By the time Gags re-emerged from their self-imposed exile their pent-up energy was channelled into the live act, with more emphasis on R & B than ever. Now Gore stepped up to songwriting duties with new band standards including Lady Wrestler and Baby Shut Your Mouth.

‘We were influenced at that time by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Rockpile,’ says McLaughlin. ‘We were intent on tearing the roof down every time we went on stage.’ Slow blues tracks as well as Ray Charles covers would provide an occasional respite from the mayhem but the overall on-stage outlook rarely deviated from ‘Stormy’.

Tony Wilson landed them slots at Granada TV, maintaining the band’s profile, but further breakthroughs eluded them. ‘Tony’s musical interests by that time lay in Factory, a million miles away from what we were doing,’ says Kelly. ‘It spoke volumes of him that he still gave us a leg up.’

Perhaps the truest representation of the Gags sound is the live recording, Homework, recorded in 1984 at one of the band’s favourite haunts, The Old Grey Horse (formerly The Cavalcade) in Didsbury. As the cassette cover of the release claims, it’s ‘90% proof R & B'. It perfectly captures the band at their height.