Once upon a time in a dark place on Temple Street stood a building that housed the club Planet-X. It was the Planet’s first permanent location and I’d just been to see The Cult on the ‘Electric Tour’, before the album had been released and ‘Love Removal Machine’ hit the charts, at the Royal Court. Kid Chaos from Zodiac Mindwarp was standing in on bass duty, and trashed his guitar at the end of the gig standing its broken remains against the amp and emitting a dying wail of feedback that made you feel sorry for the guitar. It was March 1987, and with my ears still ringing I entered the world of Planet-X and was transformed from an isolated strange person to one with an extended Addams family of hundreds of cousin ‘It’s’.

In May Planet-X held its first reunion. For some reason it slipped past my radar, and I missed it. I very nearly missed this one too as I required a quadruple heart by-pass and received it on Halloween. I knew I’d be fine, you can’t kill the undead.

Of course the Eric’s musical didn’t pass my radar and on impulse I’d bought an extra ticket having no idea at the time that I would run into one of Doreen’s old friends who wanted to go but had no ticket. One thing leads to another as it always does and before long I was all brought up to date about the reunion at Doreen’s Birthday bash following the Eric’s Musical run.

I was told of the plans to have another reunion for Christmas. In-between times I had my operation rather unexpectedly. I had dinner with Doreen and her friend at my local pub just two weeks before Christmas and we caught up on gossip and she made sure that I was able to attend last nights bash. She also revealed that there was going to be a regular Planet-X night every month next year on a Thursday night. Who, and how, Doreen was talked into engaging in the madness of Planet-X again after all this time remains a mystery, but I’m glad she was.

I was surprised to walk straight into Bibby who greeted me as a long lost friend remembering that I was one of the few people who tipped him for looking after the coats.

“You used to roll me up a little joint or give me a bit of weed.”,

he enthusiastically bubbled. You have to admit, that does sound like me doesn’t it ? Apparently one time I made him up a real nice looking joint and off to the bogs he went to spark up. He said he got about a half dozen tokes before comedy style, the spliff exploded.

“I don’t remember that. You sure it wasn’t just a stray seed ?”

A big frizzy haired girl came bounding up to me. After a couple of minutes I placed her. She had been the friend of the girl I’d had a big unrequited fancy for and made a bit of a tit of myself over, and guess what ? She was there too, with her same boyfriend. I nodded hello and ran in the other direction. Time can be so cruel.

The Dance Floor

I ran into former doorman Dennis then and caught up on the missing years. He still dabbles with motor bikes and now has a huge dog he calls The Beast which is a half Bull Mastiff. Think ‘Hound Of The Baskerville’s’ and you won’t be far wrong. Time had turned his hair and beard pure white and there was something of a Rock ‘N’ Roll Father Christmas in biker leathers about him.

DJ Jason Jones At The Bar

I went to the bar and another girl came bounding up to me. Apparently we used to buy each other drinks. She says she has a photo of me in an odd pose and that’s why she remembers me. Gods, I must have been quite the Casanova back then, but I don’t remember it like that. For all my efforts I always seemed to end up going home alone, depressed, ever more ‘backed up’, and unbelievably drunk.

I went for a slash and had to manage two flights of stairs to do so. Age made itself felt in my knee joints and lower back. I got talking to a couple of Psychobilly’s about our differing experiences with The M3T3ORS personal security and what bastards they were.

The Dance Floor, Featuring Colin Summers

Downstairs, in the upstairs bar, I ran into Doreen who was talking to a lad who is presently writing a book about former Eric’s manager. He wants to get in touch with Pete Wylie and others so he can collect primary material instead of working from “a load of other peoples books”. Wylie though isn’t playing ball at the moment, with anyone. I gave him the address of The Lair online and bade him get in touch.

Downstairs in the downstairs bar the place was rammed, and so was the dance floor. At one point I got dragged up for a boogie by yet another young lady I’d once known. I was just starting to enjoy myself when someone came up to me and said,

“Doreen’s looking for you.”

A couple of minutes later I found Doreen,

“I think your lift may have gone. She was looking for you and said something about leaving in five minutes.”

I looked at my watch horrified. It was only 1:20am and the do didn’t finish until 2:30am. I found my lift and she indeed was set on leaving early,

“I’ll just have one more for the road.”,

I said toying with the idea of getting a taxi and remembering that taxi’s were charging double at this time of year. I collared a familiar face and asked if he was going in my direction later, but he’d moved home since I’d last seen him in the Planet. Damn, I hated to leave the party early and I was just starting to really enjoy myself. Maybe the 2.5g of hash I’d taken with some goat yogurt hours earlier was kicking in.

With regret I rescued my coat from the cloakroom and left shortly before 2:00am. In hindsight it was probably the sensible thing to do. After all I was only eight weeks off the operating table and I’d had a bit of a dance until my breath ran short. It was possible I could over do things and strain myself, and I was aware of how much the effort of talking over the pounding sounds of the sound system was draining my energy.

Well, it was best to leave on a high note. I’d seen and spoken to everyone I’d wanted to and many more besides. This was not the end or only time. Planet-X like my undead self has risen again. From Thursday the 5th of Feb 2009 Planet-X will be running one night a month at Le Bateau. I have no doubt that these one off monthly’s will only grow in strength just as the club originally grew all those years ago. I’ll be there to find out.

Viper 29/12/2008

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First Published 9/1/2009 by Viperslair.co.uk

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