Penetration - The Liverpool date

Liverpool in the late seventies was an excellent place to live, particularly if you wanted to see great bands.
Liverpool was the fashion and music cred centre of the UK. You had Eric's Club, Probe Records, the Everyman and Royal Court. The Mountford Hall was in the Student Union but with a forward thinking Social & Arts Committee we got all the 'happening' bands. The youth of Liverpool responded and filled the hall. I saw Penetration on two occasions there, once shortly after 'Danger Signs' was released ( when these photos were taken, © Richard A Jackson, and the review written) and then on November 2nd. That was their penultimate date of their final tour.

November 2nd 1979. As a student what I lacked in the fashion cred stakes I gained in access to the bands. When the Penetration van arrived we unloaded the gear complete with a solitary Neale Floyd who promptly sat on a monitor and played Sex Pistols riffs on his Gibson Explorer. Brief memories?.. entering the band's dressing room and handing out copies of these photos to an interested, friendly and grateful group.. telling Robert Blamire that I loved 'What's going on?' the best from the 'Coming up for Air' album and him being clearly pleased ( he wrote it I found later)... and the road crew being apologetic that there was no more room in the tour van down to Camden the next morning.
.....ten years later, in another life I found myself living and teaching in County Durham, from 1988-1990 alongside Fred Purser's physics teacher and in 1991 at Ferryhill Primary School....funny old world.

MOUNTFORD HALL LIVERPOOL 27.4.1979
(A cutting from a music paper, by Penny Kiley)

The Mountford Hall is a hall in the Students' Union where Erics occasionally put bands whose audience is larger than the capacity of the club. It is distinguished by its overwhelming lack of atmosphere and its overwhelming lack of bar facilities ( unless you're an NUS member).
Cowboys International are the support band. They play punk music made more interesting with keyboards and a singer who plays harmonica better than he sings. They were, however, quite enjoyable - I just feel sorry for anyone who has to play support in the Mountford. Penetration once did, though, when they were here with The Buzzcocks. 'Does anyone remember that?' asked Pauline later.
Penetration are a great band, with the best female singer since Grace Slick, and at this gig they continue to prove it. The bleakness of the hall was forgotten as the band arrived on stage, and all that mattered was the loudness of the music - the front half of the audience pogoing in harmony right from the start - and Pauline.
Penetration would not be what they are without every member of the band, but it's Pauline's presence which is felt. She brings a sense of joy which is returned by the audience, and a sense of energy as she dances around the stage like the girl next door gone mad.
New songs, old songs, equally impressive. 'Danger Zone' (sic) the new single, is second, and Pauline's voice, near inaudible at first, is boosted. Now the sound is faultless. 'Movement' is my favourite from the album: the words flow into each other, movement of the words and movement of the instruments, movement of Pauline and movement of the audience.
More new songs, and 'Life's a Gamble', still the bands greatest moment, typifying all that's best about them. The restrained power of the music building up to a climax, Pauline's soaring vocals as she celebrates the sentiments of the titles.
Then unexpected drama, as Pauline dances too eagerly - and falls. She looks as though she's not going to get up but a roadie helps her to her feet and she returns to the microphone as if nothing has happened. True professionalism.
Pauline's recovered in time for 'Freemoney', demonstrating that no, she doesn't sound like Patti Smith. She's better. This song, like ' Too Many Friends' earlier on, demonstrates how professional the band has become in their sense of pacing. They know how to maintain interest without relying on the power of mere repetition, a lesson too many new bands could learn from them.
Before we're granted an encore we hear that Pauline's hurt herself, but nevertheless she returns to the old favourite, 'Firing Squad', and 'Don't Dictate' ( during which time the audience dictate into the microphone).
It was easier to create an atmosphere in the intimacy of the club - Penetration's last visit to Erics was a highlight of last autumn - but they've proved tonight that they've got the potential to overcome the obstacles of larger venues. And now they can only get better.