Cornish Punk Rock - Recorded at Sentinel Studios, Newlyn, Cornwall.
https://timchapple.bandcamp.com/track/red-lambretta-with-the-vendettas-1977
Band Members:
Grev Williams (Guitar)
Tim 'Vulch' Chapple (Bass)
Terry Tempest (earlier Kim Sharp) (Drums)
Simon Parker(Vocals)
Thank you to Simon Parker for the information on The Vendettas.
Played venues around West Cornwall, in particular Gulval Mead, Penzance Winter Gardens, (Where the sex pistols performed as the SPOTS), as well as festivals.
Four-track EP of self-penned tracks (I Bin There, Inside Looking Out, Such A Pity, Red Lambretta) recorded at Sentinel Records in Newlyn but never released (now available on CD from me {sinbad.crew@virgin.net} if anyone wants one but to be honest although the band are pretty hot my vocals are s**t)
Credited by some as Cornwall's first punk band. Grev went on the play in various bands and still gigs sometimes. Vulch also played in several other bands and set up the now defunct Top Of The Hill record label at Canon's Town which brought out a number of CD compilations of local bands.
The Vendettas formed almost by accident. It was the autumn of 1977 and in the previous months punk had spread through the Cornish seaside town of Penzance like a rash. The owner of a seafront dancehall called The Winter Gardens embraced the new wave, recognising an opportunity to put his venue back on the musical map and make some cash in the process. Despite admitting he knew nothing about the new music, his choice of acts was spot-on. During that summer, local teenagers were treated to the cream of UK and US punk, with visits from The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Damned, Adverts, Talking Heads, Generation X and many more. Another venue was Gulval Mead, which specialised in booking jazz musicians and local bands. Most were old-school folkies, pub-rockers and other assorted BOFs. Then one night, the four boys who went on to form The Vendettas listened to an on-stage appeal from one of these bands, calling for the teenage members of the audience to get up and play. Over the next few days, they put together a three-song set from scratch that included high-octane covers of The Velvet Underground's Waiting For The Man and the self-penned Such A Pity. A week to the day after that appeal from the stage, The Vendettas made their debut at Gulval Mead. Their set was raw, unpolished and nervous, but it was also louder and faster than anything the venue's audience had experienced until then. It should be noted that while some claim The Vendettas were Cornwall's first punk band, the honour should probably go to another Penzance trio, The Cramp. With that first gig under their belt, The Vendettas -- Grev Williams on guitar, Tim 'Vulch' Chapple on bass, Kim Sharp on drums and Simon Parker on vocals -- began to build a full set of their own material, quickly gathering a strong following. In the early days they practised in bedrooms, the Millhouse cafe and a Methodist chapel, later moving to a factory after Kim left the band to be replaced on drums by Terry Tempest. The Vendettas followed a furious gigging itinerary, playing many of the smaller venues across Cornwall, as well as appearances in Winchester and London. Their posters bore the legend: 'Four Great Guys -- Three Great Chords'. Among the more memorable gigs were supporting The Angelic Upstarts and having Hawkwind drummer Martin Griffin stand in for a night without a rehearsal. The band's own songs included: Hello John, Sex, Ice Age, I Love My Girl, Conventional Thugs, Gangboys, Better Than Me, Red Lambretta, Slipping Away, Such A Pity, Inside Looking Out, I Bin There. Regular covers included: The Now's Why?, Larry Wallis's Police Car and Stiff Little Fingers' Wasted Life. Other punk or punk-influenced bands doing the rounds at the same time or just after included The Cramp, An Alarm, Bride's Mother Iced Cake, Furry Vermin and Septic & The Sceptics. The four songs released here were recorded at Sentinel Studios in the fishing port of Newlyn. Sound engineer Job Morris offered his services for free. And despite being more used to recording male voice choirs, brass bands and folk singers, he did a good job. Although recorded in 1977, the tracks have never been previously released. The Vendettas drifted apart rather than split up, playing their final gig at the 'Wints' in Penzance sometime in 1979. Grev, Tim, Kim and Terry went on to play in a variety of other bands, while Simon became a writer. More information about The Vendettas can be found at www.kernowbeat.co.uk
#punkrock #1977 #punk
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