Ian Dury hoax fake gig Hastings Pier 9th March 1979

Alan Esdaile…Remember this well, as had a record shop on the pier at the time. When I saw the posters on the pier boards, I wrote to Stiff Records to ask if they had some display material for this gig. A couple of days later they rang me at home and said I must be mistaken as Ian Dury is definitely not scheduled to play Hastings. The guy at Stiff said I must have got it wrong and must be someone else advertised. I told him I’m 100% right and gave him Bob Knights  Pier managers number. The next day the posters had disappeared and a few days later I received a box of albums and a big bundle of posters, as a thank you. I remember the Disc Jockey and the pier box office had sold some tickets, anyone remember anything more about this?

Factory… Wow! Bold as brass!

Jim Breeds… Crikey. Reasons to be un-cheerful! Four quid a ticket wasn’t good to lose in those days!

Peter Fairless… We got refunded, Jim

Mick O’Dowd… This one escaped me.

Claire Venner… remember this

Peter Fairless… Yes, I bought tickets from the Pier box office. Got a refund straight away though, as soon as they knew it was a hoax. Think we gave the police a statement. Was anyone ever caught?

Phil Gill… There ain’t half been some clever bastards.

Who remembers playing a game of shove ha’penny?

photo: https://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk

Alan Esdaile… I think the first time I played it was at The Angel pub on the West Hill.

Judy Atkinson… I’ve got a board but no pennies or ha’pennies. Great pub game. My dad said they used to make the boards from the old wooden toilet seat covers

Reg Wood… We still play at home.

Kim Thompsett… Used to have shove and darts night at the Sussex. There was a league, it was serious stuff!

Carol Paffett… Still play

Jane Hartley… We had a board at home, still got the pennies somewhere. Played a lot in the Langham too.

Kathy Wood… We got our board out a few weeks ago, had forgotten about it for years

Nathan Honey… Loved playing this with grandad! Good memories

Leigh Wieland-Boys… My parents still have one!

Tony Bowles… Leigh, so do I but don’t have any pennies

Karen Sweatman… Still play this with in laws at Christmas

Mike Waghorne… 50 years ago !

Martin Stoggell… I’ve got one of them. But no one to play with.

Dawn Leaney… There is still a shovepenny league between pubs in Hastings that play on a thursday eve .. not so many teams as there used to be , unfortunately not many younger people are playing so few and few each year. Xx

Tony Court-holmes… used play it all the time all the pubs in the old town used to have a table. The Nelson was the best. Tony Shipley taught me how to play

Val Shoesmith… We have one.

Stephen Moran… I have very fond memories of playing shovepenny in the Nelson during the late seventies!

Pete Houghton… I used to play it when i used to go in my local pub

John Warner… had one in my pub!

Colin Bell… Used to play it with my dad at The Fountain St. Leonards, long before it was a music venue and still a traditional pub, good memories

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Dave and The Debutantes reunion supplied by Jacqueline Marsh

all photos © Jacqueline Marsh

Jacqueline Marsh…Had a lovely afternoon, Dave and the Debs were reunited once again (at least the last four of us) It was terrific reminiscing about days gone by and its amazing just how different our memories are. Lyn didn’t remember working with Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, and I had totally forgotten working with the Tornadoes, when Lyn had to use their drum kit. Dave had forgotten about the actual songs we recorded at EMI Abbey Road, and Val remembers using Manfred Man’s keyboard at one gig. And Lyn still does not remember working with Johnny Duncan and his Bluegrass Boys back in 1964. Dave mentioned he also bitterly regretted selling his Gretsch guitar as it would now be worth a considerable amount of money. We had lots of laughs looking at old photos and listening to a poor copy of our 60 year old record. We also were surprised to hear that Dave actually formed the original Plain and Fancy, along with Christine Newman his then girl friend and sax player after the Debs disbanded. The last photo in black and white shows the band playing at the Eastbourne Winter Gardens and Dave using his famous Gretsch.

Alan Esdaile… sounds like a great reunion with some interesting memories x

 

Who remembers wearing the S snake belt?

photo source: unknown

Dennis Torrance… Most of my time growing up

Lloyd Johnson… I do!..I still wear them now and again…

Mike Waghorne… I do ! but cant remember if I had one as a kid !

Wendy Weaver… I think every boy wore one.

Tony Ham… Snake belts, zip up platform boots, flares, tank tops and long hair

Yvonne Ellis… Cool

Jim Breeds… I’m saying nothing, to protect my sharp dresser reputation!

Heather Sidery… I had 3

David Edwards… I thought it was only boys who wore them

Graham Matthews… Oh yes. Are they still made does anyone know ?

Colin Bell… Saw some new on ebay, apparently they are trendy again now!

Graham Matthews… Yes I looked on there straight after this post but don’t think I will get one.

Pete Prescott… I did !

Kevin White… Yep. Had several.

Richard J Porter… I had the dark blue/light blue one. School colours.

John Warner… Had a school one black and amber!

Janet Rennie… Yes I did

Chris Downton… I did too… & loved it

Gary Benton… Wish I still had one.

Alan Esdaile… I can’t remember having belts before this, perhaps it was a piece of string we had!

Colin Gibson… You were lucky to have any trousers to keep up. We had to wear rolls of lino held together with reinforced spaghetti

John Gale… bloody luxury, we had sack cloths sewn together held up by barbed wire from cast off war defences

Tony Court-holmes… trying not to

Dawn… Yes – I had a yellow one – Yuk!

John Wilde… Would love to have one now too.

Colin Bell… loads of new ones for sale on ebay John