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FRIDAY OCTOBER 8th 2010
THE FIRST NIGHT OF
FRIARS AYLESBURY PHASE FOUR
A
brilliant night which proved that Friars could make the next leap up and
so started Phase Four at the biggest Aylesbury venue yet, the brand new
Waterside Theatre and Friars was the first gig and proper event in the
new place so we became the guinea pigs in many ways! It's a beautiful
theatre and I think that as Kris Needs said, Friars came along, turned
the Waterside over and well and truly planted a flag in its bottom.
Can't argue with that. Even more so having to see a boarded up Civic,
still awaiting demolition, on the way to the gig.
All
three bands played like their lives depended on it, desperate to show
Friars what it meant to be back playing there. All three bands received
memento awards marking the first night of Phase Four and to add to this,
two very important people in the Friars story received Heroes Awards -
the immortal Kris Needs and legendary Friars founding father Robin Pike.
Photos as credited (and all
used with permission) - Big thanks to Sue O'Connor, Stuart Robb,
Russ Naylor, Neale Wareham, Michelle Needs, Nigel Lee, Simon Copson
We'll keep this page updated
as stuff comes in.
PRE MATCH INTERVIEWS
999 (October 2010)
Buzzcocks (Oct 2010)
Eddie and the Hot Rods
(2009)
SPECIAL........including interviews and much more, including
maybe you!
THE GALLERY
HERE SETLISTS HERE YOUR VIEWS HERE
REVIEW HERE
KRIS NEEDS REVIEW HERE ROXETTE REVIEW
HERE
From the acts.....
Eddie and the Hot Rods:
Eddie
and the Hot Rods were thrilled to receive their second heroes award after
their show at the brand new Friars venue on Friday. Barrie Masters
remembers well how the original Friars was a great place to play and
hopes this new venue will prove to be as successful. The band had a really
good time and would like to thank David for inviting us back
THE SETLISTS
Buzzcocks: (thanks Simon
Copson)
 
Eddie and the Hot Rods:
Teenage Depression; I Might Be Lying; Quit This Town; Kids Are Alright;
Life On The Line; Do Anything You Wanna Do; Why Should I Care Anymore;
Ignore Them; Bad Time Again; Power And The Glory; Gloria
999: TBC
THE FANS
Just some of the feedback we've had!
A really great night in a
lovely venue - hopefully the first of many great Friars nights.
Just a quick note to say thanks for a great gig last night - bands and
audience top drawer - here's to many more. David S also took the time to
speak with me on the way in - I was wearing an MC5 t shirt - I was 5
years old when they played Friars ! Thanks to Dave also.
What a fantastic night at the Waterside on Friday - you must all be so
pleased with the huge turnout... a brilliant gig !
There is a
thriving
Friars community on Facebook with hundreds of members!
Here's a selection of
comments:
"Really
enjoyed the night. The new theatre is superb-big but quite 'intimate'
and created a great atmosphere. place looks great -very classy. Like
others enjoyed Eddie and the Hot Rods the most. Bars were well stocked
and efficient as well. Let's hope its the first of many. Well done to
Stoppsy for getting it on and to everyone
for supporting it-so many old faces.
"we
enjoyed Friday night. great seeing so many old mates again. what a
fantastic new venue. perfect for gigs.
"great
gig last night...........Punks not dead (Thank god)
"Great
start to Phase 4......thought the layout was excellent and really worked
well.
Thought the Rods were superb and just stole the night for me
"Eddie and the Hot Rods
were the stars of last night - excellent!
Friars will always have the same values no matter what venue. I was v.
pleased to see that you can still stand pretty close to the bands/stage
-hope it remains that way.
Thanks Mike, David and Kris for making it all happen last night!"
"Well done Friars !!! A
fantastic start to the new phase...and looking forward to seeing more
bands play there...a great venue - LOADS of bars and bar staff (lol)
plenty of room to mill about and catch up/chat with mates - old &
new...and a great set up in the hall...loved it - a brilliant nite"
WEBSITE
REVIEW
This one is really hard for me to
comprehend.
I never
imagined Phase Three would get a Lazarus style second bite of the cherry
and for Phase Four to start was well....something myself and many others
didn't see as a remote possibility 12 months ago.
Well, here we were in the
shiny new Waterside Theatre, and a lovely place it is too. Would it
retain the 'Friars magic' - oh yes it would.
