Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
THE MACABRE:
The Macabre on the steps of the Ealing Club. Peter is front and Alan is far left. Thanks to both for sharing the picture
Thanks to Peter Vernon-Kell and Chris Downing, I have been able to piece a bit of information together on this West London band, who apparently opened for The Who regularly on Friday nights at the Goldhawk Social Club. Incidentally, Vernon-Kell was an old friend of The Who’s, having been a brief member of its predecessor, The Detours. Ed Hamilton had previously worked with The Crescents with Harvey Hinsley. I would welcome any reader insights.
Peter Vernon-Kell – guitar/vocals
Ed Hamilton – guitar/vocals
Alan Oates – bass
Chris Downing – guitar/vocals (replaced Hamilton)
Carl Broadbent – drums
Downing recalls that he worked with the band for six to eight months (more likely to have been a year). Ed Hamilton, who Downing replaced and who succeeded him around July 1965 when the guitarist moved on, had left The Macabre around July 1964 to later work with Mike Berry & The Outlaws.
Downing remembers that The Macabre featured several bass players during his time with the group.
He also recalls that The Macabre opened for The Who and The Spencer Davis Group in Watford. On a separate occasion, they also played with The Rockin’ Berries in Watford.
Other dates that he recalls are a gig with The Who at Woolwich Town Hall (more likely to have been Greenwich Town Hall on 24 June 1965), several shows with Tony Rivers & The Castaways and a show with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in Forest Gate.
The band played regularly at the Goldhawk Social Club, which apparently only hosted bands on Fridays and Saturdays. Downing says that they supported The Groundhogs there, including one show where Jimmy Reed guested with The Groundhogs.
The guitarist also remembers The Macabre shared a billing with The Who (actually it was as The High Numbers) on the evening when Roger Daltry’s father-in-law turned up and fight broke up between them (Ed – this was Railway Hotel in Harrow on 11 August 1964).
When the band broke up, Peter Vernon-Kell became a member of the group that became The Hamilton Movement.
Selected gigs:
2 August 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
9 August 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette) Possible but not confirmed
16 August 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette) Possible but not confirmed
23 August 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette) Possible but not confirmed
30 August 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette) Possible but not confirmed
6 September 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette) Possible but not confirmed
13 September 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
20 September 1964 – Ealing Club, Ealing, Middlesex (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Fabulous 208, February 1965. Back row, L-R: Roy Young, Cliff Bennett, Sid Phillips, Moss Groves and Dave Burt. Front row, L-R: Bobby Thompson and Dave Wendels
CLIFF BENNETT & THE REBEL ROUSERS:
1961
The band’s early gigs were billed to The Rebel Rousers
1 July 1961 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Danny Rivers (Lincolnshire Standard) Billed as Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
8 July 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
15 July 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
22 July 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
12 August 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
19 August 1961 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire (Cambridgeshire Times)
26 August 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
9 September 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
23 September 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
30 September 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
11 November 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
2 December 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
24 December 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
31 December 1961 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
1962
10 January 1962 – Constitutional Hall, Chertsey, Surrey (Woking Herald)
24 March 1962 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Uxbridge Post)
20 May 1962 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex with Lord Sutch & The Savages (Uxbridge Post)
23 June 1962 – Sawbridgeworth Memorial Hall, the Forebury, Sawbridgeworth, Herts with The Delphins (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
21 July 1963 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
27 July 1963 – New ‘Konda’ Club, Windsor, Berkshire with The Swinging Blue Jeans (Windsor and Eton Express)
2 August 1963 – St Peter’s Hall, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey with The Impalas (Surrey Comet)
4 August 1963 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex (Harrow Observer)
25 August 1963 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
8 September 1963 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Dominoes (Aldershot News)
20 October 1963 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
29 October 1963 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)
2 November 1963 – New Rendezvous Club, Deane Park Hall, South Ruislip, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
17 November 1963 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
22 November 1963 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Ray Dell & The Rocking Deacons and The Valiants (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
24 November 1963 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
28 November 1963 – Majestic Ballroom, Luton, Bedfordshire (Luton News)
3 December 1963 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)
29 December 1963 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex with Linda Laine & The Sinners (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
1964
5 January 1964 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Stormers (Aldershot News)
7 January 1964 – Upper Clatford Village Hall, Andover, Hampshire (Andover Advertiser)
8 January 1964 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
12 January 1964 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette)
24 January 1964 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Western Scene)
2 February 1964 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey with Daniel Boone & The Emeralds (Aldershot News)
8 February 1964 – King’s Hall, Hackney Baths, Hackney, north London with Ray Dell & The Rocking Deacons (Hackney Gazette)
11 February 1964 – Beat City, British Legion Hall, South Harrow, Middlesex with The Falcons (Harrow Observer)
22 February 1964 – West Cliff Cavern, Ramsgate, Kent with The Limelights (East Kent Times)
26 February 1964 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
31 March 1964 – Beat City, British Legion Hall, South Harrow, Middlesex (Harrow Observer)
7 April 1964 – Beat City, British Legion Hall, South Harrow, Middlesex (Harrow Observer)
6 September 1964 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
11 September 1964 – Greenwich Town Hall, Greenwich, London with two supporting groups (South East London Mercury)
18 September 1964 – Granada, Walthamstow, London with Billy J Kramer, The Ronettes, The Yardbirds, The Nashville Teens, The Dakotas and Tim Connor (Leyton & Leytonstone Guardian)
20 September 1964 – Odeon, Lewisham, southeast London with Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Ronettes, The Yardbirds, The Nashville Teens, The Dakotas and Tim Connor (Leyton & Leytonstone Guardian)
13 October 1964 – Granada Bedford, Bedford, Bedfordshire with Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Kinks, The Nashville Teens, The Yardbirds and Bill Black’s Combo (Luton News)
17 October 1964 – Gloucester ABC, Gloucester with Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Kinks, The Ronettes, The Yardbirds, Bill Black’s Combo, The Nashville Teens and Tim Connor (Gloucester Citizen)
21 October 1964 – New Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex with Pamela Blue and Ray Russell Combo (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
22 October 1964 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge with The Blues Anonymous (Cambridge News)
27 October 1964 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
31 October 1964 – Royal Hotel, Lowestoft, Suffolk with The Blue Beats (Eastern Evening News)
2 November 1964 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Western Scene)
20-21 November 1964 – Empire Pool, Wembley, Middlesex with The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Pretty Things, The Migil Five, The Miami Show Band, Susan Maughan, Lorne Lesley, Julia Rogers, Gene Vincent and The Hustlers (Clapham Advertiser)
21 November 1964 – Wilton Hall, Bletchley, Bucks with Nicky & The Pagens (Bletchley District Gazette)
25 November 1964 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
27 November 1964 – Guildhall, Plymouth, Devon (Beat Instrumental)
28 November 1964 – Baths, Leyton, east London (Beat Instrumental)
29 November 1964 – De Montfort Hall, Leicester (Beat Instrumental)
4 December 1964 – Fairfield Hall, Croydon, Surrey with The Rolling Stones, The Worryin’ Kind, Twinkle, The Quiet Five and Sack O’ Woes (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
6 December 1964 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex with Jean & The Statesides (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
9 December 1964 – Kinema, Dunfermline, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
11 December 1964 – Gig in Kirkcaldy, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
18 December 1964 – Locarno, Coventry (Beat Instrumental)
20 December 1964 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Beat Instrumental/Ruislip & Northcote Gazette)
23 December 1964 – Pacemakers’ Christmas Show, Liverpool (Beat Instrumental)
1965
30 January 1965 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, Middlesex (Beat Instrumental)
31 January 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
6 February 1965 – Manchester University (Beat Instrumental)
7 February 1965 – Southall (probaby Community Centre), Middlesex (Beat Instrumental)
13 February 1965 – Brighton University, Brighton, Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
19 February 1965 – Granada, East Ham with Roy Orbison, The Rockin’ Berries, Marianne Faithful, Three Quarters and Frank Berry & The Untamed (Leyton, Leytonstone and Waltham Forest Guardian)
27 March 1965 – Matrix, Coventry (Beat Instrumental)
28 March 1965 – Celebrity, New Bond Street, central London (Beat Instrumental)
3 April 1965 – Drill Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire with Romin Tribe and Maniax (Grantham Journal)
4 April 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex (Harrow Weekly Post)
18 April 1965 – Silver Blades, Birmingham, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental)
24 April 1965 – Hull University, Hull (Beat Instrumental)
25 April 1965 – Starlite Ballrom, Greenford, Middlesex (Beat Instrumental)
28 April 1965 – Sheffield University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
1 May 1965 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Vandels Blues (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
2 May 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, west London with Mike Dee & The Prophets (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
6 May 1965 – Bowes Lyon Youth Centre, Stevenage, Herts with Kit & The Saracens (Hertfordshire Express)
7 May 1965 – Fender Club, Harrrow, northwest London (Beat Instrumental)
9 May 1965 – Empire Pool, Wembley, northwest London (Beat Instrumental)
15 May 1965 – Craven Hill Theatre, Bicester, Oxfordshire with The Apollos (Oxford Mail)
24 May 1965 – Dome, Brighton, Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
26 May 1965 – Song Contest at the Dome, Brighton, Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
28 May 1965 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London (Beat Instrumental)
29 May 1965 – City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Beat Instrumental)
30 May 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, London (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
4 June 1965 – Wood Farm, Grosmount (Beat Instrumental)
5 June 1965 – British Legion Hall, Calford (Beat Instrumental)
6 June 1965 – Town Hall, Stratford (probably east London) (Beat Instrumental)
8 June 1965 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
10 June 1965 – The Palace, Douglas, Isle of Man (Beat Instrumental)
12 June 1965 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Motowns (East Kent Times & Mail)
13 June 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London with The Preachers (Melody Maker)
16 June 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News)
16 June 1965 – Town Hall, Farnborough, Hants (Beat Instrumental)
19 June 1965 – Uxbridge Blues Festival, Uxbridge, northwest London with Marianne Faithfull, The Who, Solomon Burke, The Spencer Davis Group, Long John Baldry, Zoot Money, The Birds, John Mayall, Ray Martin Group and Dave Whittling (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette)
20 June 1965 – Britannia Theatre, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with Donovan (Yarmouth Mercury)
21 June 1965 – Civic Hall, Corby, Northants (Beat Instrumental)
25 June 1965 – Plaza, Stirling, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
26 June 1965 – Paladium, Greenwich, southeast London (Beat Instrumental)
27 June 1965 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Beat Instrumental)
28 June 1965 – Keele University, Keele (Beat Instrumental)
1 July 1965 – College of Technology, Birmingham (Beat Instrumental)
3 July 1965 – Gig in March (most likely Marcam Hall), Cambridgeshire (Beat Instrumental)
4 July 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, west London (Beat Instrumental)
16 July 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey with The In Crowd (Surrey Advertiser)
24 July 1965 – Winter Gardens, Ventnor, Isle of Wight with Davy Jones & The Lower Third (Isle of Wight County Press)
25 July 1965 – Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
27 July 1965 – Mexican Hat, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Gazette)
30 July 1965 – Marine Ballroom, Morecambe, Lancashire (Beat Instrumental)
31 July 1965 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
1 August 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, west London (Beat Instrumental)
2 August 1965 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Beat Instrumental)
4 August 1965 – Top Hat, Littlehampton, West Sussex (Littlehampton Post)
5 August 1965 – Olympia Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (Beat Instrumental)
6 August 1965 – Wimbledon Palais, Wimbledon, southwest London (Beat Instrumental)
7 August 1965 – Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent with The Cygnets (East Kent Times)
8 August 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Ronnie Jones & The Blue Jays (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
8 August 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, west London (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
9 August 1965 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Beat Instrumental)
12 August 1965 – Winter Gardens, Cleethorpes (Beat Instrumental)
16 August 1965 – Floral Hall, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk (Beat Instrumental)
21 August 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London with The Preachers (Melody Maker)
25 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Originally billed with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band
28 August 1965 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
30 August 1965 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Mark Leeman Five and Heinz & The Wild Boys (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
3 September 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with St Louis Checks (Dave Allen research) Beat Instrumental has Kimbell’s, Southsea, Hants on this date which is also possible
4 September 1965 – Sherborne Carnival, TA Centre, Lenthay, Dorset with Four Hits & A Miss (Western Gazette)
6 September 1965 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (Beat Instrumental)
9 September 1965 – Locarno Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire (Beat Instrumental)
10 September 1965 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with The Next of Kin (Gloucester Citizen)
11 September 1965 – British Legion Hall, Coleford, Somerset (Beat Instrumental)
12 September 1965 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey with The Condors (Aldershot News)
13 September 1965 – Adelphi, West Bromwich, West Midlands and Club Cedar, Birmingham (Beat Instrumental)
15 September 1965 – Town Hall, Crewe, Cheshire (Beat Instrumental)
16 September 1965 – Assembly Hall, Flint, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
17 September 1965 – Fender Club, Kenton, west London (Beat Instrumental)
18 September 1965 – Trade Union Hall, Watford, Herts (Beat Instrumental)
19 September 1965 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Harrow Weekly Post/Greenford Weekly Post)
20 September 1965 – Savoy, Southsea, Hants (Beat Instrumental)
2 October 1965 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental) Says Cambridge but this is most likely a misprint
3 October 1965 – Rainbow Theatre, Blackpool, Lancashire (Beat Instrumental)
6 October 1965 – Sheffield University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
8 October 1965 – Royal College of Technology, Salford, Greater Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
10 October 1965 – Casino Club, Harraby (Beat Instrumental)
15 October 1965 – Majestic Ballroom, Wellington (Beat Instrumental)
16 October 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Tom Jones & The Squires, The Gaylords and The Planets (Lincolnshire Standard)
17 October 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, west London (Middlesex County Times & West Middlesex Gazette)
20 October 1965 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
22 October 1965 – 400 Ballroom, Torquay, Devon (Herald Express)
23 October 1965 – Victoria Cross Gallery, Wantage, Oxfordshire with The Voyds (Oxford Mail)
24 October 1965 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London (Beat Instrumental)
26 October 1965 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
29 October 1965 – Palace Ballroom, Maryport (Beat Instrumental)
30 October 1965 – Leicester University, Leicester (Beat Instrumental)
31 October 1965 – White Lion, Edgware, north London (Beat Instrumental)
3 November 1965 – Church Hall, Stonehouse, Stroud, Gloucestershrie (Beat Instrumental)
4 November 1965 – Empire Ballroom, Wrath (Beat Instrumental)
5 November 1965 – Bath Pavilion and gig in Swansea, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
6 November 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey with The Moggies (Surrey Advertiser)
7 November 1965 – Jewish Lads’ Brigade, Cheetham (Beat Instrumental)
21 April 1966 – RAF Wittering, West Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
22 April 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London (Beat Instrumental)
23 April 1966 – Worsley Civic Hall, Walkden, Worsley, Greater Manchester with The Executives and The SOS (Bolton Evening News)
24 April 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Alan Bown Set (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
29 April 1966 – Regency Ballroom, Bath (Beat Instrumental)
30 April 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
1 May 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Newbury, Berkshire with The Pacifics (Andover Advertiser/North Berks Herald)
2 May 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
4 May 1966 – Tower Ballroom, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with The John Lofty Sounds (Yarmouth Mercury)
5 May 1966 – Starlight, Crawley, West Sussex with The Cadalucks (Caterham Weekly Press) This is missing from Beat Instrumental
6 May 1966 – Bellevue, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
7 May 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
8 May 1966 – New Elizabethan Ballroom, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
11 May 1966 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Clique (Berkhamsted Gazette & Tring and District News)
12-16 May 1966 – Scottish tour (Beat Instrumental)
12-19 June 1966 – Greasebrough Social Club, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
18 June 1966 – 21 Mod Club, Rotherham, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
21 June 1966 – Worcester College, Oxford University, Oxford with The Searchers, The Fourmost, The Dudley Moore Trio, The Cougars with Samantha and Eddie King, Mark Roman & The Javelins, Caribbean Steel Band, Bill Savill and His Band and others (Cherwell)
28 June 1966 – Town Hall, Crayford, southeast London (Beat Instrumental/PACE magazine)
1 July 1966 – Grimsby Mecca, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph) This is missing from Beat Instrumental
2 July 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Fabulous 208)
3 July 1966 – USAF Bentwaters, near Woodbridge, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
6 July 1966 – Grafton Rooms, Liverpool (Fabulous 208)
7 July 1966 – West Midlands Training College, Walsall, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
9 July 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham with Robert Hirst and The Dickens Set (Nottingham Evening Post)
14 July 1966 – RAF Gaydon, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire (Fabulous 208)
28 July 1966 – Gray’s Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1966 – Town Hall, Cullen, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1966 – Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
30 July 1966 – Town Hall, Tain, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
31 July 1966 – Black Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
5 August 1966 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with Episode Six (Berkhamsted Gazette & Tring and District News)
7 August 1966 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, Surrey (Coulson & Purley Advertiser) This isn’t listed in Beat Instrumental
7 August 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
11 August 1966 – Town Hall, East Ham, London (Fabulous 208)
11 August 1966 – In Crowd, Hackney, London (Fabulous 208)
13 August 1966 – Expresso Continental, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Fabulous 208)
14 August 1966 – Princess Theatre, Torquay, Devon with The Walker Brothers (Fabulous 208)
15 August 1966 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall (Fabulous 208)
17 August 1966 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, London (Coulson & Purley Advertiser)
17-18 August 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Beat Instrumental)
