Hastings International Piano Festival will feature global musical talent performing on Hastings biggest stages, including very special events;
An Evening with Guy Chambers
Ruben James & Band plus support from Marie White
Rufus Wainwright with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Gala Concert with Martin James Bartlett
For more information and tickets... https://www.hastingsinternationalpiano.org
David Miller… Tommy does….
Roy Penfold… Plays by sense of smell! I remember there used to be a row of four or five on the pier amusements at one point.
Mick Knights… There were several in the games room at The Pam Dor, Eric banned me for playing one of them as my name wasn’t in the members book. Not bitter or anything!!!
Phil Little… Are there any left in Hastings now ? There used to be loads of them on the Pier.
Mick O’Dowd… Met my first wife in the games room of The Pam-Dor coffee bar. I was playing the pinball machine I thing was called “Buckaroo”.
Jim Breeds… TILT.
Alan Esdaile… Love them, remember playing the ones in The Pam Dor, Black Cat, the club at the top of the stairs above The Fiesta (can’t remember the name), The Pier, Olympia amusements George Street, come to mind.
Steve Cooke… I am a reformed pinball addict. Oh… TILT!
Paul Huggett… None in Hastings now (apart from three a mate of mine is restoring 
👍) but if you’re ever in Minehead, Somerset, there’s a room full of them in an arcade near the WSR steam railway station…. 
Nigel Ford… There was one in the Kings Head, Battle, late 60’s- 70’s that got changed at least once over the years. A friend of mine sat on it and broke the glass – very expensive! Another in the Abbey Hotel too, I think.
Dave Nattress… There were many pin-ball machines for budding wizards in the amusements in Bexhill – the place is still there and open but I haven’t been in for years. Must look next time I’m down that way. This place and outside on the steps was a major hang-out in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Juke box always on and Fortes coffee bar across the road and the Cont a little further along.
Pete Prescott… Roger Carey and I play this song ! Love it !
Tim Anderson… He’s an actor and producer now.
Paul Huggett… Still do, when I can find one. There’s a large arcade in Minehead, Somerset, that has quite a few modern ones – very rare now. I have a PC game called Pinball Arcade which I love, features very accurate representations of old and new real life machines; I played the real thing at Minehead on holiday a couple of years ago and it was spot on! There’s an old one in the Piper in Norman Road, wasn’t on when I went in there recently. The song BTW, always thought it was good, and he’s not a bad actor either.
Jan Warren… Yeah, I love that song too!!
Paul Crimin… A songwriters song.
Richard J Porter… We know a chap in Australia that builds arcade style machines that contain every arcade game known to man since they began including electronic pin ball games.
Tim Moose Bruce… I remember the ones on Hastings pier in the 70s. Loud, with air horns.
leaflet supplied by Michael Mepham
Kevin Sherwood… Went to all of them.
Phil Meston… Went to the first three!
Yvonne Cleland… Went to all but Leo Sayer.
Tony Court-holmes… only Curved Air for me
Bob Lloyd… Interestingly Steve Maxted ran a Wednesday night disco at Woodville Halls in Gravesend in the early 1970s
Dave Weeks… I think I went to all of them apart from Leo sayer. Happy days.
Julie Morris… I saw Leo Sayer and Sparks – and always there for Steve Maxted!Happy days indeed Dave!
Peter Millington….. This video captures the walk onto the pier to see one of the last shows. On 14th November 1987 Lloyd Johnson and Chris Sayer twisted a few arms and “bankrolled” The Big Beat Reunion party on Hastings Pier. Local groups The Confederates and the Talismen worked for free and so did many other contributors to this great evening. The Searchers headlined the evening and were stunning. Cliff Bennett was also on terriffic form with the help of Ray Fenwick and members of the support groups. Depending on the number of likes, and comments, I could be persuaded to upload some to the show’s highlights. The video isn’t of good quality and the sound being picked up by the camer microphone only picks up what the camera is pointing at – hence no stereo or hi-fi. Hell, it’s a precious memory of our beloved Pier which can never be repeated.
