98-03-29 Stratford Mercenaries – Counter-Attack

The ‘artist’ must’ve had a beer too many when he was making this flyer… Gig organised  by Michael Maes (‘Link’).

‘Stratford Mercenaries’ (from London) were vocalist Steve ‘Ignorant’ (Steve Williams; formerly ‘Crass’, ‘Schwartzeneggar’), Gary ‘Gazzer’ Buckley (from ‘Dirt’) on guitar, drummer Phil(ip) Barker (later incarnation of ‘Buzzcocks’) and bassist Ed(ward) Addley (ex ‘Suicidal Supermarket Trolleys’). The band played anarchopunk. They self-released their 7” Live In The U.S.A. 1997 and did 2 albums for Southern recs: No Sighing Strains Of Violins & Sense Of Solitude. This gig was the last of a 3-week European tour…

‘Counter-Attack’ (originally from Alken in Limburg – far East of Belgium – but gradually ‘embedded’ in the anarchist/squat scene in Gent) played anarcho-punk influenced by ‘Crass’, ‘Flux Of Pink Indians’ & ‘Dirt’. In the band at that time: ‘Groovy’ Jochen (vocals; replaced the original female singer), Stef ‘Irritant’ Heeren (guitar/vocals), Wim ‘Simsallabim’ De Neve (bass), Jeroen (drums; later replaced by Yvan Meers who’s now in ‘Visons Of War’). They’d played at the V.V. already on 96-04-27 & 97-02-28. Nowadays Stef is the main man behind ‘Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat’… In autum that year they would record for their Laments & Skulls LP on Prejudice prods (JP Vandestien, Louvain-La-Neuve). The recordings for Masters and Jesters – with Yvan on drums – were done at Michaël ‘Link’ Maes’ studio in December 1999 (LP out on Nabate).

Brob

This was the second gig we did with ‘Counter-Attack’. [Brob: 3^rd time at the V.V.] It was in the pub and we supported ‘Stratford Mercenaries’… A ‘dream come true’ for me at that time…to be able to come so close to some of my ‘punk idols’. That whole concert I played on the guitar of Gary (from ‘Dirt’)! Some years before we’d played on a Leed Festival at the Vort’n Vis. [Brob: 96-04-27 or 97-02-28; not Leed…] That was our first concert outside of Limburg then; being very young punks it was an enormous enterprise at that time to travel from Hasselt to Ieper.

Stef ‘Irritant’

excerpts from the V.V. guestbook:

additions wellcome!…