SMART
Posted on November 12th, 2013 by andy gunton pierless music
We all know that Hastings has a great music scene these days. But that’s nothing new and now there’s a great Facebook group for all those who remember the local music and bands from the heady days of the 1970’s and beyond.
It’s called SMART, which is an acronym for ‘Seventies Music and Retro Talk’.
You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smart70s/
SMART was set up by local music lover Alan Esdaile and as he told me the group was originally started “to post a few of my cuttings and photos of friends in local bands from the 1970′s. But as more people got involved, I realised it needed to be from the 1960′s through to the 1980′s, all with a connection to Hastings” . SMART has since expanded beyond being just a Facebook group covering those decades though.
Alan now arranges regular meet ups of all interested parties. He said “I’ve now set up a coffee and chat group where we can all get together and chat about music, bands, pier talk etc. It’s great that a few musicians are talking about reforming bands and didn’t realise that other people were still as passionate about their music as they are/were.” If you’re interested in going along and sharing your own memories, the next meet up is on Friday 22nd November in the bar at the White Rock Hotel from 3.30pm.
Alan’s main aim for the group is “Keeping memories alive”, but he needs your help to do that. So, if you have any old photos, flyers, gig tickets or press cuttings etc why not let him know? As he told me “So many brilliant musicians and different bands locally come and go. But it’s quite sad that photos are kept in a draw or turning yellow in a box in the loft when other people can get so much more enjoyment out of them.”
Let’s not forget, this was a time before the Internet, social media and digital cameras. An age when nobody had a mobile phone in their pocket with which to record and share their personal gig going experience.You just might have a piece of local music history laying around forgotten somewhere in your house. So why not have a search and see what you may be able to dig up?
SMART also has a family history angle too as Alan told me that he’s had a number of young people contacting him, asking if he has any pictures of their dads, uncles or other family members. This goes to prove that history isn’t just for the older generation, it is important to everyone and the more of it that is preserved, the better.
The musical history of the Hastings area during the 1960′s/70′s/80′s and 90′s is a particularly rich one. So, it’s good to see somebody like Alan Esdaile trying to help preserve a unique part of our local heritage.
Why not give him a hand?
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Alan Esdaile….A big thank you to Andy Gunton. Don’t forget to check out www.pierlessmusic.co.uk website where he’s got some great interviews and videos of local bands and more and has added a new slogan ‘From Hastings to the world’.