Another blast of vintage Peni for you to listen to, this time at one of my old stomping grounds, Welwyn. My tape, recorded in the crowd, is not as good quality as the previous live Peni gigs I have uploaded (use search function to find them) but any Peni is worthy of inclusion on this site because they were great in 1982. Still great now actually, but 1982 was the year favoured by me at least.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
Justine
August 6, 2008 at 12:05 amHa-ha thanks! What a blast from the past. I was at this gig too (went to school in WGC). Used to go to Bowes Lyon quite a bit too. Anyone remember Discharge, Benjamin Zephaniah and the film the War Game there? Crass, Poison Girls and Snipers was a bit dicey! If I remember rightly, the skinheads climbed in the roof that night. Ahh sweet memories…
Stewart
August 7, 2008 at 9:16 pmLoved (and still do) Benjamin Zephaniah. Never been to Welwyn Garden City, though, or ever heard this band, so I shall shuffle quietly from this thread now…
Jason
August 7, 2008 at 11:05 pmWas this the gig with Nightmare and The Subhumans?
I used to go to Bowes Lyon a far bit,infact Discharge and the film The War Game was the first gig I went to.
Justine
August 7, 2008 at 11:27 pmStewart – I met Benjamin a few weeks ago in Manchester, he remembers this gig too! He asked me if Attila the Stockbroker organised it, but I didn’t know…
Jason – I can’t remember who supported them. I might have a ragged old ticket in a box buried somewhere. Nightmare does ring a bell but I don’t think the Subhumans were there?
Nic
August 8, 2008 at 8:27 amI wish I’d seen The Snipers…they only played about 7 gigs…
Justine
August 8, 2008 at 12:05 pmDon’t think Rudimentary Peni played many did they? I met someone in Bristol a few years later who went up to Welwyn for this one!
Nic
August 8, 2008 at 2:22 pmNo, they didn’t – if I remember rightly, the Peni played about 12 gigs in all (back in the early 80’s)…
I saw them once (in Nottingham)…
Nuzz
August 8, 2008 at 3:07 pmI think The Subhumans may well have played, but my memory aint what it used to be, Nightmare probably did, as they were from WGC and always cropped up on the ‘anarcho’ gig bills, supporting the Mob at Herronswood School and one that was on at the Attimore Scout Hut, loads of bands possibly Anti Sect. I also remember treking miles from WGC Station to Lemsford Village Hall, to see Flux and a load of other bands, including possibly The Mob. I do remember getting a load of stick from my mates for liking The Snipers when they played Bowes with Crass, they just couldn’t get their heads round the concept of the minimal bass line to Warsong. It was a bit hairy that night. Comedian Rob Newman who came from Hitchin, just up the way from Stevenage recals events at it on one of his live DVD’s, there was a big fight at the station as well as scuffles inside the venue. Didn’t go to the Discharge/War Game gig, did go the first time they played with The Subhumans and The Mob. A fucking great gig. One last bit of trivia for yer. Rob the drummer from Nightmare went on to play for S*M*A*S*H, music press darlings of the 90’s with their New Wave Of New Wave scene.
Justine
August 8, 2008 at 8:27 pmI was at the station after, going home to Hertford (on my own coz all the boys I knew wouldn’t go – to sacared, and rightly so) and I saw Sack (?) having to decide between skinheads on one side of the platform and BR transport police waiting on the other side, he ran over the line and got nicked.
Steve Ignorant may have shared a cell with him?
Penguin • Post Author •
August 8, 2008 at 11:13 pmHi Justine, just a guess, are you smiley (very broad smile) Justine that dated Stuart, and the Justine I would have known (as Mickey, not Penguin) from the Blackbirds pub in Hertford a little later on in the 1980’s?
If not, apologies, keep posting comments, if you are then big hugs to you.
By the by, this gig was with Nightmare and the Subhumans, also Mark Wilkins and Bob Green from the Astronauts performed.
Chris
August 8, 2008 at 11:31 pmAh! Nightmare – i’m sure I used to have a tape of them (perhaps live with Peni) and remember them being brilliant. Think i still have a 7″ compilation single on Cause For Concern records that Larry Peterson put out that features a track by them. Does anyone out there in KYPP land have any recordings that could be forwarded to Penguin for upload?
Justine
August 9, 2008 at 2:59 pmHi Penguin, funny I did drink in the Blackbirds but a bit earlier – I left Hertford in 1982 for St Albans then to Bristol in 84. Never been out with a Stuart, and don’t recongnise you from your website? But I reckon we do know loads of the same people… I recognise a lot of faces in the photos on here (eg Meanwhile Gardens gig etc) must have been another Justine in Hertford?
Penguin • Post Author •
August 9, 2008 at 9:48 pmYeah, absolutely Justine…just a guess really, there was another Justine who was into the scene a little bit who I vaguely knew, but I would not have thought that she would have caught Crass at Bowes or Peni etc as she was probably a couple of years my junior (and I was young enough). Just the same name in the same town with possibly similar haircuts but maybe 3 years apart. Keep commenting Justine, have a good week.
