It was some years ago now that i was at a gig at the 100 club on oxford street some time in the mid/early 1980's to watch the angelic upstarts, as the gig was well attended there wasnt many seats vacant and what with the spit covered floor there was no chance i was going to sit there!
so during my search for a chair i found one to the immediate left of the stage, this was handy because i could sit on it and my mate could sit on the stage's side and we could still chat.
it was as i was waffling away that my mate made me aware of a bloke who looked like he wanted to fight me, well, as i was a (small) teenager and he was older and bigger i didnt fancy my chances, so i thought the best thing to do was to ignore him, especially as the bloke was dressed in the latest 'casual' get up, blindingly while 'phat' trainers, and a full velvety blue fila tracksuit with nicely parted hair. "anyone who goes to punk gigs in that get up and goes looking for a fight is surely a nutter" i thought, the bloke stood staring daggers at me for some time before walking away with clenched fists relieving me and my mate who thought we were in for a kicking.
The incident was soon forgotten about as a support band came on, then it was time to wait for the upstarts.
In what seemed like no time at all the upstarts came on and singer mensi was stage front in a torn pair of jeans ramones style, an upstarts 'police oppression' t-shirt and hair a bit scruffed, he was belting out the tunes with all i had come to expect from the angelic upstarts, great they were!
it was in between songs while the band rested for a second that i realised that i had seen the singer before, blow me! if it wasnt the same bloke who an hour ago was dressed up like an e17 fan in his casual get up, this was too much i thought at first, why the change? why not either come on stage wearing his e17 clobber or come as he was dressed on stage? in the end i decided it didnt matter.
all that really mattered was that i wasnt beaten up by an angry looking northener, e17 lookalike or not. and after all wasnt it the pistols song 'emi' that said "never trust a book by the cover"? (pedants beware, i know the pistols didnt think up the line so calm down), and the band were great that night.
so mensi, i forgive you for your fila tracksuit, at least it wasnt a shell suit (or was it? the light down the 100 club is gloomy in parts. (only joking mensi me old china). and sorry for nicking your seat while you were in the toilet.
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