pages from Wishbone Ash programme supplied by Eric Cawthraw
Virginia Davis… I remember a time when Eddie and the Hot Rods were a no show and an unknown band called The Jam stepped in. Not sure if it was that date though.
Alan Esdaile… I think that was 23rd April 1977 and The Jam replaced Johnny Thunders as was ill.
Virginia Davis… Oh right. Well it was a long time ago. At least I remembered who actually performed. Should of realised later date as it was just before In The City was released.
Eric Cawthraw… Supercharge – what a great outfit they were. I didn’t get to see them in Hastings, but caught them supporting Wishbone Ash in Brighton. They always looked like they were having a fun time. Above pages from the Wishbone Ash – New England tour booklet showing the Supercharge entries.
Mick O’Dowd… Supercharge were one of those great bands that never quite made it. Superb album Local Lads Make Good.
Dave Nattress… I do recall the gig very well and the newspaper cutting. Damaris played exclusively self-penned progressive material with lots of long instrumental passages that I used to get lost in listening to sometimes and I’d just drift away. I wrote the lyrics and we all helped arrange the tracks. Tony Barraclough played a Gibson SG through a Vox AC30/50, Iain Cobby was on Fender Precision later a Rickenbacker Stereo with the obligatory Marshall Stack, Paul Durrant had a range of keyboards including an Elka Rhapsody and several other keyboards, and Mick Kemp played a Pearl Full-Dimension kit with about 13 drums. Back then my 3 chords weren’t up to playing on stage and as my life has gone by, it’s still no more than 3 chords. Damaris nicked a passage from The Planet suite by Gustav Holst for one track called “Alien Tomorrows” – Mars maybe Jupiter, can’t remember right now, and then we had another long ranging piece called “Star-Tiger” which was written about an aircraft that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle – which had the call-sign “Star Tiger”. Maybe you get the drift of what we were aiming for in our music!!! Supercharge were extremely good. From the moment they sound-checked we could see how polished they were.
Graham Belchamber… Supercharge ! I lived in Liverpool between 1985 and 95 and Supercharge were still doing the rounds up there. Some marvellous albeit hazy memories of them.
Iain Cobby… It was Jupiter, Dave.
It was Jupiter, Dave.