This is clearly Garry at work collecting various reviews of The Defendants to promote the band. This provides interesting documentation of the popularity of The Defendants with the big names in the British music press.
At the time Simon Frith taught in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick (where Garry and I were both undergrads - but not in sociology) and a very enthusiastic (and academic) commentator of the youth music scene, especially around Coventry. He has enjoyed a very successful career and is now Professor Frith at the University of Edinburgh.
Giovanni Dadomo wrote for both Sounds and Zig Zag and was front man for the Snivelling Shits. In a curious twist of fate Garry and Gio became close friends many years after he wrote this review.
The Defendants get very encouraging reviews from the three big weekly music papers. Paul Gambaccini writing in Melody Maker, Charles Shaar Murray in New Musical Express and Tony Mitchell in Sounds.
I'm not sure where Bob Goldof was writing - RM? Record Monthly?? Help me out here somebody please.
Click this link to read a review of a gig we played at London's famous Marquee club when it was still in Wardour Street. Tony Mitchell writing in February 1979 has provided a remarkably observant and insightful if slightly inaccurate analysis of both The Defendants and the headline band Screens. What Tony hasn't realised is that the Screens are rather art school and the frontman (a jolly nice bloke whose name escapes me) is acting at playing the part of a nutcase. I still remember some of their tunes because they were mostly very good. Maybe if the rest of the band had dressed up and followed the madcap act...
So while the review is not exactly glowing it does paint a reasonably accurate picture of The Defendants first visit to the Marquee. Thankfully it was good enough to get us back at the Marquee as headline act at a later date.
Fanzines can provide excellent sources of information despite the dodgy print quality. Issue 3 of the Coventry fanzine Alternative Sounds is a gem.
Click the Alternative Sounds cover to read the Defendants article.