Armagideon Times 11.11.2022

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

So did anyone else that attended get the relevance of the title of the night? Coincidence? Fate? Who knows. All I can tell you is, this is certainly not the first time Greene King has fucked over its punters and entertainers by putting ignorant landlords into a pub with such a strong history, and if the sub heading is anything to go by, doubt it'll be the last.

So, musically, somewhat of a departure for me, but surely another string to my bow (?) and after having the original date scrubbed due to Covid, this was my best chance to play this set. Unfortunately, the new landlords had other ideas. Welcome to Friday nights in Luton! 

With no passing trade, and very little to even venture into Luton for these days (so God bless Andy Chesham for his continuing nights at THF.) But they, I'm professional right? 20 years under my belt, I can read a crowd well and I'm also open to requests and obviously had a very good idea whom would be attending (hence the event anyway!) Yet I still had praise and people dancing from what few people were in the pub. Even if you only please that one person, its never a waste of your time. 

But what is a waste of my time is being constantly told the new landlords don't appreciate what I'm playing and insist I start playing 80s. Hello - have you seen who's in your pub? I even get blamed for people leaving throughout the early part of the night. Nothing to do with the fact your bar is very poorly stocked, and you've put out those god damn uncomfortable chairs that the previous tenants have been trying to sell for over 12 months!!

Well, after four arguments with the power tripping landlords daughter, I've had enough, close it down, pick up my posters, inform the supporting punters and walk, leaving them with no entertainment, and an even emptier pub. I think their line "We own this pub. We didn't book you.' Do what we tell you" was the clincher. I gave up trying to explain I was trying to help them make money, but they obviously know better. Last time I'll drink or entertain in there whilst its under its present occupancy. Think you know better than me? Fucking good luck to you - you're gonna need it. As most of you know, it took a lot of courage for me to do the night considering my recent past, but that's me done now until the landlords are replaced.(Apparently their last straw was the 'house' music I was playing. That was the Killing Joke track. Think that says it all!)

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Burn It Down
New Age Steppers - Problems
Scientist - Jab
Willie Williams - Armagideon Time
Killing Joke - Ghosts Of Ladbroke Grove (Portobello Dub)
Phillip Fraser - Bad Boys
UB40 - Don't Let It Pass You By
The Revolutionaries - 79 Rock
Stiff Little Fingers - Barbed Wire Love
Willie Brackenridge & Soul Syndicate - Blood Money
The Specials - Too Much Too Young (Album Version)
Earth And Stone with Trinity - Why Girl - Did We Have To Part
The Ruts - Give Youth A Chance
Jubba Tate - African Girl
The Slits - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry ®
Sugar Minott & Ranking Dread - Superstar
Lacksley Castell - Jah Love Is Sweeter
Jolly Brothers - Conscious Man
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Jigsaw Feeling
Bad Manners - Echo Gone Wrong
Dub Specialist - Lagos
The Beat - Twist and Crawl
Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon
Judge Dread - Big Five ®
The Police - Reggatta de Blanc
Dennis Brown - Your Man
Magazine - Light Pours Out of Me (Peel Session)
Grace Jones - Private Life (Long Version 2)
Third World - Now That We've Found Love
Black Uhuru - Sinsemilla
Tony Tuff - Chant Down Babylon
The Selecter - Black And Blue
Brain Damage - Hurtful Dub
Sneaker Pimps - Tesko Suicide
Kerogen - Hope
Jah Division - Transmission Dub
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Watching The Detectives
The Damned - Anti-Pope
Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Madness - Swan Lake
Bill Loveday - Reggae For It Now
Public Image Limited - Death Disco (12")
Blondie - Pretty Baby
The Cramps - Garbageman
The Meditations - Miracles
The Members - Offshore Banking Business  ®
Roy Ellis - One Way Ticket To The Moon ®
Madness - My Girl ®
Generation X - Gimme Some Truth
Augustus Pablo - Golden Seal
The Valentines - Blam Blam Fever
The Skids - The Saints Are Coming
The Fall - Stepping Out
Killing Joke - Turn To Red

1982 - The 40th Anniversary Special 13.8.2022

 
The finale descends, and instead of going off with a bang, thanks to the clapped out equipment at the pub, the music barely lifts any spirits and we’re playing through only one speaker! Thankfully, our god of tech, Russ manages to pinpoint the problem to the amp, although we’ve struggled with the dodgy mixer for years, and after plenty of tweaking finally we’re underway at full blast. Luckily, the earlier start was a good move!
 
