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The CUD Story, pt.13
(above) Elvis Belt promo photo
25
Apr 1990
London Brixton Fridge.
Anti-Poll Tax gig with the Wedding Present and Julian Cope. There
is a stage invasion. Elvis Belt gets on stage to taunt the audience
before being dragged into the crowd and thrown back unconscious!
(Don’t worry, kids, he came around half an hour later, no worse
for wear.)
Mike and Steve are pissed and sick in the van. We pick up a hitchhiker
who fondles the women in our van, so we have to chuck him out five
miles outside Brixton. We race the Weddoes up the M1 back to Leeds.
5 May
Stories come in of ex-manager, Rev M. Baker spending £700
in a weekend of booze and taxi cabs. He ascribes his sudden fortune
to Bob Dobbs.
6 May
ARRRGH!!! William, in possibly his worst day in CUD, realises that
of the two bank paying-in books Martin Baker passed over to him
for the CUD accounts, one was for Martin’s personal account.
It is this one that was used to credit with recent Peel session
monies.
New manager Jim Tracey rushes to Leeds to try and get the cash back.
Martin looks forward to court action, just for the fun of it.
Eventually CUD agree for this accidental payment to be Martin’s
‘payoff’. William has the paying-in books confiscated
and gets teased endlessly.
10 May
Sign 750 one-sided 12” ‘Hey! Wire singles after a Mock
Turtles gig at Leeds Duchess of York. (The Mock Turtles were also
signed to Imaginary.) Some rare copies also have Mock Turtles autographs
or even the Mock Turtles signing CUD autographs.
| 11 May Maryport Civic Hall. Cancer Benefit gig with The Wedding Present. CUD stay in a dodgy pub, called Knockers, across the road. Cavedigger Susan/Craig Cooper, acting tour manager, gets into a drunken fight with his room’s wardrobe and sets the fire alarm off. 12 May Film ‘Hey! Wire’ video in a rape field near Lytham St Annes with the Jettisoundz crew (who filmed ‘When at Home, Film Me’. Check it out on the DVD. 16 May Hey! Wire tour begins. Brighton Richmond. Most of CUD crash at Deadline artist, Glyn Dillon’s flat while William stays up all night helping Jamie Hewlett paint a ‘Tank Girl’ strip. 17 May London ULU with The Family Cat. (NME review, right.) All back to Carl’s mum’s house afterwards. 18 May Warrington Legends 19 May Blackpool Winter Gardens. 20 May Hull Tower Ballroom (Bachelor Pad supporting.) 21 May Hey! wire b/w Purple Love Balloon/ Possession single released in various versions – one-sided 7”, one-sided and two-sided 12”, and CUD’s first CD single. Gig at Norwich Arts Centre. |
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(above) Hey!
wire sleeve designed by Carl Flint
24 May
Liverpool Poly.
25 May
Leeds Poly. A capacity crowd. Support act, The Family Cat, join
CUD for encore ‘Strange Kind of Love’ until the plug is
pulled. 170 T-shirts sold. Everyone heads to the Warehouse afterwards,
then it’s back to William’s to project strobe and gel
lights over Burley. A great night!
26 May
Manchester Uni (The Mock Turtles supporting.) Another packed gig.
27 May
‘Hey! Wire’ enters the pop charts... at No. 104!
29 May
Birmingham Burberries
30 May
Record signing at Leeds Jumbo Records. It takes two and half hours
to get through the line.
31 May
Sheffield Uni
First appearance of purple ‘love balloons’ thrown on stage.
Carl tries to kick one and ends up on his back for ‘Living
in the Past’.
1 June
London The Venue (Bachelor Pad and Swervedriver supporting.)
3 June
Nottingham Trent Poly (Bachelor Pad supporting.)
4 June
Bristol Bierkeller
5 June
Cardiff Venue
Karma. After William damaged Crane’s bass a while back, the
same happens to his tonight.
6 June
Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall (Bachelor Pad supporting.)
7 June
Cleethorpes Gardens (Bachelor Pad supporting.)
10 June
Dundee Dance Factory
(Bit of a trek that one! 280 miles back to Leeds. Rabbits all over
the road, dazzled by headlights.)
12 June
Newcastle Riverside
Jim comes over to tell the band ‘Hey! wire’s sold 5,500
copies so far and ‘When in Rome’ 6,300. CUD might even
earn money from the tour!
(above) The
cover photo for Elvis Belt was taken by William at Leeds Poly
in 1986. That's Elvis Belt centre and Carl almost visible on
the right.
18
June
‘Elvis Belt’ compilation LP/CD released.
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 Nice to get to top of the indie charts even if they get the title wrong! |
(above) The
limited edition CUD comic strip by William given away inside
vinyl copies of Elvis Belt.
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 27 June Leeds San Miguels CUD’s first tribute band, CUD 2, play Leeds gig supported by 'The Carl Puttnam Experience' and Psoriosis Doctors. (above.) |
25
June William
gets asked to design a Wedding Present T-shirt. He comes up
with the slogan ‘All their Songs Sound the Same’.
They go ahead and print it! |
4, 5 July
Record Family Cat song, 'Remember What It Is That You Love' in Patchbay Studios, Castleford for series of Clawfist Records double A-side 7"s. Family Cat provide backing vocals.
CUD are fortunate to record before England lose to penalties against Germany in the World Cup semi-final. The Cat have to carry on regardless of dulled spirits, recording their version of CUD's 'Strange Kind Of Love' for the other A-side (with Carl doing backing vocals).
Mekon, Jon Langford produces.
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