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The other club on Mathew St

Never mind Eric's - The Musical, there was a little bit of the real deal in town at the weekend

Published on September 15th 2008.

The other club on Mathew St

THE tickets may have been twenty quid each, but back in the days when a bag of sugar was ten of your pence (probably), and everyone had real butter for tea, Eric's ruled the new wave with 7,500 members.

Understandably, then, there were a lot of people prepared to put their money where their mouths were at the weekend, and stump up the cash to shout the four-letter odds at Julian Cope, Pete Burns, or anyone else who didn't pass their muster on this most intriguing of billings. Totally in the style of the time, you understand. But never would the song World Shut Your Mouth have been more appropriate, JC may have been thinking, wryly. Speaking of whom, the Mighty Wah! man, Pete, was, crucially, absent.

If, as some suggested, Copey was ropey, he did, at least, stand the distance, doing about 90 minutes of acoustic stuff during “A Little Bit of Eric's” at the Carling Academy on Friday. Many thought it was a bit much, as was the price of the beer, but then about half the audience appeared to be on “the gezzy” anyway and couldn't grumble. They were all there, even Doreen from Eric's door was selling posters.

Members of Cope's formerly marvellous Teardrop Explodes, such as drummer Gary Dwyer, wandered through the crowd made up of all ages, but could not be snared into accompanying the leader on the stage, and so the long haired one from Tamworth was left with just a green guitar to thrash his way through many, many, many things, most memorably Sleeping Gas, The Great Dominions and the crowd-pleasing Treason.

Course, there was Pete Burns too, the face that launched a thousand mobile phone cameras on the night, and a

spectacle in his little black shorts performing his three campest numbers in his deepest manly voice.

Indeed, one wag ungernerously commented that he “phoned in his performance” and there was also bizarre talk that he was “being a diva" in the dressing room, allegedly, while the audience patiently shuffled its collective feet for a good hour after the Dead or Alive frontman's ETA.

Facing a hometown audience can never be easy, perhaps, and as Burns, one-time doyen of Probe Records, went into his final number, You Spin Me Round, or “the song that got me out of Liverpool”, he remained looking a little like a rabbit caught in the headlights, and even though mingling by the bar afterwards, a burly minder ensured the “no pix with Pete” rule was enforced.

An aftershow party with turns by people from Chumbawumba and Deaf School, including a very game although obviously unwell Eric Shark, Enrico Cadillac and record producer Clive Langer, made it all a very merry event, as the pictures show, and all very much in the spirit of the time when these sort of gigs just organised themselves without a suit or a strategy in sight.

And we were pleased to report that Ken Testi, one of the original owners of the Mathew Street club, who organised the gig, seemed well on the road to recovery following his day out with Liverpool Confidential at the start of the month. Bravo!

Anyone recognise anyone in this lot?



Eye-eyeSeptember 15th 2008.

Shouldn't the people on "The Gezzy" have surely been on "The Gozzy"?

The Man on the Garston OmnibusSeptember 15th 2008.

Keep digging, Dig...

AnonymousSeptember 15th 2008.

Come on, use your loaf!

Peter StreetSeptember 15th 2008.

He could be in a jam...

Old CranstonianSeptember 15th 2008.

Ah! There Mr. Testi himself, seventeenth down on the left! He hasn't aged a day since he used to arrange our Eaton school catering!

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

I'm not sure if Eddie Banks, Robert Lindsay or Andy Parsons have teenage daughters so they may well be. As far as I know Remployees are allowed to have children so they may well be also.

Eric S. JukeboxSeptember 15th 2008.

Are the ones out with their teenaged daughters. Dig?

Hard of hearingSeptember 15th 2008.

Could you clarify that?

GedderSeptember 15th 2008.

Was her name Marge?

Ben TurpinSeptember 15th 2008.

Starting a discussion about people with an unfortunate eye allignment is no more acceptable than utilising Remploy as a comic vehicle. But rather than come round and clobber you both, I will make a simple statement of fact. "Gozzyjob is the market leading expert in the provision of specialist employment services for the gozzy and those who experience complex barriers to looking directly at you. Our comprehensive range of services enable the gozzy, people with a Bog or Boz eye condition and others to make the most of their skills and abilities, to gain or retain sustainable employment in the Air Traffic Control Industry".

Liverpool WagSeptember 15th 2008.

