Mike Sweeney’s band, Salford Jets, performed their final northern gig at Salford Lads and Girls Club last weekend after 50 years of performing.
Salford Jets was founded by Sweeney and his friend Diccon Hubbard in the mid 1970s and it rose to prominence in the North of England with songs such as “What You Looking at?” and “Gina (I’ve got a Cortina).” Both songs were on the charts, but the band grew to fame largely due to live TV performances.
The Jets sold out Salford Lads and Girls Club for their final northern performance in just two days.
Mike Sweeney told Salford Now about the genesis of the band.
He said: “I felt this sort of almost a freedom; punk was coming through. Not just the Sex Pistols, bands like the Vibrators, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Curzled Flyers, bands like that.
“So I started writing, which I’d never done before. And by sort of August, September, the band had come together. We were called the Jets for about a week and Dick and my mate said, why don’t we call it the Salford Jets? We’re all from Salford, and that really wasn’t the sort of thing to do. It was very uncool. We thought it was a great idea.
“So we called the band the Salford Jets. And that’s when I changed what I was wearing; I started to wear what you call skinny jeans now.”
Salford Jets’ final gig will be at the Hope and Anchor in London, but Sweeney saw Saturday night’s gig at the local venue as the band’s send-off for local fans.
He said: “In a perfect world, the last gig we would have done would have been at Salford Lads Club at the end of the year. But we couldn’t actually get the dates to align.
“I liked where I lived. I like where I came from. I wouldn’t be who I was without the city of Salford.”
Speaking on the decision to end the band now, the 79-year-old presenter said: “I’m not saying I’ll never sing again. And I’m sure at some point somebody will say, can you sing Gina? Of course I can. I just didn’t want to feel I had to run a band, or to run the Salford Jets. And also, I didn’t want us to fade away.
“What a great gig to finish. It was just beautiful.”
Attendees of Saturday’s gig enjoyed their time at the iconic venue.
“To come to an iconic place like this that I’d never been to before is just fantastic,” said Glyn Stoker, 60.
Mr Stoker was joined by friend, John Roche, who said: “It’s a great place, such an iconic place with so much history and such an amazing atmosphere.”
Married couple Rob and Jane Manley, 64 and 60, were also in attendance on Saturday night.
Jane said: “I’m here for Mike Sweeney.
“We saw him in the 80s at the Willows, and I’ve also seen him at the Opera House, and obviously I listen to him on the radio.
“I’m sad this is his last local gig; I’m just hoping he doesn’t retire from the radio!”
Leslie Holmes, project manager and curator at Salford Lads Club,said: “I’ve known Mike for about over 20 years. I invited him here to do some projects with young people and talk to them, and I knew he had a long history around here.
“So, you know, this is where he grew up, and he used to go camping with Salford Lads Club. So all these kinds of things are very much part of his DNA, really. And he’s kept in touch with us.
“It’s great that we were able to offer Salford Jets this final North gig.”
