Lee Brilleaux of Dr Feelgood
I was 17, at art school in Gloucester when I took this photo at the Winter Gardens. It was one of the nearest venues for me to see live music, a bit of a backwater with little security. I got backstage easily and simply asked the band to let me take a few photos. The grotty dressing room is a classic backdrop for a touring band. The two girls flanking Lee Brilleaux reminds me of what he said when he left his day job as a solicitor’s clerk, “ What man of 21 is going to turn down foreign travel and crumpet?”
Dr Feelgood were my favourite band from the pub-rock boom and were brilliant on stage but now they were trying to cope with this new thing called punk. Wilko Johnson their manic, bug-eyed guitarist had recently left and singer Lee Brilleaux was the main force holding the band together. He was charismatic with his non-stop energy, don’t-give-a-damn attitude and passion for the blues. He died at 41 from lymphoma. Memorial concert/parties are held for him every year on Canvey Island.
