373. Spider from Mars – An Evening with Woody Woodmansey: Trouble at Mill, Farsley [15.2.20]

Artist: Woody Woodmansey

Interviewer: Dave Simpson

Venue: Trouble at Mill, Sunny Bank Mills, Farsley, Leeds

Date: 15.2.20

From Mars to Farsley; another rock legend lands at Sunny Bank Mills.

The Spiders from Mars were Bowie’s northern contingent, with the original line-up all hailing from the Yorkshire & Humber region. It therefore seemed fitting for the evening’s gathering to take place in an old mill, where we were treated to stories from the inner sanctum of the Stardust era.

At the end of the night I met the man himself, who signed my gig poster and original copy of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars. An LP that once cost me a quid in a charity shop is now priceless.

362. An Evening with Mike Joyce of The Smiths: The Constitutional, Farsley [9.11.19]

362b_Mike Joyce | Constitutional

Artist: Mike Joyce

Interviewer: Dave Simpson

Venue: The Constitutional, Farsley

Date: 9.11.19

On a Saturday night in Farsley (a small suburb on the edge of Leeds) the one and only drummer from The Smiths sat casually chatting away – like a normal bloke who just happened to be in one of the world’s most renowned indie bands.

Despite Morrissey & Marr’s bittersweet memoirs and the infamous pay dipute, Mike Joyce seemed full of fond memories of his time with The Smiths and beyond. At one point, whilst telling a tale, he beat out the drum intro from ‘The Queen is Dead’ on the arm of his chair. It was a surreally special moment.

362c_Mike Joyce | Constitutional

I couldn’t resist being a ‘fanboy’, so as Joyce went for a fag break at the end of the gig, I got him to sign my gig poster and original copy of “Hatful of Hollow”.