R.I.P NIGEL "BIG TOOT" LEWTY 23/7/1965 7/5/2007
NEGATIVE REACTION FANZINE ISSUE *8 2007.
The Station, a derelict ex police station behind Tescos in Gateshead bacame one of the most legendary venues in the UK, paying host to the likes of CONFLICT, SKEPTIX, RIOT-SQUAD, MAU-MAUS, DISORDER, CHAOS UK, AMEBIX, ANTISECT, RUBELLA BALLET, SUBHUMANS, OI-POLLOI, SVART FRAMTID, ICONS OF FILTH, SONS OF BADBREATH, EAT SHIT, THE FIEND, SONS OF VENGEANCE, most of the anarcho-bands, even THE CLASH popped in for and accoustic performance.
Every saturday night the hordes gathered for a cheap night out,,: bring your own beer, a more than FAIR door price (usually around £1.50p) and despite the stress involved in trying to get the entrance fee from crusty shysters and violent pissheads, TOOT always managed to stay good humoured and friendly. The effort involved - from booking the gigs to cleaning up afterwards - must have been huge (it was!-scruff-) but nearly every saturday night TOOT would make sure we all got our PUNK ROCK fix.
He also collected for the striking miners - at a time when tabloid propaganda was so vicious that even the punks, bitter from trying to survive on the dole - were questioning why we should support "greedy bastards" on £300.00 a week. TOOT took time out to explain that it wasn't about the miners' wages, it was about their whole livelihoods. And like Arthur (scargill) , he was proved right a hundredfold.
I very much doubt that the-powers-that be were happy about the existence of a place that was a second home to hundreds of ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT PUNKS, and I thought they'd gotten their reason to close it down after the (now legendary) SUBHUMANS riot,....(a busy night for the local emergency services), but the authorities were taking no chances anyway, and in went the health & safety executive who "found" rotting floorboards underneath the bogs (toilets) and closed it down. End of an era ? Almost.
The Gateshead Musicians' Collective manages to procure a GRANT from BBC TV'S "Pebble Mill at One", giving TOOT a space on national PRIME-TIME TV !! Alas, this came to nothing when a venue was selected and mysteriously burnt down before a gig could even take place..TOOT was not easily deterred, and went on to set up "THE STATION CLUB" at Newcastle's "RIVERSIDE" venue,.it became another "WHO'S WHO" of late 1980's PUNK - but its existance was shorter lived, as one night at an EXPLOITED gig, someone STOLE a microphone - The venue DEMANDED £70.00 for a replacement ; £70.00 pounds that TOOT didn't have ,..and that, was that.
(edited by scruff -Toot kept on putting on shows though,....a few gigs were organised in Gateshead again and inbetween all of this, various venues were found and some amazing nights were had by all and sundry....anyone who remembers the awesome AMEBIX nights at various venues like The Bensham Working Men's Club and of course Napalm Death,.agony, Anti-Cimex and Carcass et al.)
There wasn't the same sense of loss as the station though, as the venue had gotten GREEDIER (nothing to do with TOOT, just the venues' policies - above toot's head, really) Drinks prices went up and so did admission fees, as did the overall bureucracy of the venue EG; (people were kept waiting outside for what seemed like EONS as the BOUNCERS rigorously enforced the membership scheme)........
Apart from a chance meeting in the Cooperage one sunday night, I never saw TOOT again, so it was with great shock I read on a CONFLICT GUESTBOOK that he had been found dead outside his flat in Plymouth, and while a few of his mates tavelled for the funeral, a memorium PISS-UP was held on his old stomping ground, The "GREY NAGS HEAD" (pub) on Gatheshead High Street. Despite a lot of people being at work or at the Amsterdam Punks Weekend - a healthy crowd still assembled and we went to lay flowers at the OLD STATION SITE, now demolished.
Toot's brother "Scruff" of HELLBASTARD fame, and then DISCHARGERS and NOW "MOODHOOVER") plans to write a book chronichling (deliberate mistake) the "old times" and a lot more inbetween. In the meantime, lets raise a glass (or ten) to THE MAN who did more for NORTH-EAST PUNK than possibly everyone put together. ! R.I.P BIG TOOT !
,BR
Trev (hagl) NEGATIVE REACTION issue 8 2007. ADDRESS - 20, New Front Street, T/Lea, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 9LY.
UPDATE 24TH MAY 2007. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A HUGE THANKYOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAS GOTTEN IN TOUCH WITH COMISERATIONS FOR MY BROTHER, BIG TOOT. YOU ARE ALL REMEMBERED AND YOU ARE ALSO IN MINE AND TOOT'S THOUGHTS.THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO TURNED UP TO TOOT'S FUNERAL (YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE) AND OF COURSE THE STATION GATHERING AND THE DRINK/SEND-OFF AT THE NAGS' HEAD OH GATESHEAD HIGH ST. OF COURSE THE PLYMOUTH VOODOO LOUNGE SHOW THAT WAS IN REMEMBERANCE OF BIG TOOT AND THE BANDS THAT PERFORMED THAT NIGHT.NOT TO MENTION THE CONFLICT SHOW/S UP IN GATESHEAD THIS WEEKEND TO COMMEMORATE BIG TOOT TOO.
