3rd Hastings Fleadh Festival – 17th to 19th November 2017

Paul Dengate… Here’s what will be in the printed programme for 2017 (subject to any changes). Feel free to download and print or save on your mobile device, and please share with anyone else you think may be interested in workshops, playing in sessions or just listening to some great music.
Available to download in pdf format by using this link: https://goo.gl/qRt25d

SMART coffee meet No. 39 report

A nice warm afternoon for our 39th meet and among the newbies this time was Sarah Ferguson. Sarah was chatting about memories of the Pam Dor and Black Cat coffee bars with Colin Bell.  Mick O’Dowd arrived with some interesting albums Righteous Brothers Back to Back, Vogues Greatest Hits, Sgt Barry Sadler Ballard Of The Green Berets and Whistling Jack Smith I Was Kaiser Bills Batman which got people whistling the tune as soon as they picked up the sleeve! He also had two local cd’s from the Tar Babies and Jinks Night Fever from August 1999.  I had sheet music books of The Rolling Stones 8 new songs, Shadows Golden Greats, Stranglers Collection 77-82, Who Best Of and Hazel O’Connor Breaking Glass. Pete Prescott arrived with a pile of LP’s including Return To Forever featuring Chick Corea Where Have I Known You Before, Atomic Rooster In Hearing Of, Wishbone Ash 1st album and Argus. Barry Taylor popped in with a couple of interesting photos from 1975. Iain Cobby came along with a bunch of photos of Wal Basses. They were very popular in the 80’s and are now being made again. Ann and Phil Gill were talking about the success of son Miles with the band Roam, who are setting the charts alight with their new cd Great Heights and Nosedives and currently on tour in America. Phil was talking to Iain and Lol Cooksey about the Stallion album has had over 3 million illegal downloads without getting any payments. Interesting to hear that Iain is having a group rehearsal with Factrio, watch this space. Jon McCallion was reminiscing about Effigy and when Chris Baker was in the band. Graham Belchamber was talking to Ray and Anita Medhurst about his Bruce Springsteen plaque on the end of Hastings Pier and has written to Bruce about it.  Eric Harmer and Sarah Harvey were talking about their recent successful gig with James Westlake and Tony Davis was talking about his up and coming show on Conquest Hospital Radio. This is just a small bit of what I remember, anyone who wishes to add anything interesting you were talking about, then please feel free to do so.

Pete Prescott… I hate missing these meetings. It’s great hearing other peoples past adventures and seeing books/ albums and photos. Wonderful.

Tim Moose Bruce… I got a Tar Babies cd. Great band . One of their bassists being Lee Pomeroy who at present is in the Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman line up of Yes.

Mick O’Dowd… Great afternoon as usual. Thanx Alan!

Jim Breeds… When’s the next one? We may even be living locally by then!

Alan Esdaile… Looks like being 15th December but will confirm in due course.

Fats Domino R.I.P.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41753839

Martin Richter… time to find a new hill and a new thrill ? R.I.P.

Tiffany Barton… Goodbye Blueberry hill

Andy Gunton… Ain’t that a shame

Pete Brazier… Thank You Fats for all the music! You will be Greatly missed!

Julie Findlay-Jones… Sleep tight thanks for the beautiful music x

What was your first car? Getting to gigs etc. asks Dave Nattress

Dave Nattress… Who recalls their first car? I got my first car in 1971, a 1958 Austin A35.  Many a great time in it for a year or so before graduating to a 1965 Ford Anglia.  I can’t even recall if the Austin had a radio?  But the angle-box did and I soon fitted a cassette player as well.  Who else recalls their first cars, what were they and lets have some stories about them.  Everyone piling in going to gigs, pubs in the back of beyond, racing back across the marsh from The Sundowners or Kings to get to Taffy’s.  Have to admit after many a heavy night in Hastings driving back along the sea-front to, Bexhill, couldn’t hear, PA and backline  on the pier too loud, could hardly see, fogged brain, one beer too many, could manage steering, someone else changing gears – well not quite but a few dodgy moments.  Way back when cars were pretty unreliable but you could change an engine in an afternoon and a set of spanners and then a socket-set would do most things.  The old Austin even had a starting handle – used it on occasions as well!  Later on I got a Ford Cortina Mk2, 1600E, highly rated back then, and the back seats would come out – the bit you sat on, and I could just get my PA bass-bins in.  One time, Robin Heggie’s (RIP), 2 x Simms-Watts 4 x 12 cabinets and amps went in not with the PA though.  Often drums and goodness knows what else.

Lynn Humphrey… Well, Dave, how strange–my first car was the same as your second–a Ford Anglia. Not only that, but it was also a 1965 model. It definitely didn’t have a radio, or not my model anyway. Mine was grey in colour (I wish I’d looked now to see if it had, “Nattress was here,” carved on the steering wheel.

Pauline Sims… My first car was a Triumph Herald, like this, probably around 1968 – it definitely did not have a radio but it was a lovely motor!

Chris Meachen… My first car was also an Austin a35, bought from Jerry down the pub for 50p.. I’d never driven before, but he showed me where it was (by the blue dolphin) gave me the keys & I taught myself to drive it on the way home up Croft Road…

Terry Corder… Ford thames van, 15cwt, blue, 3 speed, column change. Probably 1969/70. Not the van but the year I bought it.

Jane Dorsett… Remember it well, Dave.

Judith Monk… I had a Vauxall Victor Super in two tone grey and black. The license number was SRX 615. I adored that car, bench front seat that would squash four across, no seat belts, column gear stick and tons of chrome and class!

