Ten Years After – Hastings Pier Sat 22nd September 1973

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poster supplied by Mick Mepham, ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

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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.

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The Clash & The Slits – Hastings Pier 21st December 1978

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ticket supplied by Alex Chapman       ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

Cheryl White… What an amazing gig to have been at. I’m currently curating an exhibition about Poly Styrene. Does anyone have anything of X-Ray Spex on the pier?

Andy Gunton… I’ve no doubt you’re already aware of this, but just in case, Poly is mentioned in this: http://www.thestinger.org.uk/article/532c522180a367948bda9ac2#.WFrPZbGcbyI

Chris van Rock… I would love to see that exhibition about Poly. I have wrote my first novel ( the Zombies of St. Leonard’s ) with a character based on her and a copy of the book has been sent to her daughter by her friend. I can deliver or post and all monies are for St Michael’s Hospice in memory of Poly … the inspiration and memories of growing up with punk music

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Chris van Rock… Interestingly the Slits played on 2 clash tours. Always a great band.

Paul Mingham… Took a charter coach there, it picked us up in Newhaven. Ride was fun, punk rock sing along all the way there! Great gig electric atmosphere. Oh to be 17 again!

Tim Brooder… How I wish I wasn’t 7 at the time!

Andrew Burke… Like to catch up with Paul Mingham if anyone has contact details we saw some great bands together

 

 

‘England’ prog rock band – Hastings Pier 25th March 1978

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featuring Phil Gill. supplied by Phil Gill via Robert Webb

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ad supplied by Sarah Harvey                poster Sue Arber via Phil Gill.

Phil Thornton ….England were great ! – lots of Mellotron and Moog, niceness !

Sarah Harvey….March 25th, 1978. England only produced one album in the 70s (Garden Shed – 1977) so I wonder what they filled out the set with. I have the Garden Shed album and played some tracks in my 70s show the other evening.

Andy Qunta…..Garden Shed is a fabulous album! They did have other songs too. I believe our SMART friends Jaffa Peckham & Phil Gill might know more about that?

Phil Gill….We didn’t do anything from Garden Shed that night or any other. It was all new stuff. The three original members had lived with the album for two years by then and wanted to move on. I’d have loved to have played songs off Garden Shed, but hey, I was the new boy.

Dave Nattress….Hi All you England fans!!  I had bought Garden Shed from Boots in Bexhill.  I’d noticed the album in the rack for what seemed like months and it just wasn’t selling – looked like the only copy , anyway eventually intrigue took over and I bought it and it just blew me away especially when I learned the nucleus of the band was from Crowborough.  So, when they played the pier and was gobsmacked to see Phil Gill on bass.  I of course was disappointed because like Phil says, they didn’t play one track off the Garden Shed album.  Many years later I bought “Last of the Jubblies” on CD and more recently – well still years back, got Garden Shed on CD.
Somehow then Geoff Peckham and I met up again – went to school with Jaffa in Bexhill from 7 years old till 16 when we left, and as we talked he said he’d played/recorded Jubblies but hadn’t got it or heard it for years and years.  I guess this was obviously after Phil Gill left – maybe Phil played on some tracks though, so I said all cool, well I had bought it as a punter so I was delighted to burn a copy and photocopy the sleeve etc. and I sent him the original for old school times sake.  Jaffa will remember that he and I were founder members of the Goon Squad at school.  To me, Jubblies doesn’t come close to Garden Shed though.  Garden Shed – like just out of (seemingly) nowhere – astonishing!!!

Phil Gill….Jaffa played on all of Jubblies, it was recorded before he left and I replaced him. I played all of Jubblies live, with the exception of Jaffa’s song “Sausage Pie”, which for some reason they dropped

Steve Kinch….Phil, I remember that we played with England in Worthing, but have got absolutely no memory of the actual gig. Wasn’t Roger Carey offered the job at one time?

Phil Gill….I remember the gig well. England were not a particularly dynamic live act in my opinion, and I kind of missed the excitement of the Stallion shows I’d done for the previous two years, with John Wilde running around shaking everyone on stage by the throat, knocking us around and generally whipping up a frenzy.  Yes, Roger was offered the job and I believe actually played and/or recorded with them at some point after I left. I’m a bit hazy on the story he told me, but he’d be able to confirm the detail.