19 August 1966 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, southeast London (Fabulous 208/PACE magazine)
20 August 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Fabulous 208)
21 August 1966 – Union Rowing Club, Trent Bridge, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
24 August 1966 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire (Fabulous 208)
25 August 1966 – Locarno, Streatham, southwest London (Beat Instrumental)
26 August 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Fabulous 208)
9 September 1966 – Beat Festival, Scunthorpe United Football Ground, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, The Troggs, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Ram Jam Band, The Creation, The Mindbenders and The Fenmen (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
10 September 1966 – Spa Royal Hall, Bridlington with The Fenmen and The Syndicate 5 (Scarborough Evening News)
11 September 1966 – Black Prince, Bexley, London (Fabulous 208)
13 September 1966 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
5 November 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham with Farinas (Nottingham Evening Post)
5 November 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Mail)
6 November 1966 – Birmingham Theatre, Birmingham, West Midlands with Lee Dorsey and Jerry Lee Lewis (Fabulous 208)
7 November 1966 –Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon, southwest London with Jerry Lee Lewis, Lee Dorsey, The Crying Shames and The Graham Bell Trend (Woking Herald)
12 November 1966 – ABC Promotions, Public Hall, Heacham, Norfolk (Fabulous 208/Lynn News)
15 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Episode Six (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 November 1966 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull (Fabulous 208)
18 November 1966 – Sutton-in-Ashfield Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (Fabulous 208)
19 November 1966 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston Super Mare, Somerset with The Ken Birch Band and The Bones (Weston Mercury)
26 November 1966 – Training College, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
20 December 1966 – Palais de Danse, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
22 December 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Fenmen, Sounds Incorporated and The Skyliners (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
23 December 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Derby, Derbyshire (Fabulous 208)
24 December 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London with The Army (Melody Maker and Tony Tacon’s memories)
28 December 1966 – Top Rank Suite, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Evening Echo)
1967
7 January 1967 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Beat Syndicate (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday/Herts & Essex Observer)
7 January 1967 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers, The Creation, The Artwoods and St Louis Union (Melody Maker)
8 January 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (Fabulous 208)
9 January 1967 – Bluesville ’67 Club, Baths Hall, Ipswich, Suffolk (Essex County Standard)
10 January 1967 – King’s Hall, University College, Gower Street, London (Fabulous 208)
13 January 1967 – City Leeds Training College, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
14 January 1967 – Matlock Bath Pavilion, Matlock, Derbyshire with Deep Purple (Derby Evening Telegraph)
20 January 1967 – High Hall, Birmingham University, Birmingham, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
21 January 1967 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent with Mixed Feelings (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette)
1 February 1967 – Falcon Hotel, Falconwood, southeast London (PACE magazine)
2 February 1967 – St Giles Youth Club, Willenhall Baths Assembly Hall, Willenhall, West Midlands with The ‘N’ Betweens, The Ensemble and Scarab (Express and Star)
3 February 1967 – Beddington Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire with Sounds Incorporated (Fabulous 208)
4 February 1967 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, London (Fabulous 208)
10 February 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London (Fabulous 208)
11 February 1967 – Raven Club, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire with The Set and The Interpids (Lincolnshire Echo)
23 February 1967 – Golden Dancing Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (Fabulous 208)
24 February 1967 – Sheffield University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
26 February 1967 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News)
2 March 1967 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire with The Tremeloes and The Trend (Fabulous 208)
3 March 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London (Melody Maker)
4 March 1967 – Bal Tabarin, Downham, Southeast London with supporting groups (South East London Mercury)
5 March 1967 – Union Rowing Club, Trent Bridge, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
10 March 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (David Else’s research)
16 March 1967 – Kilburn Polytechnic, Kilburn, London with Ronnie Jones & The Blue Jays and The Syn (Melody Maker)
17 March 1967 – Saint College, Southampton, Hampshire (Fabulous 208)
18 March 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Epics (East Kent Times & Mail)
19 March 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (South East London Mercury)
20 March 1967 – College of Education, Worcester, Worcestershire (Fabulous 208)
23 March 1967 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, south Wales with The Troggs, Neil Christian Crusaders, The Corncrackers and John Smith Committee (South Wales Evening Post)
26 March 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
27 March 1967 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Other Five and The Triple Vintage (West Briton & Royal Cornwall Gazette)
1 April 1967 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex with Daddy Linburg with The Fingers and The Committee (Southend Standard)
2 April 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Phil Ryan & The Scorpions (Crewe Chronicle)
6 April 1967 – King’s Hall, Belle Vue, Greater Manchester with The Tremeloes, Sounds Incorporated, The Move and Mirage (Fabulous 208)
12 April 1967 – Whitehaven College, Whitehaven, Cumbria (Fabulous 208)
13 April 1967 – RAF Uxbridge, Uxbridge, London (Fabulous 208)
14 April 1967 – Brighton Arts Festival, Metropole Hotel, Brighton, Sussex with Paul Jones, The Move, Geno Washington, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Mike Stuart Span and others (Melody Maker)
15 April 1967 – Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
19 April 1967 – Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Eastbourne Herald Chronicle/Fabulous 208)
20 April 1967 – College of Technology, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
20 April 1967 – Sherwood Rooms, Nottingham with The Alan Price Set (Nottingham Evening Post)
21 April 1967 – Queen’s Rink, West Hartlepool, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
22 April 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Fabulous 208)
27 April 1967 – Crystal Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208) This could be Newcastle under Lyme
29 April 1967 – Regal Ballroom, Bonnyrigg, Scotland with Tony & The Traders, Catch 22 and The Sindicate (South Midlothian Advertiser)
30 April 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Mooche (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
5 May 1967 – Bishop Grosset Estate College, Lincoln (Fabulous 208)
7 May 1967 – Royal Hall, Northwich, Cheshire (Fabulous 208)
7 May 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Notttingham Evening Post)
11 May 1967 – Kilroy’s Ballroom, Swindon, Wiltshire (Fabulous 208)
13 May 1967 – New Cornish, Riviera Lido, St Austell, Cornwall with Cousin Jacks (West Briton & Royal Cornish Gazette)
16 May 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
19 May 1967 – Top Rank Suite, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
20 May 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London (Fabulous 208)
21 May 1967 – Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Fabulous 208)
22 May 1967 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, London (Fabulous 208)
26 May 1967 – Pavilion, Newton (possibly Cambridgeshire) (Fabulous 208)
27 May 1967 – Hertford Balls, Oxford with Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Swinging Blue Jeans, The Action and Hamilton & The Movement (Cherwell)
28 May 1967 – Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire with The Nite People (Fabulous 208/Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
29 May 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Shades (Crewe Chronicle)
2 June 1967 – Golden Diamond Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (Fabulous 208)
3 June 1967 – College of Technology, Manchester (Fabulous 208)
4 June 1967 – Union Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
5 June 1967 – Social Club, Aylesbury, Bucks (Fabulous 208)
8 June 1967 – Waggon and Horses, Wall Heath, West Midlands (Express & Star)
11 June 1967 – Palace Ballroom, Douglas, Isle of Man (Fabulous 208)
12 June 1967 – Trinity College, Cambridge with The Alan Price Set (Fabulous 208)
17 June 1967 – Surf City Club, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Fabulous 208)
25 June 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (Poster)
29 June 1967 – Aston University, Birmingham with Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Fabulous 208)
30 June 1967 – Liverpool University, Liverpool with Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Fabulous 208)
1 July 1967 – Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire (Fabulous 208)
1 July 1967 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire with Monopoly (Crewe Chronicle)
2 July 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
3 July 1967 – Park Hall Hotel, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Uglys and Choice (Express & Star)
7 July 1967 – Culham College, Abingdon, Oxfordshire (Fabulous 208)
8 July 1967 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette)
9 July 1967 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
12 July 1967 – Cavern Club, East Dereham, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
13 July 1967 – Club Franchi, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
14 July 1967 – Town Hall, Hawick, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
15 July 1967 – Corn Exchange, Kelso, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
21 July 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, London with The Courtells (Melody Maker)
22 July 1967 – Victoria Cross Gallery, Wantage, Oxfordshire with Steam Machine (Oxford Mail/Wiltshire Gazette/Newbury Weekly News)
26 July 1967 – Nautilus Club, Lowestoft, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1967 – Corby Civic Centre, Corby, Northamptonshire with Magic Roundabout and The Midniters (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
30 July 1967 – Sunday Club, Addlestone, Surrey (Woking Herald)
31 July 1967 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, London (Fabulous 208)
5 August 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London (Melody Maker)
12 August 1967 – Tavern Club, East Dereham (Fabulous 208)
13 August 1967 – Old Crown & Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
23 August 1967 – Regal Ballroom, Minehead, Somerset with The West Coast Sound (Somerset County Gazette)
24 August 1967 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall (Cornish Guardian)
26 August 1967 – Glastonbury Town Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset with Jangless Gallery (Somerset County Gazette)
28 August 1967 – Pynkney Hall Blues Festival, Fakenham, Norfolk with The Move, Alan Bown, Family and The Workshop (Melody Maker)
1 September 1967 – Pink Flamingo, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
2 September 1967 – Tavistock Town Hall, Tavistock, Devon (Cornish Guardian & Devon Post)
3 September 1967 – Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Fabulous 208)
8 September 1967 – RAF Digby, Lincoln (Fabulous 208)
9 September 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Fabulous 208)
9 September 1967 – Night Owl, Leicester (Fabulous 208)
10 September 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Pleasure Machine (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
15 September 1967 – Windrush Club, RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire (Fabulous 208)
16 September 1967 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The Flashbacks (Surrey Advertiser)
17 September 1967 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands with Taylor Upton Big Jump Band (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
22 September 1967 – Airmen’s Club, West Ruislip, London (Fabulous 208)
23 September 1967 – Keys Hall, Brentwood, Essex (Fabulous 208)
24 September 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Phil Ryan & The Scorpions (Crewe Chronicle)
29 September 1967 – Recreation Ground, Wootton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire (Fabulous 208)
30 September 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, northwest London (Melody Maker)
1 October 1967 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with The Way of Life (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 October 1967 – Hatfield College of Tech, Hatfield, Herts (Fabulous 208)
8-14 October 1967 – Towers Theatre Club, Warrington, Cheshire with others (St Helens Newspaper)
8-14 October 1967 – Garrick, Leigh, Greater Manchester with others (St Helens Newspaper)
15 October 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
16 October 1967 – Staffordshire Yeoman, Stafford (Stafford Newsletter)
20 October 1967 – Cesar’s Club, Bedford, Bedfordshire with The Triads (Ampthill News & Flintwick Record)
27 October 1967 – Mildert College, Durham, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
29 October 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (Poster)
29 October 1967 – Nicholas Youth Club, Basildon, Essex (Fabulous 208)
31 October 1967 – Candlelight Club, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
1 November 1967 – Warmingham Grange Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire (Crewe Chronicle)
17 November 1967 – G-Ranch Discotheque, Maidstone, Kent (Maidstone Gazette)
18 November 1967 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette)
19 November 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with All Night Workers (Crawley Advertiser)
21 November 1967 – Boys High School, Leek, Staffordshire (Fabulous 208)
24 November 1967 – Queens Rink Ballroom, Hartlepool, County Durham with The Tony King Sound (Hartlepool Mail)
25 November 1967 – Pier Pavilion, Felixstowe, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
26 November 1967 – Nottingham University, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
1 December 1967 – Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl, Wales (Fabulous 208)
2 December 1967 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset (Fabulous 208)
3 December 1967 – Leofric Hotel, Coventry (Fabulous 208)
4 December 1967 – Park Hall Hotel, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
5 December 1967 – Samantha’s, Bournemouth, Dorset (Bournemouth Echo) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band/debut in Bournemouth
6 December 1967 – Scotch Club, Torquay, Devon (Fabulous 208)
7 December 1967 – Quay Club, Exeter, Devon (Fabulous 208)
9 December 1967 – The Polytechnic, Great Titchfield Street, London (Melody Maker) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band
17 December 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire, Nantwich, Cheshire with Jaytree Organisation (Crewe Chronicle)
19 December 1967 – Chalet Club, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
20 December 1967 – Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
21 December 1967 – Marimba Club, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
22 December 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Mike Procter Group and The Doodlebugs (Morecambe Visitor)
23 December 1967 – String O’ Beads, Bradford, West Yorkshire with support (Yorkshire Evening Post)
24 December 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London (Melody Maker)
26 December 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Fabulous 208)
29 December 1967 – Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire with The Justins and The Cataracts (Fabulous 208/Rugby Advertiser)
31 December 1967 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, northwest London (Fabulous 208)
1968
21 January 1968 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham (Chatham, Rochester and Gillingham Post)
22 January 1968 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Soul Seekers (Express & Star) Billed as Cliff Bennet & His Band
3 February 1968 – Alex Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Salisbury & Winchester Journal)
4 February 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (Poster) Billed as Cliff Bennett Show
6 February 1968 – Cheltenham Spa, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Melody Maker)
9 February 1968 – Roman Rag Ball, Glamorgan College of Technology, Glamorgan, Wales with The Nashville Teens, Union Pacific Showband, The Caribbean All Stars and The Stereos (Glamorgan County Times)
10 February 1968 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Melody Maker)
16 February 1968 – Top Rank Suite, Swansea, Wales with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band and The Tremeloes (Herald of Wales)
17 February 1968 – Walsall Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands (Express & Star) Billed as Cliff Bennett Band
25 February 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Candy Choir (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book) Billed as Cliff Bennett Band
8 March 1968 – Goldsmith College Rag Ball, New Cross, southeast London with The Blossom and The London All-Star Band (formerly Brian Something & The Whatsits) (South East London Mercury)
17 May 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham, south London (Melody Maker) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band
19 May 1968 – Warmingham Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire (Chester Chronicle)
19 May 1968 – Newbury Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire with The Soul Reason (Newbury Weekly News) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band
According to Crewe Chronicle, this is the first gig by The Rebel Rousers after their split with Cliff Bennett. I would welcome any insights from readers
CLIFF BENNETT BAND:
26 May-2 June 1968 – Garrick Club, Leigh, Greater Manchester (Fabulous 208)
Photo: Hillingdon Mirror
The Hillingdon Mirror ran an article about Cliff’s split from The Rebel Rousers in its 4 June 1968 issue, page 24
8 June 1968 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with supporting groups (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band
21 June 1968 – Kursaal Ballroom, Southend, Essex with Georgie Fame’s Band (Southend Standard)
28 June 1968 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with Top Katz and Bootlaces (Morecambe Visitor) Billed as Cliff Bennett Rebel Rousers
6 July 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with Pattersons Generation (Surrey Advertiser)
27 July 1968 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Melody Maker)
17 August 1968 – Brave New World, Southsea, Hants (Portsmouth News) Backed by Georgie Fame’s former band The Blue Flames
22 August 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Sweetshop and The Fire Brigade (West Briton & The Royal Cornwall Gazette)
22 September 1968 – Kew Boathouse, Kew, London (Thames Valley Times) Billed as Cliff Bennett & His Band
26 September 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
10 October 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Candy Choir (East Kent Times & Mail)
24 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London with Circus (Fabulous 208)
6 December 1968 – George Edwards Hall, Cefn Mawr, Wales with The Klubs (Wrexham Leader)
1969
13 February 1969 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
15 February 1969 – Wem Town Hall, Wem, Shropshire with Klubs (North Shropshire Journal) Billed as Cliff Bennett Band
Many thanks to Rolf Hannet for providing some of the Beat Instrumental entries
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
HERBIE GOINS & THE NIGHT-TIMERS:
Herbie Goins – lead vocals
John McLaughlin – lead guitar
Mick Eve – tenor saxophone
Harry Beckett – trumpet
Nigel Stanger – Hammond organ/saxophone
Dave Price – bass
Bill Stevens – drums
1965
23 March 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book) This might have been before the link-up with The Night-Timers who were working with Ronnie Jones
28 July 1965 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
6 August 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
7 August 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London with Group Survival (NME) Billed as The Night-timers with Herbie Goins
Photo may be subject to copyright
8 August 1965 – Galaxy Club, Woburn Park Hotel, Addlestone, Surrey (Woking Herald)
14 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
14 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
15 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
17 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Shevells (Melody Maker)
18 August 1965 – Bluesville R&B, Haringey, north London (Melody Maker)
21 August 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
28 August 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London (NME) Billed as The Night-timers with Herbie Goins
Sometime in late August/early September 1965, Nigel Stanger returned to Newcastle upon Tyne and worked with Alan Price. Former member Dave Morse returned on Hammond organ
Photo may be subject to copyright
4 September 1965 – Zambesi Club, Hounslow, west London (Middlesex Chronicle)
12 September 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Photo may be subject to copyright
16 September 1965 – Ritz Club, Skewen, Wales with The Kingpins and The Iveys (Port Talbot Guardian)
17 September 1965 – Archer Hall, Billericay, Essex (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
17 September 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Stormsville Shakers (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
18 September 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London (Melody Maker)
22 January 1966 – Cue Club, Paddington, London (Melody Maker)
30 January 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
4 February 1966 – Cue Club, Paddington, London (Melody Maker)
5 February 1966 – Winter Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire with Elkie Brooks, The Marionettes and Phase II (Brackley Advertiser/Witney & West Oxfordshire Gazette) Is this possible with the gig below?
