Budgie & Factory – Aquarius 14th February 1973

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handbill supplied by Iain Cobby

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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.

Rock inflation 1974 Hudson Ford and Budgie

Dave Nattress… Very interesting – seems incredibly low now! But I suppose it just about worked out with band members eventually earning a net £5.00 each a week for their efforts! Mr 20% always had to have his cut of the revenue/income!

Jackie Johnson-Lush… Budgie were ace!

Allan Mitchell… Budgie Were Brilliant R.I.P Burke Shelley.

Lloyd Johnson… Hudson Ford in my PopArt Jackets….John Ford wearing the Fred Astaire jacket Richard Hudson in the Sexy Legs jacket…

 

Budgie – Hastings Pier 16th June 1973

Flyer supplied by Mick Mepham

Andy Qunta….Yes, Budgie – great band, and great people. Good honest 3-piece rock

Glenn Piper….Another favourite of mine at the time. Always put on a great show and really nice people’s as well 🙂

David Broome… Love Budgie should have been big. This is my favourite just ahead of Parents. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scIqFErh3v4

Peter Houghton… Budgie played a great gig and so did bliss very good night

Allan Mitchell… Awesome‼️ I Was There.

 

 

Budgie & Fokker Triplane – Hastings Pier 23rd April 1982

poster supplied by Gary Uwin. Ticket supplied by Tim Moose Bruce

Steve Reents… I LOVE Budgie!

Gary Uwin… poster spotted in Platform One Records.

Ian Brown… Definitely remember them went to see them at Manchester apollo

Tim Moose Bruce… Went to that one. Still got the ticket!

Mike Guy… Good old Budgie, played our local youth club before they made it in the States, or anywhere else.

Phil Gill… I saw Budgie that night but I don’t remember the other Fokkers.

Alan King… time just flew by

Alan Esdaile… that’s a cheap comment

Andy Davies… I’m sure I saw Budgie a few times on the pier in 70s. All I remember is the Roger Dean graphics,no recollection of the songs at all. Saw another old git on the prom the other day wearing a budgie tee-shirt, and wondered could I even listen to them today!!

Sparrow Baker… I was there ! I don’t remember any other Fokkers either. Mind you, those were the days for not remembering.

 

Bands We’ve Seen On Hastings Pier – Tony May

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Tony May talking about  Bands On Hastings Pier

Hastings Pier may just be a derelict and rusting shell at the moment but its great to know that ‘the old girl’ is far from forgotten in the minds of many in the town and a number of nostalgic groups have popped up since the fire on social media websites like Facebook.

One such group –‘ Bands We’ve Seen On Hastings Pier’ http://www.facebook.com/groups/196962362327/ has proved particularly popular and has become THE place to visit on the Internet for those who desire to wax lyrical about anything to do with the Pier’s illustrious musical past.

Reading through the many posts makes you realise just how special a place Hastings Pier was in its heyday and its amazing to see just how many popular performers have contributed memories and/or photos to the group pages. In fact, almost anyone who has ever meant anything to the musical side of Hastings seems to have joined the conversation at some point and told a story or shared a memory or photograph.

Interestingly, those who had a close association with the Pier in the 1970’s seem to be the most vociferous members and there are numerous posts from Hastings favourites like Phil Thornton, Mick Mepham, Pete Fairless, Johnny Mason (Alan Esdaile), Terry Huggins, Ken Dengate, Robert Wren and a host of others.Don’t for a second though think that the party is an all male affair. Oh No! Plenty of ladies including Pam Shallcross, Yvonne Cleland and Margaret Haywood are regular posters and are just as passionate and chatty regarding their own personal memories.

It never ceases to make me smile when I think of the ‘eclectic’ selection of acts to have appeared on the Pier over the years…One of the weirdest groups of all perhaps was ‘Gong’. A ‘space rock, psychedelic, progressive rock band’, the group was never one to do things by half and Phil Thornton remembers that “UV lights, gliss guitar and paper plates” were all ingredients of the bands stage show.

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Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come 24th Nov & Budgie 6th Dec 1972 – Hastings Pier

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poster & tickets supplied by Mick Mepham 

John Storer…..Was at both these gigs – remember a ship floating across the stage at some point during the Arthur Brown gig – only a small one, mind! May have been where Spinal Tap got the idea for their pyramids 🙂

Phil Gill….Arthur Brown was awesome. He sat there behind that Bentley Ace analogue drum machine and scared the shit out of me right from the first song, “Time Captives”. I loved it.

Philip Thornton….agreed ! – the heart beat at the start went on for ages and then started speeding up !! class ! Mr Brown is a top class guy ! – and yes he has still got it big time ! – check out his performance on ‘Pollen’ by Mandragora if you get the chance !!

