It became obvious that the band wasn’t taking up much of my time and that I should get a job, so I started work at Diners’ Club in Farnborough. It was admin and filing but brought in money and made my free time more valuable.
Through Mike, the drummer in Go! Service, we started to drink at The Hero in Bagshot. Going there for the first time was a revelation! A crowded pub, full of people like me! Everyone was into their clothes, music and hair. Girls and boys. (Most of us had very short hair at the back and sides and either a quiff, flat top or floppy hair on top). A few of the boys were in bands. I was the only girl in a band. I bumped into people I hadn’t seen since my primary school days, including Kevin Moorey. Kevin had been in the same year as Danny and my brother Tom and used to be in and out of Elm Cottage all the time. He was very funny, incredibly cool and great looking. As the weather got warmer we’d spill out onto the pavement and continue to chat and laugh, sometimes waving or cheering as a car beeped and drove past.
The music I was listening to started to expand. The dj on a Friday night would play Trouble Funk and James Brown along with New Order and The Cult.
I went to a couple of low key gigs – Surfing Dave at the Mean Fiddler and local band, my friends, Controls at Farnborough Tech.
Then, up to the brilliant Clarendon in Hammersmith to see The Long Ryders. Favourites of ‘Whistle Test‘ and part of an American scene which included R.E.M.. We had tried to see them at The Marquee on their last trip to the UK, but failed to get in as it was full. It was annoying to have to turn around and get the train home. I got tickets for The Clarendon gig in advance.
April 24th
The Long Ryders / Circus Circus Circus / Ring of Roses / New Age – The Clarendon, Hammersmith
The Long Ryders on ‘Whistle Test’.
Circus Circus Circus (who later changed their name to Circus x 3) were great live and all went on to one knee at certain points during their set which was strangely effective.
Dan Treacy had arranged for us to meet with the guy who was doing the artwork for the Go! Service 12″. Martyn Lambert had done sleeves for Aztec Camera, The Go Betweens and The Triffids so we were a little nervous when we headed up to his studio in London to talk over ideas with him.
The Loft released ‘Up The Hill and Down The Slope’ (NME, 27th April 1985. “lovely cheap guitar work”) and The Smiths released ‘Shakespeare’s Sister’.
I was always making compilation tapes, for the car or my tape player in the mini bus, on the way to gigs. We started to play regularly at The Room at The Top, above The Enterprise pub in Chalk Farm. Nights that Dan Treacy was organising. Here we are supporting his band, The Television Personalities at The Room at the Top, Rudy is playing his lovely Rickenbacker. Mine is a Maya semi-acoustic.
There was an early heat wave and we sunbathed on the roof of Elm Cottage, on a flat bit just above where the parents would drop and collect their children. There was room for about four of us, I’d have my tape player and a load of towels and cushions. I’d tape my albums so we could play them. I had one cassette with New Order ‘Low Life’ on one side and ‘Our Favourite Shop’ by The Style Council on the other, which got played a lot.
Just before the Go! Service single was due to be released Mike quit the band. It was a blow but my thoughts turned to Kevin Moorey straight away. He had told us he was drumming when we chatted to him at The Hero. Danny and I went up there on Friday and asked him if he’d like to join the band. He said yes! We were very happy. We had to get rehearsing straight away as we had a gig in Hamburg lined up for 1st June and we were in the process of getting a few dates together to promote the single when it came out the following month.
13 May – The Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms is released; it becomes the first compact disc to sell over 1,000,000 copies
18 May – Manchester United win the FA Cup for the sixth time in their history with a 1–0 win over Everton in the final at Wembley Stadium.
25 May The Go Betweens / The Jazz Butcher / The June Brides – The Clarendon
Up to Hammersmith again for this wonderful line up.
Danny and I each had 7″ s by The June Brides and they were always on my tapes. Pink Records was another of those fab labels that put the records in a wrap round cover in a clear plastic sleeve, like Creation.
1 June – Battle of the Beanfield, Britain’s largest mass arrest and the effective end of Stonehenge Free Festivals.
The debut gig with Kev on drums was in Hamburg at a mod all nighter. It was a strange starting point! The gig went ok (we went on stage at 2am!) but the accommodation left a little to be desired – all of us sleeping on the floor of a left wing skin head’s apartment. He was crazy but hospitable. There was no hot water. The next day it was very sunny so we headed to a local lake where we were told we could swim. We had just arrived when I realised I’d made a mistake with the flights – we had just missed the one home. We got back to the apartment and grabbed all our gear as quickly as possible and got a taxi to the airport, even though we’d already missed the flight it was the natural thing to do. I had to call my Dad who was able to get us on a plane later that day. We got money for the gig – sadly it all went on paying the new flights.
We supported That Petrol Emotion at The Room at the Top the following week. We were excited and curious about this one as Rudy, Danny and myself had been fans of The Undertones and this was John and Damian O’Neill‘s new band. They were terrific.
Two different fliers both with our gig with That Petrol Emotion on, fantastic line ups every night. We were due back in July to support The June Brides.
The artwork for the single came through, the release date was early July.
20th June The Higsons / The Sensible Jerseys / The Larks – The Clarendon
Another great gig at The Clarendon, Tracy and I went to this one. I was being influenced by the crowd at The Hero who were really into The Higsons. Tracy bought a cassette by The Larks on the way out.
ITTLG 
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