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Makkr wrote:
You were front of stage at the infamous 84 Hammersmith Palais gig?
Wow. You lucky so and so.
Indeed, I was (sorry!).
It made up for narrowly missing out on seeing the Teardrops & XTC, another band who I obsessed with around the time.

Obviously, it was a very long time ago, but I remember it well. I went alone, my mates either weren’t into any bands yet or liked Madness. I got there seriously early, it was sparse when I arrived. I’d just bought every piece of merchandise you could buy when suddenly I passed Julian. I was painfully shy then, besides what do you say?, and just muttered “hi” and he grinned a big grin! After the lively Woodentops, I recall a few songs clearly. Seating himself behind a piano and singing O King Of Chaos, pogoing to Culture Bunker(had no choice as an older, bigger Teardrops fan was using my shoulders to spring higher!) and of course Reynard. There were about 3 Japanese girls next to me very distressed at what they had just witnessed. I was thinking wow that’s cool(though worried if he was going to be ok)!

The legendary Cope self harming gig. What an introduction.

That tour was also the first time I saw Cope live, March 20th at Newcastle City Hall 1984 with a very sparse crowd and yes, The Woodentops, as support.

I still have the t-shirt from that tour, but it's now an absolute faded rag !!!!

I went back to the Newcastle City Hall a few months later in 1984 to see The Bunnymen on the 'Ocean Rain' tour and it was packed to the rafters;the energy from that gig was incredible and a complete contrast to Mr Cope's subdued appearance a few months earlier.