Membranes, Paranoid Visions, Kill Devil Hill – Dublin 1986

April 7 1986

Membranes, Paranoid Visions, Kill Devil Hill

Belvedere Hotel

Hugo asked me to join a band with him, Kill Devil Hill. He also did a fanzine. While putting it together, Hugo came across John Robb, editor of another ‘zine called “The Rox”. John was also lead singer in The Membranes. Hugo asked John why they hadn’t played Ireland and he said that nobody had asked him and it grew from there. Simple as that. My assistance to Hugo for that tour entailed mixing flour and water and using it as a paste to stick posters up around buildings in Dublin city. There were no official poster sites at that stage and whilst it was technically illegal to put up posters there were never any repercussions if you weren’t caught in the act. Unlike currently, where one can be fined if caught postering illegally.

Ringing contact numbers for venues listed in the Hot Press Yearbook, Hugo asked if they were interested in a British band playing? He got a good response from people in Drogheda and Limerick; they were willing to give The Membranes money to play and also to allow Kill Devil Hill to do the gigs Hugo then booked a Dublin venue, the Belvedere Hotel, and asked a mixture of bands that crossed musical genres to play. All readily agreed and, with over 200 people there, the gig was a huge success The Membranes were delighted to be able to tour another country and to see places they’d never been to before. The fact that they got paid was a bonus. We travelled around Ireland with the band and got to experience their enthusiasm. That enthusiasm infected me.