5 February 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
19 March 1966 – Mod Place, Victoria Rooms, Clifton, Bristol with Elkie Brooks, The Marionettes and The Reasons (Western Scene) Is this possible with Swiss dates above
Photo may be subject to copyright
1 April 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, E1, London with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (Melody Maker)
4 April 1966 – Penthouse, Birmingham, West Midlands with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (Birmingham Evening Mail)
9 April 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Graham Bond Organisation (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
10 April 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth West Midlands with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (Birmingham Evening Mail)
16 April 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnbrough, Hampshire with Screaming J Hawkins (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
18 April 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey with support (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
23 April 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, The Plain & Fancy and The Tykes (Lincolnshire Standard)
27 May 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnbrough, Hampshire (Aldershot News/Camberley News) David Else also has the band playing at the Camberley Ricky Tick at the Cambridge Hotel on this date with The Blues Syndicate
Photo: John Treais
28 May 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, E1, London (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
Around late May/early June John McLaughlin left and first Mick Barker and then John Smith came in on guitar (Ed: would welcome any insights from readers)
Photo may be subject to copyright
4 June 1966 – Zambesi, Hounslow, west London (Melody Maker)
Sometime in early October, Speedy Acquaye joined on congas from Georgie Fame’s Blue Flames, having appeared on the sessions for “Number One in Your Heart” earlier in the year
1 October 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham with Broodly-Hoo (Nottingham Evening Post)
2 October 1966 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
8 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
15 October 1966 – The New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, E1, London (Melody Maker)
16 October 1966 – Dereham Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Sullivan James (North Norfolk News)
22 October 1966 – The Location, Woolwich, southeast London with The Images (Melody Maker)
23 October 1966 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
26 October 1966 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
28 October 1966 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
29 October 1966 – Plebians, Halifax, West Yorkshire (Halifax Evening Courier & Guardian)
31 October 1966 – The Village, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
13 January 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Satin Dolls and The All Night Workers (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
15 January 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent with Satin Dolls (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
20 January 1967 – Mod Ball, Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, Dorset with Teak and Smokey and The Nite People (Western Gazette)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 January 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Satin Dolls, Timebox with Richard Henry, Triads and Ray Bones (Spalding Standard)
23 January 1967 – Thorngate Ballroom, Gosport, Hants with The Blue Flames (Portsmouth News)
26 January 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Jimmy Cliff & The Shakedown Sound (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 January 1967 – Top Spot Ballroom, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with The Knak (Gloucester Citizen)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 January 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
28 January 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
1 February 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
2 February 1967 – Bowes-Lyon-House, Stevenage, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
4 February 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Avalons and The Mack Sound (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
5 February 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
6 February 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
7-8 February 1967 – Sibyllas, Swallow Street, central London (Fabulous 208)
9 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Satin Dolls and The In Crowd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
10 February 1967 – Hereford College (presumably Hereford but could be Oxford college) (Fabulous 208) They may have played the Stage Club on this date too (Cherwell)
11 February 1967 – Durham University, Durham, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
14 February 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, west London (Fabulous 208)
14 February 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
16 February 1967 – Cadenas Club, Stoke Hotel, Guildford with The Jeremiah Thing (David Else’s research)
17 February 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, West London (David Else’s research)
19 February 1967 – Saville Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London with Chuck Berry and The Canadians (Fabulous 208)
21 February 1967 – Pavilion, Bournemouth Colleges Student’s Union, Landsdowne, Dorset with The Palmer James Group (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
23 February 1967– Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The In Crowd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
24 February 1967 – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales with The Yardbirds (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
25 February 1967 – Matlock Bath Pavilion, Matlock, Derbyshire with John L Watson and The Web (Derby Evening Telegraph)
According to the Guardian Journal’s 18 March issue, page 5, Mike Carr departed in early March. His replacement was Jamaican musician Junior Kerr.
Kerr came in via backing singers and dancers Cassie and Candy (aka The Satin Dolls) who were part of the Ready Steady Go dancing troupe. They joined around in late 1966 (Ed: would welcome any reader insights)
Photo may be subject to copyright
4 March 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales with The Raynes (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)
16 March 1967 – Locarno, Derby (Fabulous 208)
17 March 1967 – Queen’s Rink, West Hartlepool, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
18 March 1967 – Sheffield University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 March 1967 – Cosmo Ballroom, Carlisle, Cumbria with 22nd Street People (Cumberland News/Fabulous 208)
22 March 1967 – College of Tech, Nottingham with Unit 4 Plus 2 (Fabulous 208)
23 March 1967 – Palace Hotel, Southport, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
24 March 1967 – Top Ten, Manchester with Candy Choir (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
24 March 1967 – Bluesville, Manor House, London (Melody Maker)
25 March 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Legay (Cambridgeshire Times)
26 March 1967 – Belle Vue, Greater Manchester (Fabulous 208)
9 April 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
14 April 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
16 April 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
18 April 1967 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset with The Bossmen (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
23 April 1967 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
26 April 1967 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, Kent (Melody Maker)
28 April 1967 – Steering Wheel Club, Dorchester, Dorset with Adge Cutler & The Wurzels and The Gordon Riots (Western Gazette)
29 April 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester with The Executive (Melody Maker)
30 April 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent with Satin Dolls (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
Sometime around this period, Linda Lewis also sang with the group briefly having worked with The Q-Set in late 1966. She didn’t stay long and cut a solo single for Polydor that summer. She would reunite though with Kerr soon after in White Rabbit
Photo may be subject to copyright
6 May 1967 – Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex with The In Crowd (Dave Allen research)
9 May 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, London with The Satin Dolls (Melody Maker)
12 May 1967 – Drokiweeny, Manchester with The Satin Dolls (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
12 May 1967 – Tabernacle, Stockport, Greater Manchester with The Satin Dolls (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
12 May 1967 – Mr Smith’s, Manchester with The Satin Dolls (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
16 May 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, London with The Web (Melody Maker)
19 May 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Spencer Davis Group, The Loot, The Outer Limits and Doodlbugs (Morecambe Visitor)
23 May 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, London (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 May 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
27 May 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
29 May 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post) Is this possible with the gig below?
29 May 1967 – Supreme Eastern Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent with The Satin Dolls and Len Marshall Sound (Melody Maker/East Kent Times & Mail)
30 May 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, London (Melody Maker/Record Mirror)
2 June 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Satin Dolls (Melody Maker)
This large gap in June suggests they may have been overseas
Photo may be subject to copyright
30 June 1967 – Koo Koo Byrd, Cardiff, Wales (Glamorgan County Times)
1 July 1967 – Supreme Eastern Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent (East Kent Times & Mail)
8 July 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
10 July 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
29 July 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, London with The Fraternity and The Army (Melody Maker)
I would welcome any further insights from readers but I believe that in late July/early August, the group headed to Italy for a short tour. John Smith and Bill Stevens left on the eve of the tour and former Pack/Flowers of Wisdom members Andy Rickell and Terry Stannard joined. Stannard had recently worked with Freddie Mack.
The tour was a disaster and all of the equipment was stolen. Most of the group returned home and Junior Kerr, Andy Rickell and Terry Stannard formed White Rabbit with former member Linda Lewis
A new formation was formed on Goins’ return:
Herbie Goins – lead vocals
Alan Roskams – guitar (ex-Gass)
Mick Eve – tenor saxophone
Harry Beckett – trumpet
Speedy Acquaye – congas
John Carroll – Hammond organ
Dave Price – bass
Ian Hague – drums (ex-Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds/The Nice)
+ Satin Dolls backing singers/dancers Cassie and Candy
Photo may be subject to copyright
12-13 August 1967 – The Place, Edinburgh, Scotland with The Stoiks and The Flower Power People (Edinburgh Evening News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 August 1967 – Wellington Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Midnight Times (North Norfolk News)
20 August 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham with Satin Dolls (Nottingham Evening Post)
Photo may be subject to copyright
25 August 1967 – Steering Wheel, Dorchester, Dorset with The Cellar Rats (Dorset Evening Echo)
26 August 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire with The Maraccas (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle/Formby Times)
27 August 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Bluecaps (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
30 August 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, London (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 September 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with Mike Stuart’s Span (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
3 September 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London (Melody Maker)
6 September 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
8 September 1967 – 5D, Leicester with The Worrying Kynde (Leicester Mercury)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 September 1967 – Pink Flamingo, Soho, central London with The Paper Blitz Tissue and Geranium Pond (Melody Maker)
10 September 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
11 September 1967 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
12 September 1967 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, west London (Melody Maker)
13 September 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
20 September 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
22 September 1967 – 5D, Leicester with The Wild Flowers (Leicester Mercury)
27 September 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London (Melody Maker)
30 September 1967 – Glastonbury Town Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset with The Safety Catch (Somerset County Gazette)
3 October 1967 – Bournemouth Pavilion, Bournemouth, Dorset with Granny’s Intentions and The Palmer James Group (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 October 1967 – Top Rank, Cardiff, Wales with The Searchers, Lucas with The Mike Cotton Sound and The Zombies (South Wales Echo)
Photo may be subject to copyright
15 October 1967 – Cosmopolitan, Carlisle, Cumbria with Tamla Express (Cumberland News)
20 October 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker)
21 October 1967 – Northwich Memorial Hall, Northwich, Cheshire (Crewe Chronicle)
Photo may be subject to copyright
22 October 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
29 October 1967 – South Bank Jazz Club, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
This large gap in November suggests they may have been overseas
2 December 1967 – Pearce Hall, Maidenhead, Berkshire with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch and The Echoes (Bucks Free Press)
3 December 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
8 December 1967 – Students’ Union, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and Precious Few (Eastern Evening News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 December 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Ferris Wheel and Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede (Melody Maker)
12 December 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester with Kibbus (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
14 December 1967 – Student’s Union, University of East Anglia, Norwich with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and The Reasons (Eastern Evening News)
15 December 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Executives (Morecambe Visitor)
25 December 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, central London (Melody Maker) Guest with The Tonicks, Ronnie Jones, Owen Grey and The Youth
26 December 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hampshire (Portsmouth News)
1968
This large gap in January suggests they may have been overseas
4 February 1968 – Wooden Bridge Hotel, Guildford, Surrey with The Strange Brew (Surrey Advertiser)
18 February 1968 – New Regis Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex (Brighton Evening Argus)
23 February 1968 – Shades, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Sheffield Star)
29 February 1968 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Herald)
1 March 1968 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands with Scarlet Religion (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 March 1968 – Sheffield University Student’s Union, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Sheffield Star)
10 March 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
18 March 1968 – Park Hall Hotel, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Time and Mr Showbiz (Express & Star)
25 March 1968 – Cosmopolitan, Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland News)
29 March 1968 – Poole College Rag, Poole College Main Hall, Poole, Dorset with The Nite People (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
Photo may be subject to copyright
30 March 1968 – Ewell College, Ewell, Surrey with Robert Plant & The Band of Joy (Melody Maker)
1 April 1968 – Staffordshire Yeoman, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
John Carroll left about this time to join The Flowerpot Men’s backing band. Former member Junior Kerr may have briefly returned as footage from French TV show Bouton Rouge dated 4 April reveals; however, this may have been a recording from the previous year. In the first week of April 1968, Kerr played with his new band Junior’s Conquests
Eddie Thornton, who’d worked with Georgie Fame (and more recently The Amboy Dukes) also joined in time for the French tour on trumpet, taking over from Harry Beckett
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 April 1968 – Cellar Discotheque, Hartlepool (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
13 April 1968 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
14 April 1968 – Newbury Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire with Old Nick’s Train Set (Newbury Weekly News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
15 April 1968 – The Shrubbery Hotel, Ilminister, Somerset (Somerset County Gazette)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 April 1968 – Scene, Cambridge YMCA, Cambridge (Cambridge News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
20 April 1968 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire with Howling Robin (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
21 April 1968 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
26 April 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 April 1968 – Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster, near Stratford, Warwickshire (Birmingham Evening Mail) Could this have been the date below or did they play again a few weeks later?
29 April 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
4 May 1968 – Wolverhampton College of Technology, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Soul Seekers (Express & Star)
11 May 1968 – Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster, Warwickshire (Stratford upon Avon Herald)
12 May 1968 – Excel Blue Angel, Middlesbrough (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
19 May 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (Poster)
23 May 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset with The Klick (Western Gazette)
31 May 1968 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey (Melody Maker)
2 June 1968 – Top Hat, Littlehampton, West Sussex (Brighton Evening Argus)
6 June 1968 – James Finegan Hall, Eston, Middlesbrough with Rivers Invitation and The Tramline (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
8 June 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham Junction, London with The Shiralee (Coulson & Purley Advertiser)
16 June 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London with The Satin Dolls (Poster)
20 June 1968 – Worthing Pavilion, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Herald)
23 June 1968 – Cosmopolitan, Carlisle, Cumbria with Junco Partners (Cumberland News)
31 August 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with The Strange Brew (Surrey Advertiser)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 September 1968 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with Lot 39 with Mel Taylor (Gloucester Citizen)
Around September 1968, Dave Price and Alan Roskams left.
Would welcome insights from readers but I think a new formation featured the following:
Herbie Goins – lead vocals
Kelvin Bullen – lead guitar (ex-Joe E Young & The Tonicks)
Hugh Bullen – bass (ex-Joe E Young & The Tonicks)
Mick Eve – tenor saxophone
Eddie Thornton – trumpet
Speedy Acquaye – congas
Ian Hague – drums
+ Satin Dolls backing singers/dancers Cassie and Candy
Photo from Paul Kane
5 September 1968 – Speakeasy at Blaises, London (Poster from Paul Kane)
7 September 1968 – Alex Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Salisbury Journal/Western Gazette)
20 September 1968 – CLCE Scraptoft, Leicester with The Shevelles and The Decoys (Leicester Mercury)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 September 1968 – Stage Club, Oxford (Oxford Mail)
7 October 1968 – Quaintways, Chester, Cheshire with Perfumed Garden, The Hands and Wall City Jazzmen (website: www.45worlds.com/live)
13 October 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
19 October 1968 – Students Union UEA, Norwich, Norfolk with Bumbly Hum (Eastern Evening News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
3 November 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
21 November 1968 – Worthing Pavilion, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Herald)
Photo may be subject to copyright
7 December 1968 – Stage Club, Oxford (Oxford Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 December 1968 – King’s College, Strand, London with The Nice and The Circus (Melody Maker)
14 December 1968 – Mid-Herts College, Welwyn Garden City, Herts with The Herbal Remedy (Welwyn and Hatfield Advertiser)
Photo may be subject to copyright
18 December 1968 – Candlelight, Scarborough, North Yorkshire with The Satin Dolls and Free (Scarborough Evening News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 December 1968 – The Catacombs, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
1969
Sometime in early 1969, Ian Hague left to join J J Jackson’s backing band
21 February 1969 – Cue Club, Paddington, London (Melody Maker)
23 February 1969 – Pantiles, Bagshot, Surrey (Melody Maker)
1 March 1969 – Cue Club, Paddington, London (Melody Maker)
30 March 1969 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
13 April 1969 – Blaises, London (Hounslow Post)
27 April 1969 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
2 May 1969 – Lyceum Ballroom, Strand, London with Alan Bown, Spooky Tooth, Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum and Portrait (Melody Maker)
3 May 1969 – New Union Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
24 May 1969 – Farnborough Technical College Students’ Union, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
14 June 1969 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
14 June 1969 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker)
28 July 1969 – Soul Club, Plaza Ballroom, Newsbury, Berkshire with Simon K & The Meantimers (Reading Evening Post)
19 September 1969 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 September 1969 – Rebecca’s, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Soon after the above gig, the band landed a part-time residency in Rome, Italy
I would welcome any insights from readers on what happened next with the band’s formation
I’d like to thank David Else for generously sharing his own history on the band and helping to cross check timelines and facts. Also, thanks to Mick Eve for his insights.
