The Penny Peeps 1968. Clockwise from front: Martin Barre, Denny Alexander, Malcolm Tomlinson, Mick Ketley and Bryan Stevens
Aficionados of UK freakbeat will be familiar with The Penny Peeps’ Who-inspired rocker “Model Village”, which graced the ‘B’ side of the band’s debut single “Little Man with a Stick” for Liberty Records in February 1968.
With its swirling organ, driving guitar and powerful lead vocal, the track is justifiably revered as a minor ’60s classic and has turned up over the years on a number of compilations, most notably the Rubble series and the box set Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers.
Little is known about the Penny Peeps, aside from the fact that they recorded two hopelessly obscure, yet highly collectable singles for Liberty Records, which today can fetch astronomical sums of money.
Collectors may be surprised to learn, however, that The Penny Peeps’ guitarist was none other than future Jethro Tull axe man Martin Barre (b. 17 November 1946, King’s Heath, Birmingham).
Perhaps more surprising is news that The Penny Peeps recorded around 15 demos for the label in early 1968, including the marvellous “Meet Me at the Fair”, the band’s preferred choice as ‘B’ side for “Model Village”. The infectious soul-tinged rocker was subsequently dropped in favour of the more commercial “Little Man with a Stick”.
Photo may be subject to copyright
As fate would have it both “Little Man with a Stick” and its follow up single, “I See the Morning” sank without a trace and the group’s lead singer and song-writer, Denny Alexander, departed during August 1968. The group briefly continued as a quartet under the name Gethsemane before the musicians went their separate ways that December.
While Barre subsequently “landed on his feet” joining highly respected blues band, Jethro Tull, the music he recorded with his pre-Tull bands has often been overlooked.
Martin Barre, who’d previously played with Midlands bands The Dwellers and The Moonrakers, had joined the group that would become The Penny Peeps in July 1966.
Known as The Noblemen at the time, the group also comprised singer Jimmy Marsh; guitarist Chuck Fryers; bass player Bryan Stevens (b. 13 November 1941, Lha Datu, North Borneo); keyboard player Mike Ketley (b. 1 October 1947, Balham, London); sax player Chris Rodger; and drummer Malcolm Tomlinson (b. 16 June 1946, Isleworth, Middlesex; d. 2 April 2016).
However, Fryers dropped out soon afterwards (later to join The Sorrows) and after a few months, the band changed name to Motivation (sometimes billed as The Motivation – see earlier entry).
Motivation, spring 1967
During a trip to Italy in March-May 1967 singer Jimmy Marsh departed followed soon after by sax player Chris Rodger when the group returned home. With Ketley handling lead vocals in the short-term, the band started to look for a new front man.
Former Clayton Squares and Thoughts singer Denny Thomas Alexander (b. 10 March 1946, Liverpool, Lancashire, d. 6 December 2018) answered the call and joined in early June 1967.
With a Cheshire version of The Motivation increasingly active (they opened for The Jeff Beck Group at Nantwich Civic Hall on 24 June 1967) and yet another group billed as The Motivation signing and later recording with Direction Records, the musicians decided to become The Penny Peep Show in August 1967.
One of the first advertised shows under this name was at the Gala Ballroom in Norwich on 15 and 16 September (Friday and Saturday). On the Sunday, they travelled over to Birmingham to appear at the Swan in Yardley.
Other dates that month included a return to the Royal Ballrooms in Boscombe on Saturday, 23 September and an appearance at the Belfry in Wishaw, near Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands two days later, with The Sight & Sound.
The Penny Peep Show were back in the Birmingham area early the next month for a show at the Penthouse in the city centre with New Zealand group The Human Instinct on Saturday, 7 October (they would return here on Friday, 3 November).
It was possibly this same weekend that Stevens met his future wife Beth.
“We played at Birmingham University for the Fresher’s Dance, which is where I met Beth. I definitely remember that gig. Beth lived in Hersham, near Walton-on-Thames and she used to go to Walton Hop where we played some months later [in May 1968]”.
The following weekend, the musicians headed down to the southwest for a show at the Flamingo Ballroom in Penzance on Saturday, 14 October and headed home via Dorset to appear the Weymouth’s Steering Wheel on the following Saturday evening (21 October).
Throughout the next month, the band continued to crisscross the country, playing at venues like Birmingham’s Ringway Club on Saturday, 4 November; the Carnival Hall in Basingstoke, Hampshire on Thursday, 9 November; Coventry’s Tudor Club at the Mercers Arms on Sunday, 19 November; and the 76 Club in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire on 24 November.
Newspaper adverts reveal that during December, The Penny Peep Show returned to play shows at Weymouth’s Steering Wheel, the Royal Ballrooms in Boscombe (returning in early January) and the Swan in Yardley, closing the year with a show at the Wellington Club in Dereham, Norfolk on Saturday, 30 December.
Through Pete Hockham, formerly one of Bob Gaitley’s agents at the Beat Ballad and Blues agency and now working for Brian Epstein’s NEMS agency, the band signed up with NEMS around January 1968 and gained regular work in the London area.
One of the group’s first London dates took place on Thursday, 8 February, opening for Brighton band The Mike Stuart Span (who shared the same agency) at the famous 100 Club in Oxford Street.
The next day, the group played at the Nottingham Boat Club. Over the next year, the musicians would regularly perform in the city and its surrounding area.
That same month, the group signed a deal with Liberty Records and got to work recording over an album’s worth of material, most of which comprised demos.
