in the van I tell you that much!!!!! Oh my god........

Chippenham in December 91 was my first NMA gig. Great fun, and much better than crawling down the motorway back to Plymouth afterwards in heavy fog....

[gord]

My first encounter listening to NMA was when I worked at a record (yes, it was selling records only - giving my age away) store here in the greater Toronto area. "No rest for the wicked" was just released.  This was sometime in 1985, if memory serves me right.

I remember putting on side one and getting blown away by the emotional intensity of Justin's voice and lyrics hearing "Frightened" for the first time.  Then, hearing the rest of the album, I was, to say the least, impressed.  It's always a once in a lifetime experience hearing something amazing for the first time.  There were similar impressive bands for me around at the time, like Husker Du and The Bad Brains, but NMA have had the consistancy of quality songwriting and musicianship to be one of the few classic bands ever.  Having saide this though, Bob Mould/Grant Hart are excellent songwriters as well.

I met two fans who came from the UK to Toronto just for the "High" tour show a few years ago.  They told me about a fan in Ireland who had seen NMA live more than 300 times!  Amazing music will do that.
Cheers, Gord
     

[Stoney]

I'd listened to the music through the 80's but being a pup had no real way of getting around, then back in december 91 NMA came to my home town and things kicked up a pace

Which gig was that?
Brum', Chester, Chippenham, Bratfud (that's just how we roll hombre'! lol), Brixton, I forget the others....... it'll come tho........ happy days!
it was fuckin' cold sleeping in the van I tell you that much!!!!! Oh my god........

Chippenham in December 91 was my first NMA gig. Great fun, and much better than crawling down the motorway back to Plymouth afterwards in heavy fog....

That Chippenham gig was a really good one! The light rig was brand new and it worked possibly the best of that tour in Golddiggers!!!!!! It was f'in' freezin' tho', and really bad fog as you rightly say!!!!!!!!! As I recall, the gig got moved to Chippenham from Bristol Studio 54 or whatever it was called aswell? 99% sure tht's what happened, maybe a week or 2 before the tour kicked off. Oh and I still have my Xmas 2 Dogs tour pass!!!!!  Plus the log sleeved  shirt aswell!!!!

[Si_H]

Yep, it was supposed to be in the Studio, but it got closed for "re-furbishment" as I recall.

That gig in Golddiggers was awesome!

Odd someone should mention Plymouth, because I had just graduated from Plymouth, living back in Bristol,  and was thinking "Thank god I don't have to go back to Plymouth tonight"

[spade]

Rock City in 1987 if I remember correctly. I had been a fairly devoted follower of Killing Joke for about four years prior to that and had always overlooked NMA in their favour. Then a (now long lost) friend bought me a ticket hoping to change that trend.

I don't remember too much about the actual gig as I was half cut on cheap cider (typical student), but I do remember being an annoying little oik in the mosh and getting berated, then beaten up for wearing inappropriate footwear (which I think were white Puma trainers). Thankfully, my taste in footwear has improved and most of that element of the audience has dissapeared from the NMA hardcore now. I subsequently persevered and haven't looked back for the last 23 years, although I still get KJ tickets before NMA's 

[markjb]

my first experience of nma was a free gig in Leeds in early 89 part of an anti nf day I think. I was as many seem to have been heavily into metal at the time maiden metallica motorhead etc and tagged along with a few mates from college, as something to do on a sat. Have never looked back as was totally blown away by the experience.

[rubberlegs]

Kings Head Keighley 1980

[Sean-nmamanchester]

ok folks, sorry if I've posted this before! I first became aware of the band in 1983, through a school mate who had introduced me to Killing Joke, Theatre of Hate, UK Decay etc. Unlike those bands though, I actually bought the NMA debut single with flexi disc  on Saturday 28th May of that year. Then I saw the band live for the first time at Futurama Queens Hall Leeds, Sunday 18th Sept
Killing Joke were headlining, but Play Dead, Death Cult and NMA were there too, and although I cant remember what my day pass cost, the quality of the gigs was worth every penny! I still get the same buzz hearing Bittersweet, Tension and Waiting as I did back then, and it gives me enormous satisfaction to have known their music for the last 27 years of my life. I hope there are many more to come!  Sean - CITY MANCHESTER ENGLAND.

[burningark]

ok folks, sorry if I've posted this before! I first became aware of the band in 1983, through a school mate who had introduced me to Killing Joke, Theatre of Hate, UK Decay etc. Unlike those bands though, I actually bought the NMA debut single with flexi disc  on Saturday 28th May of that year. Then I saw the band live for the first time at Futurama Queens Hall Leeds, Sunday 18th Sept
Killing Joke were headlining, but Play Dead, Death Cult and NMA were there too, and although I cant remember what my day pass cost, the quality of the gigs was worth every penny! I still get the same buzz hearing Bittersweet, Tension and Waiting as I did back then, and it gives me enormous satisfaction to have known their music for the last 27 years of my life. I hope there are many more to come!  Sean - CITY MANCHESTER ENGLAND.

THATS ONE HELL OF A LINE-UP

[Stoney]

Queens Hall had some really top drawer line ups back in the day.......
Black Flag played there, Dead Kennedys I think, Cro-Mags in 87 was amazing!, Exploited, Discharge, there was a huge raft of good all dayer's put on there. Most often by John Kurd who owed XYZ Records (Meteors/Anti-Nowhere League etc) and managed Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Who fer a bit...... Big profile promoter who was always decent with me n my mob back in the 90's.......