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Gypsy and Alias – Hastings Pier 21st July 1973.

July 21, 2024July 21, 2024 by Alan Esdaile

supplied by Sarah Harvey

Flyer supplied by Roger Carey

Sarah Harvey… This day July 21st, 1973 on Hastings Pier. American progressive band Gypsy. I have a lot of their music in my library and it is really worth a listen.

Alan Esdaile… Alias were signed to Martin Casson Agency and sure Andre has memories of them.

Pete Fisher… ust by the way here, seeing Status Quo billed for July 28th, my diary tells me I was at their pier gig on 2nd March that year, one of those gigs where I really did think those wooden floorboards were going to give way under the bopping masses any minute! Date confirmed on this page, which gives you an idea of the gruelling touring schedule bands had back in the day…https://www.quogigography.net/92.html

Pete Fairless… Shows what a major venue the ballroom was! 1973 was the year Quo really took off, you can see from the link, they put the work in!

Louis Comfort-Wiggett.. Isn’t this the band Gypsy (from Leicestershire I believe) rather than the US lot?

Clive Richardson… Gypsy were excellent. Really good sound. They had no roadies, no manager at the time and did the sound themselves. Paul Casson was very impressed and was interested in managing them.

Pete Houghton… I saw Gypsy on pier and it was a good concert and my fav track is per me take you home and is one of my fav track’s

Barclay James Harvest and Rare Bird. Hastings Pier 22nd June 1974

June 22, 2024June 22, 2024 by Alan Esdaile

Nick Webb… I was there again lol

Andy Qunta… Pretty sure I was there for this. Both good bands!

Martyn Baker… you were mate. I remember seeing you in the bar at half-time!

Ian Watling… That was a great night

Peter McLoughlin… Saw Bjh at the pier a couple of years earlier with about 50 other people!!

Anne Murray… Yep, I was at BJH

Catherine Ireland… The guy at the back right of picture looks like Chris Cozens, but I don’t think Chris was born then

Chris Meachen… Bloody excellent night, two brilliant bands.. still have the autographed BJH album..

Roger Dando… Classic band I never managed to see live . .

Mick O’Dowd… When I worked with them on a Martin-Casson gig on the Pier, I did not like rock music much. I introduced the band and went off stage but was waylaid by someone and we talked for a while. When I emerged to cross the dance floor to escape, I was half-way across and they were playing “Mockingbird”. Woah! I liked the sound of this! Stayed and watched the rest of their set. Made me realise that I had a bad case of tunnel vision and from that day have taken all music and given everything at least one listen before rejecting them as c**p! Wise decision as i’ve discovered a lot of bands/artists that I once wouldn’t have given the time of day to. Thank BJH!

Pete Houghton… Hi Mick yes Mockingbird is still one of favourite songs

Andy Davies… I was there too. Can’t have heard anything of their’s since ‘76! Are they worth revisiting?

Alan Esdaile… Andy, Yes definitely.

Pete Houghton… I was there a what great night Both Band’s signed there Autographs for me

Deb Hoad.. Love their music

Carol Cooksey… Love the music of B J H saw them lots of times

Terry Pack… I was at this one. Walked home to Bexhill afterwards as usual. The last train was at 22.37 and I nearly always missed it. I think the last bus was probably at about 7.00pm!! Beer was so cheap in 1974 that I couldn’t spend the £1 I had in my pocket at the start of the evening!

Mike Curtis… I remember going to “Beat Raves” at DLWP in the late 60s. Beer was 2/6 a pint – I used to spend my £1 and have difficulty walking home.

Iain Cobby… Long Live the BJH mellotron, king of orchestral sounds!

The Kinks – Hastings Pier 23rd March 1974

March 23, 2024March 23, 2024 by Alan Esdaile

(1) supplied by Mick Mepham, (2) & (3) supplied by Roger Carey

Yvonne Cleland….Great gig, and with the legendary beer can on head routine………

Chris Meachen….Remember this one particularly fondly;- After the gig, I asked Ray Davies about harmonica playing; He made me a present of two blues harps,( which I still have) then sat down & gave me a half-hour lesson in blues harmonica.. Thoroughly nice bloke!

Martyn Baker….Victoria! Victoria!! (I think they opened with that). Knocked me out too.

Graham How….I had the honour of introducing them on stage. They were a very friendly band and the roadies were great too! Fabulous night. They came down to Hastings on a chartered National Express coach. Hastings was the only gig they had done for ages and not part of a tour. Ray said they did it because they fancied playing on a pier!

