...I'm obviously blind and deaf!

This is a page from my diary of 15/11/1981. It’s my account of a night spent at the Lyceum Ballroom where, for the princely sum of £3, I saw Depeche Mode who were being supported by Positive Noise and Blancmange. I was browsing through my diary entries the other week and came across this, sandwiched between four nights in a row watching Any Trouble at the Marquee, Cambridge, Kingston poly and Nottingham Uni. Verdict: Four more wonderful performances from my favourite band! On 16th, my diary entry was Madness at the Dominion (£4), with the Belle Stars supporting. Verdict: They’ve come a long way since the days of the Hope and Anchor…each number spilling cheerfully out to the eager audience. So, gigs six nights in a row then three nights off before another Any Trouble gig at Middlesex Poly. Oh my life was such a whirl of excitement back then.

Many of my diary entries of this time are pure gold. This is no exception. OK – it’s hardly great journalism or even great diary-writing but let’s face it, to predict that Depeche Mode “wouldn’t last because their material wasn’t varied enough to sustain time” has to be one of the gig review howlers of all time. I was amused to see an ad for their new album on the TV a couple of weeks back (it came out in April 2013). So, to coin a phrase, the report of their forthcoming demise was greatly exaggerated!

Over the intervening 32 years, I have seen them play many times and own what I consider to be a fine portfolio of their albums. In fact, Violator comes right up there in the top echelon of my precious music collection. They have, over what is more than a lifetime to my student buddies, brought me great joy and happiness. Frankly, the band who wrote and performed “My Own Personal Jesus” and “It’s a Question of Lust” could not have done more for my well-being. OK – add on top the amazing Anton Corbijn’s superb videos of said material and I can honestly say I can think of no greater pleasure than spending an evening in the company of a DM DVD with the soundtrack coming out of my hi-fi speakers VERY LOUD, a real life DM by my side and a glass of red in my hand. Yep – that just about does it for me.

My day needed something to brighten the gloom after what’s been a pretty shitty one so this, which has been in my head but not in my camera until today has come out now.

I have been threatening to bring together my diaries from the 80s and my photos of these gigs for many, many years but honestly, scanning negatives is the most tedious job I have ever undertaken so I generally get as far as one strip of photos then find something more interesting to do! It’s a shame when there is loads more where this came from!