Terry Pack….The Enid played twice with England while I was in the former and Phil with the latter. Lewisham(?) was one, but the other…? Do you remember, Phil? I didn’t know that Jaffa had played with them, too. I liked the drummer, who sounded a lot like Bill Bruford, I thought. The keyboard player had butchered any number of keyboards in an attempt to achieve a kind of midi. I thought they were very good.

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Siouxsie & The Banshees – Hastings Pier 20th October 1978

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poster 1 supplied by Mick Mepham & poster 2 supplied Mick O’Dowd

‘Human League’ didn’t play nor did Nico.

Pete Fairless….No, they did not. Support was from the Gang Of Four.

Mick Mepham….Gang of Four were excellent as were Siouxsie and the Banshees, can’t remember Spizz Oil. If I remember rightly, the singer wore a bin liner and by the end of their set he was plastered with gob …. yeeeuch.

Pete Fairless….I thought GOF were a bit boring, Spizz were fun, and Siouxie & The Banshees were fantastic

John Storer… The Human League did not play their first live gig until June 1978 (Sheffield Hallam University has a plaque commemorating the date and venue, which is now a computer room). They did tour with Souixsie that year, but not until December The Mark II line-up are still gigging for all they are worth, and never fail to surprise the crowd with how good they still are. First saw them in December 81 when “Don’t You Want Me” was No.1. Last saw them in 2012 and they were better … and doing stuff from both “Reproduction” and “Travelogue”

Alan Esdaile… Remember seeing The Human League in 2003 with John Foxx support and they were very good.

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Hollywood Killers, Before The Storm, Negative Earth Band – Falaise Hall 19th May 1978

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19th may 1978 - hollywood killers

poster supplied by Jim Penfold

Martyn Baker… Simon Fuller

Peter Fairless… The start of something big…

Jim Penfold …. Simon Fuller’s first promotion 19th May 1978…the Hollywood Killers…..the man who invented Pop Idol/American Idol..manager of The Spice Girls/David Beckam/Andy Murray/ Annie Lennox etc etc etc…..if you have a magnifying glass his name is bottom right…..his Easybeat Promotions promoted us a couple more times that year……what went wrong!!!!(for him)

Tim Moose Bruce… I remember Before The Storm. They supported Die Laughing a few times and I think changed their name to Billy Whizz im my memory serves me. A memorable gig was at the caves.

Jim Penfold… Happy days! I’ve got the Hastings Observer’s review of that gig and will post it when I can find it! It says promoter Simon Fuller raised £100 for charity for this sold out gig!….it’s a pity Simon didn’t go on to bigger things……

Mike Mitchell… I remember seeing Simon strolling down the road stuffing fiver’s into his pockets… We got paid a fiver for being bottom of the bill. My first professional engagement as a drummer. Happy days indeed.

The Three Degrees, Prince Charles and The Meridian featuring Janine – Kings Country Club Eastbourne March & July 1978

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photos and menu supplied by Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Andre Palfrey Martin… I have dug around and come up with the attached photos from Thursday 27 July 1978 – One is HRH talking to the girls before the show in the Foyer of Kings Country Club, Eastbourne and the other was taken with HRH and I think it was Sheila Ferguson doing the ” bump” – this image of HRH was flashed around the world within hours and made newspapers everywhere.

Alan Esdaile… Could it be Andre in the background on the first picture?

Andre Palfrey Martin … It could well be, I was working that night, and quite on the cards I would have been backstage, security had almost shut down the whole building, we had to be at the club by 6.00pm a good 2 hours earlier than usual, once in you could not get out ! however in the club itself, I could go anywhere as usual, so its on the cards that could well be me. I am sure that I would have had my hair and beard trimmed for the night, and would of course been in some form of formal attire. It was a great night. The Girls were really terrific people, but I still cannot remember their Tour Managers name, I think it was Richard …something, I do however recall that I had to give up my dressing room that night for him to use, I had to share the resident bands room with them.

Trevor Walker… My wife and I were there ! Good times were had at Kings ! Show Place of the South !!!

Jacqueline Marsh… I was there about half a dozen seats away from Charlie, he was absolutely drooling over the 3 Degrees !

