Noise Annoys

Noise Annoys were quite a act back in the day. Duncan Maxwell the drummer used to live across the road from me.

They morphed into The Works who were really good too.

Anyway they are doing a reunion gig at the Thistle tonight.

It'll be a good one fore shore.

I was at school with Duncan, ginger?

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Colin Glanville was a year or so below.

seadog wrote:

I was at school with Duncan, ginger?

I'm not ginger!

I've half a notion he went to DHS but that was sooo long ago. I think his family moved out of the street before we did and we went in 1981.

I never got to see them but do remember him practising his drumming in the garage.

He was a bit older than me so I'm guessing he'd be about 57 now. If any of that matches up then he's the same fella.

58/9 I should think, that's him. Also drummed in Who Cares.

A mate of mine, sadly no longer with us, played in a band named The Five (I think there was 4 of them) and one of them had been in The Works, I think, which was where I got to know of them.

Duncan Maxwell was very, very highly regarded as a drummer in musical circles at the time.

The Five were pretty feckin shit hot too.

Many (many) years ago I sang in a short lived band which also included Jon Sprosen, who went on to join his brother Micki in Noise Annoys. They lived round the corner from us in Millbridge. Jon was doing some amazing dub reggae stuff last I heard, but that was over ten years ago.

Such a lot of musical talent around in those days, thanks to the way music - including instrument tuition - was provided through the education authority. I know a lot of effort still goes in - particularly for singing, judging by the nine year old's activities - but it's not a patch on what we had.

Jon is still around and about in Plymouth, and spoke with him last year. Living by Freedom Fields but now moved on again.
The dub thing, and music in general, has gone down and stuck through the family and friends, and one younger member is doing exceedingly well abroad in a dub influenced type thing.
You're right though, Peggy, music was then, shopping and internet angst is now. But something good will come out of the present dead end somewhere.

Was the reunion gig a one-off? It'd be good to try and catch a gig - I've heard good things.

As an aside, the current scene in Plymouth and the wider Southwest is as good as I ever remember and, while I'm younger than you guys foreshore, my mate Ian (mid 50s) was of a similar opinion.

Styles drift in and out of popularity, so youngsters form different kinds of groups. In the 90s there were bands like Rootjuice, Mako, Confrontation Camp, and the Bus Station Loonies. Today there's a thriving folk and hardcore punk scene - the Loonies are still going though!

Where do bands play these days?

Back along you could go to The Breakwater on a Saturday night and Sunday lunchtime and there would be a band on. The same with The Cooperage pretty much every night.

Beyond The Junction and The Thistle I wouldn't even know where to start these days.

I can't remember the last time I saw a band doing anything other than covers.

MikeWN wrote:

Was the reunion gig a one-off? It'd be good to try and catch a gig - I've heard good things.

As an aside, the current scene in Plymouth and the wider Southwest is as good as I ever remember and, while I'm younger than you guys foreshore, my mate Ian (mid 50s) was of a similar opinion.

Styles drift in and out of popularity, so youngsters form different kinds of groups. In the 90s there were bands like Rootjuice, Mako, Confrontation Camp, and the Bus Station Loonies. Today there's a thriving folk and hardcore punk scene - the Loonies are still going though!

I've a feeling it was but that's not 100% certain.

There was a Herald article bigging up the gig, same day as the OP, but it isn't on-line...

Also add The Retreat, Sha Gov, The Bricks, Karallon as bands that were a damned good night out.

MikeWN wrote:

Was the reunion gig a one-off? It'd be good to try and catch a gig - I've heard good things.

As an aside, the current scene in Plymouth and the wider Southwest is as good as I ever remember and, while I'm younger than you guys foreshore, my mate Ian (mid 50s) was of a similar opinion.

Styles drift in and out of popularity, so youngsters form different kinds of groups. In the 90s there were bands like Rootjuice, Mako, Confrontation Camp, and the Bus Station Loonies. Today there's a thriving folk and hardcore punk scene - the Loonies are still going though!

Bus station loonies are playing at ilfracombe punk festival in November. Along with other Devonian punk TV Smith