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ANARCHY TOUR 2010
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HISTORY
The year is 1987 and Nick is happily ironing at home on an old 4 x 12 speaker cab due to the fact that he didn't own an ironing board!!, when suddenly a newsreader on the t.v. says " The situation is strictly Tiger Bay."
Nick doesn't have a clue what the newsreader is on about but decides this is a good name for a band, and seen as the idea of forming a band has been on his mind for a while, he sets about tracking down a couple of muso's he knows and pretty soon Johnny Jessup and Duncan Kirk, a bassist and guitarist respectively, team up with Nick and start work rehearsing some songs they want to do.
 
Following this whilst sampling a few beers in the local pub, Nick gets chatting to a couple of girls, one of which tells him that she knows a drummer who is looking for a band, a number is passed on and after a phone call the following day, Craige Sykes joins to complete the line up.
Soon the band are ready to hit the stage and the first gig is at the Ringway pub in Horsforth, Leeds, not a brilliant gig but primes the band for a four date trip to Wales which had been set up on a previous holiday.
The mini tour takes in Rhayader - Wye Lounge, July 1st 1988; Cardigan - Saddlers Arms, July 2nd; Llandrindod Wells - Bridge End Inn, July 3rd and Aberystwyth - Rummers Wine Bar, July 4th. All gigs go down a storm apart from Llandrindod Wells, a quiet little country pub with a maypole outside, they take one look at the band and decide they look too rough and are gunna make too much noise, and so from the safety of an upstairs window, an elderly chap tells the band his wife isn't well and cancels the show promptly slamming closed the window!
Things are quiet on the gig front when the band return home and soon Johnny and Duncan are off to join another band, Nick and Craige advertise the vacant positions and Ian Johnson and Jon Nolan join. The music turns heavier and with writing from Jon and Nick the band produce their own material as well as a number of rock covers and are soon back on the road.
A number of supports culminating in the support of Lisa Dominique, a foxy little rock chick, at the Frog n Toad rock club in Bradford leads to the band headlining their own gigs before another trip to Wales, now becoming a yearly tour. Before embarking on this the band head into studio to record a 3 track ep, the songs self penned are, Roadrunner, Leather and Lace and The Witch. Rhayader, Bridgend,Tonypandy,Swansea, Cardiff, Aberystyth and Rhyl are the towns for the Welsh jaunt, and sees many an incident one of which sees the band perform to Simple Minds who are having a night off in Cardiff, before headlining at Cardiff Arms Park, and also sees the band mingling with the stars backstage at the Radio 1 roadshow in Swansea.
All goes well but musical differences begin to intervene and surely enough the band split in September 1989. Nick and Craige stay together and Nick tracks down Dave Mountain, an old friend and guitarist who had actually retired from the music scene, "But with Nick promising me all this wealth, I decided to go for it, so I did," Dave.
A few weeks later bassist Ian McHenry joins as does Phil Wardle on keyboards and the new five piece get down to rehearsals before a support slot at Haddon Hall, Leeds and then their first headline performance at The Pudsey Carnival on May 19th 1990, where they appear on the back of a wagon for the procession through the streets of Pudsey.
Wales 1990 looms but disaster strikes as Craige Sykes decides its too much for him and begins missing rehearsals. It is decided by the band to bring in a new drummer, Phil has the answer and contacts Mark Todd an old school friend who is dragged down to a rehearsal or more to the point and unbeknown to him a photo shoot and is photographed as Tiger Bays new drummer without the band hearing him play a beat!
Mark actually fits in brilliantly and learns the set in 8 weeks just in time for the band to head out in brilliant sunshine on the 23rd August to play Wales 1990.
The short tour kicks off at The Angel - Aberystwyth, The Wye Lounge - Rhayader, where due to the popularity of the band the gig is moved from the lounge bar to the main community centre hall and sees the band whip up a packed hall for a memorable gig. Then onto Tonypandy where in complete contrast the band are canned off after 3 numbers!! "Ah yes, Tonypandy, an out and out rock club, with the punters looking forward to the likes of Metalica and we come on singing Who will you run to by heart, that didn't work!!" Phil Wardle. So it's back to the hotel for loads of ale, pool and an introduction to a young barmaid who the landlord tells the band, "She wouldn't mind sharing!" And we're not talking lollipops here either!!!!!!!!!
Finally Singletons in Swansea and then back home.
During the tour the band have the cameras following every move on stage, backstage and in just about everywhere inbetween! Which provides many humorous moments and will remain a feature for all following tours.
Plenty of new venues and fans through the following year, The Dynley Arms where a new group of female fans appear to be always referred to as the sausages, another appearance at the Pudsey Carnival, a fantastic venue in Trawden near Colne called the Cotton Tree where the band appear every month and before you know it, it's summer 1991 and the lads are in Wales again.
Rhayader, Llanidloes, Swansea, Tenby, Pembroke Dock, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli this time round.
The end of the year sees the band go back into studio only this time to record an 8 track album, this goes out under the title of "Partially Covered" and features 4 self penned numbers and 4 reworked cover versions. Full track listing: Only Lonely - Tiger Bay, Bedside Radio - Krokus, Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen, Out of Reach - Tiger Bay, Shape of Things to Come - Headboys, Dreams - Tiger Bay, Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams and The Only Thing I Fear - Tiger Bay.
