Coventry Bands 1960's to Now: Don't Talk Wet (Trev Teasdel)

DON'T TALK WET

Advert from Hobo (Coventry Music and Arts Magazine) 1973.

Trev's Poetry and Flashing Fiction Books website https://trevteasdelpoet.blogspot.com/

Trev's Lyrics Blogspot https://trevteasdellyrics.blogspot.com/

The name Don't Talk Wet came from a line in a poem by my friend Dave Reid (known to us as Byron).

Trev Teasdel "When John Bargent (Bo) and I started Hobo magazine in 1973, John was also running Rougestar Promotions and disco. I wrote my own songs and played solo and John promoted me in Hobo and with gigs for the Birmingham Streetpress in Mosely and as support for local bands. (See more on Streetpress towards bottom of this page)

Sometimes musician friends from local bands or folk clubs backed me - especially members of

Fission - Johnny Adams (later guitarist with Squad), Ant Callaghan and Simon Lovegrove percussion, Mick Green harmonica, Phil Knapper (Older brother of Stu Knapper later of Riot Act) Andy Cairns and others. It was very ad hoc and I advertised for more permanent musicians but the work of Hobo Magazine and Workshop took over.

Gigs included the Navigation and The Boat Yard, Hobo Workshop at the Holyhead Youth Centre and the Golden Cross in Coventry and Popeyes at the Birmingham Arms and the Fighting Cocks in Mosley Village for Streetpress.

About 17 of my songs from those days were published by the Broadgate Gnome on their Gnome label in 2007. Mainly solo cassette demos or with later musicians on portastudio.

Listen on Bandcamp -

https://trevteasdel.bandcamp.com/album/songs-from-the-coventry-underground

Trev's later recording band up on Teesside was Trev and the Collective Unconscious

with Steve Gillgallon (Bass, keys, synth) and Steve Ingledew (keys) Trev guitar / vocals and keys)

In August 1973 Don't Talk Wet were asked to appear at The Windsor Free Festival through Rougestar Promotions and John Bargent (Bo) - in the end it didn't transpire.

WINDSOR FREE FESTIVAL

Starts Saturday 25th August in Windsor Great Park, London and is expected to last over a

week with well over one hundred groups. There will also be poets, street-theatre, solo singers and everything a far fetched imagination can think of (including free food and beer).

Some of the more well known groups appearing are - Hawkwind / Pink Fairies / Skin Alley / Third Ear Band / Longdancer / String Driven Thing / Kraan (German Band) but to name a few. Coventry bands possibly appearing include - Trilogy (confirmed) / Fission / Just Jake / A Band Called George / Trev Teasdel and Don't Talk Wet (I didn't do it in the end -can't remember why but it was it was nice to be asked!).In fact Fission were the only ones that ended up playing at Windsor.

Trev and Bo in the Coventry Evening Telegraph On the Scene supplement June 1973 for Hobo Coventry Music and Arts Magazine.

This is a sketch of Trev Teasdel in 1972 on Broadgate Island beneath the Lady Godiva statue drawn by Scon (Steve Connelly) better known now as Roadent the roady with Sex Pistols and Clash.

An early songwriting collaboration was with Pete Waterman in 1970 (before he was famous)

Both working at the GEC in Coventry Pete set acoustic music to Trev's lyric A Lotta Rain is Fallin'

A LOTTA RAIN IS FALLIN’

©Trev Teasdel June / July 1970 Coventry

A lotta rain is fallin’ but the earth has moved aside

There’s a lotta bullets flying but the victim’s found somewhere to hide.

There’s a lotta rivers flowin’ but the seas learned how to fly.

There’s a lotta clouds a wondering which rockets nicked the sky.

Cos the roads are moving fast but the cars are standing still

And so much is happening, yet nothin’s ever done

Oh we want to see the light but we’re dazzled by the sun.

(Bridge)

And some people’s only sunshine

Is their Cornflakes in the morning time

And the age of Instant sunshine, in packets bright and gay

I know will be dawning, in some future day.

There’s a lotta tears a fallin’ and more are being cried.

There’s a lotta people trampled on as man takes another stride.

There’s a lotta smoke arising but the sky’s learned how to swim

There’s a lotta faces smiling but their hearts are feeling grim.

Cos a lotta tension’s forming and the bag’s about to burst

There’s gotta be an answer cos the world is getting worse.

A lotta help is needed to get that truck back on the road

Cos too many people are pullin’ too heavier a load.

(Bridge repeated)

BIRMINGHAM STREEPRESS / STREETPOEMS AND BIRMINGHAM GIGS
The association with Birmingham Streetpress and Streepoems began in 1972 through to 74 I

sold copies of Streetpress and Streetpoems in Coventry and they showed me how to do layouts and encouraged me to do a Coventry magazine which became Hobo.

As the letters from John Keetley show, I got to perform songs and poetry at some of their Birmingham mixed media gigs.

Birmingham Streetpoems