Any Questions

[richardfamous]

Hi Pete 1953

The track you are after is 'Feeling the Pinch' from the 'Songs of Praise' album. You're right that it was our response to the miners strike of 1984, and there was a live version of the track recorded for a miners strike compilation album (if I remember correctly) but the original was on 'Songs of Praise'. It was a late addition for that album, recorded on a 4 track in our rehearsal room. Came out pretty well, and I listened to it recently and it still sends shivers up my neck!

As I have said before, all our recorded tracks are available for download from the Poisongirls.co.uk website, (free but donations welcome), as well as lyrics and artwork of course

Richard

[richardfamous]

Hi pm

Many thanks for your sterling work. Are we happy now? oh yes we are!. I will make sure the webmonkey get his grubby paws on it and we get it on site.

Richard

[venomboy]

Hi Richard (and everyone)

Well now,
what with the 1980 Poison Girls/Crass gig at Stroud Marshall Rooms being a jaw-droppin, eye-poppin, heart-stoppin, pivotal moment for this (then) 15 yr old schoolboy and the fact that "Persons Unknown" is in my top 5 fave songs ever, you can probably imagine my eager anticipation of Ian Glasper's anarcho punk encyclopaedia: "The Day The Country Died".

How disappointing it was then, to discover Poison Girls' cover wasn't blown!

The author stated that some bands declined to be included.
what happened Richard? why the no-show?

best wishes

[richardfamous]

Hi Venomboy, and apologies for taking so long to answer your question. Life is complicated some times!

I remember the Marshall Rooms, in fact they were a thing of nightmarish legend. They don't make venues like that anymore.

As for Ian Glaspers's "The Day The Country Died".
Well as far as I know, we were never approached by him. However it is more than possible that I am wrong about this. There was a long period when we were difficult to find, and a little wary of people coming asking questions. Most only wanted to know about Crass and weren"t really interested in Poisons, which led us to be less than enthusiasic about talking to people. I am pretty sure though that we didn't refuse to be included.
But after all, it wouldn"t be cover if we blew it.

Richard

[venomboy]

Hi Richard, thanks for the reply.

Sorry you didnt like the Marshall Rooms! when i talk to other people who frequented this venue - which had all kinds of bands every week for years - i find 2 gigs in particular are regularly brought up:

1. Poison Girls/Crass event

2. the night Stroud passively resisted U2 - by booing them off stage!!!


For me, the book is a rowing boat missing an oar without PG, but it doesnt matter now ive found this site!

cheers.

[richardfamous]

Hi Venomboy

Well no disrespect intended! The Marshall Rooms and all those venues on the 'circuit' (ie ones that would give any space to the likes of us) were really quite special!! I know they were so important as meeting places for, for want of a better word, punks. People forget just how few punks there were around in the early days.
Poisons were, of course, instrumental in opening up 'The Vault' in Brighton in early 77. How we got away with that was a mystery.However it immediatly it became a focus for all the waifs and strays that became/were punks. It was amazing to have a place to find like minded people

On another note, the only band I have ever seen booed off stage were the Faces, on their first gig with Rod Steward singing. Truly dreadful!!
I must say too that on one occassion at Triad in Bishop Stortford, we watched nearly all the audience leave as we were playing. At one point Lance shouted out "last one out is a sissy". The only people left when we finished our set were the future members of the Epileptics, who became of course Flux of Pink Indians and One Little Indian records. Them were the days!!

Richard

[riku]

Jul 11, 2012 14:43:55 GMT -5 richardfamous said:

Hi Avi

Apologies for the delay answering, just seems to be a busy time of year,

So to the questions

1) There is precious little video documentation of the band at all. The 'Real Woman' vid was the only one that we made at the time, and whatever live footage there is, is in the hands of the people who shot it!.I have a poor quality DVD of a very late show from the band (87?) and I know odd bits keep turning up from shows that were filmed. A German video called 'Rebel Rockers' has a couple of songs of ours on ift taken from a gig in Berlin. There is no early footage as far as I know, and certainly non of 'broadcast' quality. We only ever did one TV recording, of 'Menage abattoire' for a local tv station in England, on some daytime magasine programme (don't ask me how we got that - very weird) and we never got to see it either (though we did get paid!!), pre digital and we were in the wrong geographical area!

Hope this answers some of your questions

Richard Famous

hi Richard
Can i get copy of that poor quality DVD (87)?

[richardfamous]

Hi Riku

Thanks for getting in touch. We don't have any plans as yet to get the DVD released. It is of poor quality, both sound and vision! Who knows though. I will give it another viewing and maybe we'll get a few clips onto the website at some point, that could be interesting.

Richard

[psykey]

Hi Richard Im new to the forum and wanted to start a thread but I cant see the create link anyway wanted to say I was thinking about the song Persons Unknown today so searched for info about the band and realised it is Vi's birthday what a coincidence. Please forward my regards and thanks for giving us such words of wisdom, courage,rage and direction

[richardfamous]

Hi Cynthia
Apologies for the late answer.
Yes we did do many gigs with Flux, and of course The Epileptics, who morphed into Flux, were a mainstay of the Harlow scene, the closest town to where both Poisons and Crass lived. Punks, and particularly political punks, were few and far between at the time and it was a pleasure to find like minded people.

As to the crow. Well we adopted the crow as a 'logo/symbol' more or less at the same time as we started working with Crass. It looked very good on the Poisons banner! There is a symbolic reference to 'HEX' (the recordings we were doing at the time), the crow being a common witches familiar. The crow is also both a scavenger and a predator, it is raucous yet a silent flier, and is known as a harbinger of doom and general malevolence. Perfect!

It is also a beautiful shape, and we had crows around the house we were living in at the time (the infamous Burleigh House)

Hope that clears that up

[richardfamous]

Hi Psykey

Thanks for getting in touch, and apologies for the delay in answering.

I don't know why you can't start a thread, it is supposed to be possible, and is encouraged!
I am informed that Vi had a very good birthday and your good wishes were passed on! Synchronicity huh.

Richard

[loppy]

I have loved Poison Girls since the 80s & sorry this is a boring question, but now I am 60 so I wonder how the lovely Vi is? I am actually enjoying being granny!! But don't like getting old! love from Loppy x