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1. How did
the band start, where and when and why? How did you come to choose
the name - The Crabs
Pretty much as on the punk 77 website. We could and maybe should
have been The Bloaters coming from Yarmouth…but it was a seaside
reflection and a bit offensive, the Pistols had done their Bill
Grundy thing and we were young and in a band and it seemed like a
chance.
2. Members of the band and instruments played?
From the back…
Ricci Titcombe Drums Will Kimbling Bass and B vox, Ronny Rocka Lead
Nervous Gtr and B vox and Tony Day, Lead Vox and Rhythm Gtr
3. Were
you involved with any bands previously…type of bands?
I joined Teezer [ Ricci Ronny and Tony ] on 19th Jan 1976, after the
previous Bassist left. We used to play the village halls all over E
Angular doin our own own promotions and getting ripped by our own
personal Mr 10%. It was mainly covers of heavy songs Blak Sab, Deep
Purp, but we also had to do Hi Ho Silver Lining for the Young
Farmers, and Glad All Over for the RAF Nurses at the Ely RAF
Hospital, Army Bases and even USAF Bases. But then we got to play
covers of the Heavy Metal Kids who we all loved. What a showman Gary
woz. Oh and don't forget the B sides by The Sweet which we all liked
to do. Sort of Glam Heavy really but we always had the punky edge as
well. Quirky humour was a thing wiv us as well which will become
more important later in the story as you will see. Oh and when I
while I remember I played Banjo in a school play which was
translated from the original greek.
4.
Influences?
As above altho we all had our faves. Piss question really as the
only answer is " everything I've ever listened to or even heard ? "
Neh?
5. How
did you get into punk rock?
How did anyone at that time not get into punk rock ?
6. What bands
did you support, places played. Reaction to you. Spitting, Violence
wild adulation?
We used to support X Ray Spex, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The
Buzzcocks all the time, Sham, Slaughter, Eater and The Lurkers [ Hi
Arthur ], but then it woz us wot had the PA. The folding stage at
the F club Leeds collapsed one night, I can't remember if it was the
same nite that Poly collapsed but we had an Spex Ray Crabs monster
jam session. At the time we blew a lot of bands off the stage cos we
could play a bit…The gob was atrocious, Ricci's cymbals turned
green, our clothes used to rot and I was worried about getting
Hepatitis. The Vortex and the Music Machine were my favourite gigs.
Wanna Yodel ?
7. What bands
did you rate and conversely what bands did you think pants?
Judge not lest ye be judged…I tended to like particular musicians
rather than bands . I really used to like John the Sax in the Spex.
And Get your woofing dog off me by the Jerks… he was a tallboy, and
Zips and Buckles by Plastix, I liked them.
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8. You were on
the second live Roxy album. What do you remember of this?
It was new years eve I think , but I 'm not sure. We didn't play
particularly well on the nite, and there wasn't that many people
there. But those that were got into the occasion well enough. The
main buzz was doin the mobile recording thing.. a first for us at
that time.
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9. Come
to think of it what do you remember of The Roxy Club – the
atmosphere and people or had it died by the time you played there.
Dirty old men trying to tap up innocent boys, not us, we weren't so
naive by then, having had a publishing deal, and it was just scummy
dirty. The management must have changed from the original. If I went
out to the pub for a drink I could never find my damn way back to
the shithole.
10. You
also were supposed to have a single out on Lightning records
-Victim. What was the story with your record deal and did it ever
come out at all.
Don' know cos I left in March 78 for personal reasons it's a story
and I'll tell you when I meet you Paul but it's not for publik
konzumption.
11. You
also did a great John Peel session in May 1978? What are your
memories of this?
Ricci Tic. Great session very privileged to be asked to do this at
the time did,nt see or meet John at the session remember listening
to it in my car when it was played on air. I did meet Peely a couple
of years later 1979 I was playing in a band called Zorro in Ipswich
someone said John lived just up the road & we should go round his
house which we did, knocked at the door Peely answered the door we
said that we were a band playing up the road & if he would like to
come to the gig, He invited us in and made us a cup of tea we
disturbed his football on T.V. but he was great & he remembered The
Crabs & our session
12. Local
places played and bands?
See earlier Q
13.
Without being too over the top you had some cracking tunes like
‘Lullabies Lie’ and ‘Don’t Want Your Love’ and it’s a crying shame
that none ever really got released. What were your favourites and
why?
I liked Wilko Johnson a lot so…Don't want your Love is my fave cos
the words are clever and its got that r n'b drive [ not the modern
sort ]. I did like Under Pressure ever so much for a 2 minit
tune…it's got everything by virtue of nothing in the words and is
clever in it's reference to the plastic mac of substitute fame. The
tune is a little belter too.
14. Why were
the Crabs not signed to a bigger label? I mean you had some good
publicity, got live reviews and mentions in the gossip columns and a
catchy slogan of ‘I caught the Crabs’!. Did you try? Were you ever
approached?
Only by a coach
15. What
happened in the glass throwing incident as as I understand it the
glass hit a friend of yours and the police pressed charges. Or was
this a publicity gimmick?
Ricci. It did happen although press exaggerated it, all it was we
were playing this punk club in Nuneaton, in the crowd were a
stag party not at all into punk giving us grief all night. We came
on for an encore and a pint beer glass was thrown and hit me while I
was playing in the side of the neck. I just lost it for a second &
threw it back it missed the guy who threw it & hit a girl I had been
seeing earlier who happened to be standing near them. I'm not proud
of this now nor then hope this clears this up.
16. You did
kinda release one single as The Fulham Furies and the excellent
cover of ‘Boots’ and your own ‘Under Pressure’. What was the story
behind the single then?
Ricci. Our manager & producer Mike Berry was a avid Fulham F.C fan &
just got us to do Boots with Fulham football team doing the vocals
B. side was our song Under pressure again with Fulham F.C. singing.
17. What did the
Crabs want to achieve? Fame, success, just a laugh?
World Domination.. or Gorleston High Street !!!
18. Best moments
in the Crabs?
Every single goddamn moment… I wouldn't change a thang
19. Worst Crabs
moment?
You don't wanna know, but singing B vox at the Vortex one nite and
receiving a huge greeny smack in the gob and I mean it went right
nearly down my throat and I spat it straight out onto the stage and
then seen how green it was!!!!! comes a close second.
20. How did
it all end?
In tears as usual.
21. What
do you make of the renewed interest in Punk rock now and its
place in history with bands reforming? How have you found
playing again? Interest? Reaction?
It's great, the interest but as for the place in history I
don't know, I think we made a point tho … but there's always
been cults ? I never stopped playing but it was nice to play
at WASTED this year with Ronny' and a bloke came up to me
after the carlton gig and thanked us for doin Victim …the last
time he heard it was 78 at the vortex… sort of blew me away
really. |
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22. What did
you all do afterwards?
Fuckin Loads but that's another story!!! HA!! Perhaps you should ask
Max Splodge and now I'm a lagging inspector. But still playing…
sometimes with splodge sometimes with a Yarmouth band called The
Rock and Roll Geezers and now apparently in the revived Crabs.
22. Anything to
add?
Two and Two makes six of one and half a dozen of the other. I reckon
the thing most people would remember the crabs for was the bloody
great three ton furniture van we travelled about the country in...
we lived in it for about 5 months on mattresses and used to wash in
the motorway truckers toilets.. we must have stunk like polecats. At
one point we didn't get home for 30 days consecutive!
Ah… Happy Days. |
