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WORDS BY NEILL DOUGAN

For music fans of a certain age (and, sadly, your trusty correspondent is indeed old enough to fit that description), Channel 4’s mid-Nineties Friday freak fest The Word was essential viewing. Now, don’t be mistaken – the show was mostly dreadful. Garish, pseudo-psychedelic visuals, tacky studio antics and Terry Christian – yep, it was dire. But the live music was brilliant. Not only that, but there was something about the show (copious amounts of backstage booze, perhaps) that occasionally resulted in the bands producing moments of complete lunacy. Check out these ‘Did I really just see that?’ performances.

DRUNK PUNKS

Norn Iron legends Therapy? appeared on The Word in 1994 prior to the release of their breakthrough Troublegum album. Resplendent in matching ‘Pogo on a Nazi’ t-shirts, the lads rip into current hit ‘Nowhere’. Usually so tight live, on this occasion it soon becomes apparent that they’re a bit – ahem – ‘refreshed’. What follows is a gloriously shambolic, barely-in-time two minute cacophony, with Andy Cairns changing the lyrics to “Heaven kicked you out…cos you did loads of drugs!”. A fine mess. (Click the pic below)

FANNYING AROUND

All-female grunge-punks L7 had balls. Or – to be more accurate – they didn’t, as proved by this startling display of exhibitionism from 1992. Performing signature tune ‘Pretend We’re Dead’, the ladies reach the final seconds of the song. So far, so fully-clothed. Then lead singer Donita Sparks does something quite remarkable. Climbing onto a handy amp, she pulls down her denim shorts to reveal to the audience and the viewers at home that she has ‘gone commando’. Right at the end, there is actually a brief shot of her…well, her lady parts. Not that we’ve watched it so many times that we can pinpoint it to the nearest second or anything. It’s at 3:12. (Click the pic below)

KURT IN THE ACT

For Nirvana’s debut performance on British TV, Kurt Cobain decided to preface the song with a special declaration. “I’d like all of you people in this room to know,” he intones, “That Courtney Love, the lead singer of the sensational pop group Hole, is the best fuck in the world.” Public service announcement over, the band rip through soon-to-be über-hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.’ Super-stardom beckons. (Click the pic below)

Posted on: January 27, 2009