Page 35 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2020

MW: Although you were producing artwork
before The Leadmill opened, would you say that
that is where things took off for you? You know,
where people started to notice you?

MFB: We started The Leadmill a couple of months
after I left college and were up and running by 23
May 1980. I’d already done a few posters on the
Sheffield scene, and when I was asked to get on
board, I jumped at the chance. I became one of the
‘Original 5.’ We all had a vision of what it could be. I
was inspired by legendary venues/arts labs like The
Warfield, Avalon, and Fillmore, and also, The
Roundhouse in London and the Melkweg in
Amsterdam. I wanted to produce the same visual
catalogue for a number of reasons. I believe a good
poster says a lot about the attitude of the
promoter/venue. It also gives respect, not only to the
artist, but the audience. Anyone can put text on a
piece of paper. All that says to me is ‘gimme your
money.’ If you’re promoting a gig, why would you not
produce something that says this is going to be
exciting? This band/performer deserves it. This is
more than a gig, it’s an event. If nothing else, it says
that you’ve put some effort into it.

I never managed to achieve really what I wanted
visually, what with financial restraints and very basic
equipment. But despite that, we gave it a damn good
shot. As for getting noticed, I suppose that didn’t
really happen for a few years until we found
ourselves in the middle of the miner’s strike. I have
always done a lot of benefits. I consider myself a
community artist and it’s my duty. So, I used my
platform at The Leadmill to make a few (visual)
political statements. I suppose that brought me to
the attention of a wider audience. Anyway, in the
aftermath of that political debacle it became obvious
that if The Leadmill was going to survive it would
have to change tack. I became more and more
disenchanted with the way our ethics were being
dropped for commercial and political expediency,
and by the time I left in 1992, the workshops, cafe,
theatre, etc., were all gone. Instead of being a
community hub and resource, it had become just a
venue -- one that is still going strong and is known
worldwide and one that I’m extremely proud to have
been involved with, but no longer one that reflects
the motives that spawned it…probably wouldn’t
exist now if it did.