Peter Millington… Remember it well! JINKS were Peter Millington, Terry Chedzoy, Ian Williams and Rod Trowell
queens hotel
Lazybones Disco 1976 and Police Ball.
Anyone remember Lazybones?
Peter Fairless… Which one was that, under the Queens?
Jim Breeds… That rings a distant bell … was it under Queens Hotel?
Alan Esdaile… Yes Pete and Jim, trying to remember the chain of different names, was it The Flying Machine at one time? Bonitas, Emmas etc.
Chris Giles… Bonitas I remember chicken and chips on a Sunday Eve
Alan Esdaile… Thanks Chris! You just reminded me of the smell and the greasy taste. I feel sick!
Jane Hartley… Bonitas, Lazybones, Queen of Clubs, JRs.
Virginia Davis… That brings back memories
Andy Qunta… Yes indeed!
Jim Breeds… Bonitas I could have volunteered as a name but Lazybones had gone from the memory until now! Gosh yes. Chicken in the basket wasn’t it? And Scampi too, probably! lol.
Chris Giles… Yep it was in a basket.
Jon McCallion… We played at bonitas after recording fooling around the same night I think.
Mick O’Dowd… Don’t forget cockroaches in a basket at Bonitas.
Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart and Jerry Harris – The Queens Hotel Hastings 17th November 1978
Matt Thomas… I see him playing a charity celebrity football match at the Pilot Field around the same time. David Hamilton was also playing
Kev Towner… Matt, I remember that game – I’d love to get my hands on the programme though.
Pete Houghton… Kev, I’ve got a signed program somewhere
Prom In Aid – Jazz Caverners, Morgan Le Fey, The Jukes, Mars. Queens Hotel 31st May 1986
Supplied by Mick Mepham
Phil Gill….My first gig with The Jukes. Andy Knight and I had a splendid time wandering around the place with a pair of walkie-talkies we commandeered from someone official looking and winding people up. Ian Dobson introduced The Jukes by name and said “On bass, Phil Gill. It’s not true when people say he’s not fit to live with pigs, because he is.” Great line! Also remember being hugely impressed with Michael Mepham’s band Mars, especially a song called Lorelei – they had a real big time buzz about them, well rehearsed and confident, and it showed from the first song. I still have the Prom-in Aid T-shirt and a poster. Lovely day.
Alan Esdaile… Mick, was Mars the band I saw at your special launch night in Eastbourne?
Joe Knight… sounds like you all have had some great fun in the past , thanks you two are like a library of Hasting bands
Tim Moose Bruce… Went to this one. Mars were great.
Better Days – Prom-in-aid gig – Queens Hotel Hastings 1986
supplied by Mick Mepham
Gary Blakely, George Copeland or Andy Griffin?, Joe MacIllvenney, Paul Warren, Paul Dengate and Steve Cooke
Dave Kent….the bass player has been identified as George Copeland. I think it’s actually Andy Griffin who also probably played with Flat Battery & The Jump Leads. Anyone confirm this?
Mick Mepham…..I should think Paul Dengate would be able to say for sure.
Steve Cooke…..Quite right Dave, it is Andy Griffin. I must say that the fiddler on the right appears to have the least dress sense out of all of them.
Yvonne Cleland….I remember the fiddler on the right from junior school………
Ricky Norman Sound – 1970’s.
supplied by Len Smith Eastbourne Bands From 1960 on.
Ricky Long… First picture 1976 at Moor Hall Hotel. L–R Norman Bennett, Ricky Long, Roland Dann, Marcy Scott. Second picture I think early 70’s Winter Gardens. Same 3 guys with Jillian Wheeler.
Queens Hotel Hastings 17th May 1974.
Janine Anne Scott… Omg, I worked with Ricky too.
