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Thanks to Phil at Sex-Pistols.net for this info.
KRAUT: Donny Cowan - bass/vocals, Davey Gunner - vocals, Doug Holland - guitar/vocals (replaced by Chris Smith) , Johnny Feedback - drums/vocals.
Phil: The famous Clash gigs at Bonds Casino, NYC, in 1981, proved to be a pivotal moment for KRAUT. What was the story behind this?
Donny: When the NYC fire Dept. closed down the Clash shows because of fire code violations by Bonds (not quite enough exits), The Clash decided (nice guys that they are) that everyone that bought a ticket would get to see the band, so 3 shows turned into 11 shows... Who would open on those extra nights? I decided it would be KRAUT. Kraut had only been together 4 weeks so I quickly brought the band into the studio and recorded a rough 3 song demo -'Kill for Cash', 'True Colours', and 'Just Cabbage'. We recorded it in 1 day and dropped off the tape to a friend that worked at Bonds, who then passed it along to Mick Jones. Every night the band would plaster the outside of the club with KRAUT posters. The message got through, we met with Mick Jones and he asked us if we were nazi's and of course we weren't, so he told us we were playing the next night.. with very short notice...in fact we couldn't find Davey (Gunner) until about a half hour before sound check. He had gone to the beach! That was our first live performance ever. It created a buzz about us all around NYC punk/hardcore scene. We were just playing our music, and doing the best job at it we could... Ah! To be suddenly thrown into the rock and roll sh-pile. It was great!
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...play on music: 6 Seconds To Watch by Ennio Morricone, from For A Few Dollars More...Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five are among the opening acts...after the first gig of the original seven-show run, the NYC fire marshall orders the club closed for safety reasons; eventually, the shows are rescheduled to accomodate all ticket-holders...
A strike in Britain had left 5 British bands in the UK and only 3 managed to make it with the Clash. Only the Slits, Funkapolitan and The Equators, who were slated for the matinee shows, made it. Left behind were the remains of Selector, The B-People , The Bell Stars, Aswad and most of all Theatre of Hate whom Mick had produced their debut album.
There were two opening acts each night: one British or Jamaican and one American. Hopefully the correct artists are listed by the correct dates. Support Acts included Grandmaster Flash and the Treacherous Three, The Sirens, The Sugerhill Gang, Funkapolitan, Lee Perry, Texan bard Joe Ely, and a forgotten horn-section-and-skinny-tie band called the Nitecaps. And, plucked fresh off the stage of CBGB's, Miller Miller Miller & Sloane and a KRAUT who had formed 3 weeks earlier with only 3 demo songs and who never played live. Plus bands that showed The Clash’s continuing identification and admiration for punk; The Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, The Fall, The Slits, and The Bloods (not to mention The Brattles!). ESG a womans funk band from New York. The Rockets and the Equators were scheduled for the first matinee show which got cancelled.

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| May 28 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York
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Support The Sirens and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
Thanks to Laura for the following info on the Sirens...
From: "Laura DJ" <dejesuslauraann-at-gmail.com>
Date: 22 October 2008
i noticed you have the sirens on the tour date list from 81 as playing with treacherous three, that's not true, I was one of the Sirens, the guitarist, and we played after Grand Master Flash, and before the Clash.
It was my idea to support the Clash. My manager charlie martin who built the sound system at CB's and Bonds was getting directions from the owners/managers who were in jail (studio 54 fame) and i had read an article in the nme or soho news or one of the music papers of the day and joe strummer said in the article they like all girl bands opening up for their shows. So i ran over to charlie showed him the article and suggested he get on the phone and reach out to his contacts and get the clash. The rest is history. He did it and we opened their first show at bonds. Grand Master Flash opened for us!
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| May 29 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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May 30
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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Matinee show cancelled by NYC Building Dept - Riots
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May 30
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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Evening show cancelled by NYC Building Dept
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| May 31 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
| Jun 1 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
| Jun 2 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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Bad Brains and the Slits opened |
| Jun 3 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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The Treacherous Three
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| Jun 4 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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The Bloods opened the show f/b The Bush Tetras.
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| Jun 5 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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Four female singers singing accapella and Lee Perry opened |
| Jun 6a |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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(afternoon) I was at the June 6th matinee show in 1981 in Bond's. The Dead Kennedys did NOT perform then. It was the Hi-School band The Brattles who opened the matinee show, followed by Funkopolitin. The "We love you clash" that is heard mid-show is caused by a mic that fell into the audience. Joe just watched kind of amused while these guys in the first rows yelled into the mic. After a while, the roadies got it back and set it up again. |
| Jun 6e |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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(evening) The Dead Kennedys? |
| Jun 8 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
| Jun 9 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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The Fall were the support act. This is the pro-recorded concert. |
| Jun 10 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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Allen Ginsberg makes an appearance |
| Jun 11 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
| Jun 12 |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
| Jun 13a |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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(afternoon) Hi-School band The Brattles opened the matinee show, plus The Rock-cats? who they had a slap bass and played Stray Cats-type music. |
| Jun 13e |
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Bonds Times Square, New York |
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(evening) The Dead Kennedys |
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