Edweena Banger/Eddie Garrity – Obituary

Edweena Banger Obituary

Edmund Stephen Garrity, generally known as Eddie, Ed and Edweena Banger, who handed away on the twenty first January, was born in 1959 in Manchester and introduced up in Wythenshawe. He attended the native St Paul’s Faculty with Toby Toman and Pete Crookes. Collectively they shaped a band known as Strong State with Ian Grey, earlier than altering the title to Ram (later to turn out to be Wild Ram), after a Paul McCartney album. They have been contempories of Mick Rossi and Brian Grantham, who along with Wayne Barrett and Howard Bates would type Slaughter and The Canine (SATD).

Garrity went to see The Intercourse Pistols at their first gig in Manchester in June 1976, and their second look in late July the identical yr, when he was a roadie for SATD. Throughout a punch up on the gig, which noticed him get a bottle to the top and Grey, punched within the nostril. A bouncer shouted, ‘take a look at you, head banger and the nosebleeds!’- the title caught. Vini Reilly changed Grey, and the band recorded the seminal punk single Ain’t Been To No Music Faculty in July 1977, the second launch on Tosh Ryan’s Rabid Data. The tune turned an prompt punk basic with its orchestrated opening and Vini’s ferocious guitar.

“They have been genuinely, fully, completely crazed – Ed particularly, who, with completely no sense of self-preservation would suppose little of leaping on to a desk mid-performance, grabbing a man’s beer and pouring it over his girlfriend. Different such actions would lead to close to tragedy” – Mick Middles

“I do not know how we managed to remain alive” – Vini Reilly

Vini left the band and later joined ex Quick Breeder members Chris Joyce and Dave Rowbottom within the Tony Wilson assembled Durutti Column, the primary manufacturing unit signing. After the break-up of The Nosebleeds, Eddie went solo and performed regionally as Ed Banger, releasing the comedy report Kinnel Tommy about his brother-in-law who used to play for The Royal Oak, a neighborhood pub. Sizzling on the heels of one other comedy report Jilted John (additionally on Rabid), the report was picked up by EMI and given a full launch in a bid for chart stardom. It didn’t materialise. After SATD cut up in 1978 then reformed in 1979, Eddie was recruited on vocals after Barrett jumped ship mid tour and went on to pursue different ventures. The band launched Chew Again on DJM in 1980, their second studio album, in addition to the singles East Facet of City and I’m The One. Prepared Now entered the highest 75, and with the band all able to go on Prime of The Pops if it went increased. it dropped from view, and their goals of TV stardom light. The album, which was produced by Mott The Hoople’s Dale Griffin is regarded by many as a basic. A possible look on The Previous Gray Whistle Take a look at equally received cancelled as Van Morrison rode into city.

The unhealthy luck continued once they lower a take care of NEMS. Their supervisor, travelling again with the contract died in a automotive accident. With the paperwork on the passenger seat, the police thought it was Eddie who was within the automotive. Nonetheless dwelling a straight life though he knew he was homosexual, he married Lynn Myers in 1982 they usually had a son, Kirk. Following one other failed take care of Hansa in Germany he moved to the Isle of Wight and began performing as a glam cabaret act.

In 1991 Eddie’s luck turned when he was provided a TV presentation job on a present known as Entry All Areas, the sister present to The Phrase. He’d developed a swaggering character known as ‘Eddie the Baskerville’ and was going to current the present with Mark Lamarr. On the eve of the primary recording, he had a mind haemorrhage which knocked him out of motion for six years. His spouse Lynn died of a mind haemorrhage in 1998.

Eddie first beginning cross dressing within the late ‘80’s on-stage with ex-V2 member Mark Stanley within the glam band Diamond Canine, which later turned PleaSureDome. When he got here off stage, the come down was so nice that he’d preserve the garments on for so long as potential, which led to him to experiment with cross dressing through the day. Rockschool got here subsequent, a model of PleaSureDome, however with out Mark. It was throughout this time that Eddie developed a critical drug downside.

“I used to be listening to voices and music. I’d stick me ‘ead out of the window pondering somebody’s taking part in bagpipes outdoors, telling them to cease! It was simply in me ‘ead”.

He moved as much as Saddleworth and hid away, strolling on the moors to convalesce, dwelling as a transgender particular person and figuring out as Edweena.

Edweena slowly began to get again on the circuit with a trans glam act, billed as ‘Edweena’s Social gathering’, now dwelling full time as Edweena Banger in Sale. She continued to report music as The Nosebleeds, placing out a collection of glam impressed punk albums. Eddie/Edweena at all times had an ear for a terrific punk melody, and this actually got here throughout in these restricted releases which included Kicking Off in  2013, New York Metropolis 2016, Authorized Excessive in 2017, Revolution X 2022, plus solo albums Diamonds on tenth avenue & Diamond Rocks each launched in 2021. She moved to Hale village earlier than shifting in with boyfriend Ronnie in Liverpool in 2021. Tragedy struck once more when Ronnie handed away on the finish of 2022.

In 2021 Mick Rossi, Howard Bates, Phil Rowland and Edweena reformed the unique ‘Chew Again’ period of Slaughter & The Canine billed as Slaughter Bites Again, with the persevering with spat with ex-SATD front-man Wayne Barrett persevering with to canine them. The re-energised band performed a storming set at Riot in Manchester – see the video beneath. The next yr the band performed Riot competition in Blackpool, gracing the Empress Ballroom stage. They’d later get well full use of the band title in 2024.

Edweena continued to play night cabaret exhibits in addition to recording within the studio. Late final yr she completed recording a brand new album with Mind Grantham on drums and ex-Naughty Boys and Gustaffson guitarist David Gleave. They recorded 10 tracks collectively which Edweena was on the cusp of releasing. Dubbed The Coney Island Mission, the deliberate album was known as Northern Deliverance. In the direction of the tip of final yr Edweena put collectively a brand new band below the title of ‘Eddie Garrity’s Slaughter’ and launched an EP ‘Sizzling Uncooked Steel & Gasoline’. Dwell dates have been secured for this yr, the place the band can be taking part in ‘Chew Again’ in full, together with the singles. The debut present at Manchester’s Star & Garter on the 28^th December 2024 being the one present they performed.

I met Eddie/Edweena quite a lot of instances through the years, and it was at all times memorable. I used to be at Bowdon Social Membership in 1979, when, after taking part in as Ed Banger, Eddie signed my copy of Kinnell Tommy. I shared a beer together with her at The Malt Shovels in Altrincham the place she towered over the black anoraked clientele on the bar in her six-inch stilettos! I interviewed her for Louder Than Battle in 2017 after which once more on my radio present 2022, each instances she regaled me with tales from her lengthy (and chequered) profession, and risqué private life. She was at all times proud and fully undaunted of how she offered herself, however beneath all of it, was clearly affected by some individuals’s attitudes in direction of her. She performed a storming set of Glam classics at Tony Davidson’s ebook launch at Dysfunction in Manchester and continued packing as a lot as potential into her inventive aspect. Her Fb feed crackled with humour, a continuing stream of ‘Carry-On’ & ‘extra tea vicar’ jokes and innuendo; at all times humorous, at all times prepared with the saucy one quip come-back.

Edweena is survived by her son.

Learn Steve McGarry’s obituary on his Substack.

Phrases by Nigel Carr. Because of Paul Andrew Bedford. Photographs: Edweena banger.