The In Crowd

Keith West – lead vocals

Les Jones – lead guitar

John “Junior” Wood – rhythm guitar

Simon Alcot – bass

Ken Lawrence – drums

The band was formed as Four + One in mid-1964. Les Jones and Ken Lawrence had both previously been members of The Tridents

Four + One. Left to right: Ken, Junior, Les, Keith and Simon

After a cover of “Time Is On My Side”, issued in January 1965, the band became The In Crowd and released a second single, “That’s How Strong My Love Is” in April 1965. According to Flashback magazine, the group became resident band at Club Noreik on Seven Sisters Road in north London

13 May 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)

23 May 1965 – Face Club, Grantham, Lincolnshire (Grantham Journal)

29 May 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)

3 June 1965 – Crayford Town Hall, Crayford, southeast London (Possibly Melody Maker)

12 June 1965 – Maple Ballroom, Northampton (Northampton Chronicle)

19 June 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)

30 June 1965 – Le Disque A Go Go, Bournemouth, Dorset (website: https://bournemouthbeatboom.wordpress.com/)

 

9 July 1965 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with James Royal & The Hawks and The Symbols (website: www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)

10 July 1965 – Club Noreik, Tottenham, north London (NME)

24 July 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser/West Surrey Advertiser) May not be the same band as says the rave of Staines

27 July 1965 – Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, Herts with Terry Judge & The Barristers (Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire Express)

Photo: Ken Lawrence. Left to right: Keith West, Junior Wood, Ken Lawrence, Les Jones and Simon Alcot

Soon afterwards Steve Howe from The Syndicates replaced Les Jones. Simon Alcot left soon after and Junior Wood moved on to bass

Left to right: Ken Lawrence, Junior Wood, Simon Alcot, Steve Howe and Keith West, August 1965

13 August 1965 – Birdcage, Kimbells Ballroom, Southsea, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

17 August 1964 – Mexican Hat, Worthing, West Sussex (West Sussex)

20 August 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey with The Overriders (Surrey Advertiser)

 

4 September 1965 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

11 September 1965 – 76 Club, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire (http://www.76club.org.uk/gigs.html)

During September, The In Crowd released their first 45 as a quartet – “Stop! Wait a Minute”

18 October 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser)

29 October 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey with The Just Five (Surrey Advertiser/West Surrey Advertiser) May not be the same band; possibly Staines group

30 October 1965 – Silsoe Village Hall, Silsoe, Bedfordshire (Ampthill News & Flintwick Record)

In November, The In Crowd issued their third 45 – “Why Must They Criticise”

13 November 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey with The Just Five (Surrey Advertiser/West Surrey Advertiser) May not be the same band; possibly Staines group

21 November 1965 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Surrey Advertiser) May not be the same band; possibly Staines group

 

10 December 1965 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Gary Farr & The T-Bones (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)

11 December 1965 – Victoria Cross Gallery, Wantage, Oxfordshire (Oxford Mail)

17 December 1965 – 76 Club, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire (http://www.76club.org.uk/gigs.html)

31 December 1965 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Children and The Shakeouts (Lincolnshire Standard)

 

8 January 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hampshire with support (Aldershot News)

15 January 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

21 January 1966 – The Village, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

 

8 February 1966 – The Witchdoctor, the Lifeboat Hotel, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

12 February 1966 – House of Aden, Witham Hall, Essex with The Orioles (Essex County Standard)

13 February 1966 – Tavern Club, Dereham, Norfolk with The High Set (Lynn News)

17 February 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

22 February 1966 – Bristol Chinese R&B Club, Corn Exchange, Bristol (Western Scene)

 

5 March 1966 – Le Discotheque, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

10 March 1966 – Florida Room, Brighton Aquarium, Cad-Lac Club, Brighton, West Sussex with The Graham Bond Organisation (Evening Argus)

19 March 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

20 March 1966 – Pontiac Club, Zeeta House, Putney, southwest London (Melody Maker)

 

1 April 1966 – Le Discotheque, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

2 April 1966 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Anteeks (Poster scan from Geoffrey Mason)

24 April 1966 – Sunday Club, Addlestone, Surrey (Woking Herald)

 

6 May 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

13 May 1966 – Carousel Club, 1 Camp Road, Farnborough, Hampshire (Aldershot News)

14 May 1966 – Star Hotel, Croydon, south London (Chris Broom book: Rockin’ and Around Croydon)

29 May 1966 – The Dolphin, Marine Court, St Leonards, East Sussex (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)

30 May 1966 – Le Discotheque, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

30 May 1966 – The Witchdoctor, the Lifeboat Hotel, Grimsby, Humberside (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

 

10 June 1966 – Oscar’s Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)

Thanks to Geoffrey Mason for the photo

23 June 1966 – Hastings College 1066 Rag Appeal Dances, Hastings Pier, Hastings, East Sussex with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds (Roger Bistow’s research at Dizzy Tiger Music website)

Record Mirror reported that John “Twink” Alder had left The Fairies and joined The In Crowd in early July after working at Café des Artists in Fulham. 

