Huw's Dancing Like Iggy!

I first met our friend Huw back in 1979 when he was my Biology Lecturer at St Albans College of Further Education. I had messed up my O Levels and been sent along there to try again at a few of them. I think it was maybe the second Biology lecture that I attended when Huw broke off from addressing the class to exclaim ‘Well Grae, I think the class is paying more attention to what you are wearing than to what I am saying’. I took instant offence and walked out of the class. I know I was wearing combat trousers and ex-army boots but can’t really remember what the rest of my outfit was – something kinda punky I guess, a host of band, Anti-Nazi League and Rock against Racism badges along with assorted safety pins and the like. Anyway, Huw came and found me later in the Students Union building and apologised, and whilst I didn’t attend many more of his lectures, we did strike up a friendship.

St Albans about 1985

Skip forward to 1981 and I was putting together an acoustic band with the idea of doing a kind of Velvet Underground meets beatnik-jazz kinda thing and so approached Huw to join us on clarinet (and later flute and soprano sax). That was the 47 Swing Jam Band which lasted a few years before morphing into the Outdoor Café Quartet and then later The Young Trash Lovers. This latter band enjoyed some success on the London Alt-Acoustic circuit as well as playing festivals and bar gigs in France. Huw was the one cast member (along with me) that was part of all those bands.

The Young Trash Lovers

Huw was also a great photographer and keen filmmaker, so documented a lot of early gigs and bands including hours of footage from the Sketch Pad nights that Clive (Pig) and I were running. There was also the video for a track that Clive and I recorded called ‘I Just Need One Person’, filmed around Huw’s family’s little getaway cottage in Wales, that we visited a number of times. On a journey back from there one time, we stopped at Huw’s parents farm, and it was sitting on a fence there playing songs to a field of surprisingly enthusiastic cows that I began my life-long vegetarianism.

Huw has continued to occasionally join Los Chicos Muertos (who formed after The Young Trash Lovers) right up until recently, and I’m glad to say that we managed to get him over to record a few parts on the album we are currently working on, last year. We would also meet up at friends’ socials (usually Dez & Al) and made it along to one of the regular Bluebell Walk parties that he and his partner Su hosted each year.

With Los Chicos Muertos in 2024

A few years ago, we also lost Young Trash Lovers (and Trailer Trash Orchestra/Los Chicos Muertos) fiddle player and good friend Andy, so the Young Trash Lovers reunion tour is looking less and less likely.

Back in those 80’s and 90’s days we would aften rehearse round at Huw’s old house on Sandridge Road, much fun, interspersed with his infamous double-entendre’s! On occasion he would cook up a meal with ingredients from his allotment – I think the only time I ever eaten vegetable spaghetti! Sometimes we would finish off with a late one at The Jolly Sailor. In more recent times Huw and Su were regulars round at ours for New Years Eve, his raucous laugh always rising above the general party noise. When I curated the St Albans Punk and New Wave exhibition at St Albans Museum, I enlisted Huw to film the ‘talking heads’ interviews with various old scenesters and he did a great job.

With Los Chicos Muertos 2024

Huw rang me a few years ago to tell me of his terminal cancer and I think he even managed a joke or two in that conversation. It wasn’t long after I had had my own run-in with the big C. We knew the day was coming but still felt a deep sense of loss when the news came through (whilst away for the weekend in Paris, where we raised several glasses). I think it will take some time to compute that Huw is no longer around, as for pretty much my whole adult life, he has been.

Back in the late 80’s I wrote a song about Huw – Huw’s Dancing Like Iggy (he really did!), and somewhere side of stage he will continue to dance and joke and laugh and tootle on his various instruments.

So Long Old Friend!

Grae J.

X

You can listen to Huw performing with The Young Trash Lovers over at Bandcamp!