Atrox website >> Leave a reply
After 21 years of anonymity we’re back to document the punk band we had in the early ‘80s.
The painfully slow gestation of this website has taken 2 years but is worth it we think, unless that is :- you hated us back then and still do, or you’ve stumbled across this site whilst Googling for the “other” Atrox(es) or some other weird reason. Either way, tough.
This website may eventually cover all the info and pictures we can lay our hands on, as long as it’s scan-able and relevant. At the moment it’s work-in-progress and will be updated from time to time. If you have any photos, flyers, or live tapes of STTS/Atrox, please get in touch.
And it’s all gone quiet in the city and the wind blows down the road…
Up & coming gigs in Dorset to look out for…
Thurs 2 April, Stiff Little Fingers & Chelsea at the old Firestation in B’mouth.
22 May, UK Subs at Mr Kyps in Poole.
12 June, The Beat at Mr Kyps in Poole (not punk but very good live).
And also, I believe…
Anti Nowhere League are at Mr Kyps very soon….as are Dr Feelgood (again, not necessarily punk but again very good live).
Maybe worth checking out.
….ssssshhhhhh!
Self Abuse are first support band at the SLF & Chelsea gig [see Paul's post above]
New SA ep ‘Celebrity Death Squad’ hopefully out by then…..
Andy,
If you get any posters for the SLF gig (or any gigs, come to that!) can you send me a couple? None of the gigs seem to get advertised around Dorchester, or even the West of the County.
If you could send me a couple posters then I’ll stick ‘em up around the area.
Andy Nazer
Any luck with a Weymouth gig ?
If anyone is around Poole on 20th March, check out Hugh Cornwell at Mr Kyps. I saw him in Yeovil on Saturday and he was very good. Played all of the new album and some great Stranglers tunes which included Peaches, Tank (which was the highlight of the gig), Bearcage, Golden Brown (which was really ‘rocked’ up with heavy distorted bass), Always the sun and the full version of Down in the sewer.
Great gig. No keyboards or fancy effects, just Hugh with his guitar…drums & heavily distorted bass… You can download his new album for free from his official website.
Paul Curran- got posters coming my way this weekend, will wing some over to you- thanks for offering to put them up. Let me know yer address. Probably going to the Hugh Cornwell gig so maybe see you then?
Andy Rendall-
Our old mate Dave P is supposedly looking into it for us at the Queens Hotel…hoping to get Haywire along …dont suppose Madmass wanna play a short set?!
Andy,
I won’t put my address on here but hopefully Charlie will put us in Contact with each other. Probably not going to see Hugh Cornwell at Mr Kyps now due to babysitting problems, but going to either his gig at Brooks in Southampton or Exeter Corn Exchange. Just waiting for a mate to confirm which one!
Not sure if I asked this already…
Another possibly apocryphal Dorchester/Weymouth band I remember being mentioned back in the late 70s – early 80s was The Asthmatics.
Does anyone remember them? Did they exist or were they the figment of someoene’s (maybe mine…) imagination??
Don’t remember The asthmatics but I do remember a band called “ETC ETC”. Can’t recall if they were Dorchester or weymouth based. But I remember “screaming disrorder” & “shock to the system” supporting them at the old Colliton Youth Club. “screaming disorder” managed to finish their set but “STTS” only managed about 5 songs. I remember having to set up on the dance floor as ETC ETC didn’t want anyone else on “their” stage! Needless to say, we didn’t stay for their set!
Gig plug!
Virus plus Thunderdump play live this Saturday – 25th April at the Wunderbar in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. *pm til late and best of all it’s FREE entry. Hope some of you can make it!
Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected when I stumpled upon a link on Digg telling that the info here is awesome. Thanks.
Dizzy from the excellent Bored Teenagers site (which documents long lost and obscure 70s punk bands) has posted the info on Dorcester’s 1st punk band – Volt Affection.
http://www.boredteenagers.co.uk/VOLTAFFECTION.htm
Nick Horton was sure there were tapes recorded………..
Yep, it turns out that that bit was wrong – as Clinton mentions BEFORE my story of the CCM gig. I cut and pasted it earlier without correction – my mistake. Oops. The guy with the tool bag wasn’t HHC either – no names mind.
Anarchy Sid wasn’t part of the HHC. There. Sorted. He was a sad and pathetic man though.
Gig plug!
Virus and The A Heads play live next Thursday – 21st May at the Lock Up, The Wheatsheaf in Frome, Somerset. 8pm til late and best of all it’s FREE entry. Hope some of you can make it!
Had to laugh last night…Monday 25 May…did anyone see Ashes to ashes on BBC?
Scrapyard scene….
What was the backing music?
