poster supplied by Mick Mepham, ad supplied by Sarah Harvey
photos by Roger Carey
Glenn Piper…. I remember this gig; one of the early ones that I worked on .
Jim Hobbs….Yep, me too!
Here they are playing the great Slow Blues In C – venue unknown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn6fZzWrzCE
Roger Carey… 1000 plus people at the Pier concert which discouraged me from going to the front!
Sarah Harvey… Just talking to Roger last week about this gig….. he always remembers me telling him that Alvin Lee just walked past me and he was so small (height wise). I had his poster in my room for many a year and always imagined a guy towering over everyone…….but he was Ronnie Corbett height. Must have worn big platformed shoes. He looked a massive bloke on Woodstock and all the posters.
Jim Breeds… I was at this gig! I had long blond hair – it couldn’t be could it!? Probably not.
Yvonne Cleland… This was a good gig. Remember it well, and Alvin Lee came out afterwards and spoke to us.
Peter Hopgood… I was there! Poor old Chick Churchill on keyboards was inaudible; as usual!
Terry Pack… I was at that one, too. The organist spent most of the time ‘drumming’ on the top of the case of the Hammond. That was inaudible, too. I recall a very long, and very tedious, drum solo.
Mick Knights… I,ve mentioned it before, but that,s where my glowyo and string parted company never to be reunited, things like that stay with you for life!
Pete Fisher…great night as I remember…..Alvin Lee and TYA were definitely a huge influence on me…
John Storer… I have no recollection of this gig so presumably didn’t go. Quite why I would miss seeing Ten Years After I do not know … possibly the ticket price? £1 was a lot of money in 1973. Did go with Matt Brand, his sister Jo , and her then boyfriend to see Alvin Lee a couple of years later at Southend, supported by Budgie and Fairport Convention and several other bands – a whole day at Southend FC for just £2 … and what a day.
www.alvinlee.de – record mirror 1976
John Wilde… I am in that audience on the pier.
Wesley Magoogan…. Blimey,I went to see that!
Darren Holmes… Undead album absolutely brilliant!, especially Alvin Lee’s guitar playing
Chris Giles… I guess I’m in there somewhere as well
Chris Meachen… As am I….
Jon McCallion… Had dinner with Alvin Lee at Brighton polytechnic many years ago. I met Alvin Lee when I was attending Brighton Polytechnic. 10 years after were playing at the Dome and he came into the restaurant in the polly for an early dinner. Good chat over egg and chips.
Chris Baker… I was there too. Never seen such quick fingers!
Kevin Sherwood… And me.
Andy Qunta… Don’t remember seeing that one, unfortunately, but due to an unexpected set of circumstances I ended up jamming with Alvin Lee at his house for a couple of days! Awesome experience! Nice fella!
Tony Court-holmes… I forgot that one i must have been there glen you would know did we go things got a bit crazy about that time
Nigel Ford… Pretty sure I was there as did see them on the Pier but wasn’t keeping a diary at that time. Was this their only appearance at this venue?
Graham How… Now that WAS a gig! Still remember it to this day. Alvin Lee was stunning to see and hear.
Lynny Aldridge… I think this was my first ‘pier experience’ and I managed to get a drumstick which resulted in getting drumsticks from every band I could after that!!
Yvonne Cleland… I remember Alvin Lee alright.
Mick Mepham… Wish I’d been there. A proper guitar hero if ever there was one and another reason why I started playing – see Goin’ Home on Woodstock.
Tony Court-holmes… Mick you are a guitar hero to us
Chris Giles… Legends … time to watch Woodstock again me thinks
Robert Searle… Saw them at the Marquee Wardour Street ,breath taking guitarist Alvin Lee.
Pete Fisher… first heard them in ’68, bought every album, Alvin was up there with Clapton, Peter Green and Rory Gallagher for me, along with Jimi of course.
Jan Warren… Yeahhhhhhhh, Alvin Lee, good guitarist!!
Pete Houghton… It was a great night and Ten Years After were great as was Ruby They signed my album for me
John Wilde… I was there. Great gig. Excellent memories.
Angela Frances Gardner… wow, I never knew they played on the pier!
Vic Bond… I was working with ACE promotions and remember this gig, I was on the door checking tickets and stamping hands with our little plane logo
Colin Bell… One of my very favourite bands of the early 70’s (just ask Mick O’Dowd?!)
