Images may be subject to copyright
On this day, 3 November 1987, mock rock band Bad News played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.
Bad News were a fictional English heavy metal band created for the Channel 4 television series The Comic Strip Presents.... Its members were Vim Fuego (also known as "Alan Metcalfe"), vocals and lead guitar (played by Ade Edmondson); Den Dennis, rhythm guitar (Nigel Planer); Colin Grigson, bass (Rik Mayall); and Spider "Eight-Legs" Webb, drums (Peter Richardson).
The band continued outside the context of the TV series, with the actors (in character) eventually playing a number of live gigs as Bad News, and recording an album (1987's Bad News) and a single (a cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody") that made the UK charts.
After a pause of a few years, the previously fictional-only band became an entity in real life when Bad News were invited to play at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in 1986.
A feature of the band's on-stage antics that day was a method of coping with the crowd's plastic (and often urine-filled) bottle barrage, which was then a traditional (if somewhat awkward) welcome for bands playing at the festival in those days.
Before the performance began properly, the band spent time just running around on stage dodging missiles, with Mayall using his guitar as a bat in an attempt to return some. They also played a low-key London show at the Marquee Club, with guest appearances by Jeff Beck and Brian May, and several other gigs, including opening for Iron Maiden and a show with a guest appearance from Jimmy Page.
The band -
• Vim Fuego, né Alan Metcalfe (Ade Edmondson) – Lead vocals and lead electric guitar
• Den Dennis (Nigel Planer) – Rhythm electric guitar and backing vocals
• Colin Grigson (Rik Mayall) – Electric bass guitar and backing vocals
• Spider Webb (Peter Richardson) – Drum kit and backing vocals
Setlist
Bad News
Drink Till I Die
Masturbike
Vampire Spunk Merchants From Hell
Hey Hey Bad News
I'm Going To Scream So Hard I'm Going To Scream My Bollocks Off
Hey Mr Bassman
Bitch Hell Mother
Life with Brian
Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover)
Warriors Of Ghengis Khan
My Generation (The Who cover)
Cashing in on Christmas (Mimed, recorded as the song's video)
Guitar Duel (Vim versus Den, with Brian… more )
Twist and Shout (The Top Notes cover) (with Brian May)
Hey Hey Bad News (with Brian May)
Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Slade cover) (with Brian May)