Anti Nowhere League with Streets of London!
A record which was once withdrawn from a majority of music shops at the time, and subject to Police investigations, and banned by the BBC….had to laugh!
A posting from around 9th May was removed at the request of it’s target.
Charlie, you gave me a mention….
That was best part of 30 years ago….. scary!
Time flies but aeroplanes crash…….
Hey John,
The Smelly Fingers reform and play Milton Keynes Bowl shock!
Perhaps not, but who could forget the joy of “Bids”? “See a bid, on the street, kick her head, with your feet” Timeless.
This is what happens when you brainstorm and try to get every last detail from memory….even the embarassing stuff crops up! But it’s all rock history right?
Hope you’re well etc. – I’ll drop you a line.
John Aplin
Still looking after the rivers? haven’t seen you around for a while!
And I remember you bought up a lot of my LP collection years ago! Still got them? If I remember correctly, there was some hard to get hold of U.S. stuff in there!
is this thing broken?!?
After 2 1/2 years I think it’s dying a natural death………..
That’s a damn darn shame. But just on that point, (and trying not to be too sick)how is Paul Chambers now ? You still out there in the land of the living and hopefully fully recovered now ?
Andy
Yep, all’s well, thanks for asking, although a full recovery from a heartattack is unfortunately impossible; pills for life, the reassurance from the doc that ‘it will happen again’ bless him, you gotta love the nhs! However our 1st baby is due any day now, Ali is a day over due as I write this and time seems to just disappear!
Paul C…you’ll have to keep us informed now. Let us all know what Ali has!
Just found out that Sham 69 are in the area on Saturday 18 July in Bournemouth! Bloody real, just found out 2 days before the gig….a bit cheesed off now.
Also, this website is back up’n'running……www.ukpunkandoi.com. up to date gig listings on there and I see Self Abuse are mentioned on the gigs!
What a shame. Such short notice. Would have been interesterd in this, although not quite as much since I had a look on their website and found out that Jimmy Pursey is no longer in the band
Jimmy is our leader!
Samuel was born at 19.35 last Thursday via a truly frightening class A emergency C section! Ali and baby are now home and well.
if like me The Streets and Eminem isn’t really your thing cos rap makes you feel a bit old and usually a bit sick then have a listen to this link. Steve lamaque played it earlier on his radio 6 show (Don’t be put off, Steve’s show is brill to make tea to…and he only played it I think because of the sample). This link probaly won’t work. Hopefully it will
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CsdXAoY4Wg
Hey all out there. Just wanted to mention the Handsome Dicks 30th Birthday party bash that is taking place on Fri 21st August at No.6 in Kings Street Weymouth. (and not in September as the Echo got just a little wrong) For those that can’t remember, or don’t know, Handsome Dicks was the best record shop in the whole world for a few brief years and stocked every punk record you could every wish to own. Anyhow, and get this…The Dead Postars are reforming to play a short set and it’s the orginal line-up..Dom, John and Brian, (i.e. pre-Sweethearts era). Other bands set to reform (I think) are Rebel Without Applause and Raudive Bunker Experiment (under a different name) but other bands are being added, or are still considering. DJ Dom will also be playing some of his fave discs by the likes of the Mob etc. Tickets are £4 on the door or £3 in advance and personally even if Dead Popstars only played for 10 minutes, that would be worth the ticket price. Tickets can be purchased from Chris Stoodley at the Greenhill Putting Green in Weymouth or from the Rude Not To shop in Weymouth. (Think I got that right) For more info Chris was happy that I gave out his phone number and e-mail (07793373916 and c.stoodley@tiscali.co.uk respectively)
This should be a clarion call for all middle aged greying West Dorset punkers.
I assume this means 30 years since opening (’79?) as I went frequently in the early 80s.
Where was the old shop BTW? Was it Bond Street, Market Street or St Albans Street? I can’t quite remember from the map (’Scuse my lack of Weymouth street name knowledge).
If I can get down from Bristol that evening I will………….
Charlie
Market Street – OK.
I remember after HD’s closed there was a shop upstairs right near the bridge end of St Mary Street (was it still Handsome Dicks at this point?) where for ages they had a stack of now very pricy Foetus 7″s in the cheapo bin. Shortly after that closed ‘Andy’s Melodia’ opened up in a smaller shop back nearer to the old shop but still on St Mary St. I scored the 1st Egg LP there for pennies – tops! – though no punk. I assume ‘Andy’ had worked at Handsome Dicks? And while I’m on a roll……..Tape 1 in Dorchester (almost a sister shop to HD in spirit) was run originally by a guy called Tora March who is Google-able as being still in the area.