Annoyances aside, I was so pleased to see so many people supporting my night, many I haven’t seen for years regardless of Covid! We had also drawn more of a crowd than for my recent anniversary event, and considering it was still 30° the pub itself when we started the crowds were on a par with the gathering masses outside. Usual dodgy requests throughout the night, but I remained adamant that I stick to my original plan of 1982. But plenty of compliments throughout the night, and even dancing towards the end. Hell, it was too hot for the better part of the night anyway, and I was fully expecting to be playing to an empty room considering the heat, so all’s well that ends well!
 

So I’ve now 191 nights under my belt at The George 2nd, and hopefully more to come in the future, although time will tell. I’ve still loads of ideas, prewritten sets and designed posters ready at my fingertips, all waiting for a bid to be played – just need the venue. When I originally wrote and booked the night, I had no idea it was to be my last, so here’s hoping that Greene King doesn’t fuck with the already proved formulae. Keep watching the skies people, and obviously a great big thank you to all your loyal support over the years. 
 
AC/DC - For Those About To Rock
Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
Cocteau Twins - Feathers-Oar-Blades
Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Beating My Head
Depeche Mode - Leave In Silence
Altered Images - Little Town Flirt
Lords Of The New Church - Russian Roulette
Iron Maiden - Run To The Hills ®
March Violets - Religious As Hell
The Sisters of Mercy - Body Electric
Gary Numan - Music For Chameleons
Xmal Deutschland - Incubus Succubus
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Back Of Love
The Chameleons - In Shreds
Killing Joke - Birds Of A Feather
Theatre Of Hate - Do You Believe In The Westworld
Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Girls
In Deep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Oingo Boingo - Private Life
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message
The Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
Kid Creole & The Coconuts - I'm A Wonderful Thing Baby (Edit)
Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind
Rockers Revenge - Walking On Sunshine
The Belle Stars - Sign Of The Times
Kim Wilde - View From A Bridge
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Joan Of Arc (Maid Of Orleans)
Big Country - Harvest Home
The Clash - Know Your Rights
UB40 - So Here I Am
Trio - Da Da Da (I Don't Love You, You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha)
U2 - A Celebration ®
Human League - Mirror Man
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Melt!
The Stranglers - Golden Brown
Peter Gabriel - Shock The Monkey
The Damned - Ignite
Motorhead - Iron Fist
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science
Tears For Fears - Mad World ®
Haircut 100 - Love Plus One
ABC - Valentine's Day
Talk Talk - Today
The Jam - Town Called Malice ®
Roxy Music - More Than This
Midge Ure - No Regrets
Japan - Cantonese Boy
The Beat - Save It For Later
Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes
Toto Coelo - I Eat Cannibals
Blondie  - Island Of Lost Souls
John Cougar Mellencamp - Jack And Diane
The Fixx - Red Skies
Simple Minds - Promised You A Miracle
Imagination - Just An Illusion
Toyah - Be Loud, Be Proud, Be Heard
Endgames - First, Last For Everything ®
Madness - Our House
XTC - Senses Working Overtime
The Associates - Club Country
The Pretenders - Back On the Chan Gang
David Bowie - Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
Duran Duran - Rio (Edit)
Ice House - Hey Little Girl
Ph.D - I Won't Let You Down
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling
Daryl Hall & John Oates - Maneater
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock n Roll
Billy Idol - Hot In The City
Pigbag - Papas Got A Brand New Pigbag (7" Version)
Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love
A Flock Of Seagulls - Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)
Classix Nouveaux - Is It A Dream?
Yazoo - Don't Go
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
Prince - 1999
Visage - Night Train ®
Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
The Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant

20 Years Of Dark Night In Luton 23.7.2022

First off, as with all my past events, I was overwhelmed at the support showed, especially at those that travelled a distance to support me, and as always, I thank you very much for your efforts, with a special thanks to Russ for making the nights sound so good!

Looking back, July 2018 was my last DJ anniversary set, celebrating 16 years at the time. I didn’t even acknowledge 2019, and obviously we lost 2020/2021, and ironically, I was trying to do back then what I was trying to achieve again this time and I’d even written myself a warning in my review of the night telling myself not to try again! My efforts to spread the word through local media failed, with 3CR ignoring all my messages, and even mp Rachel Hopkins, commended by myself for her acknowledgement of small businesses around the town, failed to reply, preferring to attend ‘Afrofest’ for her own political ends no doubt! 

