supplied by Sarah Harvey
Sarah Harvey….One of the later line-ups of Samisen (and I think the final line-up). Probably around 1976…The percussionist I still cannot identify, or indeed the vocalist in the earlier photos I posted. Dave Kent is the man on keyboards and also played acoustic guitar. I believe that the bass player at this time was Steve Turner (Not the Steve Turner who wrote the Observer column)… still trying to find more photos of the band.
Ken Dengate…..hat looks very much like my old school friend, Dave Kent. His mum and dad ran ‘Eileens Treasure Trove’ in Kings Road, and much later a shop in Tower Road. A Graham Barrat was also an old schoolfriend (don’t know if it’s the same one). His dad had the pub in St. Georges Road that was where the Jehovas Witnesses place was built. Later on his parents had The Inn At Crowhurst. There were also two Steve Turners in my class, again not sure if it was either of them. Don’t suppose any of that’s any help to you. I did a bit of ‘rehearsing’ with Dave in the basement of the shop in Kings Road in the late 70’s. Cheers
Sarah Harvey….You have got it spot on I believe …. this version of Samisen also rehearsed in the basement of the Treasure Trove in Kings Road…. Graham Barratt also, I knew his dad had a pub although I knew him when he lived in flats in Bohemia Road. Steve Turner lived in Baldslow Road and had an older brother who I have seen about town relatively recently. The drummer is still a mystery.
Mick O’Dowd….I worked with Dave Kent at Music Master Catalogue in De Cham Road in the 80’s. He was also involved with Keith Rodway and Dave Arnold. Got a copy of a cassette by them with the gloriously named “Multi Storey Carpark” which I don’t think is a love song!
Dave Kent…..I am the Dave Kent who played with the final version of Samisen. The singer was called Dave Natress, or Nattress, and the drummer was Mick Bridgland, or Bridgeland. Dave and Mick formed The Prisoners after Samisen folded.
Sarah Harvey….How brilliant to hear from Dave Kent again …. and a hundred thanks for filling in the blanks Dave, I have been trying to think of the names for many weeks now. Dave wouldn’t remember me
Dave Nattress….Samisen, Yes did a post last night about the gig at Herstmonceux, great memories of all. We were a good unit. My memory is a bit sketchy and I maybe haven’t got everything in good chronological order but I’ll try. I remember rehearsing in Kings Road in Dave Kent’s parents; shop – seem to remember it was antiques? Or, was it in the basement? Prisoners…After Samisen split – can’t remember why, it wasn’t “musical differences” and all that stuff it just somehow faded; maybe it was when Dave Shirley joined up with Hat Trick, Mick Bridgeland and I formed Prisoners with Robin Heggie on Bass and Andy Leaney on guitar. Prisoners…some people said we should have been locked up, no actually we were all-right. If anything, sort of post-punk, sharp, short, incisive tracks, all our own tracks. Then Robin left – went to the Hollywood Killers I think, and we recruited (eventually) Steve Watson once of “Loggerhead” and the band sort of morphed into a more pop type outfit as I was heavily into Squeeze. We re-named the band “The Charts” – Yes, corny now, but that was it. We were definitely OK and had some great tracks and played a good few gigs around including the crypt several times. We then picked up a young guy from Rye – Lee Sulch – on guitar and with Andy Leaney already on guitar this filled out things nicely. I do know what Andy passed away a year or two ago – I somehow heard this and went to the funeral. A very sad time. Back in those days he had an old “Antoria” (I think) Strat, maybe Columbus – I fear I’m getting confused, anyway a copy, but he could sure ring it out, but one time he turned up with a Fender Jaguar on loan. Lee had a pukka Yamaha. A high point was doing some good studio recordings at Tony Bird’s old place in Ninfield. I still have the un-mixed studio tape and a studio produced cassette – no CD’s or MP3′s or PC’s or tablets back then!!! I occasionally frighten the younger kids and put the cassette on. Then, we all took a hiatus, all had personal non-music stuff to do for a while and it just slipped away. Any of you old boys want to re-live old times, E.mail me please. Still imprisoned in Bexhill. It’s been a long, long sentence.
I worked with Dave Kent at Music Master Catalogue in De Cham Road in the 80’s. He was also involved with Keith Rodway and Dave Arnold. Got a copy of a cassette by them with the gloriously named “Multi Storey Carpark” which I don’t think is a love song!
Samisen, Yes did a post last night about the gig at Herstmonceux, great memories of all. We were a good unit. My memory is a bit sketchy and I maybe haven’t got everything in good chronological order but I’ll try. I remember rehearsing in Kings Road in Dave Kent’s parents; shop – seem to remember it was antiques? Or, was it in the basement?
Prisoners…After Samisen split – can’t remember why, it wasn’t “musical differences” and all that stuff it just somehow faded; maybe it was when Dave Shirley joined up with Hat Trick, Mick Bridgeland and I formed Prisoners with Robin Heggie on Bass and Andy Leaney on guitar. Prisoners…some people said we should have been locked up, no actually we were all-right. If anything, sort of post-punk, sharp, short, incisive tracks, all our own tracks. Then Robin left – went to the Hollywood Killers I think, and we recruited (eventually) Steve Watson once of “Loggerhead” and the band sort of morphed into a more pop type outfit as I was heavily into Squeeze. We re-named the band “The Charts” – Yes, corny now, but that was it. We were definitely OK and had some great tracks and played a good few gigs around including the crypt several times. We then picked up a young guy from Rye – Lee Sulch – on guitar and with Andy Leaney already on guitar this filled out things nicely.
I do know what Andy passed away a year or two ago – I somehow heard this and went to the funeral. A very sad time. Back in those days he had an old “Antoria” (I think) Strat, maybe Columbus – I fear I’m getting confused, anyway a copy, but he could sure ring it out, but one time he turned up with a Fender Jaguar on loan. Lee had a pukka Yamaha
A high point was doing some good studio recordings at Tony Bird’s old place in Ninfield. I still have the un-mixed studio tape and a studio produced cassette – no CD’s or MP3’s or PC’s or tablets back then!!! I occasionally frighten the younger kids and put the cassette on.
Then, we all took a hiatus, all had personal non-music stuff to do for a while and it just slipped away.
Any of you old boys want to re-live old times, E.mail me please. Still imprisoned in Bexhill. It’s been a long, long sentence.
Dave Nattress