“I think I remember seeing a band called Sister Ray supporting The Freshies at Wythenshawe Forum some time in 1979 but not sure whether it was the same group as shown in this photo.”
“I remember seeing Sister Ray play at Kellys Club on Amber Street which was not far from the CIS building. The entrance fee was kept at a pound and the club was well known for its RAR nights - and you could always buy City Fun there. Liz Naylor used to sell them. I remember chatting to her on several occasions. Sister Ray's gig at Kellys must have been about October, 1978.”
“clive with the shades on,alf the guitarist,sat on his left.i hung around with them at the mayflower,and anywhere else ,rafters.russell club,electric circus.those where the days.clive was a beer monster,lou reed mad i think.sister rays a lou reed track.hope this helps.yes a manchester band,alfs the guitarist was from wythenshawe,crossacers,cheers.”
“Sent in by Bill: Martin O'Neill took a photo of a band called Sister Ray outside a venue in Bowdon,Manchester.He said he'd like to try and contact any of the members.
Clive the lead singer (shades in photo) is now deceased,alcohol related.The guy on his left is Alf who more or less formed the band and played lead/rythm (and who later was replaced briefly by a very young Johnny Marr) and on his left is Alan (bass).The guy with the dreads is me,Bill the drummer.I auditioned for the Smiths when they were forming but could never get on with the music or the singer for more than a nano second.Don't play drums now,but have a much fuller life doing other stuff.
Yes we did play at the Wythenshawe forum (possibly supporting the freshies) and we all came from Wythenshawe including Johnny Marr who was playing his 1st and maybe only gig with us that night.
Bill”
“thats my dad 3rd from the end alf henshall clive the singer died hey bill i can rember my dad taking me to ure house and u had a masive scalextric which was cool lol”
“i was guitarist with SISTER RAY . i formed the band
in 1978 with singer clive robinson from sale. we were
both lou reed fans and sister ray was a song on the
VELVET UNDERGROUND L.P clive sadley passed away
about 10 yrs ago. also in the band were alan on bass and bill on drums.i remember the gig at BOWDEN VALE HALL because i had my distortion pedal nicked before we went on stage. we also played at college of building, hardman st, m/cr, clive cut and stabbed a pigs head on stage, he was very much into being outragous. we also played at RAFTERS, oxford rd, ELECTRIC CIRCUIS, and we supported many top acts at MAYFLOWER CLUB, gorton, also we played BAND ON THE WALL and we were on RADIO MANCHESTER and appeard on the L.P IDENTITY PARADE. i left the band in 1979, johny marr took my place. he was playing a cheap LES PAUL copy, a shaftsbury. i shown him the chords to the songs we were doing in our song set, he was about 16 or 17 at the time. i have played in various bands over the years mostly blues, i formed my own band in the 90s called THIRD DEGREE and gigged all over the northwest. i still play guitar and play a white FENDER STRAT upside down HENDRIX style. im also a keen cyclist and i like hillwalking in the peak district. i hope this has been of interest to people .”
“Sad to hear the death of alan gooch and clive robinson. Nice to hear your keeping well bill! And a cyclist like me!. I live in stockport, where are you these days? Hello to spud too! Bye 4now.”
“Hey bill, i read your comments on the 'johnny marr plays guitar' web site. Biker nasty's johnny said we were! Haha! Must have been the leather jackets! I couldn't get into that site to leave a comment, dont know why. I still play guitar, got about 10 mostly strats and accoustics. I look back at our time in sister ray with fond memories, it was good to be part of all that 'new wave' stuff. Sad to hear clive and alan have passed away. Do you remember the 'pigs head' clive stabbed up on stage during the song 'mental' ? Haha! Crazy times. Bye 4 now.”
“Hi.alf hope your well.looking back on this site is scary.where have the years gone.sad about Clive.he lived life to the max.i used to bump into quite a lot in town.always had a guitar on his shoulder.remember that gig I did at the mayflower supporting the hoax...??? 78/79 ???.The guitarist who I hung around with from around broadoak road.was his name billy.i can't remember really .Blonde lad.great guitarist.loved reggae.you where with us and Clive.”
“Hi spud. Ye wheres all the years gone! I still play guitar, mostly blues stuff. Got 10 guitars of various sorts, electrics and accoustics. I also like cycling. I'm 66 now so getting on ! I try to look after myself and keep well. Would be nice to hear from bill. Shame about Alan and Clive, i'm reading Johny marrs book at mo, he mentions Sister Ray and clive and the damp dark celler at bills flat.”
