When We Could Be Kings

 

Once upon a time, many years ago in a different distant land, when we were young and felt like Kings, my best mate Phil and I chanced across a watering hole in Oxford called the Corn Dolly, featuring 'live music'.  This must have been sometime mid '79.  We went down the steps and saw a sign pronouncing 'live tonight....The Never Never Band'.  I remember we bought a pint and went and sat down the front on the small lip of a stage waiting to be 'entertained'  First down came a guy in silver pants, long curly hair and this stupid lop-sided grin on his face.  Sweat band at the ready, guitar in hand.  I think I may have asked him if he'd come as Co-Co the clown.....that night was the start of something very special in both mine and Phil's lives, something,as still best mates today, some 28 years later, we still talk about in hushed, knowing terms, the Never Never Band Experience.

After that chance encounter we would both trek down to the Dolly as often as we could from our 'homes' at RAF Brize Norton to see this wonderful live experience.  More often than not we would drag along some of our mates from the camp, who would be instantly smitten.  Painting the ceilings as Neil would announce Painters Clouds and hi-stepping like demented maniacs to Taking Pills.  More often than not we would have to miss the last bus back to Carterton and would drunkenly hitch along the A40, ears still buzzing from the wall of sound that was the Corn Dolly, with stupid grins on our faces.  Neil’s enthusiasm was always totally infectious.

Phil (Taff) got posted overseas later that year and my memories are more than muddled by too much alcohol and the ravages of time.  However, for some inexplicable reason, I kept a diary of sorts for 1980 so I can recall the dates and where and when I got along to see the boys.  By now I was on speaking terms with the band.  Dane was always a bit aloof, Paul always seemed pretty shy, Neil was a top bloke and Bryan was always real approachable and often threw me a drum stick at the end of a gig.....or maybe threw it at me!!!!

15th Jan 1980 I dragged 4 of my mates from Uxbridge half way across London Town to the Bridge House in Canning Town.  This, from what I recall was a pretty rough place.  But the band played a cracking set.  I wrote that night 'oh oh oh oh Magic! Hope they crack it' and made Hollywood Intermission my record of the week.  We had a pretty hairy time getting back ending up in Plaistow for some reason.....I went down the Dolly the following night but for some reason that gig was cancelled.

20th Jan 1980 myself and 4 other mates saw the band down the Dolly and got really pissed.  For some strange reason I got locked in me mates room for the night....don't ask.....

24th Jan 1980 and me and 2 mates get down the Dolly to see the band.  For some reason we had to get the bus back that night so woulda missed the finale.  I made Rudies my record of the week at the time.

1st Feb 1980 is another interesting one as its not listed on the venues played.  I trudged down to Basildon in Essex which seemed to take forever on the tube.  In those days I would just find where the band were playing and head off with no contingency plans of getting back, or where the hell I would sleep. Anyway they played at the 66 Club (which I think was known as the Double Six club).  Not all the venues the band played would be Never Never friendly like the Corn Dolly, but the band were absolutely ace that night (so sayeth the diary).  I helped them pack their kit away that night and Neil let me doss down at his place.  Like I said, he is a top bloke.

2nd Feb 1980  I think we were up at around 4pm that day, Neil never use to sleep.....then we went off to the Nashville in Kensington.  From what I remember this was a large venue, but a bit of a dump, where they supported a group called The Smirks.  The gig was ok, then it was back to Neils where I believe we spent all night playing Yahtzee....don't ask....from what I remember, Neil never use to drink, but was always 'hyper' and had so much energy and just NEVER SLEPT!!!!

6th Feb 1980 was another Corn Dolly night.  They were always the best.  I was actually working nights but managed to get 4 hours off to go along with 3 of the lads from camp.  Once again they were 'superb' that night.

23rd Feb 1980 was another work night, but me and 3 of the lads had our first trip to the Board Hotel in Eynsham.  My diary says 'one of the best gigs I've seen 'em do, magic and pissed.  Sweat me rocks off and plenty of birds'.  OK hardly the Churchill diaries but I was a 19 year old with a big thirst and plenty of unused hormones at the time!!!!

