VIDEO: From Strange Town to Ghost Town

Friday 18 November 2016

Stars from two of Britain's most iconic bands wowed the crowds at the Royal Yacht Hotel last night, giving their take on life in the late 70s and early 80s.

Rick Buckler, drummer with The Jam and Neville Staple of The Specials, were the guests as they answered questions from fans before playing some of their favourite tracks.

Buckler played drums on all The Jam's biggest hits, including Going Underground, Town Called Malice and Strange Town, while Neville Staple enjoyed huge success with The Specials, with their repertoire including Too Much Too Young, Do Nothing and Ghost Town. 

Rick Buckler delivered some thoughtful insights at the Royal Yacht Hotel, especially into the first days of The Jam, which was inspired, believe it or not, by Chuck Berry records. 

A group from Woking, where he was born and brought up - as were other Jam members Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton - gave voluble support, to which Rick brought the house down by suggesting "I didn't know my old maths teacher was here."

He added: "I joined a band because Woking was a pretty boring place really. We all joined bands, all my mates, because it was an outlet, something to do.

"As kids at school we were allowed to practise in the music room at lunchtime and it was there that I first met Paul. His Dad got him a gig as a local youth club and I was asked if I wanted to plays drums as their original drummer had pulled out. I said yes straight away. Paul handed me a batch of Chuck Berry records and said, learnt these. I did and his Dad after the first gig saw something he liked. He started getting us gigs all around the Woking area and pretty soon we were a proper band, playing every working men's club in the area. It was from here it all started."

Before emigrating to England and ending up in Coventry, Neville remembered growing up in the Caribbean in a fiercely religious household, although it didn't stop his father being physically abusive. 

"I was about five years old and my Dad threw a fork into my back and it stayed in there. He was always hitting us as kids, me and my sister. He was incredibly strict. 

"I moved to Coventry and it was there it all began. I loved my friends and I loved the music. Everything else just fell into place."

Buckler opened his heart to his "difficulties" with Paul Weller, especially when the band split up in 1982 at the height of their powers. The pair were never the best of friends, but neither were they enemies and Buckler admitted Weller always respected his percussion skills. Likewise, Buckler remains a huge fan of Weller's songwriting talents during their Jam days together. 

Altogether a fascinating in-depth look into the lives of two pop stars whose bands were inspirational and inspired. 

DSCF1993 from Bailiwick Express on Vimeo.