search the friars website
   
 

Thursday May 26th 1977

friars aylesbury phase three - vale hall, civic centre, market square, aylesbury

friars aylesbury cup winners 1980

pictures from this gig in the galleries

exclusive friars aylesbury interview with chris frantz

norman wisdom, johnny, joey, dee dee, good times

 

The Ramones
Talking Heads
 
related friars history (click on date)
Ramones Friday December 30th 1977 Wednesday January 23rd 1980

Talking Heads Tuesday January 24th 1978

 
setlist
 
 
band line up
The Ramones
 Joey Ramone (vocs)  Johnny Ramone (guitar)  Dee Dee Ramone (bass)  Tommy Ramone (drums)
Talking Heads
 David Byrne (vocs/guitar) Jerry Harrison (guitar) Chris Frantz (drums) Tina Weymouth (bass)
 
gig poster and flyer (click to enlarge flyer)

 

 
ticket

 

memories
 

Kris Needs, writing in Zig Zag, June 1977 (reproduced with permission of Kris Needs)

I first caught the tour at Friars Aylesbury, one of the few dates on the tour not to sell out. That's 'cos the so-aware locals were probably dozing off to Steve Hillage. Still, a thousand mostly-out-of-towners who came went bonkers and brought them back for nine or more encores.It was a great set, with probably the wildest reaction Friars has ever seen...a raging sea of pogoers falling around with lunatic abandon in front of the stage. Anyone who stands still when The Ramones are on must have lead-filled buttocks. Everyone sang along, danced, stomped and had great fun (except for a poor Eagles' fan getting his first taste of raw power, who stood with his hands over his ears for the twenty minutes he could stand!). The set went like greased lightening, the momentum being broken only when Johnny got in the way of a particularly large chunk of the gob raining on the stage. "I want him thrown out", he snapped to a roadie, pointing to the pogoing culprit. ("Nasty habit", Johnny said afterwards. "I don't know who started that, but you know, you play better if they don't do it") After I'd recovered from the set, I thought I'd go and see what the band had been getting up to since their last visit. Blimey I was pissed! Good job I had the old tape recorder handy, 'cos I can't remember saying half the things on it!

press cuttings
 

 

what happened next
Despite tremendous personal rancour in the band, The Ramones managed to stay together until 1996. They made one last appearance together in 1999 where despite Johnny's attempts at peace with Joey, they were dismissed. Joey Ramone died in 2001 of lymphona reportedly listening to U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind album. Dee Dee Ramone died of a drugs overdose in 2002. Johnny Ramone died in 2004 of cancer.

As for Talking Heads, they headlined Friars in 1978 and never looked back

 
odds and trivia
Did you know that Blondie's Clem Burke was once a Ramone? He was Elvis Ramone in the late 1980s
official web presence
Ramones approved site
 
sound and vision
 
Ramones - Pinhead 
 
 
Talking Heads - Don't Worry About The Government
 
 
 

privacy policy  legal and t&c  contact 

© copyright 2007-2021 david stopps/friars aylesbury ltd

All rights reserved and no part of this website may be reproduced without written permission - please see terms and conditions for details. All photos copyright mike o'connor except where specifically stated and used with permission.