14 July 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

15 July 1966 – Penthouse, Birmingham (Birmingham Evening Mail)

16 July 1966 – Rhodes Centre, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts with The Mode (Steve Ingless book: The Day Before Yesterday)

 

1 August 1966 – Disc Club, St Martin’s Centre, Colchester, Essex (Essex County Standard)

7 August 1966 – Embassy Club, Colchester, Essex with The Poachers (Essex County Standard)

20 August 1966 – Club De Danse, Colchester, Essex (Essex County Standard)

23 August 1966 – Chinese R&B Club, Corn Exchange, Bristol (Evening Post)

 

3 September 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

According to Flashback magazine, the band played in the Netherlands in October

4 November 1966 – 76 Club, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire (Burton Daily Mail)

5 November 1966 – Princess Ballroom, Halifax, West Yorkshire with The Pythagoras Squares (Halifax Evening Courier & Guardian)

12 November 1966 – Witchdoctor, Lifeboat Hotel, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire (Grimsby Evening Telegraph)

In mid-November, The In Crowd played at the Charlie Max in Milan, Italy for two weeks, according to Flashback magazine

1 December 1966 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, west London (London Life)

3 December 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with Cream and The Wrong Direction (Dave Allen research)

8 December 1966 – Blaises, Imperial Hotel, Queen’s Gate, west London (London Life)

According to Flashback magazine, the band returned to play in the Netherlands in December

31 December 1966 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire with Graham Bond Organisation and The Wrong Direction (Dave Allen research)

 

14 January 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

27 January 1967 – El Grotto, Ilford, east London (Redbridge & Ilford Recorder)

 

9 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers and The Satin Dolls (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)

17 February 1967 – 76 Club, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire (Burton Daily Mail)

18 February 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research)

23 February 1967 – Marquee, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Herbie Goins & The Night Timers (Tony Bacon’s book: London Live)

 

10 March 1967 – Nottingham Tech College, Nottingham with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, Robert Hirst & The Big Taste and Our Young

16 March 1967 – 76 Club, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire (http://www.76club.org.uk/gigs.html)

In late April 1967, The In Crowd change name to Tomorrow

29 April 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Hampshire (Dave Allen research) Billed as The In Crowd unless this is another band

 

6 May 1967 – Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis, West Sussex with Herbie Goins & The Nightimers (Dave Allen research) Billed as The In Crowd unless this is another band

Thanks to Ken Lawrence for sharing all of the photos

Copyright © Nick Warburton. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission from the author.

8 thoughts on “The In Crowd”

  1. Hi Nick
    12th March 65 – Leos Cavern, windsor
    17th April 65 – Club Noriek Tottenham (I have copy of advert)
    23rd October 65 – Battersea College with The Peddlers and Jericho Jug Band (I have copy of poster)
    26th April 66 – Bristol Chinese R&B Jazz Club (I have copy of flyer)
    12th July 66 – Bristol Chinese R&B Jazz Club(I have copy of flyer)
    A couple of gigs billed as the In Crowd at the time they were changing to Tomorrow –
    7th April 67 – Cadenas Club, Village Hall, Grayshott, Hampshire
    support band Top Of The Tree
    plus I was the DJ for the club and have a poster for this gig.
    17th June 67 – Grotto Club, Hayling Island, Hampshire, run by the same people who ran Cadenas, again I was the DJ.

      1. Sorry Nick, I’m not sure. We relied a lot on posters in those days, but as Cadenas in Guildford was often advertised in the Surrey Advertiser, it may be that The Grotto (terrible name) was advertised in local (Havant, Portsmouth ?) papers.

  2. I remember the band playing in Leeds, probably in 1965, at the Three Coins club and at the Engineering College, thought they were great

  3. All very interesting I love Keith West and would have loved to have seen the In crowd play live and would love to own any posters or newspaper articles. Found all the posts really interesting. From Bev Miles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.