Fireball XL5 - Rockabilly Norwich Style!

 Fireball XL5.

Mark Kelf (vocals) & school mate Kevin Parfitt (drums) started a band in early 1982 and were quickly joined by mates Jonny Bridgwood (Double Bass), Mark 'Thorney' Thorne (Lead Guitar) and Neil 'Mustard' Samuel (Rhythm Guitar) this was the 1st line-up and never recorded any studio tracks - see photo below!

Kevin, Mark Thorne, Jonny, Mark Kelf & Neil

(2nd line-up) Mark Kelf (Vocals), Mark 'Thorney' Thorne (Lead Guitar), Neil 'Mustard' Samuel (Rhythm Guitar), Jonny Bridgwood (Double Bass) and Ian Cooper (Drums) - this was the line-up that recorded all material released by Northwood Records - see photo below!

1982 

1 - The Red Lion, Comer, Norwich - Sat 4th Sept 1982

Sat 4th Sept 1982 (2nd gig)

2 - Festival House, Norwich - Sat 25th Sept 1982

Festival House 25/09/82 (3rd gig)

3 - Jacquard Club, Norwich - Fri 5th Nov 1982.

4 - Jacquard Club, Norwich - Thurs 2nd Dec 1982.

Flyer 1

Flyer 2

5 - Gala Ballroom, Norwich - Fri 10th Dec 1982 + The Meteors.

1983.

First release by the band was a 4 track EP on Northwood Records.

Northwood advert # 1

Northwood advert # 2

5 - Jacquard Club, Norwich - Thurs 3rd Feb 1983 

Fireball XL5 - Jacquard 3/2/83

6 - Big Apple, Great Yarmouth - Fri 25th March 1983.

Flyer 1

Flyer 2

7 - Flixton Rooms, Norwich - Thurs 31st March 1983 + The Kamikaze Sex Pilots + Baptism Of Fire + Shake The Nation.

8 - Gala Ballroom, Norwich - Fri 17th June 1983 + Serious Drinking + Vital Disorders.

9 - Flixton Rooms, Norwich - Wed 29th June 1983 + The Psychotics + Ton-Ton Taboo.

10 - Premesis, Norwich - Sat 30th July 1983.

11 - Gala, Norwich - Fri 5th Aug 1983 + The Meteors.

12 - Gala, Norwich - Fri 26th Aug 1983 + The Shellaelagh Sisters + The Megatons.

13 - Gala, Norwich - Fri 25th Nov 1983 + King Kurt.

Flyer 1

Gala, Norwich - Fri 25th Nov 1983

1984.

First release by the band was a 4 track EP on Northwood Records released January 1984.

1 - Caister, Seashore Holiday Village, Norfolk - Fri 30th March 1984 + The Rapiers + The Keytones.

Fireball XL5 - Caister 30/03/84

Jonny - Caister 30/03/1984

2 - Holte Hotel, Aston, Birmingham - Sun 20th May 1984 

Flyer 1

Flyer 2

3 - Labour Club, Norwich - Fri 25th May 1984 + Hellfire Club.

4 - Earlham Park, Norwich - Sun 26th Aug 1984 + Boothill Foot Tappers + The Disrupters + Crisis + Baptism Of Fire + The Fab Popes.

5 - Fridge, Brixton - Thurs 27th Sept 1984 + Guana Batz + Zombie Rockers.

6 - Verulam Arms, Watford, Hertfordshire - Fri 2th Sept 1984 .

Nov 5th 1984 saw the 2nd release on Northwood! (NWXL5- 2) this time a straight single 'The Man With No Name' & 'Prison Walls'

Advert flyer

Fireball XL5 - Beside a wall!

7 - Clarendon, Broadway, Hammersmith - Sun 2nd Dec 1984 + The Deltas.

Flyer 1 

Flyer 2

Fireball XL5 - Broadway 2/12/84

The band were due to play the Electric Ballroom on Dec 20th 1984 along with Tall Boys, Guana Batz, Restless & The Prisoners but Jonny had left the band to join The Sting-Rays (on the night The Deltas replaced them)

Fireball XL5 did NOT play this gig!

8 - The Burleigh Arms, Cambridge, Hertfordshire - Thurs 27th Dec 1984 + Wigsville Spliffs (not sure if this show happened ?

1985.

After Jonny had left the band Mark Thorne quickly followed and the band went into hibernation until sometime in 1986 where Mark Kelf, Ian Cooper & Neil 'Mustard' Samuel were joined by Robin Johnson (Lead Guitar) and Gavin Peak (Bass)! this was to be the 3rd and final line-up .

1 - Pennies Nightclub, Norwich - Wed 9th Oct 1985 

1986.

1986 saw the release of an LP called 'Go For It' again on Northwood (NWLP 1003) and gathered all the recordings and a few tracks never heard before

1 - Adam & Eves, Leeds - Tues 8th April 1986 + Frenzy (Fireball XL5 DNP and were replaced by Mission Impossible)

1989.

1 - The Downham Tavern, Bromley, Kent - Sat 26th August 1989 - The Polecats + Long Tall Texans + The Ant-Hill Mob + The Caravans + Frantic Flintstones + The Wigsville Spliffs +The Rattlers + The Griswalds + Black Cat Bone And The Hipbones.

1998.

1 - Statthause Bocklerpark, Berlin, Germany (5th Berlin Wild Cat Weekender) + The Meteors + Mad Sin + Blue Devils + Damage Done By Worms + Pitmen + Philliacs.