Nero's

On This Day 28/05/1983 The Swinging Laurels

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On this day, 28 May 1983, Leicester ska/rock band The Swinging Laurels played Cardiff’s Nero’s Funktion Suite.

Formed in 1980 by ex-member of The Wendy Tunes, Gaz Birtles, and ex collaborator of Black Gorilla, John Barrow, both saxophonists. They released their first single as a duo in 1981 and then recruited synth and trumpet player Dean Sargent and keyboardist Mark O'Hara.

They released six singles with a sound based heavily on the saxes, till the end of the '80s and they guested in recordings of other acts like The Apollinaires, Fun Boy Three, Norman Beaton, Worldbackwards, Musical Youth, Splashdown and Team 23.

The first Swinging Laurels WEA release, RODEO, hit the streets in September and featured the distinctive percussive influence of SCRITTI POLITTI drummer TOM MORLEY, but despite Radio One airplay, was restricted to the lower reaches of the national chart. CULTURE CLUB producer Steve Levine lent his expertise to the second single Lonely Boy which originally featured a fine vocal contribution by BOY GEORGE but due to contractual objections by his record label Virgin Records was eventually released minus his efforts.

1983 saw the Swinging Laurels in their own right and as a special guests of CULTURE CLUB, at the request of BOY GEORGE who was a self-proclaimed fan. They were special guests on both of their sell-out UK tours in March and December. A Janice Long Radio One session was followed by a highly-successful Dutch festival tour where they supported NICK LOWE and OSIBISA as well as headlining dates.

This year also saw the band part company with WEA Records The Swinging Laurelsformed their own label identity, Happy Records based, at their Leicester studio Happy House.

On This Day 27/06/1981 Modern English

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On this day, 27 June 1981, new wave/post-punk band Modern English played Cardiff’s Nero’s night club.

Formed in Colchester, Essex in 1979 by Robbie Grey (vocals), Gary McDowell (guitar, vocals), and Michael Conroy (bass, vocals) (born 9 August 1962),

Modern English were originally known as The Lepers. The group expanded to "Modern English" when Richard Brown (drums) and Stephen Walker (keyboards) were subsequently added to the lineup of the band.

After a single on their own 'Limp' label in 1979, the band signed to 4AD the following year; with two further singles released, and a session for John Peel of BBC Radio 1 recorded before the band's debut album, Mesh & Lace, in 1981.