Title:
Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford
Level: Category
Sound Archive
Level: Fonds
CHELMSFORD AND ESSEX MUSEUM
Level: Sub-Fonds
Oral history recordings
Level: Series
Popular culture
Scope and Content:
Interview recorded by Dot Bedenham with Ian Fortnam about popular music in Chelmsford, particularly in relation to the Punk movement in the late 1970s.
[1] First gig he attended - 'Wooden Lion' at the Mid-Essex Technical College; period before Punk; first band - 'The Seats'.
[2] Next band - 'Lobotomy Scab'; playing at musician's workshop at Deejays; ambition; 'The Gents' - Jim Butcher.
[3] Characters drawn to Punk; Bands - 'Anorexia' and 'Nasty Habit'; mix of covers and original material.
[4] Gigs at the City Tavern; 'Solid Waste' and 'The Gents'; wish to be the biggest band in Chelmsford; 'Essex Live' gig.
[5] 'Essex Live' gig - bands: 'Modern English' and 'AD3'; how 'Anorexia' went down better than other bands.
[6] Chancellor Hall as a venue; Chelmsford as a centre for Punk; Chelmsford punks going to 'Rock Against Racism' gig in London.
[7] Bands were big in Chelmsford but never went to London; '77 Punk Festival in Chelmsford.
[8] Attempt to develop 'Anorexia'; gigs in London.
[9] Break up of the band; 'Waxwork Dummies'; 'The Junkies'; 'The Funeral Directors'.
[10] 'The Hunger City Sluts'; writing for the music press - fanzines; gigs at the Army and Navy.
[11] Lots of big bands played at the Army and Navy - sometimes to very small audiences; 'Oasis' at the Army and Navy; 'The Funeral Directors' broke the stage at the Y Club in Chelmsford.
[12] Attempts to gain publicity by announcing things in the NME which were never going to happen.

Dates of Creation:
2007
Extent:
56 minutes
Creator Name:
Chelmsford Museum (Dot Bedenham)
Copyright:
Copyright: Chelmsford Museum
Physical Characteristics:
CD-R [copied from C120 cassette using Dolby B]
Originals Location:
Chelmsford Museum
Related Unit of Description:
A transcript of this recording is catalogued as SA 15/1/4/12/3

Key terms

TypeKey termsDescription
Subjects Music Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007
Subjects Musicians Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007
Subjects Youth Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007
Personal Names Ian
Fortnam 		Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007
Place Names Chelmsford Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007
Document Types Sound recording Ian Fortnam - Punk in Chelmsford, 2007