The Aggravators according to Steve Baker…
Formed in late ’76, The Aggravators were Swindon’s first punk band. Up until that time I had spent most of my time listening to music and trying in vain to write lyrics and backing away from what I then called ordinary life.
Glen and I had hung around together since primary school, so when he called round one day and asked me to join a band, I thought, who not? We started to rehearse in Ian’s bedroom in his father’s council house, and along with a young lad called Nick on drums, we began to bash out a handful of credibly shaped songs.
Several days later, Ian suggested a guitarist called David joined, and so The Aggravators came into being.
Along with songs such as Suicide and Dole House Blues, we also covered The Feelgood’s Back In The Night along with the Hendrix classic Hey Joe. It was at this time that Barry Andrews - who was playing keyboards with XTC - heard us playing, while walking along the river opposite with his dog. XTC were being managed by Ian Reid, a nightclub owner and ropey svengali from Highworth; and it was thanks to Barry enthusing about us and XTC’s support, that landed us a string of dates at The Affair in Swindon’s Wyvern Square.
I can still remember the looks on peoples’ faces as we crashed and banged our way through our songs and loved every bloody second of it! We played the infamous Roxy Club in London, as a support to Menace for £50.00 - and the manager more or less told me to fuck-off! But we did get the fifty quid, which wasn’t that important as we had gladly paid £40.00 to get there…
All this happened nearly thirty years ago, but at certain moments, it seems like yesterday. If I could go back to ’76, I wouldn’t change a fuckin’ thing. And that is why I think The Aggravators still hold their place in Swindon’s ‘musical heart.’
As a footnote to this piece I would just like to say ‘God Bless’ to Nick, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident a short time after the bands’ demise. He was a wonderful person and I still miss him to this day.
