Free Touching From a Distance by Deborah Curtis Page A

was never able to take leave, even though we hadn’t been away on holiday that year, and he had always ‘just nipped out’ whenever I rang him at work. While living in Macclesfield, we carried on working in Manchester. Ian insisted we catch the early train each morning and start work at 8.30 a.m. in order to giveus more time in the evenings. Ian seemed to spend his evenings meditating over a cigarette, while I sewed.
    In the summer of 1977, Ian renewed his acquaintance with Richard Boon, manager of the Buzzcocks. He hoped Richard would show some kind of interest to help the band on their way, but when he suggested the name the Stiff Kittens, Ian was deeply irritated. This was most likely due to the fact that it sounded just like any other punk group. At last they settled on the name Warsaw, taken from‘Warsawa’ on Bowie’s Low album, which was less typical of the other names being thrown up for contemporary bands.
    On Sunday 29 May 1977 Warsaw played their first gig at the Electric Circus. They were undaunted by the rest of the bill: the Buzzcocks, Penetration, John Cooper Clarke and John the Postman. Tony Tabac made an unrehearsed appearance as Warsaw’s drummer. Tony had a very laid-back attitude, slightly upper crust and looking as if he would never have to earn one. It became obvious that he wouldn’t quite fit in with the rest of the lads, but they persevered because they all liked him. Ian was disappointed by Ian Woods’ review of the gig in Sounds. It picked on Bernard, saying he looked like an ex-public school boy.
    Paul Morley was involved right from this very early start. He saw through the fact that they were still learning to play their instruments (and how to sing), but most importantly noticed that they were different. He wrote in NME :‘There’s an elusive spark of dissimilarity from the newer bands that suggests that they’ve plenty to play around with … I liked them and will like them even more in six months’ time.’
    Once over the hurdle of that first gig, everyone took it for granted that there would be more. Warsaw started on the irritating and inevitable round of arguments with other bands about who was headlining, who was providing the PA, who was paying for it, and so on.
    Around this time, Martin ‘Zero’ Hannett came on the scene. He was a student at Manchester University, and he and his girlfriend Susannah O’Hara began to promote local bands. They managed to find local venues in the most unlikely places, including an edifice nicknamed ‘the Squat’ on Devas Street, off Oxford Road. This was the worst venue – the surrounding landscape had already been flattened and the Squat stood lonely, waiting for its fate, yet bands flocked to play there. The firsttime I went there, I didn’t believe anyone would be able to perform because I was convinced that the power wasn’t even connected.
    Warsaw considered themselves lucky to be on Martin andSusannah’s books and took to the dilapidated circuit with enthusiasm. The second gig followed quickly on 31 May at Rafters, a small bar beneath a larger club called Fagins in Manchester. Ian and I were already familiar with Fagins as he had taken me there to see the Troggs before we were married. During June 1977, Warsaw bounced backwards and forwards between the Squat and Rafters in Manchester. When Martin Hannett arranged one of the Rafters gigs, he had told Fast Breeder, who were managed by Alan Erasmus (an actor friend of Tony Wilson’s), that they could go on last. Unfortunately he had made Warsaw the same promise. The two bands argued all afternoon. By 10 p.m., nobody had even had a sound-check. Fast Breeder went on first, as they realized people were beginning to drift home.
    When Ian finally made the stage, he was so drunk and so mad that he smashed a beer glass and cut his leg, which at least made sure the remaining audience remembered him. As this was a midweek gig I stayed at home – one of us had to be sure of getting into work