Welcome to another posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on and, where possible, I have added the sources used, whether they are newspapers or websites. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
The Artwoods, late 1965. Fabulous 208. Image may be subject to copyright
THE ARTWOODS
1963
15 April 1963 – Marquee, Oxford Street, London with Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (Tony Bacon book: London Live)
18 May 1963 – Long’s Ballroom, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Altones (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday) Billed as Art Wood & His R&B Combo
27 July 1963 – Long’s Ballroom, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Mick Emery (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday) Billed as Art Wood & His R&B Combo
30 September 1963 – White Hart, Acton, Middlesex (Melody Maker) Billed as Art Wood Combo
7 October 1963 – White Hart, Acton, Middlesex (Melody Maker) Billed as Art Wood Combo
8 December 1963 – Bristol Chinese R&B Club, Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene) Billed as The Art Wood Combo
9 December 1963 – White Hart, Acton, Middlesex (Melody Maker) Billed as Art Wood Combo
1964
13 January 1964 – White Hart, Southall, Middlesex (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette) Billed as Art Wood Combo
Photo: Acton Gazette, 19 March 1964, page 10. Image may be subject to copyright
18 May 1964 – Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Hertfordshire (Hertfordshire Express) Billed as The Art Wood Combo
22 June 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
Image may be subject to copyright
7 July 1964 – The Downs, Hassocks, West Sussex (Evening Argus/Mid Sussex Times)
Image may be subject to copyright
16 July 1964 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, Middlesex (Tottenham Weekly Herald/Wood Green & Southgate Weekly Herald)
20 July 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
4 August 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams’ research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
15 February 1965 – Wall City Jazz Club, Quaintways, Chester, Cheshire with Mae Mercer, Pat Fields and The Deacons (Chester Chronicle)
16 February 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, Middlesex (Ron Wood’s 1965 diary)
1 March 1965 – New Victoria, Halifax, West Yorkshire with PJ Proby, The Fourmost, Sandra Barry, Four Macs, Syd & Eddie, Brian Freeman Chapters (Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian)
11 April 1965 – New Theatre, Oxford with Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, The Pretty Things, The Ivy League, Elkie Brooks, Syd & George, The Chapters and The Guards (Oxford Mail)
13 April 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
17 April 1965 – New Georgian Club, Uxbridge, northwest London (Ruislip & Northwood Gazette)
13 June 1965 – Southall Community Centre, Southall, London (Ron Wood’s 1965 diary)
19 June 1965 – Farnborough Technical College Assembly Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire with The Muleskinners (Camberley News and Bagshot Observer/Aldershot News)
20 June 1965 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (Melody Maker)
26 June 1965 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Fenmen, Justin Tyme, The Sorrows and The Dyaks (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
27 June 1965 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
29 June 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
Image may be subject to copyright
30 June 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London, SW15 with The Boston Dexters (NME)
11 July 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London (Melody Maker)
12 July 1965 – Blue Boar, South East Essex Blues Centre, Southend (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
18 October 1965 – 100 Club, Oxford Street, central London with Bo Diddley and The Duchess (Melody Maker)
27 October 1965 – Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, west London (see website above)
31 October 1965 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
Image may be subject to copyright
5 November 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Tony Knight and The Chessmen and The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
11 April 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and The Rockhouse Band (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
14 April 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
14 June 1966 – Cambridge University (Beat Instrumental)
Image may be subject to copyright
17 June 1966 – Derby & District College of Art Students’ Union, Locarno Ballroom, Derby with Wynder K Frog and resident groups (Derby Evening Telegraph)
18 June 1966 – Gig in Stamford, Lincolnshire (Beat Instrumental)
19 June 1966 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Beat Instrumental)
21 June 1966 – 100 Club, Oxford Street, central London (Beat Instrumental)
7 January 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Image may be subject to copyright
7 January 1967 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, north London with Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, The Creation, Herbie Goins & The Night Timers and The St Louis Union (Melody Maker)
12 January 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Mike Stuart Span (Melody Maker)
13 January 1967 – Eastbourne, East Sussex (Melody Maker)
14 January 1967 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, southwest London (Melody Maker/Fabulous 208)
15 January 1967 – Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, west London with The Battery (see website above)
20 January 1967 – Hartlepool, County Durham (Melody Maker)
21 January 1967 – Technical College, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear (Melody Maker/Fabulous 208)
22 January 1967 – Le Metro, Birmingham, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
26 January-2 February 1967 – Tour of Denmark (Melody Maker)
26 May 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
27 May 1967 – The Pitch, Digbeth, West Midlands (Express & Star) Possibly also on 26th May
29 May 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Sonny Childe & The TNT and The Real McCoy (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
2 June 1967 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The New Conchords (Berkhamstead Gazette, Tring & District News)
4 June 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Fabulous 208) Nottingham Evening Post has this as the Britannia Rowing Club
Welcome to another posting in a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on and, where possible, I have added the sources used, whether they are newspapers or websites. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
THE MAZE:
Rod Evans (lead vocals)
Roger Lewis (guitar)
Chris Banham (organ)
Eric Keene (bass)
Ian Paice (drums)
The following are billed as MI5. They started using the name The Maze in November 1966 but occasionally used the MI5 for a month or so.
1966
12 May 1966 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Tybern Ashes (Aldershot News)
16 July 1966 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The 5 AM Event and The Rigg (Warrington Guardian)
Image may be subject to copyright
The 22 July 1966 edition of the Windsor, Slough and Eton Express, page 5 (see above) has a good story and picture on the band
27 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire (Windsor, Slough and Eton Express)
30 July 1966 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Ultimate (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
31 July 1966 – Britannia Theatre, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with Dave Berry, Geneve, Oscar, Wolf and Griff and The Stuart Taylor Trio (Yarmouth Mercury)
13 August 1966 – St Clement’s Hall, Southend, Essex with The Avengers and The Spooks (Southend Standard)
19 August 1966 – Cricketers Inn, Southend, Essex with support (Southend Standard)
21 August 1966 – Britannia Theatre, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with Freddie & The Dreamers Oscar, Geneve, The Versions and The Stuart Taylor Trio (Yarmouth Mercury)
8 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Move (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
10 September 1966 – The Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Eastbourne Herald Chronicle) Billed as MI5
12 September 1966 – Elm Hotel, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard)
14 September 1966 – Elm Hotel, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard)
3 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Artwoods (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
5 October 1966 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire (Fabulous 208) Billed as MI5
Image may be subject to copyright
29 October 1966 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The Squares and The Colts (Warrington Guardian) Billed as MI5
5 November 1966 – Royal York Hotel, Ryde, Isle of Wight (Isle of Wight County Press) Billed as MI5
14 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Alan Bown Set (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
18 November 1966 – Wy-Key Club, Burnham Lane, Slough, Berkshire (billed as The Maze, formerly MI5) (Windsor, Slough and Eton Express)
Image may be subject to copyright
19 November 1966 – The Dolphin, Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website/Hastings and St Leonard Observer) Billed as MI5
26 November 1966 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Ultimate (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
22 December 1966 – Concorde, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Evening Echo)
31 December 1966 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The Mistake and The Others (Warrington Guardian)
1967
Image may be subject to copyright
7 January 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with two surprise groups (Warrington Guardian) Formerly MI5
20 January 1968 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales with The Missing Links (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)
3 February 1968 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with The Peeps and The Carlton Davies Combo (Warrington Guardian) Did this happen?
Image may be subject to copyright
The band went and played in Milan, Italy in January for three months, according to the Windsor, Slough & Eton Express (see above). This includes rehearsing at the Piccolo Theatre with the opening night on 15 February.
20-21 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London (Melody Maker)
29 May 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with The Moody Blues (Melody Maker)
3 June 1967 – Lion Hotel, Warrington, Cheshire with Technique and The In-Time (Warrington Guardian)
Image may be subject to copyright
4 June 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire (Warrington Guardian)
15 June 1967 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Sneakers (Aldershot News)
Image may be subject to copyright
23 June 1967 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland (City Week)
1 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Gorleston, Norfolk with The Soul Doubt (Yarmouth Mercury)
8 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Gorleston, Norfolk with Deep Purple (Eastern Evening News)
14 July 1967 – Chateau Impney, Droitwich, Worcestershire with Delroys Good Good Band (Worcester Evening News)
15 July 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Y Division (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
20 July 1967 – New Central Ballroom, Aldershot, Hampshire with The Shame (Aldershot News)
Image may be subject to copyright
22 July 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
23 July 1967 – Royal Ballrooms, Boscombe with The Freebooters (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
Welcome to another posting in a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on and, where possible, I have added the sources used, whether they are newspapers or websites. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Image may be subject to copyright
THE ACTION:
1965
17 April 1965 – Goldhawk Social Club, Shepherd’s Bush, London (poster) Billed as The Boys
5 June 1965 – Ticky Rick and Rang-A-Tang Club, Carnival Hall, Basingstoke, Hampshire (Hampshire & Berkshire Gazette) Billed as The Boys
6 June 1965 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Morons (Lynn News/North Norfolk News)
Image may be subject to copyright
11 July 1965 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The Rockin’ Roosters (Lynn News/North Norfolk News)
15 July 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
17 July 1965 – Bolton Palais, Bolton, Greater Manchester (Bolton Evening News)
24 July 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London, SW15 with Peter Fenton & The Tasty Mob (NME)
19 August 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
21 August 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London, SW15 with Sonny Childe & The Cool School (NME)
26 August 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with Steampacket, Long John Baldry and Brian Auger Trinity (Dave Allen research)
27 August 1965 – Goldhawk Social Club, Shepherd’s Bush, London with The Birds (Ron Wood’s 1965 diary)
3 September 1965 – The Cavern, Liverpool with The Masterminds and Fritz, Mike and Mo (Phil Thompson’s Story of the Cavern book)
4 September 1965 – Beachcomber, Bolton, Greater Manchester (Bolton Evening News)
3 October 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London (Melody Maker)
15 October 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
21 October 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and Johnny B Great & The Quotations (Dave Allen research)
23 October 1965 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Cheaters (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
Image may be subject to copyright
23 October 1965 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Herts with The Living Legends (Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire Express)
24 October 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London (Melody Maker)
31 October 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London (Melody Maker)
5 November 1965 – The Cavern, Liverpool with Earl Preston’s Realms (Phil Thompson’s Story of the Cavern book)
7 November 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, London (Melody Maker)
20 November 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Image may be subject to copyright
27 November 1965 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
28 November 1965 – Sunshine Floor, Tavern, Dereham, Norfolk with Ian and Danny Eves & Sound Reformed (Eastern Evening News/North Norfolk News)
5 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Who (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live) Billed as The Boys
14 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
17 December 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Image may be subject to copyright
18 December 1965 – Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts with The Spectrum (Welwyn & Hatfield Advertiser)
24 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Roscoe Brown Combo (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
27 December 1965 – Goldhawk Social Club, Shepherd’s Bush, London (Melody Maker)
30 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
31 December 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
1966
1 January 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
2 January 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
4 January 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
8 January 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
11 January 1966 – Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)
18 January 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
21 January 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hampshire with The Soul Pushers (Aldershot News/Camberley News) David Else also has the band playing at the Ricky Tick at Staines Town Hall, Middlesex on this day which is feasible
Image may be subject to copyright
22 January 1966 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
21 April 1966 – The Village, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire (Disc & Music Echo)
25 April 1966 – Bridgwater Town Hall, Bridgwater, Somerset (Disc & Music Echo)
26 April 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Clayton Squares (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
29 April 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
30 April 1966 – Union, Manchester University, Manchester with The Lonely Ones (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
1 May 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
4 May 1966 – Stourbridge Town Hall, Stourbridge, Worcestershire (Beat Instrumental)
5 May 1966 – Kidderminster Town Hall, Kidderminster, Worcestershire (Beat Instrumental)
6 May 1966 – Bluesville, Manor House, north London (Beat Instrumental)
8 May 1966 – Downs Hotel, Hassocks, West Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
13 May 1966 – Ricky Tick, Staines Town Hall, Staines, Middlesex (Disc & Music Echo)
14 May 1966 – Cadillac, Brighton, Sussex (Disc & Music Echo)
15 May 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
16 May 1966 – Chatham Town Hall, Chatham, Kent (Beat Instrumental)
17 May 1966 – Corn Exchange, Bristol (Beat Instrumental)
19 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Herd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
20 May 1966 – Zambesi, Hounslow, west London (Melody Maker)
21 May 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
23 May 1966 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk (Beat Instrumental)
24 May 1966 – Links, Borehamwood, Herts (Beat Instrumental)
25 May 1966 – Tower Ballroom, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Beat Instrumental)
26 May 1966 – Starlight, Crawley, West Sussex with The Powerhouse Six (Caterham Weekly Press)
27 May 1966 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, London (South East London Mercury) Beat Instrumental has Acton Town Hall on this date but it’s possible they played both
28 May 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
9 June 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
12 June 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
Image may be subject to copyright
13 June 1966 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
14 June 1966 – Grand Black Daffodil, Odeon Ballroom, Chesterfield, Derbyshire (The Star)
16 June 1966 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Fabulous 208)
Image may be subject to copyright
17 June 1966 – Ready Steady Go Club, Market Hall, St Albans, Herts (Welwyn Advertiser)
Image may be subject to copyright
18 June 1966 – Uxbridge Blues Festival, Hillingdon Borough Show Ground, Hillingdon, west London with Manfred Mann, The Alan Walker Group and the Steampacket (Middlesex Chronicle)
19 June 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Fabulous 208)
22 June 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London (South East London Mercury)
24 June 1966 – Durham University, Durham (Fabulous 208)
25 June 1966 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
28 June 1966 – Corn Exchange, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
30 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Alan Bown Set (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
1 July 1966 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, southeast London (Fabulous 208)
Image may be subject to copyright
2 July 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Image may be subject to copyright
4 July 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Aldershot News/Camberley News) Says Straight from the Marquee in the advert
8 July 1966 – Disco Blue, Ryde, Isle of Wight (Isle of Wight County Press)
9 July 1966 – Ricky Tick, Windsor, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
10 July 1966 – Central R&B Club, Central Hall, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
Image may be subject to copyright
10 July 1966 – The Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex with Dion Five (Eastbourne Herald Chronicle)
12 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Creation (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
14 July 1966 – Assembly Room, Worthing, West Sussex (Evening Argus/Worthing Herald)
15 July 1966 – Chislehurst Caves, Chislehurst, London (Fabulous 208)
16 July 1966 – Trade Union Hall, Watford, Herts (Fabulous 208)
17 July 1966 – Dungeon, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
18 July 1966 – Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
Image may be subject to copyright
23 July 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Paul & Barry Ryan, James Royal Set, Rob Storme & The Whispers and The Ferry Boys (Lincolnshire Standard)
26 July 1966 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1966 – Chislehurst Caves, Chislehurst, London (Fabulous 208)
30 July 1966 – Refectory Fields, Blackheath, London (Fabulous 208)
5 August 1966 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Doodlebugs (Morecambe Visitor)
6 August 1966 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
23 February 1967 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with Systems Go (Frogg Moody and Richard Nash’s book Hold Tight!/Western Gazette)
Image may be subject to copyright
25 February 1967 – Dacorum College, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The New Conchords (Berkhamstead Gazette, Tring & District News)
28 February 1967 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset with The Bossmen (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
1 March 1967 – Bromel Club, Downham, London (South East London Mercury)
4 March 1967 – Dunelm House, Durham, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
11 March 1967 – University of London, Malet Street, London (Fabulous 208)
16 March 1967 – New Locarno Ballroom, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
19 March 1967 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
22 March 1967 – College of Art, Hornsey, London (Fabulous 208)
25 March 1967 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
27 March 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
1 April 1967 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Cortinas (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday/Herts & Essex Observer)
3 April 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Brom, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
4 April 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Stalkers (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
7 April 1967 – Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire with The Moodoos (Coventry Evening Telegraph/Leicester Mercury/Rugby Advertiser)
Image may be subject to copyright
8 April 1967 – Lewes FC Beat Rave, Lewes Town Hall, Lewes, East Sussex with TD Backus and The Powerhouse and The Teen Team (Brighton Evening Argus/Sussex Express)
14 April 1967 – Civic Hall, Wulfun Halls, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Vogues, Cyril Stapleton & His Band and Reg Bradley & His Band (Express and Star)
Image may be subject to copyright
6 May 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
19 May 1967 – Memorial Hall, Barry, Wales (Fabulous 208)
20 May 1967 – University of Tech, Loughborough, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
25 May 1967 – Garden Club, London (Fabulous 208) This might be in Covent Garden
26 May 1967 – Il Rondo Ballroom, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
27 May 1967 – Hertford Balls, Oxford with Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Swinging Blue Jeans, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and Hamilton & The Movement (Cherwell)
3 June 1967 – Victoria Cross Gallery, Wantage, Oxfordshire (Wiltshire Gazette)
10 June 1967 – Big ‘L’ Speakeasy, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde, Isle of Wight with Jon (Isle of Wight Country Press)
13 June 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Prime Apples (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 June 1967 – Town Hall, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Fabulous 208)
21 June 1967 – Adam & Eve, Southampton, Hampshire (Southern Evening Echo)
24 June 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Image may be subject to copyright
1 July 1967 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with Package Deal and Sixth Sense (Torquay Times)
Image may be subject to copyright
8 July 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales with The Raynes (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)
15 July 1967 – Floral Hall, Gorleston, Norfolk with St Willie Cool School (North Norfolk News)
22 July 1967 – Big ‘L’ Speakeasy, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde, Isle of Wight with The Stack (Isle of Wight County Press)
23 July 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, London with The Syn (Melody Maker)
Image may be subject to copyright
1 August 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Timebox (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Image may be subject to copyright
5 August 1967 – Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Mojos and First Movement (Essex County Standard)
7 August 1967 – Park Hall Hotel, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Del Roy Good Good Band and Dual Purpose (Express & Star)
8 August 1967 – Holywell Community Centre, West Watford, Hertfordshire with Gene & The Cossacks (West Herts & Watford Observer)
Image may be subject to copyright
10 August 1967 – Cleveland Technical College, James Finegan Hall, Eston, Teesside with The Clockwork Orange and The Real McCoy (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
13 August 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
19 August 1967 – South Bank Jazz Club, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
27 August 1967 – Rowley Rag, Whiteheath, West Midlands with The Acoustics (Express & Star)
9 September 1967 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Mail)
18 May 1968 – St Joseph’s Hall, Archway, London with Mabel Greer’s Toyshop (Melody Maker)
24 May 1968 – METC Student’s Union, College Refectory, Essex with The Clear Blue Cloud (Essex Chronicle)
31 May 1968 – Music Hall, Shrewsbury, Shropshire with Luddy Samms Soul Package and The Hooker Green (Shropshire Journal)
1 June 1968 – Whit Spectacular, Seagull Ballrooms, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde, Isle of Wight with The Pretty Things, Blossom Toes, Helcyon Order and Johnny Farlow (Isle of Wight County Press)
Image may be subject to copyright
3 June 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with Fantastics (West Briton & The Royal Cornwall Gazette)
14 June 1968 – College of Further Education & West Sussex College, Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex with The Tuxedo Blues and The Total (Worthing Herald)
15 June 1968 – St Mary’s College of Education, Twickenham, London (Fabulous 208)
22 June 1968 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
4 September 1968 – Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, west London (Melody Maker)
Image may be subject to copyright
13 September 1968 – The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London with The Small Faces, Barclay James Harvest, Love Sculpture, Bakerloo Blues Band, Skin, Pete Drummond (Melody Maker)
29 November 1968 – East London Tech, London (Time Out)
30 November 1968 – Imperial College, London (Time Out)
Image may be subject to copyright
13 December 1968 – Fishmongers Hall, Wood Green, London with Sundae Times (Melody Maker)
Welcome to the first posting of a series of gig listings for 1960s bands. None of these lists is exhaustive and my idea is to add to them in the comments section below over time. They are here for future researchers to draw on and, where possible, I have added the sources used, whether they are newspapers or websites. I have also added a few interesting bits of information and will add images in time.
