Biography
Biog Intro
Before Chords
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982 - Today
Tour 2010
1979 :

JANUARY: (14th) Buddy Ascott auditions for the band and joins the next day. (28th) First practice in a friend's kitchen in Deptford.

FEBUARY: (4th) First real rehersal, Silver Sound Studios in Sydenham

MARCH: (15th) First gig at King's Head, Deptford. (17th) The Wellington, Waterloo, in front of an audience of 200 drunken Southampton supporters. (22nd) Kings Head - Gary Bushell of Sound there. (24th) Group stopped after six numbers for being too loud playing at party in Borough. (30th) Kings Head, Deptford. (31st) The Wellington in Waterloo, Paul Weller, NME and Polydor all present.

APRIL: (1st) First photo session at The Cutty Sark in Greenwich. (2nd) Recorded demo for J.P. (Jimmy Pursey) label, Polydor Studios. (4th) Recorded ‘Now It's Gone’, Polydor Studios, produced by Pursey and Pete Wilson; this version never released. (7th) NME photo session at Tower Bridge. (9th) Rock Garden supporting Stans Blues Band, later called Nine Below Zero (11th) Albany Empire, supported by Stan's Blues Band. (12th) NME Mod Special published. (14th) Wellington (16th) Bridgehouse with Secret Affair. (17th) The Moonlight Club, West Hampstead - supporting The Inmates. (21st) Wellington (26th) The Cambridge, North London, supported by Back To Zero and The Purple Hearts; gig attended by Gary Bushell and Generation X. (28th) Wellington.

MAY: (1st) Meeting with Tony Gordon, Sham 69's manager. (2nd) Meeting with John Weller. (3rd) Chords Feature in Sounds and gig Acklam Hall, Ladbroke supported by Back To Zero. (6th) Recorded ‘Hey Girl’, Polydor Studios; again with Pursey and Wilson; again never released in this form. Also gig at The Wellington. (7th) Music Machine, Camden, supported by The Scooters, Back To Zero and The Purple Hearts. (8th) The Wellington, with The Purple Hearts; filmed by London Weekend Television. (9th) Contract signed with J.P. label.
(11th) The Rainbow supporting The Jam and The Records. (14th) Bridgehouse, suppoerted by the Scooters. (15th) The Hop Poles, Enfield, suppoerted by B T Z and The Crooks. Entire group had flu but soldiered on ! (20th) LWT show televised. Gig at The Lyceum supporting The Undertones. (24th) Leeds Poly supporting The Undertones. (25th) Oxford Poly supporting The Undertones and the Zipps(26th) Aylesbury Friars supporting The Undertones and The Knack. (27th) Guildford Civic Hall, Jimmy Pursey and others disrupt The Undertones set by invading the stage. (28th) Bristol Locarno supporting The Undertones (30th) The Chords split with J.P. label. Sign contract with Asgard Agency. (31st) Coventry Locarno supporting The Undertones

JUNE: (5th) Victoria Hall, Hanley; last gig with The Undertones, celebrated with huge bread fight at hotel. (11th) The Nashville supported by The Crooks. (14th) Leicester University with John Cooper Clarke. (15th) The Marquee, Wardour St, Soho; supported by Squire & The Mods. (17th) The Marquee, supported by The Killermeters and Back To Zero. (19th) Brighton Richmond Hotel, supported by The Lambrettas and Speedball. (22nd) Notré Dame Hall, Leicester Square, supported by Small Hours, Speedball and The Mods. (23rd) The Lyceum, London, supporting The Lurkers with Back to Zero. (26th) Hope and Anchor.

JULY: (3rd) First John Peel session recorded. (9th) Peel session broadcast. (11th) Dingwalls, London, with Arista, Fiction and Virgin all present. (16th) Marquee, London. (25th) Sign four-year Polydor contract. (30th) Marquee, supported by The Donkeys.

AUGUST: (7th) Photo session for front cover of Time Out. (8th) Recorded ‘Now It's Gone’ at Phonogram Studios, produced by Pete Wilson. (9th) Recorded ‘Don't Go Back’; also Daily Star photo session, Fleet Street. (11th) Private party at Green Man, Plumbstead - group play seven encores. (15th) Polydor photo session, Isle of Dogs. (19th) Marquee, supported by The Vapors. (31st) Brunel Rooms, Swindon, supported by Small Hours – first date of ‘Now It's Gone’ tour.
The Fixations
SEPTEMBER: (1st) Huddersfield Poly, supported by the Killermeters, The Scene and The Fixations. (6th) Retford Porterhouse, supported by Killermeters. (8th) Middlesbrough Rock Garden. (10th) Marqueesuppoerted by Speedball. (11th) Sheffield Limit Club. (12th) York Pop Club. (13th) Chesterfield Fusion. (14th) Release of ‘Now It's Gone’; Manchester Factory. (15th) Barnsley Civic Hall. (18th) Westcliffe-on-Sea. (21st) Eric's, Liverpool; two numbers filmed for On The Road in conjunction with the Merseysound fanzine. (22nd) Good Mood Club, Halifax. (25th) Marquee, supported by The Mods; signed publishing deal with And Son Music. Single No. 83 in BRMB chart. (26th) Plymouth Clones. (27th) Totnes Civic Hall. (28th) Sandpiper, Nottingham. (29th) West Runton Pavilion.
OCTOBER: (2nd) ‘Now It's Gone’ at No.63. (5th) City of London Poly. (6th) Loughborough University; last date of tour. (19th) Single No.31 Capital Radio chart. (16th) Demos, Polydor studios. (19th) Birmingham Underworld. (24th) NME photo session. (27th) Portsmouth Poly.

NOVEMBER: (2nd) York University (10th) Marquee. (11th) Marquee supported by The Name. (12th) Roadshow disco screened by BBC (23rd) Twenty of Another Kind, Polydor compilation released.

DECEMBER: (6th/7th) Recorded ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, ‘I Don't Wanna Know’ and ‘Hey Girl’ at Matrix Studios, produced by Andy Arthurs. (17th/18th) Demos for LP at TPA Studios, London. (19th) Guitar overdubs on Maybe Tomorrow at Redan Studios.

 

Biog Intro | Before Chords | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 - Today