God Told Me To Do It…but did I listen?

Posted on February 20, 2008January 17, 2024 by Penguin

God Told Me To Do It.

Saw them twice, once at Redvers Road Wood Green and once at Gossips Soho. I was one of the ‘dregs of punk rock civilization’ that Richard North mentions in his review! But to be fair it was probably the Hackney Hell Crew, and assorted hangers on, who to a (unwashed) man turned up in force to celebrate the Royal Wedding (Andrew and Fergie) that the snipe was aimed at.

Hopefully not me anyway!

The band were fun, chaotic but musically a bit of a shambles. I’m sure that was the point.

The flyers and posters on the other hand are legendary and the best thing about the band.

The stunts that the members of the band were involved with, are also legendary.

My press articles, flyers and posters are all here on this post.

If anyone has the ‘Psychic TV Are Crap’ flyer or poster (shown on one of the news articles) then please leave a comment as I would love to chat and perhaps discuss a high res scan, or perhaps if you feel generous, the original flyer to add to my collection!

Photographs live at the Arts Centre Redvers Road Wood Green unknown photographer. Let me know who it was and I will credit you!

Music mostly by Crass, radio collage and mix including the Thatchergate tapes by David Tibet

108 comments

Steve
February 17, 2008 at 11:38 pm

Where exactly was the Wood Green arts centre squat? I’ve spotted a few references to Wood Green on this site and as I’ve come to know that area reasonably well I find it bizarre to think it was ever a hotbed for *any* sort of subcultural activity…
Nic
February 18, 2008 at 10:04 am

Following on from the last post, I remember going down to some big place in Wood Green a few times in 1986 and seeing concerts (with people like Blower playing): would that have been the arts centre?
(My memory is VERY hazy…)
sean
February 18, 2008 at 11:47 am

Most likely. Got a few pics of eat shit playing there late 85…
http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb227/killyourpetpuppy/Various%20related/?action=view&current=KYPP177.jpg
and
http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb227/killyourpetpuppy/Various%20related/?action=view&current=KYPP178.jpg
and a couple more on myspace.
Mick Bladder would be the boy with the photies,but I cant contact him, Herr Will de Beest may be able to. Mick would have lots,prob exterior too.
As to where, memory fails me, havent lived in london since 88, sorry!
sean
February 18, 2008 at 11:50 am

Alan…”radgepunk” on myspace was one of the squatters,so he’d know .
Also Ginny and the fella whose name eludes who were state hate,the band and pa system.I learned a valuble lesson from them for later use in another life,as a DJ I was assured of getting a play at a time to suit me ….cos I owned the sound system!
danmac
February 18, 2008 at 11:55 am

I remember the first time I went to the Wood Green Arts Centre very well. I had just squatted a council house in Albion Drive around the corner from Brougham Road. The previous tenant was pretty ill and had moved up the street to her sisters. She was fine with us moving in as she thought she might get rehoused or the house might get repaired. One Sat myself and housemates went off to a CND rally where amongst other things we entertained ourselves by letting off screamer rockets (8 for a quid – hand launchable, make a loud screaming noise but fairly harmless) at various Labour Party dignitaries. On returning to our street we came across some workmen outside our house and asked them what they were doing.
“Turning off the electricity as a fire had gutted the inside.” Karmic backlash for our rocketry antics or just aged leaky gas pipes? Who knows. What to do? There was a gig on in Wood Green that night. Some band called God Told Me To Do It. Lets go. Getting up to the squatted arts centre, we paid our moneys and came into a large hall where I was greeted by a wondrous sight – the band / audience trying to break down the band / audience divide by having a fight with each other, the conflict interspersed by strange chants (Was ‘Libya, Libya, hard as fuck’ operational then?). There was only one thing I could do in the situation – let off the remaining screamers to add a bit of extra pizazz to the atmosphere. The perfect antidote to a house burning down situation.

When the fire case came to court a few months later, the Daily Mail got hold of it and we got the front page headline – ‘Squatters Burn Down Cancer Victims Home’. Nice.
john
February 18, 2008 at 1:18 pm

always thought ginny looked splendid in her tutu whilst playing the bass.very nice people.
they put me and monty up one night after a gig at woolwich poly(?) think it was admit your shit maybe conflict played as well.
sean
February 18, 2008 at 2:19 pm

excellent choice in seventies wood effect stack heels too (down boy!)
sean
February 18, 2008 at 3:25 pm

