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Bulletins
Part 2
TRB
gave out free typewritten / roneo stencilled news bulletins
at all gigs right from the early months of the band's
existence. The first four reproduced here date from mid-1977
through to the first record contract with EMI and the
release of "2-4-6-8 Motorway"
THE SUMMER OF 77
news/ propaganda bulletin
from tom robinson band:
15 august 77
DANNY KUSTOW: gtr punk/bckng vc
BRIAN TAYLOR: drm dolphin/ " "
MARK AMBLER: org/pno/frnd Of earth
TOM ROBINSON: bass/vcl/ego
COLIN BELL: mister ten percent
MICK EXETER: HGV license (poetic)
TIM COLLINS: mixing/stirring etc
tim collins is leaving us today for Better Things
- thanx timmy for all you've done & bin thru
(Tonypandy!) over & above the call of duty...
best of british ol son
GIGS
Aug
15th london music machine
25th high wycombe nags head
26th hope & anchor upper st. N1
27th london jacksons lane community centre(benefit)
highgate tube
28th london other cinema
29th london golden lion (free)
30th london brecknock (free)
Sep.
1st birkenhead mr digby
2nd middlesbro rock gdn
3rd leeds fford grn hotel
NB always check gigs in press before turning up:
NME usually most accurate because listings
deadline later than SOUNDS etc. If in doubt
phone venue.
B00KINGS: Bob Salmons(ITB)01 -629-4928
* Other Cinema gig last in series of sunday
night film/ music/ discussion events put on by
music for socialism Film is 'sympathy for the
devil' by jean-luc godard (includes shots of
stones recording) but be warned: very long and
very obscure... discussion is on machismo/
sexism in rock however - which shoud be good.
NOOS: last week the TRB signed to EMI records
not unfortunately for vast sums of loot but £30
a week each + some equipment. wish it was a 'six
figure sum' though... actually we wos just busy
signing with Jet Records (which woulda meant vast
sums of loot) when about 200 people from EMI came
charging down the brecknock to see us & bought us
A MEAL afterwards. Danny kustow hadn't eaten for
a week so we signed with EMI instead. fumed
fretted all over their A&R office for an
afternoon while lawyers wrangled over details
before contracts were ready. mick mobbs(the man
who brought fear & loathing to manchester sq. by
signing sex pistols & choked when his directors
fired em) drew up the folloving to save time:
"We the tom robinson band agree to make you EMI
records a lot of fucking money. read and agreed...
The Tom Robinson Band."
Matter of fact, final contract we signed said
more or less the same thing but in more words...
BACK ON THE INSIDE
i went to visit george ince in the scrubs a
couple of weeks ago(aug 3) He has dawn/gaunt
look of someone who's been very ill, but hes been
putting on weight again & getting much better in
recent weeks. seemed quite on the ball & his hands
now hardly shakinh at all. he'd just been given a
job in kitchens & was well pleased. i found him
gentle & unassuming - you wouldn't think he was
the most famous prisoner in britain: doesn't seem
aware of it himself guess it doesn't mean too
much when you get back to your cell after
visiting hours. unable to believe he'll ever get
back out now after 5 yrs fit-ups/ bungling/lies/
mistreatment /falsehopes & bitter disappointments
- all on account of something he never did in the
first place... if you've been following the case
write to your MP now & demand action. if not ring
01-987-6542 and ask for a leaflet.('Free George
Ince' stickers and posters also available ). If
you don' t know who your MP is, ring up the house
of commons and ask!!! What do we want? JUSTICE,
who for? GEORGE INCE. When do we want it? NOW
-tom.
WEIRD GIGS Dept.
we played leicester university may ball(in june)
where none of those big butch Real Men students
would take on task of looking after band when we
arrived. Seems they'd heard we played a song about
homosexuality and didnt want to get themselves,
er CONTAMINATED - right ? Macho buncha pigs - they
shoulda bin so lucky. Anyhow they pressganged this
woman student into taking care of us because she'd
be, er SAFE - right ? Wrong. She + nameless
member of band took shine to each each other &
disappeared for an hour after the gig. just goes
to show... you can' t believe EVERYTHING you read
& hear now can you?
