July 13th The first issue of Sniffin Glue fanzine. The Ramones were in England playing a string of dates to an appreciative audience who had read about their reputation in the music press. One particular fan , Mark Perry, was inspired to start a whole new strand to the punk movement: The fanzine. The story goes that Perry wanted to find a paper covering the Ramones and other punk bands and was told that such a thing didn't exist. Then the stall owner, half joking, suggested that he go and start his own. This is exactly what Mark Perry did and named it Sniffin' Glue... after the Ramones song 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue'. In his first issue he reviews the two London gigs played by the Ramones with the Stranglers supporting. Malcolm McLaren had tried unsuccessfully to get the Pistols a support slot. Perhaps as a result of this Sid Vicious threw a bottle at Joey Ramone while the band were on stage.
Click on the cover shot to read Mark Perry's Ramones review
in Manchester. This was the second gig arranged by Howard Devoto and Pete
Shelley in Manchester and this time their own band Buzzcocks were ready to
play.
Buzzcocks were bottom of the bill after Slaughter and the Dogs ,Wythenshawe's
Stooges influenced Glam band but still got good reviews in the music press.
Malcolm McLaren had arranged for lots of the music journalists to be in attendance
to see that the punk movement was spreading out from its London roots. The
audience contained a generation of people who were to change the face of music
not just in Manchester but worldwide. Mick Hucknall, Mark E Smith, Ian Curtis,
Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Steven Morrissey amongst the most famous but
also people like Linder, Paul Morley and Jon the Postman. A bootleg of the
Pistols set is available featuring the first public airing of 'Anarchy in
the UK' and a short clip of film on the recent re-release of 'Times Up' capture
the Buzzcocks playing 'Breakdown' .
