John Martyn

John Martyn (born Iain David McGeachy on September 11, 1948 in New Malden, Surrey, England) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Martyn)

Scheduled
Friday, 11 October 1985, "Big Hall", 22:30 - 23:30

Line up
John Martyn – guitar, vocals; Foster Paterson – keyboards; Alan Thomson – bass

Setlist
Unknown

Recording
Unknown

Other info


Article from festival booklet

Willem Venema

Ik heb in de loop der jaren gewerkt als stagemanager bij o.a. AVRO’s Grand Gala Du Disque, KRO’s Rocktempel, VARA’s Popzien, New Pop-Rotterdam, Schuttorf Open-Air (Duitsland), Torhout/Werchter (Belgie), Parkpop-Den Haag (van editie 0 tot heden), Pinkpop tot mijn ontslag bij Live Nation, en Metropolis-Rotterdam.
En ik was (mede-)initiator/oprichter/programmeur van “Pandora’s Music Box” midden jaren tachtig, “Ein Abend In Wien” in 1991 en “A Campingflight To Lowlands Paradise” van 1993 tot eveneens mijn ontslag bij Live Nation. (http://www.wvenema.nl/?p=64#more-64)

"Ik bemoei me met van alles." Zo heeft Venema zich in het verleden bemoeid met artiesten als Herman Brood, Claw Boys Claw, Candy Dulfer, de Heideroosjes en Urban Dance Squad. (http://3voor12.vpro.nl/3voor12/stadskanaal/deskundigen.shtml)

Of course Lowlands is partly modeled after the famous Roskilde Festival in Denmark. But its roots also go back to the hippy days of 1967, when an embryonic indoor version was held in Utrecht. Similar (indoor) pop festivals with theatrical and absurd highlights were held in Rotterdam in the 80s (Pandora’s Music Box) and early 90s (Ein Abend in Wien). Creator of these last two festivals was Willem Venema while working for Holland’s largest agency Mojo. In 1993 Venema initiated the first edition of Lowlands. It attracted nine thousand people. Nowadays around forty to sixty thousand people make the annual pilgrimage to Biddinghuizen. Many buy their tickets even before the programme is announced. For them the unique atmosphere has become a yearly must.
http://www.dutchsound.nl/page.php?pageAlias=dsnl.news&newsId=1430


Article from Oor magazine (1985/20)


Venema amid his record collection on the cover of Robert Haagsma's book Vinylfanaten (Vinyl Freaks), Spectrum, 2006. Find the complete chapter on Venema here: http://www.wvenema.nl/?p=65#more-65

Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, 13 December 1949, in Morristown, New Jersey) is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the front man for the New York rock band, Television. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Verlaine)

Scheduled
Saturday, 22 September 1984, "Grote Box", 00:00 - 01:00
Swapped timeslot with Anti Group

Line up
Tom Verlaine - vocals, guitar;

Set list
01 Rotation
02 5 Miles of you
03 Penetration
04 Dissolve/reveal
05 Kingdome come
06 Swim
07 Clear it away
08 Miss Emily
09 Marquee moon

Recording
A complete audience recording exists. Tracks 04 - 09 were broadcast on radio, as well as an interview. I have a lossless (flac) radio recording of tracks 04 - 08 (total time 27'10") and the complete audience recording (total time 65'04").


Bootleg cassette cover


Bootleg cassette (http://www.bootlegarchive.com/media_description.asp?MediaID=41501)

Other info


Article from festival booklet


Verlaine on stage at Pandora's 84 (unknown source, http://www.bootlegarchive.com/media_description.asp?MediaID=41501)

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957), known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician renowned for his blend of folk, punk-rock, and protest music, and his lyrics dealing with political as well as romantic themes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bragg)

Scheduled
Friday, 21 September 1984, "Mini Box", 22:15 - 22:45

Line up
Billy Bragg - vocals, guitar

Set list
01 Like soldiers do (3:35)
02 The man in the iron mask (2:48)
03 The Saturday boy (5:34)
04 The milkman of human kindness (3:25)
05 Bad summer (1:33)
06 A new England (3:07)
07 Island of no return (3:59)

Also performed:
00 Richard (3:13 - performed some time before The milkman of human kindness - judging from other BB shows around this time, it's likely to have been straight after The man in the iron mask)

Recording
Two recordings are reported. The first (shortest) one is Richard plus tracks 04, 06 and 07, total time 12'58". It's released as the bootleg Pandora's Box 1984, which is most likely a CDR and not a silver disc. (http://www.braggtopia.com/musicxchange/1984-09-21-Tracks.htm)



The second (longer) recording of tracks 01 - 07 is more common, but misses Richard, total time 22'35".

I have both sets as lossless (flac) recordings taken from radio broadcasts. Combined they run close to the 30 minutes alloted to Bragg, although it's hard to believe he came out to play only 8 songs...

