Right! here we go now!!! and welcome to the official site of the legendary punk rock band brigandage.
It's been many years and many drinks under the bridge since Brigandage set sail, struggling on a sea of apathy, battling against tidal waves of despair and hopelessness that was 80's Britain.
There were many casualties in this war and Brigandage lost several members who could no longer face the conflict and onslaught of criticism, who lost a battle of wills with drugs or some who just felt it was time to move onto dry land to pastures new- or should we say passing fads and modern styles.
HAPPY FAMILIES - top left to right
Cloudy - the tribe club Mick Fox - Brigandage BoB Blood & Roses Scott Addison - Brigandage Ben Addison - Brigandage Then apologies all round can't remember the cheeky boy in the beret 's name - is it Richard the drummer of blood and roses? Saul
Middle row left to right
Jez Blood and Roses Lisa Blood and Roses Michelle Brigandage Jazz Bop Good Friend Lisa's boyfriend sean?
Floor left to right
Mouse Good Friend Richard North Journalist, and future bass player of Brigandage
'HAIL ERIS GODDESS OF DISCORD, AND PASS THE AMMUNITION...'
richard north
Brigandage was born out of an act of Will. In meeting the right people, of believing the vision. Within the year we had gone from rehearsing weekly at Terminal studios to playing the Anarchist Centre and the 100 club.
Standing and performing on the same stage as the Sex Pistols was a dream come true. But dreams, visions, magick, whatever you like to call it can only be fulfilled if all are committed to the same act. Events might have conformed to my will for a while but unfortunately I forgot a crucial element in the equation - the other members of the band.
I can't speak for Richard North, only what I remember but when Richard was asked to report on the bands he'd been reviewing we were so excited- all of us would get some exposure - people outside of London would hear us. He wrote with joy and in good faith and tried to mention as many bands as possible.
At first most people seemed pleased, but then the backlash. When the other music papers realized they'd been left standing at the gate everyone was slagged off. I think nearly every band paid a price. Mine was to be sniped at and criticized by people who were formally friends and allies, and then to be thrown out of my own group...
Hail Eris, Goddess of discord ... little did Richard and I know....but an article that celebrates music and life cannot be blamed for peoples responses. At most it probably accerlerated our descent into the ubiquitous pit known as musical differences. i.e. our potential record company wanted us to release a Thin Lizzy track on the b- side. I naturally declined this honour... turns out they owned the publishing rights to Thin Lizzy. I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did really. Any band that has its singer (me) coming to physical blows with its guitarist (mick) and fighting on the floor in the middle of a recording session must have some issues!
But hey! this sounds like nothing good came from the piece. I love that article, seeing your band and your friends' bands mentioned and the ideas all gaining ground, getting aired to a wider audience - bloody fantastic .
If that piece had never been written I'd never have met the Newcastle lads - Cooey, Dave and Tosho the one, at the aborted Scala allnighter. We wouldn't have met the Americans - Maggie and Gerard, later to become Tex Diablo of Zodiac Mindwarp, who generously took Richard and I to Hollywood and Mexico and we'd never have met Michael Moorcock when we did the South Bank Show. No not the south bank show- what am I on- The South of Watford show - exactly.
Fashion digression - The South of Watford Show -what the hell was I thinking of? short white dress, holey black tights tucked into boots! Why didn't I wear the simple, classic little black number - bondage trousers.
Why didn't anyone warn me that video makes you nearly a stone heavier. I was only about 9 stone then and all I remember is my mum ringing me up to tell how fat my thighs looked. So all that speed really worked then!
Michaels response after some savage editing of anything interesting we had to say on South of Watford show
so here we are - having well and truly left the 20th Century using the effort of the will to live and breathing. How did we get here and where are we going?
