Does anyone remember when the Marples was a venue for punk bands? I spent many an evening there in the late seventies watching the likes of Discharge, GBH, Vice Squad, UK Subs & many more. Oh happy days.
Wonder where all the punks have gone now They were truly wondorous days & Marcus Featherby who seemed to organise the events where is he now.

Does anyone remember when the Marples was a venue for punk bands? I spent many an evening there in the late seventies watching the likes of Discharge, GBH, Vice Squad, UK Subs & many more. Oh happy days.
Wonder where all the punks have gone now They were truly wondorous days & Marcus Featherby who seemed to organise the events where is he now.

I remember these gigs well - and I also remember not having to bother about getting dolled up either - some colour spray and laquer for the hair (make up took a little time) - dark clothes but best of all THE BLACK BAG. few chains here and there and hey presto a 92 bus in to town and the best nights ever !!!:thumbsup:

yeah, where are the punks in sheffield? I have arrived from the isle of man, and i cant find any 'punk' bars or clubs! I have been going to gigs at corporation and plug, but niether are really punk clubs

Dove and Rainbow pub is punk-ish

yeah i did hear of that, gona go check it out soon, any others?

i got into punk in about 83 / 84 just as the gigs were stopping at the marples :(
i remember seeing a poster for the exploited and had the mau maus live att he marples lp ..........need to get that again, classic
that was about it for my knowledge of punk att he marples :(
now its a motorbike accesories shop :(

I also remember drinking tea in Atkinsons cafe on the Moor on the top floor above the store. We all met there when we bunked off school.
I remember buying records from Revolution on the Gallery near the Castle Market & a punk disco night in Rebels more happy memories flood back

As a 17 year old punk I lived in same house and helped Marcus Featherby organise the gigs, some gigs i did organise by myself however and never took credit. Just got slagged off in the book about Sheffield Band history, by people who themselves were no hopers at 17. Oh well.
Marcus never got the credit he deserved, he had a great hand in making the sheffield scene at that time come alive, he gets criticised for not creating a record label like factory in Manchester (which got money off Virgin), the pair of us lived off my Giro, but we brought out many records and organised scores of gigs. AND the gigs were great, next to no trouble in all that time, the one pub bouncer who never raised his hand. Bring a toy (no money) gigs to give womens refuge kids a good xmas. All the good punk bands of the day, and skinhead bands played. I organised an Oi Against Racism gig myself. The bands that played were bands that people asked us to put on (I didn't like the Oi bands).
Marcus actually organised the Rock on the Rates thing although the Leadmill lot took what credit they could.
Most of that history has never been told the ones that have written were at the time, so into being cool rather than doing something that they missed it.
Marcus was in London, at least up until 3 months ago.
Great shame he never got the respect he deserved!

well hey thanks everyone - i have successfully found some punk kids in sheffield - and for the first time in my life i feel at home... we goto dove and rainbow, D'n'r, Corporation, fuzz club and the cricketers arms - thanks for the help, everyone hit the punk scene for drunken fun and games x

As a 17 year old punk I lived in same house and helped Marcus Featherby organise the gigs, some gigs i did organise by myself however and never took credit. Just got slagged off in the book about Sheffield Band history, by people who themselves were no hopers at 17. Oh well.
Marcus never got the credit he deserved, he had a great hand in making the sheffield scene at that time come alive, he gets criticised for not creating a record label like factory in Manchester (which got money off Virgin), the pair of us lived off my Giro, but we brought out many records and organised scores of gigs. AND the gigs were great, next to no trouble in all that time, the one pub bouncer who never raised his hand. Bring a toy (no money) gigs to give womens refuge kids a good xmas. All the good punk bands of the day, and skinhead bands played. I organised an Oi Against Racism gig myself. The bands that played were bands that people asked us to put on (I didn't like the Oi bands).
Marcus actually organised the Rock on the Rates thing although the Leadmill lot took what credit they could.
Most of that history has never been told the ones that have written were at the time, so into being cool rather than doing something that they missed it.
Marcus was in London, at least up until 3 months ago.
Great shame he never got the respect he deserved!

