Far right skins attack Scritti Politti at Rock Against Racism gig in Hitchin, 1979

In July 1979 Scritti Politti played a benefit for Stevenage Rock Against Racism at Hitchin College, supported by Acme Sewage Company (a punk band from Welwyn Garden City)

Advert for the gig, from NME, 7 July 1979

As reported in the local paper, the Stevenage Comet, a gang of skindeads 'attacked members of the crowd, charged the band and tried to smash up their equipment'. The trouble apparently started during Scritti's second number and the paper reports that 'lead singer Tom was cut on the head when he appealed to the skinheads to behave'. I assume this refers to Scritti drummer Tom Morley, rather than the singer Green Gartside. Not a great night for the band as their transit van was in an accident on the way home.  The report also mentions that jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill was playing with the band.

'Skinheads attack crowd at rock dance' - report from the Stevenage Comet, 11 July 1979 and follow up letter. From Hertfordshire Archives.

Gareth Dent from Stevenage RAR wrote to complain about the paper's coverage, not denying what had happened but stating that it only involved 5 or 6 skinheads, and not all the skinheads present joined in. I assume Gareth also wrote the article in local zine Tooth and Nail which makes similar points and mentions  that 'a fight took place between members of the band, Stevenage RAR, the person handling the PA and about five skinheads', after which Scritti completed their set.

Tooth and Nail, 1979

Further background on Stevenage RAR, which included legendary Hertfordshire underground figure Mark Astronaut,  is given in Marcus Blakeston's excellent book 'Survivors: 45 year of the Astronauts': 

'The Stevenage branch of Rock Against Racism was formed by husband and wife David and Janice Tittle, who began by handing out flyers around the town inviting people to attend a meeting at the Red Lion, a pub on the High Street. From this they recruited Jeremy Wiltshire, Shaun and Christine Manning, and Gareth Dent. Gareth worked for The Guardian in London, so he became the local branch's main contact with RAR head office, while Jeremy had some accounting experience so he was a natural choice as treasurer. Despite having no formal training in graphic design, Gareth also created all their promotional material and, with help from Shaun and Christine, liaised with venues and booked bands to play at their events.

Stevenage's main live music venue at the time was the council-run youth club at Bowes Lyon House, but due to a media-induced fear of 'punk riots' they refused to allow the newly established Stevenage Rock Against Racism to host any gigs there. Instead, they were forced to turn to Hitchin College seven miles away. This was a venue Mark Astronaut frequented on a regular basis, and during the inaugural RAR event there a mutual friend introduced him to Gareth and Christine. Sharing their antiracist views and keen to help out in any way he could, Mark then started attending RAR branch meetings in Stevenage and got to know the other committee members.

While most of the gigs held at Hitchin College went smoothly, playing under a Rock Against Racism banner inevitably attracted attention from the far-right from time to time. When they booked the unashamedly Marxist band Scritti Politti one night the venue was invaded by racist skinheads who gave Nazi salutes while the band played. "There was loads of them at the front," Mark remembers, "going 'Sieg heil, Sieg heil,' and the singer said something like 'All you skinheads think you're so hard, we can have you any time!' -which I thought probably wasn't the best thing to say under the circumstances, considering how many of them were there. Then of course it all erupted and there was a big fight."'

[I have to say that Mark's recollection many years after the event may not be completely accurate - the Tooth and Nail report states that a member of Scritti appealed for the skinheads to stop rather than inviting them for a fight. The band were more inclined to the intellectual side of Marxism than to streetfighting, but I stand to be corrected.

Mark Astronaut later contributed to a track on a Stevenage Rock Against Racism EP.

See previously:

Hitchin demonstration against the National Front 1971

Far right skinheads attack Redskins at GLC gig 1984.

Hackney Volcano Festival 2000

Continuing series of scanning in old flyers of things I went to in ancient times, or should I say documenting priceless cultural history artifacts, here's the programme for Hackney Volcano Festival held on Hackney marshes in August 2000. 

This was a legal free festival, seemingly with some Millennium related funding, but featured lots of performers, sound systems etc. from the free party, punk and other scenes. The line up included for instance Luton's Exodus Collective, Out of Order Sound System (with Liberator DJs), Hackney punk system Reknaw and Homegrown radio (UK hip-hop). Reggae writer Penny Reel was on the Solution Sound System and Bobby Friction was on 'Purple Banana's Conscious Clubbing stage'.  Squatting/festival magazine Squall was trying to 'put some revolutionary stance back in the dance' and bands included benefit gig stalwarts P.A.I.N., Inner Terrestrials and The Astronauts. Quite a cross section of turn of the century London musical subcultures. Shame I can only really remember the Miniscule of Sound - 'the world's smallest nightclub' -  a tiny booth with a disco ball!

See also:

Festival of Global Rights, Hackney Marshes, 1997

Farewell Mark Astronaut

photo from Astronauts on facebook

Sad to hear of the death this week of Mark Astronaut (Mark Wilkins). I saw his band The Astronauts a number of times in the mid-1980s playing at anarcho-punk gigs, I believe for the first time at the Blockers Arms in Luton in February 1985 which I noted in my diary: 'really good, songs a bit like the early Bowie meets The Mob with a sense of humour, e.g. 'this one's about urban disintegration - it's also about darts'.  Also remember a gig in Mark's home town of Welwyn Garden City, again with Karma and Hertford indie-poppers The McTells and at various squat gigs in London. 

The Astronauts kept at it with various line ups from the later 1970s through to this year, to those in the know Mark was one of the great lost songwriters but they were perhaps too unique to fit in with any particular scene.  On the anarcho-punk scene for instance their folky melodies were a bit of an anomaly, though All the Madmen records did release their great 'It's All Done by Mirrors' album in 1983. 

image from discogs

Like many bands in that period they played various benefit gigs including one  with the Redskins for striking miners at  Welwyn's Woodhall Community Centre in 1984. Earlier in 1979, under the name Restricted Hours, they had contributed to a Stevenage Rock Against Racism EP

image from Discogs

Last year in November I went to one of my first post-Covid gigs at the New Cross Inn in SE London, to see another set of anarcho-punk survivors Zounds supported by Hagar the Womb. I saw a long haired figure with a covid mask on and immediately recognised Mark Astronaut who I hadn't seen for 30 years. He joined Zounds on stage for a guest vocal on You Can't Cheat Karma, and I chatted to him briefly afterwards before he headed off to get his train back to Welwyn. He told me that the Astronauts had some gigs coming up and that a book about him was coming out soon - I haven't got round to getting a copy yet of Survivors - 45 years of the Astronauts, but by all accounts its a great history not just of the band but of the punk/alternative scenes around his part of the world. 

Mark Astronaut with Zounds at New Cross Inn in November 2021

I went to see The Astronauts at Club 85 in Hitchin only a few weeks ago, playing with Blyth Power and Pog. They were great, nobody knew then that would be one of his last gigs. So long and thank you Peter Pan of the suburbs.

The Astronauts at Club 85 in Hitchin in May 2022

 

See also

https://thehippiesnowwearblack.org.uk/2022/07/11/mark-wilkins-founder-member-and-frontman-of-the-astronauts-dies/