Phil Gill… I can’t remember if I was at this gig….does anyone remember seeing me there?
Roger Carey… Hi Phil I think you were there (“rock on man”- it was that era- )and “we all” attended as many of these Pier concerts as possible, I remember missing Sparks in late 1973 due to a sudden bug- it was unusual to not go out of choice!
Martyn Baker… Yep. I was there. A group of us Grammar school boys used to swim out to the end of the pier with our evening clothes in a plastic bag, to avoid the exorbitant ticket prices. Tee-Hee!
Terry Pack… I was there. I remember that the organist spent more time drumming on the top of his Hammond than he did playing the keys. Probably because the rest of the band was so loud
Lucy Pappas… was there, too, so you probably were Phil.
Roger Carey…Those pics were taken by me on one of the new at the time oblong mini cameras, (anyone remember them?). First film – when they came out I realised the limitations, and improved my efforts…These are passable I guess as some sort of image of Alvin Lee on the Pier but anyway we were all there to the tune of about 1000 of us? It was packed… Curiously Liane and I played some jazz trio gigs many years ago with the sadly recently departed Dave Trigwell on drums (who got the particular gigs in question). A guy was at the venue (in Croydon) and during chats claimed he was Ric Lee, drummer of Ten Years After. He was doing some cooking there for the restaurant come venue, and his American wife was there too.. the gig was short lived and it was a bit vague as to whether he was indeed Ric Lee, but nice guy… The Ten Years gig , along with Status Quo, Hawkwind, Genesis, and many more were massive local events in the Pier’s heyday as a venue in the late 60s and early 70s… so lucky to have seen some of them, at one point it seemed like a weekly event….
Lucy Pappas… Roger, our group of friends rarely missed one, did we, it didn’t matter who was playing! I was talking with Sarah Harvey the other day about how many great bands we missed through staying in the bar for too long
Nick Webb… My original ticket so I was there for sure
Terry Pack… I’m slightly surprised that I was at these gigs because I was only 15 in 1973, and had believed that I started attending concerts in 1974, because my father was pretty strict about what time I had to be home, but all the evidence says 73. Roger and Phil : When did you each play with Stallion?
Phil Gill… Terry my tenure as Stallion bass player ran for two years, March/April 1975 to March/April 1977 when we called it a day, so I’m guessing we played the pier around 15 times during that period, either as headliners, or support acts to the likes of Curved Air, T-Rex, Stackridge, etc. I didn’t keep a diary. I know Roger Carey played New Year’s Eve on 31-12-74, I was in the audience. The great thing for us about playing on the pier was that we became used to playing a big room, often to capacity, and that prepared us well for performing in the bigger places we were to eventually play in, Roundhouse, Lyceum and so forth. We already knew how to play to a big room and had no fear of large audiences. The pier was a great training ground for that and I’m sad that young Hastings bands today don’t have the pier ballroom on the doorstep to learn their stagecraft in. I also played the pier with Prog band England in 1978, and several times at Beatles Day shows. It was always a great venue to perform in.
Terry Pack… Thanks, Phil. I’m trying to work out when I auditioned. I had always believed that it was in 1974, but I now think it might have been the end of 73. Not that it really matters, I know, but I’m puzzled by how I might be out by a year. I went to see Pink Floyd on an impulse on a wet Saturday evening at the Empire Pool Wembley in 1973. For 46 years, I was sure it was a Sunday in 1974. Does this mean that I have gained a year or lost one? Spooky!
John Coleman… I was there, a bouncer called Martin used to get us in for free. We were made to stand at the back because of our age, but what brilliant nights they were! Many great bands! Used to love Factory! Golden Earring were brilliant too!
Andy Qunta… John, what great taste you have!
Ian Cramp… I was also there in my beer stained denims
I have no recollection of this gig so presumably didn’t go. Quite why I would miss seeing Ten Years After I do not know … possibly the ticket price? £1 was a lot of money in 1973. Did go with Matt Brand, his sister Jo , and her then boyfriend to see Alvin Lee a couple of years later at Southend, supported by Budgie and Fairport Convention and several other bands – a whole day at Southend FC for just £2 … and what a day
Pretty sure I was there as did see them on the Pier but wasn’t keeping a diary at that time. Was this their only appearance at this venue?
I was working with ACE promotions and remember this gig, I was on the door checking tickets and stamping hands with our little plane logo