“P.s i dont remember that lad from broadoak rd. But i remember your mate that helped with the amps and stuff, cant remember his name tho. Got a photo you and him with clive and wanda in a club sitting at a table with pints.”
“Hi.alf.did.nt think you where 66.ha!.Only joking.i.m just 60.how I.ve got this far amazes me!Yeah could you post that photo of me my mate Clive and Wanda.you sure it's me.my mate was the bass player with private sector Eric waters...Looked a bit like Eddie large after he got his hair Permed....Never lived it down...I've got some old photo.s of the band I had.should of audition you for lead.We where r n b .Just did.nt gig a lot.more like drink a lot.ha!Bye for now.spud”
“Hi spud. Ye i remember PRIVATE SECTOR, Eric Waters used to be paly with a lad that lived in denville crescent near my flat. I think Eric worked at direct works dept. For the council. I dont remember them giggin much either. I will dig that photo out and try an upload it to the site. I'm not very good at computer stuff haha. Do you remember that gig we did at College of Building, manchester when clive cut up that pigs head? Me an bill went down a couple of days later to get the pay cheque and they wasnt too pleased about it. By for now.”
“Hi. Alf will have a look now. Yeah Eric did work for the direct works has a sciving joiner. Ha. Private sector played loads of gigs. They where nearly on every flyer has support band. I know this because I used to go with Eric.”
“Hi. Alf will have a look now. Yeah Eric did work for the direct works has a sciving joiner. Ha. Private sector played loads of gigs. They where nearly on every flyer has support band. I know this because I used to go with Eric.”
“Hi spud. Well if your the spud i think you are your on the pic sat at a table with clive etc.. are you the spud that hung around with Alan gooch an Bill Anstie at whalley range? And did you help us carry the gear to gigs? Thats the only spud i know! Do you remember the pigs head i mentioned ?”
“Hi. Alf. I,m spud from sharston.used to drink in the red in gatley.your dad welded cars with Tommy beddow. Who lived round-the-corner from you. We used to meet now and again. At all the venues.. Mayflower and everywhere else. But I use to see Clive a lot.”
“Sorry spud but i can't place you, ye my dad welded cars with tommy and ye i used to go for a pint now an then in the red lion as well as the peel hall pub cos i lived up peel hall at the time i was in sister ray. I dont remember a spud that lived in sharston. You obviously know me but i cant for the life of me remember you. Any more clues?”
“Hi. Remember the previous comment about the band I was in.. We supported the hoax at the Mayflower about 79.you was with us. And Clive was there. I remember it well. They where trying to barrack us. Because we where better than them. I, m putting it mildly. That blonde lad called Billy from around broad oak road was with us. You knew him. Very well. But I did,nt.i only hung around him for a while...”
“Hi. Go to private sector. There is a picture of me with Eric waters and John from private sector.. I, m on the left with the moustas.. I. Know. Now you know me. It's your age Alf ha!”
“Ye bloody hell haha! Course i remember you. Soon as i saw your pics i knew who you were, but i didnt know you were in a band and i didnt know tony percival played the drums either! I certainly dont recall him having a drum kit at his house. Sorry mate for the confusion cos we had a lad who hung around Sister ray called spud and i thought it was him.”
“P.S IF YOU WOULD HAVE SAID YOUR NAME DAVE I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED YOU NO PROBLEM! TONY PERCIVAL LIVED OPPOSITE MY FLAT ON DENVILLE CRESCENT, PEEL HALL. HE HAD A BROTHER RAYMOND. I HEARD YEARS AGO THAT TONY BECAME A SOLICITOR. WHAT A BRIGHT YOUNG MAN HE TURNED OUT TO BE! HAHA.”
“at last you got there.alf i was called spud since i was five.even my mates did,nt know my name was dave.to this day.anyway nice to chat about the old days,yeah tony percival did live in denville cresent.we use to chill in his house.and listen to loads of blues stuff.has for his drumming.he used to annoy us like f**kat rehearsals.alway tapping that snare inbetween songs..go to the vicounts you will see him there.”
