On the Scene - Wot Scene - article from Hobo Issue 1

This article appeared in Hobo, issue 1 in 1973.

HELL! Warta Mess!!

As I walked through he ruins of the Coventry music scene, uncovering odd flowers here and there, gasping for breath, methinks um watering can is needed, and um-builders to let these flowers blossom.

This is the watering can, come ye builders, let’s be ‘avin ya. Right! Let’s have a look now, in every mess, in every ruins there are still things that can be developed, foundations that can still be used, just as in every bad person there’s a certain amount of good and in every good person there’s a certain amount of bad. So let’s look for the good and get it goin’.

The music scene in Coventry has never been brilliant from wot I can gather, but about three or four years ago it wasn’t too bad. At least there was more activity and vitality on the scene with the Broadgate Gnome and a lot of local groups and musicians and places to go and play. Even though these were inadequate. At least there was more energy being exerted. Time has taught that the only way things are going to improve, is if the people concerned get things together themselves. No the ’Gods’ of the authorities are not going to help. That has been proven (with exceptions). They generally seem out to destroy any attempts to get things together. I’ll explain; Take the RU18 pub squad busting young people for under age drinking. The pubs are their only meeting place and kicking them out of the pubs is no solution. Where can they go? What can they do? Playing guitars in the street, not obstructing anyone seems to be against the law. From experience pubs are the only places to set up discos. Under 18’s are therefore excluded. They also complain of noise. The hassles in trying to get premises for discos, concerts, group practices, arts labs are tremendous. Nobody’s interested in young people and their puny efforts at helping themselves.

Ask any disco unit, any group, ask the Coventry Arts Umbrella, ask me, ask promoters, ask the people in local bars. The latest place this disease has destroyed is the Royal Navel Club. The last gig there is the Budgie / Fissiongig because the magistrate’s court has decreed that it is ‘a members only club’, so I’m told.

Coventry is the 8th largest city on this island and one that spent least on the arts and recreation. Even a small place like Bedworth has its own concert hall.

I’ve only outlined a few points here, that we can expand on in further issues. But the important thing is that we are trying to do something about it. We are not just trying to cause a revolution and say two fingers to the establishment, ‘cos by doing so we become another establishment. What we need and what we want is some co-operation and communication with the people in power. The only time people are able to get things together is if the they've got the bread. Not everyone has a bank balance. We want to get things going without being ripped off around every corner, for every penny that they can get.

We want to hear your views; hassles you've had; ideas you've had; solutions from all people.

Although we don’t want this to get into a political magazine (it is essentially a music mag.) but certain politics come into it and need to be tackled.

From HOBO No 1 June 1973 by Trev Teasdel

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Hobo began with me taking a petition around the Dive and Golden Cross and Lanch etc after reading the RU 18 article that appeared in the Coventry Evening Telegraph's colour Saturday magazine supplement ON THE SCENE (hence the title of the article). We thought that it should cover more of the local scene rather than just the fashions up from London. The RU 18 article on underage drinkers brought up issues on the about the lack of places for young people to go, for band's to play etc. The petition with over 500 signatures and a very quirky and long letter from me was submitted to the Coventry Evening Telegraph in May 1973. This will be uploaded soon. However while going around getting signatures for the protest - various people and especially Bo (John Bargant) who I started Hobo with, suggested we start our own magazine instead of relying on the established press to represent the music, arts and alternative scene in Coventry. I'd been selling some of the Birmingham alternative magazines and they had encouraged me to start a Cov mag and Bo was a DJ, music promoter who had worked as an adviser for Release in London and knew how to do layouts and could finance the printing initially. I was a writers and knowledgeable about the music scene of that time - so by June - Hobo was on the streets. I dropped a copy off the Coventry Evening Telegraph. The protest letter and the new magazine caused the editor to contact me and we were both interviewed for On the Scene (the cutting will be on soon.) That's roughly how Hobo started.