I’d like to encourage band members to get in touch to share memories, or for anyone to send corrections/clarifications to my email: Warchive@aol.com
Equally important, if you attended any of the gigs below or played in the support band, please do leave your memories below in the comments section for future historians to use. If you know of any missing gigs, please add them too, if possible, with the sources.
Formed in late 1959, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds comprises the following line-up by spring 1963:
5 April 1964 – Savoy Rooms, Catford, southeast London (Kentish Mercury)
12 April 1964 – Ricky Tick, Olympia Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (Bucks Free Press)
18 April 1964 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Tony Holland & The Pack-A-Beats and The Renegades (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
19 April 1964 – Blue Moon, Hayes, Middlesex with The Impacts (Dorothy Bullock list)
21 April 1964 – Fender Club, Kenton, Middlesex with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (Harrow Observer & Gazette)
22 April 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
30 April 1964 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with Dean Austen & The Dominators (Essex Chronicle)
9 May 1964 – Double ‘D’ Club, Hackney, north London (Hackney Gazette)
15 May 1964 – Pussycat Club, Bruce Grove Ballroom, north London with The Zephyrs (Hackney Gazette/Tottenham Weekly Herald) Opening night
25 May 1964 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
David Greenslade joined on keyboards around June and Albert Lee took over from Bobby Taylor on lead guitar.
9 June 1964 – Jumbo Club, King George’s Hall, Esher, Surrey with Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (Melody Maker)
18 June 1964 – Civic Hall, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames (Luton News)
25 May 1965 – The Bluesday Club, Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
27 May 1965 – Ettington Park Hotel, Alderminster, Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
29 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Stormsville Shakers (Melody Maker)
29 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers (Melody Maker)
30 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
7 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
10 June 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
11 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Doris Troy and Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (two sessions including an all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
12 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Stormsville Shakers (Melody Maker)
19 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Colton Big Boss Band (Melody Maker)
19 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
1 July 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
2 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Knight’s Chessmen (All-nighter) (Melody Maker)
3 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers (Melody Maker)
11 July 1965– Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
16 July 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
23 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Doris Troy (Melody Maker)
23 July 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Doris Troy and The Shevells (All-nighter) (Melody Maker)
22 August 1965 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
Melody Maker’s 28 August 1965 issue, page 12, says the band comprises Chris Farlowe (vocals), Albert Lee (guitar), Dave Greenslade (keyboards), Ricky Charman (bass), Paul Varson (sax) and Ian Hague (drums)
Varson, who took over from Bernie Greenwood, does not stay long and Dave Quincy joins on sax.
29 August 1965 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
3 September 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, southwest London (NME)
9 September 1965 – Ritz Club, Skewen, south Wales with The Applejacks and The Eyes of Blue (South Wales Evening Post)
David Else notes that the band was due to play at the Ricky Tick at Guildford Civic Hall on 10 September but were replaced by The Alan Price Set
11 September 1965 – Pontiac, Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London (Melody Maker)
12 September 1965 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
13 September 1965 – Garden of Eden Club, Blackbird Leys Community Centre, Wheatley, Oxfordshire with The Un-named (Oxford Mail)
16 September 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
17 September 1965 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
24 September 1965 – Archer Hall, Billericay, Essex with The Trends (Southend Standard & Essex Weekly Advertiser)
26 September 1965 – Galaxy Club, Woburn Park Hotel, Addlestone, Surrey (Woking Herald)
30 September 1965 – Farnborough Rag Week, RAE Assembly Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire with Sounds Incorporated and The Thee (Aldershot News)
9 October 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
14 October 1965 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
20 October 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Small Faces (Melody Maker)
23 October 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
24 October 1965 – Ricky Tick, Plaza Ballroom, Guildford, Surrey (Ricky Tick website: https://www.rickytick.com/)
29 October 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with T-Bone Walker (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
30 October 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Tony Knight’s Chessmen (Melody Maker)
31 October 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
2 November 1965 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Herts with Colin Wilkie and Shirley Hart (Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire Express)
5 November 1965 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Artwoods, Tony Knight’s Chessmen and The Crawdaddies (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
11 November 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
12 November 1965 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham with The Spencer Davis Group, The King Bees and The Cock O Hoops (Birmingham Evening Mail)
14 November 1965 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
15 November 1965 – Cooks Ferry Inn, Edmonton, north London (Tottenham Weekly Herald)
19 November 1965 – Armco Sports & Social Club, Letchworth, Hermitage Ballroom, Hitchin, Herts with The Various Others (Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire Express) Colin Jamies, bass player with The Various Others, got in touch to say his group was called The Various Others
21 November 1965 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
2 December 1965 – Woolpack Inn, Rugby (Record Retailer)
3 December 1965 – Battersea College, Battersea, south London (Record Retailer)
4 December 1965 – Public Hall, Harpenden, Herts (Record Retailer)
4 December 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Mike Cotton Sound (all-nighter) (Melody Maker)
5 December 1965 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Record Retailer)
6 December 1965 – Star Hotel, Croydon, south London (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
7 December 1965 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex (Record Retailer)
8 December 1965 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
12 December 1965 – The Downs, Hassocks, West Sussex with John L Kingdon’s Humperdinks (Mid Sussex Times)
16 December 1965 – Blue Triangle, Ealing, west London (Record Retailer)
17 December 1965 – Glenlyn Ballroom, Forest Hill, southeast London (Record Retailer)
24 December 1965 – Manor House (most likely north London) (Beat Instrumental)
25 December 1965 – Cavern Club, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
26 December 1965 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Jimmy Cliff, Ayshea, Pete Hodges and The New Generation and The Tribe (Evening Sentinel)
27 December 1965 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Javelins (East Kent Times)
28 December 1965 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
29 December 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Beat Instrumental)
31 December 1965 – Starlight Ballroom, Greenford, west London (Beat Instrumental)
1966
Bruce Waddell took over from Ricky Charman on bass in January
1 January 1966 – King Edward School, Southampton, Hants (Beat Instrumental)
2 January 1966 – Stonecross Hall, Harlow, Herts (Beat Instrumental)
5 January 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
7 January 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
8 January 1966 – Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex (Beat Instrumental)
9 January 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (The Star)
12 January 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich (Eastern Evening News)
14 January 1966 – Exeter University, Exeter, Devon (Beat Instrumental)
15 January 1966 – Flamingo, Soho, Wardour Street, central London (Beat Instrumental)
16 January 1966 – Blue Moon, Hayes, west London (Beat Instrumental)
18 January 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
20 January 1966 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Beat Instrumental)
21 January 1966 – Rialto, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
22 January 1966 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, southwest London (Beat Instrumental)
23 January 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
25 January 1966 – College of Advanced Technology, Birmingham (Beat Instrumental)
27 January 1966 – BRC Club, Stafford (Boyfriend magazine)
28 January 1966 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
29 January 1966 – Big Beat Club, the Ballroom, Two Puddings Hotel, Hackney, north London (Beat Instrumental) Boyfriend magazine also has In Crowd, Hackney as second gig on this night
31 January 1966 – Star Hotel, Croydon, south London (Beat Instrumental)
2 February 1966 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)
3 February 1966 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
3 February 1966 – Star Hotel, Croydon, London (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon) Beat Instrumental has this on 31 January and says the band play Blue Moon in Cheltenham today
4 February 1966 – Iron Curtain Club, Sidcup, Kent (Beat Instrumental)
5 February 1966 – Big Beat Club, Stratford (possibly London) (Beat Instrumental)
6 February 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
10 February 1966 – Blue Triangle Club, Ealing, west London (Beat Instrumental)
11 February 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Beat Instrumental)
12 February 1966 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire (Beat Instrumental)
13 February 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London (Melody Maker)
14 February 1966 – Manor House, Ipswich, Suffolk (Beat Instrumental)
15 February 1966 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Beat Instrumental)
18 February 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Boyfriend magazine)
19 February 1966 – Marcam Hall, March, Cambridgeshire (Beat Instrumental) Advertised as Markham Hall so just needs confirmation/Boyfriend magazine has the band at Leascliff Hall, Folkestone on this date
21 February 1966 – Atalanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Record Retailer)
22 February 1966 – Ilford Palais, Ilford, Essex with The Shevelles (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
23 February 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich (Eastern Evening News)
25 February 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
26 February 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Beat Instrumental)
27 February 1966 – Cosmo Club, Carlisle, Cumbria (Beat Instrumental)
28 February 1966 – Top Rank, Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental)
1 March 1966 – Top Rank, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Beat Instrumental)
2 March 1966 – Rag Week ’66, College of Advanced Technology, Great Hall, Gosta Green, West Midlands with Acker Bilk (Birmingham Evening Mail)
15 March 1966 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex (Beat Instrumental)
17 March 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Burnley, Lancashire (Beat Instrumental)
18 March 1966 – Durham University, Durham (Beat Instrumental)
19 March 1966 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, west London (Beat Instrumental)
20 March 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Beat Instrumental)
21 March 1966 – Majestic Ballroom, Reading, Berkshire (Beat Instrumental)
23 March 1966 – Swansea University, Swansea, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
24 March 1966 – Brighton University, Brighton, Sussex (Beat Instrumental)
25 March 1966 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire (Morecambe Visitor)
27 March 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
Dave Quincy left around about now reducing the band to a quintet.
6 April 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London (Melody Maker)
11 April 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Artwoods, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds and The Rockhouse Band (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
14 April 1966 – West Bromwich Baths, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Trend & Boyfriend)
15 April 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Trend & Boyfriend)
24 April 1966 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester and Gillingham News)
During May, Dave Greenslade briefly left to join Julian Covey & The Machine as they support John Lee Hooker on a UK tour but returned to The Thunderbirds soon after.
1 May 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, London (South East London Mercury)
Photo: John Treais
7 May 1966 – RAE Assembly Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire with Five Proud Walkers (Aldershot News)
8 May 1966 – Dereham Tavern, Dereham, Norfolk with Ian and Danny Eves with Sounds Reformed (Eastern Evening News)
13 May 1966 – Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire with Makin Sound and The Good Times (Rugby Advertiser)
14 May 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
15 May 1966 – Downs Hotel, Hassocks, West Sussex with Mike Stuart Span (Mid Sussex Times)
17 May 1966 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
18 May 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich (Eastern Evening News)
20 May 1966 – Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Cherokees (Berkhamsted Gazette & Tring and District News)
22 May 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
25 May 1966 – Top Rank Ballroom, Cardiff, Wales (Beat Instrumental)
27 May 1966 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, west London (Melody Maker)
28 May 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London with The Stormsville Shakers (Melody Maker)
29 May 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Beat Instrumental)
30 May 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire with John McCoy’s Crawdaddies (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
31 May 1966 – Corn Exchange, Bristol (Disc & Music Echo)
1 June 1966 – Farnborough Town Hall, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News/Camberley News)
3 June 1966 – Bruce Grove Ballroom (Beat Instrumental)
4 June 1966 – Co-op Hall, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and Beachcomber, Nottingham (Beat Instrumental)
5 June 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
6 June 1966 – Atlanta Ballroom, Woking, Surrey (Aldershot News)
9 June 1966 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Beat Instrumental)
10 June 1966 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough (Beat Instrumental)
11 June 1966 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire with Saracens (website: http://www.coda-uk.co.uk/60’s_music_scene.htm) This is missing from Beat Instrumental/Trend and Boyfriend has Drill Hall, Stamford Links on this date. However, Hertfordshire Express does
Thanks to Colin Fox for the photo
13 June 1966 – The Catacombe, Eastbourne, East Sussex with 4-Bidden (Eastbourne Herald Chronicle)
15 June 1966 – Top Rank Ballroom, Doncaster, South Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
16 June 1966 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Beat Instrumental)
17 June 1966 – Keeble College, Oxford (Beat Instrumental)
18 June 1966 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
19 June 1966 – Sunshine Ballroom, East Dereham, Norfolk (Beat Instrumental)
20 June 1966 – Christ College, Oxford (Beat Instrumental)
23 June 1966 – Hastings College 1066 Rag Appeal Dances, Pier Ballroom, Hastings, East Sussex with The In Crowd (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website/Beat Instrumental/Hastings and St Leonards Observer)
24 June 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Beat Instrumental)
25 June 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Wreckers (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
25 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Beat Instrumental)
26 June 1966 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (Fabulous 208)
27 June 1966 – Manor House, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
30 June 1966 – Ritz Ballroom, Skewen, South Wales (Fabulous 208)
1 July 1966 – Gaiety Ballroom, Grimsby (Beat Instrumental)
2 July 1966 – Spa Ballroom, Bridlington (Beat Instrumental)
3 July 1966 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
4 July 1966 – Top Rank, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Beat Instrumental)
6 July 1966 – Orchid Ballroom, Purley, London (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon) Beat Instrumental has Bromley Court Hotel on this date which is still possible
7 July 1966 – Ritz, Skewen, north Wales (Melody Maker)
11 July 1966 – Top Rank Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Fabulous 208/Melody Maker)
13 July 1966 – Top Rank Ballroom, Doncaster, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208/Melody Maker)
14 July 1966 – Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Beat Instrumental/Melody Maker)
15 July 1966 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press/Melody Maker)
16 July 1966 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with Billy Storm & The Original Falcons (Cambridgeshire Times)
17 July 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
19 July 1966 – Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with Raynors’ Secrets and The Travellers (Herald Express)
23 July 1966 – Blue Lagoon, Kimbells, Southsea, Hampshire (Portsmouth News)
24 July 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London with The En-Devers Ltd (Melody Maker)
29 July 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Fabulous 208)
The South East London Mercury’s 29 July 1966 edition, page 1, has a good band story and picture. The line up is Chris Farlowe, Albert Lee, Bruce Waddell, Ian Hague and Dave Greenslade
30 July 1966 – New Cornish Riviera Lido, St Austell, Cornwall (West Briton & Royal Cornwall Gazette)
31 July 1966 – Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
2 August 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Evening Post)
4 August 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Evening Post)
6 August 1966 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
9 August 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London (Melody Maker)
11 August 1966 – Ricky Tick, Harpenden Public Hall, Harpenden, Hertfordshire (Poster)
12 August 1966 – The Gaff, North Bar, Banbury, Oxfordshire (Fabulous 208)
13 August 1966 – Drill Hall, Grantham, Lincolnshire with The Delcounts and Breed (Grantham Journal)
18 August 1966 – Bedford Corn Exchange, Bedford (Bigglewade Chronicle)
23 August 1966 – Kinema, Dunfermline, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
25 August 1966 – Palais, Dundee, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
26 August 1966 – City Hall, Perth, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
27 August 1966 – Market Assembly Hall, Carlisle, Cumbria with The Atoms and The Conquests (Cumberland News)
28 August 1966 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Skyliners (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
29 August 1966 – Grays Club, Grays Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208/Beat Instrumental)
31 August 1966 – Mr Magoos, Edinburgh, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
1 September 1966 – Mr Magoos, Edinburgh, Scotland (Beat Instrumental)
3 September 1966 – King Mojo Club, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Beat Instrumental)
4 September 1966 – Olympia Ballroom, Cromer, Norfolk (Beat Instrumental)
8 September 1966 – Assembly Hall, Worthing, West Sussex (Worthing Herald)
9 September 1966 – Beat Festival, Scunthorpe United Football Ground, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire with Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, The Troggs, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers, Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, The Ram Jam Band, The Creation, The Mindbenders and The Fenmen (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)
10 September 1966 – Casino Ballroom, Taggs Island, Hampton Court, Middlesex (Fabulous 208)
16 September 1966 – Corn Exchange, Newbury, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
17 September 1966 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Otis Redding & his American Band, The Gates of Eden, The Rising Sons and The Ferryboys (Lincolnshire Standard)
18 September 1966 – The New Scene, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
18 September 1966 – Beachcomber, Nottingham with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (Nottingham Evening Post)
22 September 1966 – Salisbury City Hall, Salisbury, Wiltshire with The Impacts (Frogg Moody and Richard Nash’s book Hold Tight!)
