Scunthorpe Baths Hall, December 7th 1988

[shipbuilder]

Checking through my gig scrapbook a few days back I found my still mint condition ticket for this gig. It was a charity night in memory of Mo Gale and boy what a line up and what a night! The Pogues headlined and were amazing; if I remember correctly Shane's first comment was "Who put the cunt in Scunthorpe?" and their set was full on bloody mayhem. Support came from the magnificent Andy White and After Tonite and of course the beautiful Kirsty was there to sing with the Pogues. Again, if I remember correctly, After Tonite joined the Pogues for a heavy ska-folk encore that had people going nuts. Great venue, great gig, great memories and great hangover! Four days later it was off to the NEC in Birmingham; still a great gig but MUCH larger than Scunthorpe and Leeds University where I also saw them in March of 1988. After Tonite supported at Leeds and I can vividly remember the lights going down and hearing "WAR - what is it good for?" pounding through the PA - the whole crowd was on the deck before the band even got on stage! There were loads of people in Men They Couldn't Hang t-shirts trying to dance on their knees (remember THAT?) and only one light on the stage ... unlike Birmingham which was like a real arena show and had The Colobberer in the his Pogueator. Still a good gig though and great support from the Fleadh Cowboys but the times were a changing. Next time I got sight of the boys was the Reading Festival on Saturday 26th August 1989. The Saturday was pure fucking class - check this line up: Bhundu Boys, TMTCH, Green on Red, Billy Bragg, The Wedding Present (well okay..) and the Pogues headlining. And to top all that we'd seen Frank Sidebottom in the tent that afternoon. Bragg was astounding that day; I remember thinking he would never win over a festival crowd with just one guitar and an amp but god he proved me wrong! The Pogues sound was poor that night but they stil knocked out a good set ... although one Mr. Macgowan was struggling to sey the VERY least! I still have my tour t-shirt from 1988 - the green one with Pogues Revolution on it. I wore it to the Brixton show in 2004 and a young lad approached me asking me if I had seen them play that year. He was amazed when I told him of the above gigs as he was only 4 years old in 1988! He shook my hand, congratulated me for "sticking with it" then went off in to the crowd.

Memories, memories, memories ...

[Smoz]

I still have my tour t-shirt from 1988 - the green one with Pogues Revolution on it. I wore it to the Brixton show in 2004 and a young lad approached me asking me if I had seen them play that year. He was amazed when I told him of the above gigs as he was only 4 years old in 1988! He shook my hand, congratulated me for "sticking with it" then went off in to the crowd.

I also still have the same t-shirt, I bought it at the Brixton dates on (checks back of said t-shirt) 19th December '88. IMHO the best official Pogues t-shirt I have ever seen, any chance of a re-release Mr Whistle Player?

I squeezed myself into it in March this year when I went over to New York for the one of the Nokia theatre gigs. I think it fitted me rather better in the eighties than it does now, thats what comes of no longer taking speed but drinking bitter instead.

[fatbloke]

I was there too at Scunny having travelled over the water from Hull. Great night and fantastic show. Also saw the boys at Sheffield City Hall that year. My Revolution shirt alas is long gone as I'm more of a fat bastard nowadays. My other shirt from the time was a green shirt with black shamrock on the fron with 'Nobody Tells Me Anything' tour on the back.....

Ah tis fine been an' old fucker!

[Kilkenny Cat]

Blimey, Scunthorpe brings back a few memories. I remember them playing a free festival in Ashby ville , Scunthorpe in Sep 1985. Can only remember one of the supports - Buddy Curtess and the Grasshoppers...anyone remember them ?

It was a time when I would have gone anywhere to have seen them play. We drove to Scunthorpe from High Wycombe which must have taken about 5 hrs, watched the gig for a few hours and then drove back . Those were the days

[brumsongs]

If I remember rightly New Model Army were on before the Pogues at Reading and were storming- "I believe in vengence etc". Shane wore a tea cosy on his head along with a Zapata moustache. He was continually playing a set of chimes. Half way through the power went and Spider sang The Sligo Referee I think. John Peel, who compered, sent us all to bed with the instruction, " No wanton touching boys and girls." Then again I was full of drugs so don't rely on my memories.

[nboldock]

I was there too at Scunny having travelled over the water from Hull. Great night and fantastic show. Also saw the boys at Sheffield City Hall that year. My Revolution shirt alas is long gone as I'm more of a fat bastard nowadays. My other shirt from the time was a green shirt with black shamrock on the fron with 'Nobody Tells Me Anything' tour on the back.....

Ah tis fine been an' old fucker!

And there's me thinking I'm the only Hully on the board. Turns out there's at least two of us.