So with my return from a weeks break in Devon the day before, there was no build up for me for the event, which was definitely strange, but any excuse to dig out those old goth club hits once more to an understanding audience, even if ‘hot night syndrome’ was in full force, pushing the majority of people outside for the better part of the night. 

As it was also such a milestone event, I’d gone through many past Coven pictures to try and rekindle past friendships to those that faded away after the closure of The Coven, but many didn’t bite or turn up, so I spent the night taking out those songs I’d especially included to a more receptive crowd. Weirdly enough, there were plenty of songs I sadly never got around to play (Merry Thoughts, Star Industry, Sheep On Drugs etc) yet ended up playing more that I hadn’t heard in years, especially towards the end of the night.

And lastly, as I also mentioned in my recent adverts, this was my 190th event at The George 2nd, and I only have one more night currently booked in August before our friendly landlord Eric hands back the keys back to Greene King in mid September. Heaven knows what will happen to the pub after this, especially with GKs past total mismanagement and failures, so support the pub while you can. 

The last goth night in town:-

Fields Of The Nephilim - EnDemoniada
John Lydon - Open Up (Full Vocal Mix)
Killing Joke - Lord Of Chaos
The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
Garden Of Delight - Opened Paradise
Vendemmian - Masquerade (Act II)
She Wants Revenge - Take The World
Suspiria - Night Time
Rammstein - Engel
The Sisters Of Mercy - First & Last & Always
The KVB - Above Us
Stereoskop - In A While
Depeche Mode - It's No Good
Spear Of Destiny - Never Take Me Alive ®
Covenant - Like Tears In Rain
Bauhaus - The Sanity Assassin
Dulce Liquido - Antichristiano
Gary Numan - Crazier
Die Perlen - Grossstadtangst
The Cure - A Short Term Effect
Coal Chamber - Fiend
The 69 Eyes - Gothic Girl
The Devil & The Universe - The Church Of The Goat
Assemblage 23 - Document
The Levellers - 15 Years ®
New Model Army - Stupid Questions
Rob Zombie - Dragula [Hot Rod Herman Remix]
Combichrist - This Is My Rifle
Laibach - Tanz Mit Laibach
Hocico - Untold Blasphemies V.1 (Gate mix)
Nine Inch Nails - Closer ®
Siouxsie & The Banshees - Arabian Knights
Front 242 - Headhunter V1.0
Aesthetic Perfection - Spit It Out [Grendel Remix]
:Wumpscut: - Soylent Green
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Enola Gay (Original Extended Version)
A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
The Mission - The Crystal Ocean ®
The Marionettes - Like Christabel
Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction - Backseat Education
Soft Cell - Torch
The Cruxshadows - Marilyn, My Bitterness (2.0 Radio Edit)
Apoptygma Berzerk - Love Never Dies (Part 1)
The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary (12")
Angel Theory - Black & Blue
Rammstein - Das Model
Project Pitchfork - Timekiller
Dope - Spin Me Round (American Psycho Mix)
Ministry - Just One Fix (Video Edit)
Cubanate - Oxyacetylene
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Edit) ®
Joy Division - Digital
Tears For Fears - Mad World
Simi Nah - Fade To Grey
VNV Nation - Chrome (SITD Bollex Remix)
Aiboforcen - The Shepards Deathline (Leatherstrip Mix)
Icon Of Coil - Floorkiller (Edit)
Electric Six - Gay Bar
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Sex On Wheels
Funker Vogt - Narayan
NamNamBula - Memories (Club Mix)
The Sisters Of Mercy - Alice (Crystal Mix)

God Save The Queen - The Anti-Jubilee Special @ G2 4.6.2022

So let's try and capture the mood. So whilst the majority of the brainwashed, moronic public blindly celebrate our pointless and outdated monarch, whom is basically too decrepit now to even perform her own duties, yet witlessly unwilling to relinquish any of her powers to someone slightly less senile whilst her subjects look forward to a bleak, cold and hungry future, somehow, in a small town pub in the east midlands, gather a group of anarchic fun seekers in search of their true anthems of life. 