Hey thanks Andy.
I most probably knew Marcus and maybe yerself too - but, I kept myself to myself back in those days(still do) and didn't rub with the big shots and organisers, apart from to nod "Hello" at.
I really enjoyed the punk scene stuff at the Marples - however brief. I remember Crass playing there to a full house (I,ve still got the ticket!! Dirt and Annie Anxiety were supports!) and the local bands, The Negatives, Stunt Kites and even Repulsive Alien(remember them).
Yeah some good nights - at the time(for me), it made a change from the Limit and top rank - and the beer was a little better too, I think.
Thanks for the memories Old punk.

Hey thanks Andy.
I most probably knew Marcus and maybe yerself too - but, I kept myself to myself back in those days(still do) and didn't rub with the big shots and organisers, apart from to nod "Hello" at.
I really enjoyed the punk scene stuff at the Marples - however brief. I remember Crass playing there to a full house (I,ve still got the ticket!! Dirt and Annie Anxiety were supports!) and the local bands, The Negatives, Stunt Kites and even Repulsive Alien(remember them).
Yeah some good nights - at the time(for me), it made a change from the Limit and top rank - and the beer was a little better too, I think.
Thanks for the memories Old punk.

Great days, I was there at the Marples when Mark from Artery climbed out onto the ledge and was walking about singing!

I saw the Flying Alphonso Brothers there as well, great pop band, from Chapeltown I think?

Marcus called me once and said that the DJ for the Negatives gig at the KGB (old Abbeydale cinema) was going to be late and could I help? So I did, never done it before, totally scared to death but muddled my way through it, Marcus said "When The Negs (as he called them) come off stage, hold the crowd back!" as if they were going to be mobbed like the Beatles! Which of course they weren't.

I first met Marcus when he had only been in Sheffield a few days, told me his name was Marcus Weatherby, next time I saw him he said it was Marcus Featherby, hmmmmm....still, that was Marcus, he told me loads of names over the time I knew him. I remember the house on Whitham Road with the cats, all the photo's and various assorted people who wandered in and out, including the Icelandic lad (Aeinaar I think his name was) who was a great chess player. Not sure if it is appropriate to give out any details, suffice to say his name isn't Marcus Featherby anymore!!!

I remember buying records from Revolution on the Gallery near the Castle Market...

That was an excellent shop. What was their newsletter called? Something like "Gunrubber"?

Gunrubber was a fanzine put together by Adi Newton (Clock DVA) and Paul Bower (2.3).

I remember Marcus very well, he had a story about everything and that wasn't his real name either...

The interesting thing was that Marcus's stories (that I didnt believe at the time turned out to be true). He told me he didnt mind that people thought he made things up, he said just cos they hadnt done things, they couldnt believe that anyone else had. And he did things, he turned up in Sheffield and started record labels and gigs etc, WITH NO MONEY, he acted like he had money. When i met him he had enough money for one tin of cat food, i gave him some money to get some food. When we lived in same house we lived literally on one 17 year olds giro, and what fell into my pocket. We had to move cos we couldnt pay the rent. We carried on doing the gigs. You have to admit Marcus did what he said he would, and as time went on I found proof that he had done what he said he had done.

Was he a nurse? Did he win a medal in the olympics? I don't have a axe to grind with him Andy, he was a laugh and I liked his stories, it's just that one after the other it was a bit hard to take. I remember the time he told the NME that Wattie from the Exploited liked to smoke a pipe and listen to New Order, Wattie didn't even smoke ;)

Many things he said about Africa, America and Iceland turned out to be true. He never told me he had an olympic medal, however after leaving school and being an excellent long distance runner, he was the only smoker who ever beat me in a race ( then i became a smoker :-) ).

