Postcards from the Blank Generation!
- Grae Wall
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
My bother sent me over some old photos he found of me in my teens. They capture the euphoric moment when I escaped the tortuous confines of the schooling system and started to explore the possibilities of real life, fuelled by the manifestos of punk and new wave. My bedroom walls were adorned with band posters along with classic Hammer Horror images, I was pulling together my first band (Fae Jane & The Burning Docs), and I had wheels – my beloved Honda 125. This new found freedom was exhilarating, finally hitting life’s highway with no road map and no real destination in mind.
In some ways I barely recognise the kid in the photos, but in other ways the reflections are recognisable, touchstones of who I was to become - already forming. If I bumped into that teenager now, I guess I’d just say, “there will be some tough moments down the line, but don’t worry, you’ll be OK.”
Back then we were marching against the rise of the National Front, punk and reggae bands united at carnivals in solidarity and determination that racism and hatred would not succeed, that our generation would see an end to discrimination and division. For a while there we came pretty close and it felt good to be a part of that. That some of that divisive and toxic rhetoric now passes for mainstream politics seems crazy – how did we let that happen?
Entering the third age is not dissimilar to that transition from formal education into adulthood and fortunately I still have great musical (and poetic) collaborators around me to kick against the expectations of our aging and the tyranny of the system.
Just last weekend I was programming and stage managing the main stage at our St Albans Christmas Cracker event, and I’m proud to say that the line-up was pretty inclusive on all levels, with thousands descending on the town centre to cheer on and celebrate performers of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds – just as it should be.
I still retain the excitement of discovering a new band and this last month I fell in love with a new (to me) Manchester act called Nightbus. I went along to catch them at Corsica Studios in London. It was interesting to see how Elephant & Castle had changed since I was last there some decades ago – quite a cool cosmopolitan vibe these days. I remember when friends of mine were evicted from the derelict tower block they had been squatting, right in the heart of that area. Nightbus have this wonderful essence of being simultaneously reminiscent of classic acts like Joy Division, (early) Cure and Portishead whilst also sounding fresh and very now. I left with a scarf, a CD and a set list – sweet.
Prior to the gig I went for a cider at a cool local bar and was approached by a young fella who was on his own who asked if I’d mind if he joined me. Turns out he was a Latvian chef, and we had a good chat about music and life. He guessed my age at 45 but I think he was just being complimentary or else needed a visit to Specsavers. After the gig – on the station platform – I was approached by another young guy who complimented me on my hat (the mustard bay-knit hat mentioned in a previous blog). We again started chatting about music and he told me about his job which was basically formatting playlists for commercial environments like shopping centres, so as to most appeal to the likely demographic of different times and days. I thought this was quite fascinating, and it had never occurred to me that such thought went into such things. I obviously have something of an approachable aura which is nice.
Earlier this month I went along to a lovely open-mic at The Hope in Richmond hosted by a welcoming fella called Tony Bowen. It was the second outing of the little beat-punk-poetry & blues set that Richard Earls and I have been playing around with. Along with our original poems and compositions, we do include one cover number – all be it in our own inimitable beat-punk-blues style. That song is Anarchy in the UK – I think that seventeen-year-old kid would smile at the thought!
Stay Kind, Stay Creative!
Grae J.
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