23 September 1966 – Top Spot, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with Mike Starr & The Citizens (Gloucester Citizen)
24 September 1966 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Beat Instrumental)
29 September 1966 – New Yorker Discotheque, Swindon, Wiltshire with The Soul Men (Swindon Evening Advertiser)
30 September 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Good Time Band (Melody Maker)
1 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
1 October 1966 – Paris Olympia, Paris, France with The Alan Price Set (Disc & Music Echo) Clashes with Birdcage gig above so may not have happened
2 October 1966 – Dereham Tavern, Dereham, Norfolk with Eyes of Blond (Eastern Evening News) Fabulous 208 refers to this venue as The Sunshine Floor
7 October 1966 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Doodlebugs and Harold Graham (Morecambe Visitor)
8 October 1966 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Invasion (Fabulous 208/Evening Sentinel)
8 October 1966 – King’s Hall, Stoke, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
14 October 1966 – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Rogues (Fabulous 208/Evening Star)
15 October 1966 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
In mid October, the band joined The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Georgie Fame, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Eric Burdon & The New Animals and The Eyes of Blue for a package tour (see details in comments)
15-21 January 1967 – Garrick, Leigh, Greater Manchester (St Helens Newspaper/Fabulous 208)
22-23 January 1967 – Club Latino, South Shields, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
22-23 January 1967 – Dolce Vita, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
3 February 1967 – Leicester University, Leicester, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
4 February 1967 – University Park, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (Fabulous 208)
10 February 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Fabulous 208)
10 February 1967 – Battersea College, Battersea, south London (Fabulous 208)
11 February 1967 – Queen Mary’s College, Mile End, east London (Fabulous 208)
13 February 1967 – Liverpool University, Liverpool with The Searchers (Fabulous 208)
17 February 1967 – Rag Ball, Top Rank Suite, Swansea, south Wales with The Alan Price Set, Wayne Fontana, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and The Jug & Bottle Set (South Wales Evening Post)
18 February 1967 – Town Hall, Morley, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
19 February 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Bluecaps (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
24 February 1967 – Durham University, Durham with Alan Price Set (Fabulous 208)
3 March 1967 – Clouds, Derby, Derbyshire (Fabulous 208)
4 March 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Edwin Starr and The Cool Combination, Root and Jenny Jackson & The Hightimers and Ray Bones (Fabulous 208 and Lincolnshire Standard)
4 March 1967 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
7 March 1967 – St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, Norfolk with Sensational Anglians (Eastern Evening News)
9 March 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
10 March 1967 – Public Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire with The Alan Price Set (The Star)
10 March 1967 – Nottingham Tech College, Nottingham with Robert Hirst & The Big Taste, Our Young and The In Crowd (Nottingham Evening Post)
11 March 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Nite People (East Kent Times & Mail)
15 March 1967 – Dorothy Ballroom, Cambridge with The Question (Cambridge News)
18 March 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
20 March 1967 – Star Hotel, Croydon, south London (Fabulous 208)
23 March 1967 – The Cavern, Liverpool with The Fix and The Klubs (Fabulous 208/Phil Thompson’s Story of the Cavern book)
25 March 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with The Academy (Dave Allen research)
27 March 1967 – Barnsley Civic Hall, Barnsley, South Yorkshire with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, The Tiles Big Band, The Pityful and Moss’s Mixtures (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News/Melody Maker)
27 March 1967 – Northwich Memorial Hall, Northwich, Cheshire (Crewe Chronicle)
27 March 1967 – Wem Town Hall, Wem, Shropshire with support group (Shropshire Journal)
31 March 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (Crawley Advertiser)
5 April 1967 – St Michael’s Youth Centre, Sydenham, southeast London with Citations (Fabulous 208)
8 April 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Lunar-2 Honey Band (Melody Maker)
9 April 1967 – Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, central London (Fabulous 208)
14 April 1967 – Il Rondo, Leicester, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
15 April 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Express and Star)
18 April 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Wynder K Frog (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
20 April 1967 – Town Hall, Loughborough, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
21 April 1967 – Gondola Club, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
22 April 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
24 April 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
30 April 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London with Shinn (Melody Maker)
In early May, Dave Greenslade left to join Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band. Ian Hague departed about the same time to join PP Arnold & The Nice. Carl Palmer took his place on drums.
5 May 1967 – Birmingham Town Hall, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
7 May 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (Melody Maker)
12 May 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with Clockwork Orange and MBQ (Morecambe Visitor)
13 May 1967 – Nottingham University, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (Fabulous 208)
20 May 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Motown Trinity (Cambridgeshire Times)
20 May 1967 – Night Owl, Leicester with Pesky Gee (Fabulous 208/Leicester Mercury)
21 May 1967 – Union Rowing Club, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
23 May 1967 – Swansea College, Swansea, Wales (Fabulous 208)
26 May 1967 – Town Hall, Loughborough, Leicestershire with Mike Stuart Band (Fabulous 208/Leicester Mercury)
27 May 1967 – The Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with The Protection Racket (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo: William Nisbeth
2 June 1967 – Perth City Hall, Perth, Scotland with Cat Stevens, George Bean & The Runners, Sole Generation and Absolute (Poster from William Nisbeth) Nisbeth, who was a member of one of the support bands, says his group supported Farlowe in Falkirk (possibly the new town hall) the previous day
10 June 1967 – Supreme Eastern Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent with Len Marshall Show (East Kent Times & Mail)
11 June 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
13 June 1967 – Caius College, Oxford, Cambridge with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (Fabulous 208) Disc & Music Echo has 14 June
17 June 1967 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent (Fabulous 208/Melody Maker)
18 June 1967 – Brands Hatch Radio London Motor Racing and Pop Festival, Brands Hatch, Kent with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and Episode Six (Sutton & Cheam Advertiser)
22 June 1967 – Ritz Club, Skewen, south Wales with The Powerstop Big Band and The King Bees (South Wales Evening Post)
23 June 1967 – Benn Memorial Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire with The Pesky Gee and The Legay (Rugby Advertiser)
24 June 1967 – Hull University, Hull (Disc & Music Echo)
25 June 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
30 June 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with Syrian Blues and All Night Workers (Melody Maker)
7 July 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Chanters (Melody Maker)
9 July 1967 – Pavilion, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
11 July 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
12 July 1967 – King’s Lynn Corn Exchange, King’s Lynn, Norfolk with St Willies Cool School and The Eyes of Blond (Lynn News & Advertiser)
13 July 1967 – Oak Leaf Ballroom, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire with The Denmen and Steve Brown Soul Sect (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
15 July 1967 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Flowers (Birmingham Evening Mail/Coventry Evening Telegraph/Fabulous 208)
16 July 1967 – Union Rowing Club, Trent Bridge, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
21 July 1967 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Fabulous 208)
22 July 1967 – Town Hall, Clacton, Essex with The Martells and St Willie Cool School (Essex County Standard)
28 July 1967 – Palace Ballroom, Douglas, Isle of Man (Fabulous 208)
29 July 1967 – Riviera Club, Carlyon Bay, Cornwall (Fabulous 208)
30 July 1967 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Fabulous 208)
4 August 1967 – Nautilus, South Pier, Lowestoft, Norfolk (Eastern Evening News)
5 August 1967 – Pier Pavilion, Hastings, East Sussex (Fabulous 208)
24 August 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent (East Kent Times & Mail)
26 August 1967 – Matlock Bath Pavilion, Matlock, Derbyshire with The Vip Vop Band (Derby Evening Telegraph/Derbyshire Times)
27 August 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
1 September 1967 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with The Alan Taylor Show Band and The MBQ (Morecambe Visitor)
1 September 1967 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
8 September 1967 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire with The Tatters (Warrington Guardian)
9 September 1967 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire with The Taylor Upton Big Jump Band (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
11 September 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
12 September 1967 – Lotus Ballroom, Forest Gate, east London (Newham & Stratford Express)
13 September 1967 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland News)
16 September 1967 – Nautilus, South Pier, Lowestoft, Norfolk (Eastern Evening News)
17 September 1967 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, southeast London (Poster)
23 September 1967 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset (Fabulous 208)
24 September 1967 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands with Legay (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
30 September 1967 – Bracknell Sports Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire with The Ziggy Turner Mob (Windsor, Slough and Eton Express/Bracknell News)
5 October 1967 – Club A Go Go, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
6 October 1967 – Queens Rink Ballroom, Hartlepool, County Durham with The Sect and The Tony King Sound (Hartlepool Mail)
7 October 1967 – Reading University, Reading, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
8 October 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London (Fabulous 208)
14 October 1967 – Southampton University, Southampton, Hampshire (Fabulous 208) 15 October 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Phil Ryan & The Scorpions (Crewe Chronicle)
21 October 1967 – At the Union, Manchester with The Waterboard (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
22 October 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
23 October 1967 – Staffordshire Yeoman, Stafford (Stafford Newsletter)
28 October 1967 – Sheffield University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
29 October 1967 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Skyliners (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
17 November 1967 – Salford University, Salford, Greater Manchester (Fabulous 208)
18 November 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Dual Purpose (East Kent Times & Mail)
22 November 1967 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
25 November 1967 – St James’ Spectacular, Chesterfield, Derbyshire with The Shape of The Rain (Derbyshire Times)
30 November 1967 – Queen’s Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
During December Pete Solley joined on keyboards.
1 December 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
7 December 1967 – Marimba, Middlesbrough (Disc & Music Echo)
8 December 1967 – Crown & Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
16 December 1967 – Westminster Technical College, Westminster, central London with Hamilton’s Blues Messengers (Melody Maker)
21 December 1967 – Central Hall, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire (The Star)
23 December 1967 – Leyton Baths, Leyton, east London (Disc & Music Echo)
23 December 1967 – Lotus Ballroom, Forest Gate, east London (Newham & Stratford Express)
31 December 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
31 December 1967 – Plaza Ballroom, Old Hill, Bearwood, West Midlands (Express & Star)
1968
5 January 1968 – Chateau Impney, Droitwich, Worcestershire (Fabulous 208)
6 January 1968 – Southend gig (but not sure of venue) with support (Southend Standard)
7 January 1968 – Tudor Club, Mercers Arms, Coventry, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
8 January 1968 – Park Hall Hotel, Goldthorn Park, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with Finders Keepers and Barmy Barry Show (Express & Star)
12 January 1968 – Leicester College of Education (Scraptoft), Leicester with Deuce Coupe and Pandoras Box (Fabulous 208/Leicester Mercury)
13 January 1968 – Alex’s Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Frogg Moody and Richard Nash’s book Hold Tight!)
14 January 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex (Crawley Advertiser)
28 January 1968 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
30 January 1968 – Cheltenham Spa Lounge and Ballroom, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Gloucester Citizen)
2 February 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire with Chuck Berry, The Herd, The Move, Edwin Starr, Brian Auger Trinity, Julie Driscoll, Sammy Small, The Union Blues Rave Band, Th Accent (Yorkshire Evening Post)
19 February 1968 – Mercers Arms, Coventry, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
25 February 1968 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
29 February 1968 – Zodiac Club, Eden Park Hotel, Beckenham, southeast London (Melody Maker)
3 March 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Coatham Hotel, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Friendly Apple (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book/Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
7 March 1968 – City of Coventry Confederation of Colleges, Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands with The Spencer Davis Group, St Louis Union and Piccadilly Line (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
8 March 1968 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
16 March 1968 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The New England Mood (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
16 March 1968 – Glastonbury Town Hall, Glastonbury with Generation (Somerset County Gazette)
23 March 1968 – Glastonbury Town Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset with Generation (Western Gazette)
26 March 1968 – Brave New World, Southsea, Hants (Portsmouth News)
29 March 1968 – Crown and Cushion, Perry Barr, West Midlands with The Vogues (Birmingham Evening Mail)
31 March 1968 – 76 Club, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire (Burton Daily Mail)
1 April 1968 – Mercers Arms, Coventry, West Midlands with The Soul Express (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
12 April 1968 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland with The Shades of Blue (City Week)
13 April 1968 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland with Taste (City Week)
20 April 1968 – Winter Gardens, Banbury, Oxfordshire with Wages of Sin (Brackley Advertiser)
21 April 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
27 April 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Le Gaye (East Kent Times)
28 April 1968 – Hotel Leofric, Coventry, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
6 May 1968 – Queen Mary Ballroom, Dudley Zoo, West Midlands with Sound Syndicate (Express & Star)
8 May 1968 – Top Rank Suite, Leicester with Simon Peters (Leicester Mercury)
11 May 1968 – Kesteven College, Grantham, Lincolnshire with The Cortinas (Paul Griggs book)
According to Paul Griggs, Albert Lee did not appear at the above gig and he recommended his friend Alan Shacklock as a replacement when Lee left soon after.
17 May 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham Junction, southeast London with The Purple Dream (Coulsdon & Purley Advertiser)
Shacklock auditioned at a pub in Islington around this time, by which point bass player Bruce Wadell had departed and Solley played the bass pedals on his Hammond.
24 May 1968 – Victoria & Bull, Dartford, Kent (Fabulous 208)
25 May 1968 – College of Technology, Slough, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
1 June 1968 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with Granny’s Attic (Cambridgeshire Times)
9 June 1968 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with The Keith Herd Group (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
Around this time Pete Solley left to join Los Bravos and Peter Robinson took over on keyboards. Bruce Waddell also returned to play bass.
14 June 1968 – Club Rado, Belfast, Northern Ireland (City Week)
21 June 1968 – Newbury Plaza, Newbury, Berkshire with Soul Reason featuring Orville Griffith (Newbury Weekly News)
In mid July, Carl Palmer left to join The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Palmer recommended his friend John Bonham, who has been working with Tim Rose.
Bonham has already been approached to form a new band that will become Led Zeppelin but will perform with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds until late August.
20 July 1968 – Condor Club, Arbroath, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
27 July 1968 – Alex’s Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Frogg Moody and Richard Nash’s book Hold Tight!)
1 August 1968 – Bourne Hall, Fishmongers Arms, Wood Green, north London (Wood Green & Southgate Weekly Herald)
2 August 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham, southeast London (Fabulous 208)
3 August 1968 – Seagull Ballroom, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde, Isle of Wight with Procol Harum and The Stack (Isle of Wight County Press)
8 August 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Candy Choir (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
10 August 1968 – The Factory, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
16 August 1968 – Boat House, Kew, west London (Thames Valley Times)
17 August 1968 – The Factory, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
John Bonham left at the end of August to join The New Yardbirds who soon change name to Led Zeppelin.
Colin Davy, who has been playing with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, took his place.
31 August 1968 – Elms Court, Botley, Oxford (Fabulous 208)
2 September 1968 – Bank Holiday, Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney, Droitwich, Worcestershire with Fleetwood Mac, The Move, The Freddy Mack Show and Family (Melody Maker)
2 September 1968 – Billing Aquadrome, Northamptonshire with Joe Cocker and Soul Committee (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
2 September 1968 – Seagull Ballroom, Ryde Pier Head, Ryde, Isle of Wight with Traffic and The Stack (Isle of Wight County Press)
13 September 1968 – Victoria Cross, Wantage, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
13 September 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire with The Curiosity Shoppe (Warrington Guardian)
14 September 1968 – Drill Hall, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire with Donell Jackson and Broadway Crowd (Grantham Journal)
18 September 1968 – YMCA, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Fabulous 208)
21 September 1968 – Drill Hall, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire with Donnell Jackson and The Broadway Crowd (Grantham Journal/Leicester Mercury)
22 September 1968 – Tudor Club, Mercer’s Arms, Coventry, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
2 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Fabulous 208)
3 October 1968 – Broken Wheel, Macclesfield (Fabulous 208)
4 October 1968 – Goldsmith College, New Cross Gate, London (Fabulous 208)
13 October 1968 – Union Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
18 October 1968 – Chelsea College, Chelsea, London (Fabulous 208)
19 October 1968 – Bangor University, Bangor, Wales (Fabulous 208)
1 November 1968 – Brunel University, Uxbridge, London (Melody Maker)
3 November 1968 – Bridge Place Country Club, Bridge near Canterbury, Kent (Kent Herald)
13-14 December 1968 – Scene Two, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (Scarborough Evening News)
19 December 1968 – Shipley Club, Watton, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
22 December 1968 – Bird Cage, Harlow, Essex (Fabulous 208)
28 December 1968 – Malvern Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire with The Basin Street Jump Band (Malvern Gazette)
1969
17 January 1969 – Teachers Training College, Edgbaston, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
18 January 1969 – St Mary’s Technical College, Twickenham, west London (Fabulous 208)
19 January 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Fabulous 208)
23 January 1969 – Alex’s Disco, Salisbury, Wiltshire (Frogg Moody and Richard Nash’s book Hold Tight!)
1 February 1969 – Hatfield College, Hatfield, Herts (Fabulous 208)
7 February 1969 – The Factory, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
8 February 1969 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Dream Police (Folkestone & Hythe District Herald)
14 February 1969 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
16 February 1969 – Carousel Club, Piccadilly, central London (Fabulous 208)
1 March 1969 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
9 March 1969 – 76 Club, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire (website: http://www.76club.org.uk/gigs.html) This may be Farlowe’s final gig with The Thunderbirds – Melody Maker notes 9 March was the last one.
When the band split, Alan Shacklock went on to play with Babe Ruth. The rest of the band recorded as The Hill.
Many thanks to Alan Shacklock for his help in clarifying the band’s final lineups.
Left to right: Colin Pullen, Roy Manderson, Kenny Bernard, Phil Lanzon and Alan Griffin. Thanks to Colin for the image.
