Rock Shrine No. 44 – Rehearsals Rehearsals [The Clash]
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On the evening of August 13, 1976, The Clash invited some music journalists and friends to Rehearsals Rehearsals to see them play. Even in the hyper-small Punk world of the time they had gone unnoticed, quietly scheming, writing and rehearsing an arsenal of songs. The lucky few walked out of the balmy evening into a brick walled room with a rock and roll backline at the rear. Behind it was a painted mural of a cityscape, all tower blocks and car dumps. The 4 x 12 speaker cabinets in front of them were painted dayglo pink.
After a suitable wait the group entered, walking purposefully in single file, Joe Strummer at the head. The bassist wore black, paint spattered Jackson Pollock style acros the fabric. One of the guitarists had wide stripes painted on his shirt. There were three guitarists. Without a word they broke into a racket best desrcibed by Sounds critic Giovanni Dadomo, who called them "a runaway train". The music moved on rails, straight ahead and full of purpose, with short explosive solos that finished before you fully heard them. They moved to match the music; third guitarist Keith Levene was literally running up the back wall as he played. They played about 14 songs in 30 minutes, the essence of Punk: a short, sharp shock.
The Clash on that first night.
Just down the road from The Roundhouse, Rehearsals Rehearsals was an old Gin House at the end of of a row of Victorian stables. It sat in a near-derelict yard in a near-derelict part of town, the rail lines from Kings Cross and St. Pancras running behind it on their way to the North. Manager Bernard Rhodes had found it as a place for the band to work. The name came from someone complaining that all they did was "reharsals rehearsals".
Paul Simenon outside Reharsals Rehearsals. The car belonged to manager Bernard Rhodes. (Image from Rock Archive)
Upstairs were a couple of rooms covered in old film posters. The photo of them standing in front of "Untamed Youth" was taken here. It's in these rooms that the band plotted, schemed, and painted their clothes, in the days before they had their uniforms designed for them.
The band's first album cover photo was taken here. The notorious "pigeon-shooting" incident in 1978 happened on the roof, when Paul Simenon and Topper Headon shot at passing pigeons with an air rifle, not knowing they were valuable racing pigeons.
There was always something to do at Rehearsals Rehearsals
The Clash left in 1982. Since then it has served as a retail outlet for a number of boutiques. The interior is mostly gutted and modernised. A row of apartments is being built where the stables used to be.
By the railway tracks. The Roundhouse is in the background. Apartments are being built where they stand. (Image from Rock Archive)
Rehearsals Rehearsals - The Gin House, Stables Market London, NW1 8AH
More Rock Shrines:
Rock Shrines 1 - 12
Rock Shrines 13 - 20
Rock Shrines 21-30
Rock Shrines 31-40
Comments (14)
Levene was running up the walls hopped up on sumthin, eh?
That would be a matter of opinion. :-)
"the music moved on rails, straight ahead and full of purpose"
fantastic line
jonh, are you saying you were there for this momentous occassion?
Yep. Followed it up with 22 more in a row.
I remember seeing the Clash for the first time on SNL. It was 1982 and they played "Should I Stay or Should I Go." Caught my attention right away.
This was back when SNL featured bands that hadn't been famous yet. I recall also seeing the B-52's on SNL back then. They performed "Rock Lobster," of course!
Great post!
as always a great read
and
IMHO the clash were and always be punk rock
Great story. One of the many great ones you have told here. Thanks!
Oi! Right in the pocket, boss. A runaway train indeed. Re: Konkrypton seeing them for the first time on SNL - It was so late in the game by then. The flash 'n' go incandescence of the original punk-rock movement had already flashed and gone. Still, Joe, Mick, Paul and Topper were really poppin' the dance-rock by then, weren't they?
awesome John, thanks for that
what an incredible experiance john, thanks
Jonh, over the period of those 23 rehearsals the band must have evolved in their musicianship and confidence, and you as an onlooker must have become more learned and less set back on your heels. If you happen to remember more anecdotes about any aspect of those days, I'm all
earseyes.I wasn't clear about the next 22 since I was slacking at work and grabbing a short break. Never saw another rehearsal - I went on to see 22 gigs in a row. I think I missed 3 in the next 9 months or so. Yeah, they started out like an explosion going off, doing about a 60 minute set in 40 minutes, which got them in all sorts of trouble with promoters who booked them on a time basis. But in that time they played about 15 songs, so there was always an interesting tussle on that one. But by the time they hit the Rainbow on the White Riot Tour- May 77 - it was amazing how mediated it was, with a huge backdrop and the band throwing big shapes. I've got all sorts of anecdotes and one day I'll get around to writing it up. I put the story of going with Joe to meet Guy Stevens for the first time into a magazine story, but there are tons of anecdotes from conversations with Mick and Joe. One day...
It gives me a reason to live!