Photograph
John Cooper Clarke, The Passage, The Worst, The Fall, Militant Frank
Stretford Civic Theatre
23rd December 1977

The Fall, John Cooper-Clarke and The Worst played a Rock Against Racism gig at the Stretford Civic Theatre on 23 Dec 77. John the Postman could have been there as well. It was Fall bass player Tony Friel's last gig before he joined The Passage with Dick Witts.

Knowing Stretford well, I asked the bar manager to put on plastic glasses. He didn't think they'd be any trouble so he didn't bother.

The Worst and JCC did their sets OK but when The Fall came on someone slung a pint pot over at Mark. Then everyone else slung tjheir pots over and we had to close the safety curtain, but The Fall carried on playing behind it, good lads that they were.

The PA guy was Chris Hewitt from Tractor Music who also organised the Deeply Vale festivals. After the gig he gave me a tape of the night and me and my mates played it for a few months (The Fall didn't have a record deal then) until we gave it to Mark.

Years later, he found it at the bottom of his wardrobe and released it as the "Live in 77" album.

With all the glasses getting chucked I didn't get chance to take any photos of The Fall onstage but this one is before the gig. Mark and Martin are getting accosted by a couple of Stretford girls. Nowt wrong with that.