The
Van Gogh in Paycocke Road, Basildon was one of the key punk friendly places
in the area in 1978, and provided a great focus for the evolving local punk
scene. Dave Tulloch, the co-founder of Strange Stories and co-manager of
The Machines had originally booked a series of dates at the venue to give
The Machines a weekly residency of several weeks, but unfortunately the
band was in the process of disintegrating and so Dave started to cast his
net wider and started a series of classic nights at The Van Gogh, commencing
on May 8th, 1978 with Grinder and Left Hand Drive (Small Town Rumour didn't
actually appear, as listed in the Echo.)
The following week saw The Vandals play there with Solid Waste from Chelmsford
and local 'punk surfer' Mik Bostik. More bands soon followed and a great
scene developed, with artists playing such as The Heat, The Spurts, Idiot,
The Vicars, The Opposition, Norman & The Worms etc, as well as Reggae
bands and even New Wave acts from Swindon (Frenzee), and many more. Later
in the year however Dave departed, although a new promoter did put on a
seminal show there - Raped, The Spurts and The Vandals. A few more shows
were put on before different promoters changed the emphasis of the night
and the punk scene moved on. The above photos and virtually any Strange
Stories from 1978 however, go at least someway to capturing the story. |