Mike Curtis… Triumph Herald in a mushroom colour. 7086 DU. So proud of it. Have more than 70 since, many of which would be worth a lot of money if I’d kept them?

Geoff Peckham… I remember it well, Mick. I used to ride on the back of your scooter prior to your getting the Triumph. It used to get a bit chilly. When you turned up with the car for the first time you were dressed in shirtsleeves – just because you could!

Jeff Belton… My brother in law had one, and when turned up he managed to to fit my mum, dad, sister and me , and himself,. A tight queeze, but we all got in . This was the first time we met him.

Chris Baker… I had one during my mid-life crisis! It had the original engine but was souped up so it could rev to 8000 rpm without melting and do 130 mph. Scared the shite out of me!

Colin Fox… Mini, which had the start button on the floor, a piece of rope to open the door and sliding windows.

Dave Nattress… Hi Lynn, mine was light Green with a White roof. Bought off Roy Sanderson – The Road and Lysander and other bands often mentioned on these pages!! So, definitely not yours old friend!! I think we’d lost contact by then by year or two – we left the Downs in what – 1969!!

Now, going back to my own question – first cars and gig travels etc. I suddenly recalled this. Who from the area recalls going to see Pink Floyd at Earls Court on the Dark Side tour -1973. Between Bexhill and Hastings we filled a big coach one evening 45 – 50 odd seater. Possibly a Renown from Bexhill. Can’t recall who organised it but it was a pukka do. Possibly the idea originated in the Castle, Bexhill, but undoubtedly it took in some of the haunts (pubs), of Hastings, maybe the Nelson/Anchor, to get the coach fully booked – coach and tickets and all. The driver was quite possibly the only one not, (at least slightly), off his head! Not condoning that sort of behaviour and all that!!

Graham Wilks… A 1955 Fiat 600 with suicide doors. Not easy to get a Vox AC30 onto the back seat!

Chris Baker… My first car was a mini which I bought from a Debenhams colleague for £50, I think. Apart from the door hinge breaking when my driving test examiner got in, which I think helped me pass, it was great! Got it from Sean.

Paul Huggett… Split screen Morris Minor, all throbbing 803cc of it, bugger-all brakes, and a fair bit of filler. But I loved it!

Neil Cartwright… Paul – ditto!

Simon Page… Austin A40

Mick O’Dowd… Mine was a Ford Consul with a bench seat in front and column change I bought for £75. Replaced it with a red Triumph Herald convertible. That’s where my hair went!

Wendy Weaver… My first car was an Isetta Bubblecar, 300cc I think. My fourth car was a green (same as above) A30 with a 35 engine. Great little car, I bought it in 1969 for £25. It had a smaller rear window than the A35.

 

Kim Wilde – Here Come The Aliens Tour – White Rock Theatre 24th April 2018

Platinum selling female Rock ’n’ Roll star, Kim Wilde is back with her Here Come The Aliens Tour 2018! The Kid’s In America super-star will tour the UK with her band, this Spring. Expect a show packed full of brand new music and all of her hits, too! It’ll be out of this world.

More details: https://whiterocktheatre.org.uk

PROhibition – Bexhill beat group

Business Cards copy 2

 supplied by Mick O’Dowd

Alan Esdaile… Anyone got any photos or more info?

Josie Lawson… Not sure if same group but when I lived in Burgess Hill I knew a group called PROHIBITION. They had some words of mine to link in as a song, but we lost contact when I came back to Hastings, but after appeals on radio shows for the banjo player who was Tony Cross, I had a message back, and this was 5 years of appealing, he had just died of a heart attack. I did have some 45 records of theirs but seems like many of my things they were skipped when I had some nasty falls.

Geoff Peckham… Laurie Cooksey was in the Prohibition – the local one, anyway. According to ‘LOL COOKSEY’S MUSICAL HISTORY’, a copy of which he gave me, The Prohibition were: Frank Isted, Roger Crerie (not Carey!), Laurie, and David Laffar. They gigged a fair bit in their 9 month life-span including several appearances at the Happening Club. There are many anecdotes in this ‘literary work’ and it would be of great interest to local music historians.

Dave Nattress… Well Geoff I’d love to see Laurie’s musical history, especially I would guess because there’ll be a big helping of Bexhill 60’s and 70’s band history in there.

Barry Bumps into… Pete Brown

Barry bumps into… Pete Brown

Well,I first met Pete in London, towards the end of the magical Sixties! He lived in an apartment near Marble Arch where you could always find a variety of musicians. Petes band at that point was Battered Ornaments but that association was to end controversionally. However, his reputation was by then assured, due to his songwriting with Jack Bruce, for the legendary Cream.

Meeting for a late lunch at Pissarro’s, I was impressed with how fit Pete looks. He is a keen swimmer and recently swam a number of metres in one session, which I can only dream about!

Music-wise,Pete contributed the majority of the lyrics to Procol Harums “Novum” album, which achieved success earlier this Year. His biog movie,”White Rooms+Imaginary Westerns” is nearing a distribution deal and will feature Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, from Cream and people like Martin Scorsese. As is a documentary featuring the celebrated guitarist Davy Graham-Pete is the host in this film, which includes interviews with myself and the Hastings blues guru Alan King.

An exciting future project is “Cream Unplugged”, which may well offer an opportunity to re-interpret some of those wonderful, timeless Cream songs. Involved in this will be Malcolm Bruce and hopefully, Eric Clapton.

As a Charity gig promoter, I hope to feature Pete live in Hastings soon, his 2015 St Leonards performance is still fondly remembered by all who enjoyed it!

Barry Taylor – October 2017