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At
41 I am still as passionate about music as I was when I got my
first real taste at the age of 11. I had listened to various
music before that age, but it wasn't until I heard "IN THE
CITY"
by The Jam, which made me really stand up and listen to what was
going on around me. Too young to go and watch them play, I avidly
bought all their records and watched them on TV, which led me into
other bands like The Clash, The Police, The Undertones, Buzzcocks,
Adam And The Ants, Bow Wow Wow and Blondie.
In 1979 I got into The Special and Madness, along with the other
Two Tone bands, but it was The
Jam who always remained my favourites, and from the moment I heard
them I wanted to see them. It was around this time I also got into
Jackie Wilson and Nothern Soul, already being into Motown and Stax.
Living so far away near Plymouth always caused a problem seeing live
bands, and I unfortunately wasn't allowed to see any until I was
16, this was made worst by the fact that my older sister Dawn was
always going off and watching live bands. She was lucky enough to
see such bands as The Clash, Theatre of Hate, The Specials, Madness,
and The Selecter. She also got to see Nine Below Zero and Secret
Affair, both of these bands along with The Jam I had really craved
to see.
The day after my 16th birthday my sister took me to my first ever
gig with her friend Gary, I finally got to see The Jam on their 'Farewell
Tour' at the St Austell(Cornwall) Coliseum on the 28th November 1982.
We went without tickets as it was sold out, my sister was determined
to get me a ticket, even if I had to go in on my own, but miraculously
we all managed to get some. It is one of the best birthday presents
I've ever had and what a band to see for my first ever gig, it was
so amazing that it left a lasting impression to this day.
Around
'82/'83 I also started listening to various New Wave
bands such as Dexys Midnight Runners (who I got into in 1980), Squeeze,
Heaven 17, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Depeche
Mode, Tears For Fears, The Human League, Haircut 100 and Kajagoogoo.
Around 1984 I got into bands like Spear
Of Destiny, The Cult, Big Audio Dynamite, U2, Killing
Joke, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Under Two Flags, Turbo and the Rockets
and various 80's Post Punk and New Wave bands. I got to know both Spear
Of Destiny and The Cult very well from following them around the UK
when they were on tour, and from that crafted a longterm friendship
with Stan Stammers who was the bass player for Spear Of Destiny and
Theatre of Hate. Stan has become one of my best friends over the years,
so I'm lucky enough to manage him. After SOD Stan fronted his own band
Crazy Pink Revolvers before moving to the States and forming Philly
punk band Plastic Eaters with singer and programmer Rob Daly. After
Plastic Eaters Stan spent a brief period as bass player for cult Philly
hip-hop band The Goats.
Towards the end of 1985 through to April '86 when living at Harrow
On The Hill, my friend/flatmate Conor O'Brien and our girlfriends at the
time Elaine Mooney (now my girlfriend again) and Belinda Flury, used
to go to the
Electric
Ballroom on a Saturday night. They would play Soul
and Nouthern on the ground floor and Rockabilly on the upper floor.
These proved to be really fun and exciting times dancing the night
away 'til the early hours, so good that this period of my life has
remained with me ever since.
In the 90's I got into bands like The Stone Roses, The Charlatans,
Ride, Oasis, Reef, Blur, The Housemartins, The Verve and Primal Scream.
I got involved with a local Plymouth band called Reach, the guitarist
Andy Collins (Cobbledick) I had known for about 5 years and was previously
in a local Plymouth covers bands called The Beat Directors. I helped
the band at various gigs and rehearsals. They should have tasted success
as they were excellent, influenced by such bands as the Stone Roses,
The Charlatans, The Jam, Paul Weller and U2. They nearly signed to
Sony in '94/'95 but unfortuntunately it wasn't meant to be, they disbanded
around 1998 but remained very good friends.
Around 1996 I got involved helping a London band called The Cooler
who's guitarist Adam Bolton and singer Gavin Juniper were old friends
of mine. Adam had been Stan Stammers' guitarist in Crazy Pink Revolvers
and Gavin used to front Post Punk band Under Two Flags and later The
Flags. The Cooler released one CD Single Never Say Never. Billy Duffy
guitarist for The Cult was a regular at gigs being an old friend of
Gavin, Adam and myself.
Since 1999 I have been the manager of Stan, his band Plastic Eaters
and London band Crazy Pink Revolvers. I also work as a Document Control
Engineer.
I enjoy a wide variety of music from 80's, Acid Jazz, Brit Pop,
Classic Rock, Funk, Indie, Motown, New Wave, Stax, Nothern Soul,
Post Punk, Punk and Rock.
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Latest
Gigs
20/12/08
Stereophonics - London O2 Arena - London
11/09/08
Spear Of Destiny - London Islington Academy 1 - London
01/03/08
The Cult - Manchester Academy 1 - Manchester
23/02/08
The Cult - The Forum - London
22/02/08
The Cult - The Forum - London






Contact: warren@warrenbassett.co.uk
Myspace: www.myspace.com/crazy_pink
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