Schoolgirl Bitch
Schoolgirl Bitch is a great name and one single Abusing The Rules/Think For Yourself (1977 Garage Records) to their credit. Mega rare and came in a variety of sleeves including a hand made one by the band. It grows on you. I don’t know what the instrument is in the background that occasionally comes in; sounds like an elastic band!
Below Interview with Nick Name from early 2000’s!
What was the punk scene like in Accrington?
The Punk Scene in Accrington started with Schoolgirl Bitch really, I recall walking around town centre with an Oxfam Jacket with plastic Jubilee Picture of the Queen ripped up and held together with safety pins, people stopped and stared, others peeped out of there windows, it had a powerful effect. I think there was only a handful who really wore punk gear in 1977, perhaps 10 in Accrington, and then about 30 odd around that group who liked the music but didn’t wear all the punk stuff. Sometime it was like being an Alien, but in 1978 there were loads more willing to wear punk fashion, and coach/mini bus trips were organised to places like Pips and Electric Circus in Manchester and the main North-West Lancs Venue at the Loadstar, Ribchester. No Major Punk Bands ever played Accrington apart from Motorhead (if you consider them punks) they supported The Scorpions at Accrington Town Hall in 1976, a gig promoted by my brother, Phil Serious for the Accrington and Rossendale college.
What did the public make of you? Reaction at gigs? Spitting? Violence?
The public saw us as a novelty and also as a threat. At gigs reactions varied, as a generalization Punks pogo-ed and danced others who didn’t wear punk clothing stood looking like innocent bystanders. At some of the gigs we did at the Loadstar there was a lot of spitting, it was the worst for that. Also we had mock fights on the dance floor, ripping of T-shirts and pouring beer and spitting etc. There wasn’t really any violence except in 77 when there was a punch up between punks and soul boys at a local outdoor Rock Festival were China Street played.
Where did u all hang out ? Clubs/Pubs
We the band Schoolgirl Bitch, hung out at the place we rehearsed in the basement of a youth club called the New Era, then we’d go to the pub, were other punks frequented. Some weeknights and weekends we’d go to the Loadstar were they had many name punk bands play…like the Sex Pistols (76) then I think nearly every other punk band played there. They had Punk Discos if that isn’t a contradiction in terms? 🙂 That was the main place to go and people came from all around the area i.e. Preston and Manchester.
Where there any punk nights run at clubs and pubs?
The Loadstar was the only real regular club in that area. We went to a couple of pubs, but perhaps there were others I didn’t know about.
What were the names of other local bands?
The main other band in Accrington was The Cybermen, we played together a couple of times. There was a bit of rivalry as they lost their drummer and ended up nicking ours coz they had more money. In Blackburn there was a band called Demolition (but they never made a single) fronted by Matt Emulsion and Split Belsen a.k.a. Paul Davies (went onto be in the Sunkings) they played the Loadstar regularly and hung around there.
Were you not tempted to make another record ? Was there any interest from larger labels?
Looking back now we should have made another one and we could have built up a proper label, but I personally was a naive about it all. Phil Serious who paid for the single to be made wasn’t that bothered about a career in music, he worked hard to make the money for the record. I don’t think we really understood how to promote it to our best advantage. No larger companies were interested at the time.
Names of other songs in your set?
Smashing the System
Lust for you
What’s in Store?
18 Year Confusion
Pollution
They are all on tape somewhere, but I don’t know where?
In September 1978 Nick and the Doctor Headed for the City, to stay at the James Leicester Hall of Residence with Phil and carry on the band, before Christmas they recruited Richard “gabby” Shearman on Drums, and began rehearsing. But at Christmas The Doctor had had enough and left returning to Accrington. Nick remained with Gabby and they recruited Griff Johnson on Bass who was at University, several gigs were played i.e. supporting the Thompson Twins and UK Subs. But the band just petered out with the pressures of life.
It was claimed in an article by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that Schoolgirl Bitch sold all their gear to make a farewell single. Well that is complete rubbish. Phil Serious slaved his bollocks off to earn the money at Mullard’s Electrical, Blackburn, we did not sell our gear.
After leaving the band Paul Milek went on to play Heavy Metal, helping form Streetfighter with Merv Goldsworthy who later joined Diamond Head. The Evil Doctor also jumped on the Heavy Metal Bandwagon and played with Buffalo. I could have jumped on the Heavy Metal Bandwagon but wanted to do something more original. Meanwhile Phil Serious became a Taxman and eventually Kid Sick took to mowing lawns!
THE END!
Nick Name 😉
TalkPunk
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I was 12 1/2 year old in 1977 when it was all happening in Accy , used to listen to SGB drummer practice in his Dads garage on Avenue Parade half way down on the right ..
When the single came out I never bought it , yet in 1979 not many people had the single in picture cover ..
I went in our local second hand record shop in Accy :
“ The disc n Tape”
on little blackurn Road and saw it for sale for 10p
In the bargain bin..😉
It was mint and the pic cover just had a slight turn up corner & a yellow Disc n tape 10p
Sticker on the top corner..
.
Many years later in 2005 an old mate from school who I collected and swapped records together as a kid was a record collector .
Eamon Dawson(Mc Gough)
who had something to do with the Damned fanzine in the 80’s and at the time I met him was working on building up his personal record collection.
It was then he came to mine to look at some of my old records..
I sold him a lot of old stuff and like Live at the Roxy and some old T.Rex stuff that he gave me a good price at the time , I was just trying to help him out ; then he saw the S.G.B. Single and said I’ll take that , it was one of the ones somehow I wanted to keep but , I sold it to him ..
It was only some years later I found out that my picture cover was one of only a couple that had a BLUE PAINT STENCIL over the titles of the tracks on the record..
This was originally done with red lead paint from Paul (Kid sick’s)
Dad’s garage and when they ran out they did the last few with Blue Acrylic paint ..
🎨
It really stood out in blue , yet as I never saw another I just thought they were all the same ..
I now believe it is one of the most sought after Early Punk singles ( with picture covers )..
I hope someone is enjoying it as I did in 1977 ..
Also I remember on a wall in the Bus Shelter at Accrington Victoria Hospital there was a brilliant Pink and Green poster with black images of schoolgirls writing SGB on a blackboard and one sat on the floor wasted ..
I always wanted that poster and wondered if it’s still about today ..
I’ve seen a pic of it somewhere on the internet back in 2005 when I did look after I sold the record for £5 to Eamon ..
He got a good deal that day 😉
It’s never about the money and the some of the best times in my life listening to early British punk ..
Punks not dead ..
Always the best times ..
Carl S
What a fantastic post Carl and thank you so much for sharing it!” We’ve all sold records or posters we’vre regretted. Who knows maybe the poster will turn up one day! – I’ve always loved the single.