Photo may be subject to copyright
Interested listeners can hear early demos of the four tracks that made up The Penny Peeps’ two singles plus unreleased tracks online. Acetates of “Model Village”, “I See the Morning”, “Curly, The Knight of The Road” and “Meet Me at the Fair” reveal just how powerful these demo versions were.
Photo may be subject to copyright
“When The Penny Peeps got the Liberty contract, I also got a song writing contract with them from Metric Music, which was on Albermarle Street at the time,” says Alexander.
“When I went to sign my contract there was also a duo who were part of band called the Idle Race. One turned out to be Jeff Lynne later of ELO fame and fortune. A third person sitting in the corner very quietly and looking very shy and school boyish turned out be Mike Batt!”
“The contract required a certain amount of songs in a certain period,” continues Alexander “and the band used to act as session men – and therefore got paid which helped when gigs were scarce. Most songs were recorded at the Marquee studio at the back of the old Marquee club in Wardour Street. I probably wrote about 15 or 16 songs.”
Photo may be subject to copyright
Some of these songs, such as “Helen Doesn’t Care” and “Into My Life She Came”, which features Martin Barre on flute, are gems. So is “Meet Me at The Fair”, which the group had envisaged would be coupled with Alexander’s organ and guitar driven rocker “Model Village” for the band’s debut single. Instead, Liberty chose to go with the poppy Les Reed-Barry Mason collaboration, “Little Man with a Stick”.
“I remember how pissed off we all were when Liberty insisted that ‘Little Man with a Stick’ should be the ‘A’ side as it was not us and none of us liked it,” says Stevens. “I suppose it was the usual case of the record company wanting to use their in-house song writers.”
Photo may be subject to copyright
Released on 16 February, under the new name, The Penny Peeps, “Little Man with a Stick” c/w “Model Village” failed to chart, although it did gain some radio exposure. (Ed – mint copies of this single will set you back a hefty price.)
11 February 1968 gig
“Little Man with a Stick” received a lukewarm welcome in the music press, with NME reporting: “A new British number by Les Reed and Barry Mason. It’s good fun with a strong novelty content, but not one of the duo’s most memorable compositions. Competent performance.”
The single’s release coincided with a memorable show at the Brighton Dome Theatre on Thursday, 22 February where The Penny Peeps backed The Scaffold on a bill that also included The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and also played their own set. Back in London, the group appeared at London’s Speakeasy six days later.
Throughout this period, the group toured extensively, and even made a brief trip to Belgium to play some dates.
“We played in Belgium for an Embassy party on-board a ship tied up at the docks,” says Stevens.
Sean Connery and Bridget Bardot were in the audience that night and Ketley thinks they may have been celebrating after wrapping up filming on the movie they were in together called Shalako.
Penny Peeps, spring 1968. Clockwise from bottom left: Martin Barre, Denny Alexander, Malcolm Tomlinson, Bryan Stevens and Mick Ketley
On Friday, 8 March, The Penny Peeps returned to play a show at the Nottingham Boat Club.
A few weeks later, on Saturday, 23 March, they were back in the city to appear at the Beachcomber Club. The previous evening (billed as The Penny Peep Show), the musicians performed at the Fiesta Hall in Andover, Hampshire.
Closing the month, The Penny Peeps returned to Bournemouth for a show at the Linden Sports Club, a venue they would perform at regularly throughout the year.
31 March 1968 gig
Newspaper adverts for April reveal that The Penny Peeps performed regularly along the south coast.
Besides the usual trek to Weymouth to play the Steering Wheel (Wednesday, 3 April), the band also played at the Cobweb, situated at the Marine Court in St Leonards, East Sussex. The show (on Saturday, 20 April) found the band playing on the same bill as Tony Rivers & The Castaways, soon to morph into Harmony Grass.
On Thursday, 25 April (again billed as The Penny Peep Show), the musicians played at Hatchetts Playground, a flash club on Piccadilly Circus.
With the band’s original material going down a storm on the road, the group returned to Nottingham on Friday, 3 May for another show at the Nottingham Boat Club.
Later that month (Saturday, 18 May), The Penny Peeps played at the Walton Hop, situated in the Playhouse at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, the UK’s first discotheque.
On Saturday, 15 June, The Penny Peeps returned to Nottingham for a show at the Beachcomber Club, returning home to Bognor Regis that evening to perform at the Linden Sports Club in Bournemouth the next day.
Six days later, the band’s second release Alexander’s “I See the Morning” c/w “Curly, The Knight of The Road” also failed to chart despite Tony Blackburn using the song to open his Radio 1 Breakfast show every morning for a week.
Beachcomber gig July 1968
Despite plenty of work, including a return to Nottingham’s Beachcomber Club on Saturday, 13 July; Leicester Rowing Club, two Saturday’s later; and the Swan in Yardley, the West Midlands on Saturday, 3 August, the emerging blues explosion headed up by Fleetwood Mac was starting to make psychedelic rock bands redundant.
25 July 1968 gig
That July, Canadian group The Band’s Music from Big Pink had been given a UK release and had turned musicians’ heads, The Penny Peeps included.
During a gig that month, possibly at the Walgrave in Coventry on Sunday, 4 August (see above) The Penny Peep Show/Penny Peeps’ current repertoire was met with an icy response and Alexander realised that drastic measures were needed.
In the interval, he suggested that the band play some blues numbers in the second set and with Ketley and Tomlinson also helping out with lead vocals, the fresh approach went down a storm.
