Self Abuse D.I.Y Homepage

Our very good friend Steve Zombie was a one-off, a true diamond geezer and we all loved him.

'Night Of The Zombie'

This nite will be a one off special occasion with some of Steves favourite local bands reforming for one nite only in his memory . GASH ( the occasional punk/ noise covers band Steve fronted & featuring our own Mr Brown & Nazer ) doing their thang most probably for the last time, with the help of many guests trying to fill the big mans shoes.

Support comes in the form of once only turns by legendary now defunct bournemouth bands THE ZIMMER FRAMES (also featuring Mr Nazer), SPIRMYARD, A QUEUE OF RODNIES & VENTRAL plus super hero DJ STU DAFU on the wheels of steel, spinning some funk & hip hop that Steve also loved.

'Night Of The Zombie' will be held on Friday 12th December @ The Gander, Bournemouth. Admission £5

Before he got ill, Steve did a couple of fun reviews for us, as a small tribute here's my favourite....

SUNDAY 30TH OCTOBER 2005
THE SUBHUMANS + SELF ABUSE + SPANNER + ROUTINE CHECK
THE FULL MOON, STOKES CROFT, BRISTOL

The words "will we actually make it?" were foremost in my mind as I boarded the Self Abuse U-Drive with half the band, Mr P 'The Roadie' and a small
assortment of like-minded Punks (most of whom I barely knew, but what a great bunch). This wasn't due to a lack of faith in the driving abilities of Mr P
and Andy (or Andi depending on which single you've got), or my navigational skills, or even the reliability of the transport. No, my fear, and I use that
word in all seriousness, was that my presence might jinx the whole operation, as my numerous attempts to see the Subhumans over the past 20 years
have all ended in failure. Cars breaking down, sold out venues, police intervention, finding out the gig was yesterday etc. Looking back it was perhaps
unwise of me to point this out while we were still sat outside Bournemouth Central, so I apologise to anyone who suffered a nervous 80 or so miles.

Anyway, already I'm rambling and we haven't even left Bournemouth yet! An uneventful journey ensued, punctuated by much reminiscing up front, and
Andy's much prized and treasured Leo Sayer cover version on the tape deck. We stopped only to pick up third band member Dave from some building
site or other, and of course for the inevitable piss stop. The latter proving the old adage, "why stop at a services a mere one mile on, when we can piss
in a verge RIGHT HERE?". The eagle eyed among you will be wondering "half the band plus Dave, that's err…three, um, wait, where's Steve?!". Have
no fear dear reader, he made his own way down from Derby.

Here we are at The Full Moon, Stokes Croft, Bristol. Self Abuse was the first band to arrive. We were all, that's ALL, band member or otherwise, made to feel most
welcome by landlord Wayne and promoter Maryanne. Some day, all gigs will be put on by people like them. Well, we can dream I suppose... However, a potential
cloud was on my horizon. Within an hour of arriving, the band Spanner arrived and we knew Routine Check were on their way across from The Wales. That's one
band unaccounted for and my worst fears detailed above were about to be realised, of this I was convinced. One phone call to Dick did nothing to put my mind at
rest, he'd just woken up in Bath (it was approaching 5pm at this point, doors open at 6!) Bruce was still in Warminster and Trotsky was allegedly missing, van and
equipment and all. If word got out about my jinx, I'd have been strung up from the tallest £250,000 flat bearing down on us from above the roundabout. So, it was
with much pleasure and relief that I was able to tell Maryanne a big pale blue van was backing into the car park. Phew, and crappy Punk Rock puns aside, all
systems go!

So I guess I should review the bands. As I write this, two days later and at work, my aches and bruises are the biggest memory of it, hence the pre-gig padding
you gave up reading 5 minutes ago, but I'll give it a whirl. Blame Mr P, it was his idea for me to review it!

First up, Routine Check. Now, it's a cliché I know but while I can proudly proclaim like the rest of you that Punk Rock changed my life, my feet have been firmly
planted in the Hardcore camp for many years now. Short, fast and loud rules, and this band smoked, though I don't think the majority shared my opinion. Opening
band syndrome? I dunno, I really hope I'm wrong, but I got the impression it wasn't that or the fact they were too fast for some, but more because they didn't meet
the traditional Punk or Crusty appearance criteria. I was stood on my own, but I'm certain I heard mutterings in that vein. If that's true, then we're fucked. Didn't Mr
Lucas himself sing "the unity was there to see, a mass of non-conformity. There's something wrong, or is it me? We all look just the same"? That was what, 84, 85?
Ho hum. Well I liked em, so do your own review if you didn't.

