JOHN ROBB + SIMON PRICE + DOROTHY ‘MAX’ PRIOR – DEAD WAX SOCIAL, BRIGHTON 30.11.23
Well what do you know, it’s our first ever review from Brighton’s popular Dead Wax Social pub, which is conveniently located in North Laine at 18a Bond Street. We are here to witness none other than John Robb, Simon Price and Dorothy ‘Max’ Prior in conversation. The event has been organised by Resident records which is situated just a couple of streets away in Kensington Gardens.
The event was billed as “a very rare opportunity to see 3 knowledgeable stalwarts of their respective scenes, thrash out (hopefully not literally!) topics covered in their various excellent tomes”. Well we certainly weren’t going to miss out on this and were more than curious to listen to what the knowledgeable trio were going to talk about. But we had quite a strong inkling that some juicy morsels from each of their respective books were going to be on offer.
John Robb released his ‘The Art Of Darkness: A History Of Goth’ book on 10th November and it is the first comprehensive history of Goth music and culture. It is 546 pages in length and contains photos and illustrations, where John explores the origins and legacy of this enduring scene, which has its roots in the post-punk era. Drawing on his own experience as a musician and journalist, John covers the style, the music and the clubs that spawned the culture, alongside political and social conditions. He also reaches back farther to key historic events and movements that frame the ideas of Goth, from the fall of Rome to Lord Byron and the Romantic poets, European folk tales, Gothic art and the occult. Finally, he considers the current mainstream Goth of Instagram influencers, film, literature and music. ‘The Art Of Darkness’ features interviews with The Banshees, The Cure, The Damned, Nick Cave, Southern Death Cult, Einstürzende Neubauten, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Throbbing Gristle, Trent Reznor, Johnny Marr and many more. It offers a first-hand account of being there at the legendary gigs and clubs that made the scene happen.
Simon Price released his 448 page ‘Curepedia : An A-Z Of The Cure’ book on 23rd November and is an essential read for fans of The Cure who are arguably the biggest alternative rock band in the world. Between 1985 and 2000 every album they released went to at least Gold in the UK, the US or both. In America they have earned four Platinum albums, and they are estimated to have sold 30 million albums worldwide. Their iconic status as elder statesmen of Alternative Rock remains undiminished – if anything, their tireless touring has ensured that it has grown with every passing year – and lead singer Robert Smith is an endlessly fascinating figure to successive generations of fans. The Cure’s influence reverberates through genres including Emo, Goth, Industrial and Indie Rock. The book is an encyclopaedic A-Z of The Cure examining and riffing on miscellaneous trivia, biographies of the band members past and present, summaries of each album and selected songs, details of the band’s various tours and films, and essays on broader topics such as their image, their politics and their influences. Playful, eccentric and irreverent – true to the spirit of the band itself – CUREPEDIA is a comprehensive biography of one of the biggest alternative rock bands in the world.
Dorothy ‘Max’ Prior released her 264 page ‘69 Exhibition Road: Twelve True-Life Tales from the Fag End of Punk, Porn & Performance’ book on Valentine’s Day this year and is a vibrant, wry, and engaging account of life as an adventurous, queer young person in late 1970s London discovering themselves as an artist, and an individual. While working as a photographer’s model, gallery usher, and exotic dancer, Dorothy ‘Max’ Prior witnessed the births of Adam and the Ants, The Monochrome Set, The Sex Pistols, and Throbbing Gristle, as well as drumming in her own cult band Rema Rema and recording with Industrial Records. Her exuberant commentaries, each presented as a stand-alone episode, illustrate the multi-layered nature of the London music, art, and fashion worlds of the late 1970s, and the overlap between the early punk scene with the city’s rapidly evolving club and queer cultures.
We are gathered at the (raised level) rear of Dead Wax Social, which is famed for its beer, vinyl and especially pizza. The room is curtained off and there are just about enough seats to cater for the punters present. Looking around the room, there are a number of other famed faces present as well as some who are very much on the scene. The trio were seated on stools each with their own microphone with Max to our left, Simon in the centre and John to our right. I personally know that this trio are very learned indeed and more than eager to convey a multitude of information our way. Before the event got underway, Simon addressed the passing of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan who had passed away this very morning from pneumonia – glasses were raised!
John acts as the interviewer and logically things begin in music date order, punk came before post punk and goth, thus the evening kicks off with an extract reading by Max from her book on her handy compact iPad ‘69 Exhibition Road’. Now I must confess right now, that I became totally absorbed with what Max was saying, and then Simon and John, that I only managed to make a few notes instead of copious amounts of them.
Max read about the formation of Adam & The Ants in a cafe and it went on from there including her brush with Psychic TV. Simon read an extract from his actual book which surprisingly addressed madness and the mental illness around where the band formed in Crawley and Horley and listed the local asylums and mental institutions around at that time and beforehand. I was wondering where he was going with this and then it transpired that The Cure’s ‘Charlotte Sometimes’ video was actually shot in one of these asylums and that the atmosphere there inspired The Cure’s ‘Pornography’ album, which for me was the start of a short-lived downward spiral.
After this John quizzed Max about the seeds of punk from her back in the day and then John quizzed Simon about punk and The Cure. Interestingly it came to light that only last night Max had a long telephone conversation with Kenny Morris who was the Siouxsie & The Banshees drummer from the days of their original recorded material and they spoke about that band’s split in Aberdeen where Kenny and fellow bandmate John McKay suddenly found themselves not only leaving the concert venue but jumping on a train to London. With only half a band left, the tour was halted and then Siouxsie and Steve Severin called upon the services of The Cure frontman Robert Smith and the Slits drummer Peter “Budgie” Clarke who were substituting for the departed members and thus the tour resumed a few weeks later with that lineup. Robert was still in The Cure and now the Banshees too as well as his work with The Glove in 1983. Clearly Robert was overdoing it and was in no uncertain terms instructed by his doctor to rest. It’s here where the stories of Robert’s unusual behaviour was discussed with us. A later reading from Simon addressed the (mainly toilet based) antics of The Cure’s Lol Tolhurst which brought many a laugh.
A golden nugget of information came out of the Q&A session and it transpires that Robert has 50 unseen live footage tapes of The Cure and there is currently the suggestion of these coming to light via the possibility for an as yet to be made documentary, with the proposed director of which is in attendance in the room this evening. Also present in the audience was Colin Newman from Wire, who was flagged up during the post-punk discussion. I suspect that not all three writers were aware of his attendance with his wife Malka Spigel-Newman.
The event lasted circa 90 minutes and was very much worth the trip into Brighton in order to hear what the trio had to say. John Robb fans may like to know that he will be making a return to Brighton next year, when he will be appearing a few feet away from Dead Wax Social, at Komedia Brighton, which is located in Gardner Street. This time around it will be discussing his life in music, his best selling ‘Art Of Darkness’ book, being the first person to interview Nirvana, inventing the word Britpop, and adventures on the post punk frontline. Now that all does sound extremely interesting doesn’t it. Thankfully tickets are on sale right now for this evening which will be happening on Thursday 2nd May 2024 from 7:30pm. Purchase your tickets HERE.
As a footnote, John, Simon and Max all knew punk legend Jordan Mooney and both John and Simon were involved with ‘The Official Jordan Mooney Memorial Charity Concert’ at the Concorde 2 last year – Read the account of that wonderful day HERE.
