First NMA Experience

[NickyG]

Hi FF, and thank you for your welcome - and especially as you know Nottingham! Are you living in Notts now? I moved away late 1990, but it was such a great place. Rock City on a Saturday night - of course!  And the Garage, and little gigs in the back of pubs  (Vale Social Club Colwick? Queens Walk Community Centre?). It was also easy to get the National Express up to Sheffield for the Leadmill or the George IV, or Leeds for Adam and Eves, and still be able to get the coach back the same night after the gig. Good times!

[Stoney]

Adam & Eve's was a great, scuzzy little venue! saw some great gigs there over the years!
Nick Toczek put some really good bands on there. He works for the BBC now. Nice bloke, clever n very committed to his promoting back then!
He put everything on from SCREAM (before DAVE GROHL!), NMA I'm sure did an early gig there..., Conflict, Napalm Death a few times, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, Discharge, Onslaught, ENGLISH DOGS a load of times.... Happy days indeed!

[NickyG]

Hey Stoney, That’s right it was great!  Yep - Conflict, The Icons, Civilised Society, The A-heads, The Sears – do you remember them (that’s Sears with an ‘A’, like the shop in the States, not the Seers)? They were a bit like a cross between the Skeletal Family and Vice Squad on the Subhumans’ label – there’s very little online about them although  I just noticed someone’s posted a track on youtube last month – nice people too.  I was going to apologise for going off topic, but you say the Army played Adam and Eves??! That must have been something! Talk about intimate! How would you describe how small Adam and Eves was - stage about a foot off the ground and about 20 foot wide? Capacity of about what – around 2-300?

[Stoney]

I'm sure there was something on one of Nick's flyers about it. I didn't go coz I was Mr UBER HARDCORE PUNK/THRASH METAL dude then. Venom, Metallica, CHAOS UK, Discharge, you get the idea?
Also I am sure they did the 1 in 12 for a benefit thing, I know the Southern Death Cult did a gig for them. Before the move to the Mill it's now obviously.... I think there's a flyer, or used to be for the NMA thing in there, but I've not set foot in the place in about 12 or 13 years.... I went to see Logical Nonsense from Santa fe who were brilliant. Like a mental Neurosis, Discharge, Fear Factory hybrid. Very D.I.Y. hardcore thing.

[Darkness]

LOGICAL NONSENSE were awesome. Love their LPs.
As for THE SEARS, their LP was one of my faves from the 80's. Love their version of Free Money.

[Stoney]

LOGICAL NONSENSE were awesome. Love their LPs.
As for THE SEARS, their LP was one of my faves from the 80's. Love their version of Free Money.

They were indeed..... I saw completely by chance supporting Neurosis at the Whiskey in Hollywood. It must've been right around them getting signed to Alternative Tentacles. I was instantly a fan. Soul Pollution is a brilliant chunk of rabid d'beat/hardcore/thrash..... They blew me away to be honest.... Man Is The Bastard were on after them, and I was unimpressed by comparrison. Neurosis played a long set of mid paced stuff and loads of Neurot tribal stuff, then a track of the first lp that sent the crowd into appoplexy.......
I only went coz my mates were goin' and it was punk gig athe Whiskey!!!!! Good timing for my holidays for once. Though I missed FEAR by 2 days...... DAMN IT!!!!!!

[NickyG]

Only ever been the once, but I couldn’t quite figure out the Whiskey - I thought it would be a smaller place like the 100 Club or like I imagined CBGBs would have been, but it seemed much bigger and nothing like that. I honestly can’t remember who was playing, I think it was indie night and through the haze of time it was someone like Curve, or the Sundays, or a sub-Gogos type band (it was around April 97). Don’t get me wrong, the bands were good, it was a good night, but as an event it didn’t really move me much... That said, I went because I was in LA and wanted to see what the clubs were like and not necessarily to see any particular band ....  and also I had travelled 5,000 miles and managed to miss the UK Subs by 2 days – Doh!!!

Discharge – normally I like a bit more of a tune, but you know, whatever your mindset you have got to respect them for putting it out there and being the first to do that thrash stuff way back when no-one much else was -  Decontrol, They Declare It, the one note bass solo in the middle of Aint No Feeble B’stard....  good stuff !

[Stoney]

Too true, Bones n the lads are really nice blokes. Done a few gigs with them, eveb went to Rotterdam and used all their backline. Not many bands of their level and years who'd lend you gear!
Rainy is actually a blinding bass player, really melodic despite the distortion levels!
I know what you mean about the Whisley. CBGB's, you'll be glad to know was exactly thr flea pit it should be. Played there in 2000! Much to my total pride!!!!! Ricky Warwick told me "aye, I did Donnington, but YOU've done CBGB's mate! I went there, but you PLAYED THE PLACE! I can't now aswell, coz it's gone!...." A proud moment for me I can tell you!!!!

[drunken_uncle]

LOGICAL NONSENSE were awesome. Love their LPs.
As for THE SEARS, their LP was one of my faves from the 80's. Love their version of Free Money.

Couldn't agree more about the Sears - one of the great lost bands of the early 80's. I didn't think anyone except me remebered them. My old band Contempt supported them and the Subhumans a few times a long long time ago. Sadly they seemed to lose something after their original drummer died in about 85 or 86. excellent band though.

Cheers Rick

[Darkness]

CONTEMPT were pretty good as well. I still like what they're doing now!

[drunken_uncle]

CONTEMPT were pretty good as well. I still like what they're doing now!

They are, I'm still in touch wth Martin and Borstal, though only Martin's left from the original lineup. they've got a new album coming out soon (It may be out already) and are playing with the Anti Nowhere League in Bilston quite soon. They actually seem a lot more together than we did back in the old days!

Cheers Rick

[Stoney]

I'm sure I played a gig with Contempt in Ashton Under Lyme years ago. When I was in LOWLIFE UK. In a pub beer garden in July 2000 I think. Had Ivor The Diver on drums? I think it was CONTEMPT anyways.... Good lads, played a cover of BANNED FROM THE PUBS I think.........

[Si_H]

"Banned from the pubs"? As in Peter and the Test-Tube Babies?

Did you do "Elvis is dead" as well? 

Always loved "Pissed and Proud" 

[drunken_uncle]

I'm sure I played a gig with Contempt in Ashton Under Lyme years ago. When I was in LOWLIFE UK. In a pub beer garden in July 2000 I think. Had Ivor The Diver on drums? I think it was CONTEMPT anyways.... Good lads, played a cover of BANNED FROM THE PUBS I think.........

That's the band! A bit after my time though. Almost certainly the Testies , but the only things I remember covering were Motorhead by Motorhead/Hawkwind and Right to Work by Chelsea (more often then not rewritten as Right to SHIRK!) In my day we were far too right on to br playing covers...

Cheers Rick

[Stoney]

I'm sure I played a gig with Contempt in Ashton Under Lyme years ago. When I was in LOWLIFE UK. In a pub beer garden in July 2000 I think. Had Ivor The Diver on drums? I think it was CONTEMPT anyways.... Good lads, played a cover of BANNED FROM THE PUBS I think.........

That's the band! A bit after my time though. Almost certainly the Testies , but the only things I remember covering were Motorhead by Motorhead/Hawkwind and Right to Work by Chelsea (more often then not rewritten as Right to SHIRK!) In my day we were far too right on to br playing covers...

Cheers Rick

Class band, Ivor is one of those lads that every thrash metal/crossover fan knew if you travelled to gigs in the 80's! He's a crackin' lad, and I was surprised to see he had become a really good drummer too!!!!!!