Discharge and Deeside band VOTS (pic above taken at The North, Rhyl Jan81) played at The Gallery in Rhyl – the venue was smashed up and the police were called…
(excerpt from the book, This Patch Of Land)
By 1980, as Seventeen spent more and more time out of the area, a new crop of bands and people were emerging within the scene. Over in Deeside VOTS had started making a name for themselves as a hardcore punk band, featuring among others, Greener on vocals and drummer Pete Banks. VOTS stood for Victims Of The System and they trod the path being made way by the second wave of punk bands. Their following was known as the “VOTS Army” who were blamed for smashing up The Gallery in Rhyl (years later to become the Breeding Ground). VOTS were support to Discharge on the night, and they say it’s all about timing as when the police turned up, they stopped the song they were playing, Greener said; ‘Don’t fight among yourselves, give it the coppers!’ And immediately went into a rendition of the Angelic Upstarts’ Police Oppression. They were also billed on that CND benefit festival at the Queens in Rhyl (as were just about every band in the area), and three weeks earlier had played with Jap Connection and The Vaj at the North Wales Inn, Rhyl on 17th January 1981, where reviewer Jill Roberts, writing for the Live At The Foxes fanzine said, ‘The VOTS outclassed the other two punk bands. What they did they did quite well, but really – what is the point of rehearsing a style that has been outgrown? I won’t raise the hackles of every punk fan by saying ‘Punk is Dead’, but it no longer the force it was. For instance swearing at the audience no longer shocks – simply because it’s all been done before, and done better – it’s stereotyped and stale’
The Gallery was a regular haunt in 1981 (after the demise of the 1520 Club). Eddie Macdonald (then of Seventeen, later the Alarm) used to put on alternative discos there and the venue built up a good reputation as a place to pose and hang out and be different. It had black plastic wall coverings and started started on Valentine’s night in 1981, located below the Celebrities nightclub at the Marina Hotel. You’d go in through a side entrance from the car park and walk downstairs, you would feel really special because The Alarm [Seventeen] would be standing there all looking really cool, you’d pay them the entrance fee and you’d be in for a night of posing! It was last used when it was smashed up during that Discharge gig. That fated night was 19th June 1981, Eddie said, ‘We were trying to set something up for young people in Rhyl. We ran a disco for a time and then put Discharge on, who were great but the kids ruined it, which was typical.’
Mike Peters said; ‘We didn’t have bouncers because we put all the money into buying records. We had a notice which said the club was run by kids for kids and for the love of music. If we had any trouble we’d close.’
One punter at the show called Pete recalls, ‘One minute I’m peeing in the bog, two pints later, I’m LOOKING for the bog; it had been smashed into a zillion bits on the floor!’
A lot of the damage was caused by the Deeside and Denbigh punk contingents who had built up a rapport and a reputation for being unruly. They would regularly get together on Bank Holidays to converge on Rhyl to go ‘Mod Bashing’. This was quite unique for the Denbigh punks to actually get along with anyone at the time as the town was notorious for being insular. Any outsiders were treated with suspicion and were usually assaulted.
I saw a post on Facebook by Aaron Broster, and thought it would be good to collate the comments about that fateful evening…
Aaron Broster: The Gallery was a once a week punk and new wave club, hosted by Mike Peters and The Alarm, in the Cellar Bar of the Marina Hotel on East Parade in Rhyl.
In June 1981, Stoke hardcore punk band Discharge were playing there, supported by The VOTS (Victims of the System) from Deeside, who, as always, were followed by their fans the VOTS Army. They had a mutual dislike of the fans of The Grids (from Holywell) who were also out in force. Throw into the mix a decent amount of people from Stoke and, of course, Rhyl and Prestatyn (who also didn’t really get on at the time) and you had a recipe for the violent riot that ensued.
Gaz Top (him off the telly), who was DJ’ing on the night, was badly beaten up, alongside Eddie from The Alarm. Billo (RIP), who’d come down with us from Denbigh and was only about 15 at the time, had his leg broken. Doggy, lead singer of The Grids, had his recently healed broken leg re-broken. Some guy, who ran across the room was smashed unconscious by one of those heavy, chunky glass pint pots with a handle that was thrown with force into his face. There were pool balls and pool cues flying everywhere, along with stools and glasses. The place was destroyed.
Mr ‘Peace Loving Man’ here, survived unscathed by using the time honoured ‘Hide behind the bar’ method (although it was alongside a couple of the pool ball throwers, one of whom received one back to the side of the head, producing a lump the same size as the ball).
Police were called and the mayhem and affray gradually dissipated.
I managed to hang around outside until Discharge left and got chatting to them. They asked me if I knew anywhere they could stay the night. As I wasn’t really local at the time, I said no, but there was a barn I slept in occasionally when I couldn’t get back to Denbigh after a late night (don’t ask!). So off we head, about 9 of us, in their shitty tour van, to the barn at the back end of Kimnel Bay, somewhere near where the garden centre is today. I always found it comfy and warm when I stayed there, but the couple of girls who were with the band weren’t happy about it (insects and mice and stuff!). So off we set again, eventually just driving in to Henllys Farm campsite in Towyn and trying to sleep (9 of us remember) in the back of a smelly, sweaty, condensation filled van. Next morning we shot off early, before anyone came and asked for payment and headed back to Rhyl, where I took them to a cafe on Wellington Rd. They bought me breakfast fair play. A girl from the year above me in school, who worked there, asked me if I’d been to see Discharge the night before and I did a proud arm sweep of the spiky haired, leather jacket clad, stinky, grumpy people dotted round the caff and said, ‘This is Discharge’.
I was the talk of the school for about 3 days!
Paul Evans: VOTS were great, Discharge were the best I’ve ever seen them. The VOTS fans had no reason to smash the place up & ended up getting a brilliant venue closed down. What should have been an awesome night ended up being a disaster.
Gaz Top: (pic above – probably taken at The Gallery) I was DJ’ing at the Gallery that night, noticed a lad repeatedly punching another lad in the chest, I stepped out of the DJ booth to try and calm things down and was set on by a group of lads. I woke up in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. I didn’t recognise myself in the mirror, my face was swollen so badly I looked like The Hulk. This event was a turning point, Mike, Eddie, Dave Nigel RedEye & myself decided to move to London.
Craig Davies: As we walked in there was a guy on the steps outside rubbing his leg he said its a bit mad in there. As we walked in a group of lads shouted get the bastard and charged at the DJ .one skinhead knocked me flying but grabbed me before I hit the floor picking me up and apologising before carrying on. Records flying everywhere. We just went back upstairs to get are money back but the girls on the door where having none of it until a guy was carried up the stairs with a obviously broken rib. Outside we talked to The Alarm who said they had organized the gig and weren’t happy.
June 29, 2025 @ 11:54 am
The Vots could have “made it”, as in fact they were a better band than Seventeen/Alarm. Chris Griffiths. the Pied Piper of the Deeside Punks, and lead singer of the VOTS ,always played up to his audience i.e The Vots Army Bootboys. With the benefit of hindsight, he should have ditched the audience and played further afield without any distractions. A great shame really as Chris was intelligent, likeable, and possessed great charisma. He later became lead singer of Justice Multi Fury, but by then I suspect that the momentum had diminished considerably.