hallelujah

In March '77, the band played the prestigious Marquee Club, in London. They managed to get a crowd of almost a thousand fans into the venue, much to the astonishment of the club's management; another three hundred had to be turned away. Most of them came with free tickets. It was one of the largest crowds the Marquee had had, and impressive given it was only about the fifth time the band had played in London. The gig had been set up as a showcase, and it was important for them (and their support - Fish Co) to give a good impression, since there were several record company scouts in the audience including representatives of DJM and NEMS. They gave the fans a good tight set, and one scout was so impressed, he reportedly wanted his managing director to hear the band as soon as possible. Another remarked:

"I've never seen people so genuinely enthusiastic about what they are doing."

The band were very happy with the way things went, they felt that they had vindicated themselves with honour. Speaking to Buzz's Lindsay Tuffin later in the year, Andy recalled feeling of triumph that they experienced after the show was over:

"We felt there was such an air of victory. It's a secular place, the heart of music biz in England, and a Christian group packed it. There was an atmosphere of love in a place that is normally used to the aggression of groups. We believe it was honouring to the Lord and we won something back for the Lord ... it was a victory."

Pete summarised the way they had all felt:

"We had a real joy in our hearts after that concert. It was amazing."

A five date tour began in March, from the Jesus Centre, Birmingham on the 12th, to Newcastle Polytechnic on the 25th, where they shared the stage with The Damned. ATF's fifty minute set brought calls more from the crowd. When The Damned went on, they had to come off again after only twenty minutes after a bottle hit singer Rat Scabies.

Four more dates followed during April, then a gig at Dingwall's in London on the 29th. Followed by eleven more dates in May, including a return to Dingwall's on the 7th, which received a complimentary live review in Sounds.

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