New Order, Nick Cave, The Fall, Creation Records Promoter.

I first came into contact with Richard, when he was booking the literature tent at the Green Man Festival.

When Danny and I started the Green Man Festival in Wales, in 2003, we really wanted it to feel like cool European festivals at that time. We aimed to have literature and film featuring nearly as much as the music. We asked our friend, the N.M.E. journalist, and native Welsh man, Iestyn George if he could recommend anyone to look after the literature and he mentioned the author, John Williams from Cardiff. John booked the literature at the festival for four years, including the first at Glan Usk (the current festival site). He always had wonderful authors who were either themselves musicians, managers or music journalists.

Joe Boyd, the famed music producer – from Nick Drake to R.E.M. – was a highlight for me in 2006. Joe is an amazing man, a hero of mine really, his memoire, ‘White Bicycles – Making Music in the 1960s‘ had recently been published.

Often some of the talkers would get their guitars out for a song or two.

John invited Richard Thomas to help with the bookings, as the festival grew. And so, from 2007 until 2012, (a year after our departure from the Green Man), John and Richard booked all the incredible literature for the festival.

I asked Richard if he has any highlights;

‘I remember silly things like Billy Bragg‘s slightly strange view about the beginnings of punk….

Barney Hoskyns incredulously realising that me and him talked for an hour on Led Zeppelin without mentioning ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Leaf Fielding talking on Operation Julie was great and the old stalwarts Howard Marks and John Cooper Clarke always give value for money.

I enjoyed everything in The Green Man, far and away the easiest festival I have ever done.’

Green Man 2009

In 2007, Richard started his own festival, a literature one, in Laugharne, Wales. Laugharne is the township where Dylan Thomas lived with his family during his last four years, between 1949 and 1953.

The festival was Richard’s idea and this time it was his turn to ask John to help. ‘It was my idea and I asked John to get involved as he had moved back to Wales at that time. We have known each over thirty years but neither of us can remember when we met (we have tried remembering).’

Richard plus Irvine Welsh. Keith Allen and James Brown at Laugharne.

I asked Richard what his best memories have been so far.

‘Loads of stand out moments but Patti Smith performing to 20 people in Dylan Thomas’s Boathouse was special. This year a highlight was PP Arnold singing ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’ with James Yorkston on guitar, which was magical’

Richard interviewing Stephen Morris (New Order) at the Laugharne Festival.

In 2015, Richard saw a gap in the market and started the Penderyn Music Book Prize, as he says, ‘Prizes for all sort of genres but none for music books’.

I was honoured to be invited to be on the judging panel in 2022, along with Stephen Morris (Joy Division / New Order), Laura Barton (The Guardian / Radio 4), Johnny Green (The Clash tour manager) and Allan Jones (Melody Maker , Uncut). It gave me the chance to read sixteen rather fabulous books in the space of four months!

The winner is announced and prize presented each year, at Laugharne.

This was the short list for the year I was involved. My favourite was ‘Nina Simone’s Gum‘ the winner was ‘The Velvet Mafia‘.

Richard was born in West Wales and was into music since the early days of The Beatles, he moved to London to attend the Polytechnic of North London in 1977.

‘I went to North London Poly, the music scene at that time meant London was the only place to be. I probably saw everyone at that time –

Clash – Ramones – Joy Division – Talking Heads – The Jam and more.

I saw The Sex Pistols in Wales twice but they never played London when I was there’.

Once he had finished his time as a student, Richard took on the role of social secretary, still, at the North London Poly, with a complete freedom to book who he liked, he chalked up an incredible list of bands!

Including New Order, A Certain Ratio, Orange Juice and The Fall.

The Fall performing one of Richard’s gigs at Poly of North London, 1980. Photo by Mark Osborne.

Richard in fact went on to manage The Fall between 1983 – 86. I asked him if he had any tales he could share? (He also managed The Gun Club 1986-89).

‘My lips remain sealed but nearly all great memories’.

After finishing life as a student and while managing The Fall, Richard started to put gigs on at the Ace in Brixton.

Each one of these gigs is wonderful, from December 1982 to July ’83 –

Pillows & Prayers night ( Iconic Cherry Red album ‘Pay no more than 99p’ featuring Ben Watt, Tracey Thorne, Thomas Leer etc)

Also at the Ace – Virgin Prunes / The Smiths / The Go Betweens / Bo Diddley and New Order.

Richard ended up promoting gigs at a large number of great venues in London, including the Town and Country Club (now The Forum), the Everyman in Hampstead (‘It’s very important to get the right venue for the right band, people do like to go to venues that are a little bit “special”. There are also venues like Wembley Arena that people will only go to if they really have to.’), the Greyhound in Hammersmith, where The Clean played –

‘The Clean / Bats (Flying Nun Records 1988) show was memorable because the London traffic was crazy and it took the best part of three hours to get from Kings Cross to Hammersmith. It was mostly walk up audiences in those days. We just opened the doors took the money and didn’t have the time to hand out tickets and just sent them in.

Too long a story to go into but as a promoter my proudest achievement was selling EMI a hundred tickets for a free gig’.

Richard with Sonic Youth at The Astoria in 1988.

When I first asked Richard if I could put some questions to him for this blog, he replied that he didn’t actually have any photos or tickets of any of the gigs he had put on. I got the word out through my socials and got a tremendous response.

The main gig that people sent me memories and photos to, was the Creation Records night – Doing It For The Kids at the Town and Country Club in 1988.

Alan McGee of Creation Records performing with his band Biff Bang Pow! and Guy Chadwick of The House of Love (thanks to Mathew Wilce for these photos)

Bobby Gilespie of Primal Scream and Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine, with thanks to Mat Flint for these photos.

‘Doing It For The Kids was Rik Benbow‘s first job as stage manager at Town and Country, 15 acts and it all ran on time. I was so busy with all those acts that I can’t remember seeing any of them!’

Here are a few more of the artefacts that we got – thanks so much to everyone who sent me clippings, photos, videos and memories!