cravats live page

CRAVATS GIGS

19th July 1977

Venue - Alcester Grammar School

(first gig)

Our first gig was terrifying.We were playing at our school on speech day.The headmaster had told all of the parents and teachers to leave because some pupils were going to make a lot of noise.These huge red velvet curtains parted and about four hundred pupils whent absolutely bonkers screaming and shouting they were completely losing it.

We played four songs,Precinct,Shut up,Crash Barrier Dancer and I Hate The Universe,in which we rolled around the floor and pushed things over.

The Headmaster said no group would ever play on that stage again.We were thrilled and besides ourselves with joy.

The Shend

5th September 1977

Venue - Tracy's Night Club - Redditch

With Moonknight

12th November 1977

Venue - Bulmershe College Of Further Education

With The Members

October 1977

Venue - Rebecca's Night Club - Birmingham

December 1977

Venue - Birmingham University

February / March 1978

Venue - Broom Hall - Broom

(private party and the only gig with Svor Naan and Ethos Yapp)

July 28th 1978

Venue - Valley Club - Redditch

August 18th 1978

Venue - Unknown - Grantham

October 20th 1978

Venue - South Warwickshire College of F.E. - Stratford Upon Avon

The Cravats were fantastic-unlike anything I'd
seen or heard before -quite scary in fact. Svor Naan had ripped tights
on over his drainpipes and a ratty looking jumper and badly applied make up,
Shend looked large and menacing and Rob had longish hair and barked down the
mic. I particularly remember 'Pressure Sellers' and 'I Hate The Universe',
and getting served even though I was clearly under age. There was one guy there
who was wearing a coat hanger on his head

Jim Davis

October 28th 1978

Venue - University of London Union - London

(with The Only Ones, Patrick Fitzgerald)

November 10th 1978

Venue - Bournbrook Hotel - Selly Oak - Birmingham

December 15th 1978

Venue - Abbey Stadium - Redditch

21st January 1979

*GIG CANCELLED*

Venue -Nashville Rooms -London

With Zaine Griff

The Cravats were billed as The Ethos Trapp

22nd February 1979

Venue - Crown Hotel - Leamington Spa

20th March 1979

*GIG CANCELLED*

Venue - St Matthews Hall - Southampton

We had lent our equipment to the other bands but,by the time we were supposed to play some of the equipment had been wrecked and we were not able to play.A former Cravats member who had travelled down with us for this gig somehow managed to slash his wrist and had to go to hospital where he was detained for the night.

Svor Naan.

25th May 1979

Venue - South Warwickshire College - Stratford Upon Avon

9th June 1979

Venue - Moonlight Club - West Hampstead, London

21st June 1979

Venue - Saxon Rooms - Walthamstow, London

Support - The Last Words

20th July 1979

Venue - Windsor Club - Redditch

10th August 1979

Venue - Oranges and Lemons - Oxford

13th August 1979

Venue - Tracy's Night Club - Ipswich

With The Adicts

31st August 1979

Venue - Unknown - Taunton

I remember doing a gig in a rock club in Taunton which had no stage and the audience were yelling for Genesis songs,It descended into a near mass brawl,We were driving away from the venue with our back door open,with these Greasers chasing us throwing pebbles.We hit the brakes and they all stopped and looked very sheepish

(Oh! The depravity and the violence)

The Shend

13th September 1979

Venue - Crown Inn - Eastleigh

14th September 1979

Venue - Unknown - Worthing

We arrived early and decided to check out this venue in advance.We didn't make our identity known,but we asked discrete questions.

There were no advertisements and the venue staff didn't even know who was supposed to be playing that night.It was decided to cut our losses and just go home(the equipment had remained in the van).We were set to drive off but a couple of us loitered up to the last moment and people started arriving at the venue-lots of people.We raced to the van to report our findings and we had to bring all the equipment through the crowd to set up.

The venue manager gave us a dirty look as we had questioned him earlier about who was playing that night.The audience had come to see us.This turned out to be a really good gig.

Svor Naan.

1st October 1979

Venue - Tracy's Night Club - Ipswich

With - The Adicts

The Adicts liked us and got us to come down again,I don't think the audience cared much though.

Svor Naan.

I think The Adicts dragged us all the way to Ipswich twice to play at some dreadful club and only them and about four of their mates turned up each time.I remember the van ran out of petrol the second time in the middle of nowhere and 14 of us slept in the van and the rest under it.It was winter and I woke at 5am to discover frost on my sleeping bag.Someone decided to walk off in search of petrol and discovered a 24 hour garage about 50 yards around the corner!!

Oh!,Happy Days

The Shend.

12th October 1979

Venue - Valley Club - Redditch

19th October 1979

Venue - South Warwickshire College - Stratford Upon Avon

23rd November 1979

Venue - Oranges and Lemons - Oxford

30th December 1979

Venue - Hope and Anchor - Islington - London

With - Fatal Microbes

Record Mirror 26th January 1980

January 1980

Venue - Oranges and Lemons - Oxford

1st February 1980

Venue - The Nashville - Kensington, London

Support - The English Subtitles

6th February 1980

Venue - Moonlight Club - West Hampstead - London

Support - The English Subtitles - Plain Characters

14th February 1980

Venue - Fighting Cocks - Moseley - Birmingham

19th February 1980

Venue - The Bridgehouse - London

Support - The English Subtitles - Plain Characters

25th February 1980

Venue - The Music Machine - Campden - London

Support - The English Subtitles - Plain Characters

This was truly bizarre,The venue was an old Victorian Music Hall a colossal place.Small Wonder had held showcase gigs there before but somehow we had always missed out. By the time this gig was set up Small Wonder had effectively ceased operations so there was rather less interest than in their heyday.The gig therefore,effectively rode on the reputation of The Cravats. In huge letters mounted high above the road,a sign with two words

THE CRAVATS

Ridiculous.It is very annoying that no one had got a camera to record this.

There were three bands-The Cravats,The English Subtitles(our greatest allies)and The Plain Characters.There was probably quite a respectable crowd if it had been a more modest sized venue but this was the Music Machine.You could just make out dots scattered around the place.

Svor Naan

Unknown Date1980

Venue - Oranges and Lemons - Oxford

Friday,30th May

*GIG CANCELLED*

Venue - Blaises - Birmingham

We took one look at the posters - 'The New Wave/Mod sound of The Cravats' and went home

Svor Naan.

11th July 1980

Venue - Walthamstow Youth Centre - London

Support - The Demons, Vicious Bootlace

Tuesday,21st October

Venue - South Redditch Social Club - Redditch

2nd January 1981

Venue - I.C.A - The Mall - London

Melody Maker 1981

5th January 1981

Venue - Moonlight Club - West Hamstead -London

Support - Zeitgeist

I think this relates to the second performance here.

1) a broken spring or whatever on my Saxophone meant that some of the songs had to be dropped

2) a spot light so intense as to make the sun pale in comparison.It must surely have been purloined from a football stadium.It was certainly unsuitable for the size of venue.It was impossible to look forward from the stage so I had to turn my back throughout.A very miserable gig.

Svor Naan.

23rd January 1981

Venue - Fighting Cocks - Moseley - Birmingham

Support - The Nightingales