After scanning some old black and white negatives of mine during April of 2021 (this has sort of become my
COVID-19 Pandemic Project) I posted to the
"1980's Punk Rock in London" Facebook Group seeking some help with documenting the photos:
I'm looking for help ... again! I have some photos of a concert where "Sheep Look Up" and "LMOTV" played in London, sometime in the 1980's. I'm not sure of the date, I suspect it's mid 80's. It's in a concert hall of some sort with a large stage, I can't recognize the site. But there must be a balcony there -- some shots are from up high. So that ought to narrow things down.
If you have any information about this concert please let me know.
Kate and I were fans of LMOTV, and even had them over to our house. I had contacted Jim Zucchero when I digitized an LMOTV C90 a few years ago (a "Basement Tape" backed with a "Studio Tape" 1985). They were a clever quirky college band that seemed to fold at graduation.
Sheep Look Up were: Mark Deroux - bass, John Francom - piano, saxaphone, Greg Moore - drums, Will Power - vocals, Gilbert Smith - guitar. I have a digitized 4-song EP/C90 of them from 1983 and they appeared on a CHRW collection of 1986. I have other photos of them from other occasions.
In the photos I recognize Greg Moore drumming, Mark Deroux on bass in Sheep Look Up.
Gary Kaufman, who was the drummer for LMOTV, recognized the event and even had a ticket stub! It was a concert on Friday, February 1, 1986 at "the new" Centennial Hall, London sponsored by CHRW-FM (Radio Western) in cooperation with BFE Productions. It was a concert by local bands with "The Waiting" as the headline act and with "Sheep Look Up", "October Crisis" and "LMO T.V." as opening acts.
Mark Goodwin recognized Andrew McPherson on saxophone playing with LMOTV and brought Andrew to the posting. Jeff Bialkowski identified the venue as Centennial Hall — I had guessed as much given the photos from the balcony looking down on the stage. I have reached out again to Jim Zucchero, who seems to be a Kings College, having contacted him back when I digitized the C90 tape.
Andrew McPherson had a lot of information about the event and wrote with some enthusiasm:
"Alright good peoples of the London days, thanks for inviting me into the club of wonderful memories here. This is indeed me fronting LMOTV at our beloved boomdome Centennial. I followed Dave ‘the dancing bear Andrews’ as their singer. I effin loved that band. The twin guitar attack with Kevin’s outrageous rawk posturing and Mesa Boogie ‘on 11’, Jim Z and Paul B holding down that skittery funk with Gary Kaufman rockin’ the bottom. And those insane lyrics. Heady days. I felt like such a welcome but slightly out of water guest into that well established vibe. And the Sheep. Geeeeesus did I wanna be in that band. Basically I worshipped them and the Suffers and Conning Tower. I loved Thin Line and FUNKINC!! but I secretly wanted to join everybody else’s band. Sorry MP Circelli, you know you’ll always have my heart. Bless for these pics. Amazing."
Andrew shared the pictures on his Facebook timeline and posted more information:
"Best #tbt in memory. Big thanks to Reg Quinton for these awesome pix into the past. Circa 1986, performing at Centennial Hall, London Ontario fronting an amazing band called LMOTV. I was asked to replace their super enigmatic and fantastic singer Dave 'the dancing bear' Andrews and they were some shoes to fill. I was just a snot nosed faculty of music student who had stumbled into this quirky original band. Drummer Gary Kaufman may have more to offer but they were like a mix of Talking Heads, Chris Spedding, Roxy Music and perhaps JJ Cale. I loved playing with them and these shots were from a great night with fellow London bright lights, Sheep Look Up, The Waiting and October Crisis. Man, what I'd do to have a head o' hair like that now. If memory serves, my bandmates were the aforementioned Gary, Jim Zucchero, Kevin McKeown and Paul Brennan. Ah the good ol' days. "
In the photo above of LMOTV playing we have Andrew McPherson on saxophone, Kevin McKeown in the foreground on guitar, and Jim Zucchero on the background on guitar. The band's name is a play on the "Lieitmotif" and confusingly should be written as "LMO T.V." (a convention nobody followed).
Oddly I haven't, as yet, found any photos of "October Crisis" or "The Waiting" from this concert. I have found some additional color photos of LMOTV at this concert and will add them to the album. I'll continue my efforts to organize old photos and may well come across more that I can add to.
Many thanks to all who were able to share their thoughts and memories. I am pleased that these photos have brought back your great memories. If you're after more here's photo album I can share: LMOTV at Call the Office sometime around 1985.
This note and photo album composed April of 2021 during the COVID-19 Pandemic and filed by concert date.
A postscript note left August 18, 2021 in my photo album:
Hi - This is Greg Inwood. I was the bass player in the original lineup of L.MO.TV. with Jim Zuchero, Kevin McKewon, Dave Andrew, and Ray Martini. Dave and Ray switched back and forth on drums and singing lead. Jim, Ray and I came from a UWO band called the Ecks which morphed into the original L.MO.TV. This sure brings back memories - Call the Office, the Vic Tavern, the Spoke, some dive in Ailsa Craig... And opening for Doug and the Slugs at Centennial Hall at some Liberal Party fundraiser for Paul Martin when he was running for PM (I think). We made a 4 song demo that played on CHRW. One of the songs, Landsat, made it to #2! Wonder if there is any copy of it anywhere? I have the cassette, but nothing to play it and it is probably unplayable anyway. I don't think I ever met some of the subsequent players in the band, but glad you guys kept it rockin'!
I have a C90 cassette (mentioned above) that I have digitized and am happy to share with Greg.