Taking on a new name, In the Garden of Gethsemane, which was soon shortened to Gethsemane, the group began to plough a more blues-based direction.
The Penny Peeps before Denny Alexander left. Left to right: Martin Barre, Mick Ketley, Denny Alexander, Malcolm Tomlinson and Bryan Stevens
The decision to adopt a new style may also have been prompted by the Eighth National Jazz and Blues Festival held at Kempton Park racecourse in Sunbury-on-Thames on Sunday, 11 August.
Malcolm Tomlinson had attended and was blown away by Jethro Tull and its enigmatic front-man Ian Anderson whose mastery of the flute made an impression on the drummer. Both he and Martin Barre had recently started to play flute and Tomlinson came back raving about the group to Barre, urging the guitarist to check out Anderson’s inspirational group.
Around this time Denny Alexander dropped out to pursue a non-musical career.
Retiring from professional playing, he tried his hand as a trainee publican for a while but the venture didn’t last long. Back in Liverpool, he gathered together some friends who had a musical cabaret act and the sax player from The Undertakers and recorded six tracks in late 1972.
The songs: “Don’t Let It Rain (Wedding Day)”, “Crossroads of Life”, “My Last Goodbye to You”, “I’d Like to Get to Know You Girl”, “Your Alive” and “Babe I Love You” remain unreleased to this day.
The songs vary in style although some show touches of a country-rock influence. Like all of Alexander’s songs, the tracks are extremely melodic and a couple could have been huge hits in the hands of a more established artist.
With the recordings complete, Alexander turned his back on music and went into the financial services industry, retiring in the early 2000s. However, he did reunite with Bryan Stevens and Mick Ketley in the late 2000s.
Reduced to a quartet, the new musical direction that Gethsemane took gave the band an opportunity to be more creative and to stretch out during live performances.
To be continued:
Thanks to Bryan Stevens, Mike Ketley, Martin Barre, Denny Alexander, Malcolm Tomlinson, Mike Paxman, Vernon Joynson and Hugh MacLean. Thank you to Bryan Stevens and Mike Ketley for the band photos.
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 Move, late 1966. Left to right: Carl Wayne, Ace Kefford, Bev Bevan, Trevor Burton and Roy Wood. From Fabulous 208 Magazine. Photo may be subject to copyright
THE MOVE:
Carl Wayne – lead vocals
Roy Wood – guitar/vocals
Trevor Burton – guitar/vocals
Ace Kefford – bass/vocals
Bev Bevan – drums
1966
22 January 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands with The Hellions (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
1 February 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
3 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Little Stevie Wonder (replaced P J Proby), The Sidewinders, The Sombreros and The Matadors (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
3 February 1966 – Elbow Room, Aston, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
5 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Doris Troy and Fantastic Bluesology Incorporated (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
10 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
10 February 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
12 February 1966 – Marquee Club and Whisky A Go Go, Navigation Street, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
13 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Jeremy & The Heartbeats (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
15 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Inez and Charlie Foxx and Jeremy & The Heartbeats (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
16 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
19 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Monopoly (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
20-21 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Doris Troy and Bluesology Incorporated (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
22 February 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Deke Arlon (Birmingham Evening Mail) Backed Deke Arlon for a week and billed as The Move featuring Carl Wayne
24 February 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
5 March 1966 – Marquee Club, Birmingham with The Shakedown Sound (Birmingham Evening Mail)
5 March 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 March 1966 – The Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with John Bull Breed and The Sombreros (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as featuring Carl Wayne
16 March 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
24 March 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
26 March 1966 – Le Metro Club, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
29 March 1966 – Carlton Club, Erdington, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1 April 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live) London debut
2 April 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands with William’s Conquers (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
5 April 1966 – Chalet Country Club, Rednal, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 April 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Mark Leeman Five (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
9 April 1966 – Le Metro Club, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
18 April 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Cleo Laine and Danny King (Birmingham Evening Mail)
19 April 1966 – Tito’s Club, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
20 April 1966 – Lyndon, Sheldon, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
23 April 1966 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands with The Steampacket Show (Birmingham Evening Mail)
26-27 April 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with D D Warwick (Birmingham Evening Mail) DD Warwick may have been replaced by Dakota Station and The Johnny Patrick Trio
28 April 1966 – Hereford Lounge, Yardley, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1 May 1966 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands with The Craig (Birmingham Evening Mail)
1 May 1966 – Ritz Ballroom, King’s Heath, West Midlands with The Craig (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2-3 May 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Julie Grant, Danny King and Deep Feeling (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 May 1966 – West End Club, Coalville, Leicestershire with Listen (Leicester Mercury) Billed as Carl Wayne & The Move
Photo may be subject to copyright
8 May 1966 – Kavern, Small Heath, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
13 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 May 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 May 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
2 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Triad (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
5 June 1966 – The Ultra Club, Downs, Hassocks, West Sussex with The Henry (Mid Sussex Times)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 June 1966 – Bradmore WMC, Bradmore, West Midlands (Express & Star)
14 June 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with Jimmy Witherspoon (Birmingham Evening News)
23 June 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Rift (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 June 1966 – Wednesbury Youth Centre, Wednesbury, West Midlands (Express & Star)
3 July 1966 – Tavern Club, East Dereham, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
