SHANNE
BRADLEY
of
THE NIPPLE
ERECTORS
By Ginger
Coyote
I was so excited
to get a chance to interview Shanne Bradley.
We had tried to get the interview in the April issue of Punk Globe
but we later decided that May would be a better month... I hope you
enjoy my interview with Ms. Bradley.......
Shanne in 2008
Punk Globe: Thanks so much
for the interview, I really appreciate you taking the time out to do this
interview. Can you tell me about The Nipple Erectors reforming and will it be
with all the members including Shane McGowan?
Shanne: AArghhhhh! Of course we are very excited to be playing
together again. So far rehearsals have been just like driving a car.. we didn't forget how to do it.
It's been emotional too
OK, the line
up is --
Shanne Bradley -- Bass
Shane Macgowan-Vox, Harmonica
Fritz --
Guitar
and new French Superstar Eric Le Baton on drums
Punk Globe: Have you
played any shows yet?
Shanne: We are putting
our toes in the water with a secret show, as special guests at The Cute lepers party on 6th May at 100 Club. The legendary Johnny Moped
is also playing. How great is that going to be?!! It's only £6 to get in
plus the club holds 300!
Punk Globe
: The Nipple
Erectors is such a great name for a band.
How did you
come up with the name?
Shanne: I had a
strange teenage dream about a band wearing rubber suits covered in Nipples.
Think I was influenced by Jobriath, who I had
seen on TV popping out of a clear plastic sort of orange shaped head piece ..it sprung open in segments `and he started singing. lol
Shanne and Shane in the 70s
Punk
Globe: Can you tell the readers how you met Shane and began writing
music with him...
Shanne: I first noticed
him at the Royal College of Art leering over the bar.
Later I
auditioned him in my bedsit at Stavordale
Road N5 .. I was looking for a front man. As soon as
he entered the room he dived and rolled around on the cheap lino
screaming a Stooges number. I knew he was the one. We have always felt at home
and understood each other so it was not hard to make music,if you want to call it that..we were more into expressing ourselves as loudly as
possible
Punk Globe: I
remember reading about The Nipple Erectors in Zig
Zag Magazine. It was an Awards Issue with
Shanne: Oh
yes, I'm in touch with Alan Anger, I think he wrote that! We learnt to
play in my bedsit -- then some months later we had
our first performance which was at The Roxy in late
summer 1977. Roger Towndrow was on guitar he just put
it through a fuzz box..it was astounding everyone
was there, even Paul Weller's family, Captain Sensible threw flowers at us
at the end -- there was a stage invasion with everyone singing
"Downtown." We massacred the Petula Clarke
song, and then we split up the same night. Arcane Vendetta, who had just bought
a toy drum kit instead of his usual biscuit tin, refused to play ever again,
saying he couldn't handle the fame. We continued but we never seemed to have a
permanent stable line up for very long..too
much explosive energy going on!
Punk Globe: Were you
close with the Sex Pistols?
Shanne: Hahaha. In 1975 they gate crashed
Rotten asked
me if I dressed like that all the time, so I said, "Yes." Malcolm took
my number and started phoning me when they were playing. They ended up playing
at
After the
pistols declined a fourth, I booked The Damned. It was their second ever gig !
Punk Globe: Did you
ever play a show with
She writes for Punk Globe and is a good friend..
Shanne: Jayne was Wayne
county and The Electric Chairs when I first saw her...Shane and I used to sneak
into gigs alot and try not to get chucked out by the promoter..who was John Curd,
usually..
hiding in the
toilets at the round house springs to mind..I
remember Jayne hid us in her dressing room once..later we knew The Electric Chairs because they lived
near me in Highbury.
I don't think
we ever played with Jayne but then I sometimes hear about alot
of things I've forgotten about!
Punk Globe: I know that
you play bass and that Shane sings
but can you tell
us about the other members of The Nipple Erectors?
What have
you all been doing since the band broke up?
