THE WHAT

SEE TEMPLATE FROM WHAT THE SLEEVES WERE PRINTED FROM

What Is The Cure / Anything Goes / East Coast Kids

Catalogue Number - HREP 004

Label - Humber Records

Year Of Release - 1979

Quantity Pressed - 500

‘The Sea Wall At Cleethorpes'

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'On The Sea Front At Cleethorpes', 1979

 

(We were saving this picture for the front page of The NME in the hopeful days following the release of the

'East Coast Kids' EP!)

One interesting point about this band is that "The story goes....When Dracula first came to Britain, he arrived by a boat and boarded at Grimsby". Now take a look at the spelling of the Bass players last name...Spooky eh?

‘The What’ was the first South Humberside Punk-Rock band to form, play gigs, release a record and split up.

 Formed in July 1977 as ‘Exit’, their first gig, in November 1978, ended in a riot with the band attacked by the audience and their equipment smashed up.  The riot made news headlines in the north of England and resulted in a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.  The presiding judge (who must have been at the gig) said the band had given “a disgusting performance” and that “it was a disgusting incident which is all too prevalent”.  The publicity resulted in a BBC Radio Humberside recording session in March 1979.

 They played 10 gigs, mainly in pubs & village halls around South Humberside & Lincolnshire but all very well attended due to the high profile media publicity sparked off by the riot and the BBC session.

 Their biggest gig was a major event.  In February 1979, as Exit, they supported The Damned at Cleethorpes Winter Gardens before an audience of 500.  The singer/guitarist Mick Taylor had his red beret ‘borrowed’ by Captain Sensible just before The Damned took to the stage and thus, the Captain’s famous ‘trademark’ image was born.

 The late summer of 1979 was the height of the ‘mod’ revival and the band - about to release their debut single - changed their image to reflect the mood of the moment.  Suited & booted and re-named ‘The What’, their ‘East Coast Kids’ EP, was released in September 1979.  350 copies were bought by Lincoln’s Dead Good Records and distributed by Rough Trade & Small Wonder.  Then, a very odd thing happened - 50 copies sold in Norway gained it a chart entry at Number 16 in their ‘Alternative’ charts!

 At their final gig, in Oct 1979, a ludicrous scenario unfolded - a lesson in how not to do things.  Still appearing onstage billed as Exit they were, at the same time, promoting their ‘East Coast Kids’ EP under the name-change The What.  Armed with such a career-killing strategy, it comes as no surprise therefore, that shortly afterwards, Exit/The What collapsed in disarray!

 The original trio re-formed in Dec 1981, soon afterwards becoming a 4-piece with a ‘poppier’ sound, including organ and 2^nd guitar.  They released a single, ‘Planetoid Passion’ in 1983 on the ‘Red Beret’ label, distributed by Pinnacle and The Cartel.  This release is shown below.

 In 1984, Exit released another single ‘The Bite of Winter’ on the ‘Red Beret’ label.

Mick Taylor & Dave Alucard

22nd March 2005 

 

 

Above is a

'What Next?' Interview with The Grimsby Evening Telegraph, Oct '79.

Scunthorpe gig Summer '79. 

Phil Trotsky on Drums & Dave Alucard on Bass Guitar.

The first release as "Exit" from 1983 after reverting back to this name.

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