On August seventeenth at Manchester’s Rise up venue, there can be a particular occasion to commemorate the lifetime of Manchester punk legend Edweena, the previous singer of Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds and Slaughter and the Canine, that includes…
SLAUGHTER BITE BACK with Rossi/Bates performing reside as a tribute to their former entrance man Eddie Garrity who handed away earlier this yr and Assist from Ed’s Nosebleeds
All income go to the charity Thoughts UK.
Tickets for the gig could be purchased from mauricemurray@sky.com
……………
An appreciation of Edweena from Richie Tomlinson
‘Folks don’t faux despair; they faux being okay’.
That quote by Robin Williams sprang to thoughts once I heard of the loss of life of Edweena/Ed Banger again in January this yr. Anybody who’d learn her hilarious social media posts might by no means imagined there was a psychological well being battle happening inside Edweena. They had been filled with humour and irreverent observations of the world round them. They by no means failed to lift fun with this author and I’m positive many others too.
First coming to individuals’s consideration with the Manchester band Ed Banger And The Nosebleeds, Eddie was one of many fortunate ones who attended the primary Pistols gig on the Lesser Free Commerce Corridor in Manchester on June 4th, 1976. The Nosebleeds single Ain’t Been To No Music College is a basic Punk document. Eddie was additionally the vocalist on the second Slaughter And The Canine album ‘Chew Again’, a basic document that actually ought to have propelled the band to stardom. Eddie additionally had a stint within the band Diamond Canine with Mark from V2, that is the place the character of Edweena started to emerge, and step by step as Eddie grew to become snug together with his new persona, he started to determine as Edweena and in later years would make the choice to bear gender reassignment.
There had been a whole lot of tragedy in Eddie/Edweena’s life, his spouse Lynn died in 1998 and Edweena’s companion Ronnie died in 2022.
I used to be fortunate to work with Edweena on a few events, firstly across the early 2000’s when my mate Hocky and I promoted a Nosebleeds present on the Iron Door in Birkenhead, and extra just lately on the Rise up literary stage had been Edweena talked about present process her gender reassignment with Tara Rez from The Duel. That was additionally the yr she delivered an unimaginable efficiency as Slaughter carried out the Chew Again album within the Empress Ballroom.
Despair is commonly referred to as the silent killer, it’s a simple factor to cover, and sadly individuals don’t at all times realise that these closest to them endure from it, or simply how debilitating it may be. All of us must be conscious as it may possibly have an effect on us all at completely different instances.
On 17th, August there can be a tribute live performance at Rise up Bar in Manchester in honour of Ed/Edweena’s reminiscence. The gig runs from 2pm-7pm. It’s being organised by long-time buddy and fellow Wythenshawe native Maurice Moz Murray. The gig will function units from Slaughter Chew Again interval that includes Mick Rossi and Howard Bates, and likewise Ed’s Nosebleeds who function authentic Slaughter And The Canine drummer Brian Grantham. All proceeds will go to the psychological well being charity MIND.
A few of these concerned within the gig have kindly shared their recollections of Edweena with me.
Moz Murray Promoter.
I first met Eddie once I joined secondary faculty. Eddie was a couple of years older and on the time was cock of the varsity so clearly as a cocky younger 12 yr previous it was value discovering out who to not cross in highschool!
Most occasions I placed on are actually all about being one off first occasions akin to authentic SATD fortieth reunion in 2015, Slaughter Chew Again reunion 2021 and this yr SATD new line up as a 3 piece April 2025.
It got here as an awesome shock to listen to what had occurred to Eddie and none of us knew what state his Psychological well being was in at the moment. I needed to mark Eddies contribution to music over the a long time and what higher means of doing so than a Charity fund raiser for MIND who cope with serving to individuals struggling with psychological well being.