6 July 1966 – Club Cedar, Birmingham with The Stringbeats and The Nightriders (Birmingham Evening Mail)
7 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
8 July 1966 – Coronation Inn, Ramsgate, Kent (Fabulous 208)
10 July 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with Ian & Danny Eves with Sounds Reformed (Eastern Evening News/Lynn News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
12 July 1966 – Adam & Eve, Southampton, Hants (Southern Evening Echo)
13 July 1966 – Disco Blue Club, Ryde, Isle of Wight (Fabulous 208)
14 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Bluesology (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
15 July 1966 – Civic and Wulfrun Halls, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The New Merseys, Dave Berry, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, The Montanas and The Californians (Express & Star)
16 July 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
17 July 1966 – The Downs, Hassocks, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
21 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Ultimate (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
22 July 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
26 July 1966 – Chalet Country Club, Rednal, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 July 1966 – Tettenhall Club and Institute, Tettenhall, West Midlands (Express & Star)
28 July 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Herd (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
2 August 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (Dave Allen research)
4 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
11 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Bluesology (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
12 August 1966 – Starlite, Greenford, northwest London (Melody Maker)
13 August 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
14 August 1966 – Central R&B Club, Central Hotel, Gillingham, Kent (Chatham, Rochester & Gillingham News)
14 August 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Wembley, northwest London (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
18 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 August 1966 – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The Montanas, Finders Keepers, The Californians and The Crying Shames (Express & Star)
20 August 1966 – Co-op, Rainbow Suite, Birmingham with Bent Society (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 August 1966 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)
25 August 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
Photo may be subject to copyright
3 September 1966 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Zuider Lee and Ray King Soul Band (Lincolnshire Standard)
4 September 1966 – Downs Hotel, Hassocks, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
8 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with MI5 (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
9 September 1966 – Rialto Ballroom, Derby (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 September 1966 – Burlesque, Leicester (Leicester Mercury)
11 September 1966 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham (Down at the Boat book)
15 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Bo Street Runners (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
16 September 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Manchester Evening Mail)
17 September 1966 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent (Melody Maker)
19 September 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Melody Maker)
22 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Julian Covey & The Machine (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
23 September 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
24 September 1966 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with The Epics (East Kent Times)
25 September 1966 – Ricky Tick, Hounslow, west London (Fabulous 208)
29 September 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Syn (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
30 September 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 October 1966 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
6 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Embers (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
7 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
13 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Sands (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
14 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
15 October 1966 – Leeds University, Leeds, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
20 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Bluesology (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
21 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with The Action (Dave Allen research)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 October 1966 – The Marquee Show, Fairfield Hall, Croydon, south London with The Spencer Davis Group, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Wynder K Frog, The Herd and The VIPs (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)
22 October 1966 – Chelmsford Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, Essex with support (Southend Standard)
23 October 1966 – Technical College, Brighton, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 October 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Good-Goods (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
28 October 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)
29 October 1966 – College of Technology, Brighton, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
4 November 1966 – Walsall Town Hall, Walsall, West Midlands with New Vaudeville Band, The Staffords and The Ambassadors (Express & Star)
5 November 1966 – Hull University, Hull (Fabulous 208)
6 November 1966 – Jigsaw, Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
9 November 1966 – Orford Cellar, Norwich (Eastern Evening News)
17 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Dave Antony’s Moods (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
19 November 1966 – Technical College, Harlow, Essex (Fabulous 208)
19 November 1966 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with Ben E King (The Star) Fabulous 208 says 20 November
24 November 1966 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Roscoe Brown Combo (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
According to Disc & Music Echo they were banned from playing the Marquee in November for eight months. First gig back is 4 July.
25 November 1966 – The Thing, Oldham, Lancashire (Oldham Evening Chronicle)
26 November 1966 – Durham University, Durham (Fabulous 208)
27 November 1966 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Fabulous 208)
29 November 1966 – Town Hall, Aylesbury, Bucks (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
30 November 1966 – Adam & Eve, Southampton, Hants (Southern Echo)
3 December 1966 – Smethwick Baths, Smethwick, West Midlands with Heat Wave (Birmingham Evening Mail)
4 December 1966 – Belle Vue, New Elizabethan, Manchester with The Klyx (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
10 December 1966 – St George’s Ballroom, Hinckley, Leicestershire (Nuneaton Evening Tribune)
11 December 1966 – Dungeon Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
13 December 1966 – Chinese R&B Jazz Club, Bristol Corn Exchange, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post)
15 December 1966 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey (Fabulous 208)
15 December 1966 – Speakeasy, W1, central London (Fabulous 208/Mick Capewell’s Marmalade Skies website) Opening night
