Dr Feelgood - She Does It Right

I was lucky enough to see the first incarnation of Dr Feelgood a couple of times in the mid-seventies. They were strong contenders for the most exciting live band ever, and this video of their best song does them justice.

Back in those pre-punk days, no-one had seen anything quite like Wilko Johnson's dead-eyed glare, or his jerky, semi-robotic forays back and forth across the stage. The late Lee Brilleaux, resembling Gene Hunt's sharper-dressed southern cousin, was a compelling frontman, and drummer The Big Figure looked 'connected' (if you know what I mean and I think you do).

This band, with their short songs aimed at maximum R'n'B excitement and no guitar solos (to speak of) were the real godfathers of punk, as different as could be imagined from the stodgy pub-rock which their contemporaries played.

No disrespect to 'Gypie' Mayo or any of the other musicians who have served in subsequent incarnations (Dr Feelgood is still a gigging band, I believe) but it was never the same after Wilko left.

The way the audience dressed and danced, and the camp Geordie presenter, tell you pretty much all you need to need to know about what life was like in England in the seventies.