“HI DAVE....ER ...SPUD I MEAN HAHA! YE SAW THE PICS LAST NIGHT AND THATS WHEN THE PENNY DROPPED AND I REMEMBERED YOU. OUR PATHS CROSSED A LOT IN THE BOOZERS IN GATLEY, THE RED THE MOP AND FARRIER, MIKE WALKER DOIN HIS SILLY GERMAN TALK. HAHA. WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE TONY PERCIVAL, IS THAT RIGHT I HEARD HE WAS A SOLICITOR?”
“GOD ,MIKE WALKER??? WHAT A FUNNY GUY..HE MADE ME LAUGH EVERYTIME I TALKED TO HIM.HE USED TO CLEAN OUR WINDOWS.BEER MONSTER OF THE FINEST.WITH MIKE BROOKS.?.NOT SEEN TONY FOR AGES.HE LIVES IN CHEADLE NEXT TO THAT BUILDERS YARD.NEVER MADE HAS A DRUMMER...HA? HE WAS A ONE MAN BAND.DONT YOU REMEMBER BEING AT THE MAYFLOWER IN SAY 79/80 WITH CLIVE.WE SUPPORTED THE HOAX...THE PLACE WAS EMPTY.HEY BUT A GIGS A GIG.”
“THINK YOUR GETTING MIXED UP WITH HIS BROTHER PETE WALKER HE WAS THE WINDOW CLEANER WITH PAUL BROOKS, THEY BOTH DEAD NOW. MIKE WALKER DID GARDENING FOR A FEW QUID THEN WHENT IN THE PUB ALL NIGHT. NO I DONT REMEMBER THAT GIG AT MAYFLOWER BUT I DO REMEMBER THE GIGS I DID WITH SISTER RAY. WE SUPPORTED LOADS OF BANDS INCLUDING ADAM AND THE ANTS. DONT REMEMBER YOU BEING IN A BAND, JUST REMEMBER YOU FROM THE PUBS IN GATLEY.”
“CHECKED OUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR PICS, WHO WAS THE BLONDE GUITARIST? ALSO NOTICED THAT ALBUM 'WHITE DOPES ON PUNK' SISTER RAY ARE ON IT DOIN 'SUICIDE' . I WROTE MOST OF SISTER RAYS STUFF. WONDER WHO GETS THE ROYALTIES FROM THE SALES OF THE ALBUM COS I CERTAINLY DONT. WE ARE ON THE 'IDENTITY PARADE' ALBUM BUT GOT SOD ALL FOR THAT EITHER!”
“THATS RIGHT,I REMEMBER MIKE NOW THE GARDENER.HIM AND HIS BROTHER MUST OF BEEN GERMAN SPIES.HAHAHA.I USEDTO GO TO THE POLYTECHNIC AT WEEKENDS ON OXFORD ROAD.I ALWAYS USE TO SEE CLIVE THERE.76/77.DID SISTER RAY EXSIST THEN.I USED TO START OFF IN GATLEY THEN HEAD TO TOWN...EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK..”
“NO ME AN CLIVE STARTED THE BAND IN 77 AFTER WE MET UP AN JAMMED AT MY FLAT ON DENVILLE CRESCENT. CLIVE WHENT TO ALL THE VENUES AND HE WAS IN A BAND CALLED MENTAL . HE LEFT AND THEY CHANGED THEIR NAME TO V2. THEYR ON THE IDENTITY PARADE ALBUM AS WELL. WONDER WHO OWNS THE RIGHTS TO SISTER RAY AND PRIVATE SECTOR ETC... SONGS SOMEONE OUT THERE MUST HAVE TAPES OF THE BANDS TO PUT THEM ON ALBUMS! GIVE ME MY ROYALTIES YOU TW*TS!”
“HEY SOMETHING ELSE I FOUND OUT THERE.STEVE BLEASDALE THE DRUMMER IN V2 WAS AN OLD MATE OF MINE.THEY PLAYED PIPS A FEW TIMES.MY OLD HAUNT.FROM MY ROXY DAYS.THAT MUST OF BEEN THE REASON I ALWAYS BUMP INTO CLIVE ROUND THE VENUES,HAS FOR THE ROYALTIES ALF..I THINK YOU,VE MISSED THE BOAT.”
“HEY TJM RECORDS IN KNOTT MILL PRODUCE THAT ALBUM....YOU DID,NT WANT ROYALTIES THEN.YOU WHERE GLAD TO GET FREE STUDIO TIME.AND YOUR TUNE ON VINYL.OH AND A BEER.”