Catch the stream for the longer one here: http://3voor12.vpro.nl/programmas/afleveringen/7733401

Other info


Article from festival booklet


Billy Bragg on stage at Pandora's 84. Unmistakable, even without his head pictured... (Oor magazine 1984/20)

Lyres

Lyres (sometimes miscredited as The Lyres) are a Boston-area alternative rock musical group led by Jeff "Monoman" Conolly. Lyres were founded in 1979 following the breakup of DMZ. Their most popular songs included "What A Girl Can't Do" and "Help You Ann". The original lineup of the band featured Rick Coraccio (bass), Ricky Carmel (guitar), and Paul Murphy (drums). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lyres)

Scheduled
Friday, 21 September 1984, "Garage Box", 00:30 - 01:15

Line up
Jeff Connolly – vocals, organ; Dan McCormack – guitar; Rick Coraccio – bass; Paul Murphy – drums

Set list
01 Unknown track

02 Stacey

03 Stop, take a look at me

04 Help you Ann

05 Soapy

06 Nobody but me

Recording
I have a lossless (flac) recording of the above 6 tracks, taken from a radio broadcast, about 23 minutes in total.

The Orson Family

Short-lived gothic rock band featuring sibling vocalists Vernon, Ruby and John Orson, who also played guitars and were backed by Vincent (bass) and David O. (drums).
(...) The Orson Family wasn't really a family. They were formed around 1982 in England. Vernon and Ruby lived together (they were engaged but never married). Brewster and David O. are actually the same person. They soon added a trumpet player called Kevin but nicknamed Elmer. They quoted Hank Williams, Link Wray, Bunker Hill, Vincent, Cochran, Lou Reed, The Jam as influences.
They records a self released 3 track EP, a six track mini LP The River of Desire, the 12" No-one Waits Forever, a live LP Bugles, Guitars & Amphetamine and another single The Sweetest Embrace but with another singer as Skully left/was fired soon before. (http://rideyourpony-twighlightzone.blogspot.com/2006_09_03_rideyourpony-twighlightzone_archive.html)

Scheduled
Friday, 21 September 1984, "Garage Box", 23:15 - 00:00

Line up
Probably: Skully - vocals; Vernon - guitar; Ruby - guitar; Brewster - drums. Possibly with Kevin (aka Elmer) - trumpet

Set list
00 No-one waits forever

Recording
Unknown

Rose of Avalanche

Formed in Leeds, early 1985, the original line up was a group of school mates, raw and wanting to take over the world with one chord songs. The name was a representation of the power and beauty of the songs. At this stage there was no drummer, just a beat box. From an early stage The Rose of Avalanche picked up a Goth tag from the UK's music press. It was some way off the mark, but it's understandable:
The Rose came from Leeds in the mid 1980's (along with the Sisters of Mercy, Mission, March Violets, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Salvation, and the Skeletal Family in near by Bradford). They started off with the standard Goth drum machine backing, and their first two singles have swirly art work covers. (http://www.geocities.com/~jamesparton/biog1.htm)

Scheduled
Friday, 11 October 1985, "Mini Box", 21:45 - 22:25

Line up
Phil Morris – vocals; Paul James Berry – guitar; Glenn Schultz – guitar; Alan Davis – bass; drum machine (Mark Thompson joined the band on drums shortly after this gig http://www.geocities.com/~jamesparton/biog2.htm)

Set list
Unknown

Recording
No recording is known to exist according to the Rose of Avalanche site.

Other info


Article from festival booklet

Hula

The Sheffield based band Hula was founded in November 1980. Three members (Mark Albrow, Alan Fish and Ron Wright) lived with Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire) and Paul Widger (They must be Russians, Clock DVA, the Box) in a villa called Hula Kula. After trying the bass players Alan Watt, the notorious Chris Brain (Tense, NOS) and Mark Brydon (Chakk, Moloko), and after the replacement of Alan Fish (a.k.a. Fisch) by Nort (both drummed for the Cabs), Hula released Fever Car, which became an indie hit. Then they recorded the impressive album Murmur. Ingredients like cut ups, steady rhythms, and paranoia vocals were blended together into a unique white funky sound.
Hula recruited John Avery as a bass player. A bass player was necessary for the exciting live shows with lots of video material (Peter Care). Hula continued to bring out danceable 12 inches and more experimental albums. With this line-up Hula was more or less successful. International tours were made. Radio sessions for VPRO and John Peel were recorded and broadcasted. (http://www.soureden.com/index.htm)

Scheduled
Saturday, 12 October 1985, "Small Hall", 21:00 - 22:00

Line up
Ron Wright - guitar, vocals; Mark Albrow - keyboards, tapes; Simon Crump - saxophone; John Avery - bass, keyboards, percussion; Nort - drums, percussion

Set list
01 Get the habit
02 Torn silk (6:02)
03 Marnixstraat
04 Big heat
05 Ninth degree
06 Bad blood
07 Freeze out
08 Ghost rattle
09 Stocky
10 Walk on stalks of shattered glass
11 Cut ups
12 Interlude
13 Tear up

Recording
Catch the stream for track 02 here: http://3voor12.vpro.nl/programmas/afleveringen/5950442

