Popular Beat Combo and Uome – Music Files Christmas Party The Crypt 22nd December 1997

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photos © John Kenward. Supplied by Phil Littlehttp://littledrum.co.uk

Martin Richter… wow – what a line-up! (the crypt).

Alan Esdaile… Popular Beat Combo – Rick Pentecost, Dave Blackman, Roger Carey and Steve Demetri on drums in both bands.

Ernest Ballard… What a lovely man Steve was. Bless him. Huge talent on the drums inspired by Steve Gadd

Teenbeats ELO photos by Dave Trodd

all photos © Dave Trodd

Dave Blackman, Ken Copsey, Paul Thomas, Huggy Leaver, Eddie Mays

what was the story behind the ELO gear?

Ken Copsey… Huggy had auditioned to join them. The rest of the band were hoping to be employed as road crew.! Must have been gear hanging around at Park Gates. I bought my lovely white shoes in Canada so this would have been around August 1980 when we returned and just before our last gig on Hastings Pier

John Gale… Great photos. Not seen these before .

Elizabeth Turner… So young

Paul Mac Macnamara… John, great to see. Haven’t seen this before for sure.

Fred Marsh… Just had there single cover enlarged and framed, looks great

Dave Nattress… Great photo’s and the guys all looking so young and fresh-faced and portraying the new-Mod image.

 

 

Bewildered 1988

supplied by Garry King

Garry King… So, its Dave Blackman and Paul ‘Tommy’ Thomas (Teen Beats) Grant Young on bass (Steve Kinch played on Angeline). We recorded at Pilot Sound with Clive Drew-Clifton as did so many other bands and that was where I was able to get involved with Jeff Beck which, was amazing thanks to Clive.  Short story on Bewildered, as you may have known back then I was in ‘Tiah Teek’ from Bexhill who I’m still in touch with. I then joined a band with James Bell from ‘The Breathers’ and we moved to London as one did! for a while but sadly the band just fizzled out even though we were working with ‘Peer Southern Music’ in the then famous Denmark Street. I moved back to Hastings and was shopping with my girlfriend in what was then Sainsburys in when Tommy who I had never met before came up to me and asked me if I wanted to do some songs with him and Dave, Absolutely!! Very quickly we rehearsed some songs with Steve Kinch on bass (great bass player) and entered the ‘Battle of the Bands’ at the Crypt with a bunch of new much younger cooler would-be superstars. After the show I went home only to woken at 2 in the morning by Dave and Tommy with a bottle of bubbly ‘WE WON !! So, after that we decided to make it into a band and do some shows, Steve had a big schedule with Manfred Mann and The Rubbettes at the time so we found Grant and off we went, I think we also had some involvement with Andy Cunningham at the time going up to London . I have actually been out of the UK now since 1998 when I moved to the States for music and now, I’m living in France for the last 16 years, was really saddened to hear about Dave but that’s the way he would have wanted to go and boy did he have a great sense of humour. Bewildered along with so many where one of those bands that helped me on the way to doing music and for a profession. Anyway, I think I have some other stuff that you might like with Pete Prescott as I mentioned so Ill see what I can sort out with that. All the best for now, my regards to all. http://www.garrykingmic.com

Grant Young… I played bass on the winning of the battle of the bands at The Crypt. Not my good friend Steve Kinch, I had to step in last minute as SK couldn’t make it. X

Paul Thomas… Wow, I haven’t listened to these songs in years! I was definitely channelling Fleetwood Mac when I wrote the coda to Julia, dreams unwind, loves a state of mind………. hey Gary hope you’re well. Tom

Dave Nattress… Interesting story, thanks for posting this.

Garry King… It was great to listen to these songs again and get them over to you guys. Hastings and the South Coast had so many talented musicians, bands and artists and I am sure still have. Without these people back in the day I would not be able to do what I do now. Thanks to all

Ken Copsey… I don’t know you could ever use the term ‘unknown’ in reference to Dave Blackman. In any situation, right back to school days his presence always made itself very much evident in any situation! Still wish he was with us so much but lovely to hear him again putting his heart and soul into doing what he loved the most.

Garry King… Tom, all good mate, hope you are well, great memories brother and helped me keep doing what we do. Grant, that’s right mate, shit forgot that you did the Crypt ohhhhps been a while I know but still great mems. Hope you are well

Ultimate Alternative 2009 supplied by Andy Gunton

Supplied by Andy Gunton

Andy Gunton… Bloody hell, these take me back! Both issues were commemorating the sad loss of valued members of the local music community, who are still very much missed today. Dave Blackman & John Shotton 😢 The Ultimate Alternative is also still missed by many. Found them while searching for something else.

Mike Mitchell… Ah good old Dave Blackman. Mandy and I were just reminiscing about a trip with him to Rotterdam to see David Bowie on the Let’s Dance Tour back in ’83. A three day trip but only one night in a hotel, the rest on a coach listening to nothing but Bowie! Good times

Jo Avery… Andy, loved the Ultimate Guide. We used to plan our social life around this on a monthly basis!

Andy Gunton… Jo, I think many did exactly the same thing. It was indispensable at the time

Graham Belchamber… It was a great publication. Helped me choose to see do many bands and visit various drinking establishments when I first moved to Hastings

Teenbeats early photo – Parkgate Studios?

photo © Dave Trodd

Huggy Leaver, Ken Copsey, Eddie Mays, Paul Thomas and Dave Blackman

Paul Thomas… I haven’t seen that picture before but I think it may have been taken at Parkgate studios early 1980?

