Woodlands
Youth Club in Basildon was attached to Woodlands School, and in 1977 and
1978 hosted some great local bands and was one of the few venues allowing
punk bands to play. Run by manger Norman with help from Ricky Wheatley,
there was a Friday Night Disco (admission 30p) and sometimes a Wednesday
night one. A list of bands playing there is quite amazing: The Machines,
The Heat, Deeno's Marvels, Solid Waste, Grinder, The Vandals, The Opposition,
Norman and The Worms, Hymie Blows it, Mik Bostik, The Spurts, The Vinyl
Degenerates and more.
Speaking to Mark Saunders and Tony Marshall (aka The Germans) about it in
2008, Tony said "I do remember that in 1977 and '78, it was pretty
active. It used to host a Friday-night disco and somehow, the manager (Norman)
would support live bands by giving them a set". Mark remembered a couple
of interesting bands:"I remember Solid Waste, who played a few times
and I thought (wrongly) were destined for fame, and Norman and the Worms,
featuring, as I recall, one Vince Clark". When asked if The Germans
played there though, Tony said: "The Germans were booked in the early
days, but we pulled out because - a. we were genuinely scared of being lynched
by an audience unused to such an avant-garde (dreadful) show, and b. we
learned that we weren't going to get paid anyway".
With the punk scene ever evolving other venues absorbed the nascent punk
bands, finding bases later on at Shrimpers, Crocs etc, but Woodlands, much
like Focus Youth Centre in Central Southend, was an essential crucible,
allowing bands to play their first tentative gigs, and just as importantly,
giving local punks somewhere to go and hang out. |