The longest GTMTDI managed to “play” before fighting stopped the show was 7 and a half minutes.The downstairs of the hammersmith clarendon was closed down due to the damage caused by rioting at their gig there.
And lets not forget the Blue House where willdebeest made all suspected journos fill out an application for the libyan army to be let in.The flyers had advertised “live sex”,there was a banner across the backwall of the stage reading “live sex”.At a certain point I climbed a step ladder,stapled up a letter “C” at the start of the banner and explained to the audience that there had been a printers error,in fact “CLIVE sex” would be performing,he being an erotic poet from birmingham.The largely femenist separatist audience were then treated to willdebeest dressed as noel coward reciting the most awful filth that I could write.He was instantly felled in a vicious attack.Then GTMTDI tried to take the stage.Unfortunately Bill(RIP) had lubricated himself with a whole bottle of vodka and fell through the glass panelling stageside,cut his wrists open and turned to spray the audience with jets of blood.And this at the height of the goverments aids tombstone campaign.Bill was rushed to hospital.Take two,with a borrowed bassist GTMTDI take the stage with a very ropy soho stripper doing her act amongst them.Surprisingly the rioting didnt get too out of control for nearly 4 minutes by which time the band were fighting for their lives to such an extent that playing on became unviable.Quite a success all round.the funniest bit was yet to come…..Bill came round in hospital with the king of hangovers and they couldnt give him a transfusion for fear of sending him into deadly shock as he had more alchohol in his veins than blood.
alistairliv
February 18, 2008 at 4:52 pm

Albion Drive/ Albion Square E8… Danmac above ..sure I remember reading in Hackney Gazette when Eastenders was launched that ‘Albert Square’ was based on Albion Square next to Albion Drive near to Brougham Road. And the market in Eastenders was meant to be Ridley Road market.
Nic
February 18, 2008 at 6:50 pm

This all sounds very familiar…
I seem to remember a lot of mayhem and fighting – magic! 🙂

However, for the life of me, I can’t remember anything else about getting there or why I was evn there at all…
I was living with members of the band Doom at the time, and a bunch of other people from bands like Deviated Instinct and Filthkick all lived in surrounding streets, so I imagine I had travelled down with them…
luggy
February 18, 2008 at 7:27 pm

Got your squares wrong, Al.
It’s based on Fassett Square, just off the Dalston end of Graham Rd, at the rear of the old German hospital.
alistairliv
February 18, 2008 at 9:20 pm

Curses, drat etc… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Square agrees it was Fassett Square

Well at least I had the right London Borough!
Penguin • Post Author •
February 18, 2008 at 9:56 pm

Re: Steve comment, Wood Green also had Southern Studios which of course always had a string of strange individuals visiting, Arts Centre in Redvers Road near the station, the Kardboard Box venue, early Club Dog nights were held in Wood Green before moving to the Robey in Finsbury Park, a few decent squats in Ewart and Pellat Grove, The Nelson pub where a lot of punkers were served drinks for a while. Tania’s squat down Lordship Lane. Very different nowadays but for a time in the mid to late 80’s it was vibrant enough…in the summer a lot of the punks (named Crusties by this time) met up in the park next to Turnpike Lane tube. This meeting place is now a basketball court!
Nic
February 18, 2008 at 10:20 pm

The ‘Kardboard Box’ rings a bell…

Was Tania a Scottish girl with heavily spiked green/orange hair?
Penguin • Post Author •
February 18, 2008 at 10:25 pm

Yeah, big hair, she went onto wearing it down cos her dole was cut off, and she went to work for the job centre of all places!!! She then spiked it up when she came out to gigs…this flat hair Tania was a bit later on 1988 or so I think…but amusing never the less!
Nic
February 18, 2008 at 10:53 pm

At the Job Centre, eh? Blimey…
She stayed up here in Brum a few times – last time would have been about 1988 with a bunch of other stinky scum from the smoke…
😉
Penguin • Post Author •
February 18, 2008 at 11:15 pm

Yeah, everyone was a bit ripe in them days!
sean
February 19, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Tanya,stevie,laura,the recently resurfaced alan,with help from animal,bladder and bill seemed to be prime movers in the early days.I went to put the leccy on,thanks to my tutelage by the luggster
simon
February 19, 2008 at 5:14 pm

‘God Told Me To Do It’ and Bill (R.I.P.) mentioned on the site elsewhere/somewhere. Here’s 4 pix, I’m sure Sean can enlighten us on the importance/reasons behind the goggles! Sean can be just be seen in 1 pic in the days when he wore a blonde wig! 😀

More pix to follow this week…

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/s1mpl3x/?action=view&current=Animal1.jpg

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/s1mpl3x/?action=view&current=Animal2.jpg

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/s1mpl3x/?action=view&current=Animal3.jpg

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh259/s1mpl3x/?action=view&current=Animal4.jpg