“THE V2 DRUMMER WAS CALLED STEVE BROTHERDALE NOT BLEASDALE, I WAS GOING TO JOIN THEIR BAND CALLED MENTAL BUT I COULDNT STAND THE BIG HEADED ARROGANT BASTARD. ME AN CLIVE FORMED SISTER RAY. NAMED THE BAND AFTER VELVET UNDERGROUND SONG. YE MISSED THE BOAT CALLED RIP OFF!”
“Ok maybe steve brotherdale left V2 and another drummer joined with similar name. If you look up V2 you see steve brotherdale on photos with the band. He joined joy division very briefly cos even they couldnt get on with him. They ended up throwing him out of the van in the middle of knowhere. Haha. Sister ray were together just over a year or so and then i got pissed off with things so left and johnny marr replaced me.”
“YEAH I GOT THE LP.YOURS IS THE BEST TRACK,,,THE REST IS A BIT LIGHT FOR ME...I LIKE IT A BIT HEAVY,,,DID YOU EVER GET IT PRESSED BY AN INDIE LABEL...WHO MIXED IT,,”
“WE WHENT TO CARGO STUDIOS, ROCHDALE AND RECORDED THREE TRACKS . TONY DAVIDSON SAW US PLAY AT BAND ON THE WALL AND ASKED IF WE WANTED TO BE FEATURED ON THE L.P HE WAS BRINGING OUT CALLED IDENTITY PARADE. WE SAID YES AND HE SAID HE WOULD LISTEN TO THE DEMO TAPE WE DID AND PICK A SONG FOR THE ALBUM. WE WHENT TO HIS OFFICE AT KNOTT MILL WITH THE TAPE AND HE PICKED 'SUICIDE' . WE THEN SIGNED SOME FORMS BUT I DIDNT REALY READ THEM SO I DONT KNOW WHAT WE AGREED TO. BUT WE GOT NO MONEY JUST A FREE L.P EACH. HE DIDNT EVEN HAVE TO SPEND ANY MONEY ON STUDIO TIME WITH US SO HE GOT US FOR NOTHING. WE MIX IT OURSELFS IN THE STUDIO I PUT THE PHASING ON THE FADE OUT.”
“well looked like you signed your royalties away then....but hey you got a track on an lp,free,,,that was the way of the scene then alf ,,,how many gigs did you get paid for...you where glad just for the spot..free beer was the order of the day...for me ...anyway,,oh and the ladies.”
“YE TONY DAVIDSON (TJM RECORDS) PROBABLY OWNS THE RIGHTS TO THE SONG WE DID, AND MAYBE ALL THE OTHER BANDS WHO HE PUT ON THE L.P. WE DID LOADS OF GIGS, WE NEVER PLAYED JUST FOR EXPENSES OR BEER ALWAYS A PAID GIG. HAD SOME GOOD TIMES, CLIVE WAS A LUNATIC AT TIMES ON STAGE. HAHA.”
“Alan Gooch was my children uncle. He shown us a photo of the band (different to this). My daughter especially misses her uncle Alan. He passed away on his own unfortunately but kept his dreads. No dreads in the pics we have seen though.”
“Hi Samantha. Sorry to hear that Alan passed away some time ago, i remember his long hair - he didn't have dreads during that time but Bill Anstee the drummer did.”
“Hi I went to see Slaughter bite back at Rebellion Manchester 2021 on the bill was V2 , The Freshies with my mate Rick Sarko and Slaughter with Mick Rossi and Edweena Banger from Ed Banger and the nosebleeds great night Tony Davidson was there and it was organised by Moz Murray. I live near where Johnny Marr grew up in Baguley and met him a few times”
“Hi I went to see Slaughter bite back at Rebellion Manchester 2021 on the bill was V2 , The Freshies with my mate Rick Sarko and Slaughter with Mick Rossi and Edweena Banger from Ed Banger and the nosebleeds great night Tony Davidson was there and it was organised by Moz Murray. I live near where Johnny Marr grew up in Baguley and met him a few times”
“Hi. I knew Slaughter wen i lived in Wythenshawe. I used to pal out with Brian Grantham their drummer. I'v not been to any of these 'Rebelion' concerts though. Johnny Marr was my replacement in Sister Ray, he only did one gig i think , it was at Forum Hall, Wythenshawe.”
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