Opening acts

[Steerpike]

Circa 1979 and Tassles?? lol I'm obsessed with tassles...strategically placed ones...
Strippers terrify me anyway even Batt brother strippers.

Ha ha the alternate version or regular Adolescent Sex vid? I am curious, cos altho they are both good I am in love with every element of the alternate vid at the moment... I am averaging 2 watches a day... must get help for that

Everything is awesome and everyone looks so hawt.

Gah what did I do with myself before Japan and YouTube? Sometimes I dunno... sad but twue.

This tassle obsession is getting scarey Yes, so glad that there's so much Japan stuff on YouTube, but it is addictive.

[camphorvan]

Just got this from opium:

The opening act is a Pole-cat doing a Bat dance. There will be a stripper. Not a human. A Black and Decker paint stripper, sitting alone on stage, lit by a single spotlight. It is an exercise in minimalism.

Then david will take the stage and sing Sex Pistols covers and a few by 2 Unlimited (oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh there's no stripper...).

The stage will be illuminated by some bloke with power point and a projector, showing snaps of his holidays at Butlins from the year 1976 to the present day. This is designed to compliment the music.

The tour programme will contain the complete literary works of Arnold Flatwurch, the famous tree sniffer of olde Sidcup towne.

I hope this clarifies you.

Love Opium (Tarts).

[proggrl]

WOW! You just got me really excited about these shows! It'll SO be worth the trip.

[heartofdavid]

Sounds like one of Yoko Ono's old performances.

Always did like Arnie - he was a guy who really knew his trees.

[Sylvian's Beard]

I read that Japan opened up for UFO in Glasgow once. David left the stage in tears, and hasn't been back there since. Two of my favorite bands btw...I guess Glasgow just wasn't very tolerant of Japan's glam style.

[heartofdavid]

Japan support BOC, I think in 1979, at Glasgow. Don't know about any incidents beyond heckling, but check out the Nightporter website for details, and that tour is also mentioned in detail in Simon Napier-Bell's "Black Vinyl, White Powder." The book tells of how the band refused to play one show due to equipment malfunction and tells an interesting story of how Napier-Bell gave David some pointers on how to deal with the rather unfriendly crowds.

Japan did play in Glasgow on their last tour, two nights at the Apollo.

I don't recall if David did a show there on the blemish or E&N tours, but he played in Glasgow on the Road to Graceland tour with Fripp.

[Sylvian's Beard]

'Glasgow as a city is a working class place based on industries such as ship building. Glasgow Apollo was notorious for its lack of tolerance of, shall we say, sensitive souls. UFO were also seen as a hard living/drinking/snorting macho rock band at that time. Basically think of an audience not dissimilar to ZZ Top. A band like Japan would go down about as well as a prick in a nunnery.'

[heartofdavid]

Like I said, Japan played there supporting BOC. There doesn't seem to be any history about Japan ever supporting UFO there on a gig.

And on Japan's last tour (Sandii and the Sunsetz were the openers) they played two nights in Glasgow, so they must have gone down pretty well. Probably the audience was packed with nuns.

[proggrl]

'Glasgow as a city is a working class place based on industries such as ship building. Glasgow Apollo was notorious for its lack of tolerance of, shall we say, sensitive souls. UFO were also seen as a hard living/drinking/snorting macho rock band at that time. Basically think of an audience not dissimilar to ZZ Top. A band like Japan would go down about as well as a prick in a nunnery.'

That doesn't say they opened for them tho, it just uses them as an example. Not sure if that was your point with that, tho. In their early days I can see them opening for BOC, but I can't at any point in eithers' career see them opening for UFO (or ZZ Top for that matter).

[sonic_chronicler]

Glasgow actually has some of the most receptive and exhuberant crowds in the UK..... oh and of course Mr Sylvian is playing there this September, so I think your tale is probably a bit of an urban myth Rhodesia

Sonic

[The Analog Kid]

be that as it may and I have seen PT in Glasgow - great audience idneed

IF they ever opened for UFO in the old days I can imagine a good old faashioned bottling *might* have taken place!

we'll have to look for some reliable source here though!

cheers

Eric

[Sylvian's Beard]

I will get to the bottom of these shenanigans (did I spell that right?). That story was provided by someone on Metalsludge, so I will go straight to mister Sylvian himself BRB!

[heartofdavid]

Yeah, I'd love to know. Wonder if there might have been some connection with that Belgium festival in 78?

[VaporTrail]

That story was provided by someone on Metalsludge,

Well, then it must be true!

[Sylvian's Beard]

I wonder if they mean't BOC! I still beleive that the Glasgow crowd was unruly and probably heckled Japan.