1978 Anti Nazi League Carnival feat The Clash

[sue]

I went to the 30th anniversary of the Rock against Racism Carnival on Sunday in Victoria Park. It brought back
lots of memories of the original march and gig where The Clash played along with Tom Robinson , X ray spex, Patrick Fitzgerald and lots more I cant remember.
I was wondering if anybody else went to the 1978 event and what their memories were of it?

[graham]

Yup great days! I always (sort of) count myself as having been to a Clash gig, even though I was right at the back and The Clash were just little dots on a distant stage. But did see Misty in Roots and (I think...) The Ruts on the back of a lorry...

I also remember the streets being filled with bill boards with the infamous 'Labour Isn't working' Saatchi advert that ominously hailed in the Thatcher years, also as we passed through Cable Street on the big march a single National Front skinhead with his fists in the air yelling "Come on you red scum, I'll take you all on" to the thousands marching by...

In the park Martin Hardy went off to buy ice creams but they had totally melted by the time he got back with them...

[graham]

Or maybe the ice cream recollection was when we went to see Queen in Hyde Park in 1976?? It all blurs nowadays...

[anabdab]

I had a similar experience that day. I remember it being particularly warm and sunny, as days were back then. Although enjoying the spectacle, Micvicdab, DTR and myself were feeling a mite parched and in need of refreshment.

The beer tent was some distance away but despite this Micvicdab very kindly offered to sally forth and bring back some refreshing lagers, the only proviso being that DTR and me should take care of the minor matter of financing the expedition.

We duly unbelted the cash and sent the brave soldier on his perilous mission. Unfortunately, by the time he returned all 3 pints had completely evaporated, no doubt due to the intense heat.

A great day all the same.

[sue]

I was right down the front when The Clash came on and I seriously thought I wouldn't get out alive.
I also remember another anti nazi leage carnival in another park where Elvis Costello played but I can't remember if it was the same year, the following year or what. So if anyone can enlighten me ?

[graham]

Another thing was the coach journeys up to these events, you'd book the coach and have to be outside WH Smiths in the freezing cold at some ungodly hour of the morning to catch it, eat your packed lunch before you'd even reached The Plough, then ride up there with blokes walking up and down the aisles trying to sell you Socialist Worker, Militant and raffle tickets, and generally find yourself harangued by dysfunctional lefties who smoked so many fags that you couldn't breath or even see the windows. And inevitably you'd fiddle with the ashtray on the back of the person in fronts seat, and it would flip down and empty its contents of ancient fag butts, chewing gum and opal fruits wrappers into your lap. It would then take a really tortuos and indirect route via Laindon, Hadleigh, Stanford No hope, Wickford, Basildon, Vange, Wakering, Pitsea, Rayleigh, Orsett, Rawreth, Shoeburyness, Billericay and Greys (in that order usually...) to pick up 3 ancient Communist party activists with egg sandwiches who you'd really hope wouldn't sit next to you (but always did), then inevitably it would get stuck in a traffic jam or 3 as you came into east london so you'd have to spend hours staring at the same 'Labour Isn't Working' billboard or the toothless dossers outside the Seamans Mission in Whitechapel Road. Then at the end you'd have to miss the last bands in order to be at the pick-up point in time, get stuck in even more traffic jams when the driver finally got back from the pub and set off an hour later than he was meant to (which meant you COULD have seen those last bands after all...), then there would be a 'whip round for the driver' (wiping out any savings you'd made on the cost of a train ticket), you wouldn't win the raffle (the prize would have been an unsold copy of Socialist Worker anyway...) and you would spend the remainder of the journey in exteme discomfort due to needing a piss caused by drinking too much cheap cider...

Ah happy days! Why didn't we just get a train up there??