My Exeter gigs - Jonathan Dearth

‌‌"I was University of Exeter’s Guild of Student’s last ever Entertainments Officer. An elected part-time post on the Executive Committee.

I took over in January 1989 when Emily S. resigned. My Dad had just died 10 weeks earlier. This was at the start of my 3rd year, but I dropped out as I just didn’t want to study. I was already involved with the Guild as a student rep. And wonderfully I was asked to take on the Entertainments role. I wasn’t actually a student at the time. I was signing on. But I had this fantastic opportunity to have role while I recovered – it was an opportunity to have a “gap half year”. Not many comprehensive school kids did that sort of thing before starting university in the 1980s.

I shared the Entertainments Office with the charming Geoff Campbell, the Entertainments Manager who was the full-time member of staff. I loved sharing an office with him. And I got first dibs on free records sent to us. Twelve-inch white label of “Info Freako” by Jesus Jones – well quite frankly, I don’t mind if I do!

At my first chairing of Entertainment’s Committee – every Monday at 1pm – I came across this scruffy, quiet but enthusiastic artistic bloke who would create the weekly Lemon Grove posters – Thom Yorke.

A few months later, I described the poster he created for our Summer Ball as a “bit shabby”. He stormed off in a huff but sought me out later that evening to apologise. We were acquaintances and here we are in a video made for the Guild Elections in 1990

I remember a gig on a Saturday in June 1989. It was my last gig as the Entertainments Officer. The main act was a pretty lame Plymouth indie band called “The 4 Waltons”. I mainly liked them as their poster was a picture of Olive from “On The Buses”. Thom had been asking for a gig and this was their chance. Back in January, Thom gave me a demo tape and I’m sure this early incarnation of Radiohead had the band name “Shindig”. I’ve never seen this referred to anywhere else – and totally unsuitable. But in June, he got his mates down from Oxford to perform as “On a Friday”, on a Saturday, in The Lemon Grove.

They were pretty good. The sound bloke came up to me and said – “this lot are pretty bloody good”. He was clearly more an expert and spotter of talent than me as he had added the word “bloody”. But he was very enthusiastic about them. Where I just thought, “it’s Thom and his mates, they’re having a good time, it’s nice”.

Only about 150-200 there on that summer Saturday night. Thom went on to boss the Lemon Grove when he became the Friday night DJ the following year. He turned it from a ropey night out while I was in charge to a huge, “open as many rooms in Cornwall House to pack the punters in” night out. A sensible decision by Geoff to move Thom from poster boy to POSTER BOY of the Lemon Grove.

A few years later in 1993, I met Thom twice. Once as Radiohead were doing their “get in” for their gig at the Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. I was in LA backpacking and spotted they were playing.

And a few months later, a group of us from Exeter went to see Radiohead support James at the Brixton Academy and we got word to him through a roadie that we were there. He popped out into the audience said hello, we said “Thom”. And he managed to get us private bar tickets. Where we drank alongside Jim-Bob from Carter, the Unstoppable Sex Machine and the now late Sean Hughes.

Exciting and happy times. University and the people I met there changed my life. I was awarded, Honorary Life Membership of the Guild a year after I left."

- Jonathan Dearth (Education (Primary) & Maths, 1991), former Guild Entertainments Officer.