Gary Kinch….Remember it well……First wage packet I bought 2 singles, Ape Man being one of them. I seem to remember Ray throwing beer into the audience.

Andre Palfrey-martin….Kinks first played Hasting Pier in July 1964- HCFE Summer Dance.

John Alexander Wilde….Wonderful!

Peter Fairless… …and, yes, the pier gig will have been the one where Ray Davies helped Jo Brand get her No.6 out of the machine!

Robert Searle… March Hare, Peter Skellern on lead vocals.

Jim Breeds… Ah yes! I was there, but I don’t remember the support band – not that I remember the support bands from many of the gigs. I think we always stayed in the pubs until just before the main act.

Yvonne Cleland… Huh! That was for posh people. The rest of us stayed in the pier bar!

Sally Blackman… This was the very first gig i went to.

Phil Thornton… another great gig ! – the audience was at least 1.5K over capacity !! (I guess Health and Safety must have been somewhere else !)

Jane Hartley… I was there

Terry Haddon… And so was i.

Chicory Tip & Horslips – Hastings Pier 23rd June 1973

June 23, 2023June 23, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

poster supplied by Mick Mepham, handbill supplied by Iain Cobby

Kev Towner… I remember seeing Chicory Tip in more recent years in The Standard – they were awful!!

Yvonne Cleland… My memories of them were that they were awful all the time in everything they ever did anywhere, as it goes, Kev!

Kev Towner… Oh no, I loved songs like Son Of My Father, Good Grief Christina and What’s Your Name. When I saw them they didn’t even have a synthesizer!!

Wendy Weaver… We saw them at a private do about 3 years ago playing mainly covers plus their hits. I think they are still going

Mick O’Dowd… Horslips were the better band and they are still going.

Chris Giles… Horslips we’re the they a Canterbury based band ?

Alan Esdaile… They were based in Ireland as far as I know Chris.

Mick O’Dowd…. Yeah your right Alan.

Gary Kinch… I’m sure I’ve seen Horslips but I definitely wouldn’t have gone to see Chicory Tip. Did they appear more than once on the Pier?

Mick Burt… I saw Horslips in 1978 . Great band. They supported Thin Lizzy, A great folk rock band from Ireland

Suzi Quatro & Factory Hastings Pier Friday 8th June 1973

June 8, 2023June 8, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

poster supplied by Mick Mepham. Ad supplied by Sarah Harvey.

Andy Qunta...Great! Thanks for this Alan! Factory supported Suzi Quatro the week Can the Can went to number 1. Her producer, Mickie Most, came up to me after we played and shook my hand and told me to get in touch. We thought he was too “poppy” for us so we didn’t follow up on it! Often wondered if that was a mistake or not!

Yvonne Cleland….Remember watching her do this in the pier ballroom! Front row!

Pete Fairless….Still love it!

Mick O’Dowd….Saw her do this in Alexander Park at the Beer Festival.

Alan Oliver… Saw her the White Rock in or around 1987. Average!

Martin Waghorne… This is getting bad I think I was there as well.

Di Veness… I don’t think she was very good live. Factory on the other hand were brilliant. We had fun that night

Gil Mulvey… I was there, she was amazing! Factory were good and of course Stallion!

Ralph Town… Just a week after her birthday 🙂 We share the same birthday, me and Suzi.Plus Ian Hunter and Mickey Finn of T-Rex.

Julie Morris… I remember this so well!

Pete Fisher… I was there!

Lucy Pappas… Me too!

Tony Qunta… Yes remember it very well!

Leigh Wieland-Boys… I was there too!

Lesley Brown… I thought I saw Suzi but thought I must have dreamt it until I saw this!

Alan Vale… I met her when years ago I lived in london and she played at my local a couple of times very nice lady great bass player

Keith Veness… Great night

Bourne ScunnerJulie… I was there and went to see her at the Brighton Centre in April and she can still belt them out…

Alan Wood… First gig with wife one

Kim Tilbury… I was there great night!

Paul Cullen… I was at this one and I seem to remember Factory getting more encores than Suzi Quatro

Andy Qunta… Paul, bless you and your excellent memory!

Keith Veness… We were there

UFO plus Rusty Butler – Hastings Pier 1st June 1974

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

poster supplied by Mick Mepham

ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

Wesley Magoogan … I saw that show and they were great.

Terry Pack… I was at that one, too. They were very good.

Here’s one of their best tracks from 1975….

