Chris Morrow, me and our band Gunrunner supported Judas Priest, who were not quite a major act at the time (1976), though big enough for me to have heard of them. It was a bit of a mismatch too, if we’re being honest. The gig was at Middlesex Polytechnic just outside London and as usual it was Chris who arranged it. It was one of our biggest gigs but not the best fun we’d had. Firstly, we didn’t get to use Judas Priest’s PA and it was a large venue that could hold a couple of thousand people. We had to put our 100W PA on stage in front of their equipment and use our own mics. In addition, my Carlsboro amp was on the blink; far too much smoke poured from it when I turned it on. Instead, I borrowed an HH “solid state” amp from keyboard player Chris Newport. Solid crap I thought, though it was very good for his piano. Every note I played on my Fender Telecaster died a quick, irreversible death and it was painfully loud and harsh. I was used to the warmth from my Carlsboro which gave me plenty of sustain.
Neither did it bode well for this gig when the members of Judas Priest refused to lend us an amp, so we could tune our guitars before we went onstage. That was just unfriendly, and it was obvious that they didn’t want a support at all. But we fought our way through the gig and were heard by maybe 50 people at the front of the stage. Further back it probably just sounded like irritating background noise. We also had to mix the sound ourselves from the stage, which was not exactly ideal.
Chris and I started the band in Oxford, as a duo, where we played acoustic guitars and sang in pubs from time to time. A year later and back in London, we roped in Chris Newport on keyboards, with his Moog synth, extremely heavy Hammond organ, Leslie speaker, and Wurlitzer piano. Newport I had played with previously and he always took up half the stage with his equipment. We found Reg Patten in South London, who fit in well and stayed on as drummer throughout the band’s life. Reg had the other half of the stage if it was a small one. But bassists were always a problem and we had a few. Then we found a good guy from Darlington in the north of England, Phil Brown, with his beautiful Rickenbacker bass (with a Hohner pick-up). Phil went on to join classic power pop band The Records in 1977 and sadly passed away a few years ago.
- I always wanted a Rickenbacker bass. I fell in love with it when I first saw McCartney play one in I Am The Walrus from Magical Mystery Tour. The look! Then Chris Squire had one in Yes a few years later. The sound! But nobody ever bought me one.
We gigged around London for a few years and there were several places we played regularly, such as the Brecknock in Camden, the Western Counties in Paddington and the Chiltern, still located above Baker Street tube station, a stone’s throw from Madame Tussauds. At the Chiltern we witnessed a huge fight one evening when we were packing our gear. There must have been at least 30 people beating up on each other, including the pub owner. I’ve no idea what it was about, but the band just stood by and watched with open mouths. Luckily, we were totally ignored by the fighters and despite the chaos I can recall no blood at all. It looked more like a rehearsal for the Blues Brothers, than a civilised pub in central London.
Screaming for Vengeance is a song from the very successful Judas Priest album of the same name. We weren’t really that bothered by their treatment of us.