Photo from Richard Goddard
17 December 1966 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (courtesy of Richard Goddard)
Photo may be subject to copyright
20 December 1966 – Civic Hall, Grays, Essex (Fabulous 208)
22 December 1966 – Top Rank Suite, Chesterfield, Derbyshire (Fabulous 208)
23 December 1966 – Il Rondo, Leicester, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
26 December 1966 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
28 December 1966 – Locarno, Stevenage, Hertfordshire (Fabulous 208)
29 December 1966 – Locarno, Streatham, southwest London (Fabulous 208)
30 December 1966 – Carousel Club, Farnborough, Hampshire (Fabulous 208)
31 December 1966 – Trade Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
31 December 1966 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, north London with The Who and Pink Floyd (Melody Maker)
1967
1 January 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate with The Mack Sound (Melody Maker)
6 January 1967 – Civic and Wulfrun Halls, Wolverhampton, West Midlands with The ‘N’ Betweens, The Soul Seekers, Parchment People and Prim ‘N’ Proper (Express & Star)
7 January 1967 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex with The Fingers and The Tender Trap (Southend Standard)
7 January 1967 – Club Nevada, Market Hall, Redhill, Surrey (Caterham Weekly Press/Surrey Mirror)
8 January 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, London with The Roscoe Brown Combo (Melody Maker)
10 January 1967 – Winter Gardens, Malvern, Worcestershire (Fabulous 208)
12 January 1967 – Technical College Waltham Forest, London (Disc & Music Echo)
13 January 1967 – Corn Exchange, Leicester, Leicestershire (Fabulous 208)
14 January 1967 – Worcester College of Further Education, Worcester, Worcestershire (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
15 January 1967 – Black Cat, Gravesend, Kent (Fabulous 208) The South London paper PACE lists the band at the Psychedelic Sounds, General Gordon Hotel, Kings Farm Estate, Gravesend on this date
5 February 1967 – Iron Curtain Club, St Mary’s Cray, southeast London (Fabulous 208/PACE)
5 February 1967 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Record Mirror)
6 February 1967 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Record Mirror)
9 February 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands (Record Mirror)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 February 1967 – Top Spot Ballroom, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire with The Chances Are (Gloucester Citizen)
11 February 1967 – Manchester University, Manchester (Record Mirror)
12 February 1967 – 2X2 Club, Halifax, West Yorkshire (Record Mirror)
12 February 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire with The Amboy Dukes (The Star)
13 February 1967 – Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Record Mirror)
14 February 1967 – Lotus Ballroom, Forest Gate, London (Record Mirror)
15 February 1967 – Town Hall, Battersea, London (Fabulous 208)
16 February 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull with The Mandrakes, The Dawn Breakers and Birds Groove (Hull Daily Mail)
17 February 1967 – Nottingham University, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
19 February 1967 – Agincourt Ballroom, Camberley, Surrey (Aldershot News) The club reopened on 12 February
23 February 1967 – Co-op Hall, Gravesend, Kent (Fabulous 208)
24 February 1967 – Coventry University, Coventry, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
25 February 1967 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
26 February 1967 – The Thing, Oldham, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 February 1967 – Top Rank Suite, Cardiff, Wales (South Wales Echo)
2 March 1967 – Locarno, Derby (Derby Evening Telegraph)
3 March 1967 – Tabernacle, Stockport, Greater Manchester (Fabulous 208)
4 March 1967 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with Tracy’s Circles (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)
5 March 1967 – Saville Theatre, London (withdrew) (Record Mirror)
9 March 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 March 1967 – Queen’s College, Oxford with The Zombies (Cherwell)
11 March 1967 – Floral Hall, Southport, Lancashire (Fabulous 208)
12 March 1967 – Speakeasy, London (Disc & Music Echo)
13 March 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
17 March 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, London with Tiles Big Band and the Knack (Melody Maker) Club’s first birthday party
18 March 1967 – Town Hall, Ealing, London (Fabulous 208)
20 March 1967 – Civic Hall, Dunstable, Bedfordshire (Fabulous 208)
22 March 1967 – Locarno, Stevenage, Herts (Fabulous 208)
23 March 1967 – Crystal Ballroom, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel/Fabulous 208)
24 March 1967 – Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland with The Merseybeats (Fabulous 208)
26 March 1967 – Oasis, Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
26 March 1967 – Drokiweeny, Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
27 March 1967 – Public Hall, Heacham, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
30 March 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Streatham, London (Fabulous 208)
1 April 1967 – Pearce Hall, Maidenhead, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
3 April 1967 – Tabernacle, Southport, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)
6 April 1967 – King’s Hall, Belle Vue, Greater Manchester with The Tremeloes, Sounds Incorporated, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and The Mirage (Fabulous 208)
7 April 1967 – Grand Ballroom, Coalville, Leicestershire (Disc & Music Echo)
8 April 1967 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone with The Couriers (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette)
8 April 1967 – Video-London, Wolverhampton, West Midlands (Express and Star) This might just be autograph signing
9 April 1967 – Cadillac Club, Brighton, West Sussex (Melody Maker)
14 April 1967 – Brighton Arts Festival, Brighton, West Sussex with Paul Jones, Mike Stuart Span, Geno Washington, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers and others (Melody Maker)
15 April 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with The Academy (Dave Allen research)
21 April 1967 – Top Rank Suite, Swansea, Wales (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 April 1967 – Guildhall, Southampton, Hampshire with The Soul Trinity (Southern Evening Echo) David Else also has them playing at Aylesbury Borough Assembly Hall today
22 April 1967 – Shoreline Ballroom, Bognor Regis, West Sussex (Disc & Music Echo)
24 April 1967 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Monopoly and Orange Pips (Birmingham Evening Mail)
27 April 1967 – Locarno, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
28 April 1967 – Liverpool Pier Head, Liverpool (Disc & Music Echo)
Photo may be subject to copyright
29 April 1967 – Wellington Club, Dereham, Norfolk with Rubber Band and Deep Purple (Eastern Evening News/North Norfolk News) Band opens the club
3 May 1967 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley, London (Melody Maker)
5 May 1967 – Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (Disc & Music Echo)
6 May 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Denims (Crewe Chronicle)
11 May 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Coventry, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
12 May 1967 – Cheltenham Town Hall, Cheltenham with Gopler and Mark Raymond Sound (Gloucestershire Echo)
Disc and Music Echo says they travel to the Netherlands for three days from 12 May (possibly cancelled?)