Oh, and by the way, I am actually in one of these pictures, to my very surprise, so be careful how you answer that.

star_spotter_4_everSeptember 15th 2008.

There's Derek Acorah, Tony Slattery and Fat Git! Do I win a prize?

SpreddaSeptember 15th 2008.

I can see my ex girlfriend on here. But I jibbed her years ago.

Dave CandlerSeptember 15th 2008.

Great piece, and photos, and I'm pd off I missed it. Fantastic to see the Eric's spirit very much alive. Where do I get one of Doreen's posters?

Clarence the Cross-Eyed LionSeptember 15th 2008.

I don't see eye-to-eye with you on this one, Turpo.

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

Yeah I know. But isn't gozzy when your eyes both look inwards? I think when they look outwards it's 'bog eye'. Unless anybody can correct me. Rather intelligent conversation here. 'Gozzy', 'bog eye'. All we need know is someone to call us a pair of divvies.

Count RylifeSeptember 15th 2008.

Are you sure she didn't dump you and run off with the milkman 'Dairy' Lee?

Marty FeldmanSeptember 15th 2008.

I think I know what you mean.

AnonymousSeptember 15th 2008.

Everyone looks drunk on here. This is no way that our fine city should be portraying itself in European Capital of Culture Year.

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

I thought they were photos from a Remploy work night out.

PipheadSeptember 15th 2008.

How come Chris Evans is in here? (Right col, 13 down)

SpreddaSeptember 15th 2008.

She called me a bit of an Anchor on more than one occasion

Mo DettesSeptember 15th 2008.

Crikey! Boxhead! Is he still alive?

Paris HiltonSeptember 15th 2008.

Aye aye Bent Hairpin!

Lord StreetSeptember 15th 2008.

There's Matthew Corbett at the bottom!

Taro TakeashiteSeptember 15th 2008.

What, Pete Burns?

Penny LaneSeptember 15th 2008.

A real Liverpudlian might say 'gozzy', Dig.

SpreddaSeptember 15th 2008.

Just looking at her now...she's a melting sight

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

Thanks for the tip Garston. I shall do just that. Is it just me or is there a disproportionate number of people in those pictures whose eyes face outwards? It's rather disturbing.

Curd JurgensSeptember 15th 2008.

I think she ran a-whey...

Bette BlightSeptember 15th 2008.

Yes, but he's got white hair by the look of it. Maybe it went that way while he was waiting for Pete Burns to come on after his hissy fit in the dressing room.

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

Very funny. Shame about the spelling of alignment. Must be your eyesight.

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

Yeah I can understand why. Twas only a joke tho. I'm sure you knew that. Just having a lighthearted dig at the various gurners in varying states of drunkedness. I have a father, grandfather, grandmother and friend who are disabled which makes me very sympathetic to the disabled community. However, I also know they have a cracking sense of humour and can laugh at themselves. Also they would not take offence at my lil dig at the revellers as they know no offence would be intended. Out of curiosity Wag, which one is you? I guess I'll never know!

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

You're all wrong. They're definately all on a Remploy works night out. Apart from Eddie Banks, Robert Lindsay and Andy Parsons.

BabsSeptember 15th 2008.

Whose teenage daughter is Ian Prowse manhandling (right: 14 down)?

Saint JulianSeptember 15th 2008.

There were several lotharios of a certain age there, and plenty of lively totty to go around, although I don't think the two are related, many became related in the course of the evening, I hear. I don't know if Boxhead falls into either of these camps.

DigSeptember 15th 2008.

I'm with your ex Kerry Gold now. She said you did butt'er. I can't believe you did butt'er. She said it was an utter butt'er ly you told. We've moved into a farmhouse for some countrylife now. She doesn't want you to find her so she's changed her name to Flora and lost lots of weight. She has legs like a stork now.

SpreddaSeptember 15th 2008.

No. Kerry Gold. She says I mistreated her, but I honestly never did butt 'er.

Sir Howard WaySeptember 15th 2008.

Perhaps she was a Laughing Cow?

Anna KeySeptember 15th 2008.

Seven down on the right is the lady who used to take our money when we went into Eric's (i.e., we weren't part of the trendy shower who always jumped the queue and got in for nowt!)

Eagle eyedSeptember 15th 2008.

Isn't that the bloke who built the Superlambana in there?

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