graham
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There is no authority but yourself
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Post by graham on Mar 26, 2006 13:49:31 GMT
Does anybody else here remember Red Square? They were this incredibly noisy, free improvising jazz influenced trio of Sax, drums and guitar that used to do free 'gigs' at the queens Hotel every week, more like they used to just play in this room making as much noise as possible and anyone who felt like it could go along and watch them... This would have been around 1976 to 1977. This would have been prepunk era, at least for me, and I used to think they were brilliant. i think they were something to do with SAGA, Southend Action Group for Arts, who had a a base at 'Its Surreal Thing', a squatted (I think) shop/community centre/art gallery that was along London Road almost opposite the Cricketers. I did a small article on Red Square on Wikipedia, but then had to fight not to get it deleted. it would be great if anbody else out there could expand it... Audi maybe??? Do you remember them??? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Square_%28band%29
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Post by thedimlocator on Mar 28, 2006 0:02:22 GMT
I remember Red Square, not so much the music, more the whole hippy collective thing, which was wasn't too different from the whole Anarchy scene years later, Metropolitan Wharf, The Fire (or was it Ambulance) Station, seeing The Mob and The Sinyx in a house in Forest Gate, it's a direct line.
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graham
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Post by graham on Apr 7, 2006 0:24:17 GMT
It was the Ambulance Station, in the Old Kent Road. i saw Bjork there once, when she was still in KUKL, supporting Flux of pink Indians. Also saw Chumbawamba there a couple of times
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graham
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Post by graham on Apr 7, 2006 0:27:00 GMT
Theres certainly a core of people who remember Red Square, it would be good if you fine folk would add your contributions to the Wikpedia article as the implication seemed to be that I'd made them up or something, or certainly that they arn't 'notable'...
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Post by budgie on Feb 20, 2008 19:57:22 GMT
I certainly remember Red Square, and sitting cross-legged, earnestly nodding my head, throughout the free form cacophony, with probably no more than twenty or thirty people upstairs at the Queen's. In fact I was so impressed with them, I did my A level art main paper ("The Entertainers") as a painting of them. The examiners, probably realised that this marked me out as a dangerous anarcho syndicalist, and failed me, just to teach me where the power really lay!
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Post by js8088 on May 5, 2008 22:29:43 GMT
www.myspace.com/redsquarealbum ......33 years on, and we've been asked to release an album of the material we recorded back then! We've just started the site, so lots of bits yet to go up, but do keep in contact. Does anyone mind us quoting their posts here on the myspace site?? - love Budgie's tale of A level woe , though I must apologise for our part in his downfall. 'The Entertainers' - that was us to a T!! Thanks for remembering us, and to Graham for the wiki entry (I added Roger's surname - Telford)!
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graham
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Post by graham on May 6, 2008 19:48:09 GMT
Wow! Exactly as I remember you sounding - that is amazing... Almost feels like I'm back in the Queens again! Really looking forward to the album, any ideas when it might see the light of day??
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Post by js8088 on May 11, 2008 22:40:49 GMT
Graham - great to be in contact again and sorry about the time it's taken to get back! We've selected the tracks (I think there are 10), and we're putting finishing touches to the cover with FMR. I've got to do a fair bit of re-mixing and mastering on the original audio, and we've had to have the master tapes cooked by a specialist audio firm because the oxide had started to lift from the tape. FMR haven't nailed us to a release date yet, which is OK by me because of the editing I've got to do, but they've asked for the final cover design urgently..........will keep you posted The album tracks are taken from the '76 Lindesfarne Hall gig we did with H Cow, Paramusic, the cassette-only album we did in '75 and a rehearsal tape we made in '78. Speak soonest - Jon
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graham
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Post by graham on May 12, 2008 19:29:44 GMT
Is FMR the label that Trevor taylor runs? I remember the 76 Lindisfarne gig with henry Cow, unfortunately i didn't go as I was on a school trip to germany, it was around the same time that the pier burned down (one of the times anyway...) we were in some obscure little town in Germany and this bloke who'd obviously heard us talking came up and said, "You are English, yes? Do you know that today your longest pier has burned down?" There were also lots of posters all over the place for Faust gigs which I was gutted I couldn't go to... I did have a tape of that gig though, also liked the duos between Lol Coxhill & Gerry Fizgerald that was at the same gig. Its a health club now...I never knew yoiu had a cassette only album out... Cheers graham
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Post by js8088 on May 15, 2008 17:54:22 GMT
Yep. FMR is TT's label. We all met up for a meal and he suggested putting out a Red Square album. The cover's just about done and it'll soon be time for me to get on with the re-mixing and mastering. I hope the tracks will sound OK; they're all digital transfers from the original tapes. There's some inevitable tape hiss and the stereo is a bit wonky by today's standards, but I'll do what I can. It's a pity that analogue tape hiss isn't a drop-dead groovy as vinyl crackle. Hey ho. The burning pier! I remember Ian and I standing at the end of Ian's street watching it go up in flames.... The cassette album was one that we ran off ourselves, as was the fashion of the time........Jon
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Post by simone on May 15, 2009 21:53:31 GMT
I went to see red square at the Queens - around the same time as we were going to see the Rock in Opposition tour - Etron Fou Leloublanc (?) and Samla Mamas Manna as well as the tremendous Henry Cow. It was really watching something genuinely different and new. One thing that I remember about RS was that the sax player faced away from the audience.
It was really exciting music
Simon E
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graham
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Post by graham on May 19, 2009 22:10:23 GMT
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Post by js8088 on Dec 22, 2009 16:12:28 GMT
Thanks for your post, Simon. For decisive evidence that the sax player has finally learned where the audience is, please see; www.youtube.com/redsquare33! Also, is there anyone out there who wants to host the first Red Square gig in Southend for 35 years? We're up for a gig - let us know via redsquare3@gmail.com.
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Post by thedimlocator on Dec 24, 2009 16:26:25 GMT
This is getting confusing, we have an FMR (Face Melt or Face Melting Records) down here, they're monthly at The Sun Rooms, they promote Analog who are live drum and and bass and various djs, DJ Hype is fairly regular.
Promoters, try Culture as a dare, I'm sure you could track them down through here, they were involved in The Fringe Festival, Ten Tigers are caught up with them, The Railway seems to be their preferred haunt these days and it has a small flat floored room and larger room with a stage, if you wanted you could book yourself in there, they'd probably be most in tune with what you do and it attracts that kind of crowd.
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graham
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There is no authority but yourself
Posts: 208
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Post by graham on Jan 3, 2010 16:12:44 GMT
Have also been chatting to Dave Dulake of The Railway about putting on a Penny Rimbaud gig plus the Crass film 'No Authority But Yourself...' Well, I say 'chatting', I mentioned it to him as he went past balancing about 50 glasses in each hand on what was probably one of the busiest nights of the year, but he seemed keen...
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