Mmmmmm taste that chocolate milk…
sean
February 20, 2008 at 11:44 am

At one point I took to wearing a kiddies diving mask and snorkel onstage but soon found that it steamed up so much that I could not see the (inevitable) punches coming.Bill however was enamoured by the idea as it kept the gobbing from his eyes,a particular concern of his.More important is his coat,a dirty old man/flasher mac with cuddly toys saftey pinned all over it.Classic Bill.upset a lot of people with its tones of paedophilia…..
Animals headgear was a giant plastic snailshell affixed to a bowler,his trousers two paisly dresses serving as one leg each of his flares.
..My wig was a marylin monroe daringly snatch and grabbed from a showroom dummy on fonthill rd,home of cut price schmutter.I wore it backwards to give a massive quiff effect.It was not visible at later showds as a took to wearing a giant tiffany style coca cola lampshade on top to keep the rays from beaming evil instructions into my brain.
Interesting to note the backdrop that relates to the 2nd generation of fuck thrash noise,eat shit being the first and hi-jacking Sigue Sigue Sputniks terminology.The band always had a policy of jumping on any gravy train going and using other peoples names to get noticed (see Psychic TV are Crap,Blyth Power are Pretty Vacant etc etc.)Not that we really had anything much against these other bands,we just wanted to use their hard work so we could get well known by doing sod all.
sean
February 20, 2008 at 11:53 am

would thse shots be from wood green and the blue house?In one I see our iranian kickboxer security man who always got confused and attacked us not the people assualting us,it was he who felled clive sex.In another I see wood green graffitti.Another shows animal with a “gimmick”generic label,the outer extent of my quiff and martin, “bug” ,the drummers head.Being a THFC bootboy he often left drumming duties for more important fighting
danmac
February 20, 2008 at 12:01 pm

that picture of the kid with the spoons on the psychic tv poster…hehe
do you fancy recounting your run in with genesis?
Tim
February 20, 2008 at 12:08 pm

Ha ha… I’d forgotten Martin was with God Told Me To Do It, he was best pals with Veg from Grove Park who was in Hagars(?) and We Are Going To Eat You.

I haven’t seen Veg for a few years but he’s a top bloke (well not bad for a MIGHTY SPURS fan anyway).
sean
February 20, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Danny,what ,the one involving richard branson?Or one of the others….

Tim,alien saw veg recently,it was him who told of the steve cable/priest saga
danmac
February 20, 2008 at 12:46 pm

how many were there? i just remember the grudge match for the wildest audience in london….
sean
February 20, 2008 at 2:10 pm

Ahh,the famous “grudge match heavyweight playoff”!I was saving that for my book…..but maybe I could be persuaded…..

One other was when PTV debuted “i want to tell you a story,a very special story,its about brian jones,he was in the rolling stones” at the virgin megastore with branson looking on svengali-like and cameras rolling.Id gone down with ronnie and bedwin et al,but for a different reason.In any interval I cried “boo!Hippies!Sellouts!You belog in a museum!What a tasteless jacket,why dont you burn it?” etc while pelting them with any rubbish that came to hand.Strangely the orange peel I chucked at Gen proved the last straw and much keystone kops chasing of sean (on skateboard,natch) ensued.Suffice to say dickie “pickle”branson was not amused.Gen had a bit of a stamp and sulk too.Cant say I blame him.I was a very annoying young man….
simon
February 20, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Sean I can barely remember what I did half an hour ago, let alone where I took those photos! 1’s got ’85 written on the back and 2 have ’86, the other nothing written, were GTMTDI around that long?! You’re probably right about Wood Green if you recognise the graffiti… apart from that it could have been some embassy somewhere, ahem, cough, cough…

I recognise the bloke you say is ‘Bug’ Sean, always saw him at gigs here and there. Personally I don’t remember any violence at GTMTDI gigs but wouldn’t have been looking for it anyway!

I’m fairly certain (he says not really having a clue) that I’ve got a load of flyers stashed away, including the ‘PTV are crap” one, I’ll try and scan any that fit on the scanner and get ’em upped too… that’s if I remember of course.
sean
February 20, 2008 at 2:36 pm

Animal and myself pondered long and hard on how to insult and annoy PTV as much as possible and as I remember it we decided that “childish” would be the most effective,thus…..PTV are crap.No spoons were actually specially bent for the poster,animal was just a genius at finding just the right image
Penguin • Post Author •
February 20, 2008 at 6:49 pm

I was at, and saw that little PTV showcase in Oxford Street that Sean mentions earlier…Went down with ‘Psychic’ Rod from Ipswich. ‘Psychic’ Rod is a blokes name, not something to prod someone with, TOPY Style!
Wildebeest
February 20, 2008 at 7:08 pm

In the name of all things decent can we please move this GTMTDI stuff off the Clash posting. We are lumping together an admittedly really funny joke band (that I was happily involved with) in with one of, if not the, greatest bands of all time.
gerard
February 20, 2008 at 7:12 pm

ok, will do, but later cos i’m off out now – great to see you here incidentally john 🙂
gerard
February 20, 2008 at 7:13 pm

ps i never knew you were involved with the clash 😉
Wildebeest
February 20, 2008 at 8:18 pm

nice one Gerard, and great to see you on here too. It’s good to hear that most everyone is still around.