Ah Manchester, you gave us baggy trousers, ecstacy and the Hacienda. Manchester, home of grown men with pudding bowl haircuts and 35 inch flares. Manchester: Moss Side murders, Hulme squatter and Tony Wilson.
They might have had all that, but we were from Yorkshire and any sane person knew in their heart of hearts that we were better. Let's be really honest here The Wedding Present were (and indeed still are) far better than The Smiths. Noone does angst-ridden misery quite like a man from Leeds. Morrissey? trying too hard, a bit wet. No one can strangle his vocals quite like David Gedge.
And as for the Happy Mondays? Where did they play their mega-gig to end all mega-gigs? Elland Road. Leeds. Home of the Bridewell Taxis.
In the first coming of the city on the right side of the Pennines, the Bridewell Taxis were the cool band, the local lads made good, the scruffy oiks who took music by the scruff of the neck and showed those blood Lancastrians how to do it.
Ready Steady Go says it far more eloquently than I can right here:
"Local legends the Bridewell Taxis were carrying the torch for the city at the time of the Madchester scene. Their impact and success was more remarkable than that of our current crop of leading lights because back then, in 1989, the media was no way near as powerful as it is today.
Lesser bands today are rewarded with far more media exposure than most successful bands did back in the early 90s.
Even in retrospect their legacy should be applauded. Even if they didn't conquer the world they did become the most successful band Leeds has ever produced prior to recent success of the Kaiser Chiefs. Back in the day, this band was the cool band to name drop."
A lovely bit of nostalgia here, the band's second EP and a bit of vinyl that could set you back all of £2 on eBay now, a bit of vinyl that probably cost me £3 from Big Tree Records in Huddersfield - money I should have been spending on cheap bitter. That's 3 quid I'll never see again. Unless they come again and make me a millionaire...
The Bridewell Taxis - Give in
I don't know why I'm flying the flag for Leeds, I'm from Huddersfield. We had some of the best new-wave of new-wave punk in the country; our 'Madchester' bands - and if I can find my white label HX2 12 inch then you'll hear what we had to offer (here it is!), and the Popcorn Groove, they were a band that should have made it - were just swamped.
Leeds? So much to answer for...
I've got a cassette compilation featuring the Bridewell Taxis covering "Don't Fear The Reaper" somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'm having difficulty thinking of these wonderful bands from Huddersfield you mention... Melaroony Daddies anyone? Kava Kava maybe? Prowess, from my 6th form days at HNC... Bit metal for here though. ;-)
Yeah, The Daddies, that's me, Jim Hazard. We were the coolest uncool band ever, but we loved it. Tim Scott & Dave Owen are in Oz, Chris Noon is a Professor of Punk, I moved back to Glasgow. Don't know what happened to Neil Butterfield tho'.
DeleteYeah, The Daddies, that's me, Jim Hazard. We were the coolest uncool band ever, but we loved it. Tim Scott & Dave Owen are in Oz, Chris Noon is a Professor of Punk, I moved back to Glasgow. Don't know what happened to Neil Butterfield tho'.
DeleteVery dodgy claiming Gedge to be better than Moz, both hugely different talents, and one of them (Mozza) has been shit for many years, although I'm always keen to know what he's up to. Gedge has churned out bits of crap but the last album was a cracker, and last summer's gig in Holmfirth was unforgetable. (I also saw the Weddoes the year before at Leicester's Summer Sundae and again, unforgetable.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth mentioning that Gedge did spend some of his childhood in Middleton, between Manchester and Rochdale, which is how he knows members of the Chameleons.
Sorry, but the Bridewell's were, and still, are poo.
Hi, Jim Hazard here from The Melaroony Daddies. Came across your blog on a search and thought I'd send you a comment. The Daddies are now spread over the globe, but any info or sounds you'd like to hear I have live gigs and re3hearsals and videos of The Daddies kicking about.
ReplyDeleteThanks for caring, Jim Hazard
jim... get in touch ,would love ot hear some of the live gigs.. cheers
ReplyDelete