I love my life. This evening I was laid on the sofa with my cat Yowzer watching the season seven premiere of The Walking Dead, which was quite unsettling. Then I switched on Netflix and was excited to see the new series of Black Mirror. The first episode was entirely believable. That is the way the world is heading. The amount of people I can attribute to that episode is ridiculous. I’m texting my friend Jennie about the show when I’m suddenly tagged in a post by the singer of one of my favourite ever bands Terrorvision.
Now let me explain my love for Terrorvision. I first heard them on a Now compilation CD or something similar. I was only about 12. I liked the song about the Whales and Dolphins. I had also heard a song called ‘Alice, Whats the Matter?’ which I liked, my granny is called Alice. I don’t think I even knew they were songs by the same band. Come 1998 I was fifteen years old and I was working as a glass collector at a working mans club. I used to get paid about £1.85 an hour, and I’d typically work around ten hours a week and earn about £18.50 … rough maths. I’d spend that £18.50 on a sleeve of cigarettes from a guy in the club and in turn I would sell at school to teachers and class mates. I’d double my money easily. Sometimes I would skive off from school in the afternoons and buy a case of Starberg beer for £5 from Netto with my best friend Sam Thornton. I’d also buy some music magazines like Metal Hammer, Rocksound, and Kerrang. Usually whichever ones had free CD’s. Kerrang had one free cd in particular that really did shape my musical tastes for years to come. It had songs by Garbage, Nashville Pussy, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Everlast, and Terrorvision. The Terrorvision song was a song called ‘Josephine’ from their album ‘Shaving Peaches’. It’s a story about a guy whose best friend called Joe had a sex change, and in losing a best friend, he got himself a new girlfriend called ‘Josephine’. I seem to remember the band playing it on CD:UK which was ITV’s Saturday morning version of Top of the Pops. It must have been the first single of that album. I loved it. I rushed out into Leeds to buy a copy of the album. I seem to have two versions of that album. I think it got re-released because a remix of the follow up single Tequila went to number 2 in the charts. I loved that album. I still do. The lyrics are brilliant throughout. They announced a tour to go with the album and I went along with a load of my school friends to see them at the Town and Country Club in Leeds. It was amazing. I knew that I wanted to be in a band. It was my first proper gig. Beer in hand. I remember the security I.D. check.
“How old are you?”
“18?”
“No your not”
“Ok I’m sixteen” I was fifteen but you had to be sixteen to get in the gig.
“Ok, what hand do you write with?”
Now I’m awkward when I want to be so I said “Left” and he draws a big red cross on my left hand and says “If I catch a beer in that hand tonight you’re out”. We run inside and scrub the big red cross off our hands before it dries and get to the bar and order the cheapest shit they sell.
As years go by I catch Terrorvision live about fifteen times until they first split. I went to the final show at Penningtons in Bradford. That place was mad. It had goldfish in a fountain in the toilet. That’s got trouble written all over it. They released a CD of that gig and I’m on the sleeve. Please note that on that cover Tony is wearing a striped jumper. I thought it looked cool so I bought myself a striped jumper. A green and black one. You might have seen me wear it.
Somehow in that time I met the band. I used to hang around with a girl called Leona who is still a very dear friend to me. She was also a huge fan. I got nearly everything of theirs signed. I remember Leona getting a toilet seat signed. This was fandom before fandom was a word.
After Terrorvision split I lost track but they did the odd reunion most of which I missed . I had also ventured into music myself and had my own band The Yalla Yallas – Our very first gig was with one of the guitarist’s from Terrorvision’s new band. We had split up ourselves in 2011. It was at one of these reunion shows when I caught Terrorvision at The Cockpit in Leeds. It was October 2012. I hadn’t seen them live for about a decade. I was watching them and thinking Tony is doing all my moves. He’s saying all the things I say. I realised then that he wasn’t copying me. I realised in that moment how heavily influenced I had been by him as a front man. My mate Rob tapped me on the shoulder and asked when The Yallas were reforming. I said never. Inside I knew I had to reform. I walked out of that gig that night buzzing and sent a message to all of my former band. Will replied straight away saying yes. Matt the drummer was already busy with another band. I never got a reply from Dempsey. We eventually reform with a new drummer. Dempsey turned up somewhere.
Anyway a few weeks ago I get asked to do a solo acoustic show supporting Tony Wright in Halifax. I jumped at the chance to support one of my musical heroes. It was such a privilege. After the show we we’re talking and exchanging pleasantry’s. We swapped LP’s and admired each others artwork. I wake up the next day and give his records a blast. Good albums.
So back to tonight. One of my near life long musical heroes has tagged me in a photo. As you can see Tony is posing with my record in his van. He advises that it’s a great record to help you avoid speeding tickets. He goes on to praise the album saying that he’s took it to work with him and he loves it. If you’d have told that to the fifteen year old Rob Galloway, who is bouncing up and down in the town and country club idolising a fucking brilliant rock band he’d have never have believed you.
