1983-06-29: Brixton Ace, London, UK

This was Steve's first online release. He also provided extensive notes :

"So I'm starting at the begining. In 1983 I was a bootlegger ... that is I taped lots of shows, and had a stall at Camden Market where I sold cassette copies. It wasn't hugely profitable ... well not the way I ran the stall ... but it paid for me to go to lots of gigs and I felt I was in some small way, promoting unknown but great bands. I first saw the Smiths in March at ULU. I'd gone to see the Sisters Of Mercy, and for some reason decided to leave my recorder at home so I could enjoy the show for a change. I was in the bar with a pint early on, and some blokes came up to me (I didn't know them, but I guess they may have seen me at Camden market) and said that I should check out the band that was just about to go on. They were 3rd on the bill, and I wandered in as I had nothing better to do. So I stood a few feet back from the stage with about 4 or 5 other people watching this strange spectacle with flowers and lots of wailing. It wasn't like anything else I'd heard before ... but it was completely compelling and I remained there root4d to the spot until they had finished.

I must admit ... that then I was back to the bar and back in to enjoy the sisters of mercy. But the smiths had something. I lived in Clapham at the time, within walking distance of Brixton, so when I saw they were playing I dragged my sister down and this time took my recorder. This was the first smiths bootleg on sale at Camden Market. Of course in bootleg tradition, some the the song titles were wrong ('Mess Of My Life') ... but the cover had a tasteful pciture of a reclining nude man, so I must have been paying attention.

This was before I got my Professional walkman, so was recorded on the recoding walkman model below that (actually I'm not sure the professionalk walkman was out then). But it had automatic level, so not ideal. But, by chance I'd bought a very good mic, so the recording isn't too bad. Gives an idea of the energy in those early shows. "