In the Beginning


..Way back in 1976, a couple of guys saw some more guys on the TV, in the papers,
..people talked about them and many proclaimed the return of the Anti-Christ.
..The Sex Pistols might seem a little tame by todays standards, but back then,
..they were an inspiration to hundreds of teenagers and youth all over the U.K.
..Many a band was born after seeing the Bill Grundy incident plastered all over the
..World. In Barnsley, Spike and Munk were a guitar/bass combo under the name of
..''Phlegm', (bloody stupid name, but it somehow worked.) Spike was 16, and Munk a
..mere 15 years old, and they had written a couple of songs (in a fashion!?),
..and was on the lookout for a drummer, having decided that Spike would be on Lead
..vocals, and Munk would do Backing Vocals. They were asked to support Barnsley's
..first Punk band, 'The Restricted', and Paul 'Giggy' Gilmartin (Later To become The
..Danse Society drummer ) filled in on the skins. So 5 songs and a change of under-
..pants later, their first gig was over.
..From the gig, a drummer, Stuart Moss, and a singer, Derek 'Shorty' Short were
..recruited, and the name was changed to 'The Androids'. Rehearsals improved,
..and pretty soon, they had a good half hour of material. A gig was arranged at a local
..dance studio where they rehearsed, and invites were sent out (Private secret party)
..They were to support a local Art School band called 'Labyrinth', who did a selection
..of their own plus 1 or 2 covers, including a version of Tom Petty's 'Breakdown'.
..It was a successful night. Also at the gig that night was Munk's cousin, Brent Stables
..who liked what he saw, and had an idea. A few months later, with nothing on the gig
..calendar, Brent called at Munk's one day and said "I got a guitarist, a drummer, and
..I will sing, do you wanna play bass?", after discussions with the band, Munk was in a
..new band called 'The Maingate Rippers' (which is an old Pit term for a face miner),
..and Keith 'Tat' Tattershall was the bass player for what was now known as
..'The X-Spurts'. 'The Maingate Rippers' comprised of :- Brent Stables...Vox,
..Terry Naylor...Guitar, Gavin Brain...Drums, and Munk...Bass. Early rehearsals were
..held at a friends cellar, and a handful of songs (lyrics...Brent, and music...by Terry),
..were put through the paces. A good vibe was brewing, and soon gigs were organised
..the first, at a youth club in Millhouse Green, which went down as good as it could
..have, people lapped it up, and it wasn't long before the next gig was arranged,'The
..Drum'in Darton. which was another good gig with the inclusion of the first cover song
..'White Riot' by the Clash, and incidentally, the first airing of 'You are my sunshine',
..an idea from Brent's brother, Wayne, and arranged by Munk.
..After a few months, Terry was asked to fill in on guitar for 'The Restricted',and ended
..up being the fifth member, what now for The Rippers?, fortunately for the lads,
..they had plenty of people who wanted to join, unfortunately, none could play!
..In the end, it was a close friend who went to all the gigs, left-handed and no
..experience at all. 'Rots was a school colleague of Munk's,and learnt all the songs in a
..week, from scratch!!, Apparently, a natural and all that was needed, was a guitar
..and a bass!! with 'Rots being left-handed. 'Rots bought a Marshall amp n 4 x 12 cab,
..and Munk ended up with a Sound City valve amp and 4 x 12 cab. 'The X-Rippers' had
..landed.
..Early practise sessions had new energy that emerged with Munk re-arranging most
..songs to suit his flambuoyant style of guitar playing, and 'Rots knitting in with Brainy.
..Early songs, like 'Magnet Blues' and 'Rippers Lament were stripped of darkness,
..and given a kiss of life with pure power chords and simple solos suitable to his
..deficiencies of competence, which actually made them better. With sing-a-long
..vocals and Brainys energy and wailing(he never was allowed a mike!),The X-Rippers
..were the Peoples Choice, and gigs were always an unpredictable assembly of chaos,
..fun and good times, with no-one quite knowing what to expect.
..The main place to play in town was always at The Portcullis, with a decent sized
..stage, and probably the best DJ in yorkshire, in the massive, gentle giant known as
..'BUB', Thursday nights were treasured by all with the passion of an all-nighter in
..Wigan. The Portcullis was always filled to capacity and was the perfect spring-board
..for new bands and old alike. Therefore a date was booked for 3 weeks on Thursday.
..The first gig was an unbelievable fiasco!, the night before the gig was holding a
..secret, snow, and lots of it!!, so when morning came, with at least a foot of snow
..down, and more still dropping, things looked bleak for the night ahead. After a 2 mile
..hike through the streets of Siberia, carrying a very cold guitar, Munk and Bill finally
..reached the Chennels bar on Wellington St. A few drinks later,when suitably warmed
..up, they walked that last 200 yards to T'Portcullis, to find Brainy and 'Rots waiting.
..Apparently, Brent had phoned, and is not going to appear at the first gig. So, do they
..cancel?, no way, the first gig was an instrumental affair, which went down quite well
..surprisingly, a good night was had, and 'The X-Rippers' machine was up and running

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LINE UP:-    fREDDY RED    VOCALS
                      ROTS                 BASS
                      BRAINY             DRUMS
                      MAL                   GUITAR

THE x-rIPPERS ARE STILL PLAYING GIGS TODAY ANY TIME ANY PLACE ANY WHERE IN OUr 39TH YEAR.


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