Grappler

Hi Gritter, they are all names from way back for me, not seen most of them since the mid 70's, although I once saw Diane Palmer on a late night bus coming home on a Saturday night when she would have been about 19 years old. Carl Littlewood and Pete Wood sometimes came up to Herdings to see Eddie and Barney and those lads, thats how I knew them, Paul Butcher (was he called Paul?) I met at Samantha's night club one night, I got on fine with him but everyone said he was a nutter! I went to the hotpants 70's disco a few years ago and seeing all the women dressed in flares and platform shoes reminded me of Diane Palmer and co.!!!

I think there were some Jubbs at Gleadless Valley

Look in the phone book for "Glen Robinson", mate of mine from Gleadless valley, lived in Perth for about 15 years I think?

Darryll Whittaker was at Granville College with me for three years after school doing Electrical Engineering. Great lad, used to give me a lift home to the John O Gaunt after. His younger brother was called Wayne I think? How did the name "lala" come about? we all called him that at college as well! He was going out with Tracey Jennings for ages, anyone remember her? Nice looking girl, or her sister Corrine? or Diane Palmer or Angela Cheetham or Rose Cartledge or Pauline Fletcher or Karen Smith or??......hmmm it just seems to be girls that I remember! mind you I remember Carl Littlewood, Pete Wood, Butcher, Bebsy, Dean Wall and a few lads as well

Does anyone remember about 10 years ago when Weston Park Museum had a display of old Sheffield bands material? Posters, clippings from the Star, pictures, records, brought back loads of great memories for me. I still have some stuff up in the attic I think, must look one day!

I once helped Martin to sell NMX in the "Basement Club" which was actually the punk night at Rebels near the Castle Market, the band on were called Destroy all Monsters, I ended up helping on the door there a few times for Marcus.

Trevor Jones!!! that was it, I know all the girls I knew fancied him, good looking lad, used to walk around the Limit with little teddy bears tied to his wrists for some reason. Yes it was Duane Willey, we went to school together and knocked about together a bit as young lads, he lived near the Horse and Groom pub at Gleadless Valley when he was young. Roofing accident at work as you say. If you were in the Limit same era as me (along with your sister) then I bet I would have recognised you back then, it was 90% the same crowd every Saturday night for years.

He was a great laugh, we used to meet up on a Saturday afternoon, all dressed in our Fred Perry shirts and Slazenger jumpers and Tank would go in the sex shop on Division street and pick things up and say "what's this for mister.....what about this one mister, what do you do with this?" until we got chucked out! If I can work out how to get pictures on here I will put one up of Tank and his girlfriend in the Limit, was she called Melanie?

Classic picture!!! "Dangerous Times" was the title of the Bethnall LP if I remember correctly, I went out an bought the 12" single the day after the gig, called "Don't Do It". The picture of yours shows the original location of the stage of course, at the side, before it became the raised up seating area. Happy days!!!!!

I remember doing that a few times, it seemed like a massive adventure when we were little, walking from the John O'Gaunt to the Horse and Groom and then climbing up the slopes underneath. I remember being about 11 years old and my mate meeting his girlfriend there, she was called something like Maxine Swaby, if that sounds right?

Did the Boyces have a daughter called Diane? and did the Gibsons have a daughter called Collette? or am I getting mixed up with different familes? Collette Gibson was definitely from somewhere near the Horse and Groom area. I still bump into Keith Gooden in town occasionally, he did a stint as a model I think?

Thanks for putting the record straight on a very tough subject. That sense of community you spoke about is so true, we all still talk about it whenever we meet up (all the John O'Gaunt/Hemsworth mob), and crossing over into the other area's (like the Far Lees/Wyvern areas, usually to see a girl in my case!) was always like a secret mission across enemy lines! Great days though, great days.... I knew Pete Eason from his days as singer in The Negatives, nice lad, got into web site design if I am not mistaken.

David was nicknamed "Dusty" and was in my class in Hemsworth Juniors, Michael was the youngest I think, and the sister was Christine. A blast from the past!