[fatbloke]

I was there too at Scunny having travelled over the water from Hull. Great night and fantastic show. Also saw the boys at Sheffield City Hall that year. My Revolution shirt alas is long gone as I'm more of a fat bastard nowadays. My other shirt from the time was a green shirt with black shamrock on the fron with 'Nobody Tells Me Anything' tour on the back.....

Ah tis fine been an' old fucker!

And there's me thinking I'm the only Hully on the board. Turns out there's at least two of us.

Jesus...dangerous stuff..two Cod Heads on the same site! lol

[shipbuilder]

Blimey, Scunthorpe brings back a few memories. I remember them playing a free festival in Ashby ville , Scunthorpe in Sep 1985. Can only remember one of the supports - Buddy Curtess and the Grasshoppers...anyone remember them ?

It was a time when I would have gone anywhere to have seen them play. We drove to Scunthorpe from High Wycombe which must have taken about 5 hrs, watched the gig for a few hours and then drove back . Those were the days

I desperately wanted to go to that festival but me mam and dad said no - they thought I would get mugged by the Scunny Tash Boys or taken up the back alley and rogered. I was 14, obsessed with the Pogues and absolutley gutted - especially as two of my mates were allowed to go and rambled on for months about how amazing it was! I did see the Guana Batz play there in 86 and that was cool but missed the Housemartins as I had to be home early! I suppose they were only being protective parents but how could they make me miss my fave band at a FREE gig? Any one else got experiences of not being allowed to go places when they were younger?

[philipchevron]

The Scunny Tash Boys!!

Guys from Scunthorpe with moustaches?

[shipbuilder]

The Scunny Tash Boys!!

Guys from Scunthorpe with moustaches?

Philip - yes, but not just "guys". These were the hardcore of the Scunthorpe Football Casuals and had a fearsome reputation in Lincolnshire in the early/mid 80s - I kid thee not! We're talking diamond knit Pringles, faded jeans with a Lee patch sown on the bottom, white Nike or Diadora trainers, VERY bad aftershave, wedge haircuts and a voracious appetite for violence. And of course their very own trademark - a dodgy moustache! (Think Begbie with a North Lincs accent and less class) They used to do bombing raids on Lincon and were reuptedly responsible for the New Years Eve riots - although they sussed it so the LTE (Lincoln Firm) got all the blame and 'bird'. I was a mere peace loving tenager in the midst of this drama and always managed to keep my head down and intact. I think the only people they were scared of were the local Psychobillies who were also completely nuts but (usually) left the innocents alone.

Moving to South London in 1989 was nothing after a childhood in rural Lincs!

[fatbloke]

Mmmmmmm....I'm sure the Scunny Tash Boys will have had, at sometime a run it with the (Hull) City Phsyco's and the Silver Cod Squad....lol..lol

Bless 'em all....

[nboldock]

I had some friends who used to drink in Silver Cod before Hull City games, back in the Boothferry Park days, week in week out. One day they went in and one of the big "faces" from the City Psychos saw them and went, "Oh, hello!" and then they decided perhaps it was time to move to a new pub!! They never did go back in there for fear of being guilty by association.

As it happens, both of them are Pogues fans as well. (He says, attempting a vague stab at relevance).

[Shant on]

The Scunny Tash Boys!!

Guys from Scunthorpe with moustaches?

Philip - yes, but not just "guys". These were the hardcore of the Scunthorpe Football Casuals and had a fearsome reputation in Lincolnshire in the early/mid 80s - I kid thee not! We're talking diamond knit Pringles, faded jeans with a Lee patch sown on the bottom, white Nike or Diadora trainers, VERY bad aftershave, wedge haircuts and a voracious appetite for violence.

Moving to South London in 1989 was nothing after a childhood in rural Lincs!

I would have killed for a diamond pringle in those days.

Mate of ours stood for Parliament in the 1987 election as the 657 Party, and the policies in his 'manifesto' were the criminalisation of facial hair, introduction of duty free goods on the Gosport ferry, building of a grade A racetrack on Southsea Common, the requirement for all members of the judiciary to have served time, and independence for Pompey from the rest of Hampshire.

At one of the 'election rallies' he appeared from a cupboard on a stage and outlined his reasons for backing Scimitarra in the Oaks at Epsom ( ???)

Ahead of his time obviously, can't understand how he didnt get elected...........

RIP Docker Hughes

[shipbuilder]

I just remembered what Shane said when he came on stage: "Who put the cunt in Scunthorpe?"

[nboldock]

I just remembered what Shane said when he came on stage: "Who put the cunt in Scunthorpe?"

Brilliant.