Atlanta, Agora Ballroom
24th April 1980

Gig Review

This was a fantastic gig, probably the best of the three PiL gigs I saw.  To give some context, this was taking place in Atlanta, Georgia; part of the conservative Bible belt South and was one of the few big-name punk or new wave gigs that would come through all year.  Therefore, it was like a real gathering of the safety pin-baggy trousers-pointy toe eyeliner tribes from the entire region.
 
The opening acts were local bands from Athens GA, Pylon and Vietnam, both of the same
funky-avantgarde-noise vein.  Pylon made some excellent records later released on the Athens indie label DB Records, the B52s' original label.
 
Vanguard punks and Pistols fans came from all over the Southeast. I met my  future boyfriend there; his gang had driven all the way from Orlando,   FL! (for those who don't know that's at least 10 hours). They were promoting their local Florida punkzine, 'Dogfood.' We were all  of 16 years old and all had to pass off fake IDs to get in to the  liquor-serving club. Back then, the US driving age was 16, but the drinking age was 18, before it was raised in the "just say no" 1980s to 21 years.  As precocious 16 year olds we could pass fairly well as 18. Looking back on it, I don't know how we did it.  It would never work now in these days of photo IDs and police crackdowns; on that occasion I think I used my elder sister's birth certificate, manual typewriter print on a yellowed sheet of paper!

In the Agora lobby there were the classic vendors selling badges, indie vinyl 45s and punk fanzine's, exotic goods to a girl from Tennessee. The Hotel Essex with its restaurant and bar was directly next door to the Agora and all the bands stayed there. After the gig, Johnny was not socializing, but Jah Wobble tried to pick me up in the hotel bar; suggesting going back to the room and making movies (I declined). 
 
The next morning who should step into the hotel elevator with me than Johnny!  He was groggy before breakfast. Five floors' elevator ride alone with your hero; a punkette's dream!

In my mom's basement I still have black and white photos I took of this  gig. That was before they were so tough on bringing cameras in. At one point Johnny threw fistfuls of those tiny PiL badges into the crowd and we all scrambled, somewhat dangerously, to get them.

Caroline Martin