Many things he said about Africa, America and Iceland turned out to be true. He never told me he had an olympic medal, however after leaving school and being an excellent long distance runner, he was the only smoker who ever beat me in a race ( then i became a smoker :-) ).

Yeah but do you listen to New Order ;)

No to New Order (Joy Division yes). And no I dont smoke a pipe, however in marcus's and my flat, i remember breaking up cigarettes with Gene October from Chelsea to create roll ups, when he stayed at our house.

I remember the marples punk gigs.. I went to just about every on ethat they had on ..I am writing a book about the punk generation and need lots of stories etc from the 76 - 81 days...anyone interee=sted contact me on rotherpunk@aol.com.

I can remember seeing the following at the marples....chelsea...outcasts...the wall...angelic upstarts...uk subs...vice squad...anti pasti....chron gen....discharge...crass etc.

some of 'em were good but some not but it was always a memorable night

Does anyone remember when the Marples was a venue for punk bands? I spent many an evening there in the late seventies watching the likes of Discharge, GBH, Vice Squad, UK Subs & many more. Oh happy days.
Wonder where all the punks have gone now

This punk went to Germany in 1984 ! I went to most of the Marples gigs,punk night at rebels too.
Many of my mates were rockers so I went to the Wap too,best of both worlds.
Great days!!

would you like to reminisce your old stories of back then in my book I am writing.If so please contact me at rotherpunk@aol.com

Are there any Rotherham punks from the late 70's and early 80's out there who would be interested in having their memories and experiences, gigs seen etc put in my book I am writing ?

Tony

Did anyone go to the Rotherham Windmill thursday night punk and new wave nights in 1977 when groups like generation x, adverts, x-ray specs, penetration, ultravox,stukas etc played ?
If so I need your stories for my book I am writing

please contact me at rotherpunk@aol.com

Can't believe the marples is owned by a german company now !! so ironic(and wrong), considering it was blown up by the luftwaffe during the sheffield blitz in ww2

I remember a fight at the toy dolls gig,(skinheads as usual) they never played Sheffield again.

:hihi:My husband and I ( sound like the queen) remember the gigs at the Marpels, I remember taking extra toys with me for the get in with a toy and giving them to punx waiting to get in who had none.
I remember doing my hair in the toilets stood next to Annie from Dirt n thinking she looked so good .That hair of hers must have took some right back combing. My Husband remembers the fight at the Toy dolls gig :help:.He remember the Mau Maus the gig where they were recording a live album
I remember Becky Bondage getting coverd in spit ( yuk ):gag: n putting a blanket around her.
We also used to go to Rebels down Dixon Lane, every week it said it was the last night so everyone made sure they had a really good night.
Sheffield was a really good place to be a punk . You could go down town and meet up with your mates no need to phone them just go to the peace gardens or Woolworth cafe ( those were the days) .Where have all the good times gone? Does anyone remember the punx picnic in the park at Weston Park ? There are plenty of things we dont remember too many Barley wines me thinks.:gag:

:hihi:My husband and I ( sound like the queen) remember the gigs at the Marpels, I remember taking extra toys with me for the get in with a toy and giving them to punx waiting to get in who had none.
I remember doing my hair in the toilets stood next to Annie from Dirt n thinking she looked so good .That hair of hers must have took some right back combing. My Husband remembers the fight at the Toy dolls gig :help:.He remember the Mau Maus the gig where they were recording a live album
I remember Becky Bondage getting coverd in spit ( yuk ):gag: n putting a blanket around her.
We also used to go to Rebels down Dixon Lane, every week it said it was the last night so everyone made sure they had a really good night.
Sheffield was a really good place to be a punk . You could go down town and meet up with your mates no need to phone them just go to the peace gardens or Woolworth cafe ( those were the days) .Where have all the good times gone? Does anyone remember the punx picnic in the park at Weston Park ? There are plenty of things we dont remember too many Barley wines me thinks.:gag:

Unfortunetly i missed all the punk gigs at the marples as im not as old as you and Martin.

