Page 37 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2020

MW: The Leadmill years must have been great fun as there were some pretty big bands
on the bill there. Who would you say were your favourite acts? Were there any you
regret putting on?

MFB: Yeah, being young and passionate about what you do is always a gas. It was exciting
then, and for me, still is. Bands back in the day – Green on Red, Gil Scott Heron, Dr John,
John Cooper Clarke, Nico, Slim Gaillard, Memphis Slim, The Fall, Prince Far I, The Last
Poets…the list goes on. You have to remember how many Sheffield bands were riding high
at the time and would hang out or play there regularly as well: Human League, Cabaret
Voltaire, Def Leppard, ABC, and of course, pre famous but local oddities, Pulp. Sheffield's
musical history is immense -- from Tony Christie and Dave Berry, to Joe Cocker and Chris
Spedding, right through to the Arctic Monkeys, Richard Hawley, and Martin Simpson, blah
blah. Right now, we have a plethora of top bands right across the genres: Cellar Door Moon
Crow, Fargo Railroad Co, Blast Lane, and our resident Texan, Ash Gray & The Burners, to
name but a few. As for bands I regret we booked…The Exploited, for reasons I won’t go
into…other than to say our politics were at odds.

MW: Any favourite posters?

MFB: Favourite posters? That's a big ask. It’s got to the point where I’ve forgotten some. From
the early days – Omega Tribe, John Cooper Clarke, Pop Will Eat Itself, Robin Hitchcock, Linton
Kwesi Johnson. Since then, Patti Smith, Wilko Johnson, Dan Baird, and Warner E Hodges.
More recently, Ryan Chrys, Cellar Door Moon Crow…the next one, maybe.

MW: In 2008, you went to San Francisco and created some posters for The Fillmore and

The Warfield Theatre. How did your trip come about and who were you working with?

MFB: I met Ron Donovan and Chuck Sperry when they had an exhibition at a Sheffield Gallery
and they foolishly invited me to San Francisco next time I was over. Unfortunately for them, I
already had a trip planned for later that year. I’ve been going to the US since the late 70s,
back in the day, travelling by hitch hiking or Greyhound bus. I had a couple of states I wanted
to visit. The plan was to visit Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, before heading for southern
Mexico and meeting my two sons for the Day of the Dead celebrations. Nothing changed. I
just sidetracked to Oakland for 3 weeks and slept on the print room floor. Ron and Chuck, I
think, were a bit stunned, but they welcomed me in, and for three weeks, I felt like I’d gone
back to an intensive crash course in the art of silkscreen. Just the whole experience of being
in a hot bed environment with artists who had the same goals and passion about making
posters was life affirming. Sounds a bit cheesy I know, but I’m used to working on my own,
creating things that most people in the UK really don’t care about. To be in this group and
being asked to contribute designs for artists playing at the legendary Fillmore and Warfield
theatres (Patti Smith, Joe Satriani, Mountain), to say I was made up is a bit of an
understatement. The icing on the cake was I got to go to the TRPS (The Rock Poster Society)
Festival at the Hall Of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, as a guest -- a huge expo for artists to sell
and exhibit their wares. It gave me the chance to meet and chat with guys I consider to be my
major influences, nay gurus. Mouse (who did a lot of work for The Grateful Dead), Lee Conklin
(responsible for Santana's debut album lion cover), Wes Wilson, Victor Moscosa, and so many
more, plus Wavy Gravy, who also took the time to check out my book and chat. Oh yeah, I
also got the chance to stand in the wings for Patti Smith’s set at The Warfield (smug look).