The Onion Cellar Experience - Live compilation 1986 - 1987

If you want to enjoy an immersive Onion Cellar experience, here is a live compilation of 27 tracks handpicked by Dave Spalding in the gigs he recorded at the time. I’ll let him have his say:

"I met Stuart at the Television Personalities gig at Moray House in 1985. He was an old school friend who I hadn't seen for ages. We had both discovered the TVP's independently and become fans. The majority of the crowd at the Moray House gig did not know who the TVP's were so they did not go down particularly well. In fact during the encore two drunken guys got up on stage and stripped off which was a bit surreal.

Anyway Stuart told me he was putting on the TVP's at The Place underneath Nicky Tam's a couple of days later. I assume Jeff and Linda were also involved at this stage. They may have put on some gigs previous to this but this is the first one I attended. The crowd was much smaller at this gig but it was a much better atmosphere as in this case the majority of the crowd were fans. Although this was at the same venue it was pre-Onion Cellar. Similarly there were gigs by The June Brides, The Pastels and The Soup Dragons which they put on at the same venue which were still pre-Onion Cellar. Going to all these gigs I got roped in to help out.

By the time the Onion Cellar started there were actually 6 of us with myself, Euan and another younger guy (whose name escapes me) joining. What I do remember about this other guy is that he had access to an early portable video recorder and recorded some of the gigs. I never saw any of the footage but it is possible that it still exists out there somewhere. I can remember creating the backdrop in a park behind the flat which Stuart, Jeff and Linda shared. We got a large white sheet and covered it with spray paint so it looked psychedelic, in our eyes at least. This can be seen in some of the great photos included on the Onion Cellar facebook page.

Some of the bands refused to play with our creation behind them, Primal Scream being one that springs to mind. I think it eventually fell apart. Anyway although these were exciting times the crowds we were able to attract were not large. This meant that by the time we had paid for the bands, PA and hire of the venue there was usually a deficit which the 6 off us had to cover. I soon realised that it worked out cheaper just to pay on the door with the added advantage of not having to set all the gear up before the gig and take it all down again after, so I left and became just a paying customer. This probably didn't go down too well with the rest of them but it did mean that I didn't have to go every week and now only went when there was a band I wanted to see playing, which was still most weeks. I can't remember exactly when I left but I do remember the only time we broke even when I was involved was when Primal Scream played.

After running for about a year between 1986 and 1987 the Onion Cellar transformed into Speed 3 eventually moving to The Venue which had a larger capacity. Other memories from this period include driving the hired transit van through to Greenock to see the TVP's which some of you may have been in the back off. Also it was my hat that Angus wore when he stood in for the absent Dan Treacy, I still have it somewhere.

Anyway I used to record gigs back in these days and did record a lot of these events. Some of these recordings have not survived either being taped over at the time or lost in the preceding years but I do still have a few. I have compiled a CD (I'm still old school) from these, with the tracks running in chronological order, which will hopefully bring back some happy memories for you whether you were on the stage or in the audience."

The tracks on this compilation are:

01. Television Personalities - Part Time Punks 17-07-86*

02. Talulah Gosh - My Boy Says 11-08-86

03. Primal Scream - I Love You 18-08-86

04. McCarthy - Red Sleeping Beauty 25-08-86

05. The Wolfhounds - Anti Midas Touch 25-08-86

06. The Clouds - Marianne 01-09-86

07. The BMX Bandits - Sad 01-09-86

08. Pop Will Eat Itself - Sick Little Girl 29-09-86

09. Rote Kapelle - King Mob 06-10-86

10. The Membranes - Spaceships 01-12-86

11. Television Personalities - Look Back In Anger 15-12-86

12. The Fizzbombs - Sign On The Line 22-12-86

13. The Vaselines - Son Of A Gun 22-12-86

14. The Pastels - If I Could Tell You 22-12-86

15. The Vultures - What I Say 19-01-87

16. The Beevile Hive 5 - I Can Only Give You Everything (Them) 19-01-87

17. One Thousand Violins - Halcyon Days 16-02-87

18. The Close Lobsters - Going To Heaven To See If It Rains 23-02-87

19. The Wedding Present - My Favourite Dress 23-02-87

20. Meatwhiplash - Don't Slip Up 02-03-87

21. Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes - The Rain Fell Down 02-03-87

22. The House Hunters - Cooler Than Thou 23-03-87

23. The Offhooks - One More Time 30-03-87

24. The Surf Drums - Going Down The Drain 30-03-87

25. Biff Bang Pow - There Must Be A Better Life 30-03-87

26. The Shop Assistants - You Trip Me Up (The Jesus & Mary Chain) 16-04-87

27. The Thanes- She Was Mine (The Beaux Jens) 30-04-87

* Dan Treacy did not turn up, Angus McPake stood in on bass with Jowe moving to guitar/vocals.