Where It All Kicked Off
The Seventies
My gig-going life kicked off in 1979. These were the pre-digital days — when a “spreadsheet” sounded more like something your mum pegged out on the washing line. My filing system? A wad of ticket stubs stuffed into the sleeve pocket of my battered leather jacket. Sadly, that entire archive made a break for freedom during a particularly lively gig. One pocketful of punk history, gone forever.
My first gig was Tubeway Army at The Dome in Brighton, swiftly followed by Siouxsie and the Banshees — with support from a pre-fame The Cure. Still a schoolkid, I caught a run of gigs at Brighton’s Top Rank (including The Damned, The Clash and 999), where age checks were based more on your chin than your ID. Luckily, I was an early shaver.
The Eighties
The school uniform came off and was swiftly replaced by dyed hair, a studded leather jacket, and bondage trousers — the unofficial uniform of my college years. This coincided perfectly with the UK82 scene, and I caught early incarnations of The Exploited, Discharge, and Anti-Nowhere League in their raw, feral prime.
By 1984, I’d joined the world of work. A tie appeared (yuk), the hair got flattened, and the dye got binned — but I never stopped going to gigs. I spent the rest of the decade criss-crossing venues between Brighton and London, with bands like Killing Joke, New Model Army, and Spear of Destiny becoming firm favourites.
The Nineties
Fewer gigs in the nineties — and still no official records — but some moments are burned into memory. I remember stage diving at a Fall gig to the visible irritation of Mark E. Smith, and catching Public Image Ltd when they played EMI. John Lydon pointed out the irony of performing in the belly of their former label. Naturally.
Somewhere between the stage dives and the hangovers, I met Polly, fell in love, and married her in 1997. Our first son dropped in ’98, the sequel in 2000 — two baby boomers spitting out a pair of Gen Zs like a surprise 7-inch on coloured vinyl. The volume dipped, nappies replaced setlists, but the chaos? Still headline worthy.
Early Noughties
I started keeping proper records in the early 2000s — though photos didn’t begin until 2005. I kicked off the new millennium with a bang: Marilyn Manson’s Guns, God and Government tour, supported by Disturbed (pre-megastardom) and Godhead. That gig lit the fuse for the next chapter.
My gig list to the end of 2004 — all the noise, none of the pics. Just me, the music, and a camera-shaped hole in history…
- Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, Godhead – Docklands Arena, London – Jan 2001
- System Of A Down, The Dillinger Escape Plan – Brixton Academy, London – Mar 2002
- Killing Joke – The Astoria, London – Oct 2003
- Dead Men Walking – Martlets Hall, Burgess Hill – Oct 2003
- Slipknot, Slayer, Mastodon – Hammersmith Apollo – Oct 2004
- Dead Men Walking – Martlets Hall, Burgess Hill – Oct 2004
From Grainy Beginnings to Full Noise Fury
The chaos didn’t stop in 2004 — it just got louder, sweatier, and digitally captured. If you’ve made it this far down memory lane, don’t stop now.
My photos started in 2005, when early camera phones made everything look gloriously shoddy. But as the tech improved, so did the shots — sometimes. The gigs kept coming… loud, raw, and worth remembering. Below, you’ll find links to all the galleries from 2005 onwards — dive in and soak it up.
Dave The Punk 