GDANSK ON SONAR RECORDS
“Now available for download, and 12” 33 rpm vinyl the tracks on the ‘Prospect Street’ EP were produced by Gdansk and written by Danny Cunningham and Gdansk.
The Cunningham / Gdansk penned track, ‘Stand Up’ was issued as a pre-release single in Spain and is available on the Sonar 25th Anniversary album.
Line up: Michael O’Rourke (vocals), Graham Stansfield (lead guitar), Christopher Hollsworth (rhythm guitar), William Campbell (bass), Christopher Cooper (drums).
Managed by Fred Burden, they came second in 1964’s ‘Big Beat Contest’. They later cut some demos at Panthos Studios, turning professional in 1965. Stansfield and O’Rourke went on to The Image.
This track, One More Fool, was the opener for the first gig in 27 years, at the Drayton Court, West Ealing, London, on 2nd August 2008. The night raised £1500 for a childhood leukaemia research charity as well as a few eyebrows at Johnny’s wig and Stan’s naked torso. After gigging around Coventry for a couple of years from 1979, giving support slots to a nascent Napalm Death and providing Stan Campbell with his first gig (before he went on to sing ‘Free Nelson Mandela’ for Special AKA), the Human Cabbages appeared on the ‘Boys and Girls Come Out To Play’ compilation 7″ and made an EP, ‘The Witch’. John Peel played the records once or twice but the odd distraction got in the way in the shape of careers, families and general relocation to disparate quarters meaning that rehearsals became kind of less frequent and the Human Cabbages just never got around to arranging another gig. Then, in 2005, out of the blue an email came from avid US collector, Chuck Warner in Massachusetts asking if he could put ‘The Witch’ on his ‘Messthetics 103′ Midlands DIY compilation CD. So now you can buy the Human Cabbages at Tescos (well, online at least). The track’s been played on US college radio stations as well as Stuart Maconie’s Freakzone (BBC6) so it was high time for another gig. There had been a spontaneous reunion at Steve Teers’ wedding in 2006 when it was noticed that there would be 5 Human Cabbages in the same room. But the singer of ‘The Witch’, Rosa Roberts, had long since disappeared, until that is, an article in the Coventry Telegraph led to Rosa calling Steve and arranging lunch… Plans to play a ‘hometown tour’ of the band’s current hometowns of Newcastle, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Coventry and London are a twinkle in the collective Cabbage-eyes. Voice: Rosa Roberts Bass: Stan Horton Guitar: Johnny Fagznbooze Keys/trombone: Steve Teers Drums: Steve Williams
THE HUMAN CABBAGES: ONE MORE FOOL (Steve Teers) Live @ the Drayton Court
AIR RAID SHELTER revisited, Human Cabbages
Outside Woodbine Studios
Current 6 piece country covers band based in Coventry. Playing songs about drinking, heart break and trucking.
“Honky Tonk Rose always promise their audiences “three chords & the truth” but on this occasion they also served up, appropriately for the occasion, thematically appropriate songs: Honky Tonk Rose play country music they tell us, but they play from a broad palette which embraces associated genres such as country swing, cajun & r&b and range from the well known to covers of artists not even band members themselves all knew: ” Andy Holdcroft
Homicide 1979
Ray of Homicide was the same Ray of International Megastars fame
(Sources – Rex Brough – Alternative Sounds / Pete Chambers – Godiva Rocks)
Pete Chambers in Godiva Rocks recalls.
” Original punkers from the mid 70’s include Homicide – led by Bev – Coventry Queen of punk. I will never forget seeing her at Mr Georges on one Thursday punk night wearing just a string vest. If that was punk, I thought to myself, I want in! Homicide were loud, played songs like Genocide and Armageddon (featured on the Sent From Coventry compilation) and they could be found playing mostly at the Swanswell Tavern.”
And from Alternative Sounds issue 5
Holy Thief
Martin Neil Packer was a member of this band from around 2017. They seem to have split up as their Facebook page has disappeared. However – there is video of them at The Tin Angel in Coventry and others.
The song – Lesser of all Evils – Holy Thief.
Holy Thief – Sympathy @ The Tin 2/9/17
HIGHWAY-MAN
c 1974 or before.
My knowledge of this band came from Brian (‘Alice’ his disco I think) from Nuneaton. He sent a letter to use at Hobo (Coventry Music and Arts Magazine) and we visited a disco in Nuneaton run by Dream Disco and the Sunshine Music Agency in 1974. We were over in Nuneaton to find out more about the music scene in Nuneaton and sell copies of Hobo. While there we met a guy called Brian who said he would send some info on Nuneaton bands. (His subsequent letter is presented here).
