Based on the release date of the Gits Chris Morris cassette and the review of the 14 Iced Bears album below it this appearance in the Brighton magazine The Punter was probably at the very end of 1988.
Mike Bradshaw, the reviewer, was a presenter (and engineer) of Radio Sussex’s Sunday evening local music program Turn It Up and can now be found at Totally Radio.
I never really got the Smiths comparison as the only thing I can think of in common was that Johnny Marr also liked Nils Lofgren. All my attempts to work out how to play their songs ended in dismal failure, which was actually a huge advantage of the pre-internet era when TAB books weren’t so common. You couldn’t easily just copy someone and had to develop your own style through trial and error, particularly if like me you were completely self taught.
They may have spoiled repeated listenings of the cassette but the clips between songs paid off yet again by catching peoples attention.
It would appear that it came as some surprise to The Gits.
This recording was made at the hub of Horsham’s alternative music scene, The Bear Public House, and is most likely from early January 1989. The first voice is Adrian De’Ath of No Geraniums & The Loveless with later accompaniment by Chris, Ben, Rob and Jim of The Gits.
In Local News…
Horsham / Crawley band Bitter are back on the gig scene with a new vocalist. The man on the keyboards Alan Stubbs said she was called Nicola but he couldn’t remember her last name.