Bands you saw before they were famous

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Radiohead , Oxford the venue , early nineties

They were totally crap and nothings changed

[insider]

The Spice Girls at the Cardiff festival.
Not much bottom end then or now.

[City123]

Radiohead , Oxford the venue , early nineties

They were totally crap and nothings changed

Radiohead have changed massively since the 90s Sludge! They were a bloody grunge band then, they certainly aren't that now

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Radiohead have changed massively since the 90s Sludge! They were a bloody grunge band then, they certainly aren't that now

They played creep

They were and are crap

[Toadstool]

U2 top rank 1981

[NYCBlue]

U2 top rank 1981

U2 were (at least) moderately famous by 1981. That tour was for their second album.

[Grievous Angel]

Genesis supporting Lindisfarne at Cardiff Top Rank. Pretentious (not me - Genesis )

[theclaw]

Kooga Llanharan rugby club,ah wait they never made it big but they should have!!

[Whisperer]

U2 supporting Talking Heads Hammersmith Palais 1980

[Enoch Mort]

Kooga Llanharan rugby club,ah wait they never made it big but they should have!!

Your mention of Kooga reminds me that they made a guest appearance in an episode of Lovejoy in 1991. So that’s my memory of seeing them before they were(n’t) famous.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

I remember a band in the Bridgend area, I think featuring Stag Marks and others. I forget what they called themselves. They used to use the strapline "catch us now before we're famous". They never made it.

[William Treseder]

The Pretenders performed at Glam Ely High school before they were famous.
Best band I saw that never made it, was The Karotts Used to watch them at the Inn on the River in the 80’s

[Steve the Tea]

Roxy Music; Kensington Court Club, Newport.

One that should have been famous but sadly weren't: Good Habit, seen Memorial Hall, Penarth/Barry.

StT.
<><

[Des Parrot]

UB40, when they were still raw & pre commercial

group that never really made it Sniff & the Tears

Massive in Japan but never really in UK Grim Reaper

[bobh]

Genisis, Man, Focus, Wishbone Ash (OK, didn't really become 'famous')
All circa 1971-3 Cardiff Uni.
Sensational Alex Harvey Band did my freshers' ball at uni in 1973

Jess Roden Band in '74 and '75, they should really have become huge, best band I ever saw.

[Don Corleone]

U2 for me too. Portsmouth Guildhall with a few thousand and then 4 years later with 100k at the old Wembley stadium, the year after they did Live Aid

[Moodybluebird]

Bobh

Wishbone Ash not famous ??!! Are you mad? Argus was and is a super album and the band itself were innovative, influential, have a huge following to this day and still appear with other bands of that era such as the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Alan Parsons Project and artists such as Roger Daltrey and Art Garfunkel on rock cruises out of Miami. For the record they were absolutely fantastic when I saw them earlier this year.

[bobh]

Bobh

Wishbone Ash not famous ??!! Are you mad? Argus was and is a super album and the band itself were innovative, influential, have a huge following to this day and still appear with other bands of that era such as the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Alan Parsons Project and artists such as Roger Daltrey and Art Garfunkel on rock cruises out of Miami. For the record they were absolutely fantastic when I saw them earlier this year.

Just going by my experience
When I mentioned them or put on their album, all I got was "who?"- and that was in the 70s as well as now!

[Enoch Mort]

Bobh

Wishbone Ash not famous ??!! Are you mad? Argus was and is a super album and the band itself were innovative, influential, have a huge following to this day and still appear with other bands of that era such as the Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Alan Parsons Project and artists such as Roger Daltrey and Art Garfunkel on rock cruises out of Miami. For the record they were absolutely fantastic when I saw them earlier this year.

Absolutely correct. Wishbone Ash definitely famous. Totally agree about Argus- an excellent album. I still play it. To think that I bought that album when it was released 47 years ago makes me wonder where the years have gone. Anyway, a really good band

[The Lone Gunman]

Absolutely correct. Wishbone Ash definitely famous.