Unfortunetly i missed all the punk gigs at the marples as im not as old as you and Martin.
You are a bit cheeky arnt you !!!

You are a bit cheeky arnt you !!!

I am and yes you do sound like the queen.
Realised who you are when i read the post on the sheffield skinhead thread about the embarrassing dad dancing and taking your 16 yr old daughter with you.

:hihi:My husband and I ( sound like the queen) remember the gigs at the Marpels, I remember taking extra toys with me for the get in with a toy and giving them to punx waiting to get in who had none.
I remember doing my hair in the toilets stood next to Annie from Dirt n thinking she looked so good .That hair of hers must have took some right back combing. My Husband remembers the fight at the Toy dolls gig :help:.He remember the Mau Maus the gig where they were recording a live album
I remember Becky Bondage getting coverd in spit ( yuk ):gag: n putting a blanket around her.
We also used to go to Rebels down Dixon Lane, every week it said it was the last night so everyone made sure they had a really good night.
Sheffield was a really good place to be a punk . You could go down town and meet up with your mates no need to phone them just go to the peace gardens or Woolworth cafe ( those were the days) .Where have all the good times gone? Does anyone remember the punx picnic in the park at Weston Park ? There are plenty of things we dont remember too many Barley wines me thinks.:gag:

live at the marples...awesome album that, love it

and yeah...beardys cheeky :P

live at the marples...awesome album that, love it

and yeah...beardys cheeky :P

Do you know beardy? Or are you older like us two? Do you remember Dinwalls beer Keller they also had some good bands on there. Can you remember the names of any of the old punks and are you still in contact with any .I would love to contact some of my old mates we did have some fun. We've seen big John a few times did you know him and his Slaughter and the dogs scarf !!!!

I remember coming out of Rebels after punk night and getting the biggest chip butty ever from greasy Adears ( i still can not spell) covered with red sauce they tasted so good then running up to high street for the last bus.

I am and yes you do sound like the queen.
Realised who you are when i read the post on the sheffield skinhead thread about the embarrassing dad dancing and taking your 16 yr old daughter with you.

Just checked out the photos of you when you were in that band with Nick how young do you then. Nick just looks the same must be all that keep fit and healthy living LOL. :hihi:

Just checked out the photos of you when you were in that band with Nick how young do you then. Nick just looks the same must be all that keep fit and healthy living LOL. :hihi:

You dont know melthebell but your other half does he was after your time where have you found the band photos were they on his site or have you got some.
That playlist things pretty good sean.

You dont know melthebell but your other half does he was after your time where have you found the band photos were they on his site or have you got some.
That playlist things pretty good sean.

Saw the photos on his site you have seen them already as you have make a quote on there, saying that you havent been taken by little green men. Well were did you go then?

tinkerbell im abit younger than you.....i think (just caught the end of the limit, missed the marples i think) but im older than beardy

old skool punks i used to know?? hmmmmmm
i used to hang around the peace gardens with the likes of nick, mixmiff, soldier, irish glenn, big shaun, little shaun, 10 men, tommy, froggy, pat, also lived with steveo (goth for a time up pitsmoor) - sorry the people ive forgotten
i also knew a few of the sheffield anarchists (jesus, mozaz, barns, joel, sue etc), used to hang around with all the metallers / thrashers from the gardens, wap, yorkshiremen too

Its good to remember the days !!! Me Froggy Pat Mixmif still go to many of the gigs and weekenders now even tho im usually the driver !!! and they are still as good and we are regulars around town Frog and parrot, Nelson, Dove some days its like its never changed apart from got a bit more money now and Froggy and Pat can buy the Tshirts instead of " borrowing them of peoples back " :hihi::hihi:.