John Gale… never seen that one before 👏. Great photo

Pete Houghton… Great picture

Terry Pack… Looks like Park Gates.

Renzi Lowend… Isaac… is it?

Pete Brazier… Hope Paul is well ? Haven’t seen him since way back (used to be in the same class at the Grove!)

Alan Esdaile… bumped into Paul a few times lately Pete and seems to be doing fine. Don’t know what his secret is but he doesn’t seem to age!

The Crocodiles – 1980

 

supplied by Tony May

Mike Guy… They were snappy dressers!

Pete Prescott… I used to have this. I remember this !

Terry Pack… Lovely Dave. What a wonderful bloke. Steve was a fine singer and writer.

Andy Qunta… I remember Dave! What a lovely fella!

Martin Curcher… I remember hanging with Dave whilst he played drums when enjoyed my first recording experience doing backing vocals to a song Wesley Magoogan had written, played Sax and sang on.

Martin Blackman… Only yesterday I was listening to some old Blackman Brothers Band live recordings of me and dear Dave doing our harmonies, such great memories, never a day goes past without me thinking about him.

Pete Prescott… Martin, you two were great together. I remember drunkenly climbing over the barrier at the Black Horse festival to join you for a song one night. It meant a lot when you pointed at me and invited me up. Great band.

Teenbeats – 1979

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supplied by: Teenbeats facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Teenbeats-193261605554/?fref=ts

Huggy Leaver, Paul Thomas, Eddie Mays, Dave Blackman, Ken Copsey. 

Pauline Sims….Nice photo – all looking very serious!

Pete Fairless….All looking very young!

Ken Copsey… I think you’ll find it is not the real Eddie Mays in this picture but a ventriloquists dummy being operated by Dave! This was taken at the offices of The Hastings Observer.

Grundy -The London Trader 2009 & The Angling Club 2004

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photos supplied by Barry French

London Trader – Dave Blackman, Bob Posner, Kirk Ronchetti and Barry French. The Angling Club – Clive Davies, Bob Posner, Kirk Ronchetti and Barry French.

Diane Knight… Grundy …reminds me of Sunday roast at the Black Horse …Grundy used to rehearse in the ..what was ..folk club !!! While we ate the roast in the kitchen !!!

Teenbeats – Jeremy Wells review 1979

Huggy Leaver (Vocals), Ken Copsey (lead guitar), Paul Thomas (rhythm guitar), Eddie Mays (bass) and Dave Blackman (drums)

Some of the Teenbeats’ best friends are Canadians. Dave Blackman talks to our  man-with-the-earning, by J.W – 1979

The rumours are confirmed. The Teenbeats are selling records across the pond, a trip to Canada could be on the cards; and drummer Dave Blackman is still cadging drinks.But just a minute, the Teenbeats version of I can’t control myself was pretty grim – suffering, no-one would deny, from the dreadful Wall of Sponge production at the hands of international Ray Fenwick. So who is buying it?

I collared Dave Blackman in the Chatworth Hotel and asked him:“Canadians” he burbled into a pint of lager, “Canadians are buying the record. Canadians are thick. “What?”  “Well its an awful record. Loads of rubbish really.  “Isn’t that a little harsh?” I asked. The portly sticks man ignored that and went on: “the important thing is that if the record is selling in Canada it’s getting airplay and that means FM listeners in the States will be picking it up”. The whole band is surprised to put it midly that the record is selling as it is.

“Canadians are that much more receptive to the rough, English music,” said the Cozy Powell unlook-a-like. “The 400 copies sent out were picked up by discos and the record was then in great demand”. Huggs said the last he has heard was that the record was number two in the FM airplay chart, 20 in the disco chart and number four in Quebec.

Copies sold so far are in the region of 20,000 which means the Teenbeats should be seeing some money for their efforts.“Things in the band are generally okay” said the drummer and part time mermaid but we want to release records and we want to work”. And work they shall. The band has a gig coming up next Friday (May 30) at the Carlisle with the Model Copies.

The Jim Jim and the Jims gig taking place in the hotel on the night I talked to Dave Blackman ended with a massive slanging match between Ray Fenwick and some of The Teenbeats after the later group had acted in a rather Michael-taking manner while the other band were trying to play Smoke On The Water.Smoke on the water? Yes I burst out laughing too.                                                        Review by J Wells

 

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Yvonne Cleland… Teenbeats doing ‘I Can’t Control Myself’? Outstanding! Go Huggy! x

Teenbeats – more classic photos

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supplied by Ken Copsey/Teenbeats Facebook Page

Paul Thomas, Eddy Mays, Ken Copsey, Huggy Leaver, Dave Blackman.

John Wilde….Hastings most stylish band.

Perri Ann Haste….A very Young Dave Blackman R.I.P. x

Terry Pack….I liked Dave very much. It was a terrible shock when he died so young.

Andy Qunta….Lovely fella!

Pete Prescott….and a really good singer ! had a way of drawing people in.great loss.wish i had known him more.

Philip Meston…..I knew Huggy when I was at Hastings College – way before he became an actor…Not forgetting the Plastix!

Ralph Town….My old school chum Paul Thomas  I think I taught him his first chords.Last time I saw him he told me he,d stopped playing due to nickel allergy.Hope he,s tried stainless strings now