I'm sure lots of music fans have heard of Wishbone Ash (or at least know the name), but I reckon describing them as famous is pushing it. They never had a hit single for starters. As for the band having a 'huge following', the venues they're playing these days would suggest otherwise.

[Moodybluebird]

Gunman

Famous just means well known, prominent or popular and the band certainly were all of those back in the day, as well as Andy Powell and Ted Turner being voted as two of the most influential and best guitarists of their generation. In my book that qualifies them as famous, not in a Beatles, Michael Jackson, David Bowie way but famous nonetheless.

Not all bands were singles bands and as for venues, there are only a handful of groups still going from that period who can sell out massive venues or sporting arenas. However, Wishbone Ash and many others of their ilk are still capable of filling decent sized venues.

A few months ago we saw Colin Blunstone at the British Legion club in Whitchurch only a few weeks after he and the rest of The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in the US, probably the most prestigious music ceremony of its type on the planet. So it just goes to show, that size of venue isn't a good yardstick to measure an artist's fame. By the way The Zombies are fantastic live 🙂

[The Lone Gunman]

Gunman

Famous just means well known, prominent or popular and the band certainly were all of those back in the day, as well as Andy Powell and Ted Turner being voted as two of the most influential and best guitarists of their generation. In my book that qualifies them as famous, not in a Beatles, Michael Jackson, David Bowie way but famous nonetheless.

Not all bands were singles bands and as for venues, there are only a handful of groups still going from that period who can sell out massive venues or sporting arenas. However, Wishbone Ash and many others of their ilk are still capable of filling decent sized venues.

A few months ago we saw Colin Blunstone at the British Legion club in Whitchurch only a few weeks after he and the rest of The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in the US, probably the most prestigious music ceremony of its type on the planet. So it just goes to show, that size of venue isn't a good yardstick to measure an artist's fame. By the way The Zombies are fantastic live ��

I've no doubt Wishbone Ash were influential and well-known enough in their heyday, but as I've already said I think famous is pushing it. I'm a fan of plenty of late-Sixties and early-Seventies stuff but I can honestly say I've never heard a track by Wishbone Ash that I'm aware of, and that is genuinely surprising considering I attend a music quiz most Tuesday evenings where my team are considered 'the youngsters' (we're all in our fifties) and all sorts of tracks from that era are played regularly.

I don't think you can put the Zombies in the same category. They had one of the most easily-recognised and regularly-covered hits of their day - a track which still gets regular radio play today. I've definitely heard stuff by them - I have both of their 1960's albums.

Fame is difficult to quantify. For instance, I saw Skunk Anansie play in support of other bands on several occasions before they even had a record deal. Would they qualify as famous? I wouldn't say so, although I guess others would and they did have plenty of hit singles.

[headlight]

T"Pau at a young farmers barn dance, funnily enough in a farmers barn just outside Builth Wells.
They were truly terrible.
She (Carol Decker) couldn"t sing in tune & the band were shocking.
A couple of months later I heard their song "China in your Hands ?" on Radio 1.
Pretenders at Top Rank again terrible, Chrissie Hynde as equally bad as Carol Decker.

[Wales-Bales]

T"Pau at a young farmers barn dance, funnily enough in a farmers barn just outside Builth Wells.
They were truly terrible.
She (Carol Decker) couldn"t sing in tune & the band were shocking.
A couple of months later I heard their song "China in your Hands ?" on Radio 1.
Pretenders at Top Rank again terrible, Chrissie Hynde as equally bad as Carol Decker.

[Malckent]

The Spice Girls at the Cardiff festival.
Not much bottom end then or now.

If my memory serves me right it was a wet day so we waited in the rummer tavern and when the rain eased we dived over to the festival only to see them walking off the stage after finishing their set. The compere said put your hands together for the spice girls and the crowd of 20 gladly obliged.