The quest for food meant I missed the end of Routine Check and the first half of Spanner. They too seemed like nice guys, and they went to town on the whole
Halloween thing, unlike 90% of everyone else in the place, me included. Musically? Well the first thing I saw of them as I re-entered the building was their
dreaded trumpet player, so I knew they'd be ska-tinged before I heard a note. Incidentally, what I meant there was a trumpet player with dreads, I'm not scared
of trumpets, nor indeed the man himself despite the zombie make-up. I've had an on-off relationship with ska since I was at school, and though it's not as much
my bag as it once was on record at least, in a live environment it's always great fun. Always seems to put a smile on the faces of the dancing hoards and
Spanner were no exception. Politically clued up too judging by their stall.

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Jarvis & the Self-Abusers! The business of reforming many years later is a potentially dodgy one, it has to be
said. If you get it wrong it's one step up from tribute band hell. I know I'm mates with them, particularly Andy and Dave, but they actually pull it off. There's a lot
of younger fans who won't remember, or perhaps weren't born, the first time round which keeps it fresh and that certainly helps, but they genuinely sound better
than the old days and, crucially, they've got some new tunes. Honourable mention for Noodles here, he got up and sang State of Mind, and then went on to assist
Andy later in the set when then the old larynx started giving way. Andy will be hitting the Venos (for coughs!) pretty hard between now and their imminent studio
venture!

By my reckoning this was the fourth new-era gig for them, and for me at least it was the best one. I don't know whether the band thought it matched the Parkstone
gig however. Unlike with Andy and Dave, I don't know how much Steve and Roger have played in the intervening years, but you wouldn't think they'd ever stopped.
Roger did say to me beforehand he was under orders to keep a check on his intake of "the grog" (his words) and it seems he managed it! Though judging by the
amount of times he saw fit to inform all on the bus that he'd "be alright", I'd suggest he more than made up for it afterwards… Back to the gig, there was one
individual, who obviously knew his history, who kept shouting for Tube Disasters. Unfortunately it never materialised, though we were instead treated to one cover,
the Siddy Cochran classic C'Mon Everybody. So anyway, top stuff and they went down a storm, long may the reunion continue.

So, the Subhumans then. I can scarcely believe I've finally seen them but it was worth the wait. You know all the songs and how great they are. They did a lot of my
favourites, although Not Me, Society, Rain, People Are Scared and Walls Of Silence would have been nice, but you can't have everything and what other great songs
would be sacrificed to accommodate them? It's the same as any "best of" I suppose, everyone's idea is different. What the hell, I picked up the live DVD at the gig so
that makes up for it. Especially as my leaping about only lasted as long as Reality Is Waiting For A Bus before water and a breather were required. I heard afterwards
that Mr P. had shouted for Cradle to the Grave and Susan, the cheeky monkey. Dick still sells those old live tapes though (wonder if he still uses those Agfa tapes?), so
pick up USAT4 for a live version of the former, but I doubt a live recording of Susan exists! In-joke time: Susan without a pianist, if it ever came to light, would be the
Speed Willy version…

Anyway, an awesome band, the only one I ever had painted on a jacket, and it's unforgivable that this gig didn't at least take me into double-figures. You can tell I'm
struggling to remember much else… Not a lot else for me to say, though I guess I should point out there was a smattering of ex-Bournemouth faces in the crowd. Oh
yeah, and there was a bloke with a mask on. Looked like a cross between Richard Nixon and Walter Matthau but with a moustache. Then I noticed the tea-towel on
his head and realised it must have been Saddam Hussain… (Ed; i noticed the geezer in question here had 'out on parole' written badly on the back of his jacket, so
there may have been a duel purpose for his halloween disguise !!)

Journey home was much in keeping with the one there, the reminiscing, the piss stop, the Leo Sayer cover version etc. The main differences being the dark, the
tiredness, signs of drunkenness here and there, and we made it to the services for the piss stop this time. All in all a great day/night out, can I sum it up in a word?
No. In a sound? Wooaarrgghh. Sorry I've been re-watching 'The Day Today' again recently, ta-ra ya shitters!

Abused news;
In partnership with Puke 'n' Vomit Records (cool U.S. based distro label) we've managed to sort out a vinyl release
of our old Bournemouth Anarcho mates The Mad Are Sanes' excellent 'Reality' demo from 1983. It's a cracking
release even if we do say so ourselves, available on lovely black vinyl or very limited (100 only) red vinyl.
Get yerselves a copy, you won't regret it guvner!

That's yer lot for now, see you at the bar!
Cheers, Andy.

We want your Self Abuse (and the surrounding scene) related photos, flyers etc. (old & new).
So get in them lofts, dig out those faded memories & send in to us.

E-mail ya pics etc. to yeruglymugs@selfabuse.co.uk