Damascus, Pitt Street, Barnsley, 1978 (?)
In previous posts I have already started to sketch in some links between bands and individuals; in my autobiographical novel Freak or smoothy? I outlined these links as part of the narrative. Here I want to embark on this family tree more deliberately.
Here (from my personal knowledge) and as a first draft only, is a bare, leafless skeleton of a family tree. I know there’s a lot more to do and I’m counting on you!
Nightmare (1976-76)
Gary Whittaker, guitar- (as I have suggested, his older brother Tim was in a band a little earlier and- I believe, but am happy to be corrected- went on to join Danse Society);
Paul Nash, guitar- as described separately, linked with Lyndon Scarfe to form Danse Society. As Lyndon himself has very fairly pointed out, Danse Society were never a direct part of the Barnsley music scene: they never ever played a gig in the town, for example, although they may well have influenced other local bands that subsequently formed n the next decade ;
Nigel Pease, drums- in 1979 was playing in Inshala- supported by Damascus at Barnsley Civic Hall on July 26th 1980;
Andrew Nieszebka- vocals;
Mike ?, bass;
John Kruse, flute and bass guitar.
JK left Nightmare in 1976 (as described in earlier posts and in Freak or smoothy) and then played in:
Works (1977)
A three piece with guitar and drums. Other names forgotten! Guitarist played in the Barnsley Music Centre concert band. For a while Nightmare practiced at the music centre at Charter school on Friday nights and became its ‘house’ rock band.
JK then moved to:
Orion Rise (1977-78)
JK, bass and flute;
Alan Singleton, guitar;
Nick Alliott, keyboards,
Martyn Waller, drums;
Philip (Ted) Bryant, vocals.
In early 1978 we shared a stage with three other local bands- local punks The Restricted, O’Conneley’s Corner (described by the Barnsley Chronicle for Feb.3rd 1978 as “more conventional and instrumentally biased” than the punks) and Trogens – at Barnsley Centenary Rooms. Originally the bill included The Androids and Y?, but they both dropped out with only a few hours’ notice, giving us a last minute chance to play our first gig. The Restricted‘s drummer, Paul Gilmartin, went on to join first Y? and then Danse Society. In their time The Restricted were supported by fellow local punks The X-Rippers (who were initially briefly called The Androids). It’s interesting to note how many elements of the future Danse Society almost all came together that evening, had fate and/or lack of preparation not intervened…
Damascus (1978-79)
same line up as above except with Christine Kula on vocals.
Other Barnsley bands active at the time
I also remember Lynx (who, like Orion Rise, played the Redbrook pub and who also pulled out at the last minute from the Centenary Rooms gig in March 1978 which gave us the chance to support The Restricted et al) and there was also a band who practiced in the YMCA hall. In October 1978 the Chronicle featured a forthcoming Centenary Rooms gig by Birmingham band Eazie who were to be supported by Cudworth band Bluesy Ruby. Their name came from a song by Be-Bop Deluxe; I can report no more than that. Did you know any of these bands, or know of others?
This is just a sketch and I know we can do better: so, any recollections and contributions? I will amend and expand as information is received.
I’ve put together a soundtrack for this period in my life, which is here: ‘Freak or smoothy?’- a soundtrack to the novel
Martyn Waller, not Martin Warner. Ted Bryant full name Philip Bryant.
There was another member of Orion Rise for a while, Mike Erwin on sax, who added another dimension to “Hide in your Shell” amongst others. Mike left to make his name in London and we never heard of him again. If you (JK) weren’t on bass at that time, I can’t recall who was.
LikeLike
Alan, you’re quite right on the names- I relied on a cutting from the Barnsley Chronicle for Martyn’s name- plainly an error. I remembered Mike’s sax but not his name; and yes, I was bass player throughout from Sept 1977 to July 79.
