29th May 1977: Electric Circus, Manchester
Supporting the Buzzcocks and Penetration. John Cooper
Clarke and John the Postman also performed
Warsaw featured Tony Tabac on drums..
The flyer and adverts mistakenly called the band Stiff
Kittens. They never used this name.
Flyer - thanks to Neil
Woodvine
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Flyer - thanks
to punkrockposters.net
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The flyer with the picture of Pete
Shelley was offered for sale to punkrockposters.net
in 2009 this is the first time we'd seen this
design |
Gary Chaplin from Penetration tells us: "As far as
the Electric Circus gig is concern my memories are fairly
clear. I remember it was well attended but the venue was in
a rough part of Manchester. It was a bit of an adventure for
us and we were fairly attentive. We arrived mid afternoon to
soundcheck and met with Buzzcocks, spent a lot of time
discussing 2nd hand clothes with Shelly and Diggle. The
venue was a converted cinema and dressing rooms were
upstairs in the area where the projection room would have
been.
I recall Warsaw playing pretty much the same set that they
did in Newcastle a week later but as it was all new the overall
impression is greater than the individual songs. Many
Manchester luminaries were in attendance - Both Paul Morley
and Tony Wilson were there and I distinctly remember them
both being most encouraging to Warsaw and congratulating
them for getting it together, there was an atmosphere of
nurturing from them even this early!"
Paul Morley wrote: "I like them and will like them
even more in 6 months' time." in the NME
Arthur in Sheffield was at the front with his mate
Nigel: "They strode on and were clearly cheesed off
about the Stiff Kittens name and barked out that they were
Warsaw. Great start - far better name. There was not a lot
of interest or applause but my pal and I liked them straight
off. They came across as earnest with a nervous edge and
determined. I don't recall any particular songs - I remember
the feel of the music was amateur, stripped back and had
attack. I've nowt against leather caps and moustaches but I
thought that Peter Hook's leather cap stood out as a bit of
a glam rock throwback! We liked Warsaw and when I got a
leaflet for the 'new wave night' at the Squat the following
week, with them included in the line-up, we went along to
that too.
Peter Hook remembers the gig in hi Unknown Pleasures
book:
On 29 May 1977, at the Electric Circus, the band played
their first-ever gig, supporting Penetration and the
Buzzcocks. Tony Wilson was in the audience, as well as Paul
Morley, who by this time was writing for the NME and was
impressed by Warsaw’s ‘twinkling evil charm’. ‘The bass
player had a moustache,’ he later wrote. ‘I like them and
will like them more in six months’ time.’ Photographer Kevin
Cummins was also there, as well as Steve Shy of local
fanzine Shy Talk; John the Postman, who led the crowd in a
rendition of ‘Louie Louie’ at the end of the night; and punk
poet John Cooper Clarke, who performed after Warsaw.