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Brian Young. Music v Football in Northern Ireland in the late 70's

Taken from Punk Rock. An Oral History by John Robb.

'I was just one of a zillion spotty teens growing up in East Belfast in the early Seventies who wanted to be the next George Best. I didn't pay much attention to music, though I did buy the 'Belfast Boy' 45 by Don Fardon about our Georgie! Altogether we must have had about ten singles in the house and even fewer LPs!

So that's how it was, until one fateful weekday, when after trudging home from school I turned on our new rented colour TV and sprawled out on the floor to watch the drivel that passed for children's TV in those days. As fate would have it, Lift Off With Ayshea was on. I was blown away when they showed film of T.Rex playing 'Jeepster'. I was mesmerised and raced out to buy it at Graham's Record Shop on the Albertbridge Road that Saturday, soon as I'd got my pocket money. It's still my all-time fave 45! I guess I was hooked and from then on it was downhill all the way! Within a matter of weeks Mr Best and football were a fleeting memory.'

Reproduced by kind permission of John Robb. John is a member of the band Goldblade and the Justice Tonight Band. He has written several books, is a journalist and runs the Louder Than War website.

Please click here to visit Louder Than War

 

Having given up on the idea of following in the footsteps of George Best it was a holiday on the Isle of Man with friends from Belfast that eventually lead to Brian becoming a musician and forming the best band to come from Northern Ireland!

T.Rex, the very band that Brian had seen on Lift Off With Ayshea were headlining a festival on the Isle of Man and having discovered the hotel the band were staying in hung about outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the band. The group of scruffy 15 year olds including future fellow band member Grimmy, who was holidaying with his mum and dad. It turned out that the T.Rex drummer Davey Lutton’s brother worked in the shipyard with Grimmys Dad! They were amazed to be invited into the hotel bar by the band to chat and get photos and autographs and were delighted to discover how friendly and approachable their heroes were.

The following day they returned and once again Marc Bolan and the band were happy to chat with Brian and his friends and even gave them gifts. Marc gave Brian the T.Rex songbook and told him to learn the songs, warning him the chords were wrong, there and then he decided he was going to learn the guitar! Brian bought his first guitar and any interest in football was forgotten no matter who the local hero was!

Brian's brother met the Manchester United star a few times. Bandmate Grimmy's mum's brother is Eric McMordie the guy who went over to England with Best. Eric ended up playing for Middlesborough and he went to one of the Rudi gigs when they were headlining their own tour in the area. That was as far as Brian's interest in football went as it was Marc Bolan rather than anybody who has ever kicked a football who had the most influence on the teenage Brian.

Brian Young

Brian formed the band Rudi with friends Ronnie Matthews. Graham 'Grimmy' Marshall and Drew Brown in Belfast in 1975. In 1977 Brian, Ronnie and Grimmy were joined by Gordon Blair and their debut single 'Big Time' was the first release on the Good Vibrations label in 1978.

Brian is a member of The Sabrejets,please click here to visit the website

 

 

Memory added on April 6, 2013

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