Photo may be subject to copyright
13 May 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Winds of Change and The Associates (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
15 May 1967 – Bath Pavilion, Bath (Disc & Music Echo)
23 May 1967 – Disc and Music Echo says they are in West Germany today
25 May 1967 – Disc and Music Echo says they are in Paris, France today
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 May 1967 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with The Flashbaks (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
Photo may be subject to copyright
29 May 1967 – Barbeque 67, Tulip Bulb Auction Hall, Spalding, Lincolnshire with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band and Pink Floyd (Spalding Guardian)
31 May 1967 – Top Rank Swansea Suite, Swansea, south Wales (South Wales Evening Post)
1 June 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
3 June 1967 – Winter Gardens, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset (Fabulous 208)
7 June 1967 – Silver Blades, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
10 June 1967 – Corn Exchange, Kelso, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
11 June 1967 – Top Ten Club, Dundee Palais, Dundee, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
11 June 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Montrose, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
12 June 1967 – Kinema Ballroom, Dunfermline, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
13 June 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Glasgow, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
14 June 1967 – Douglas Hotel, Aberdeen, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
15 June 1967 – Caledonian Hotel, Inverness, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
17 June 1967 – Tofts, Folkestone, Kent (Melody Maker)
17 June 1967 – Swan, Yardley, West Midlands with The Pips (Birmingham Evening Mail) Could this have been later in the same evening as the Tofts gig?
17 June 1967 – Pier, Colwyn Bay, Wales (Fabulous 208) Seems unlikely with gig above
18 June 1967 – Sunday Club, Swan, Yardley, West Midlands (Coventry Evening Telegraph)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 June 1967 – Trinity and St John’s Oxford with Manfred Mann, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, John Barnett & His Band and West Indian Steel Band (Cherwell)
23 June 1967 – Starlite, Greenford, London with The Gods (Melody Maker)
24 June 1967 – Dreamland, Margate, Kent with Just Too Much (East Kent Times & Mail)
25 June 1967 – Great Yarmouth Aquarium, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Disc & Music Echo) This was supposed to be every Sunday for ten weeks until 27 August but only fulfilled several weeks before cancelling (last one mid-July)
7 July 1967 – Central Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire (Disc & Music Echo)
8 July 1967 – The Hub, Barnsley, West Yorkshire with Hepworths Good Impression (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News) The Move open the venue
11 July 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with Winston’s Fumbs (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live) This may be first gig back at Marquee since November when they were banned from the venue
13 July 1967 – Densbury College, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
15 July 1967 – Cesar’s, Bedford, Bedfordshire (Bedfordshire Times)
15 July 1967 – Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex (Fabulous 208) This date seems unlikely
17 July 1967 – Great Yarmouth Aquarium, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Disc & Music Echo) Final one before Amen Corner take it on
28 July 1967 – New Century Hall, Manchester (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
28 July 1967 – UFO, Tottenham Court Road, central London (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
1 August 1967 – Torquay Beat & Blues Festival, Torquay Town Hall, Devon (Herald Express)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 August 1967 – Flamingo, Redruth, Cornwall with The Onyx (West Briton & Royal Cornish Gazette)
5 August 1967 – Imperial, Nelson, Lancashire with The Atlantics and The Cavedwellers (Burnley Express & Burnley News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
8 August 1967 – Lotus Ballroom, Forest Gate, London (Newham & Stratford Express)
Photo may be subject to copyright
11 August 1967 – Seventh National Jazz & Blues Festival, Windsor Racecourse, Windsor, Berkshire with The Small Faces, Marmalade, Tomorrow, Syn and The Nite People (Melody Maker)
24 October 1967 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 October 1967 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Express & Star)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 October 1967 – Imperial, Nelson, Lancashire with The Atlantics and Michael’s Angels (Burnley Express & Burnley News)
1 November 1967 – Tinned Chicken Club, York, North Yorkshire (Fabulous 208) Disc & Music Echo has 31 October
3 November 1967 – Royal Tottenham, Tottenham, London (Disc & Music Echo)
Photo may be subject to copyright
4 November 1967 – Tinned Chicken, Railway Institute, York, North Yorkshire with The Rats (Yorkshire Evening Post)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 November 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Portsmouth, Hampshire with Jack & The Jacobites (Portsmouth News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 November 1967 – Royal Hall, Harrogate, North Yorkshire with Do-Dahs and Sacred Mushrooms (Tadcaster News)
14 November 1967 – Royal Albert Hall, London with Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Nice (Disc & Music Echo)
15 November 1967 – Bluesville, Ipswich, Suffolk (Fabulous 208)
17 November 1967 – City Hall, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
18 November 1967 – Empire Theatre, Liverpool (Fabulous 208)
19 November 1967 – Coventry Theatre, Coventry, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
22 November 1967 – Guildhall, Portsmouth, Hampshire with Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, The Nice and Eire Apparent (Portsmouth News)
23 November 1967 – Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff, Wales with Amen Corner, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Nice, Eire Apparent (South Wales Echo/South Wales Evening Post)
