Photograph
Happy Mondays
Platt Fields (Festival)
1985

“Still can't believe nobody has passed comment on this”

“The lad dressed as a farmer, was my school friend Marc (aka Sprogg), his sister was going out with Shaun at the time. We were only 13 or 14 years old. I don't know how the hell Marc got a tweed jacket and a deerstalker, he lived on an Estate in Walkden, of the council, rather than the country variety... I think a rapper had recently wore one of the hats. His outfit attracted attention all day. I didn't have much money, so he went on a few fairground rides, whilst I watched at the side, bored. I could see a few young black lads pointing at him, so I got on my toes and ran back to the van with the Mondays in, to tell them that he was going to get in bother. I remember Shaun ranting about him not being streetwise and then seeing Marc huffing an puffing getting chased by a load of lads. Fortunately, he was fine. The rest is a haze as they gave us some doobie!

I've seen the Mondays out and about since then but I never had the guts to speak to them and ask if they remember that day. Considering their drug intake and what has happened since then, they most probably can't; I'll never forget it!

I've told that story a few times over the years and I'm amazed that I found a photo of that day all these years on. I don't suppose you have any more photos of the gig? At one stage we were arsing about on the stage.

The white hooded head could well have been mine but I can't be sure, as I wasn't wearing anything daft, like a bleeding deerstalker.

I think you sussed out that the gig was actually in 87, as I followed your post from the flier.

As a side note, on the same day we got a bus past the Factory offices and they were plastered, top to bottom in posters of Shaun's head.

What a great time to grow up!”

“nice one tonyr! Good to have a different perspective on the day, i'll try and see if I've got a few more photos, they're all pretty similar if I recall.”

“It was definitely 87, I was probably standing right near you as I have a couple of photos from a very similar angle, inferior quality to yours though. But I think, Tony, the time the Factory offices were covered in posters was about a year or so after, around the time of the release of Bummed. Good photo though, Alistair.”

“Cheers John. I'm probably getting mixed up about the posters as your dates make sense. I remember seeing them but I must have associated them with being on the same day.”