Thanx for that but really wanted to find people i knew from before then ( oh i'm so old ).
Any old punk girls out there who used to go Rebels etc what you doin now .Now my kids are nearly grown up i've started going out a bit .Can not do the make up any more like i used to too many wrinkels ( dont you even say anything Beardy).
I think that you know my husband Garvey .

tell froggy we'll have to meet up for a pint in the frog n parrot or someat next time im down sheff (not very often tho i must admit :( )

would be good to see mixmiff and pat again too

Thanx for that but really wanted to find people i knew from before then ( oh i'm so old ).
Any old punk girls out there who used to go Rebels etc what you doin now .Now my kids are nearly grown up i've started going out a bit .Can not do the make up any more like i used to too many wrinkels ( dont you even say anything Beardy).
I think that you know my husband Garvey .
aaaaaaaaaah now i know how you know beardy........i used to know garvey abit too.not as much granted

tell froggy we'll have to meet up for a pint in the frog n parrot or someat next time im down sheff (not very often tho i must admit :( )

would be good to see mixmiff and pat again too

Just PM me the next time your around and i will arrange it.

Do you know beardy? Or are you older like us two? Do you remember Dinwalls beer Keller they also had some good bands on there. Can you remember the names of any of the old punks and are you still in contact with any .I would love to contact some of my old mates we did have some fun. We've seen big John a few times did you know him and his Slaughter and the dogs scarf !!!!


You knew Big John ?!! I must know you by sight then,I used to knock around with John a lot,I remember the police constantly telling him to remove his bullet belt!
I was a Sheffield punk from about 1979 til coming to Germany in 1984.I used to follow the Stranglers all over the country,we even went on the French tour in 1983.
In the early 80's I used to go to the saturday night disco down the polytechnic with my then punkette girlfriend Ruth,(she is now a lab technician or some such thing in York),and a load of other punks including Big John.
Also to Mona Lisa's,Rebels etc.

would you like to reminisce your old stories of back then in my book I am writing.If so please contact me at rotherpunk@aol.com

I will be in touch.

so does anybody know the actual time frame of when punk gigs started dying at the marples (and also other venues)?

my first gig was at the hallamshire hotel, 24th april 1986
toxic toys, systematic annex, dead meat

then after that it was a conflict gig in rotherham, afterwards it seemed to be all bands like uk subs, conflict, chumbawamba (then grindier bands) all the bands like exploited, toy dolls, mau maus etc seemed to stop playing around there?

I remeber having a poster from when the exploited played at the marples when i was about 14 and they had stopped then but i think only just so id reckon about 83 84ish.
mY first gig was the subs at take two club supported by the bland another great venue lost.

I saw the exploited at the Marples.
My first ever punk gig was the Buzzcocks and Joy Division at the top rank in 1979 when I was 17.
I saw the subs at the rank a couple of times and at the limit,last saw them in Hildesheim in 1996 at the KuFa.

I remeber having a poster from when the exploited played at the marples when i was about 14 and they had stopped then but i think only just so id reckon about 83 84ish.
mY first gig was the subs at take two club supported by the bland another great venue lost.

i remember walking past the marples and seeing an old exploited poster stuck to the wall outside...mustve been one of the last.

might be this one beardy - 16th october 1987 - take 2 uk subs, the bland
my 8th gig :P

yeah that will be the one we ended up walking home cos we had no taxi money spent it all on beer think ive still got the tape of it somewhere.

I need memories of the marples punk gigs for my book I am writing. i havent got much at all yet so it coiuld end up being unrepresented which is a shame...Can u remember these ones Chelsea...angelic upstarts...vice squad..outcasts...anti-pasti...the wall...chron gen...uk subs etc..Please email me at rotherpunk@aol.com

The last gig at the Marples was The Toy Dolls, one of the skinheads wrapped a stool over someone's head and that was it, no more gigs. I remember going there a couple of times a week at one period. Infa Riot for some reason always use't to get a big crowd. After that I remember Marcus managing The Exploited and Mau Maus for a while but after one short tour, Lets Start A War, that was it. The last Mau Maus gig in Sheffield was the Infa Riot/Mau Maus gig at The Leadmill I think, closely followed by Chelsea/Meteors/Anti-Pasti which was the last thing Marcus put on.

