Posted: 13 April 2005 at 4:36pm | IP Logged

All the gigs hold happy memories , but the one where I really felt for the band was the launch of " One Rule for You " at Ronnie Scotts .

I was so priveleged to be there , but the band were even more nervous than the first Marquee gig .

Needless to say they played brilliantly infront of the well known DJ's & music press - what a gig !

Posted: 05 July 2005 at 2:58pm | IP Logged

I remember the fancy dress gig in London - took a posse of other girls , it was a girls' hen night . Being " in touch " with the latest fashion ( come on I was young ! ) I wore a 1940's style suit & pill box hat & got a copy of the single for being in fancy dress !!

Was a bit put out at first , but the single made up for it - oh happy days !

The Rainbow gigs were great - my parents came to meet me & Ivor lifted my Mum up onto the stage to give her a kiss ( no mean feat as at the time she was no lightweight ! )

Posted: 05 July 2005 at 3:14pm | IP Logged

one memory I wish to forget was traveling over to Liverpool to see the lads and the gig was called off - think i was the last to know reason being  that Paul Young - Q tips had a sore throat!

Posted: 05 July 2005 at 4:21pm | IP Logged

Definitely one of the Rainbow gigs, can't remember which, although '81 seems to ring a bell. Four hours travel, followed by 2 hours of pogo'ing and was fit to drop at the end. I also remember the lead singer of one of the support bands, cutting his head and bleading through most of the set, anyone remember how? 

We then spent the best part of six hours getting home coz we had to stop at every service station on the M1 to let the driver have a kip. I passed my Dad on the landing and said goodnight just as he was getting up for work. 

It was last time I ever saw ATF and even though it was a year later when they split, I clearly remember the feeling that the end was nigh.

Posted: 12 November 2005 at 2:18am | IP Logged

I remember when Andy used to play guitar - he would invariably break a string or two at each gig.  I remember at one of the first gigs when he played bass, he said he switched instrument to stop breaking strings.

Humour was always a part of a gig.  In the early days this was essential as the audience had to be kept amused while the frequent equipment breakdowns were being fixed.  The biggest problem was Pete's Leslie rotary speaker for the organ, but once he had traded in the Hammond for a synth, the reliability got a lot better.  

Posted: 05 March 2006 at 7:08pm | IP Logged

Never saw Andy on guitar, but I do recall him breaking a BASS string, at the Marquee - Ivor held the set together (with a drum solo) while they changed the string, and then went straight into 'Take me higher'.

Posted: 08 March 2006 at 1:23pm | IP Logged

I remember the first time that I heard “Can you face it?” played at the Marquee.

A friend of mine overestimated the punk rock influence on the group, and thought the words were “Kick your face in!”

I think that friendship evangelism is a preferable approach.

Posted: 21 May 2006 at 1:56pm | IP Logged

Predominantly, my memories of an ATF gig were the sweat you were covered with after, the loudness of the PA, the sheer thrill of anticipation before the lads came on, the smugness of knowing that they were 'our' band, and they were taking on the world, and the friendliness of all the other Friends there.

I was at the Bristol Berkley Club gig (I think there are pics on my site). It was a bit over-intimate, but great to see em on home-ground for me (less of a trek to get home, especially as I would sometimes travel half the length of the country to see a gig). During Wild West Show, Andy would put on a cowboy hat and shoot us. Curiously, I was in the same space a few years later when it was now a restaraunt, and I found a piece of celephane in my meal. I complained and got the meal for nothing. That isnt really connected with an ATF gig, I know, but now wheneever I go for a meal, I always carry a small piece of ...

The three end of year gigs in London were just momentus events. The 79 Rainbow was more of a muted affair, as we all sat in orderly fashion in the seats provided. That gig was more a showcase, but I love the massive laser love backdrop. The support were a beatle-esque sounding band. Had no idea we were seeing Ivor for the last time (no sleep for him til Daghanham). The next year, the gig was much better. The seats had gone and we could really go for it. I recall spinning myself crazy during Check It Out. But the lads looked uncomfortable in their New Romantic gear.

The Dominion was an all seats affair again, but at least they turned up in jeans and t-shirts. They were looking relasxed, and it was fun. Pete did a solo piece with his synth-guitar (unidentified - when i asked him what it was, he said he made it up on the spot - sort of). They did a medly too, with some Signs references. Then of course Andy made the announcement that it was their last gig, and it was quite crushing. So we relished every ounce of juice out of the last songs and encore, enjoying them as much as humanly possible, cos there were to be no more.

jules

Posted: 21 May 2006 at 2:08pm | IP Logged

Oh yeah, one of my favourites shows was at Boreham wood Town Hall. An arduous journey to say the least, from Bristol, which involved imposing myself on a friend and telling him that I was staying the weekend. It tooks hours - hours - even then to find the venue, and I was pleased to see a trickle of Friends quietly flowing out of the train station and up the road to the gig. You always knew they were fellow Friends, and they always knew you were too, and there was a nice feeling of special connectedness in it all. You werent just going to a gig, you were going to a party. To my shame, I dont remember the bands set at all - standard 81 stuff, I'm sure - but I DO remember the support - Canis Major, particularly the rather tasty lead singer. I bought their album and their single trying to get to chat with her. Nice prog rock cover it has.

The next night, my friend took revenge and I was dragged to Earl's Court to see Bob Dylan. I assume it was him anyway, cos given that the stage was sveral parsecs away, and on the the edge of my vision, it was hard to prove it was him really. It sounded like him - and our PA speakers arrived a whole second before the main stage speakers, resulting in an irratating delay. He was in his new Gospel phaze and did only that kind of material. Some less generous punters booe'd him for it.

jules  

Posted: 21 May 2006 at 2:26pm | IP Logged

One of the most curious gigs I went to was post-ATF - it was Zip Codes at the Fulham Greyhound. Pete on vocals (all of them), Pete King on drums, some other musicians, and various attractive female backing. There weren't many of us there, and it was quite humbling in many ways. It was a great set, though, and my tape of it sounds good.

What was particularly pleasing was seeing Andy there. This was in 85, so some years had gone by, and so some wounds were healing. With another ATF mate we propped up the bar next to him and chatted for a while. It was at this moment I learned of the existance of the missing 80-f album, the thought of which blew my mind. (I eventually found the acetate in a shop behind Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, I won't tell you how much it cost me, but the guy travelled twenty miles just to sell it to me).

We'd seen Andy of course in triumphant for at Greenbelt the previous year, in a supurb set. Press Any Key were there too, and John came on stage to play Laser Love with him. Andy was handed his blue bass for the purpose, and teased us with the opening strums. Press Any Key also had a go at Laser Love I recall. It was all taped of course. I taped everything in those days. Some people wore a neckchain, I used to wear a large tape recorder! Twas heavy.

Also on stage gb84 during Andy's set, but hidden in the wings was Ivor of course. He was a compere. So for a few minutes, 3/4 of the old team were up there. But no Peter. That's why I think it was significant that Andy was at the Zip Codes gig.

We all secretly hoped there would be a revival of course, a reunion gig. But it was never to be. Except, it WAS to be .... in 1999!

jules