24 November 1967 – Colston Hall, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
25 November 1967 – Blackpool Opera House, Blackpool, Lancashire with Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, Amen Corner, The Nice and Eire Apparent (Lancashire Evening Post)
26 November 1967 – Palais Theatre, Manchester (Fabulous 208)
27 November 1967 – Belfast Festival of Arts, Belfast, Northern Ireland with Jimi Hendrix Experience (and others) (Disc & Music Echo)
1 December 1967 – Central Hall, Chatham, Kent with Jimi Hendrix Experience and others (Fabulous 208)
2 December 1967 – Dome Theatre, Brighton, West Sussex (Fabulous 208)
3 December 1967 – Theatre Royal, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
4 December 1967 – City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear (Fabulous 208)
5 December 1967 – Green’s Playhouse, Glasgow, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
6 December 1967 – Douglas Hotel, Aberdeen, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
7 December 1967 – Caledonian Hotel, Inverness, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
8 December 1967 – Regal Ballroom, Bonnyrigg, Scotland (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
9 December 1967 – Auchinleck Community Association, Auchinleck, Scotland with The Merry Macs (Kilmarnock Standard)
21 December 1967 – Palais, Nottingham (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
22 December 1967 – Christmas on Earth, Olympia, Kensington, west London with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Pink Floyd, Keith West & Tomorrow, Soft Machine and many others (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
23 December 1967 – Axminster Guildhall, Axminster, Devon (Lyme Regis News)
23 December 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, London (Fabulous 208)
26 December 1967 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The B-Jays and Frankie & The Countdowns (Crewe Chronicle)
28 December 1967 – Locarno Ballroom, Bristol (Fabulous 208)
1968
Photo may be subject to copyright
20 January 1968 – Brunel at the “New” Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, north London with Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Fleetwood Mac, Fairport Convention, Geranium Pond and Paper Blitz Tissue (Melody Maker)
22 January 1968 – Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland with The Jury, This and That, Ice Blue – Mason Webb, Pineapple Truck and The Purple Eyes Jazz Noise (South Midlothian Advertiser)
Photo may be subject to copyright
26 January 1968 – Coleville Grand Ballroom, Leicester with The Decoys (Fabulous 208/Leicester Mercury)
27 January 1968 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with Shades of Black (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
Photo may be subject to copyright
2 February 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire with Chuck Berry, The Herd, Jimmy Savile, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Edwin Starr, Brian Auger Trinity, Julie Driscoll, Sammy Small, The Union Blues Rave Band, Th Accent (Yorkshire Evening Post)
3 February 1968 – Plaza Ballroom, Bearwood, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
3 February 1968 – Plaza Ballroom, Handsworth, West Midlands (Birmingham Evening Mail)
8 February 1968 – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Wales with St Valentine’s Massacre and Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (Ron Goodway)
17 February 1968 – Kent University, Canterbury, Kent (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
23 February 1968 – Granby Halls, Leicester with Traffic, The Kinks, Plastic Penny, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and The Eyes of Blue (Melody Maker)
27 February 1968 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, London with The Attack (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)
5 March 1968 – High Wycombe Town Hall, High Wycombe, Bucks (Bucks Free Press)
7 March 1968 – Liberal Hall, Yeovil, Somerset (Western Gazette)
Photo may be subject to copyright
11 March 1968 – Bluesville ’68 Club, St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk (Essex County Standard/Ipswich Evening Star)
The Ipswich Evening Star has a great spread on the band in its 13 March 1968 issue, page 16
23 March 1968 – Adelphi Ballroom, West Bromwich, West Midlands (Express & Star)
Photo may be subject to copyright
26 March 1968 – Bournmouth Students’ Union, Royal Ballrooms, Boscombe, Dorset with Fleetwood Mac, Delroy Williams and Chris Shakespere & The Globe (Bournemouth Evening Echo)
1 April 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with The Idle Race and The Exchequers (Birmingham Evening Mail)
3 April 1968 – Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, Herts with The Maze (Welwyn and Hatfield Advertiser)
8 April 1968 – Silver Blades, Streatham, London (Coulson & Purley Advertiser)
12 April 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington, Cheshire with Bits (Warrington Guardian)
Photo may be subject to copyright
13 April 1968 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, Kent (Folkestone & Hythe Gazette)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 April 1968 – Mecca Dancing, Locarno, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (Wakefield Express)
30 April 1968 – 101 Club Scene, Carlisle, Cumbria with The Mythology (Cumberland News)
Ace Kefford left around this time and Trevor Burton moved to bass
25 May 1968 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with Lee Harmer’s Popcorn (East Kent Times & Mail)
25 May 1968 – Kursaal Ballroom, Southend, Essex with Crocheted Doughnut Ring (Southend Standard)
Photo may be subject to copyright
3 June 1968 – Barn Barbecue Concert & Dance, Whittlesey, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire with Fleetwood Mac, James & Bobby Purify, Amen Corner and Pesky Gee (Cambridge News)
10 June 1968 – Civic Hall, Guildford, Surrey with Episode Six and Circus (Surrey Advertiser)
21 June 1968 – Midsummer Nights Dream, Burton Constable, near Hull with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, Marmalade, Family, Spooky Tooth, Tramline, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, Baron Richtofen’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Circus, CJ Morris and The Reaction (Hull Daily Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
