Post by neilcrud on Feb 26, 2007 11:56:57 GMT
4Q Diaries - Part 6
3Q
3Q
We were scheduled to play the Bee in Rhyl again on September 3rd 1987, but Edi had a chest infection, the PA was in pieces being repaired and Wayne the Bastard, whose turn it was, never got round to fly posting, so Edi, Paul Puke and myself spent the evening getting drunk in Toad Hall, Colwyn Bay until the landlord threw us out for making vomiting noises and swearing loudly.
I was also getting the hang of bullshittng the press; feeding them anything, so long as it got the band or fanzine into the papers. The Weekly News printed this little episode…
NORTH WALES WEEKLY NEWS (SEP87)
And finally, Colwyn Bay punks 4Q are arranging their first European tour despite having yet played their 1st UK one.
The band recently ran into controversy when they claimed they were being barred from playing gigs in the Imperial, Colwyn Bay, because they were punks.
The band are being invited over by the French punk group The Scraps, who played in Colwyn Bay and Rhyl this summer as part of their British tour.
The Colwyn band plan to shoot off across the Channel in early November, playing four dates in France, two in The Netherlands and two in Belgium.
Neil Crud, the band's guitarist, said they soon hope to be making their 1st proper recordings with a 12-track tape.
Four of these will probably also find their way onto a demo tape for radio shows and record companies.
Within three days after this no show Edi surprisingly announced he had quit the band, which shocked the rest of us as he seemed to be the most enthusiastic member. No one ever found out the reason why, but some put it down to the stress of it, particularly after the Hells Angels gig and the failed petrol bomb incident.
Two days before the next gig was to go ahead the Leisure Centre in Colwyn Bay phoned me to explain that the hall hadn't been booked in time, and even though it wasn't being used that night there wasn't enough time to arrange staffing.
I suppose it was a Godsend in way, Edi had quit yesterday and it would have meant me singing the songs as well as playing guitar, and I could only just play the guitar; sort of. I was sure the cancellation was down to the name and reputation building up around 4Q.
For some reason Edi had started bad rumours and bad feelings about the band he once held so dear; commenting on our decision to continue without him,. He described us as ‘Little children with small instruments and big egos’. On hearing that quote Wayne quipped; 'Of course we are, that's why we're in a band!'
Other rumours flying round were that Edi was to form a new band with him on bass and he was going to call it 4Q. Tensions came to a head the night before the next gig when myself and Edi came to blows in The Prem, knocked Space Invader machines flying in our wake.
Budgie as he is today!
The search for a new singer was on and he turned up in the shape of the crazed Llandudno exiled punk Budgie, from whom Wayne bought his bass amp off. The 26 year old veteran of the scene has spent a lot of his time living in London squats and was once outlawed from Llandudno for being a public nuisance and pulling moonies in the streets. But his vocal qualities and rehearsals were a slow and painstaking process and we would also practise without him knowing he wouldn't be ready for the next gig; if ever!
Paul Puke flashes the Vs while Crud tries to remember his only chord
4Q, or 3Q as we were now, spent the next six weeks frantically rehearsing, with myself taking on Edi’s vocal duties as well as guitar. I had always wanted to sing in a band, but Edi’s shoes were very big to fill. The next gig was co-headling a Welsh language music festival in Corwen. 4Q’s self-publicised hype had secured us a top slot and people were keen to see the band. Rhys Mwyn (of Anhrefn) sent me a message of support;
‘I’ll definitely be there to see you fuck Corwen.’ He wasn’t wrong!
I phoned Dafydd Gwyn, the festival organiser, to get some details and instructions. We only needed take the guitars, a snare and two cymbals. We were not on ‘til 10pm. There was a band called Tynal Tywyll with a vocalist that we disliked with all intensity, so were hoping that they were on after us so we could leave the stage smeared in gob, beer and vomit!
This gig put the 4Q hype into action, the stories of chaos at gigs no longer needed to be exaggerrated, it was reality. OK so the gigs with Edi at the helm were abusive and frantic but they weren't intimidating. This one was VERY INTIMIDATING. Maybe the three of us tried to make up for the loss of Edi by turning on the abuse, or maybe we didn't know how to captivate an audience like Edi could. But this gig, which was by far the biggest audience we had played to (over 800) was the turning point in the history of 4Q.
It was a Welsh language festival and how on earth I managed to blag 4Q to be second from the top is anyone's guess. It was quite a gig, Paul drove, so me and Wayne treated ourselves to a few cans of Tennents Super Strength Lager, by the time we hit the stage I was seeing double!
We arrived at The Pavilion at 8pm and the town was packed with pissed people. When we got to the venue there was about 300 people watching The Flaps finish their set. We were due on at 10.30pm, so in the meantime we blagged our way into a pub solemnly promising a bouncer that we wouldn’t cause any trouble.
Bethesda’s Ffa Coffi Pawb were just leaving the stage, where a young Gruff Rhys would eventually be rocketed to superstardom as the mainstay of Super Furry Animals. The best way to describe this gig is to take a transcript from the cassette I had of it.
Cumi Pants introduced the band: 'Ladies and gentlemen, the biggest bunch of wankers you're ever likely to see; 4Q.'