Jim Breeds…..What Pete says about the smell! And having your hand stamped. I always tried not to wash off the stamp too soon, so that people would ask what I’d been to see .Nice video Peter.
Peter Fairless… Nice to see it before they messed it up, Chris, isn’t it? How many times did we do that walk?
Chris Giles… I know loads sometimes never remembered the walk back though. Seeing the walk from the seafront and it was quite a long way to the ballroom… Taking the tickets and hand stamped… It was never the same when it all was done up.
Mick O’Dowd… Walked that walk many, many times. At least this part was in the dry!
Peter Millington…..video features The Talismen, another group local to Hastings and who were very popular. They played a mixture of pop and rock in the 1960s and also reformed for his very special event.
Peter Millington…..The Big Beat Reunion party on Hastings Pier on 14th November 1987. features Cliff Bennett and Friends, Ray Fenwick, Pete Shaw, Pete Head and co-organiser of the event, Chris Sayer.
Alan Esdaile….WOW, we are spoilt today.
Stuart Moir….Ray Fenwick on Gibson Les paul lead guitar, and Pete Shaw on drums and of course Peter Head on bass. We were support band for Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers around that time playing at Chislehurst Caves.
Peter Millington….I think you’ll find that Ray was playing a Yamaha and not a Gibson Stu!
Pete Shaw…..I remember it well! We all met, on the pier late that afternoon and ran through some numbers that Cliff had outlined…a couple were really versions of Johnny Mars set pieces as Ray and I were still gigging with Johnny…Cliif B was great and after the gig he asked if we could work with him at other gigs he had…Ray and I did some more for him but Pete H and Chris S could not! Great fun and hey, that kit wasn’t even mine but even with only a couple of cymbals it sounded period authentic although some of my staggered breaks were a bit modern! Ray’s guitar was one of two Yamaha specials he had picked up from Yamaha themselves?? His accomplished and searing sound accompanied me and my kit for years!! I’m very thankful for his friendship at that time…Chris Sayer and Pete Head all time Hastings musical heroes! Thanks Pete for posting this…I’ve never seen it before!!
Caz Simpson…. I can’t believe I missed the Big Beat Reunion on Hastings Pier in 1987! Cliff Bennet played, where was I??
supplied by Barry French & Sarah Harvey
Kev Towner… “Bizarro’s”?
Terry Corder… What a waste of time that was and still waiting to get paid for it!
Harry Randall… Shame it’s gone though some great memories of bygone years!
Pete Fairless… Whatever happened to Jon, anyone know?
Alan Esdaile… I did see him still driving around in his van, a few years ago.
Mick O’Dowd… I saw him a couple of months ago in Hastings.
posters supplied by Mick Mepham
Tim Elms….I was at the Aquarius for Mungo Jerry. Their set was loud and heavy but the punters were there for the hits
Leigh Wieland-Boys… I was at the Aquarius on the Mungo Jerry night, was it that long ago!!
Karen Sweatman Was Blackman… I always thought Mungo Jerry was a person. Think it was because there was just a photo of the singer next to the name on my Mum’s 1972 K-Tel hits compilation!
Tony Court-holmes… i think i was there
Jim Breeds… I was.
Yvonne Cleland… I remember them on the pier.
Monica Bane… He lived just along the road from me!
Peter Houghton… I remember seeing them on Hastings Pier what a great night
Josie Lawson… Yes I remember well. My dad used to go there. My friends dad worked there and due to funds needed I had to sell my camera to them I didn’t want too.
Martin Richter… I think i’ve got one of them!
Chris Meachen… Used to spend half my lunch breaks in there, chatting to Bruce & trying out new bits of kit…
Angela Frances Gardner… I had a box brownie with 8 frames to each film and only black and white pictures! I loved my camera it was £2 with a case and two films, my best birthday present I was 14. I still have the pictures and some of the negatives this was in 1968!
Nicola Dobson… I had a box brownie too loved it
Roger Simmonds… Took good photos still have many !
Andy Davies… I’m pretty sure Gifford Boyd was my godfather, my Dad used to sail a Merlin Rocket dinghy with him, and I had a Kodak Brownie, which I don’t think was actually very good!