Video Ta Ta was the record of the week at the time.....

7th March 1980 was another night in the Corn Dolly.  Four of us went down and got absolutely pissed and had another great night....though I wrote that I was 'ill' when I got back to camp!!!

15th March 1980 was one of my more memorable Never Never moments....I hitched from North Wales to Leeds of all places.  The band were playing at the Riley Smith Hall supporting none other than Shakin Stevens!!!  Shakey had just had his first of a long run of hits, Hot Dog.  This place was like in a university and the place was just full of teddy boys.....it's about the only time I was quite scared at a Never Never gig....needless to say the band went down like the proverbial lead balloon....my safety wasn't enhanced much when half way through Shakeys set, Neil could quite clearly be seen takin the piss outa Mister Stevens....this pissed Mister Stevens off immensly and he had Neil moved away.  It also pissed off the 6 footer teddy boys I was surrounded by!!!  The band gave me a lift to the motorway that night,

13th April 1980 I dragged a girl I was seeing at the time half way across London to the Fulham Greyhound, where I wrote that they were magic as usual.  I always thought that the band would make it, especially when they played venues like this.  The Greyhound just seemed to be the stairway to the stars at the time, cos quite a few 'name' bands use to play this place and the gigs always had a decent sized advert in the NME!!!

3rd May 1980 The day before I found out that I was posted overseas to Germany in the August.  So this was a real special gig.  A few weeks before we heard that the band would be playing a fans birthday gig in a village hall In Colney Heath.  (You'd have to look on the map like we did at the time to find the bugger!!).  Me and 3 of the guys piled into a car with a tent.  We pitched the tent round the back of the village hall and went over the road to the local pub to stock up before the gig.  (Really strange....no booze in the venue!!).  Anyway it was only a small place but really intimate and the band played a storming set.  We froze to death in the tent later though!!  Little was I to know that that would be the last time I would see the Never Never Band with Neil.....

 

It was on Thursday 5th June 1980 at the Witney Trade Fair that I heard Neil had been turfed out of the Never Never Band.  I was totally gutted.  To me he was the 'lifeforce' of the band.  Ok maybe I'm biased.  I saw Never Never twice more after that.  9th June 1980 I actually made it to the Horn Of Plenty, for a Never Never hometown gig.  Neil's replacement seemed very staid and dare I say 'geekish', but there ya go.  The last time I came back over from Germany at the end of October and had my stag night in the Penny Farthing in Oxford.  It was a great night and I actually got pushed up onto the stage to sing along with the band.  Funnily enough all I remember while I was up there was a lone female voice from the crowd yelling 'get him fucking off!!'  Strangely enough, we'd come full circle that night cos Phil (Taff) was also at the gig with me....

I had one more Never Never encounter sometime in the Summer of '82.  I was back over from Germany on a course at Brize Norton and managed to catch Neil's latest incarnation Splash at the Penny Farthing.  Needless to say it was a great night, especially to hear Taking Pills live for one final time.  I kept in touch with Neil for a while after that and he was kind enough to send me two lots of singles, one set for me and, of course, one set for Phil....

In writing this, I thought it might seem a long winded way of doing things, finally getting my thoughts about the mighty Never Never Band down onto paper.  But it may also help to fill in some of the historical gaps for others....lets face it, without the aide of that 'diary' I wouldn't have a clue.  I want to end this tale by trying to put into words just what the Never Never Band meant to me.  A band who I have not seen for over 27 years, I've not heard a single track, nor do I own a single song.  The only titles I vaguely remember are the immortal Taking Pills, Painters, Dummies, Video Ta Ta.  But Neil, Brian, Dane and Paul collectively left an indelible print on my heart.  Their gigs are now just a distant memory.  But they left me with a feeling of a time when we could be, or do whatever we want.  If I could choose one gig in time, and I've been to many, Glastonbury, Dylan, The Clash, Springsteen....then I'd go back with Taff to one magic night in the Corn Dolly....to see the best band I ever saw live, who have left me with the greatest memories of days when we could be Kings.....

 

Terry Hughes

January 2007