Andy Knight… By coincidence I am trying to track down Chris Dann, Roland Dann’s son who played bass with me around 1968/69, we did a gig in Battle Road, St Leonards I recall for the Youth Choir, with a guitarist whose name I can’t remember (Gary rings a bell though), if anyone knows the whereabouts of Chris or Gary that would be good. Tx
Christopher Dann… Hi Andy, just saw this post so apologies for the late reply. I do remember the gig in Battle road for the youth choir. The guitarist’s name was Gary Trent and he played a Gibson. He was in my class at the Grove. I seem to remember that we only knew a couple of songs !!
Below the Queens Hotel Hastings – Queens Cocktail Bar. Year?
photographer: unknown
Had many titles over the years, The Flying Machine, Bonitas, Lazy Bones, Emmas, JR’s etc. Any idea of the year of this photo?
Paul Huggett… Going by the cars most likely mid 1930s
Michele Crew… That’s a great photo and probably the best it ever looked
Alan Esdaile… The cover over the entrance, has always stayed the same.
Mick Knights… There was a Christian coffee bar called the sign of the fish.
Nick Bloomfield… worked there when it was Emmas Disco (1978) and the management in a fit of desperation asked me to come up with some names for different nights. I duly obliged with ‘Funky Friday’ and ‘Saturday Special’. Thus ended my career as a fledgeling promoter…
Ernest Ballard… I used to drink in there a lot as my then wife was the receptionist working shifts. Met many top musicians including Elvis Costello when he was recording with SIr Paul McCartney. We were told by his management unknown to him to ignore him as he didn’t want conversation at the bar or people constantly asking for autographs. After a few days of this and a few drinks he shouted “. Does no one know who I am ? “. We all said. “ no”. He got more angry as we ignored him. Looking back it was so funny.
Peter Thomson… Free chicken and chips late night in Bonita’s. Never asked my age from 15 on. Can’t think of any other reason to go there….
Roy Penfold… I’d put it as mid to late 1940s.
Leigh Kennedy… The ‘Queens Hotel American Cocktail Bar’ to give it it’s full name, opened in july 1937. It was renamed the ‘Elizabeth Bar’ in 1957.
Mick O’Dowd… I took over from Colin Bell at Bonitas as resident DJ.
Alan Pepper… Remember it well Mick ! Hey DJ can you play Sex Machine by J B ? Hit it !!!
Mick O’Dowd… Sorry Alan Pepper!
Lance Collins… Worked there for a few months but hated it. Missed being on the road. It had a really strange management team !!!!!!
Prom-in-Aid – Queens Hotel 1986 – photos by Neil Cartwright
Neil Cartwright….Brian Boru, Ian Dobson, and Caverners.
Matt Thomas….”my old form teacher Ian Dobson from William Parker in his Telham Tinkers days”
Mars – featuring Mick Mepham Prom-In-Aid 1986
photos by Neil Cartwright
Michael Mepham….Wa-heyyyyyy, pix of me that I didn’t have before!!!! Top is Paul Tanner/guitar, Next are, from left, Liane Carroll – keys, Robin Heggie – bass and yours truly – guitar. Next l to r me, Garry Blakely and Steve Cooke – violins and Robin Heggie during the finale, Hands Across The Water. Next – me, Bottom, the late, lamented Michael Bettel – drums and percussion. Lovely chap and a great drummer. Died way too young.
Michael Mepham….Mullets a-gogo! Garry and Steve stepped in to play the string parts as cellist Ian couldn’t make it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t filmed or recorded, as far as I know, as the camera ran out of film before the track. The whole audience sang the chorus and we thought that maybe they’d be able to hear it in Africa. Great gig. Also, as I remember it, the event raised £3000 in the day. Fantastic for Hastings in 1986! Ian Dobson presented most of the bands and Joe Macilvenny not only sang with Better Days but also organized most or all of it. Marvellous memories of that gig.
Liane Carroll….awww….memories!!! x
Alan Esdaile….The photo at the top looks like the mike stand is going through Paul Tanner’s stomach.
Mick Mepham…..A bit like the church lightning rod that falls off the top of the church in the Omen and transfixes the priest ……