Ian Cramp… Mogg and Schenker together for The Phenomenen Tour, didn’t realise it at the time but have seen UFO since and MS separately since and these have always been good value

Jan Warren… Love UFO

Peter Houghton… It was a great concerted by both UFO and Rusty’s Butler

Tony Court-holmes… i think i was there

Pete Fisher… I was there…Schenker was amazing…

Wild Turkey – 7th March 1973 Hastings Pier (changed from Aquarius), also 18th August 1973

March 7, 2023March 7, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

Aquarius flyer supplied by Roger Carey, pier flyer supplied by Iain Cobby.

poster supplied by Mick Mepham

Aquarius or Hastings Pier 1973? One handbill and one poster, same date, two different venues, now confirmed as Hastings Pier.

Andy Qunta…. did see Wild Turkey at the Pier, but I don’t remember the date. Another great band! (Seemed to be so many then, not so much now!)

Pete Prescott….i saw them in sittingbourne around 73/74 with leo sayer and judas priest ! great band ! gary pickford hopkins was the singer, he was wonderful. He sadly died last year.he sang with ashly holt from warhorse in the rick wakeman band (i just got a warhorse cd signed by ashly for my birthday).i remember bernie marsden was in wild turkey in 73/74.glen cornick wore some pretty strange clothes.i also saw them supporting black sabbath at the albert hall in (i think ) 71.

Clive Richardson…. Wild Turkey did play the Pier and not Aquarius. Also on the August date ‘Leo Sayer band’ did not turn up.

This the other gig they did in 1973 with Leo Sayer Band & Daisy

poster supplied by Mick Mepham and cuttings supplied by Sarah Harvey

Tony Davis… Saw them at The Dome in Brighton on tour with Black Sabbath – think it was the Master of Reality Tour. They were a great band – that’s Turkey and Sabbath

Phil Thornton… Great gig !!!

Andrew Freeman… I love seeing these posters from both the nostalgia point of view and because they remind me of my son who lives in Brighton and plays with a band called Rough Hands, playing gigs all over and in Europe. I like to think one day, maybe one day they will play Hastings Pier, who knows

Glenn Piper… It was a good gig

Pete Prescott… Good times! Great band. I saw them at Sittingbourne town hall and at Chatham central hall in 73/74. I first saw them at the Albert Hall supporting Black Sabbath in 71.

Budgie & Factory – Aquarius 14th February 1973

February 14, 2023February 14, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

handbill supplied by Iain Cobby

cuttings supplied by Sarah Harvey

Andy Qunta… Wow! What a gem! Thanks for finding, Iain, & thanks for posting, Alan! I also like the ads for the Disc Jockey, Aquarius, and especially Ace Promotions! If my memory serves, that was Graham How’s company around the time he was designing the “Factory man” logo! Good times! I was wondering what I was doing that day! Budgie were always great, and lovely guys!

Graham How… And Ace Promotion’s philosophy and belief in Hastings peoples’ love of good live music came true. Big time! Was proud to be part of Ace Promotions and I still have my business cards!

Glenn Piper… Ace Promotions gave me my start as a Pier roadie – thanks Graham. I was there, I remember it well (which is surprising in itself 😀) After the gig had a good time with Budgie.

Tony Court-holmes… same as Glenn where did our youth go

Nigel Ford… I was there, (if this was the only time they were at the Aquarius, I believe ?) as I came back from Plumpton Ag College bringing Pete Kingshott with me in my first car, a red/white Herald 12/50 from our residence there. Then back there later that eve as on early morning duties the following day. It was definitely that winter as I was only there the one year.

Clive Richardson… After one of the Budgie gigs on the pier, they came back to my parents house and Burke Shelley washed his hair in the kitchen sink.

Principal Edwards Magic Theatre – Hastings Pier 4th May 1974.

May 8, 2022May 8, 2022 by Alan Esdaile

autographs from Mick Mepham. photo source: http://www.principaledwards.com

Alan Esdaile… Remember doing the disco for this and the band were really good.

Richard Jones… Belinda Bourquin and I remember the gig well. We had to unload the equipment at one end of the pier and transport it on trolleys to the venue. The gig itself went very well but we had an almighty row with the promoter at the end of it. It was very soon after the introduction of VAT, and we had been advised to ask for it on top of the gig fee. The promoter (naturally enough) refused to pay it.

Wesley Magoogan… Principle Edwards Magic Theatre Show, I was there and they used what at the time appeared to be a huge PA system with I think the words WEM Reading Stack on the speaker cab.

Alan Esdaile… oh dear what a state! photo from the Principle Edwards gig. by Chris Meachen

Colin Bell… Love it mate, what were we thinking back then?!