Needsy kicked proceedings off
with some classic tunes and Friars aficionados would have remembered and
no doubt regaled in hearing Clifford T Ward's Dubious Circus Company, a
stalwart from Friars Phase Two.....can that really have been 35 years
ago. And Kris has been with Friars since the very first gig in 1969.
At 7.45 David Stopps kicked
off Friars Phase Four in style announcing 999 to the stage and minor
issues of a blown amp aside, they delivered a great set ending with
classics Emergency, Homicide and I'm Alive.
Eddie and the Hot Rods sold out Friars with ease on many occasions in
the past and on this form it wasn't too hard to see why.
Buzzcocks
turned the clock back with a set made up of more recent material but
heavy on classics culminating in a devastating encore of Oh Shit, Ever
Fallen In Love and Orgasm Addict. They were up for it and Steve Diggle's
hard hitting anti-X Factor/plastic pop acceptance speech after receiving their
Friars award will live in the memory of any true music lover.
A
brilliant night and it was also fitting that two special awards were
given out by David Stopps. Friars founding father Robin Pike received
his award and remember that without Robin, there would have been no
Phase One never mind Phase Four. Aylesbury journalistic legend Kris
Needs received a special award for all his support over the years that said 'Always First With The News' -
enough said. Roll on the next gig - it can't come quick enough.
KRIS NEEDS
REVIEW
FRIARS PHASE 4 ROARS IN AT THE WATERSIDE by KRIS NEEDS
World famous rock club Friars Aylesbury staged its first concert at the
town’s new Waterside Theatre last Friday, commencing Phase Four of its
41 year existence with celebratory sets from punk veterans the
Buzzcocks, Eddie and the Hot Rods and 999.
Despite minor teething problems like the downstairs bar running out of
beer, the first major music event at the new venue drew a sizable crowd,
ranging from the curious to original diehards from Friars’ first night
in June, 1969. Once again, the club’s uniquely warm atmosphere was
strongly in evidence.
All three bands played the club in its last incarnation at the Civic
Centre. 999, who made their Friars debut in March, 1979, kicked off
proceedings with a spirited set, peaking with their theme song
‘Emergency’. Eddie and the Hot Rods [last minute replacements for
Penetration, who cancelled owing to their guitarist suffering a broken
collar bone] were local favourites around 1976, appearing at Friars
several times and returning to headline Hobble On The Cobbles in 2008.
The Hot Rods’ infectious brand of high energy rock ‘n’ roll went down a
storm, particularly their 1977 hit ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do‘ and
traditional tour de force ‘Gloria‘. After the Hot Rod's set Friars
promoter David Stopps presented two 'Friars Hero' awards on stage to two
people who have been at the heart of Friars since 1969. The first was to
the man who's idea it was to start Friars in the first place, former
Aylesbury Grammar School teacher Robin Pike, and the other was to me
which was a marvellous surprise.
The Buzzcocks, who played Friars in May, 1978 and March, 1979, capped
their career renaissance of recent years, leaving no doubts that, as
just about the only surviving band from 1976’s original punk rock wave,
they are still firing on all cylinders, inciting their faithful
following into a roof-raising reception as they charged through classics
such as ‘Ever Fallen In Love With Someone You Shouldn‘t Have‘, ‘What Do
I Get‘, ‘Boredom‘ and ‘Orgasm Addict‘.
“We had a great time,” said guitarist Steve Diggle afterwards. “We
always liked playing at Friars back in the day but this new venue’s
fantastic. Good luck with it all.” David Stopps commented "Everyone seemed to
love the Waterside as Friars new home. The Waterside staff were just
brilliant. Watch this space for some exciting gigs next year."
THE NEW ROXETTE
REVIEW
Here
begins a new phase for Friars in an impressive new building which makes
scant concession to the traditional. Some say it’s like wandering into a
giant celestial game of Jenga; others just describe it as ’woody’.
People seem to either love it or hate it, there’s no middle ground, but
at least everyone’s talking about it.
Veteran
punks 999 opened the evening with their second Friars appearance (the
first was in March 1979). Sadly things did not run smoothly for the
currently pared down trio. An amplifier malfunction left us with Nick
Cash’s bass and vocals backed only by drums which simply did not do
justice to their brand of sonic attack. Eventually someone got the
guitar up and running on a purloined amp and 999 were able to deliver
some satisfactory punky thrash although the phrase ‘too little too late’
did spring to mind. Their disappointment was hopefully eased by the
presentation of a Friars Heroes award.