For me, it's been a long road back - approx. two years, two months and 28 days since I last sat in the DJ chair, and boy - have I fucking missed it. Whilst in lockdown, this gave me plenty of opportunity to start cleaning up my laptop, and giving it a good upheaval of music of stuff that I doubt I'd ever play, and writing new sets for future possibilities. Can't say I was ever really sure about finding an opportunity for this particular set, but thankfully there cometh the platinum jubilee, and what a better excuse. I must have worked on this set for weeks on end to tweak and perfect the flow, only for the first and following requests to be mainly from 1978 and then some! Thus hence, any plans to try and stay true to my original form was just abandoned, although at the end of the night, there was only twenty songs I never actually got round to playing but they were mainly disco anyway! In the end, we played 92 songs from 78 bands with 26 requests.

Luckily the crowd were exactly whom I was hoping for, so for me, the night couldn't of gone any better, and I heartedly thank all that supported the night, sang your hearts out, and danced away. Thanks also to for those that shared the event on farcebook, not forgetting a big 'fuck you' go to the few local businesses and certain local on-line publications that wouldn't help advertise due to the theme of this successful night. Whom exactly are you trying to protect??

Intro:- Theme To Citizen Smith

The Nosebleeds - Ain't Been To No Music School

Alternative TV - How Much Longer

Chelsea - Right To Work

The Police - Fall Out

The Vibrators - Baby Baby

Baccara - Yes Sir, I Can Boogie

Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygène (Part IV)

Magazine - Touch And Go ®

Supertramp - Give A Little Bit

Blue Öyster Cult - Godzilla

Elkie Brooks - Pearl's A Singer

Thin Lizzy - Dancin' In The Moonlight

Kraftwerk - Showroom Dummies

Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers - Born To Lose

Devo - Mongoloid

The Pirates - Sweet Love On My Mind

Slaughter and the Dogs - Cranked Up Really High

The Rezillos - I Can't Stand My Baby

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Watching The Detectives

Junior Murvin - Police And Thieves

Status Quo - Rocking All Over The World

John Cale - Chickenshit

Iggy Pop - China Girl

Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

The Adverts - The Great British Mistake ®

David Bowie - Sound and Vision ®

Squeeze - Cat On A  Wall

The Stranglers - I Feel Like A Wog ®

The Avengers - We Are The Ones

Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant

Eddie & The Hotrods - Do Anything You Wanna Do

The Clash - Complete Control ®

The Fall - Psycho Mafia

The Saints - Lipstick On Your Collar

Blondie - Rip Her To Shreds

Sham 69 - There's Gonna Be A Borstal Breakout ®

The Buzzcocks - Boredom ®

X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents ®

The Stranglers - Peaches

The Jam - The Modern World

Jonathan Richman - Roadrunner Once

Sex Pistols - Problem ®

Wayne County & The Electric Chairs - Eddie & Sheena ®

Queen - Somebody To Love

The Fall - How I Wrote Elastic Man ®

XTC - Science Friction

The Boomtown Rats - Looking After Number One ®

Ultravox - Young Savage

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Plaistow Patricia ®

Rich Kids - Rich Kids ®

ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You

T. Rex - Crimson Moon

Dr. Feelgood - Baby Jane

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jamming

Donna Summer - I Feel Love

Boney M - Ma Baker

The Clash - Rock The Casbah ® (Birthday Song)

Motorhead - Motorhead

Wire - Mannequin

The Stranglers - Hanging Around ®

Pere Ubu - Modern Dance

UFO - Alone Again Or

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

The Lurkers - Shadow

The Damned - Neat Neat Neat ®

The Ramones - Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes

Generation X - Your Generation ®

David Bowie - Heroes ®

Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill

The Commodores - Easy

The Bee Gees - Night Fever ®

The Clash - White Riot ®

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Love In a Void ®

X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage Up Yours! ®

Penetration - Don't Dictate ®

Sex Pistols - Silly Thing ®

Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Rankin

Darts - Come Back My Love

Mink Deville - Spanish Stroll

Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger

John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want ®

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell

Ram Jam - Black Betty

Ted Nugent - Cat Scratch Fever

Richard Hell and The Voidoids - Blank Generation

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Wings And Paul McCartney - Mull Of Kintyre

Outro:- Ex-Pistols - Land Of Hope & Glory

Clary Simon - Nobody Does It Better