I was stoked to see Anthrax on my home turf in the beloved Sheffield institution that is The Leadmill.
I went with two mates Scott and Geoff. Geoff ended up twisting his ankle.
I haven’t heard of the support before. Last album I heard of Anthrax was Stomp 442 which was 1995.
Anthrax had released two albums since then Volume 8: the threat is real and We’ve come for you all.
I can’t get hold of any setlists or photos from that gig (with it being prior to internet but i fondly remember the intimacy of the gig.
2003 was an interesting year for me I had finished my stint at T.A.S.C. a placement at St Mary’s Church working in the print room helping print posters for the NHS blood Society or something like that. Folding pamphlets etc. in the other room. I also played iron Maiden Number of the beast on the stereo \m/.
The placement finished I was volunteering before for a company called nacro which was there to help reduce crime by helping young people get a chance.
I had gone back to college and got a GCSE in psychology and Film studies considering I did horrendous at school, I was immensely proud to have a foothold again in education.
I was watching movies a lot including world cinema such as City of God. I was adrift when it came to music i was nostalgic for a decade that had come and gone.
None of the bands I loved seemed relevant to me in 2003 such as Therapy?, RHCP, Pearl Jam and nu-metal and post-grunge bands like Nickelback dominated the airwaves.
I was wanting to improve myself and took driving lessons which New Deal had sorted my funding for my theory test.
In 2003 me and my friend Pablo took our CVs to Sainsbury’s and we both got jobs.
I was working on the produce department and I made friends with Andrew Hague and others despite my neurodivergent behaviour (never been diagnosed but it’s obvious really) I would quote Sylvia Plath when talking about opportunities presenting themselves.
I was obsessed with atheism and convincing myself that God doesn’t exist.
I started to have money instead of relying on a giro or pub quiz. Hanging with friends who were younger and liked to go out and discovering music again but this time round it would be the indie music revival of the mid-noughties. Apart from The Smiths I never touched indie so all that would change.
Fine Art hadn’t really come into my life despite loving comics, art etc. galleries were never really encouraged coming from a working class background. At this point in my life my only access to culture was probably watching subtitled movies.
I was really good at the film quiz at The dove and Rainbow and could retain knowledge on movies.
Anthrax have sung songs about Stephen king Novels, (The Stand, Apt Pupil) Judge Dredd and David Lynch (Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet).
David Lynch’s Dune was a favourite of mine as was Wild at heart in 1990 and ever since then I have seen all of his output. David Lynch is a musician, filmmaker and artist.
I also read Stephen King and loved 2000 A.D.
Rusty'sArtWerk 