orthographic rejections - rigormortis - the mutilators - minor details - the blackout
by ged asbery
OK "punk dad" here are the official lineups from the main bands that I was
involved in. There were several Rigormortis lineups for instance but this one is
the definitive one, ie the only one that actually recorded.
1980 Orthographic Rejections
Vocals: Stuart Halpin
Bass: Pete Talbot (Billy Bloater)
Drums: Jason Davies
Guitar: Ged Asbery
I included OR because we did play one official gig at a Carlton in Lindrick
Youth club. I read once that Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols played his first gig
3 months after picking up a guitar. That's what I wanted to do, so I did it. The
other guys didn't really want to play until they were ready, which to be frank
would have taken another few years at least. Stuart Halpin infamously ran onto
stage with RigorMortis in '82 wearing just a pair of Doc Martin boots and a
balaclava. He did the dance of the dying fly, took a bow and ran off again,
rendering a 300-strong punk audience stunned and silent!
1981-1982 RigorMortis
Vocals: Steve (Gav) Heaps
Drums: Bob Seeley
Bass: Johnny Green (now in Red Arsed Bush Monkeys and still playing in Worksop)
Guitar: Ged Asbery
Lots of local gigs, particularly self-funded and self publicised shows in
unlikely places including getting 300 people attend a punk show at Shireoaks
Village Hall. Recorded a 3 track cassette for No Future Records that never got
released. We gave away our 200 copies at various gigs in '82 including
supporting Bikini Atoll.
Turned down for Turvey's infamous "Vice Squad" gig in Worksop in favour of
"Victims like you" because according to Jim Turvey, "RigorMortis can't play,"
prompting Russ Mottishaw (Bikini Atoll) upon seeing us to tell him, "They can't
play? You must have f_ckin' cloth ears, Jim! They sound like Motorhead!"
Mackie from Blitz and Helen Hill from the Violators (on No Future Records)
dropped in on our recording session and Helen said we sounded "awesome". I think
she must have really had cloth ears. That didn't stop us drooling on her shoes,
though!
Split in 1983 after the No Future promises turned from a single release to a
track on a "nearly made it" (ie "No Future Rejects") LP to zilch in the space of
6 months!
1983 The Mutilators
Vocals : Steve Lewis (yes THAT Steve Lewis RIP)
Bass: John (Whiskey) Walker
Drums: Mick Reay
Guitar: Ged Asbery
Arguably Worksop's first proper hardcore punk band. Famously photographed in the
Worksop Trader giving the finger to the mayor and according to the same
erstwhile rag's music reporter "an awful noise until I managed to get far enough
away not to hear them."
1983 Minor Details
Vocals: Steve Lewis
Vocals:John (Seedy) Bailey
Bass: Whiskey
Drums: Mick Reay
Guitar: Ged Asbery
We only did one gig as Minor Details. Steve had failed to turn up for so many
rehearsals (and turned up pissed for the ones he did)and Seedy had stood in. The
result was that Seedy knew all the new songs and Steve didn't. Deciding we were
replacing Steve with Seedy we did one gig with the pair of them on vocals. Steve
remained sober (for once) and it actually came off well especially as dual
vocalist bands weren't the norm especially in Worksop! Good but completely
unpredictable and unsustainable!
1983-1987 The Blackout
Vocals: John Seedy Bailey
Bass: John Whiskey Walker
Drums: Mick Reay
Guitar: Ged Asbery
Bass (1985): John Scrooge Boardman
Dozens of local and not-so-local gigs including playing the Retford Porterhouse.
Probably the only band to get more column inches from the (sadly missed) Gammy
Pulex in the Worksop Guardian than Dean Bell did. Responsible for a near-riot at
The George IV in Sheffield after Seedy had mistakenly booked us on a Right Wing
skinhead show and we turned up in motorbike leathers and took the p_ss out of
them. The organisers asked us back for another gig! Although Whiskey was the
official bassist, Scrooge played with us for an entire year after one of
Whiskey's frequent motorbike accidents meant he had to learn to play bass all
over again. Scrooge's tenure included a support slot with Lost Loved Ones at the
Porterhouse. We also played a gig in Mansfield with Andy (Melv) Melvyn
(guitarist from The Real Atrocities) on bass after we turned up to watch another
band, not realising we were expected to play, let alone headline! We borrowed
instruments and Melv learned the chords for each song from me, right before we
played it. We split in 1987 when Mick decided to procreate and I moved to
Brighton.
GED