Peculiar Clerk update from Peter Marples

Peculiar Clerk has been a popular band since it was added about a year ago. I remember seeing them at the Chester Hill Hotel around 1980 and they left a great impression. It was a small suburban pub with an ad-hoc stage but stood upon that stage was a bunch of guys who just rocked!

The Peculiar Clerk article also lead to Rob Manego who sent over the brilliant post on Mirrored Image. That’s how it tends to work sometimes!

Anyway, this week I received a great bunch of Peculiar Clerk memorabillia from Peter Marples who played guitar in the band from 1979 -1982. I’ve added them to the original listing as well as some live video, but his comments and photo’s were so good they needed a post of their own.

Over to Peter…

Hi Mark,
Terrific job you are doing with the site, congratulations indeed. Fantastic to hear about inclusion in Pandora (thanks to Ray Suckling – from 60s band Exiles for passing that on). I am passing this site onto as many band members as I can remember from yonks ago knowing the listing on the list is growing very quickly.

I was the lead guitarist in Peculiar Clerk from 1979-1982 and have included a few pics that I thought you may like to include under the band.

The main pic has the line up late around late 1980 with (L/R) Drums, Steve Askins, Guitar, Brian Gully, Vocals, Peter Keen, Bass, Rob Manego

The main pic has the line up late around late 1980 with (L/R) Drums, Steve Askins, Guitar, Brian Gully, Vocals, Peter Keen, Bass, Rob Manego and my self (Peter Marples) Guitar

When I left Sydney in 1982 I was replaced by Ian Blakey and then Steve Lees who worked with Rob Manego in Mirrored Image. We did have John Holly on Keyboards for a short period. You may like to add them to the list of musos who hopefully had as much fun as I did.

There is also a clipping from NUCLEUS Headliners Australia, quite rare I would think showing many, many terrific bands from the early 80s. Use them as you wish.

It was indeed a fabulous time to be playing in the pubs and clubs that presented live music most nights, what a sad loss that is.

I did some 480 gigs with PC mainly in Sydney and surrounds, from Selinas, The Royal Antler, Dee Why Hotel, War and Peace, Sutherland Hotel, Sefton Hotel, Blacktown RSL, Doyalson RSL, Wyong Leagues etc, etc. you name it we were there at some stage ( I actually still have my gig diary). Work was plenty. I well remember supporting bands like Flowers in 1979 at the Earlwood Hotel with perhaps only 20 or so punters, they still turned on a great performance, there is something about seeing the future before your eyes! We later supported Flowers at the Sylvania Hotel not long after their first album came out with who knows a 1000 plus in the crowd. We worked with many great bands including The Mentals, The Oils, Misex, Ted Mulry, Hello Sailor, The Reels, Laughing Clowns, The Elks, Lime Spiders, The Riptides, D-Minor and the Dischords, Swanee, Moving Pictures, Richard Clapton, Dynamic Hepnotics, Russell Morris, Lonely Hearts, Old 55, boy the list just goes on. Even had the honour of having the Divinyls support us in April 1981 at the Sylvania Hotel, just before they had huge success with their first single. PC managed an independent single through Phoenix Records (Another Guy/Miss You) but that’s about it.

I think we were a fun band that hopefully gave some enjoyment to the people who came to see us, for which I say thanks for the memories.

We had some great guys working in our crew including Richard Kershaw, Gordon White, Ken Roberts, Little John, Mirko and Terry (you know who you are) and wherever they are now I hope they are living good long lives.

Our sound guy Richard Kershaw did move on to be the sound engineer for The Eurythmics on their world tour after he left PC.

I met many wonderful people and will never forget that incredible time. I think perhaps we contributed in some small way to the pub rock scene of the day.

Images

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