Other info




Article from festival booklet

The Legendary Stardust Comboy

The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, born Norman Carl Odam on October 10, 1947 in Lubbock, Texas, is an incoherent rock and roll performer who invented an early example of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s. While often considered a novelty artist, he considers himself a serious performer.
David Bowie has been a fan of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, who likes to be called "The Ledge", since he heard Paralyzed. Bowie himself has said that the "Stardust" in "Ziggy Stardust" is taken from The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.
In 1985, the Dutch VPRO radio tried to re-popularise the Ledge. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legendary_Stardust_Cowboy)

Scheduled
Friday, 11 October 1985

Line up
Uncertain, but likely: The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - guitar, vocals; Kid Congo Powers - guitar; Murray Mitchell – guitar; Patricia Morrison - bass; Desparate – drums

Recently surfaced video (see below) reveals the backing band to be Claw Boys Claw! However, at the end of the fragment, CBC bassist Bobbie hands her bass to another woman - possibly Patricia Morrison with a giant blonde hairdo/wig?

Set list
01 Indian Wallpaper

02 So mean

03-14 Unknown

The first two tracks are Claw Boys Claw, track 3 is an instrumental during which the Ledge joins them.

Recording
I have a complete lossless (flac) audience recording of the show.


The Ledge backed by Claw Boys Claw at Pandora's 85 as uploaded to YouTube by waaghalsrecords.

Other info
The Ledge appeared as surprise act at the festival, backed by Fur Bible. The Claw Boys Claw played a short warm-up set. Unknown if they were Friday or Saturday, but Saturday sounds most likely: Fur Bible played on Saturday and CBC were likely to be there to see their mates (and ex-drummer) in the Fatal Flowers and L’Attentat. They possibly played the “Mini Box” after 23:30 (when Fur Bible finished their “Small Hall” set), or after 02:00.

Also around this time the ex-Gun Club contingent appeared as the backing band to the Legendary Stardust Cowboy (of 'Paralysed' fame) on a tour of England. (http://www.furious.com/perfect/gunclub2.html)

This is not as strange as it may sound. Fur Bible came to life as a vehicle for another legendary 60’s star: Tex Perkins.

So in the meantime while we were thinking about "now what do we do?", this Dutch promoter, Willem Venema had this idea. He was working on bringing over the Legendary Stardust Cowboy – who – we all knew the song "Paralyzed." The song is a big legendary song that we all loved. He asked us, "Would you be the back-up band for this guy?" And I was like, "That 'Paralyzed' guy? Yeah, sure. That sounds great." And it was just a gig to do. I never met him. I didn't know what he might be like or anything. So he shows up – him and his manager. And he is a total kook. That guy is a total kook. Actually a little bit like Jeffrey but totally charming and loveable somehow - and very talented. It's a really untamed crazy talent, but he has his own vision and it has nothing to do with the rest of the world. And certainly I can appreciate that.
So we got a record and we learned the songs and we just ended up doing this crazy tour of Europe and it was totally fun and funny. And Patricia wore a big Dolly Parton blonde wig. It was totally campy and he was just crazy. What a nut! He did some crazy strip at the end where he stripped down to these horrible flesh-colored big underwear. And he just had all his crazy songs about UFOs and love and him "thinkin' about you while I'm sitting in a garbage can." And great songs. It was totally a gig, but I really loved it. It was a real fun thing and it really broke up this whole seriousness about The Gun Club breaking up and this thing with Tex not working out. It was like, "OK, we can be totally ridiculous." It came at the right time. (Kid Congo Powers, http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/1/kidbible.html)

I saw The Legendary Stardust Cowboy somewhere in the mid 80's in a club in Rotterdam, where he was accompanied with members of The Gun Club. An awesome show and nothing like anything else. The image of a (already) middle aged Ledge stripped to nothing but his underpants and (of course) cowboy boots somehow still haunts me :D. (Robert Haagsma, http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/archive/index.php/t-104564.html)


The Ledge watching Tex & the Horseheads from the side of the stage at Pandora's 85 (Vinyl magazine 1985/11)

Paleis van Boem

Het Paleis van Boem bestaat uit Martin Vonk en Jaap de Weijer. Martin werd op 16 januari 1959 geboren in Rotterdam en volgde de klassieke opleiding slagwerk aan het Rotterdams Conservatorium. Jaap werd geboren op 20 mei 1959 in Wageningen en volgde de opleiding slagwerk lichte muziek aan het Rotterdams Conservatorium. Het duo heeft muziek gecomponeerd voor uiteenlopende media: toneel, dans, film, radio, televisie, maar ook voor commercials, exposities, enz. (http://www.score-magazine.nl/modules.php?name=topMusic&op=artist&idartist=38)

Scheduled
Friday, 11 October 1985, "Small Hall", 21:00 - 21:45

Line up
Martin Vonk – drums, percussion; Jaap de Weijer – drums, percussion

Set list
Unknown

Recording
Unknown

Other info




Article from festival booklet