Certainly one of my favorite recollections of Eddie was in 1995 I used to be operating the Unfold Eagle Pub in Northenden Manchester. On Wednesday nights we used to placed on cabaret acts that had been booked by way of an agent. The agent mentioned he had this superb singer who was a Frank Sinatra tribute referred to as Al Milan. I hadn’t seen or heard from Eddie for about 15 years in truth it was when he was vocalist for SATD again in 1980. Anyhow Al Milan turns up all suited and booted full with trilby. I used to be gob smacked on the transformation from early punk to rat pack which actually now in later life sums up for me simply how versatile Eddie was.
Mick Rossi: Guitarist Slaughter And The Canine.
I knew of Eddie from the native Manchester/Wythenshawe scene, however I didn’t know him properly.
I first bonded with Ed once we had been writing and recording Chew Again collectively. Ed was a person on a mission, energetic and surprise, and as humorous as hell.
I used to be in shock once I heard of Eddie’s premature passing. How might this be? He was means too younger. It upset me. He nonetheless had a lot to present to the world of Rock n Roll.
My favorite reminiscence of Ed is watching him stroll on stage on the Manchester Chew Again reunion gig, he had a smile as huge as Manchester itself. He was again on stage; he was beloved and he knew it.
RIP ED. Love Mick.
Howard ‘Zip’ Bates: Bass participant Slaughter And The Canine.
I believe the primary time I met Ed was early 1976 simply earlier than we did the pistols gig on the free commerce corridor, had been he really ending up being a roadie for us and received bottled throughout a fracas that broke out, Ed banger and the nosebleeds had been born. He was initially in a rival band referred to as Wild Ram, precursor to the Nosebleeds, they had been from the identical space of South Manchester as SATD got here from and I solely knew him on a nodding acquaintance actually once I would possibly stumble upon him at a membership or a gig.
It wasn’t till 79 when the unique singer from Slaughter did a runner and we had been left with out frontman within the midst of getting to document an album for our new label DJM. Mick Rossi our guitarist knew Ed higher and requested him if he could be glad to hitch us as entrance man as we knew he was good in that respect as a performer with a good voice, wrote first rate songs and he had a excessive vitality stage presence.
Ed had a really dry distinctive sense of humour some would possibly say, and he was a prolific songwriter which helped tremendously once we did the album as we had been a few tracks mild and ended up writing them whereas we had been recording the album. “Sing it such as you imply it” our producer Buffin (Dale Griffin drummer of the Mott the Hoople) mentioned to Ed throughout one of many periods with Ed’s response being “however I don’t”.
The band broke up shortly afterwards and it wasn’t till a couple of years later round about 1992 that he contacted me once more. I used to be now residing in London, and he was making an attempt to set himself up once more within the music enterprise with a brand new persona, Eddie Baskerville. He and his spouse ended up residing in our flat for 3 or 4 months whereas he was getting himself organised down south and discovering a spot to reside. Ultimately they moved out and he went on his means.
It wasn’t till round 2015 when Slaughter did a reunion gig in Manchester that we touched base once more. He was a lot the identical humour sensible however was now within the early means of transitioning to Edweena. Ed had so many strings to his/her bow so to talk and had carried out all kinds within the time that had handed between us from glam cabaret, gigging as Ed Banger and the nosebleeds and quite a few different alter egos. As I mentioned his humour was at all times dry, irreverent however he/she had fairly a mild means actually. However when onstage all of the brash and baudy facet got here to the fore.
Ed was enjoyable to be round principally, however actually he might be tough to work with additionally. He’d comply with do one factor, then do the one other with none warning. He was very pushed, couldn’t stand nonetheless in a single place creatively for any size of time and was a prolific tune author with an awesome ear for hook line. As I’ve mentioned earlier than Ed/Edweena was artistic, vibrant, advanced and an entire ache all on the identical time.
Such a disgrace he struggled in silence. I hope that the tribute present will elevate not solely money to assist help MIND but in addition elevate consciousness of the psychological well being points that so many wrestle with at this time.
Tickets for the gig could be purchased from mauricemurray@sky.com
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