I'm pretty sure the last gig at the marples was the angelic upstarts, the exploited played the same week, I remember cus it snowed all week and we had to walk into town cus the buses couldn't get up to the wybourn, and we thought the gig would be off, but it wasn't. There weren't many people in though.

Wasn't the Upstarts Jake, the last time they played the Mau Maus supported, that was around the time they had their England single out - I remember those two gigs and it was defo the Toy Dolls gig that was the last event there.

They fitted snooker tables after that gig. The Exploited still had Big John on guitar for the Marples gigs as well, which put it at least a year before it closed.

Did any one on here see the ADICTS at dingwalls, they played to about 30 people and now they're massive in the states. Took froggy to his first gig THE DAMNED at dingwalls I think I was the only one who was over16 at the time, bands I saw at dings, adicts, test tube babies (couple of times), bad brains, the original english dogs (first UK tour) GBH, the alarm, the damned. the leadmill also had cool bands on from time to time, but I'll shut up cus I'll be here all day. (ex member of toixc toys he he)

I remember the gigs at Dingwalls, man the bouncers where rough in there. Saw Bad Brains, Addicts, Big Country, Sisters Of Mercy and loads more.

Thinking about Dingwalls, Black Flag had a live show video'd and released from there.

Yeah Dingwalls didn't last long though did it.. I saw Glen Matlocks band 'London Cowboys' there..Big Country played there twice as well and live they were really good..didn't reckon much to their records though, especially after the first couple anyway.
others were Vibrators, damned, Richard Hell, Hanoi Rocks.

I must be getting old demetia and all that, yeah i remember the bouncers being rough as a bears a''se, got thrown out of a couple of shows for dancing a bit too wildly, saw adam and the ants at the limit and gen X very early 79ish.
also saw some free rock on the rates gigs a bit later, damned, uk subs, exploited at the pheonix hall (NMB) had to bunk off school to get tickets from this little caravan in ponds street from Marcus Featherbrain

I remember those free gigs were they the ones that you got in free with a dole card? If they were i remember borrowing a card off someone as i was at college. I saw the higson but they were booed off the stage and the Bow Bow wow came on .I was on the news it was right funny seeing myself at the gig.
Ialso remember going to Dingwalls n saw lots of bands .We used to go down London to see bands at the 100 club .I remember one day we saw Charlie Harper and asked him if he was going to see Conflict that night he was not impressed with us and said we are playing tonight ( opps) we went to see conflict though carnt remember if they were good or not.

Hello.... any 1 intterested in this gig ??
sat nov 29 @ THE GRAPES
THE WARRIORS
SKYEDGE
BULLETKINGS
SAt nov 29TH
£5 otd..
ta
d

Hi guys my name is Mick,
I'm from liverpool & used to do a fanzine in the 80's mostly covering our scene at PlanetX but with contributions from friend from chesterfield attending gigs over at Sheffield leadmill etc called Debbie. Anyone remember the zine or Debbie?
Anyhow I'm trying to find stuff about the original Sheffield scene of the 77.
Anyone on here remember . . .
GunRubber or Adi's band 2.3
gigs at the penthouse or going to craisy daisy's.
When did Asylum open? nearly forgot Rare & Racy!
What about early Cab Voltaire gigs when they had the angry brigade films as backdrop, or was that clock dva!

You knew Big John ?!! I must know you by sight then,I used to knock around with John a lot,I remember the police constantly telling him to remove his bullet belt!
I was a Sheffield punk from about 1979 til coming to Germany in 1984.I used to follow the Stranglers all over the country,we even went on the French tour in 1983.
In the early 80's I used to go to the saturday night disco down the polytechnic with my then punkette girlfriend Ruth,(she is now a lab technician or some such thing in York),and a load of other punks including Big John.
Also to Mona Lisa's,Rebels etc.

