The Northumberland ex-coal mining town of Ashington was the surprising venue for a warm up gig for punk pioneer, Pauline Murray and her band Penetration.
Penetration who formed in 1976 in County Durham were amongst the forefront of the punk movement playing regularly with bands such as The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers and Stiff Little Fingers. After two successful albums, the band split up and eventually reformed again in 2001 playing just the occasional gig and releasing periodical singles.
It’s now been two years since the band played live and in preparation for a number of high profile gigs, including the renowned Blackpool Rebellion Festival, the band decided to play at the Elephant public house in Ashington.
“We were looking for somewhere where we could try out the songs again live without the pressure of hundreds of fans watching us,” said Pauline, who runs her own rehearsal space business; Polestar Studios in Byker, Newcastle.
“One of the bands that use our facilities, The Go Go Midgets, suggested the Elephant and so we decided to choose that as our first venue. It’s really all about getting the stamina back to perform the set well. Doing the songs more and more builds the stamina up so that it becomes natural again.”
A packed crowd watched Pauline and the band kick off the show with “Future Daze” from the first album “Moving Targets” then race through more than an hour of classics like “Don’t Dictate”, “Danger Signs” and “Come into the Open”. One of the highlights of the evening was a cover version of Patti Smith’s “Free Money” which many people quote as being even better than the original. A well-deserved encore brought the house down with the rousing “Firing Squad”
The crowd of mostly middle aged punk fans were treated to a first class display of musicianship and timeless classic songs all delivered with true professionalism and with just the right mix of aggression and the spirit of 1977.
Penetration have entered a new phase in their musical career, something the Elephant will never forget.
