Portsmouth News

‘The air of expectatio­n was great...’

- BY CHRIS BROOM

The famed twinguitar attack, the charismati­c frontman Phil Lynott – in their heyday Thin Lizzy were a renowned live spectacle. Over the course of their initial run from 1969 to 1983 they won legions of fans.

Now a new book tells the story of Irish rock legends in the words of those fans, including details of several visits to Portsmouth. Thin Lizzy

– A People’s History brings together more than 400 previously untold eyewitness accounts of the band in action, from their Dublin roots to their break up in 1983.

Music historian Richard Houghton has compiled the book and says: ‘Thin Lizzy are remembered for hits such as Whiskey in the Jar, The Boys are Back in Town, Dancing in the Moonlight and Waiting for an Alibi. But they are also remembered for exhilarati­ng live performanc­es – the twin guitars, the explosive drumming, the dry ice, the police sirens and the flash bombs, all orchestrat­ed by iconic frontman Phil Lynott.’

Lizzy’s reputation as a live act was built upon years of gigging around Ireland and the UK from 1970, including frequent stop-offs at Portsmouth Guildhall. Richard adds: ‘The early incarnatio­n of Thin Lizzy had a hit with Whiskey in the Jar, but they exploded into the public consciousn­ess after recruiting two new guitarists, a line-up which spawned their famous twinguitar sound and the feelgood hit of 1976, The Boys are Back in Town.’

Thin Lizzy first played the Guildhall in March 1976, promoting their Jailbreak album.

A 16-year-old Phil Cartwright was there: ‘I hadn’t really heard of them as I was a big Status Quo fan, but when I saw Phil Lynott and the rest of the band I was blown away. Graham Parker and the Rumour were the support. They left the stage and it was into the bar for a couple of beers – which every 16-year-old did back in the seventies! When the lights went down and the flashing blue lights and sirens echoed around the hall, the air of expectatio­n was great. Then the opening chord of Jailbreak rang out and – wow! – you just knew you were in for a great night. ‘Rushing down the front as was the normal practice, I was about 10ft away from Phil and, my god, what a personalit­y that man was. With his black leather trousers and a blue shirt, he was using his trademark Fender Precision with the mirror scratchpla­te, picking out all the goodlookin­g girls with the mirrored light reflection – and he could certainly pick ‘em! The man could whip the crowd into a frenzy. By the time they got to ‘The Rocker’, which was the last song, he was dripping with sweat and done in. I think we were as knackered just watching them. I’ve seen a lot of bands

‘The man could whip the crowd into a frenzy’

since, but Lizzy will always have a special place in my heart.’

Claire Jackson saw Lizzy 18 months later, when they were back at the Guildhall in November 1977 after their hit single, Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in its Spotlight): ‘I followed a local covers band in Portsmouth who played many Thin Lizzy tracks. The Boys are Back in Town was their signature tune and, as a 15-year old, I was hooked onto live music and transition­ed from my teenybop taste of David Essex to Thin Lizzy. I bought all their albums and first saw them live at Portsmouth Guildhall with my bestie, Suzie. I met the band afterwards – I had a bit of a crush on guitarist Brian

Robertson.’

Steve Page was also at the 1977 show: ‘I was lucky enough to get tickets for Portsmouth Guildhall and went with my younger brother and my then girlfriend. I had the cut off denim with all the badges, jeans and lace up DM boots – you get the picture. There were no seats and the unapprecia­ted support band – Radiators From Space – got pelted with beer. The atmosphere began to build to show time but, this being my first time at a live rock concert, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

‘The lights went down and all hell broke loose, with everyone charging for the front. The lights came up and we were four or five back from the stage as Lizzy exploded into Soldier of Fortune, with the dry ice clearing to reveal Phil just 20ft away from me. From that moment, I was hooked. The power and the charisma of this black Irishman mesmerised the whole audience. How could it get any better?’

Thin Lizzy decided to break up in 1983, frustrated at their failure to ‘break’ America.

They embarked on a farewell UK tour to say goodbye to their fans. Karen Woods was among them: ‘I was often able to get to the front of gigs as I’m so small. I could duck under people’s armpits and elbows and wangle my way to the front and get pinned to the stage for the rest of the gig. When I saw Thin Lizzy at the Portsmouth Guildhall in 1983 I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Phil Lynott because my boyfriend at that time was a music writer and he was interviewi­ng Phil for an article.

‘Phil came across as such a gentleman, so respectful and generous. He posed for a photo with me afterwards. He towered over me and stooped down to my level and gave me a respectful hug around the shoulders and smiled for the photo.

‘The gig that night was phenomenal.

‘There was something about Thin Lizzy that brought the rawness of heavy rock with the slick profession­alism of an experience­d and passionate bunch of artists, totally committed to their craft and entertaini­ng their fans.’

Andy Grays, chief executive of The Guildhall Trust, which runs the venue, says the band figured strongly when the trust was gathering recollecti­ons of gigs for its own ongoing heritage project: ‘Through our reminiscen­ces project, they were one of the bands people came forward with stories about. ‘We’re still putting that archive together for the Discoverin­g the Guildhall Project, which we’re hoping to have go online later this year.’

‘The lights went down and all hell broke loose’

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 ?? ?? Main picture: Thin Lizzy in 1983, by Andy Small.
Above from top: Phil Lynott on stage in 1980, picture by Simon Matthews; Portsmouth Guildhall; Thin Lizzy, from left: Brian Downey, Snowy White, Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, c.1980-83 Far-left inset: Music historian Richard Houghton Near-left inset: Phil Lynott in 1983. Picture by Andy Small
Main picture: Thin Lizzy in 1983, by Andy Small. Above from top: Phil Lynott on stage in 1980, picture by Simon Matthews; Portsmouth Guildhall; Thin Lizzy, from left: Brian Downey, Snowy White, Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, c.1980-83 Far-left inset: Music historian Richard Houghton Near-left inset: Phil Lynott in 1983. Picture by Andy Small
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