The family

[neilc]

Having bailed out as a teenager maybe doing 8/10 NMA gigs in 1983/84 thinking they sold out with Ghost of Cain .I must say my  view from a far is not what i expected having recently started following the band again.
The folowing in them days(the in crowd)was very elitest not to say violent .

What i have seen since my return (only 25 years) is a different story.  I have been nothing but impressed by the ones that stayed and go to all the gigs enthuse ,support ,dance (maybe drink!) and generally keep  the spirit alive . This weekend at Bilson/strumercamp was no different ,cant beleive your commitment guys/gals and Stoney summed it up in the tent for me he was like a man possessed  and for you all its great to see you all keeping the spirit alive .

[Stoney]

Thank you sir! That is very kind of you to say........ I think it was a way lettin' loose, sayin' a big welcome to Ceri, and doin' the best we all could to show the lads how we feel........ For my money anyways........ Plus the performance on both nights really was something.........

We've all talked about how much tighter the crowd is now and next to no cliques, just one Family.......... This site and Facebook (dare I say it) all really help........

Long may it continue........... Ceri did a fantastic job full stop, and they whole crew coped unbelievably. I'm still gutted fer Justin and especially Marshall as a fellow Les Paul devotee......... I feel that loss pretty keenly........... Never mind that fire bein' so recent anyway.........
See you in Hometown mate!

[turnbuis]

Well, welcome back to you mr Neilc! Its been a few years since you been gone.....I could tell you a few juicy stories!!
I first saw NMA way back in around sept of 82...Keighly I seem to recall. I was a bit of an alternative hippie proto-gothback then. The Family have grown, shrunk and re-grown since then. Not so many of us old lags left but the crowd is as good now as it ever was. Better in some ways really.
Come and grab Stoney and I at the next gig and we'll happily bring you up to date over a few cold ones!!
That'll be Bradford then.....

[Stoney]

Come and grab Stoney and I at the next gig and we'll happily bring you up to date over a few cold ones!!
That'll be Bradford then.....

Wellbe rude not to really......... I'll be in it........

[ruckedout]

Can i also add that although i went to Bilston on my own i was certainly made to feel welcome(to the point where i had someone balancing on my shoulder through one song)

I never did get his name but he made a lasting impression (still got the footprint to prove it).

Great night though. I can only admire the guys/girls that make the commitment and follow the band religiously.

May see some of you again in Bradford.


 

[jc]

I never did get his name but he made a lasting impression (still got the footprint to prove it).

What song was that, if it was me then I sincerely apologise and will buy you a beer in Bradford.

Cheers

jc

[Erekosë]

I never did get his name but he made a lasting impression (still got the footprint to prove it).

What song was that, if it was me then I sincerely apologise and will buy you a beer in Bradford.

Cheers

jc

I've definitely got one from you from Bilston, and don't you dare try apologising! 

[Stoney]

I never did get his name but he made a lasting impression (still got the footprint to prove it).

What song was that, if it was me then I sincerely apologise and will buy you a beer in Bradford.

Cheers

jc

I've definitely got one from you from Bilston, and don't you dare try apologising! 

My sentiments exactly!!!!!!!!!!!! I bare my marks with pride young Jedi!!!!!!!!! 

[patrick]

roll on Bradford 

[Himself]

Ah dont it give you that lovely warm feeling ! .. but yep sentiments echoed .. I think over the last 30  odd yrs I have seen people come and go as with everything else in life .
 True NMA family have changed as you say over the years , good times and bad times of course for everyone it would be a bit strange if it didnt .. but the elitism that people used to say existed within the family  sure  I feel has gone a long time ago and that makes for a nicer vibe I think and maybe a bit more welcoming to new arrivals and converts to the cause  too .
Ok  some might say the raw melody men and angry youths of old have mellowed a bit .. and even though thats not just the reason for the different feeling at gigs  ..ya cant ignore it .. but ya can attempt to embrace it
Course the bruises take longer to heal now and the balance isnt what it was after a few beers and If I'm really honest the leather keks are getting way too tight lol 


