The brilliant Kill Your Pet Puppy site run by Tony Drayton is an online site that documents the punk fanzine Tony ran from 1976-1979 called Ripped & Torn. Tony has kindly given me permission to add these amzing photos of Crass playing at the Digbeth Civic Hall in December 1983. Crass are one of the great Anarcho Punk bands and the photos show them at their best.
There was also a recording made of the gig, taken from the mixing desk which captures Crass perfectly which you can here in three parts. Penny, Gee, Steve Ignorant, all sound as vital today as they did they. As always I’d love to hear from anyone who was there or has photos etc.
Crass part 1 Crass part 2 crassdigbeth19830002
There Are Currently 8 Comments for this Post
I’ve got a download of this gig somewhere on an unlabelled CDR. I remember listening to it on a walk back from MAC to the city centre. Really strong stuff, a great recording of it. I remember my pace getting quicker as it went on! Thanks for sharing this, may have to download it again.
i was @ this gig, and would love to hear any recording of it…
I saw them at The Festival Suite (above the Co op on High Street) with Poison Girls and Au Pairs in 1979 and recall the police (not the band!) turning up at some point during the gig.
I saw Crass twice at Digbeth Civic Hall so I was at this gig. Wasn’t this the one where they played the whole of Yes Sir, I Will and added only a few old songs to the end of the set? If so the next and last time they played was 1984 and they played a lot of YSIW but with a lot more old songs. The second gig was continually marred by skinheads kicking lumps out of each other. No Defences were also on the bill for the second gig.
Crass @ Festival Suite 1979
http://thisthen.co.uk/bands/crass/brum/
Is a few other Brum gigs on the site.
Enjoy
Mark
John, yes this was the one where they played all of Yes Sir.. I remember being a little disappointed overall that night. It didn’t do it for me at all. I remember the ’84 gig as well That was unnerving…
Cheers Rick
I was at this gig. Quite a transformational moment in local music history. Lots of bands and fanzines started after this gig inspired them to go out and do it for themselves. Crass were really inspirational, as much for their attitude as their music.
I was at this.