Part of me is very tempted to just post this section of a West End Centre leaflet and leave it there as a Buzz Club that took place.
However, sadly it didn’t happen. It wasn’t a cancelation as such. The fliers for the WEC leaflets were organised quite a bit in advance of our shows and often I didn’t yet have the line up confirmed. On this occasion I was pretty close to getting Verve and obviously thought it was worth the risk of giving the venue these details. (I actually have a gap here in my Buzz Club Complete ish line up so I’m not sure who ended up playing on 11 April 1992.)
Support, Blind Mr Jones were one of Danny‘s signings to Cherry Red. Chris Hufford of Courtyard Studio in Oxford recorded them and managed them. Chris had a similar arrangement with another band from Oxford who had just changed their name from On A Friday to Radiohead in May ’92.
Sadly Blind Mr Jones didn’t see the success of their Oxford counterparts, but they did release a few cracking records, this included –
I had confirmed a band I was incredibly excited about for the June Buzz Club. I first put Suede on at the Rock Garden when they still had a drum machine and Justine Frischmann on guitar, in 1990. I had also seen them at The White Horse in Hampstead the same year, when The Ruby Tuesdays supported. Suede had been regular winners on Gary Crowley’s Demo Clash on his Sunday afternoon Greater London Radio show, so I was very aware of them. Over the course of 1991, they got a drummer and got rid of Justine (after her relationship with Brett ended and her one with Damon started). A&Rs from the majors were only interested in American grunge and totally ignored Suede, giving them the chance to develop unnoticed. By the end of 1991 and into 1992, they started catching everyone’s imagination and it felt like after a couple of years, they suddenly exploded onto the scene. The band got their first ‘Melody Maker’ front cover before they’d even released a record and were called ‘The Best New Band In Britain‘
9th May The Buzz Club – local band night. Sometimes there wasn’t anyone that I wanted to book, or the ones I wanted weren’t available, so we’d put on some local acts. There were some great bands in the area and this was a particularly good night.
‘The Drowners‘ the debut single by Suede went to number 49 in the national singles chart. The Buzz Club date sold out in advance.
The day of the Suede Buzz Club was upon us. We were just getting ready to leave the flat in Kings Cross to drive down to Aldershot when I got a phone call from their tour manager. Bass player Mat Osman was sick and they weren’t able to play. A short phone call of epic proportions. ‘Damn!’ (insert a stronger word). I called the West End Centre, the venue where we ran the club, to let them know. I could already hear people in the background, fans who had turned up early. We decided not to make the journey down, instead we went out. A disappointed feeling in the pit of my tummy that nearly disappeared when the dancing started but was there a bit all night really. In the ‘N.M.E.’ a few days later, there was a small piece in the News section; Suede apologised to their fans in Aldershot and would be rearranging the date. ‘Yessss!’ And true to their word, they did. I spoke to their agent and rebooked them for September 12th.
I went to see them with my friend Guy at the Camden Palace the week after they should have been at the Buzz Club. I couldn’t quite enjoy it – looking forward to the September date but nervous it wouldn’t happen. The Camden Palace gig was very exciting though. Sold out. Guy and I stood on the balcony and looked down at everyone throwing themselves around when Suede were on stage.
Read more about 1992 here
ITTLG 