Milk and alcohol

Milk and alcohol - you weren't expecting that, were you?  You came here expecting to see some hedges, or maybe the sea, or even a sheep or two, didn't you?  Well it's Friday and believe it or not once upon a time I was young and took snaps of things other than the sea.  For a few years in my teenage years I went to whatever bands came this way - and sometimes I even had a camera with me. It's surprising the things you come across in Paterson negative sleeves which have been stored away for the last 36 years...

So, just for a change, here are some shots of Dr Feelgood, taken about 1979 in this place.  Now I appreciate Dr Feelgood might not be your thing, but for a 16 year old spotty youth, in a concert hall alongside a few hundred other lads&lasses of similar age, armed with an OM-1 loaded with FP4 and perhaps a 100mm f/2.8 lens I look at these now and think they aren't too bad.

Lee Brilleaux, blasting it out in 1979

Dr Feelgood were a proper band.  If you are of a certain age, you might remember 'Milk and Alcohol' - otherwise you'd better YouTube it and then wonder what happened to the music scene (actually that's a bit harsh - from what I can see there are a lot of talented people still playing real music - it's just the untalented ones that seem to get all the media attention).  Sadly Mr Brilleaux is no longer with us, succumbing to Lymphoma at the age of 41.  Too young, basically.

Lee Brilleaux clearly dressed up for the occasion, whereas Gypie Mayo here looks like he's borrowed his grandad's old gear.  On the plus side though he did know what he was about when it came to pluckn' them strings...

Nice suit, Gypie

Here's what they looked like just before they went on stage (The Brother and I had friends in low places in them days, capice?).

Dr Feelgood, 1979

What a great bunch of lads, eh?  Looks more like a police line-up than a bunch of rhythm and blues artists about to entertain, doesn't it.  The giveaway is the bottle that Mr Mayo is clinging on to, nearly - but not quite - out of shot.

In those days it was easy - I just took a camera out, loaded it with film and snapped away, not knowing any better.  Nowadays, what with the Internet and all, you get to doubt yourself, worry about your 'personal EI' and things like that.  In my youth I just set my ASA to box speed, got out there and took some snaps, came home and asked mum if she didn't mind me developing them in the kitchen - usually about an hour before tea-time on a Saturday evening, if I remember correctly.  Life was simpler then.