"I am the fly" - yes another legendary Limit record! I also knew a Duane that died? Could be the same lad. I knew Delroy and Trigger to say hello to, nothing more, I think they hung out with Malc Emmett and Alan Clarke in the early days. I remember a big lad called Tiny, must be the same lad, built like Giant Haystacks! and another big lad called "Tank" who was really called Russ from Woodhouse, he was a good lad. Pat and Sue were (I think) the two girls who hung out with Ian Williams? The glass collector in shorts was called Barry I think, worked at the pit and told them all he was a bouncer at The Limit. Now for a real blast from the past, for all you that went to the Limit in my era (77 - 85ish), who remembers Sheffield's answer to Boy George and Maralyn, all rolled into one, Trevor!!!! He was called something like Trevor Houcher or something like that, tall lad, well built but with the most immaculate make up you ever saw. My wife (girlfriend at the time) and all her mates used to always comment on how he was better than any woman at choosing and applying make up. They all thought he was really good looking. Fast forward to the mid 80's and I am sure he appeared in a Sunday paper as the latest pop discovery of Mickie Most (if you remember him), or someone like that. Only they had totally changed his image, cut his hair short, and he was lying down in the picture, topless with jeans on, looking like a he-man, nothing like his Limit days persona. As far as I recall, his day job was working at the Manpower building at the bottom of the Moor. Wonder whatever happened to him?????

Me and the wife had VIP cards and went down but they only played about 2 songs when I was there that were from the old days, the rest was all new stuff, some of it good, some not so good, but there were not many young ones in either, which was not a good sign.

Cheers Trouncer, all great bands that you mentioned above. I saw the Specials live at the Limit before they had any records out, and Madness, The Beat, Selecter, etc. Iggy songs I remember were Lust for Life, The Passenger and I'm Bored, Devo was Whip it and Through Being Cool, Psychodelic Furs would be Pretty in Pink of course!!!! I agree, maybe it's an age thing, but the thought of being stood in the Limit on a Saturday night listening to all those songs again sounds like heaven.

Correct radez, I went all the way to the John O' Gaunt on that bus.

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!!!

Didn't Tsi-Tsa become Mrs. Beech? Tsi-Tsa were the local rival band to ours, we were called "The Bloc" but we only ever played two gigs and then folded. Tsi-Tsa (original line-up) had Mick "Daisy" Day and Rob "Dingo" Dowling on vocals, Paul "Becky" Beighton on bass (who sadly died quite young), Richard Anderson on guitar (who I think went on to be in Vitamin Z) and Mick Miller on drums.

I saw the Strangers at the Grapes last year, my son's band, The Pickups, were supporting.

I saw Artery loads of times, they were one of the best bands during that era, my daughter bought me two Artery CD's at Christmas and if I close my eyes while they are on it's just like being back at one of their gigs. Mirror Crack'd were on TV once, the singer was called "Rick" I think? I remeber all the others to varying degrees as well. Anyone remember Reactor? They went on to become Molodoy, I remember seeing them support Sham 69 in 1978 at the Students UNion place.

I remember seeing them on Saturday afternoons on Fargate and saw them at a wedding last year, only original one is (I think) the guitarist, Steve, who looks EXACTLY the same as he did back then and does not seem to have aged at all!!!!!

Mick didnt die on a football pitch, he passed away in hospital with Laurie by his side, such a tragic waste. Laurie gave me Micks wallet which I will always keep. yes I think I was getting him mixed up with someone else who married a girl from that area.

local band "Van" do a nice acoustic set, check them out on http://www.myspace.com/vansheffield Also seen a guy called Shaun Mac, brilliant performer, voice a bit like Sting, a bit husky, recommended.

Also, a quick note to any fans of legendary Sheffield band "Artery", there is a great compilation CD out called Afterwards, includes all of their stuff including unreleased tracks and an awesome 6 minute version of the track "Afterwards", put the CD on and shut your eyes and it's like being upstairs at the Marples all over again!