Charlie
From: Rendall, Andy – “Hi Charlie, Handsome Dicks was in Market Street first, then a couple of places in St Mary Street (but these where never the same or as good as the original Market Street site)”
I thought Raudive Bunker Experiment rang a bell…..this was Andy Wilson who went on to live in London and play/record under the name of Peel faves Bourbonese Qualk whose 1st LP “Laughing Afternoon” is rather great.
Dom here. Not “DJ Dom”: I don’t know where that came from, because I don’t habitually wear dinner jackets. The Dead Popstars are grudgingly willing, and almost certainly not able, but if Brian and Jon can make it, then Andy will get his 10 minutes. I only have to walk to the end of the road, they have further to come, so here’s hoping.
Handsome Dicks…30 years of excellence 1981-2009. Sums up the shop’s raison d’etre. It was me that worked there. See you all on the 21st.
…having never seen the Dead Popstars i may well train it over from Bournemouth for the evening!
Hopefully, all being well, I’ll be there as well. May see ya on the train Andy. The venue is directly opposite Weymouth station…makes sense to go on the train than pay expensive car parking charges!
Excellent, Station opposite the venue, can’t get better than that! Means i can enjoy a few beers. Is the Queens Hotel near there as well, was thinking of droppin a cd of SA in to them with a view to getting a gig there.
Thanks for keeping us all in touch with whats going on Charlie. Last saw the DP’s at another reunion gig in the mid 80’s somewhere in Weymouth, I think Haywire might have been supporting them, travelled up to W’mouth with ant/tony sneath to see his old buddies. whether or not they play I’m sure it will be a good olde nostalic evening, handsome dicks seemed a good record shop the few times I was in there. Just been sent an old tape of Blare with some General Belgrano as well. My computer mic is shit, was hoping to get something off there, perhaps a pristine recording of ‘Captains Innings by GB from the West Indian Club in Sot’on, ahead of the deciding ‘ashes’test, would seem appropriate. Not happeing yet though.
I’ll be in Bridport tomorrow and well remember the Atrox gigs we played with Blare – one at a pub (Bull? Greyhound? Kebab and Calculator? – I may be making these names up) and one at the football club – Hawkwind played there around the same time.
Handsome Dicks was great for loads of different Peel type stuff not just punk. Weird indie and industrial stuff was plentifully stocked there as I recall. Nurse With Wound, Throbbing Gristle etc etc
Andy Nazer….Queens Hotel is right next to the No6 venue. Drop a CD in there, they love bands playing original material.
Andy….forgot to say, drop a CD into No6 as well. Landlords OK, loves his live music
OK, nice one, will do Paul!
Ah…it’s with regret that I must announce the non-appearance of Dead Popstars, due to musical indifferences. I’m sorry to do this at the eleventh hour, but it should be a good night out anyway, so I’d still recommend attendance.
The Queens has just been sold; not sure what musical future it has (my lad would know).
Oh, and I am still due to be playing a selection of stuff we used to play in the shop; what I have on cd, anyway, as Rusty has a disco that don’t do vinyl…
Oh, balls! thanx for letting us know Dom. keep us posted about the Queens.
cheers, andy
Andy N
The Queens has recently changed hands and re-opend. I popped into the place last night to check it out. (It may be called Shooters now) Anyway, looks like they are concentrating on R&B, garage…that sort of dance stuff, but if they revert back to proper bands I will let you know.
Charlie
Raudive Bunker Experiement. Yeah Andy Wilson did a “set” last night at the Handsome Dicks event under the name “Andy Wilsons Emma Buntons” Really great and made the evening, musically speaking. Approx 15 minutes of pure droning electronic noise, but with no beats so not in a dance way. Abstract light projections on the ceiling too. Unfortunaly something broke so it was cut short. Certainly worth checking out if you ever get the chance
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
It’s very quiet on here!
Anyhow….hopefully going to see “Propagandhi” next month in B’mouth, just going with a mate as he is really into this band, and I don’t really know much of their material. Anyone here heard much of their stuff? recommend a CD?
Hi Paul,
Not my ‘cup of tea’ personally but from memory they are one of the Epitaph label bands – Rancid, Pennywise, modern Bad Religion…..they ummm “all sound the same to me”! Tee hee…….
There is a brilliantly titled comp LP of obscure 1977-1982 era Dutch punk bands called “Killed By Epitaph” which states its view fairly succinctly.
On a more general note – for anyone who’e ever been tempted by any of the collector-price-busting bootleg compilation LPs of obscure 1st wave punk record rarities (usually ‘77-’82) check out this guide.
http://www.ickibod.com/comphell/theinsides.html
….and thank you Dave (I guess?!) for sorting out the size of these comments pages! Much quicker to load.