FOR INSTANCE: loony on lewisham anti-NF march
with squeezy bottle of ammonia. Law spotted him,
did nothing, then thinking he was gonna spray our
lot. Wrong. And 6 SWP guys hadta jump on him -
they knew who'd be blamed next day. Last thing we
need is an NF martyr: for christsake dont come
on demos armed.
IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE Dept.
And you thought pakistani kids were getting a
rough time at hands of NF: last month after civil
unrest / riots pakistan security forces took over
from ineffectual govt. to restore order to
country. With religious fundamentalism unheard of
for years the martial law regime introduced
following code of islamic punishment.
*Theft: death by hanging or amputation of left
hand 'done by a qualified sugeon under local
anaesthetic in public or in gaol as directed'
*Student agitators: five years imprisonment, or
whipping
*Insulting or molesting women: ten years
imprisonment - or whipping
*Resisting police: death.
Yes folks, it's all happening only a plane ride
away in sunny Pakistan right at this very
moment...
BRIAN'S CORNER: 'phinarium noos
i would like to thank profusely all those who
gave my last piece a definite vote of confidence
by voting it 'about average'. i've decided to
avoid telling you about my towed away car, nite
on a park bench, my visit to the family planning
(oh i do hope - i'm not pregnant cos i'm not
married etc. ) but instead i'll just try &
bullshit my way through a few more yards of
tripewriter ribbon: only one sonet this week i'm
afraid cos times are very hard.
"dotty lotty your so grotty
savoir faire of a full up potty
but let him go for goodness sake
you're as delicate as a pomme leg break
its mighty sore that handful there
good job he's a bouncer at mothercare
cos without those things you hold so tight
he'd never make it thru- the nite."
one final point this week:
interesting quote from family planning fanzine:
3,000 yrs ago the chinese were known to swallow
28 tadpoles as a form of contraception.
800,000,000 chinese today suggests little succes
RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON
I want to see the bright lights tonight' -
forgotten 1974 masterpiece on island records.
Coupla years ago Colin worked for thompsons'
management & took me to see em. must admit hated
it & walked out, but this album is a gem.
R.Thompson comes from traditional english/folkie/
bearded/ beerswilling/ homeknit/ finger-in-the-ear
background & miraculously, he SURVIVED to make
this grim bleak & timeless album - a vision of
english working life stretching across the
centuries: his characters could be living in 1890
or 1980 - the themes of love / misery /
oppression / poverty / faith / betrayal /
drunkenness / heartbreak stay the same. Simple
penetrating lyrics, utterly economical, haunting
images - true to centuries-old traditions yet
totally original. Same true of his spiky fender
guitar playing & folorn vocals from Linda...
takes two/three listenings to get over their
nasal folksy intonations but worth it for
gripping power of the songs. Music to slash
wrists by.
tom.
GENERAL LONDON INFO:
BIT alternative information Ol-229 8219
A WOMANS RIGHT TO CHOOSE
abortion rights in danger Ol-359-5209
National abortion Campaign O1-485-4303
In world threatened by overpopulation & food
shortage anyone that tells you abortion &
homosexuality are anti social hasta be off their
fucking rockers. Fight for womens rights.
Spare Rib magazine for women 45p inc.
from 27 clerkenwell close london EC1
HOMOSEXUALS
gay switchboard 01 -837-7324 is a 24hr
info/advice service for women & men.
gay news: fortnightly newspaper from 1a normand
gds greyhound rd W14(35p.)
ROCK AGAINST RACISM
badges/ stickers/ T-Shirts/posters/ + Temporary
Hoarding news sheet from: RAR 6 cottons gdns
london E2.(Temp.hoarding no 1 includes lyrics to
winter of 79 ' price 30p inc .) Love music - hate
racism.
ARRESTED
Don't kid yourself: it can happen to any of us
anytime any of Them feel like it - don't havta be
guilty or anything like that. Say nothing & caII
RELEASE 01-289-1123... whatever the police tell
you, make no statement till you've spoken to
Release. This is your right.
TILL THE NEXT TIME...
keep the belief/ stick to the street/ stay in
touch/ don't believe a word THEY tell you in
their news... we can be reached c/o linda cooke,
25 montpelier gro . NW5. Should be a single of
'Motorway; by end of sept. See ya.