I remember Big John his dad owned a bakery I went to Manchester airport for a day out once in the escort van with two girls Ange was one can't remember the other. Sqaushed in the back amongst the smell of dohnuts & bread baskets. We also had a mega day out in the van to Eyam christ knows how many were crushed in the van. We were run out of town by the villagers with dogs, what a laugh.
I remember loads of folk from both Marples & Rebels., Dog, Rat, Grant the postie who loved Killing joke, Frosty who had a fling with Eddie Tenpole, Big John, Jamie, Nick from the record shop attached to the Leadmill.
A student was doing a photo shoot of Punks and we all went upto a grave yard off Ecclesall Road to a vanalised building in the grave yard where she shot loads of pics of us posing and I think they was some folk on the glue as well, not me I hasten to add, wish I could see these now to give my kids a laugh
Fantastic days Sheffield was good for Punks.

As a 17 year old punk I lived in same house and helped Marcus Featherby organise the gigs, some gigs i did organise by myself however and never took credit. Just got slagged off in the book about Sheffield Band history, by people who themselves were no hopers at 17. Oh well.
Marcus never got the credit he deserved, he had a great hand in making the sheffield scene at that time come alive, he gets criticised for not creating a record label like factory in Manchester (which got money off Virgin), the pair of us lived off my Giro, but we brought out many records and organised scores of gigs. AND the gigs were great, next to no trouble in all that time, the one pub bouncer who never raised his hand. Bring a toy (no money) gigs to give womens refuge kids a good xmas. All the good punk bands of the day, and skinhead bands played. I organised an Oi Against Racism gig myself. The bands that played were bands that people asked us to put on (I didn't like the Oi bands).
Marcus actually organised the Rock on the Rates thing although the Leadmill lot took what credit they could.
Most of that history has never been told the ones that have written were at the time, so into being cool rather than doing something that they missed it.
Marcus was in London, at least up until 3 months ago.
Great shame he never got the respect he deserved!

He also ripped a lot of people off nobody saw a penny from the wargasm album which he financed by puttin up the house he was renting off me i got grief for years after that
apart from that your right he did do a lot for the sheffield music scene he discoverd ARTERY so all is forgiven

You knew Big John ?!! I must know you by sight then,I used to knock around with John a lot,I remember the police constantly telling him to remove his bullet belt!
I was a Sheffield punk from about 1979 til coming to Germany in 1984.I used to follow the Stranglers all over the country,we even went on the French tour in 1983.
In the early 80's I used to go to the saturday night disco down the polytechnic with my then punkette girlfriend Ruth,(she is now a lab technician or some such thing in York),and a load of other punks including Big John.
Also to Mona Lisa's,Rebels etc.

I also knew Big John really well, and his mate Chris who he knocked around with for a while.
Years later, my husband and his mate put central heating in for John!!
Yep, his parents did own a bakery and we always used to say to him that he was a millionaire punk!!He was a good bloke though!!

I used to go to marples in the seventies it used to be the meeting place for people on stag and hen nights,we had some great times,as I remember the live bands were downstairs and the disco was upstairs,we prefered it up stairs,I never knew when we were boogying in there what a terrible thing happened when sheffield was bombed and marples took a direct hit,70 people were buried alive and most of there remains had to stay there because they coulnt get them out,if only we knew we were dancing on peoples graves,how ironic is it that I know work for ladbrokes in the basement for ladbrokes,sometimes the hair on the back of my neck stands up for no reason and I feel as though someone is behind me when there is no one there,the bike shop above us has said that large items have been moved of shelves ect when they have opened up in the morning one day three full sets of biker gear was laid out in the middle of the room when the staff opened up one morning,apart from all theses strange happenings Iam amazed that I am not really scared but when I have to go into the cellar I always keep my eyes closed till the light comes on just in case