Wax and Beans, Bury
5th December 2023

Billed as an ‘album event’ this was just the ticket for a cold night in December. Of course it was much more than a mere album event; it was a Q&A followed by an acoustic set and signing session, all taking place in a locally run coffee and vinyl record store. The perfect setting for an intimate couple of hours in the company of Glen. The compere, Smug Roberts, was a character himself and kept everything flowing with energy and humour - a stack of cards was passed around the audience with a different topic written on each one to read out - a neat way to kick off audience interaction. When the questions were thrown over to the floor, there was no shortage of eager punters to cover a vast array of topics. Glen is a seasoned raconteur himself and never short of an anecdote or witty response. It was particularly funny when Smug was ready to move on to another question but Glen insisted on giving a fuller answer! Some of the more obvious areas of interest; McLaren, Danny Boyle, Sid ‘a likeable nitwit’, Pistols reunion and so forth were revisited, but proved no less interesting. On the Pistol TV series Glen confessed he was “a bit embarrassed” when he saw it. His son told him; “it’s not that they dissed you, it's just both you and Paul Cook are two dimensional, ‘didn’t matter’ characters.” Of the numerous inaccuracies in the series, such as the size of the Denmark Street rehearsal space, Glen flagged up the scene where John Lydon auditions in front of Steve and Paul. Glen was omitted from this scene even though not only was he there, he’d organised it with Malcolm. As he said with a shrug; “in the scheme of things it doesn’t matter too much, but if it affects you personally it’s annoying.” Glen did however point out that Talilah Riley, who played Vivienne Westwood, was married to Elon Musk, twice! Responding to a question about the one-off gig he played in ‘78 with Sid Vicious, Rat Scabies and Steve New under the name the Vicious White Kids, Glen confessed he was later told by Rob Dickins of Warner Chappell Music Publishing; “you know what your best band was, the Vicious White Kids. You were so exciting. Unfortunately, you were all too out of it to be signed!” The affection in which he still holds the late Steve New (“the younger brother I never had”) was evident and he believes Steve and Derwood Andrews (Generation X) were the unsung heroes of the latter part of the punk movement. It wasn’t all about nostalgia, far from it. Friendships (that of Clem Burke in particular) and phone calls continue to present new opportunities for Glen, as he revealed how he became Blondie’s bassist and his involvement in the Lust For Life tour. What else did we learn? Way too much to mention, but just to say Peter Bonetti, Stan Bowles (and his dodgy mates), Simon Dee and Graham Norton all featured. Oh, and Elton John wasn’t a good footballer. After a short break Glen returned for a lively acoustic set celebrating his new album with title track Consequences Coming and the politically charged Head On A Stick. Keep On Pushing from Glen’s Good To Go album also hit the spot. Bowie’s John, I’m Only Dancing is a live staple in Glen’s set and proved another crowd pleaser, although it has to be said it was Pretty Vacant which rattled this coffee shop’s beans in spectacular style. Boisterous good natured accompaniment from the packed throng saw to this, but it may have been topped by Glen’s rebel rousing rendition of The Small Faces’ All Or Nothing which delivered serious decibels of its own. I overheard a punter saying what a cold night it was, he really didn’t fancy going out, but “how often do you get a Sex Pistol in Bury?” He made the right call. It was a show to warm the cockles of your frozen heart. Hats off to the organisers as well. There is a local music community building around Wax and Beans and it’s fabulous to discover. More power to them. Top night. Review & pictures by Phil Singleton