The first band i saw was Manfred Mann was around 1966 when i was a 12 year old kid. To follow on i saw the Kinks, Dave Dee, Dozy, Mick and Titch, Small Faces,the Who, Pink Floyd, and Hendrix as part of the Sunday Club. At 13 i was right at the front facing Hendrix and his Marshall stacks. The bugger gave me tinnitus, but despite the whistling which i still have, i wouldn’t have missed it for the world, at the tail end of the 60’s The Who played Tommy on the night of the first Moon landing which is quite appropriate. Going on into the 70’s there were so many bands that played before fame or obscurity. To list them will take a long time but here goes, no year in particular, but the bands i saw. Stackridge, String Driven Thing, UFO[if memory serve me well a gig organised by Hastings College with the original line up, then with Bernie Marsden and then with Michael Schenker, Genesis, Budgie,ELO, Curved Air, Nazareth,Status Quo,Ten Years After,Steamhammer, Hawkwind, Wild Turkey, July, Gracious,Blonde on Blonde, Edgar Broughton Band[all nighter], Principle Edwards Magic Theatre,Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The Winkies, Barclay James Harvest,Rare Bird went funky[Polydor tour],UPP [produced by Jeff Beck who was in the Bar], A Sounds Special tour with a free disc which i still have somewhere, Jon Hiseman’s Tempest,Babe Ruth with Bernie Marsden[him again] Groundhogs, Robin Trower booked but his first album was selling in the States and cancelled. Thin Lizzy booked but also cancelled, Argent, MAN & Deke Leonard’s IceBerg[Happy Daze Tour], Quicksand, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come,Clancy,The Herd[late 60’s when Frampton was the Face of 1968}, Golden Earring[truck went through the decking], Gary Moore supporting Vinegar Joe [Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer], Gong[Steve Hillage], Def Leppard, Magnum, Tigers of Pantang, Ginger Baker Gurvitz Army, Strife,Stray, Medicine Head, Spencer Davis Group with Ray Fenwick. the Kult[Bexhill band],Osibisa,Procul Harum, Frankie Miller with the Stranglers supporting, then the Stranglers when they went mega],Saxon, Supertramp ,Supercharge. Zebra[ Liam Genocky on Drums. I think i have just about finished. Not forgetting the Open gig at Hastings United Football Ground, August Bank Holiday 1967 with the Kinks, Geno Washington, Winstons Fumbs, Orange Bicycle and Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
Chris Sambrook
Andre Palfrey-martin….Yes I recall the Who playing Hastings Pier on 20 July 1969 – almost at the same time as the lunar Module was landing at Tranquillity Base for their historic visit – came home and the BBC were still running reports from Kennedy Space Centre. Those were really exciting times.
Andy Qunta….Great memory you have, Chris! I saw most of them too, so thanks for the reminders! Hope you’re well, btw!
Michael Mepham….Blimey Chris, what a cracking bunch of bands! I missed quite a few of them but it’s great to be reminded of the quality of bands that used to play in Hastings. Most of all, a big Hurrah for your memory!!
John Storer…Remember Status Quo encoring with a scorching version of The Door’s “Roadhouse Blues” which I thought was better than the original. The Sounds Special tour was Boxer + Moon + Crawler if i remember correctly.
The Gary Moore / Vinegar Joe gig was on 5th May 1973 (my 17th birthday – I got drunk on vodka and lime, the on-trend drink of the time)
Pete Fisher…..superb listing Chris! I was at most of those gigs too, from The Who in 1969 until mid ’74 when I moved to London….
Martin Banks… One missing band from the list Chris, Esperanto, great music and stage show. I still play the album.
Jan Warren… Wow Chris, that’s some list!! 