LikeLike
[…] of other less controversial non-punk acts such as Orion Rise, featuring the current author- A Barnsley rock family tree). I record this simply to observe that, despite any Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council ban […]
LikeLike
[…] career as Nightmare lasted barely a year, but it set us all on musical paths we are still pursuing to some degree or […]
LikeLike
[…] of those music centre collaborations grew several other bands, one of them very well known indeed, so that I would contend that the instrumental and […]
LikeLike
[…] the public. My Walthamstow friend Kate Evans records as Velodrome music and my ex-band mate in Damascus, lead guitarist Alan Singleton, does the same under the name of Half A Dozen […]
LikeLike
[…] me, the band were a formative influence upon my musical tastes and aspirations (and to some degree upon my dress sense- photo above excepted) so that I am pleased to offer a […]
LikeLike
[…] (NB The support at this gig was from Trace, whose rhythm guitarist was Tony Whitaker. His younger brother was to play guitar in Nightmare and Trace’s first gig at Broadway School’s main hall […]
LikeLike
[…] days of Queen portrayed, I was carried straight back to 1975 when I was playing in a school band, Nightmare. Our drummer, Nigel, was a big Queen fan and many evenings were spent sitting in his bedroom […]
LikeLike
Hi John,
I can add the name of the bassist in Nightmare. Mick Hirst (me) armed with my £28 Woolies bass. Still remember practicing at Charter until I went off to Uni. Still play occasionally (currently in Donny) but mostly just for fun and certainly not for the money. At least the bass has improved to a proper Fender Jazz. Good to see this brief history
LikeLike
Mick
I’m delighted you found the blog and filled in a missing detail. I remember you, of course, although not the bass- but I bought a Woolies’ electric six string which was pretty poor- so I guess the bass may have been the same. Still, it felt very grown up at the time and you had to start somewhere. Lots of memories of Charter- and the 5th Barnsley Scout Hut too….
LikeLike
I also remember practicing in the basement of a vicarage somewhere off Sheffield Road / Park Road but can’t remember the details.
One other band active at the time (who played a regular gig at the Redbrook/Friendship Inn (now a Sainsbury’s local)) were called Myopic Wombat. From memory the lineup was:
Steve Lang – guitar
Mark Walker – bass
Paul Kirby – drums
Phil Heseltine – guitar
Alistair Heseltine – vocals
I believe Alistair may well have become a solicitor int’ Tarn but I don’t know anything more about the others apart from that they were all at Holgate in the 70’s
LikeLike
Mick
The cellar was, I’m pretty sure, at Lyndon Scarfe’s house. I believe (not sure why any longer) that he and Paul (Nash) did a lot of practicing and writing down there in the transition from Nightmare to Y? to Danse Society.
I remember Myopic Wombat- in fact, I think it was you who told me about them: the memory is fixed of walking along Pogmore Road and hearing about them for the first time. I always thought the name was fantastic, even aged 14 or 15 when I had no idea what myopic meant… Good to have another piece of the Barnsley scene. Thanks!
LikeLike
Hi John,
I have a bit of info on the bands Trace, Blenheim and Saxon as my Dad was in Trace and Blenheim as the bassist (Stephen Hall). I am doing a bit of digging myself and found this blog. Great to see and read.
‘Biff went from Coast to Son of a Bitch then it became Saxon. We didn’t have anyone from their bands but we did know them.
Trace was me (bass), John Wood (lead), Charlie Jones (drums) and a singer from Skelmanthorpe who was a bit older and a bit of a rocker called Les. Early on Tony Whitaker played rhythm but ended up as a roadie. Then Les left and we got Mick Clarke who’d been singing in London before moving back here. That’s when we became Blenheim and did all our own stuff’
From my Aunty Pauline Stott:
‘Blenheim started life as Trace with your dad on bass , Woody lead, Charlie Jones drums and Tony Whittaker rhythm. None of them had played with Coast. Always had problem finding singers. One thing I do know, they were better than Coast but weren’t as ruthless in promoting themselves.‘
Billy
LikeLike
Billy
Many thanks for supplying these details- they’re very valuable. I’m pretty sure I remember the name Blenheim and I was later in a band with Tony’s younger brother Gary. Whether it was Blenheim or another band that Tony played in, I think they did a gig in the assembly hall at Broadway school in perhaps 1973 or ’74. I was then only in my first or second year there and wasn’t really into heavy rock at that point so I didn’t go: if it was my first year I think I was also still at the stage of thinking that the sixth formers looked huge and very grown up and scary… By the time I started going to gigs, from early ’75 (ish) onwards, I’m not sure that Blenheim were still on the local scene.
Cheers
John
LikeLike
[…] sex and drugs. My teenaged self did understand this bit, it has to be said. The band I was in then, Nightmare, once tried to write our own rock opera based on Macbeth, which we were doing for O level (of […]
LikeLike
[…] released Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music in late August and, along with various friends from the band I was in, we were ferried by parents to and from the gig on Wednesday September 15th- a school […]
LikeLike
Hi, my Dad (Stephen Hall) was in a band called Blenheim, prior to that Trace. I think Blenheim were popular at that time. I will dig out more details 👍
LikeLike