Hi all,
I first met the band in Wigan.
My party didn't make it to the pub, but drove by
at considerable speed.
Instead we made it to the soundcheck [:)]
And had the opportunity to say "hello" to Steve O.
- and shake hands with Merv and Steve Church.
And Ant and his lovely wife Lisa, not to forget. [:)]
Oh, not to forget the trip back to the hotel
with Matt (aka Lidia [:D])
and meeting the marathon runner Doddy
at the hotel. [8-)]
I WILL make it to Nottingham (that's the plan),
only thing not sorted yet is train tickets
fron Birmingham International to Nottingham.
I'm looking forward to seeing all of you.
This thread is great. But there are definately a few missing. Roll up, roll up..Don't be shy!
[:D]
Hi, I'm Gary and I live in Rhondda, South Wales.I first saw Chris & Steve in Wildlife supporting Schenker in '83,thought they were superb. Bought FM That Girl single and been a fan since.My second all time fave band to UFO.
David (45) from Steve O's home town of King's Lynn.
I went to the grammar school in Lynn, so didn't know the Overlands then - they went to 'the other place!' My first sight of the boys performing was at the Black Horse in Castle Rising in I think 1982? Enough of that though and onto the music!
It seems so long ago but I think my first proper FM gig was at the UEA in Norwich. My favourite gig was at the Waterfront, also in Norwich (very low ceilings, but Pete still managed to fly over his kit I remember!). I was leaning on the stage throughout and managed to grab a playlist at the end which I still have (somewhere!!). I noted that they had misspelled 'Hard Luck'....!! In later years the band player The Oval Roundhouse two or three times - good days!
I remember seeing the lads as support to Quo at the NEC I think. We arrived a bit late so missed their entrance. They were awesome - I have to disagree with a previous poster, the Quo fans around me certainly didn't sit and watch arms folded. Needless to say, we got some odd looks when we walked out as soon as Quo came on - worth the trip regardless of the brevity of the show for us!
Indiscreet and Tough it Out tour shirts still have pride of place hanging in my wardrobe and come out for most gigs I get to.
I'm still in Norfolk, married 25 years next August. Work in a factory and dream of being FM's general dogsbody manager! [:))]
My current claim to fame has to be top place in the FM FPL League - disappointed that Pete/Merv never got to putting that team in...[:|]
I have tickets to Firefest but it looks like I won't be able to go. Although having read some of the posts on here, I'm determined to do my best to change that. Definitely have one spare ticket for Saturday though - offers?! [:-D]
Good luck to the boys with all that seems to be going on right now and I hope to catch up with a few of you in October!
I'm 37 yr old Chris from Newcastle, UK. Single with 2 teenage sons. Working abroad most of the time these past 4 years in an office job.
Into all genres of rock & metal (from very soft to extremely hard & brutal!)
I happened to first hear FM's Bad Luck in my local pub in '89 so went and bought a ticket for their headline show at Newcastle Riverside that year (I think!).
Was completely blown away by the band and loved their little medley of Thin Lizzy songs - a band I also love - while not being too familiar at that time with much of FM's music. Been an avid follower ever since though but only got the chance to see the band live 5 times.
One of the funniest was when they supported Status Quo and me & my 2 mates were surrounded by "old" Quo fans near the front. When FM came on I started going nuts bouncing up and down singing along to "That Girl" and Stiv acknowledged that by pointing at me and smiling while all around us people were scratching their heads like "what the hell!" priceless!
I got Andy Barnett's autograph from a gig in Redcar. He had decided to go out for a run before the gig so I collared him when he came back, hence the autograph "I'm knackered!!! Andy Barnett"
Obviously the Firefest reunion was just incredible with the meet-and-greet! Unbelievable!
Being a not-so-active drummer and collector of drumsticks, I asked Pete before the gig if he had a spare one that I could have. He said no but he would throw one or two out at the show and wished me "good luck!" By pure chance I got the stick and told Pete afterwards... "Bloody Hell!" was the reply! Just an epic weekend! Just great to meet some down-to-earth guys and enjoy a beer and a chat after an amazing show!
Everything sorted now for Firefest and I look forward to meeting some people from this forum at Nottingham over the weekend. See you there!
Hi Im Dean, Im 42 and from the Rhondda Valleys in South Wales, married to Deb for 15yrs and have 1 daughter.
