Flyer
Diagram Brothers, Elti-Fits, The Freshies, Not Sensibles, Salford Jets
2nd March 1980

Memories of Not Sensibles at The Mayflower with Armed Force as support I think. The Hunt Sabeteurs was quite a noble cause back then. Seems slightly incongruous that in a time of weighted issues such as C.N.D. and R.A.R. there was still time for little Reynard....as it should be. I'd like to think there was an element of stickin' it to the toffs as they tally- ho'd across the Cheshire Plains.....
Recall Armed Force doing one of these gigs at the Ardri with a modish kind of band with a girl singer as support. I even remember one of their songs was called "Fashion" I think; they were quite good. Mind you, back then, pretty much anyone who had the balls to get up and play had the thumbs up from me from the off even if they were crap!
Anyway the girl singer had the' ump with Armed Force's singer Muppet as I recall; I think he was slagging their band off....not too sure. Pretty sure that was Carmel who later became a Jazzy, chanteusy songstress; that video to "Give me More" I think it was,shot in one of the old pubs on Great Western Street, the name of which has long escaped me....
Went to a couple of these John Peel shows;....it's all a bit of a blurred mix up now.Have mentioned a bit about it before. I did purchase that Elti Fits single ("Letterbox"...great ;with a photocopy of Charles Barry Cresc. on the front ) and had the audacity to ask Dr.Peel to instigate his signature upon it, which he obligingly did....with the flourish "Fab + 40" after it ,which might have been his age at the time;dunno.....Kept that one.
Oh yeah, and The Diagram Brothers. Saw them several times over a short period; I think the first time at The Squat. They played that kind of disfunktional white boy,agit pop ,scratchy guitar non-genre which emerged round that time. From The Pop Group, A.C.R.Slits (a la "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm), Higsons ;hints of it in The Gang of Four, Pere Ubu etc. Basically it just sounded like crappy funk but it was contagious and certainly had a dance sensibility to it. I know they were a favourite of Peel's 'cos I remember him telling on his show about having them all round for tea; cucumber sandwiches, croquet on the lawn and all the other riders that went with Peel sessions. I think they'd been students at the university and were all called Diagram,as in Lawrence, and whoever else. Still got one single "We are all Animals".......Recall a similar genre song from that time "The Fish Needs A Bike"...now who did that one....? Wish I hadn't thought of it.Now my curiosity's aroused and I've no way of scratching that itch....bugger!