Who was the most disappointing band….

Sarah Harvey… This is for those of you who frequented The Pier during the 1970s….. what was the most disappointing bands / artists you saw. NO local artists allowed because ALL local artists were and still are brilliant 🙂. For me, it was the Sex Pistols, I thought they were dreadful!

Peter Fairless… I agree, Sarah, they were dire. The worst band I saw, though, were Eater, they supported The Stranglers in March ’77, they were even worse!

Alan Esdaile… I will have to think on this one. Mind you if the band were bad, we would end up in the bar getting wasted on cheap cider.

Peter Thomson… There was a Boxer/Crawler/Moon gig and none of them set the world on fire, but one lot spent their time on stage arguing almost to the point of fisticuffs. Not a musical memory to enjoy

Nigel Goodman… Gary glitter no glitter band taped backing suspected miming too

Jim Breeds… I can’t think of any disappointing bands/artists because beer.

Glenn Piper… I agree with Sarah also. There may have been worse bands, but the dichotomy between them and Budgie seemed to emphasise just how bad they were. (If that makes sense 😀)

Dave Weeks… I watched the thunder storm when they were on.

Linda Day… Paul and Barry Ryan

Chris Meachen… I thought Magma were piss poor as far as entertainment went.. They were quite clever musicians, but none of them appeared to be taking a blind bit of notice of what the others were playing…

Phil Gill… Chicken Shack. I spoke to Stan Webb afterwards, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, saying how much I liked his playing and he was a totally miserable.

Pete Prescott…The 2nd gig I ever did was supporting chicken shack at Kemsley town hall (near sittingbourne) yeah he wasn’t the most happy chap… mind you Kemsley would make most people lose the will to live !

Dennis Torrance… I think most of the time if band were bad it might have been down to how without the technology then. I liked curved air and remember quite a lot of feed back. I still look back on them pier days with a smile

Ernest Ballard… Bring back the end of the pier Organist. Say no more ha ha

Peter Bridger… Souxsie and the Banshees – no interaction with the audience, seemed to think they were above all of us (I suppose they were, being up on the stage!)

Peter Fairless… I thought she was just being arty!

Peter Thomson… Several months (maybe a year or so) before the big Status Quo gig in ‘73, they made a much lower profile appearance in front of a suitably smaller audience. So how were they SO different? I take Dennis’s point on technology (and even older equipment) but have often wondered if we were fobbed off with Not Really Status Quo But They’ll Do For Mugsborough. Got any posters Alan?

Pete Fairless… March and July ’73, Peter. It was the same band, might just be down to confidence, the start and end of a tour?

Pete Fisher… For me back then (as a teenager), going to a concert on the pier was a big deal, a real treat, a social event, something both to look forward to and to talk about for ages afterwards…I wasn’t there to pass judgement, or join the arms akimbo music police at the front, I was there to see real live musicians playing loud rock music, and maybe pick up a couple of tips and inspiration for my own playing…I don’t remember ever being disappointed, apart from occasionally poor sound from those pathetically small PAs often manned by incompetent sound engineers, but if you got close to the stage the PA became irrelevant. There’s also a big difference between whether you don’t like the band or them actually not being good – back then I looked up to anyone who’d made it as far as playing there, and was really grateful they’d come to such a small venue in my home town…

Andrew Reid McDuffie… I never went to any of the 1970’s pier gigs, the 80s was more my era. But……bit of vicarious kudos….my sister, Susan Conti saw Hendrix there in 1967. I don’t think she ever went to another rock gig after that. Maybe she didn’t need to…..

Phil Thornton… Going to see a band on the Pier was always great ! I can think of a few bands that didn’t hit the spot for me in terms of sound or style but the musicianship was usually excellent so I never came away disappointed ! Also it was always a social occasion !

Dave Nattress… Agree Sarah, all of us locals doing it, all did our very best and we all must and clearly now do respect each of our efforts and for so many years all the locals have posted great supportive and respectful comments. As for the question the Bexhill contingent went to most gigs, dissappointing as such I don’t honestly recall, but bad sound systems – PA I suppose, maybe not common, but that was lots of venues.

Dave Weeks… I remember going to see Budgie but couldn’t endure the support band (the sex pistons or something like that). Someone also told me Hello would be good – they were not.

Glenn Piper… Worst band I ever saw on the pier was definitely the Sex Pistols

Pete Brazier… I think the biggest disappointment as far as Gigs on the pier are concerned was when Elvis Costello had to stop as soon as he had started! Apparently it was due to an infection of the inner ear, but some dispute this!

Jeff Chuzz Balcombe… think mine is Alvin Stardust he was poor, no interaction with the public & The Sweet in the early days it was on new years eve, hand full of people, crap.

Peter Bridger… Funny that, ‘cos I thought Alvin was brilliant at the Beer festival many years later. Perhaps he’d learnt more people skills in the meantime.

Tony Court-holmes… when they were bad i just went back to the bar ask Glenn Piper i think he had to get me home a couple of times

Peter Houghton… Yes the sex pistols were crap and for OZO who never bothered to turn up

Conan Howard… for me, it was Elvis Costello, he walked out halfway through his set because he did not feel to good ..Poor Dear….

Tim George… the Glitter Band with two drummers but no Gary

Dave Nattress… To me, and I know this isn’t exactly addressing the question, but I think the weirdest set I ever saw on the pier was the first time I saw Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come – I do remember the event quite well but not the tracks. Must look it up. Not heard for a while.

Pete Fisher… Here you go Dave…one of 3 photos I posted before here from 27th July 1972…

Terry Corder… Baker gurvitz army and curved air. Both appalling.

Sid Saunders… As I’m in my mid 70s the biggest disappointment for me was The Rolling Stones in the 1960s. Absolutely rubbish!

Jo Turner… Absolutely the Sex Pistols . Agree. They were rubbish

Paul Huggett… Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours – only a few original songs, the rest was like a typical local band set (such as I was playing myself!)

Judy Atkinson…. Can’t remember being disappointed with any band I saw, from Curved Air onwards, but Nazareth were so loud we spent the whole gig in the bar as we could hear them perfectly well in there. The 2nd Procul Harem gig was very poorly attended, probably because it was only a few months after playing to a jam-packed audience

Tony Court-holmes… when they were bad i went to the bar