Nutz + Fabulous Poodles – 7th June 1975 – Slough Technical College
Keeping a Gig Diary of all the events I went to not only means that I can rediscover the bands I went to see but also that I have a record of all the venues I went to and it’s interesting to note that the vast majority of venues I attended from the mid 70’s until the mid 80’s were at Universities and Colleges. This circuit across the UK at that time was the best way to see new and emerging bands and put millions of pounds into the music industry through live shows and record sales.
This created a vibrant and exciting music scene especially for teenagers like myself and my friends as we were too young to go into Pubs and Clubs at that time and even though there are some Universities that host live music today it is a small percentage compared to back then, a part of the reason for this was a change in the Education Bill in 1994 preventing Students Unions from funding non essential activities which included subsidies on tickets making it affordable to attend events.
The first gig I went to where I wasn’t accompanied by my brother and his friends was at Slough technical College on 7th June 1975 where me and Phil a friend from school went to see Nutz with support from the Fabulous Poodles, admission was 70p and took place in the main building, before the Students Union Hall was built where we saw many bands in years to come.
Nutz were an excellent four piece (although added a keyboard player later that year) Rock Band from Liverpool, their first two albums featured scantily clad ladies on their album covers, which added to the interest from teenage boys at the time. Their third album Hard Nutz for me was the best and features an excellent Heavy Rock version of One More Cup of Coffee by Bob Dylan which still sounds great today. I got to see them again when they supported Budgie at Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 and at the Reading Festival later that year. In 1980 they changed their name to Rage.
The Fabulous Poodles were a pre New Wave band formed that year and known for quirky stage antics as well as songs with funny lyrics. My friend Phil reminded me when they came on stage they started with the end of a song and said good night. The band featured Bobby Valentino who went on to co-write Young at Heart with The Bluebells and has recorded with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mike Oldfield, Mark Knopfler and Sinéad O'Connor to name a few.
If you are enjoying this series and would like them to continue there is a tip jar