Shimmy Shammy Manchester

Path: xargle.demon.co.uk!thowat
Newsgroups: uk.music.alternative
From: thowat@xargle.demon.co.uk (Tony Howat)
Subject: Shimmy Shammy Manchester
Reply-To: cs96arh@brunel.ac.uk
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 11:33:28 +0100
Message-ID: <19960627.113328.54@xargle.demon.co.uk>
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Last night I went to see the Sultans (formerly The Sultans of Ping,
and before that The Sultans of Ping FC) with fellow Sultanhead James
Brew (as mentioned on the Sultans fandom web page). It was easily the
best gig I've gone to. Very alternative :)  The night went something
like this (wibbly-wobbly-wibbly)...

1) Hunt through Manchester for a copy of "Good Year For Trouble"
   for my Japanese friend Megumi.

Couldn't find one. Most shops had been blown up, there was only one
still open. This huge record-fest disn't have any Sultans albums at
all but I managed to get her a copy of Teenage Punks to get signed
instead.

2) Get to The Hop & Grape really early and sit in the bar (with
   huge TV) drinking.

Find out that there is no support tonight, so we could all watch
England v Germany.

3)  Shit! Niall walks in!
3a) Niall walks out

4)  Shit! Alan walks in!
4a) Alan walks out

At this point I think it may be wise to get my album and Megumi's
single signed before the gig. I get a pen from the bar.

5)  Corination Street finishes, footy starts.
6)  Pat & Morty walk in and sit down at the next table.
7)  The rest walk in and sit down at the next table! Wooo! There are
    about 30 people in the bar.
8)  England score! Hurrah!
8a) Germany score. Doh.
9)  Half time, go to get autographs, expecting to be beaten into the
    ground for being a cheesy bastard. They were really cool,
    signed the two copies of Teenage Punks and my copy of Good
    Year For Trouble. James tried to get them to sign a Black Grape
    single for no reason whatsoever. Niall complains about the
    attendance, I point out that Manchester is full of lazy
    bastards and he agrees. My mission accomplished I pissed off
    back to my table.
10) Several near goals from England.
11) Shit, Golden Goal. Niall promises they won't start till the end
    of the match.
12) Shit, Penalties. At this point everyone is stood up and jumping
    around one.
12a) We fucking lost. Damn close.
13) Gig! Hall containing about 25 people, all in a bit of a
    depressed state.

[ can't be arsed with the list any more ]

Niall announced we were having a party tonight, and so we did.
The set list went something like Psychopath, Frenzy, Scar On My Face,
Mescaline, Good Year For Trouble, Five Years, Shiny Boots, I've Got
Your Girl, and Shake. Mostly the new album, despite most people not
having it the new stuff went down pretty well. Classic pieces of
crowd interaction included stagediving (well, as much as you can
manage with a crowd of 30), nominating one girl "wankess of the year"
aswell as the usual "ooh fuck my pants are showing" bit. The encore
was interesting. We've finished... we're back again. They refused to
play "Give Him A Ball" as "If you give an englishman
a ball he'll miss the fucking penalty". The gig finished around 11.
15, (the curfew was 11pm, but hey, they're PUNK).

We then dispersed, nicking posters (with permission, of course) and I
finally got a Shimmy Shammy Sultans t-shirt. It finished earlier than
we expected so we sat round talking to the roadie guy with the blond
dreds who seems to be at every Sultans gig. We agreed that The
Sultans will wipe the floor with The Sex Pistols in Paris. They're
too old and too boring these days. We also told him how hard it was
to get the new LP and he said he'd have a go at the distributors.

Anyway, it was cool, the atmosphere was great even though the gig was
so small and we lost the footy.

"We are Fluffy, and we are punk", no. You are Fluffy and you are
shite. The Sultans are punk. If the Pistols are punk then the Sultans
are punker than punk. They kicked arse, and its almost a shame that
more people weren't there to see it.

-- 
Tony (presenting for one night only, the sultanssig!)


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