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.
Robert J Scales (aka Robb Storme) – lead vocals
Gary Hooper – keyboards/guitar
John Bachini – bass/vocals
Pete Wilson (aka Wil Malone) – drums/keyboards/vocals
In September 1967, The Robb Storme Group changed name to Orange Bicycle.
24 September 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker)
30 September 1967 – The Pilgrim, Haywards Heath, West Sussex with supporting group (Mid Sussex Times) Billed as Robb Storme & The Orange Bicycle
6 October 1967 – Klik, Brighton, Sussex (Mid Sussex Times) Billed as Robb Storme & Orange Bicycle
9 November 1967 – The Pilgrim, Haywards Heath, West Sussex with The Switch (Mid Sussex Times) Billed as Robb Storme & The Orange Bicycle
21 December 1967 – The Pilgrim, Haywards Heath, West Sussex (Mid Sussex Times) Billed as Robb Storme & The Orange Bicycle
1968
6 January 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
10 February 1968 – Faculty of Tech Union, Students’ Union Building, Manchester University, Manchester with The Pretty Things (Manchester Evening News)
24 February 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
3 April 1968 – Grand Spa Ballroom, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post)
4 April 1968 – Caesar’s Discotek, Arno’s Court Country Club, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post)
13 April 1968 – Pier Ballroom, Hastings, East Sussex with Pete Kelly’s Solution (Melody Maker)
11 May 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
26 May 1968 – Crawdaddy, Reading, Berkshire (Reading Evening Post)
3 June 1968 – Rainbow Suite, Co-op, Birmingham with Ultra Sounds (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 June 1968 – Georgian Club, Manchester with The Choice (Manchester Evening News)
8 June 1968 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News) Billed as Rob Storm & The Orange Bicycle
8 June 1968 – Princess Club, Chorlton, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News) Billed as Rob Storm & The Orange Bicycle
6 July 1968 – St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire with The Reg James Explosion (Evening Sentinel)
20 July 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
10 August 1968 – Le Metro, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
25 August 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
31 August 1968 – Isle of Wight Festival, Ford Farm near Godshill, Isle of Wight with Jefferson Airplane, The Move, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, T-Rex, Fairport Convention, The Pretty Things and others (poster)
11 September 1968 – The Grand, Frome, Somerset with The Derek Jones Discotheque (Somerset Standard)
4 October 1968 – Community Centre, Sydenham, south London (Marmalade Skies website)
5 October 1968 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Billed as Robb Storme & The Whispers
6 October 1968 – Maerdy Workingmen’s Club, Maerdy, Rhondda, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
11 October 1968 – Owens Park College, Manchester (Marmalade Skies website)
13 October 1968 – Coatham Hotel, Redcar (Marmalade Skies website)
20 October 1968 – Dugout Club, Bristol (Marmalade Skies website)
23 October 1968 – Grand Spa Ballroom, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post)
24 October 1968 – RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
25 October 1968 – Woolaston Memorial Hall, Woolaston, Gloucestershire (Marmalade Skies website)
26 October 1968 – Lafayette Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Marmalade Skies website)
27 October 1968 – Golden Diamond Club, Sutton-In-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire (Marmalade Skies website)
28 October 1968 – Exeter College, Exeter, Devon (Marmalade Skies website)
29 October 1968 – Michinhampton Youth Club, Michinhampton, Devon (Marmalade Skies website)
14 November 1968 – Tall Trees Club, Newquay, Cornwall (Cornish Guardian)
15 November 1968 – Tiffany’s, The Quay, Exeter, Devon with The Showstoppers (Herald Express)
16 November 1968 – Rainbow Suite, Co-op, Birmingham with The Johnny Neale Band (Birmingham Evening Mail)
29 November 1968 – Listers Hall, Dursley, Gloucestershire (Marmalade Skies website)
30 November 1968 – Clouds, Manchester (Manchester Evening News)
30 November 1968 – Manchester University, Manchester with The Who (Marmalade Skies website)
5-7 December 1968 – Club Camelot, Taunton, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
8 December 1968 – Plymouth Top Rank, Plymouth, Devon (Marmalade Skies website)
9 December 1968 – Town Hall, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire (Marmalade Skies website)
13 December 1968 – RAF Locking, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
