June 22nd 1991 – Walsall Football Club
Supported by:
This is on the list of concerts where, for whatever reason, I appear to have lost all memorabelia for it…..so this is an example of the ticket for the day, but not my original one, I know not where that has gone 🙁
I will see The Wonder Stuff / Miles Hunt in some funny old places over the years, Walsall for sure, isn’t the hotbed of rock and roll legendary concerts….until now!
[Note: Having made that statement, I thought I better check and it turns out the following are from Walsall; Noddy Holder (Slade), Goldie, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Dave Walker (Humble Pie/Fleetwood Mac) and Jorja Smith…..so a nod to all of them].
In fairness to the Stuffies, they are from Stourbridge, a mere 14 or so miles down the road, so this is a sort of homecoming gig.
“Size of a Cow” had been out a few months ahead of this gig, but The Wonder Stuff had also had 3 albums out; The Eight Legged Groove Machine (1988), Hup (1989) and Never Loved Elvis in May 1991. The first single I bought by the band was “Golden Green” from the “Hup” album….late to the party as usual!
My friend Dean would have been very excited as we went along the M6 to Walsall, quite cloudy on the way there, I mean, it is June for heavens sake.
You get a glimpse of the Bescott Stadium before leaving the M6, so the excitement of being close to a venue starts to build…..as a football fan, I can think I would ever have been expecting to be excited to go to Walsall (sorry, no offence meant)
I don’t feel like we parked far away from the stadium, maybe on an industrial estate or in those days by the side of the road wasn’t much of an issue.
Dean tells me the support acts were Kingmaker, Swervedriver, Spirit of the West and New Fast Automatic Daffodils, none of which I really remember.
It was an amazing atmosphere, we all had a few beers I don’t doubt (except the driver, which wasn’t me!), but it was boisterous!
The Wonder Stuff were introduced on to the stage by comedy duo, Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, who would later in the year (we now know) record “Dizzy” with The Stuffies.
The opening track, “Mission Drive” just sent the crown into a frenzy! I’m sure we were well over half way back on the left and it was still bouncing!
I love the energy of the band, a mix of pop, rock, folk music. Lots of guitar mixed with fiddles and drums. Great sound. They don’t really neatly fit into any genre, not as punchy as New Model army but not a soft pop band either…..let’s leave them in their own special space and what I love about music is bands that can’t be pigeon-holed.
The weather had started dull, got windier and then rained….alot! Nothing was going to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm though, as they danced through tracks from all three albums. A great cover of the Jam’s “That’s Entertainment went down well.
Set List (something like)
- Mission Drive
- Caught in My Shadow
- Inertia
- Cartoon Boyfriend
- Play
- Golden Green
- The Size of a Cow
- Piece of Sky
- Sleep Alone
- Circlesquare
- Here Comes Everyone
- Radio Ass Kiss
- A Wish Away
- Ruby Horse
- Welcome to the Cheap Seats
- Grotesque
- Donation
- Sing the Absurd
- Maybe
- Don’t Let Me Down, Gently
- That’s Entertainment (The Jam cover)
- Unbearable
- Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More
- Ten Trenches Deep
- Good Night Though
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