The Jets

It could be said that The Jets started life in a two up two down terrace house in Hibbert Street, Luton. It was number 34 to be precise, but if you go round there today don’t expect to find one of those blue plaques above the door, that particular building was knocked down many years ago. In those days we had called ourselves The BB Exiles which later would become simply The Exiles.

With the front room decked out in egg boxes to help suppress the sound we were soon driving the neighbours to a point where they were likely to commit multiple homicides. We then moved operations to the relative safety of a scout hut (or whatever it was) which was sited at the edge of the Marsh Farm Estate, now known more famously for the large-scale riots that took place in the summer of 1995.

Our first gig at Dunstable College saw us booed off stage after just some 2 or 3 numbers, but all that energy and adrenalin was just too much, like some hapless band of predictable hard-core druggies we were instantaneously hooked. Under The Exiles guise we were to eventually record our first demo at Strawberry Studios Stockport and arrived just one day after the Bay City Rollers had vacated the premises. With many of their young (female) fans still milling about outside, we could easily be forgiven in those days of extreme naivety, for thinking we were already halfway there.

We had put the fate of our first recording in the hands of potato czar Don Larkin (hence ‘Piper’ (as in Maris) studios). With their flared jeans in full attendance and not having any idea what punk was… gave us a completely crap recording. Yes it sounded like an advert.

But we remixed it and tried to dirty the sound and with that went off in search of someone to hear it…

To cut a long story short, we were to become The Jets some years later, establishing ourselves locally around the time The Clash had gigged at The Queensway Hall. To be fair, by the time The Jets appeared on the Farewell to the Roxy Club recording, the lineup had evolved a little as had both our direction and style.

But yes I suppose the place did have a distinct kind of electricity about it. The punk bomb had not only gone off right inside the Roxy but hey, you could still smell the cordite. Think our first gig there was an audition night Wednesday when the entrance fee was a reflective 50 pence. The other band on the bill that night was called Nazi though I got a feeling they didn’t turn up, (they were invading Poland or something).

Monday 2/1/78: Recording of ‘Farewell To The Roxy’. These bands played: UK Subs, Billy Karloff and The Goats, The Crabs, Plastix, The Bears, The Tickets, The Red Lights, Acme Sewage Co., The Streets, The Jets, Blitz, Open Sore, XL5, The Pitful

If I remember correctly the line up that day was as follows: Myself on drums, a guy called Reggie on bass, Phil & Joe on guitars & Gerry on vocals. I think this was probably Gerry’s last gig too.

It was a shame to leave the tour so soon.. but not so soon as our master of ceremonies.. Kevin St John who promptly scarpered when the hostel boss was near coronary and the bills started coming in and who we never heard of again…so farewell Kevin St John…the pirate. www.mboss.f9.co.uk

Can’t remember too much about the other bands, the UK Subs though did look the part and gave the impression they’d be sticking around for a while and apparently they did.

The band finished off 1977 recording four tracks for a potential single but the master tapes later went missing along with the producers.

You’d think that would be the end of the band but they carried on until 1979 when they finally got a single out on Good Vibrations Records after visiting Belfast and playing the legendary Harp Club.

Quite how the band spent 1978 isn’t documented but they were active on the local Luton punk scene. There’s even some footage of them.

The Jets punk band live at ’33’ arts centre. Luton. 1978 Originally filmed on one Super 8mm camera (with no sound) over one night by friend of the band, who given the difficulty of a typical punk gig and the medium itself actually managed to capture the events. The final soundtrack was edited from unreleased outtakes to fit the film. Track on video on the right is an unreleased one called ‘Silke.’

Big thanks to Justin (Previously drummer with The Exiles – The Jets – Tee Vees)

The first wave of Punk bands took the plaudits. From that first Roxy album, five out of the seven bands were signed to major labels and three of them had chart hits. Bar one act, every band released an album. For the bands on the ‘Farewell To The Roxy’ album it was a different story. Most of them never even recorded or had records released and eventually faded into obscurity. But it’s that obscurity that has given this album its staying power and even a new lease of life and appreciation.

Our association with ‘Terry Hooley’ the Good Vibrations impresario was to be a considerably more indelible experience than anything at the Roxy. ‘Terry Hooley’ was the guy behind the success the ‘Undertones’ (of Teenage Kicks fame) were to experience, he proved to be a man of great character and sincerity. It will come as no surprise to many that even today, current references to his efforts of nearly 30 years past are varied and numerous. He also had an unusual party trick where he would remove his glass eye and splosh it into a pint of beer. He helped us with a number of pressings and organized a few dates in Belfast along with accommodation in his own home where once the late ‘John Peel’ had also been a guest.

The Jets – Original Terminal (Block Four & The Iceburn) – Good Vibrations Records – 1979

The general sense of in quietude as our trip up there began, like we were embarking upon some precarious almost unheard of but undoubtedly little travelled musical pathway to God knows what. It was after all, that Ulster, globally infamous for its hoards of balaclava clad paramilitary, for bombs, bullets and an apparent insatiable lust for sectarian bloodletting at every opportunity. Normally for ourselves these things were only ever observed through the bubble like safeness of television glass. However, there was also much excitement and in equal measure, especially as we were also seemingly following in the footsteps of such then contemporary greatness as ‘The Clash’. Their 1977 concert at the Ulster Hall in Belfast City Centre turned into a riot after the RUC lost control of the crowd and started beating punks up outside the gig.

The Harp Bar in downtown Belfast was ‘the’ punk venue and it’s reputation had certainly made the journey across to mainland UK. Walking through the door in this less than salubrious street was unforgettable. The Roxy in London hardly had a reputation of splendour but the first site of this off pavement bar made that look like Harrods. With a liberal scattering of sawdust all over the wooden floorboards you couldn’t help but wonder what it was there to mop up. Maybe us! Before we had the second thought as to where we could actually set up the gear in what appeared to have once been some ones front room we were pointed up stairs to the gig itself. With some relief. The first floor had all the vibe of a decent venue. A smallish stage close to the audience that could either sit around tables or stand in close to the band. You could easily see why this gig had been played by many of the bands in and around Belfast.

The Outcasts were one of Belfast top punk outfits and The Jets were to share the gig that night. It should be said here that why they never had the success the Undertones did is probably down to them being based in Belfast and hadn’t been exposed to the London punk scene or its media. Certainly the Outcasts were every bit the real thing and a particular favorite of ours. It’s a shame they never got to the mainland until after the punk scene was beginning to change.

The Harp Bar had a great audience and it was a real pleasure to play there. Plus the evening had the added delight of a visit from the Army! The sounds were switched off, everyone just stood around and waited while the Force with loaded weapons casually checked out who was what and what was where. Then, satisfied that they’d buggered the evening up, after 15 or so minutes they left to let us get on with the business at hand.

The Belfast audience remained as nonplussed about the event as if it happened every night… because mostly it did. London by comparison was easy and spoilt. Here amongst this uncertainty punk music had a real reason for being.

As we left for the homeward journey there was a feeling amongst us that if punk music was to survive it needed a reason. Belfast punk had the reason.. and coming back to the London scene seemed a cop out. By comparison a sham.

It was the last gigs The Jets played.

Page reproduced from the site I’m assuming run by Justin