14 December 1968 – NUM Club, Tonypandy, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
15 December 1968 – Tynewydd Club, Tynewydd, Rhondda, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
18 December 1968 – Severn View Club, Caldicot, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
19 December 1968 – RNAS Yeovilton, Ilchester, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
20 December 1968 – Sydenham Club, Bridgwater, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
21 December 1968 – Polikoff’s Club, Treorchy, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
22 December 1968 – Maerdy Workingmen’s Club, Maerdy, Rhondda, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
27 December 1968 – Corn Exchange, Bristol (Marmalade Skies website)
28 December 1968 – Top Rank, Brighton, Sussex with The Nice (Marmalade Skies website)
1969
Sometime in 1969, Liverpool (and future Supertramp) drummer Kevin Currie joined, allowing Wil Malone to move to keyboards
24 January 1969 – Stamford Hall, Altrincham, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News)
30 January 1969 – Red Balloon, Haywards Heath, West Sussex (Mid Sussex Times) Orange Bicycle with Robb Storme
14 February 1969 – Nottingham University, Nottingham (Marmalade Skies website)
16 February 1969 – Tredegar Workingmen’s Club, Tredegar, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
20 February 1969 – RFU, Bridgwater, Somerset (Marmalade Skies website)
21 February 1969 – Lydney Town Hall, Lydney, Gloucestershire (Marmalade Skies website)
22 February 1969 – Hereford College, Hereford, Herefordshire (Marmalade Skies website)
23 February 1969 – Maerdy Workingmen’s Club, Maerdy, Rhondda, Wales (Marmalade Skies website)
24 February 1969 – Assheton House Country Club, Twycross near Atherstone, Leicestershire (Birmingham Evening Mail/Hinckley Times)
27 February 1969 – St Paul’s College, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Marmalade Skies website)
28 February 1969 – Hardley Youth Club, Southampton, Hampshire (Marmalade Skies website)
6 March 1969 – Red Balloon, Haywards Heath, West Sussex (Mid Sussex Times)
15 March 1969 – Ritz, Bournemouth, Dorset (needs source)
10 April 1969 – The Pilgrim, Haywards Heath, West Sussex (Mid Sussex Times) Orange Bicycle with Robb Storme
31 May 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) Says ex-Robb Storme
2 June 1969 – Regal Cinema, Ringwood, Hampshire with Wedgewood Wing (needs source)
7 June 1969 – Room at the Top Club, Redruth, Cornwall with Hopscotch (West Briton)
27 June 1969 – Exeter University, Exeter, Devon with The Moody Blues, Colosseum, The Pyramids, Alex Walsh, Bob Kerr’s Whoopee Band and others (Melody Maker)
28 June 1969 – Room at the Top Club, Redruth, Cornwall (West Briton)
3 August 1969 – Sunday Club, Top Rank, Bristol (Bristol Evening News)
16 August 1969 –Room at the Top Club, Redruth, Cornwall (Cornish Guardian)
31 August 1969 – Top Rank, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post)
21 September 1969 – Cock Hotel, Ripley, Derbyshire (Derby Evening Telegraph)
25 October 1969 – Tin Hat, Kettering, Northamptonshire (Kettering Evening Telegraph)
15 November 1969 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland with The Change and The Shadettes (Marmalade Skies website)
10 December 1969 – The Silver Horse, Reading with The Image (Reading Evening Post)
14 December 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
1970
Sometime in early 1970, Bernie Lee joined on lead guitar (taking over from Gary Hooper)
17 January 1970 – Flying Bowman Club, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire with The Midnight Blue and Teak (Lincolnshire Echo)
1 April 1970 – Hucknall/Linby Miners’ Welfare, Nottinghamshire (Nottingham Evening Post)
22 May 1970 – Lafayette Club, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (needs source)
20 June 1970 – Ionians RFU, Elloughton, Brough, Humberside (Hull Daily Mail)
11 July 1970 – Yate’s Carnival Dance, Entertainment Centre, Yate, Bristol with Dool-Lally Cat (Bristol Evening Post)
8 August 1970 – Aquarius Club, Lincoln, Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire Echo)
21 August 1970 – Wedmore Harvest Home, Wedmore, Somerset with Cupid’s Inspiration and The Dipps (Wells Journal)
31 October 1970 – Flying Bowman’s Club, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire with Edison Lighthouse, The Troggs and Virgin Glory (Lincolnshire Echo)
20 November 1970 – Hayle Rugby Club, St Ives, Cornwall (West Briton)
21 November 1970 – PJ’s Disco, Truro, Cornwall (West Briton)
The Marmalade Skies gigs may be from Fabulous 208 magazine
Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author.