Neil:'We've changed our name to 3Q as our singer has sadly left us to join the Foreign Legion'
Wayne:'Cos he's a fucking tosser'
NEIN WERK- Neil introduced the song in Welsh and true to form as in most gigs he managed to make a balls up of the beginning; his guitar lead was ultra-dodgy thus cutting out the sound intermittently. Neil blamed this on the sound engineer of course! After 3 minutes of messing around;
Neil:'OK, we've fixed the amp we're alright now...this one's called Nein Werk, c'mon Puke.' (Neil was so drunk that he was playing the chorus while singing the verse and Wayne stopped playing to offer someone a fight on stage!)
Neil:'This one's about our drummer's sex life'
Wayne:'Fuck you fuck me fucking hell, this is for Jane cos she's a wanker, and Cumi Pants'
NOT NOW NOT NEVER- The alcohol prevented Neil from playing the opening, Wayne kept dropping his plectrum, lucky Paul was sober as he was the only one playing!
Crowd:'Fuck off Neil you fucking wanker'
Neil:'This is for Cumi Pants cos he keeps coming in his pants'
Wayne:'That one who's an arseholed fucking shithead and he...'
Neil:'What?'
Crowd:'Sing you pisshead'
Neil:'Fuck you'
1984- This didn't sound all that bad, Neil and Wayne kept a constant flow of gob and beer directed at the front rows while Cumi was down there teaching the Welsh kids how to mosh. It was at this stage when the singer of the main band Tynal Tywyll stormed up to the promoter and screamed 'Get this fucking shit off the stage.'
Neil:'Aren't we the biggest load of shit you've ever seen in your life?'
Crowd:(a unanimous) 'YESSS!'
VIDEO PARTY- some members of the audience were by now getting enraged by the gob and offensive gestures and the promoter ran on stage to advise Neil that the crowd looked like they might kill the band.
Neil:'Remember everybody, we're here for our entertainment and not yours...this one's called..'(promoter runs on)
Wayne:'Oh look they're pulling us off'
Neil:'Jerks!'
JERKS -played twice
WE WANT YOU- Cumi had to jump up on stage to avoid getting his head kicked. An angry looking young farmer pulled at Neil's microphone during the song so Neil let a hefty kick at the offending hand, which also sent the microphone and stand flying, much to the dismay of the PA owner who pleaded with the promoter to pull the band off before any more of his gear was trashed. Neil's guitar lead was ripped out of its socket. And with hundreds of angry faces in front of them Neil and Wayne wrapped up the show.
Neil:'Anarchy, fuck you'
Wayne:'Well we liked it anyway'
Neil:'Fuck you'
Wayne:'We won't be playing here again you wankers'
Paul (sensing trouble): 'Take it easy lads'
Crowd:'Wankers, wankers, wankers'
Wayne:'Fuck off Corwen.'
The band had to be rushed out of a back door which was locked after them as people started getting up on stage with the intention of maiming the band. Paul explained; 'What a great gig! And I nicked a snare drum.'
Dafydd quickly paid us £40, and I think he was in such a panic I could’ve asked for anything and I’d’ve got it. Paul managed to make off with Cyrff’s brand new snare drum as compensation for losing his cymbals, plus it was pay back time as the drummer kept bragging about the snare. I do remember in a drunken haze seeing Ann and Alan Flaps clapping their hands with ear to ear grins as came off stage, it must’ve been fanastic to watch such a spectacle!
NORTH WALES PIONEER 1.10.87
CONCERN OR SHEER HYPOCRISY?
In the wake of the letter entitled, "Obscenity Devalues", Pioneer 17/9/87 written by Neil, Wayne and Paul, I have learnt that these 3 persons perform in a rock band called "4Q," a performance of which I experienced on Saturday, September 19 at the Corwen Pavilion.
Their stage presence seems to contradict everything mentioned in the letter, and I can only describe the show as an excuse to abuse the audience with foul language and obscene gestures. Their antics also ruined it for the other groups, playing at the pavilion.
If the band are so concerned with "perverse methods of advertising", then why have they named their rock band "4Q", who's ulterior motive seems to be one of provoking hatred through disgusting sentences of mindless drivel.
All I can say about these so called musicians is they shouldn't be allowed to perform their obnoxious act in front of the public, and it is quite obvious that their hypocritical letter was just a cheap method of seeing their names in the paper.
Jane Williams
NORTH WALES PIONEER 1.10.87
DEGRADING OUR LAND OF SONG
Having recently moved to Wales from Yorkshire, due to my occupation, I was eager to learn all I could about the history of the country and its unique culture.
Recently I attended a Welsh Language Festival in a remote town named Corwen. My wife and I have never been subjected to such a barrage of obscenities and degrading activities.
This disgusting behaviour was instigated by a so called "band" known as "4Q". Some may find their 'music' exciting but we found ourselves physically threatened and mentally sickened by the louts on the stage and the reaction they provoked in the audience.
If this is an example of the natives of the Land of Song then I think the re-building of Offa's Dyke would not be a bad move. I advise anyone reading this letter to stay well clear of 4Q.
I.Renfrew, Llandudno
Jane Williams was Jane Bach, my girlfriend at the time and I.Renfrew was my work colleague at The Prem.
Another party - Teresa (background), Gwyn Ellis (RIP), Crud, Bowler, Dae Goth