Wat Tyler – Rugger Bugger Records – 1989
No I.D. / Hops And Barley / Heavy Metal Vivisector
We Pledge Our Alliegance To Satan / Coming Home
Wat Tyler’s and Rugger Bugger Records debut release.
Masterminded by Sean ‘Gummidge’ Forbes, this band grew out of Aylesbury area as Four Minute Warning turning at some point into Wat Tyler where they performed many songs in many genres on any subject, as long as it wound up the uptight, right on, Anti this and that lobby. Many a time ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’ was heard in amongst the anarcho bands at the George Robey and other similer hovels to the dismay of the anarcho populus watching!
Only Sean could pull this off, because of his utter, non fake, obsession with all genres of music, and his sincere gentleness and good natured vibe that always was around him.
The band played hundreds of gigs over many years, a lot of times with Dan, Snuff, Thatcher On Acid and Blyth Power. The band could easily chop and change genres of music at a drop of a hat, and were generally quite amusing on the stage during a performance.
Sean was working at All The Madmen Records, and gave a younger Penguin a break with some unpaid employment there.
Indebted to him for that, Rugger Bugger released several LP’s, 12′s and plastic bag 7″s, all worth checking out. He has been at various Rough Trade shops for many many years now, and continues to release records on his DEMO TAPES label.
The photos above from a performance in Brighton April 1st 1986, a good three years before any records were released!
July 30th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Thanks Pengy – I haven’t heard this for years…
We had a few singalongs to ‘Hops and Barley’ over a few liveners when this came out (and the ultra venom stylings of ‘We Pledge…’ as well)…
August 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
They still make me laugh – and Sean is a true gem! The key to taking punk seriously is not to take it seriously.
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Back – got any information about Wat Tyler T-Shirts or ancient mutterings?
August 4th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
What you on about Nic mate? Not sure what you are getting at old bean. No Wat Tyler T-shirts as far as I know, maybe wrong. Dunno…Ancient mutterings? What are those? Smiley winky face back atcha…
August 5th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Don’t panic, Penguin, don’t panic…
Just (gently, and with warmth) taking the piss out of back2front for his postings on the Crass forum on the Southern site (he mentioned the “ancient mutterings” of Crass over there)…
Have another winky…
August 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am
OK dokey, all clear now, except I still can not fathom ‘ancient mutterings’ in any ‘band’ concept! Will give it some thought through the day. No doubt will draw a blank though!
August 14th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
the photos look like the show at brighton art college basement club with blyth power and hysteria ward, i seem to remember an all the madmen posse coming down on a coach for a night out at the seaside…
August 14th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Correct Lee, we went all around the seafront and on the funfair, everything like that. Good fun and a great gig.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Ahhh Sean and Wat Tyler. Yes there were Wat Tyler t shirts, but not many. I had an I’m forever blowing bubbles shirt. I think I gave it away.
So anyway, now Sean and Ben are making the big bucks with Hard Skin…who would have thought.
February 3rd, 2011 at 8:49 pm
I have a copy of Contemporary Farming Issues with “Shimon from Shnuff is a ferry(?)” Was this normal for the record, I cant find an other copy for a comparison. Cheers.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Not heard of that, I helped distribute the 7″ and can confirm these are the original tracks on the one and only pressing from 1989. Maybe Sean rereleased it later on with a different track listing but the copy uploaded is the original pressing.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Meant to say it is written by hand, very shaky handwriting, it is the original pressing as I got it in late ’89, wasm lost in the loft for many years!!
Maybe written on it as a joke?
March 17th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Hi,
If anyone see Sean say hi from me. I was briefly in the band in the early days. It’s Kate from Luton.
May 9th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Hi Kate, Sean works for Rough Trade in Talbot Road W11, and sometimes in the Brick Lane Rough Trade store. Surprise him by emailing him sean@roughtrade.com. Website here for some other details; http://www.roughtrade.com/site/about.lasso
July 6th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
Many thanks Penguin – I bought the 7″ of this at a gig of theirs at the Middlesbrough Empire pub (not the nightclub now going with the same name), no doubt in 1989, and still dig it out to play now and again.