Shane, Roger, Gerry, Shanne -- King of the Bop!
Shanne: Um no, not
really... we had four guitarists and umpteen drummers..two of whom are now brown bread! Roger Towndrow, who played guitar on the first two singles:
"King Of The Bop," and "All The Time In
The World," is an artist.
On our present
line up, Fritz, our guitarist, lives in the middle of nowhere up north near
Fritz,
current guitarist for Nipple Erectors
Thankfully French
superstar Eric le Baton has come to the rescue. Shane lives in
I've got a
couple of talented daughters, too.
Punk Globe: What
year did The Nipple Erectors play your final show?
Shanne: Hmm,
depends on which version of the band.?..The
end of 198O..it was yet
another line up that included Jon Moss on drums who went on to notoriety in
Culture Club.
Shane and I
kept playing together experimenting with crossing folk and punk music. I
had got sick of rock music at the time and was into Greek traditional music,
especially from
John Hasler played stand up drums, and he found a Scottish
fiddle player.
The Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang evolved from this.
Punk Globe: What
prompted the band reforming?
Shanne: A
plethora of things..mainly
boredom and anger..I'd been in touch with Fritz and
Shane for a while and we sort of talked about it.. in October last year I met The Briefs and ended up going to
four gigs. In
Punk Globe: Do you have
any plans to record?
Shanne: We have
talked about it! It's early daze.
Punk Globe: I know your
"Only The End Of The Beginning"
is a collector's item. How many were pressed?
Shanne: No idea we
have been ripped off :(
Punk Globe: Do
you have alot of posters from the shows?
Shanne: Flyers.. somewhere..and badges. The best thing is I've got a
handwritten diary from 1977 with drawings and photos!
Hung Over Session
Punk Globe: I love
the song "Gabrielle." Can you give the readers
some background on
the song? Your bass lines and Shane's voice are so good.
Shanne: Thank
you! Gabby was a bottle blonde freak model who wore leather pants. She used to
dance around and tease Shane at The Roxy disco -- he
was slightly obsessed with her.
Punk Globe: I also
really like the Pogues tune "Shanne
Bradley."
Quite an honor I might say. Were you surprised by it?
Shanne: Yes,
because it's a delicate waltz ..He said he wrote it
in the
traditional Irish manner whilst thinking about me. What a sweetie.
Punk Globe: Have you seen any shows
lately that you enjoyed?
Shanne: I've just seen
one of the greatest shows from Thee Vicars. I also like Let's Wrestle. Both
bands are between ages 16-18.
Punk Globe: What bands did
you enjoy playing with in the early 80's?
Shanne: The Jam and The
Damned
Punk Globe: Who are your favorite
bass players?
Who inspired you as a player?
Shanne: I mainly
picked it up because it had four strings. I used to love Phil Lynott -- went to alot of early
Thin Lizzy gigs! Though Mick Ronson
is my favorite Guitarist... Ziggy Stardust and The
Spiders from Mars were the first band I ever saw. They
changed my life., not forgetting Fred Berk, RIP (Johnny Moped's bass player). He gave me a toy
bass and after a quick lesson from him and Captain Sensible, I was away.
Punk Globe: During
your original inception did you ever play
Shanne:
Punk Globe: Do you
think that the current inception of
The Nipple Erectors will play the
Shanne: I've
been to the States once at age 17 for a week to the East Coast..spent one day in
The NIPS on German
TV
Punk Globe: How many
dates have you got lined up so far for the band?
Shanne: There are
some secret ones and possibly a big
Punk Globe: I would
like to thank you so much for the interview, Shanne .. Good luck on all
your upcoming shows... Are there any final words that you may like to add to
the interview?
Any last
thoughts for Punk Globe readers?
Shanne: As many
people are aware, this band is living on the edge, so anything can happen. The
spirit is still alive. Shane says he is angrier now than he was back then,
so be prepared.
Punk Globe would like to thank Shanne Bradley
so much for the great
interview .. She is so cool
and such a talent...