"Four years on you still look the same. I think it's about time you changed your brain.
"

~ New York by the Sex Pistols


And so here it is, the end of the road for 16 Again. Four years after that nerve wracked debut, supporting The Beat in a full Lemon Tree at a gig accepted at only 24 hours notice, it's finally time to change our brains. Jeff the drummer has left the band for personal reasons and, as that's the third one in a year, the rest of us have decided we can't go back and start from scratch yet again. It's time to move on.


It's been some four years - ups and downs, good times and bad, hard work yet great fun. As a long term punk fan, joining the band allowed me to live out my fantasies by singing some of my favourite songs of all time. If we'd stopped after the first successful rehearsal run through of Chelsea's I'm On Fire, I'd honestly have been content with that.


As it turned out, it got even better than that. Not only were we getting to sing and play the songs of some pretty great bands, we even got to share a stage with them. The Beat, 999, Stiff Little Fingers, The Threats and the UK Subs – all household names to me when I was 16 the first time. As well as these punk legends, we also had the pleasure of being blown offstage by some hot young talent too. The Upstarts and Guns On The Roof, take a bow. And tribute bands? We've had some good times with them too. The Clashed, AKA-Ska, The Underground Jam, Decontrol and the Sex Pistols Experience. Great acts and good people, one and all. Check them out sometime you snobby, "originals only", purist cunts.


So thanks to all of the aforementioned bands for giving us the time of day. Thanks to the sound engineers we've worked with who have done their best to make us sound half decent. Thanks to the venues and promoters who booked us, especially those who actually paid us for our efforts. And thanks to everyone who came to one of our gigs and stayed, maybe even came back again. Special props to the travelling support – all the Brochers, Kenny, Barry & Coleen fae Montrose, Wayne & his dad fae Dundee – we salute you all.


But biggest thanks of all go to my fellow 16ers for making this old punk very happy. It's been a hoot.


Blitzkrieg Bob





"At least we'll know it's true, that I'm sixteen again. Oh no.
"

~ 16 Again by Buzzcocks