135 JAMES, New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Bristol Bierkeller, Monday 19 June 1989

The usual meeting with Posse Car 2 and the Bristol-working PG in the Prince Rupert saw us getting into the Bierkeller midway through the New FADs set. I found them rather grating, heading for the bar and the pinball machine instead! (I was to appreciate the New FADs more later, but tonight wasn't their night...)

Headed into the moshpit for James. My t-shirt got discarded as I, down to my shorts, got well sweaty to a James set which, whilst retaining the orthodoxy and unpretentious eccentricity of old, sounded far more coherent than before. Remarked on this to a no-longer bald Tim Booth during a brief chat afterwards, also discussing the merits of shaving one's head (something I was to do myself, 8 years later!).

188 NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS, Slow Bongo Floyd, Southampton University, Saturday 18 May 1991

Took the scenic route down to Southampton with Ady and Veronica after the FA Cup Final, and saw a deer on Marlborough downs on the way! Met friends in the Uni bar for cheap drinks (Old Rosie scrumpy £1 a pint - result!) and stayed there during the support band, venturing out for a quick peek, but I for one wasn't impressed.

The New FADs came on a little late at 10.15, but from my vantage point against the stage, I enjoyed their quirky, indie dance set. Like a modern day Fire Engines with dance sensibilities, and with an excellently dynamic and active frontman shaking his booty, New FADs put on an jolly energetic and enjoyable show.

Stopped, in a 2 car convoy, for a Chinese on the way home, eating it from the pavement in the dark!

190 THE WONDER STUFF'S "BIG DAY OUT", Bescot Stadium, Walsall Football Club, Saturday 22 June 1991

Hey, an open-air gig; so the weather Gods decide to take the piss and deposit vast quantities of rain on us all. Bah! Still, undeterred, I travelled up in "Posse Car 1" with Veronica and the Bevans, meeting up with "Posse Car 2" (Rich, Jared, Soke and Mrs. Soke) as soon as we got into the stadium. I rather brusquely brushed Rich's greeting aside, however, as KINGMAKER had already taken the stage. Another excellent set by Hull's finest young blades, these lads are going to be big with their energy and driving pop tunes. I enjoyed their set immensely from the moshpit!

Made my apologies to Rich and then had a wander around the stadium, meeting other Swindon day trippers during SWERVEDRIVER's unmentionably poor set. I'm afraid I don't hear even a semblance of a tune from this lot... Took a seat during SPIRIT OF THE WEST's fiddly diddly set, which I found very poor as well.

Had a wander out onto the pitch for the NFADs set, but beforehand we were treated to some onstage foppery from the Novelty Island duo of VIC REEVES AND BOB MORTIMER ("the reason I've gathered you all here today is... that I'd like to announce I'm combing my hair to the left from now on"). The dual MCs then introduced THE NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS, who played an excellent sounding set of their manic dance, which would've gone down better in a small sweaty club. Still, I liked the vocalist saying his goodbyes to the studenty grebo crowd with, "enjoy yourselves... and get y'fuckin' hair cut!"

The 2 fops again declared the arrival of headliners and organisers THE WONDER STUFF, who predictably held the audience (if not the weather, which was still drizzly) in the palm of their hands. The set was littered with mechanical and technical problems, but also witty anecdotes and diatribes from charismatic frontman Miles Hunt. The body of the set consisted of material from their more disappointing 3rd album "Never Loved Elvis", however they saved the best until last, with second encore (after a set only an hour long) introducing Vic and Bob again for a crowd-pleasing "Mr. Songwriter", and the 3rd encore delving right back to the Stuffies better loved early numbers to round things off brilliantly.

"I've had a fucking great day," announced Miles at the end, and at the end... hey, so did we!

224 NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS, Bristol Lakota Club, Monday 19 October 1992

A slightly unwanted first, this; my first (and hopefully only) gig on crutches! After doing my leg in playing football yesterday, I'm now hobbling about quite badly, but not enough to stop me getting to gigs! Ady drove down and we got there at 9 - my first ever gig at this club, a weird shaped place with an overhanging balcony, so I perched on a bar stool while the anonymous and rather grating Happy Mondays-ish support band were on.

Hobbled down the stairs for the main event though, waiting around until gone 11 for The New FADs, who eventually ambled on with an apology for their tardiness. Took a front seat view at the side of the stage as vocalist Andy and the boys launched into their best number, opener "Man Without Qualities Part One". Thence followed a brisk and exciting work-through of a varied set of their oblique, offbeat dancey agit-pop. I found it tough to stay still (and painful to move - D'oh!) as chunks of dance-shaped rock like "Big", "Bong" and "Exit Body, Exit Mind" got the joint jumping. 4 encores, including "Lions" and a rampant cover of "Purple Haze" culminated a breathless and enjoyable (despite the crutches) evening.

Note for future reference, however - don't go to the Lakota if you've got an early start the next morning; we didn't get back until after 1.15! Bah!