RIGHT NOW IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT TIME, WE, HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY ARE FINDING IT ALL ROUGH. I WILL NOT CLOSE THIS SITE DOWN, AS I PREVIOUSLY SAID. BUT I WILL IN THE MONTHS TO COME. ITS NOT TO forget MY BROTHER, BUT TO LET HIM REST.
LOVE YOU ALL, MAN. SCRUFF/LITTLE TOOT 24/05/2007 XXX
UPDATE 11th MAY 2007 - TOOT'S FUNERAL WILL BE HELD AT WESTON MILL, PLYMOUTH ON FRIDAY 18th MAY at 12.00pm 2007. ALL THAT WISH TO SHOW RESPECT ARE WELCOME.
HELLO ALL. THIS IS SCRUFF,.TOOT'S BROTHER. THE SAD NEWS IS TOOT DIED ON MAY 7TH 2007. I DID HIS PROFILE FOR HIM HERE ON MYSPACE AS HE COULDN'T USE COMPUTERS in a slightly more "advanced" technical way other than reply to emails and such like,.(we all have to start somewhere and I only learnt from hounding other people)... AND THIS is HOW IM WRITING THIS AS I AM THE ONLY ONE WITH HIS PASSWORD ETC.I WAS UP IN GLOUCESTER RECORDING WITH MY BAND MOODHOOVER. I GOT THE NEWS WHEN I GOT BACK HOME. ITS A FUCKED TIME AND IM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND MAKE SENSE OF ALL THIS BUT FINDING IT TERRIBLY DIFFICULT. MYSELF AND ONE OF TOOT'S DEAR FRIENDS IN PLYMOUTH ARE TRYING TO MAKE FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS AND I WILL POST A BLOG/BULLETIN IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS IF ANYBODY WANTS TO ATTEND TOOTS FUNERAL THEN FEEL FREE TO DO SO. I WILL POST TIMES/DATE AND INFO HERE ON HIS SITE AND THEN I WILL CLOSE THIS SITE DOWN.
I CANT SAY MUCH AS I REALLY STILL DO NOT KNOW HOW MY DEAR BROTHER DIED,.
A LEGEND FELL LAST MONDAY MORNING AS IM SURE HIS FRIENDS AND ANYONE THAT KNEW TOOT WILL AGREE TO.
HE LOVED PEACE AND I THINK NOW HE HAS IT LITERALLY.
SCRUFF "LITTLE TOOT" LEWTY MAY 9TH 2007
UPDATE MAY 15th 2007
The following painting below was kindly donated by ZAC LEWIS, a long time friend of BIG TOOT & SCRUFF,..it shows THE MAN HIMSELF at THE STATION CLUB in GATESHEAD,.it was painted from a photograph I gave ZAC to get an idea for a proposed ALBUM VERSION (forget the record label now...) of BIG TOOT'S STATION-COMPILATION CASSETTE which he sold for ONE POUND back in the day. The cassette was entitled "SYMPHONIES FOR THE DISSAFECTED" and has LIVE TRACKS from ANTISECT/ONSLAUGHT/AMEBIX/THE CLASH/SKEPTIX/SUBHUMANS/CONFLICT/RUBELLA BALLET/MAU-MAUS/RIOT-SQUAD/SVART-FRAMTID/EAT-SHIT/REALITY CONTROL/BLOOD ROBOTS/ANTI-SYSTEM/ICONS OF FILTH/STALAG 17/BROKEN BONES/DISORDER/CHAOS UK/UPROAR/TOXIC REASONS/THE INSTIGATORS/BANNLYST/EXITSTANCE/OI-POLLOI///AND MANY MORE....
I am in posession of the MASTER TAPES and will look into releasing this on VINYL (which toot preferred to cd anyday!) and this ,.I am sure will be another fitting tribute to the man.
MAY 15th 2007. BELOW is ANOTHER PAINTING which was to represent the "STATION CLUB" LP/VINYL COMPILATION. IT WAS PAINTED BY south-west artist ZAC LEWIS, a long time friend of SCRUFF and BIG TOOT. THIS IMAGE SHOWS THE STATION ON A TYPICAL SATURDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT WHEN THERE WAS A SHOW ON. IT WAS PAINTED FROM MEARLY SAYING what THE place LOOKED LIKE. NO PHOTOGRAPHS WERE shown TO THE ARTIST. IT WAS DONE BY MERE WORDS ALONE. I thought it might like to be seen by anyone visiting this site....cheers. little toot/scruff.
Hello All,time i updated this,been a few months now.Glad to bits to be in touch with my friends,now and then.Makes life great!!!Best wishes to you all.
I'd like to give a big hello to all those old faces that used to come along and enjoy the club,.....you know who you are.
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
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