Hi and welcome to the latest Squire newsletter. It’s Bank Holiday Monday and 43 years ago Squire were first band on at the Bridge House, Canning Town, London E16 for the live concert that has subsequently become celebrated as Mods Mayday!
The event took place on 7th May 1979, and was billed as a ’Mods Monday’ live recording. The subsequent album, entitled Mods Mayday was released on July 30th with a special Secret Affair/Squire launch concert.
The album was recorded on 16 track, with the LMS Mobile Studio, owned by Ronnie Lane which had been used to record much of The Who's 'Quadrophenia' and 'Who By Numbers' albums.
Perhaps more of a coincidence than creative choice, but nonetheless a remarkable mod connection. The mobile unit was normally parked at Shepperton Studios and each band were invited to attend their mixing session, so we all went to Shepperton to hear the results. Three Tracks were chosen - ‘B-A-B-Y Baby Love’, ‘Walking Down The Kings Road’ and ‘Live Without Her Love’ went on the original vinyl album.
The other three tracks performed in the six song set, 'Its A Mod Mod World’, ‘Face Of Youth Today’ and ‘I’ve Got You On My Mind were mixed years later and issued on a second album, before both records were finally combined together on a CD release that contained Squire's entire set in sequence. Though The Merton Parkas played on the day, their record company Beggars Banquet refused permission for them to be included, so their tracks had to wait until finally being added some 20 years later!. They were excellent on the day.
Robert S Lee and his scooter grace the the cover, and this picture as is important as the album, and remains an iconic image that represents the Mod Revival and is still used to represent the Mods Mayday.
The album provided the first visual and aural clues to the Neo mod phenomenon. The ‘Mods Mayday’ name has been adopted all over the world as an umbrella term to celebrate the coming together with concert and rallies representing the mod lifestyle.
Forty Three years later and we appeared at the 2022 Mods Mayday event at the Round Chapel in London! The event had been postponed from 2020, so was the first time post covid that the bands were able to come together to celebrate the event. The show included bands from all eras, not just the 1979 neo mod cohort, but with Kenney Jones and The Truth on the bill, playing alongside Squire, Secret Affair, The Truth, Chords UK, The Circles and Deep Six.
It was a wonderful Mods Mayday coincidence that Kenney Jones was performing, since he was in a band with Ronnie Lane, even before they founded the Small Faces. Eddie Pillar introduced all the bands on the day, and his mum also ran the Small Faces fan club, so it was quite a significant coming together of all these different mod threads for the event!
Anthony also got to debut the two ‘new’ Rickenbacker guitars for the occasion! You can see them set up at the side of the stage (the Deep Six are just coming of stage in the background), and we’ve included some shots of Squire from the event!
It was fantastic to finally play live again, and we got to meet with the fans while watching the days events from the ‘merch table’!
We hope you had a great Mods Mayday where ever you are!
All the best from Squire.