Everything is going really well until just before Christmas when Phil tells the band he's leaving.
Major upset as Phil was part of the "family" but the remaining four decide to carry on regardless without keyboards and are back on the road in early January.
The by now usual summer tour of Wales arrives with the band taking in some old haunts and some new, Rhayader Rugby Club,(the community centre is being rebuilt and modernised) Llanidloes - Rugby Club, Carmarthen - Paxton Inn, Swansea - Cardiff Arms, Neath - Dark Arch Inn, Caersws - Buck Hotel and Pwllheli - Tower Hotel.
Notable peformances from "Spider" (Ian McHenry) despite having his main bass playing finger bandaged due to a bad cut from a glass door, helping a young lady who had lost her keys get into her house!!Hmmmmm!
It was sometime after this Wales tour that the band play the Diplomat Hotel in Bradford and on completion of this they say tata to "spider" not knowing it would be for good. Non of the band have seen or heard from him from that day to this!
A replacement was required and required quick as the band had lined up what they were to call " Britain in a Day" this was a series of gigs taking in England Wales and Scotland all in one day for the BBC Children in Need appeal 1992. And so with a stand in bassist on November 14th 1992 the band kick off the tour which had to be completed within 15 hours at 9.00am outside on the roof of Pudsey Leisure Centre, each gig was an hour in length with all their own equipment this included stage set up and take down at each venue. The Leeds Dream Team road crew worked miracles and allowed the band to chill between gigs as they were driven around the country at sometimes breakneck speeds. From Pudsey the band head West to Wrexham and the Kings Arms for a lunch time gig and then North to Scotland and the final gig at the Crown Hotel in Lockerbie. But it didn't end there, the band had to get back to Leeds before midnight in order to collect the sponsor money that people had put up. They arrived at Mr Craigs Niteclub at 11.58pm!! The BBC congratulated the band with a certificate for the event which raised over £600 for the charity.
A permanent replacement for "spider" was found in early 1993 when Phil Bedford joined the ranks and fit in like a dream providing a rock solid rhythm section with Mark which was as tight as a gnats chuff!
1993 saw extensive gigging for Tiger Bay with new venues, further tips to Wales only not as a tour and many numerous laughs,(Chinese take-away in Aberdare) just before closing, Dave, looking at menu board says to old woman serving,
"69" please."
Old woman, "No...too late for 69."
Dave, "Aye, by about 60 years."
Classic!
August 1994 and the band record a live video at "The Mach Live Club" in Machynlleth, Wales.
entitled "live at the Buttery Tearooms." Songs covered, Leaving, Are You Gunna Go My Way, She's a Wind Up, Shakin' All Over, Little Suzie, Lose Control, City Boy, Smoking in the Boys Room and Dreams.
Another notable gig had to be the Blossom Lodge in Pencader, Wales, ( where else!) It was always a standing joke with the band that whenever they arrived at a gig "spider" would say, "Well what we really need tonight is a hen party." They never got it.
However on arrival at the Blossom lodge Nick is informed that they have doubled booked and would the band mind playing at a twenty first birthday.
Nick informs the lads who reply "Cheeky bastards, bet they've done it on purpose."
Turned out to be a blinder though as it was a females twenty first with a pub full of all her mates of similar age!!! What a tragedy!
By 1996 Nick was struggling and decided to call it a day, so the band headed into studio to record a final 2 track tape,featuring Smoking in the Boys Room and Lose Control and then head out on their End of Term Tour.
The final gig at the Worlds End in Pudsey is again filmed and features Terror Eyes, Please Talk to Me, The Boys Are Back in Town, Are You Gunna Go My Way, Route 66, Summer of 69, Get Back, DR DR, Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Shinkicker, City Boy,Shakin&' All Over, Lose Control, Up Around the Bend, Bye Bye Johnny medley, Ya Really Got Me, Lil Devil, Mony Mony, Smokin' in the Boys Room, Dreams and Wind Up.
And that appeared to be that, everybody went their own way, the gear was sold and the end of an era. But then in March 2000, it was decided by Dave, Mark, and Phil to spring a suprise on Nick at his 40th birthday bash at Farsley Celtic Football Club, and have the gear set up foe an impromptue bash. However with hindsight everybody thought it best to let Nick into the secret and after a number of rehearsals the band appeared on stage to cover a few songs. This went down a storm and could quite easily have led to a reformation there and then but it wasn't to be and it would be another 3 years before the band once again got together to perform a short gig at the White Cross in Pudsey at one of the pubs theme nights. This was prompted by folk still wanting the band to reform and again it turned into a great night. But still no reformation!
Then suddenly, out of the blue, in late 2007, Nick drives past Phils old house and gets him thinking about what good times the band had had and how he'd not seen anyone for years, not even his buddy Dave, who he used to go out with every Friday night.
The next thought was how good it would be if Dave called and said that Mark and phil wanted to play again....."STUPID!!" things like that don't happen. But they do when your involved with Tiger Bay, Nick had just got through the front door of his house when the phone rang...it was Dave! wanting to come round for lunch, he did, it wasn't really to do with reforming at all but it was discussed and well, here we go again!
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