Kenny Bernard – lead vocals Alan Griffin – lead guitar Colin Pullen – bass Phil Lanzon – keyboards Roy Manderson – drums
Hailing from South London Cats Pyjamas released two highly inventive yet extremely rare and collectable 45s for the Direction label during 1968. The quintet’s music bridged psychedelia and progressive rock with hints of soul/R&B and both releases were notable for their top notch production and the superlative musicianship of its players.
Trinidad-born singer Kenny Bernard had first come to prominence with R&B outfit The Wranglers during 1963. Formed around the Lewisham area, the previous year, the group subsequently recorded a lone single for the Pye label, “The Tracker”, which was released in August 1965. Around the same time, the musicians were captured live at the Ad Lib Club in Leicester Square for a rare acetate that years later found its way into the hands of Mark Lamarr. The DJ passed the live tracks to the Acid Jazz label, which released the recordings as the Kenny Bernard & The Wranglers Live ’65 CD in 2011.
When The Wranglers splintered a few months later, Bernard stayed with Pye Records and recorded a cache of stylish R&B/soul-inspired singles during 1966 and 1967, none of which troubled the charts. However, as Bernard noted in his autobiography, You Came Into My Life, he found going solo a daunting experience and missed working with a band on stage.
One night (the most plausible date is sometime in June 1967), the singer was out at the Scotch of St James nightclub in Mayfair with his old friend Pete Gage, former guitarist in Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, when he heard that South London group, The Loose Ends, were looking for a singer to front the band.
Originally from Bexley Heath in Kent, The Loose Ends had cut a couple of singles for Decca Records with singer Alan Marshall at the helm before undergoing a major overhaul in October 1966, which left the singer with the name. Marshall’s manager Bryan Mason then linked him with Croydon outfit, The Subjects, who featured guitarist Alan Griffin, keyboard player Phil Lanzon and drummer Roy Manderson.
The Subjects, 1966. Left to right: John Manderson, Malcolm Rudkin, Roy Manderson, Phil Lanzon and Alan Griffin. Thanks to Alan for the image.
Over the next few months, The Loose Ends’ manager also started to bring in musicians from Bexley band, Bob ‘N’ All to replace outgoing musicians. These included new bass player Colin Pullen and second singer Bob Saker. However, shortly before taking up a residency at the Bang Bang Club in Milan in mid-January 1967, first Roy Manderson and then Alan Griffin dropped out to make way for new recruits. Both, however, kept in touch with Phil Lanzon.
Fast forward to early March and The Loose Ends were back in London, and with Alan Griffin back in the fold, the group performed at the Scotch of St James and the Speakeasy. Shortly after a gig at the Central London Polytechnic on 15 April, where they opened for The Savoy Brown Blues Band, singers Alan Marshall and Bob Saker took up soul legend Otis Redding’s offer to fly to the US to record at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals.
Left without their two front men, The Loose Ends, who’d brought Roy Manderson back on board after his replacement Tony Glyde had left to join first The Fenmen and then Simon K & The Meantimers, put out feelers for another singer. With Marshall and Saker out of the picture, the musicians also decided to revamp themselves as Cats Pyjamas.
After spending a month or so working up a stage set with Kenny Bernard, Colin Pullen recalls that the group’s debut gig took place at a college in Epsom, Surrey, which quite possibly could have been nearby Ewell Technical College Refectory, a popular local venue for up and coming bands to perform at.
Over the next few months, Cats Pyjamas gigged fairly incessantly, and one of the band’s most notable gigs during this period was an appearance at the Starlight Room at Boston Gliderdrome in September with The Original Drifters. Pullen also recalls playing in Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens during the first few months of the group’s existence.
However, in early December, Cats Pyjamas secured a crucial deal with the Rik Gunnell Agency, which most likely was brokered by their manager Pete Gage, who’d co-written one of the band’s standout songs, “Virginia Water” with Kenny Bernard and had previous dealings with the agency during his time with The Ram Jam Band.
Selected gigs:
According to the Reading Evening Post, 12 August, Kenny Bernard plays at the Bag O’Nails around this time (and this would be with Cats Pyjamas).
13 August 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Geranium Pond (Crawley Advertiser)
30 September 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Original Drifters and The Magic Roundabout (Lincolnshire Standard)
7 October 1967 – Clouds, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
22 October 1967 – Elm Hotel, Southend, Essex (Southend Standard)
4 November 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Scots of St James (Evening Sentinel)
11 November 1967 – Cesar’s Club, Bedford, Bedfordshire with Geranium Pond (Bedfordshire Times)
2 December 1967 – Cliff’s Pavilion, Southend, Essex with John Walker and The Timebox and The Seychells (Southend Standard)
2 December 1967 – Luton Boys Club, Luton, Bedfordshire with Tramline (Evening Post: Hemel Hempstead)
8 December 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with The Wafer Board (Evening Sentinel)
The link-up with the Rik Gunnell Agency brought in steady stream of live work and importantly gave the band a regular spot to shine at the agency’s top Soho club, the Bag O’Nails on Kingley Street. It also led to a recording deal with the Direction label and, that same month, the musicians recorded a superb version of Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector’s “Baby, I Love You”, originally a top 30 US hit for The Ronettes in 1963, at Olympic Studio’s in Barnes.
To this listener’s ears, however, it is the flip, the Pete Gage/Kenny Bernard penned “Virginia Water” that is the more impressive recording. A psych/prog-rock masterpiece, the song, named after the Surrey commuter town, benefits greatly from Mervyn Conn’s excellent production and demonstrates the inventiveness of a band that is only a few months old.
Alan Griffin sets the scene with a sizzling “nosediving” guitar effect, which is soon buried in the rhythm section’s intricate, syncopated bass and percussion lines. The action then cuts back to the guitarist, who interjects with a series of strident riffs, signalling the arrival of Phil Lanzon’s majestic, prog-rock Hammond fills. As the brooding atmosphere threatens to spill over, Kenny Bernard joins the fray with his distinctive, powerful and soulful lead vocals.
The single, when released on 26 January 1968, should have been a massive hit, but instead sank without a trace. Perhaps “Virginia Water” would have fared better had it been promoted as the A-side but then again the band’s unique style, marrying psych-progressive rock with soul influences was probably far too inventive and dare I say it, “ahead of its time” to meet the narrow demands of the pop charts. Needless to say, breaking into top echelons of the charts was practically an impossibility anyway given The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and others’ virtual stranglehold.
Interestingly, “Virginia Water” caught the attention of Scottish progressive-rock band, Writing on The Wall, who later recorded the track under an “unknown” title for their Power of The Picts LP.
Selected gigs:
15 December 1967 – Sibyllas, Swallow Street, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
16 December 1967 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
18 December 1967 – Kettering Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings/Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
28 February 1968 – Rasputin’s, New Bond Street, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
2 March 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
3 March 1968 – Beachcomber, Nottingham (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
Undeterred by the chart failure of their debut 45, Cats Pyjamas returned to Olympic Studios in Barnes with Mervyn Conn to record a follow up release. According to Rik Gunnell’s agency bookings, the group spent two days recording (4 and 5 March).
Colin Pullen remembers that The Steve Miller Band were recording tracks for Children of The Future in the studio next door and when Cats Pyjamas had finished their session they watched the San Francisco group at work.
During the sessions, Cats Pyjamas recorded two new Kenny Bernard songs, “Camera Man” and “Houses”. Bernard would revisit the pedestrian “Houses” in later years and but here the rest of the band give the song a semi-acoustic treatment complete with progressive organ fills. To this listener’s ears, the track wouldn’t sound out of place on The Small Faces’ Autumn Stone or Family’s Music From a Doll’s House. Far better is the raving Mod/prog cross-over “Camera Man” with its infectious chorus and stomping, driving beat.
Like “Virginia Water”, “Camera Man” demonstrates just how innovative Cats Pyjamas could be in the studio; unfortunately the group’s second outing would follow its predecessor into obscurity. The tragedy is that the group never got the opportunity to cut more material towards an LP.
Selected gigs:
7 March 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
21-22 May 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
24 May 1968 – Rasputin’s, New Bond Street, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
30-31 May 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
Released on 24 May 1968, “Camera Man” c/w “Houses” was another creative step forward but all was not well within the band. As Bernard later admitted in his autobiography, the singer was increasingly coming to blows with the rest of the group, both musically and personally. A rare high point was a month-long residency at the Stones Club in Madrid during June where Cats Pyjamas took over from Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede.
29 September 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
4 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
5 October 1968 – Fellowship Inn, Bellingham, southeast London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
6 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
11 October 1968 – Kingston College of Art, Kingston Upon Thames, southwest London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
18-19 October 1968 – Rasputin’s, New Bond Street, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
20 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
21 October 1968 – Rasputin’s, New Bond Street, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
25 October 1968 – Bag O’Nails, Kingley Street, Soho, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
26 October 1968 – White Hart, Acton, west London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
27 October 1968 – Mercer’s Arms, Swan Lane, Coventry, West Midlands (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings/Coventry Evening Telegraph)
28-31 October 1968 – Playboy Club, Park Lane, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
1-9 November 1968 – Playboy Club, Park Lane, central London (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
10 November 1968 – Swan Hotel, Yardley, West Midlands (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
16 November 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) Missing from Colin’s diary
17 November 1968 – Swan Hotel, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Missing from Colin’s diary
The band late 1968. Left to right: Phil Lanzon, Alan Griffin, Kenny Bernard, Roy Manderson (back) and Colin Pullen. Thanks to Alan for the photo.
Having returned to the UK after working in Madrid for a month during June 1968, tensions between Kenny Bernard and the rest of the band continued to grow and following some final gigs for Rik Gunnell in mid-November, the singer parted ways to resume a solo career.
Cats Pyjamas stuck together a bit longer but sometime in 1969 Colin Pullen left. Around November of that year, remaining members Alan Griffin, Phil Lanzon and Roy Manderson joined Geno Washington and worked as his Ram Jam Band until the spring of 1970. Griffin remained with the singer when he put together a new version that year.
Phil Lanzon, however, maintained the greatest profile over the succeeding years, later working with Grand Prix, Chris Spedding and Sweet among others before joining Uriah Heep in 1986 with whom he continues to play.
Huge thanks to Colin Pullen (who kindly shared the Rik Gunnell Agency booking list), Alan Griffin and Phil Lanzon for providing information about the band.
London-based West Indian soul outfit, Joe E Young & The Toniks recorded a superb, ultra-rare, and highly collectable, LP called Soul Buster! for Vicki Wickham’s small Toast label during 1968 before splintering when singer Colin Young joined British chart toppers The Foundations, subsequently singing lead on the UK #2 hit, “Build Me Up A Buttercup” and UK #8 hit, “In The Bad Bad Old Days (Before You Loved Me)”.
The band’s career is shrouded in mystery and very little is known about its tangled history, not to mention its origins. What we do know, however, is that Colin Young was born in Barbados on 12 September 1944 (although some sources suggest the United States) and first came to London for a holiday with his father in the mid-Sixties (possibly in late 1965).
It seems likely that the original Toniks were formed around the Stoke Newington area as that was a hotbed for musicians from the Caribbean, who had moved to London.
Colin Young formed the group with guitarist Oscar Knight; sax player Anthony Barman (aka Bauman); bass player Sam Southwell; and drummer John Seally.
However, at some point in late 1966/early 1967 Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel (aka Samuels) took over from Sam Southwell; Conrad Isidore replaced John Seally; and keyboard player Ken Cumberbatch and second sax player Denis Overton joined. Samuel and Cumberbatch knew sax player Anthony Bauman from playing together in The Blue-Ace-Unit.
Antigua-born London-raised Calvin Samuel’s first musical outfit appears to have been The Cool Shades alongside fellow Antiguan, lead guitarist Wendell (Dell) Richardson, who’d grown up in Tottenham after moving to the UK at the age of 11, and two other musicians called Philip and Ronald.
Next he joined The Blue-Ace-Unit, formed around early 1965 by future Bob Marley sideman, Junior Marvin, who at the time used the name Junior Kerr. Apparently, it was Kerr who coined Samuel’s nickname ‘Fuzzy’ after the musician used a fuzz box on his bass while playing a gig in Hornsey. Samuel says he stole the fuzz box from a music shop, which, he adds, was the same one Keith Richard used on “Satisfaction” but applied it to his bass.
Samuel replaced the original bass player in The Blue-Ace-Unit around the same time that Ken Cumberbatch joined Kerr’s group on keyboards.
Blue Ace Unit gig from 31 October 1965. Photo: Melody Maker. Photo may be subject to copyright
In mid-1966, Samuel briefly joined The Rick ‘N’ Beckers before hooking up with The Skatalites, a band that Richardson also worked with briefly, albeit in early 1967.
After working with The Skatalites, Samuel reunited with Cumberbatch in the new version of The Toniks. Samuel says he knew his predecessor Sam Southwell, who was from Stoke Newington, and that Colin Young and Oscar Knight lived with him.
Also on-board was Dominica-born Conrad Isidore, who had arrived in the UK in 1958 when he was 15 years old. After studying music in Finland, Isidore returned to the UK to work with The Grenades for a few years. He then played with The Links, during which time he met John Maxwell, who used to work for Ken Edwards, the owner of the New All-Star Club near Liverpool Street. It was Maxwell who recommended him for the job with The Toniks when Seally left. Isidore says that Wendell Richardson also played guitar with The Toniks very briefly.
Around the same time, a second sax player, Denis Overton also joined. Overton is most likely the same South African-born musician who had previously played with John O’Hara & His New Playboys during 1965-1966 and then briefly worked with Liverpool band, The Roadrunners.
Incidentally, Samuel was also close friends with The Equals and apparently Eddy Grant used Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel as a session bass player on many of The Equals’ recordings, including “Viva Bobby Joe”, “Softly Softly” and “I Get So Excited”. Grant would later produce and pen material for Samuel’s post-Toniks band, The Sundae Times.
Billed as either The Toniks or The Tonicks, the sextet quickly found work gigging across the north London club scene in venues that catered for the city’s burgeoning West Indian population.
The New All-Star Club near Liverpool Street railway station became a favourite haunt. According to Samuel, the club’s owner Ken Edwards used The Equals as the house band but brought The Toniks in as a replacement.
The Toniks also became regulars at Count Suckle’s Cue Club in Paddington and the Roaring 20’s in Carnaby Street, Soho.
According to Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band guitarist Pete Gage, who would work with the band in late 1967, it was Colin Young’s manager Ken Edwards, who [also] owned the Cue Club who renamed the singer Joe E Young.
Some of the gigs below (particularly the early ones) didn’t list Joe E Young, but Colin Young was there from start to finish.
British music magazine, Melody Maker, lists the following gigs for the band (unless otherwise noted). Some of the earlier gigs from 1966 were probably by the original formation.
Selected gigs:
7 September 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London
11 September 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Pilgrims
2 October 1966 – Toft’s, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
5 October 1966 – Zebra Club, W1, central London
8 October 1966 – Club West Indies, Stonebridge Park, northwest London
9 October 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 November 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London
17 November 1966 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London
3 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
9 December 1966 – Beachcomber Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
17 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
25 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
26 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Sugar Simone Show
8 January 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
27 January 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London with Inez and Charlie Foxx
28 January 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
28 January 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Dave Berry & The Crusiers and The Crestas (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
28 January 1967 – Chalk Farm, north London with The Vaudeville Band, The Soft Machine and The Hectic Poets (Billed as the band only)
3 February 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
4 February 1967 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Poster)(Billed as The Tonicks featuring Joey Young)
5 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Joey Young & The Tonicks Band)
11 February 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
11 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 February 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
19 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
24 February 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
25 February 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
25 February 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
Photo: Aldershot News. Photo may be subject to copyright
4 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
5 March 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
5 March 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
7 March 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Poster)
10 March 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder) (Billed as The Tonics)
16 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
18 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
23 March 1967 – Roaring 20’s, Carnaby Street, Soho, central London
23 March 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London (Geoff Williams research: Decca Studios and Klooks Kleek book)
24 March 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
25 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
27 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
30 March 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Drifters, The Senate and Jimmy Cliff (Evening Sentinel)
31 March 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
7 April 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with Les Fleur De Lys (Evening Sentinel)
Photo: Essex Chronicle. Photo may be subject to copyright
8 April 1967 – Bluesville, St Thomas’ Hall, Brentwood, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
9 April 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
9 April 1967 – Flamingo, Soho, central London
Photo: Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald. Photo may be subject to copyright
15 April 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Tribe (Folkestone, Hythe & District Herald)
16 April 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
21 April 1967 – Mr McCoys, Middlesbrough (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette) Billed as The Tonicks
29 April 1967 – Tabernacle, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
14 May 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
Photo: Evening Sentinel. Photo may be subject to copyright
21 May 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
22 May 1967 – Queen’s Ballroom, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express & Star)
29 May 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with Nyla Rose
2 June 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
2 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
17 June 1967 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Kinsmen (Cambridgeshire Times) (Billed as the band only)
17 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London (Billed as John Lee Hooker & The Tonicks)
24 June 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London with The Toys (Billed as the band only)
22 July 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester (Disc & Music Echo)
The Nite Owl gig may not have happened as it took place during the period that the band played at Snoopy’s (aka The Windmill) in Palma, Majorca which was from around late June to late August 1967.
