Live 1992 Kennel Club show....?

tfish1257 · **Joined:** Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:01 am **Posts:** 101

I have a very old, noisy bootleg of a band doing spacemen 3 covers at the Kennel club, for a while i was convinced that it was bjm but the more i listen im starting to think it might be spectrum, who bjm opened for at those shows.... anybody know whats what?

jsbx · **Joined:** Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:52 pm **Posts:** 144

tfish1257 wrote:

I have a very old, noisy bootleg of a band doing spacemen 3 covers at the Kennel club, for a while i was convinced that it was bjm but the more i listen im starting to think it might be spectrum, who bjm opened for at those shows.... anybody know whats what?

Not sure if the year was '93 or probably more like '94, but I remember seeing the BJM open up for Spectrum at the Kennel Club (now the Independent) on Divisadero Street in SF. I remember going with a Swiss Italian girl who was visiting from Lugano. I also recall seeing Peter Kember (Sonic) buying cigarettes at the local corner market down the street before the show. The BJM came on first and they played a mellow set while seated, as was most of the audience. Spectrum then played a set of originals along with some Spacemen 3 songs. Proper songs with vocals, chord change progressions and shit.

It was more upbeat and different than their previous SF show at the Paradise Lounge, which was pretty much a complete dronefest a la "Dreamweapon." (Which may have been "innovative" musically, but a complete yawner to stand around while watching and listening to a stationary guitar perched on a stand feeding back into the amp for what seemed like hours, while others "noodled" around some more on sitars/guitars)

'92 seems a little early for the tape of this Kennel Club show as I don't believe Peter Kember played in the US much before this time as Spacemen 3 was broken up by the early 90s and their US tour organized by Greg Shaw in the late 80s never materialized. Jason Pierce had already moved on with Spiritualized by then. Also, to me the BJM didn't really start getting some notice in the local scene while forming their sound/identity until '93-'94 or so. (just my opinion, of course) I vaguely remember a show on 11th Street with Leeds band Tse Tse Fly and an incarnation of BJM around this period. (Tse Tse Fly later broke up and formed The Wedding Present...still remember their stylish vintage tan brown corduroy jackets)

rickmaymi · **Joined:** Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:40 am **Posts:** 220

we opened for Spectrum in 1992 at the Kennel Club. Very soon after Soul Kiss came out. Spiritualized came a few weeks later on the Rollercoaster tour with Curve and the Mary chain

nellcote · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:23 am

Just being a little pedantic with the Leeds music (and non BJM) history here, cos I live there! :wink:

The Wedding Present already existed in 1992, they formed in 1985, the Tse Tse Fly guys joined them when their band folded.

Also, flying the flag for Leeds again, both Richard Formby and Mike Stout who were in the Spectrum line up for the Soul Kiss album (and I'm guessing they both played with Pete in the States at the above mentioned gig?) lived in Leeds during this period and had done for some time. Mike DJ'd psychedelic music for a few years pre Spectrum at a well loved Leeds club night called Kaleidoscope Pop. He introduced me and my friends to a lot of fine sounds at a time when psychedelic music wasn't particularly fashionable.

rickmaymi · **Joined:** Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:40 am **Posts:** 220

No, Richard was already out and replaced by Kev Cowan from The Darkside by the time Spectrum came over for it's first tour. Mike was there though. He lives in Liverpool now and works at the Tate

nellcote · **Posted:** Sun Oct 21, 2012 2:44 am

rickmaymi wrote:

No, Richard was already out and replaced by Kev Cowan from The Darkside by the time Spectrum came over for it's first tour. Mike was there though. He lives in Liverpool now and works at the Tate

Ah, thanks for the info re the line up. I've bumped into Mike a couple of times in Liverpool, once at a Quarter After show at Korova and then just the other week at the Liverpool psych fest. It's a shame he wasn't dj'ing at that gig, but really nice to see him there. Funnily enough Will Sargeant played a few of (what I knew as) the old Kaleidoscope Pop faves. It took me back! But it was also like things going full circle!

jsbx · **Joined:** Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:52 pm **Posts:** 144

Thanks for all the comments and tripping down memory lane. It's like the old saying about the 60's: "If you remember it, you weren't there." I do remember a Friday night BJM/Spectrum show at the Kennel Club during that time.

I also remember going to the Jesus and Mary Chain/Curve/Spiritualized gig at the Warfield in '92 or so with a friend of mine from college. It involved psychedelics and I recall missing Spiritualized opening up. I remember also then losing my friend for the rest of the night because he ended up wigging out and going home without telling me. I didn't know this until after the show, unfortunately, because I had to walk through a really shady section of the Tenderloin afterwards and figure a way to get home to bed for the night because my keys were in my jacket, which I had left in his locked car in a garage before the show. It was just one of those pre-cell phone nightmare of nights. (In fact, it caused a huge rift in our relationship)

Speaking of Tse Tse Fly, this was about the same time I was interested in bands like them and Flying Saucer Attack.

Those were the days.

tfish1257 · **Joined:** Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:01 am **Posts:** 101

I guess the jury's still out haha, i gave another listen and Im pretty sure i heard the name anton, but that could just be wishful thinking.... either way im leaning toward spectrum at this point i guess considering there isnt one jonestown song in the entire set and they've never seemed to be big on covers anyways.

brant · **Joined:** Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:00 pm **Posts:** 22

rickmaymi wrote:

we opened for Spectrum in 1992 at the Kennel Club. Very soon after Soul Kiss came out. Spiritualized came a few weeks later on the Rollercoaster tour with Curve and the Mary chain

the bjm/spectrum show at the kennel club was november 4, 1992, a wednesday night. there's a good sounding recording of it out there. i think some nice soul on this board sent it to me? (thanks, friend!) anyway, here's what's on the tape:

transparent radiation
true love will find you in the end
lord, i don't even know my name
sweet water running
che
lonely avenue
when tomorrow hits
revolution
suicide

there's a short break between revolution and suicide - encore? - where you can hear the sounds of the club, people chatting, etc. then someone clearly yells "anton!"

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Live 1992 Kennel Club show....?

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