Performance Platform, 1986-1990s
Performance Platform, held every Tuesday night, soon became a firm and favoured fixture in the Zap Club’s entertainment repertoire. Local artist/eccentric Ian Smith of rock band ‘Birds with Ears’ fame compered the evening and in many ways, his own uniquely charismatic character – as a shrieking impish jester peering down a long nose, to voice a strangely off-kilter malevolent humour – came to represent something about Performance Platform as a whole: highly personalised individual acts ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Performance Platform quite literally provided a platform for performance and performer; it was an opportunity for stand-up comedians, musicians, poets, artists, dancers, theatre groups and anyone else who had something to perform that defied categorisation to prove themselves in front of audiences in a free and unmediated local space. Steve Zen-Zen, Toad Squad, Garry Hawk – these were just a few among hundreds of weird and wonderful acts to risk the stage in attempts to entertain.
Remember this? Remember similar events in Brighton and Hove around the same time? We want to hear from you. Use the Add a Comment link below or contact cora@mybrightonandhove.org.uk with photos or information.
In particular, can you tell us more about some of the acts that played? What was the best, the worst, the strangest performance you saw? Or perhaps you were a performer – what was your experience of playing at the Zap?
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It was a great night and Ian Smith was absolutely brilliant at introducing the performers and making sure that everyone went ‘apeshit banana crazy’.
Paul the Poet was a highlight – he did a great version of Dylan Thomas’ ‘Rage against the Dying of the Light’ with recorded soft guitar music as a background accompaniment and the light fading to black at the end of the piece – it sounds too simple to work written down but it worked every time.
The Toad Squad had one gig where the ‘singer’ read out some kind of missive from the police then just repeated ‘I’m reading you the rules’ over and over again.
Monty the Moron who now plays with the Damned always played unusual but genius music.
Garry Hawks was always placed before the interval. He had a little page of A4 paper cellotaped onto the front of his synthesiser with a picture of Stonehenge drawn on it. He wore a gold cape. Being on before the interval usually made sure that the audience cleared to the bar. Either the music was a truly dreadful din or he was a thousand years ahead of his time.
I was a performer there as well. Performance poetry. I went under the name of Jay Jackson and Ian Smith would introduce me by going ‘Is it Michael, is it Janet, no it’s Jay Jackson!’. It was a great place to meet like minds. I don’t think there’s anywhere like it now. Open mikes are usually geared to music or poetry with the emphasis on one or the other. That was music, poetry, magic, just plain weird uncategorisable stuff.
Another thing to bear in mind when thinking about this place is that it was the only place like it on the seafront. The seafront was at that time quite a gloomy place. There was the John Featherbe which felt a bit dangerous, the Irish club which was good for a late drink but didn’t have anything going on as such and that was about it.
I played percussion in several bands at the Zap during the 1980s/early 1990s. Queue Dance: (jazzy swingy pop) were lead singer Jo Bourne, Nick on guitar, Pete on bass, Eileen on saxophone, Andrew on drums, Jenny Cruise on backing vocals, me on percussion. We did a tour of Brighton one May Festival in the mid 1980s (which I think the Zap helped organise), on a flatbed truck with the Little Green Hondas (ukelele surf band), a magician and a fire eater. One of those festival gigs was at the opening of a public toilet in Hangleton! Frazier Chorus (sometimes called Plop or Fishing For Clouds): (laid back synth pop) were Tim Freeman lead vocals and keyboards, Chris Taplin on clarinet, Kate Holmes on flute, me on percussion. We played Sunday lunchtimes for a couple of years in obscurity before releasing a single with 4AD and then 2 albums on Virgin Records. One gig at the old Zap we supported MAX – their celebrity entourage included Trojan and Leigh Bowery – I remember thinking who’s that twat with the fried egg on his head? Silly me! We played the first gig at the new Zap with our support band the Indian Givers after it was extended from the original 2 arches. We had a few singles in the top 50, did a Peel Session, had videos shown on the Chart Show and won the video vote on Saturday Morning Superstore but we weren’t part of the Brighton ‘scene’ at the time so you’ll never see any mention of us in any history of Brighton bands! Bing Bang Buffalo (country billy) were Jo Bourne lead vocals, Nick on guitar, Steve Gelliot on bass, Sean ‘Sharky’ as a prototype Bez on maracas! and me on snare. We supported Terry & Jerry (rockabilly) and Attilla The Stockbroker (punk poet). Spacecake: (1960s kids TV theme cover band) were Jonathan Lemon on lead vocals + ukelele, Alan Way on bass, Colin on keyboards, me on percussion. We only played Ghent festival, Amsterdam Milkweg and the Zap. I also played percussion with Jo Bourne as XiXi accompanying DJ Chris Coco at the Coco Club I saw lots of brilliant, diverse and inspiring bands and DJs at the ZAP – some faves: Mark Almond as Mark and the Mambas, The Rapiers, Blubbery Hellbellies, John Hegley, Brighton Bottle Orchestra, Ivor Cutler, Captain Stupid, The Shamen, Digital Underground, Bone Orchard, Ten City, Danny Rampling, Tony Humphries, Joey Negro.
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