Photo: Melody Maker. Photo may be subject to copyright
9 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
9 September 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
15 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
Photo: North Norfolk News. Photo may be subject to copyright
23 September 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with Soul Concern (North Norfolk News)
24 September 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
28 September 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
13 October 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as The Tonicks Band)
Joe E Young & The Tonicks pictured in Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette (22 Dec 1967, page 10). Photo could be taken at the New All-Star Club and shows the line up with Fuzzy (far right)
From late October-mid-November 1967, Melody Maker reports that Joe E Young & The Toniks were resident band at the New All-Star Club but did not say if this was every night. In early November, Ruby James & The Stax were also residents.
20 October 1967 – Rendevous Club, Margate, Kent with The Coloured Raisins (East Kent Times & Mail)
21 October 1967 – Royal York Hotel, Ryde, Isle of Wight with supporting London band (Isle of Wight County Press)
21 October 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as The Tonicks with Joey Young)
21 October 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London
Photo: Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. Photo may be subject to copyright
22 October 1967 – Kettering Working Men’s Club, Kettering, Northamptonshire with Lloyd Alexander Blues Band (Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph)
Photo: Melody Maker. Photo may be subject to copyright
27 October 1967 – Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, Harrow, northwest London
28 October 1967 – Leeds International Club, Leeds, West Yorkshire
31 October 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, Slough, Berkshire
Photo: Possibly Swindon Advertiser. Photo may be subject to copyright
4 November 1967 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Vogues (East Kent Times & Mail)
Sometime around early-to-mid November 1967, Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel departed to form The Sundae Times with guitarist Wendell Richardson. The Sundae Times later landed a record deal with President Records thanks to their friendship with Eddy Grant. Conrad Isidore continued to play with Joe E Young & The Toniks while Samuel and Richardson wrote material but jumped ship to join them once they got the record deal.
Ken Cumberbatch left around the same time and moved into session work, including working with Junior Marvin. Oscar Knight also departed at the same time.
Trinidad and Tobago-born siblings Kelvin Bullen (lead guitar) and Hugh Bullen (bass), who had started out with Reading, Berkshire band, The Soul Trinity, took Knight and Samuel’s places. Richard London came in from south London bands The Heads and The Stax for Ken Cumberbatch.
Left to right: Kelvin Bullen, Richard London, Hugh Bullen, Colin Young, Conrad Isidore (sitting), Denis Overton and Tony Bauman
Colin Young – lead vocals
Kelvin Bullen – lead guitar
Hugh Bullen – bass
Richard London – keyboards
Tony Bauman – saxophone
Denis Overton – saxophone
Conrad Isidore – drums
Sometime in November, Joe E Young & The Toniks landed a recording deal with Vicki Wickham’s Toast label. Paired with former Ram Jam Band guitarist Pete Gage as an arranger, the band started to record material for an LP with producer Tommy Scott, which appears to have been cut over several sessions, starting in late 1967 and culminating with a final session in mid-1968.
The band is featured in the Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette (22 Dec 1967, page 10) and article suggests there may have been some temporary members
According to Gage, it was Vicki Wickham (Dusty Springfield’s manager) who approached him via Rik Gunnell to arrange and produce Joe E Young & The Toniks. Gage believes that session players, which possibly included keyboard player Tim Hinkley and guitarist Ivan Zagni, who’d previously played with Mike Patto in The Chicago Blues Line and worked with his girlfriend Elkie Brooks in early 1968, may have been employed on some tracks. He also thinks that Colin Young’s friend Jimmy Chambers and Trinidad-born singer Ebony Keyes may have contributed vocals to the sessions.
Two of the earliest tracks to be recorded were two Pete Gage songs, co-written with Ebony Keyes (aka Kenrick Pitt), “Lifetime of Lovin’” c/w “Flower In My Hand”. Paired as a single, the tracks were issued on Toast in January 1968 but did not chart. Incidentally, the single also saw a South African release on the Continental label.
Debut single promotion. Courtesy Dave Else
Selected gigs:
23 November 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, north London
Photo: Hull Daily Mail. Photo may be subject to copyright
8 December 1967 – Burton Constable Stately Home, Hull, Humberside with The Amboy Dukes, Ferris Wheel, Roger Bloom’s Hammer, Gospel Garden and The Mandrakes (Hull Daily Mail)
9 December 1967 – Enfield Technical College, Enfield, north London with Ten Years After (Poster)
9 December 1967 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
10 December 1967 – Ram Jam Club, Brixton, south London
Photo: Hull Daily Mail. Photo may be subject to copyright
11 December 1967 – Hull University Union at the Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside with The Moody Blues and The Gods (Hull Daily Mail)
Photo: North Norfolk News. Photo may be subject to copyright
16 December 1967 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with The Rubber Band (North Norfolk News)
Photo: Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette. Photo may be subject to copyright
23 December 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestatyn, Clwyd, Wales (Rhyl & Prestayn Gazette)
Photo: Woking Herald. Photo may be subject to copyright
24 December 1967 – Sunday club, Addlestone, Surrey with Art Movement (Woking Herald)
25 December 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Ronnie Jones, Owen Grey, The Youth and Herbie Goins
26 December 1967 – Shelimar Club, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
30 December 1967 – Israeli Student Association, West Hampstead, north London
30 December 1967 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London
24 February 1968 – Tinned Chicken Club, Castleford, West Yorkshire with Max Bear & The Chicago Setback (Sheffield Star)
Photo: Harrow Weekly Post. Photo may be subject to copyright
2 March 1968 – Burton’s, Uxbridge, London (Harrow Weekly Post)
2 March 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
8 March 1968 – Drill Hall, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (Stratford upon Avon Herald)
15 March 1968 – Camberwell Rag Ball, Camberwell, southeast London with George Bean & The Runners and The James Stewart Dance Band (South East London Mercury)
24 March 1968 – Downbeat Club, the Swan, Maldon, Essex (Essex Chronicle)
30 March 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
31 March 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Count Suckle Sound System (Billed as Tonicks Band)
Photo: Ipswich Evening Star. Photo may be subject to copyright
2 April 1968 – Ready Steady Go Club, Pier Pavilion, Felixstowe, Suffolk with Tony Jackson & The Vibrations (Ipswich Evening Star)
Photo: Leicester Mercury. Photo may be subject to copyright
5 April 1968 – Il Rondo, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
12 April 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
Photo: Western Gazette. Photo may be subject to copyright
20 April 1968 – Princes Theatre & Ballroom, Yeovil, Somerset with Satan’s Chase and The Pandas (Western Gazette)
21 April 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
22-25 April 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London with Count Suckle Sound System
Photo: Middlesbrough Evening Gazette. Photo may be subject to copyright
25 April 1968 – James Finegan Hall, Eston, Teesside with The Engine and Chelfont Line (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
26 April 1968 – New All-Star Club, 9a Artillery Passage, east London
27 April 1968 – Marine Ballroom, Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire with Top Katz (Morecambe Visitor)
30 April 1968 – Falcon Hotel, Eltham, southeast London (South East London Mercury)
Soon after Joe E Young & The Toniks participated in a tour supporting American soul legend Aretha Franklin. Also on the bill were Johnnie Walker, Robert Knight and Lucas with The Mike Cotton Sound. One of the highlights was a show at what later became the Hammersmith Odeon in May 1968.
4 May 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Tonicks Band)
Photo: Redbridge & Ilford Recorder. Photo may be subject to copyright
10 May 1968 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
11 May 1968 – Eastbourne Suite, Eastbourne, East Sussex (Brighton Evening Argus)
17 June 1968 – Barn Club, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
Photo: Cambridgeshire Times. Photo may be subject to copyright
22 June 1968 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Soul Mates (Cambridgeshire Times)
22 June 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London
Photo: Cumberland News. Photo may be subject to copyright
6-7 July 1968 – Cosmo, Carlisle, Cumbria (Cumberland News)
14 July 1968 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
20 July 1968 – Club LaBamba, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Kent & Sussex Courier)
Photo: East Kent Times & Mail. Photo may be subject to copyright
27 July 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Magic Roundabout (East Kent Times & Mail)
27 July 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, west London (Billed as Joey Young & The Tonicks Band)
10 August 1968 – Wem Town Hall, Wem, Shropshire with Syndicate Union (North Shropshire Journal)
Photo: Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. Photo may be subject to copyright
18 August 1968 – Railway Hotel, Wealdstone, northwest London
Melody Maker lists some gigs under the name The New Toniks, which may or may not be the same band. The ‘new’ prefix suggests that a new formation was put together and this writer would welcome any further information.
Selected gigs (New Toniks):
22 August 1968 – White Hart, London
23-25 August 1968 – Scotland
25-26 August 1968 – Manchester
27-28 August 1968 – Recording
Colin Young joins The Foundations. Courtesy Dave Else
According to Melody Maker, Colin Young joined The Foundations in late September and made his debut at Aberdeen University on 4 October 1968. By this point, Conrad Isidore had already jumped ship to commit to The Sundae Times full-time. With the band splitting, the Bullen siblings ended up joining Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers.
With the album ready to release, Toast quickly shipped a second single in November 1968, pairing the soul classic, “Sixty Minutes of Your Love” with Lennon & McCartney’s “Good Day Sunshine”.
Around the same time, the label also belatedly issued the Soul Buster! LP, highlights of which include one of the best covers of Darrell Banks’ “Open The Door To Your Heart”. Sadly, it was all too little, too late. With few copies pressed and scant promotion, the LP slipped out unnoticed. In subsequent years, however, it became a highly prized collector’s item, not least due to the band’s personnel and individual members’ post-Toniks career.
In a final, last gasp, Toast paired “Good Day Sunshine” with the year old “Lifetime of Lovin’” for a final single, issued on 31 January 1969, but it also failed to dent the charts.
Besides Colin Young’s chart success with The Foundations, Calvin ‘Fuzzy’ Samuel and Conrad Isidore also went on to greater things.
During his time with The Sundae Times, Isidore also played and recorded with Alan Marshall’s band One, who released a rare eponymous LP for Fontana. After a stint with Manfred Mann Chapter 3 during 1970, he became a noted session player, working with the likes of Joe Cocker, Linda Lewis, Terry Reid, Vinegar Joe and Eddy Grant to name a few. He also later played with Junior Marvin in his band Hanson and with Hummingbird.
Samuel appeared on Stephen Stills’ first two solo albums, thanks to his connections with Conrad Isidore, who landed the gig after Stephen Stills caught the drummer playing at the Speakeasy in March 1970.
The bass player was hired for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, appearing on the single, “Ohio” and subsequently worked in Stephen Stills’s Manassas before also finding work as a session player, including with Graham Nash, Rita Coolidge and Taj Mahal. Samuel later wrote and recorded songs with Marianne Faithfull and Stevie Winwood and worked with The Alvin Lee Band and Tumbling Dice with Mick Taylor and Nicky Hopkins. In 1999, he self-released two CDs, This Train Still Runs and Love Don’t Taste Like Chicken.
Latter day member Kelvin Bullen went on to work with Swiss rock band, Toad, while his brother Hugh found success with the highly revered British funk band, Gonzalez after a spell in Italy with Herbie Goins. Hugh Bullen also cut an Italian solo LP, Feeling, in 1978.
Colin Young meanwhile went solo and recorded for Pye Records. He later joined UK group Mercy, Mercy who had a hit with “It Must Be Heaven” in the 1980s. Since then he has participated in various Foundations reunions.
Many thanks to Pete Gage for his recollections. I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who can add or correct any of the information here.
Thanks also to Conrad Isidore and Fuzzy Samuel for providing information.
A noted yet relatively obscure late 1960s rock/soul outfit formed by two former members of Joe E Young & The Toniks around late 1967/early 1968, who cut a great lone LP, Us Coloured Kids, and a handful of singles for President Records.
Born in Antigua, guitarist Wendell Richardson had moved to London at the age of 11 and grown up in Tottenham.
During the early 1960s, he befriended fellow Antiguan-born musician Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuel (playing together in The Cool Shades) and later Dominica-born Conrad Isidore. In 1967, Samuel and Isidore both played with The Toniks fronted by singer Colin Young aka Joe E Young). Through the local West Indian population, the trio got to know Eddy Grant and his band The Equals and became firm friends.
Having lost interest in The Toniks, Samuel jumped ship around November 1967 shortly before the band’s debut single on Toast, “Lifetime of Lovin’” c/w “Flower In My Hand” had been released and started planning The Sundae Times with Richardson, who had worked with The Skatelites backing Edwin Starr in February 1967. Isidore, however, remained with The Toniks but agreed to help out on the pair’s next project, The Sundae Times, who landed a deal with President Records thanks to their connection with The Equals (Ed: Samuel played bass on many of their recordings).
With Eddy Grant producing and penning the trio’s first release, “Baby Don’t Cry” c/w “Aba-Aba”, The Sundae Times’ debut was issued by President on 7 June 1968 but failed to chart in the UK. In the US, the single appeared on the small Seville imprint the following month. German and Spanish releases also followed but somewhat bizarrely it was in Israel where The Sundae Times made the biggest impact. Released as the A-side, “Aba-Aba” broke into the top 10.
With The Sundae Times starting to pick up gigs and with further hits potentially in the pipeline, Conrad Isidore left The Toniks around September 1968 to commit to the project full-time. In retrospect, it was a sensible move as singer Colin Young quit The Toniks soon after to join British hit-makers, The Foundations.
With Isidore fully committed, The Sundae Times began work on an LP for President Records’ subsidiary Joy during the autumn of 1968 with Eddy Grant producing. Richardson dominated the song-writing, penning the tracks, “Angels In The Sky”, “Adam and Eve”, “Electric Tree” and “Jack Boy”, which graced the A-side of The Sundae Times’ second single, issued on President on 22 November 1968. Coupled with “I Don’t Want Nobody”, a Richardson co-write with Isidore and Samuel, the single failed to chart.
According to Samuel, The Sundae Times toured in both Israel and West Germany as well as gigging in Britain.
The three musicians also collaborated on three other tracks on the LP, “Take Me Back Again”, “Psychedelic Dream” and “Do You Know What Love Is”. Samuel meanwhile penned two tracks, “On The Run” and “Live Today”, which belatedly headed up The Sundae Times’ final single outing (issued on 13 March 1970), and was coupled with Eddy Grant’s “Take Me Higher Baby”.
By then, Samuel and Isidore had been snapped up by Stephen Stills for sessions for his debut solo LP. Isidore was working with Alan Marshall’s band One, who’d cut a lone LP for Fontana during 1969, during this time. Marshall’s group were regular guests at Stills’ Elstead home in Surrey.
During this time, Samuel says he also continued to do sessions with The Equals, Jimmy Cliff and Blue Beat records. All three musicians also played on Eddy Grant’s 32nd Turnoff LP.
While Samuel subsequently landed a gig with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (replacing Greg Reeves), Richardson formed Osibisa and Isidore joined Manfred Mann Chapter 3.
The Sundae Times’ own LP, Us Coloured Kids, had slipped out on Joy Records during 1969 and has since become an extremely rare, yet highly collectable item thanks in part to the Eddy Grant connection.
Selected gigs:
7 September 1968 – Glen Ballroom, Llanelli, south Wales with Lyndia Lewis and The NMO (South Wales Evening Post) Lyndia Lewis was most likely Linda Lewis but was this with White Rabbit?
6 October 1968 – Mistrale Club, Beckenham Junction, Kent (Poster)
2 November 1968 – Weymouth Pavilion Ballroom, Weymouth, Dorset with The Firestones (Dorset Evening Echo)
13 December 1968 – Fishmongers Hall, Wood Green, Middlesex with The Action (Melody Maker)
For more on the band members’ post career, see the Joe E Young & The Toniks entry on Garage Hangover. I’d be interested if anyone can add or correct any information below.
Thanks to Fuzzy Samuel, Conrad Isidore and Wendell Richardson for providing some information.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
17 December 1966 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Mail/Fabulous 208)
18 March 1967 – Ram Jam, Brixton, south London (Melody Maker)
15 October 1967 – Beau Brummel Club, Alvaston Hall Hotel, Nantwich, Cheshire with Phil Ryan & The Scorpions (Crewe Chronicle)
16 March 1968 – Gaiety Ballroom, Ramsey, Cambridgeshire with The Friction (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings/Cambridgeshire Times)
6 April 1968 – Stax Club, Cirencester, Gloucestershire with The Purple Barrier (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings)
21 April 1968 – Tower Ballroom, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Rik Gunnell Agency bookings/Yarmouth Mercury)
Colin Young – lead vocals
Two of the earliest tracks to be recorded were two Pete Gage songs, co-written with Ebony Keyes (aka Kenrick Pitt), “Lifetime of Lovin’” c/w “Flower In My Hand”. Paired as a single, the tracks were issued on Toast in January 1968 but did not chart. Incidentally, the single also saw a South African release on the Continental label.
Wendell Richardson – guitar/vocals
With The Sundae Times starting to pick up gigs and with further hits potentially in the pipeline, Conrad Isidore left The Toniks around September 1968 to commit to the project full-time. In retrospect, it was a sensible move as singer Colin Young quit The Toniks soon after to join British hit-makers, The Foundations.
The three musicians also collaborated on three other tracks on the LP, “Take Me Back Again”, “Psychedelic Dream” and “Do You Know What Love Is”. Samuel meanwhile penned two tracks, “On The Run” and “Live Today”, which belatedly headed up The Sundae Times’ final single outing (issued on 13 March 1970), and was coupled with Eddy Grant’s “Take Me Higher Baby”.