Followed Fm around the area back in the day from St Davids Hall to Boogiz night club for the Acoustic set and also Bristol Bierkeller a few times.Was luck enough to be at Firefest 4 for the spectacular reformation and will be there again for this years Party [:D][:D]
see you all at the bar.
Evening All
Tez Durrant, ripe old age of 42, living with girlfriend with one kid (3 year old girl) - Dad was in Navy so moved around a lot , but now in Suffolk.
Introduced to FM by housemate at 2nd year at Hatfield Polytechnic ( 1987 - 1988 ). I think I first saw FM at Hammersmith Odean in 1989 on the Tough It Out tour with the excellent Romeo's Daughter in support ( so Firefest will be like my 20th Anniversary for both FM & Romeos Daughter !!! ). Been to see FM numerous times since then ...
Still wear my Bad Luck t-shirt ( which has seen better days ), as well as the Dead Man's shoes t-shirt.
Work as IT Manager nowadays, and really looking forward to seeing both Romeo's Daughter & FM at Firefest 6.
Cheers
Tez
Cheers, James
Hi Phil Burn from Stoke-on-Trent. 38 years old, married and 1 little girl who is nearly 5! Am an Accountant and luckily been doing the numbers thing for 14 years!
My FM story came out of accidentally listening to my cousins music collection. She was really into Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow and Led Zep (which aint a bad thing at all) but one time she made me listen to an album from Magnum called "On a Story-tellers night". Anyway we ended up going to watch Magnum at the Victoria hall in Hanley. You can picture the scene, rockers with tight jeans and leather jackets, mulletts galore, then on comes this band with outfits that looked like designs for Blackpools deckchair range!! Always remember it, sorry guys!!
Then Bang! never ever seen to this day a band win over a crowd like that in 20-30 minutes!!
Immediately hooked, bought indiscreet on vinyl twice as most of my mates from school lent the first copy and played it to death. From then on bought pretty much everything else they released. Saw them on all of there UK tours, memorable ones sneaking in to see them soundcheck and chatting to Chris O, the acoustic tour they played in stafford, speaking to Mr Jupp after a gig in Hanley and the first "comeback" gig at Birmingham for the tough it out album which even though at the start it was a really tense atmosphere, as soon as they came out and played it was fantastic.
Completely gutted when they split up, probably like a lot of us!! Genuienly thought that was it for the band and would just have to make do with the recordings!!
Doubly gutted when they reformed and they were going to do the firefest gig as got married the saturday before and was holed up in a cottage in scotland so couldnt go.
Unable to go the Firefest gig this year(triple gutted) with work stuff, so am hoping (and fingers crossed) they tour the album so i can finally get to see them!!
Really like the new song. Think it captures some of the old stuff but with an up to date sound. Will be good to hear the full version this friday. Big smile on my face!!!
[:)]
Still loving this thread, some of these comments jog the old Jupp memory. More, more, more please!!! [:)s]
Here goes chaps
Name's dippa, a writer of the footballing fraternity, live in splendid isolation in peterborough, or pottyborough as us witty scribes like to call it. Here I spend my days covering a well known football club in the Premier League. Have been covering footie for 25 years and share my not so expansive abode with the lovely Chris (that's 'tine' on the end), son Sam, and the adoringly barmy old dog that is is Molly, now 12 and as grey as Steve O these days.
Have been an FM fanatic since Indiscreet and seeing them play a lovely little haunt in pottyborough. Hooked, line and sinker and seen them all on every tour since. Love all their stuff and it can often be heard, on a balmy (not barmy - although possibly the same) being loudly played at one of my ridiculously rocked out bbqs. Achieved a lifetime ambition, well one of them, when I met the boys to do a football feature for Match magazine. Some talent there, and no not talking about Steve O. Spent most of the time in goal, too knackered and large to run, and took all the gags about my old FM Tough it out sweatshirt from the guys. Job done me and photographer Paul went back to a studio in Islington, I think, 48 lager's later it was impossible to remember, to ahve a drink or eight with the lads, well apart from Merve the Swerve, who had better things to do with his time, it transpired. Steve apparently fell over, we staggered out to get the last train from the X and we've never met since. Been in touch with Mr. Jupp recently and intend to get over to Ealing to get him frazzled on red wine but the job keeps getting in the way...one day soon though Juppy...the new single sounds fantastic and boys are certainly back. Football will keep me away from Firefest and currently writing this from my hotel room in Nicosia, who said football was a glamour life...!
The Dipster...Keep 'on Rocking as Nod often said.
