📰 Sweet Bury the Hatchet – Article: Apr.1979
- Sweet
- Apr 23, 1979
- 3 min read
A charged, emotionally loaded two‑page Bravo spread capturing Sweet at a moment of public fracture and attempted reconciliation. The atmosphere is tense but hopeful — a band performing as a trio while extending an unexpected peace gesture toward their estranged frontman.
📰 Publication Details
Publication: Bravo
Date: April 23, 1979
Country: Germany
Section / Page: Two‑Page Feature
Format: Feature Article / Photo Feature
Provenance Notes: Verified by visible headline, German text, and Bravo’s signature layout style.
📰 What the Clipping Shows
The left page features a bold headline in large yellow type:
“Sweet begraben das Kriegsbeil: VERSÖHNUNG MIT BRIAN”
(Sweet bury the hatchet: reconciliation with Brian)
A large colour photograph shows Sweet performing live as a trio — guitars raised, drums behind them, stage lights washing the scene in saturated colour.
A smaller inset photo shows Brian Connolly separately, holding a bass guitar, visually emphasising his absence from the main group.
The right page contains a long column of German text describing the situation: Sweet’s first appearance without Brian on the TV show Musikladen, and the surprising peace offer they extended to him.
This clipping matters because it documents a rare moment of public vulnerability and attempted healing within one of glam rock’s most turbulent bands.
📰 The Story Behind It
By 1979, Sweet were deep into a period of internal conflict. Brian Connolly’s departure had fractured the band’s classic lineup, leaving Andy Scott, Steve Priest, and Mick Tucker to continue as a trio. Bravo’s feature captures their appearance on Bremer TV‑Musikladen, marking their first major performance without Brian.
The article frames the moment as both historic and emotionally charged. The trio perform with intensity, but the shadow of the split hangs over the stage. Bravo reports that during this appearance, the three remaining members made a surprising peace offer to Brian — a gesture that suggests lingering loyalty despite the “große Krach” (big blow‑up) that separated them.
The inset photo of Brian, isolated from the main image, reinforces the emotional distance. The right‑page text describes how the band felt performing without him, how the conflict unfolded, and what the future might hold.
This feature sits at a pivotal moment in Sweet’s late‑’70s trajectory — a band trying to move forward while still tethered to its past.
📰 Quotes from the Article
• “Sweet begraben das Kriegsbeil: Versöhnung mit Brian”
(Sweet bury the hatchet: reconciliation with Brian)
• “Im Bremer TV‑Musikladen stellten sich Sweet … zum erstenmal als Trio vor.”
(On Bremen’s TV‑Musikladen, Sweet appeared for the first time as a trio.)
📰 Related Material
• Bravo feature: Sweet – Pop Feature – 1973
• Chronicle entry: Sweet – Teenage Rampage Feature – Bravo – 1974
• Chronicle entry: Sweet – Slade Alive! Tour Context – 1972
Additional material connected to this entry is listed in the tag index at the foot of the page.
📰 Visual Archive
Sweet performing as a trio — Bravo, April 23, 1979, reporting on their attempted reconciliation with Brian Connolly.
The spread includes:
A full‑colour live performance photo of Sweet as a trio
A smaller inset portrait of Brian Connolly, separate from the main group
Bold headline typography in Bravo’s signature yellow
A dense right‑page column of German text detailing the band’s internal situation
Sweet performing as a trio — Bravo, April 23, 1979, reporting on their attempted reconciliation with Brian Connolly.
📰 Closing Notes
This Bravo feature captures Sweet at a moment of emotional intensity — a band confronting its fractures while still hoping for unity. As an archival document, it preserves the tension, vulnerability, and humanity behind their glam‑rock image, offering a rare glimpse into the personal struggles beneath the stage lights.
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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