Andre Martin… Your quite right about Prince C this was the famous shot that went global when he visited the club for the Prince’s Trust.l must dig out the original and have close look at this presentation line up,all I can remember was that was next to Sandy Croft in the second row it was 40 years ago

Sandra Thompsett… I remember the Kings Club being in Eastbourne but I can’t remember exactly where it was and when it closed

Jackie Robinson (was Welch)… I was there that night. I worked in the Finance Office from 1974 – 1978 when I moved away to Lincolnshire with my ex husband. I remember my office smelling of food the next morning because the police/security were based in there during the evening! I remember Audrey, Pat and Julia in the front office and Eddie and his Secretary in the office opposite mine. Bob Butler was the accountant and there was a strange lady in the cashiers office. She used to bring her dog in to work every day and lock herself in her office which had no windows……a bit weird! I also remember Chris Gentry. They all gave me a wonderful send off when I left and I still have the giant card which they all signed. It was a fun place to work and I have very fond memories of my time there.

 

Headlights, Smokestack Lightning & The Executives – Hastings Pier 23rd Sept 1978

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poster supplied by Mick Mepham,  ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

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The Executives supplied by Mick O’Dowd,

Flyer supplied by Lynn Gale

Alan Esdaile…. Mick O’Dowd promotion

Mick O’Dowd… Headlights were a brilliant band and I had already promoted them at The Caves( Those were the days!) and was so impressed that I put them on my first Pier Gig. Does anybody have any info or pics of them? I thought they could have gone on to greater things as did another of my promotions, Smeggy & The Cheesey Bits who morphed into King Kurt!

James Sadia… One pound!! blinkin extortion!

Chris Boorman… Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated!

Mick O’Dowd… I  know how to rip-’em-off James!

Gavin Martin… Executives- not the Roy Carr (untaggable) band?

Lynn Gale… Hubby dug the above flyer out

Mick O’Dowd… The Executives were a Brighton based band. I believe they were signed to the Attrix label.

John Gale… 42 years ago today, along with an extract taken from my 1978 diary. It’s been edited for bad language. In the afternoon I went down to Tiffer’s House and helped load SSL’s equipment onto the pier for the gig tonight. Arrived with Executives but Headlights didn’t arrive until later.  Executives went down really well. Smokestack were brilliant though. Steaming through their set of covers. Tiffer drumming like Keith Moon (who died recently), I lost my voice from singing along, didn’t see Headlights play, was a great night “

Ken Copsey… I guess we still owe you your roadie fee and highly partisan review!

Radio Caroline ‘319 Special’ Fun Bus – Hastings 1978

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photo Peter Messingfield.                Supplied by Kevin Carlyon

Kevin Carlyon…. See top left window

Andre Palfrey-martin…..I think this also came to Eastbourne – Kings Country Club – somewhere I have the press cutting from the Eastbourne Local paper, as this was arranged by myself and Alan Parris the Assistant manager.

Jim Hobbs….Good to know Caroline is still on the air.

http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/#home.html

 

Masons Music – Hastings Pier 1978

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Tony Ham… Before my day, it was up Queen’s Road when I went there, didn’t it move further up the road at one point?

Alan Esdaile… 187 Queens Road, then moved to 190 Queens Road. Looking at this photo I think theirs an album in the window you like, The Stranglers?

Tony Ham… Black and White, definitely 1978, then.

Jim Breeds… Brilliant Photo Alan Love the badges in the window 🙂

Leigh Wieland-Boys… Whilst going for a stroll on the pier one Easter Steve Demetri (my then boyfriend) bought me a Yes album from you, it’s still got the price sticker on it (seem to recall it was £1.25) – happy days

Alan Esdaile… Also see a Sad Cafe Misplaced Ideals LP, Kris Kristofferson and Elton John covers.

Julie Findlay-Jones… I  loved working there, Alan was such a grear boss.

Andy Qunta… Excellent! Great to see this photo! Good times!

Paul Marshall… Oh my. That was my first ever job working with Alan, making badges by the zillion and discovering toons.

Jim Breeds… Have you thought to give a copy of this photo to the pier didital memories archive Alan?

Alan Esdaile… I’m pretty sure they had this Jim but didn’t use it.