Eddie
and the Hot Rods are an historically significant band. They were one of
the prime movers in the crossover from pub rock to punk and
unfortunately never received the long term recognition they really
deserved. Tonight, with an impressively huge sound, Barry Masters and
friends gave it their best to an enormously appreciative crowd. Do
Anything You Wanna Do sounds as great now as it did back then. Even
after all these years the grit and the energy’s still there to an
unbelievable level. After the set Barry and band were another ecstatic
group to receive a well deserved Friars Heroes award.
Two
more well deserved Heroes awards were handed out straight after Eddie’s.
These went to DJ, Writer and designer of the Friars logo Kris Needs and
to founding father of Friars Robin Pike. Well done chaps!
The
Buzzcocks still have boundless energy. Combine this with Steve Diggle’s
righteous polemic and Pete Shelley’s incurable romanticism and you have
the ultimate in punk pop confection; sweet with a touch of acidity. Add
huge clanging shards of guitar mayhem and howling freeform feedback
between songs and the package is not only complete but practically
perfect. They treated us to all the hits and a whole lot more. ‘Fast
Cars’, ‘You Say You Don’t Love Me’, ‘Noise Annoys’, ‘Ever Fallen In
Love…’, ‘Orgasm Addict’, ‘Love You More’, ‘Oh Shit’, ‘What Do I Get?’
They roared along like a massive tsunami dragging pogoing punx of all
ages along in their wake and finally making landfall with the fifth
Friars Heroes award of the night.
A great
start to a new Friars phase in an amazing new venue. Just ask any of the
exhausted, overheated crowd heading out into the night…
Here’s
looking forward to next year and many more nights like this.
Rick Pearce
THE GALLERY
All pictures: Used with
permission and as credited and ©
2010 www.aylesburyfriars.co.uk except where noted
Picture: Stuart Robb
A
few before the show. The dressing rooms are HUGE! This was the Buzzcocks
one.
Picture: Mike O'Connor
Beavering away in the Production Office is promoter David Stopps and Jam
Central's Stuart Robb
Picture: Mike O'Connor
A
magnificent setting.
Picture: Mike O'Connor
I
included these ones as you see the stage being prepared, level with the
floor. Given the unique way this is all set up with the theatre, the
floor was dropped four feet in time for the gig.
Picture: Mike O'Connor
Picture: Mike O'Connor
Two
of the very friendly Waterside staff - they were all wearing specially
commissioned Friars badges for the evening.
Picture: Michelle Needs
Two
of Aylesbury's best known characters. You know who they are.
Picture: Mr and Mrs Bonzi
Ace
Friars lensman Russ Naylor with Barrie Masters.
Picture: Russ Naylor
Lensmen extraordinaires Neale Wareham and Russ Naylor to whom we owe a
great debt of gratitude for recording all the recent Friars gigs for
posterity and allowing us to show their work on this website.
Picture: Stuart Robb
Official Friars Hero Kris Needs and the lovely Mrs Needs.
Picture: Russ Naylor
David Stopps, Mike O'Connor and Friars lensman Don Stone, somebody else
to whom we are very grateful for his continued support and pictures.
Picture: Russ Naylor
David Stopps with some of the good people who keep Friars ticking - Rick
Pearce, Kris Needs, Judy Pearce
Picture: Michelle Needs
999
belt it out - the first band to play Friars Aylesbury Phase Four
Picture: Sue O'Connor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Mr and Mrs Bonzi
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Mr and Mrs Bonzi
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
999
received a commemorative award to mark the first night of Phase Four
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Mr and Mrs Bonzi
It's Eddie time!
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Eddie and the Hot Rods played a very well received set like they had
never gone away.
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Eddie and the Hot Rods received a commemorative award to mark the first
night of Phase Four
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Michelle Needs
Kris Needs receives his Friars Heroes Award from David Stopps for
services beyond the call of duty over 41 years.
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neal Weareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Robin Pike receives his truly deserved Founding Fathers Friars Heroes Award from David Stopps. Without Robin, there would have been no Phase One, never mind
Phase Four. Fact.
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Buzzcocks closed the night with a 100mph set peppered with classics.
   
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Nigel Lee
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Russ Naylor
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Nigel Lee
Picture: Sue O'Connor
Picture: Neale Wareham
Picture: Sue O'Connor
Picture: Sue O'Connor
Amongst much mayhem at the end, Buzzcocks receive their commemorative
award too. Steve Diggle's passionate acceptance speech will live long in
the memory....
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Neale Wareham/Modent
Art
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Sue O'Connor
Post-gig.
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Michelle Needs
Picture: Simon Copson
Picture: Simon Copson
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