New Wave 1977 - Dole Queue Rock

New, new wave announcement from The Observer Sunday newspaper magazine of 10th July 1977, yes another rare as a rocking horse droppings publication for your reading pleasure from the Anglozine archive.

This newspaper supplement had not even given the fledgling UK Punk scene a full 12 months on the streets it seems before shoving it along to the new wave.  I have to be honest here, I always considered new wave as more 1979 onwards with its peak 'new' new wave using synths.  This article covers what I might consider more, well punk to be fair.  What do I know I was only bleeding 5, bizarrely with the same hair cut.

The writer Mark Williams throughout this five page article mentions punk numerous times- It was tough to ignore in 1977, it was quite literally in your face. Whats surprising is that he's suggesting it was on its way out already, and new wave was the new scene in town.  This is why I collect magazines of the national press as they are a more immediate and in some way clear indication of what actually happened. National newspapers as opposed to say a book that is written based on aged research and swerves the warts and all zeitgeist.  There are warts in this article, it was written in 1977 The Sex Pistols and The Banshee's amongst others wore insignia to shock the squares in the year of the Queens silver jubilee, against a backdrop of 250K unemployed under 20 years young.

What I particularly enjoy about this article is the fanzine focus of new wave even though the journalist was a little disparaging about grammar and objectivity of home made fanzines - have a word. 

Another stand out was the scene camaraderie of those back in 1977. Those very Scenesters that are today counter cultural household names such as Rough Trades Geoff Travis, Jake Riviera to Don Letts.  There was a healthy competitiveness back then, but a common drive for the vast majority of those involved.

'No one can be bored (what ever else they may feel).........and at least 30 fanzines dedicated to this new political rock n roll.

This is quite possibly the very first major press article to reveal founder of the ultimate fanzine: Sniffin Glue, Mr Mark Perry.  The Observer throughout the article stick to calling him Mark P, as if he were: Zoro, Batman or Banksy. Obv's Mark Perry was way cooler and the National Union of Journalists protection of source did not want Mark P to get caught by the DHSS and lose his dole money - They just posted a huge photograph of him instead.

Mark.P got the gumption to create Sniffin' Glue after seeing The Ramones play at the Roundhouse in Camden, in late 1976.  Taking dates into consideration, the raw zine efforts must have made a real impact to be picked up by a national newspaper article a few months later.

The Sniffin Glue office (Dryden Chambers 119 Oxford Street London W1) was 'leant' to them by Miles Axe Copeland III, an American in London.  His brother was Stewart Copeland of The Police. Miles in later years managed The Police and also co-found: Illegal Records, Deptford Fun City Records, New Bristol Records and signed bands such as The Cortinas, Chelsea and The Models. 

Many Many years later we stayed in Miles Copelands turreted Dordogne Château, marvelled at his multi-platinum record disc walled study, oil painting self portrait and got a right royal telling off for messing up his kitchen- our punishment was Shigella poisoning from the swimming pool, it was a bloody messy weekend.

Towards the end of this page the journalist Mark Williams reverts to typical 1970's music journalist pro prog-rock musings 'all the fanzines are rather parochial and utterly biased, the editors obvious enthusiasm for the subject matter transcends.......convention (!) yada yada yada......'even the merest pretence of literacy. Not that it really matters to the readers.....there never was much cultural subtlety in rock n' roll.  

The Buzzcocks EP gets a rightful mention in the article, as we wrote about in the latest Anglozine Extended Play zine, their E.P release was a turning point in 1977 for its re-introduction to the music industry as a sought after format.

The Roxy Club was located at 41-43 Neal Street Covent Garden WC2. The building is now a Speedo shop, yes as in budgie smugglers. I can imagine Captain Sensible of The Damned wearing Speedo's or maybe Iggy Pop but in all honesty, I'd rather it was still The Roxy club. There has been a blue plaque up on the outside wall since 2017, some sort of acknowledgment I guess.

I'm surprised that The Observer were surprised that managers of: Joe Strummer, Weller, Dave Vanian and Rotten refused a group photograph for this article. 

Indeed the last word should go to Don Letts. Don has been intertwined with Punk/New Wave to this day: Dj-ing at The Roxy, worked closely with The Clash, managed Acme attractions on the Kings Road, formed B.A.D with Mick Jones and was involved in the Beyond The Streets Saatchi exhibition.  I've seen him around the capital at tons of events and launches and he still looks the dead sharp.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your Sunday