THE FALL OF 77
news/infomation/propaganda bulletin
from tom robinson band 11.9.77
DANNY KUSTOW: guiarist & foxhound
BRIAN TAYLOR: drummer and dolphin
MARK AMBLER: organist & whalesaver
TOM ROBINSON: bassist and boss
COLIN BELL: wheeler and dealer
MICK EXETER : 6 month's hard labour - aided &
abetted by
PETE (ave yer seen me tattooes) WARD from barnsley
GIGS
rest of sept we'll be recording xcept the 30th
when we do a one-off at J.B.s club in Dudley.
after that the first two weeks in october run:
4th London 100 Club
5th Crewe North Staffs Poly
6th BIRKENHEAD Mr Digby's again
7th LIVERPOOL Eric's
8th LEICESTER University (ho ho)
12th WOLVERHAMPTON lafayette
14th MANCHESTER Review (at Rafters)
+ loads more we'll put in nextt bulletin.
Gigs sometimes get changed around / cancelled/
added - always check NME gig guide: they got the
latest deadline so usually most - accurate. if in
doubt phone venue.
BOOKINGS handled by Bob Salmons at ITB agency:
01-629-4928
Colin (how are YOU) Bell would only admit to
being 22 when given birthday bumps at dingewalls
dancehall last night by yrs trly + Rich Kids tho
his birth certificate actually sez 11.9.52. Colin
has worked with me in one sense or another ever
since fireworks nite 1975 and he's bin with the
TRB from beginning. Handled bookings/ hassles/
contrax/ dirty work & bin responsible for every
bit of publicity & coverage the band's ever had.
Just for the record in all the time ive known him
he's never asked for a penny in commission or
payment & he's only just now gon on thirty quid a
week same as the rest of us. Happy Birthday mate
from all of us. tom.
NOOS
Anarchy in high wycombe / bummers in birkenhead /
ignomony in ipswich / brain damage at the breknok
/ madness in midlesbrough / lesbians in leeds / a
million takes of motorway / mobbs still
unsatisfied / banned & unbanned in bracknell /
mentioned in melody maker / guess what in a guest
house... plus roy butterfield turning up at
coventrv with a loada mates who wouldn't believe
that he was the legendary Anton Mauve we keep on
about... he's gotta noo band so watch out pistols.
Far as we know motorway / i shall be released
still due out as single around end of sept xcept
we still haven't ...Uh...recorded it to Their
satisfaction yet. Notwithstanding a coupla days
with the island mobile down the Who's studio at
Shepperton (ho yus v. big time now y'know).
Dontcha worry, we set to in ernest nex toosday
onwards not to mention 3rd time lucky an all that.
Meantime should be something in this week's NME &
pete silverton's doing a piece for SOUNDS pretty
soon.
WEIRD GIGS Dept.
Scenes of seaside insanity in sunny scarborough
when robinson was unleashed with bottle of poppers
among unsuspecting population of Penthouse Club
who were definitely Not Ready for amyl nitrate.
No sir. First to fall was the disc (hey man what
IS that stuff) jockey- collapsing in helpless
heap of giggles half way thru pretty vacant,
shortly to be followed by burly bouncers /
barstaff punks & punters.. plus the fifty odd(!)
people who crammed into dressing rm. after gig
unaware of what was in store for them. Sheer havoc
INCE
George Henry Ince married Doris Grey at 2.36 pm
wednesday 7th sept at hamersmith registry office.
place packed with police/ press/ parasites/
people like us/ plus loyal dosen or so who help
dolly in her battle to free george year in year
out. (stand by yor man nothing!) necks craned for
glimpse of The Man in the lite grey suit quiet
and dignified amidst the bedlam of flash-' bulbs/
jostling/ plainclothes screws/ people shaking his
hand while he had only ten precious minutes with
the woman he went to prison for... (as one
whisper would have it.) champagne corks popping
and every one having a whale of a time xcept
there's no bubbly for george no sir its straight
back to his cell in the scrubs with handcuffs for
mister ince. Never mind, its only another ten
years isn't it... or is it? Another (yes another)
special report on George Ince Case due out any
day now... any day now... any day now...
IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE Dept.
Remember the Hull prison riot on TV this time
last year -,men on rooftops in hoods protesting
about violence and inhuman conditions ??
eventually came down after promises of no
violence from screws and TV cameras went away ...
"... first we were met by the 'reception'
group/given a quick examination by the doctor/
then asked to get our property sorted out. then
whisked off by couple of screws to be well
roughed up, out of sight of the processing area -
mostly this was digs in the ribs, kicks in the
balls, hair pulled, shins kicked - mild stuff
compared to what was to follow. we were taken off
to undamaged areas, in various parts of the
prison and banged up in single cells, all in a
row. very soon the first group of screws arrived
- about a dozen of them the start of the
systematic beatings that were to continue till
sunday afternoon. they split up into groups of
about 4 or 5, and worked their way up the line of
cells. either they would charge into a cell push
the prisoner onto the floor, and kick him into a
corner, and carry on for 5, 10 minutes or longer.
or they would drag you out, with your arms and
legs flailing and hurl you against a wall,
landing blows to the head, back, legs and kidneys
anywhere that was exposed. when being beaten like
this you instinctively roll yourself into a ball
like position - legs tucked in, arms trying to
shield the head... some cons shouted abuse at
their attackers, some just rolled into a ball and
were silent except for screams and gasps of pain.
this session continued up to about 8.00pm
saturday morning brought the first food since we
came down from the roof; plates of hot food being
smashed into our faces. then back to the cells
for another session along the same lines as
friday night. the beatings on saturday began
after breakfast and continued into late afternoon.
sunday, I was handcuffed, pushed and kicked down
the stairs by a jeering group of screws, taken to
another prison and immediately locked up in
solitary."
source: "Hull 76" 30p from PROP (prisoners rights
organisation) 339a Finchley Road London NW3.
GENERAL LONDON INFO
WOMENS RIGHTS: National Abortion Campaign
01 485 4303. Abortion Rights in Danger
01 359 5209. Spare Rib Magazine for women 45p inc.
from 27 clerkenwell close,london EC1
HOMOSEXUALS: Gay Switchboard 01-837-7324 - 24 hr
info/advice for women and men. Gay News -
fortnightly newspaper from la Normand gds,
greyhound rd., Wl4. 35p
ROCK AGAINST RACISM: Temporary Hoarding Newssheet
from RAR 6 cottons gds, london e2, + badges/
stickers/ T shirts/ posters.
IF ARRESTED: don't give a statement and call
RELEASE 01 289 1123 also deal with gen legal/
med/ drug probs during office hours.
BIT alternative info: 01 229 8219
FREE GEORGE INCE CAMPAIGN 01 987 6542
BRIANS CORNER/ PHINARIUM NOOS
Ladies and Gentlefolk Roll up,Roll Up. Here we
are again at the nice clean Marquee in seedy Soho
where the red lights shine so bright they obscure
the places of horizontal refreshment that they
advertise. However on the horizon there is a
bright spot DOLL FINN (+trb) is in town. Wow this
is gonna be a good night. Witizizmz that stick in
the mind like condensation to kustowws
underpnnts. Be sure not to miss the
coprafiliation supplied in the stage act and see
the magnificent DOLL FINN dive 40 ft from the GPO
tower into a pudding bowl over flowing with state
custard. Surely a night to remember.(bullshit
ed.)
TILL OCTOBER
thanx for your letters - as ever if ya wanna
write to any of us we wanna hear from you. A.L.A
means all letters answered though SAE does help,
EMI promise noo loada stickers/ badges/ T shirts
ASAP but then I.B.I.W.I.S.I. right ? they are
printing noo flash bulletin designed by RED WEDGE
(who do temporary hoarding etc.) for sending to
press promoters etc., but we're gonna steal a
couple a thousand and give em to linda for you
lot. ready by end of month complete with photos/
biogs/ lyrics to Up Against the Wall. send a big
SAE to linda cooke, 25 montpelier grove, london
NW5 nearer the time + she'll do the rest.
meantime keep the belief, stick to the streets,
stay in touch and don't believe a word THEY tell
you.
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