30 June 1968 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette)
10 August 1968 – Ryde Pier, Ryde, Isle of Wight with Opal Butterfly (John Harriss’ recollections)
13 August 1968 – Middle Earth, Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon with The Package Deal, Graded Grains and Fire (Herald Express)
Photo may be subject to copyright
20 August 1968 – Palais, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)
2 September 1968 – Bluesology Festival, Chateau Impney, Droitwich, Worcestershire with Fleetwood Mac, Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, The Freddy Mack Show and Family (John Combe book)
Photo may be subject to copyright
6 September 1968 – Kinema Ballroom, Stranraer, Scotland with The Kleen Machine (Wigtownshire Free Press & Galloway Advertiser)
7 September 1968 – Dobbie Hall, Larbert, Scotland with Blues Authority (Grangemouth Advertiser)
14 September 1968 – Hyde Park open air concert, Hyde Park, London (Fabulous 208)
20 September 1968 – Century Hall, Manchester (Fabulous 208)
20 September 1968 – St Albans City Hall, St Albans, Herts with Jon James & The Swamp and Peyton Band (Welwyn and Hatfield Advertiser)
21 September 1968 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Yes and Forever Changes (Lincolnshire Standard)
21 September 1968 – New Centre Hall, Manchester with The Impact (Manchester Evening News and Chronicle)
25 September 1968 – Tavistock Town Hall, Tavistock, Devon (Western Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 September 1968 – Links International Club, Maxwell Park Youth Centre, Borehamwood, Herts with Chain Gang (Simon Gee research) Melody Maker says support is Strawberry Jam
29 September 1968 – The Crown, Birmingham (Fabulous 208)
4 October 1968 – Southampton University, Southampton, Hampshire (Fabulous 208)
8-10 October 1968 – Market Hall, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales (Fabulous 208)
11 October 1968 – Kew Boat House, Kew, London (Richmond & Twickenham Times)
Photo may be subject to copyright
12 October 1968 – Coronation Hall, Kingston upon Thames, London (Kingston and Malden Borough News)
Photo may be subject to copyright
17 October 1968 – Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear with Family, The Nashville Teens, Dollyrocker Band and Peter’s People (Newcastle Evening Chronicle)
Photo may be subject to copyright
21 October 1968 – St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich, Suffolk with supporting groups (Essex County Standard)
26 October 1968 – Plymouth Guildhall, Plymouth, Devon with Frozen Tear (Western Evening Mail)
The Move, late November 1968. Photo may be subject to copyright
1 November 1968 – King’s College, Strand, central London with Lemon Tree and Heart ‘N’ Souls (Melody Maker)
8 November 1968 – Rag Charities Ball, Hotel Metropole, Brighton, West Sussex with Spooky Tooth, Wynder K Frog, Honeybus and Chicken Shack
13 December 1968 – County Hall, Westminster, London (Fabulous 208)
15 December 1968 – Civic Hall, Corby, Northamptonshire (Fabulous 208)
21 December 1968 – Pavilion, Handsworth, West Midlands (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
27 December 1968 – Bridge Place Country Club, Bridge near Canterbury, Kent (Canterbury Advertiser/Kent Herald)
1969
10 January 1969 – Sharberry Hall, Ilminster, Somerset (Fabulous 208)
25 January 1969 – Gala Ballroom, Norwich, Norfolk (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
26 January 1969 – Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London (Fabulous 208)
2 February 1969 – Britannia Rowing Club, Nottingham (Nottingham Evening Post)
Photo may be subject to copyright
3 February 1969 – Silver Blades, Streatham, southwest London (Beckenham & Penge Advertiser)
According to Melody Maker Rick Price makes his debut (replacing Trevor Burton) in Belfast on Friday, 9 February
20 February 1969 – Imperial College, Charity Concert, Royal Albert Hall, London with The Spencer Davis Group, Status Quo, East of Eden and The Nashville Teens (Melody Maker)
26 February 1969 – Fiesta Club, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham (Fabulous 208)
28 February 1969 – Woolwich Polytechnic, Woolwich, London (Fabulous 208)
1 March 1969 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge (Fabulous 208)
Photo may be subject to copyright
19 March 1969 – Lyceum, London (Fabulous 208)
20 March 1969 – Town Hall, Reading, Berkshire (Fabulous 208)
22 March 1969 – Bradford University, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Fabulous 208)
23 March 1969 – Redcar Jazz Club, Redcar, North Yorkshire with Ruby James & The Sound Seekers (Dennis Weller, Chris Scott Wilson and Graham Lowe’s book)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 May 1969 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Smoke (Folkestone & Hythe District Herald)
24 May 1969 – Royal Links Pavilion, Cromer, Norfolk with Eyes of Blond and Uncle Rufls Band (Julie Fielder book: What Flo Said Next)
Photo may be subject to copyright
7 August 1969 – Dreamland Ballroom, Margate, Kent with The Mud (Folkestone & Hythe District Herald)
Photo may be subject to copyright
10 August 1969 – Alton Towers, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire with The Montanas (Melody Maker)
21 August 1969 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall (Cornish Guardian)
24 August 1969 – Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)
1 September 1969 – Pop and Blues Festival, Pennycross Sports Stadium, Plymouth, Devon with Fleetwood Mac, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band, The Nashville Teens, Dave Amboy, Rod Mason Jass Band (Melody Maker)
Photo may be subject to copyright
4 September 1969 – Rebecca’s, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)
6 September 1969 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Applejacks (Lincolnshire Standard)
16 November 1969 – Lyceum, Strand, London with Keith Relf’s Renaissance and Juicy Lucy (Melody Maker)
20 December 1969 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with two supporting groups (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)
1970
28 February 1970 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Heaven (Birmingham Evening Mail)
Photo may be subject to copyright
28 March 1970 – New Corn Exchange, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk with Armageddon and Soul Expression (Melody Maker)
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