These days all you have to do is see and feel the atmosphere at the gigs , look around at all the old "tourshirts" with their kids on their shoulders  mixing with the younger newer fans and members of today . People swapping stories, making friends and renewing old ones and everyone smiling and having a good time ..all sharing the same love of the band and the music  .. and of course the people

I love it , I always will .. long may it continue I'll catch you all on the "Zimmerframe" tours in another 30 folks .. can't wait !
H

[Lone Traveller]

I first saw NMA around 1990 & don't see much change in atmosphere at the gigs (other than sizes of crowd varying). I've always felt safe & a general feeling of friendliness. I had of course heard the old stories of the elilte fans before seein the band, but never seen any of the violence I was told to expect to recieve from them. I think the biggest change must have taken place during the 80's. I quess old reputations are hard to lose!
That said there will always be an inner crowd who travel (and so get to know each other), this forum has helped expand/open that group. I've always found the family ethos when coming across fellow fans away from the venues/gigs.

Steve

[angel]

I have to admit I first saw the Army in 1987 at the Bizarre festival and the crowd was always ok then....when it got to round the Impurity time I gave up due to a few bad experiences and nastiness....One of my friends summed it up when she said that in the beginning if you fell over folk would pick you up but now (as in the mid 90s) is you fall over at the front they just stand on you"....it made me wary stepping back in but since coming here and making friends with a couple of folk it seems that its back to the way it should be....you all seem like thoroughly nice people and I am looking forward to the Bradford gig

[Barty]

My first gig was on the Impurity Tour in October 1990 - Leicester De Montfort followed by Aston Villa Leisure Centre. The first one I had a lovely introduction to the moshpit with a swift boot (or clog) to my knee from some elitist halfwit...since then I've never had any hassle in 40/50 gigs, many of which I've spent in the pit.

Without fail, everyone I've met and chatted to in 20+ yeas of following the band has been great, before, during and after the gigs. Cheers folks!

[Bill B]

I have to admit I first saw the Army in 1987 at the Bizarre festival and the crowd was always ok then....when it got to round the Impurity time I gave up due to a few bad experiences and nastiness....One of my friends summed it up when she said that in the beginning if you fell over folk would pick you up but now (as in the mid 90s) is you fall over at the front they just stand on you"....it made me wary stepping back in but since coming here and making friends with a couple of folk it seems that its back to the way it should be....you all seem like thoroughly nice people and I am looking forward to the Bradford gig

I know where you're coming from angel... In my opinion too, after the Impurity tour in 1990 the whole pit atmosphere changed, for the worse. Maybe that was something to do with the big influx of Levellers following after that tour (the Levs being on a crest of a wave at that time), and a bit of a sojourn into the more 'mainstream' alternative world...It seemed to me that there was a lot more folk off on weed, a different understanding of pit etiquette, and generally a lot less consideration for others down the front. The pre-Impurity gigs were noticeably different to those that followed. The family feeling definitely got lost (diluted?) for a while, to the extent that I didn't bother much after 92/93. I started again in 97/98, and really picked it up after Carnival in 2005. Since then, some of the people I've met following this band I consider as close as life-long friends. Hopefully they don't see me as the grumpy, elitist bastard that I sound like....

[Hughie]

I could/can never understand the mentality of not helping someone up who has fallen at the front of any gig (i.e. not being NMA specific here), as it more often than not leads to a bigger pile up! 

 It can get a bit annoying when someone is so totally pissed (or whatever) that they have almost no balance and just repeatedly fall over every song and disrupt the flow of the "dancing" whilst they are hoisted back up again time after time!   Usually then, people get fed up after a bit and suggest that they should maybe give this one a miss and stand at the side or something...or maybe help them along in that direction.

H