Nic
August 10, 2008 at 10:41 amNuzz would know some more about Nightmare…
He put up the Cause for Concern EP on his blog:
http://nuzzprowlinwolf.blogspot.com/2008/01/get-some-cause-for-concern.html
He also put a comp tape up with a band called Nightmare on it:
http://nuzzprowlinwolf.blogspot.com/2008/01/shine-on-compilation.html
Rob Basak (ex-Zero fanzine) may know more as well as they were a local band for him…
Rob Basak
October 5, 2008 at 9:43 amNightmare were a great local band (from Welwyn Garden City) who played apocalyptic gothic punk.The singer Cam co-wrote ReAction fanzine.
I was at this Rudimentary Peni/Subhumans gig – the Ludwick was a 5 minute walk from where I lived and I remember being amazed when Crass (then a huge almost mythical underground band) played this sleepy area suburban youth club.
Nick Hydra
February 25, 2010 at 7:07 pmHi trivia fans, I’m trying to work out which Peni gig I saw at the Iberico – I know they did at least two (one with Part 1, which I wasn’t at, much as I would now like to claim otherwise. (“Peni?, Part 1? Oh yeah, I saw them ALL the time. You’d have been too young though.”)
I remember it as being downstairs which narrows the time frame a bit, and possibly Riot/Clone playing as well. Or was that with Conflict? Or The Subhumans? This is the trouble when you go to the same place every Sunday as a matter of course, it all blends into one.
It would have been after “Farce” came out.
Nick was wearing a very fetching grey ‘V’ neck pullover, and the rest of them looked very ‘normal’ for that kind of gig. I remember them coming on and thinking “Oh. They look shit. There’s that bloke I used to talk to at Wapping when I got there too early (this being Grant), I suppose I better see what they are like. I wonder when Rudimentary Peni are on.”
And they just started into the first song, and I went “What the FUCK is THIS? This is FANTASTIC! Oh – they ARE Rudimentary Peni. Fucking hell.”
I think this would have been most people’s experience the first time they saw them live.
mick
April 11, 2010 at 8:26 pmnever saw the peni , one of lifes regrets im afraid , but the band i played in called virus v1 supported the subhumans at bowes lyon – long shot coming – did anyone record any of the support at that gig , if so ………….well likesay a long long shot.
Penguin • Post Author •
April 11, 2010 at 9:03 pmI was at that gig, Omega Tribe performed also I think. Andy Laine (?) the vocalist of Virus V1 became a PE Teacher I think. Here is a post on a band you performed with a little bit:
https://www.killyourpetpuppy.co.uk/news/?p=220
and here is a gig that you were meant to perform at with Necro but never happened due to time running out:
https://www.killyourpetpuppy.co.uk/news/?p=358
Would love a Virus V1 or Necro tape. Maybe Tim from Necro has some. Dunno.
Cuinn
December 20, 2010 at 10:05 pmHere’s a link to a tracked version http://www.mediafire.com/?fitaf36ub7y6v6l
Nick Hydra
January 14, 2011 at 5:36 pmMore Peni stuff here; http://burning-britain.blogspot.com/2009/09/rudimentary-peni-live-rare.html
Rob Basak
January 15, 2011 at 4:57 amTrivia seems to be tolerated here so…A few people including myself jumped onstage towards the end of the Subhumans set which displeased the youth worker present. Apparently this was the reason for no more gigs held there for several weeks/months which seemed a bit of an over- reaction. Nightmare,Rudimentary Peni and the Subhumans were excellent and all gave blistering performances.
ady panic
September 17, 2011 at 12:25 pmThanks for the kind words people, I was the bass player in Nightmare (one of them) and later Smash (when still called Smash At The Blues) and also the Astronauts from the release of all done with mirrors to seedy side of paul. Also it was my dad that organised the gigs at the Ludwick youth club he was youth leader for WGC’s youth clubs but got the sack for refusing to allow a national front gig to happen there, something about being politically biased. Ah the memories
Smudge
September 14, 2014 at 9:22 amI was the vocalist for Nightmare (I’m Cam- hello to anyone who knows me!).
I just stumbled upon this website and found this thread.
Thanks so much for the kind words about the band. It means a lot to me to know that some folks appreciated what we were trying to do.
Such great memories! Those great gigs with the (always inspirational) Mob, with The Astronauts (in various wonderful incarnations!), with Brigandage (in an over packed pub with a stage we built from old wooden pallets!), playing in front of BM scumbags with the Sinyx (wondering if swinging a mike stand in self defence would be consistent with my principals!)….
So sad that the band ended when it did. It was such a shame that we didn’t find a way to continue for longer. It would have been nice to release some of those songs.
Hi Ady! Long time no see! Hope you are well matey…Look me up if ever you are near the old stomping ground. I’m still here- for now, at least…