Mick Mepham….Ace track! He still has the voice too ……. and to start with, he was a soul singer ……

Philip Meston….Love the album ‘Journey’ from Kingdom Come, it’s an absolute classic!

Mick O’Dowd….First saw Arthur at Pilot Field Hastings in 67 with Kinks, Dave Dee, Geno Washington etc. Must have been a couple of weeks before he caught Fire!

Eric Cawthraw… I was with my old mate John Storer for both the Arthur Brown and Budgie gigs – so fond memories. The thing about the ship floating along the back of the stage – it was quite bizarre and theatrically it looked very Edwardian. There were long boards going right across, painted and shaped like waves and these were pulled back and forth to give a moving ocean effect. The ship was placed among them and rocking to and fro! We were definitely in a non computer age for graphic scenery!

Chris Meachen… Had to prevent the bouncers chucking Arthur off the pier.. He might have ‘over medicated’ & was looning about in the amusement arcade being strange….

Robert Searle… aw Arthur at the Saville Theatre supporting Jimi Hendrix with Carl Palmer on drums

Tony Court-holmes… saw Budgie a couple of times

Stan Atkinson… Certainly a character, was an interesting evening. Budgie were a brilliant band saw them several times on the pier and they were always excellent

Pete Houghton… What a great times for Both Band’s The first time i saw Arthur Brown we all had to sit on chairs and the second time we all stood around and both times i got the band to sign something And Budgie signed something for me

Dave Weeks… Always loved a Budgie gig.

Tracey Birrell… I remember it well. Also when he sang Fire he set his head alight and walked around. Elf and Safety wouldn’t allow that now!

 

Pistols At Dawn – Malcolm McLaren, Sex Pistols & Hastings Pier 3rd July 1976 by Barry Taylor

Copy of the handbill for Budgie/Sex Pistols gig that Barry handed out around the town to create interest.

PISTOLS AT DAWN – Malcom McLaren, Sex Pistols and Hastings Pier  by Barry Taylor

Malcolm McLaren was the visionary who invented ‘Punk Rock’ to the shock and delight of 70’s Britain. He emerged from an art college background. During this time he became fascinated by the ‘Situationists’ , a group of French artists and intellectuals and went on to apply their ideas to his own career. At Goldsmith College he met up with Vivienne Westwood, they open a boutique in Kings Road, Chelsea which eventually became ‘Sex’ and a flagship for the punk moment.

At this point Mclaren began to ‘assemble’ the Sex Pistols. John Lydon, for example, auditioned in the boutique, by singing along to ‘Schools Out’ on the jukebox. Then, he was joined by messrs Jones, Cook and Matlock and this was the line up which graced Hastings Pier ballroom in July 1976.

I had booked the ballroom for a series of concerts, having kicked off with 50p admission, featuring up and coming groups supported by local talent but this was not a great success. One of the best performances was by ‘The Stranglers’ as a support act! Casting around for a support for heavy rockers ‘Budgie’, I noticed the winds of change heralding the arrival of punk rock from the direction of London.

I managed to somehow contact Malcom Mclaren at his HQ and duly booked the Pistols for a modest sum. Prior to the concert, I was asked to arrange a PA system for them, as they didn’t possess one! I will never forget the shock waves when Mclaren and his motley musicians arrived at the pier on July 3rd. Compared to us hippies, they were a bunch of aliens, with their spiky hair and clothes held together with saftey pins but they were nevertheless, quite friendly. I am not sure what the Budgie fans made of the Pistols shambolic, yet exciting set. It was an incongruous pairing of bands, to put it mildly.

I remember there was an unpleasant scene after the gig. John Lydon was not impressed with the P.A, provided by a local musician and expressed his displeasure. I appreciated Glen Matlock’s intervention as peacemaker, as a fracas loomed but there was an intimidating aura surrounding the Sex Pistols at the time.

I tried to rebook them but Mclaren did not return my calls! The famous Bill Grundy TV interview was December 1976 so fame and notoriety was beginning to whisk the Pistols away. McLarens maverick style of management owed something to Andrew Oldhams guidance of the Rolling Stones and he proceeded to sweep all before him. Malcom negotiated a lucrative recording deal with EMI, who didn’t realise what the Sex Pistols were about! After releasing ‘Anarchy In The UK’ he engineered the sacking of the band from EMI but kept the advance and promtly switched them to A&M. That didn’t last and they ended up with a more sympathetic label in Richard Bransons ‘Virgin Records’. All of this, 3 record contracts, in a very short space of time and plenty of money!

By 1977, cracks were appearing within the Pistols and Glen Matlock was replaced by Sid Vicious, generally acknowledged as a mistake by Mclaren. By early 1978 it was over but he left his mark on rock management and influenced others who came later with a similar disregard for civilised behavior at the time!  Like Alan McGee who steered Oasis to success in the 90’s.

Malcolm reinvented himself as an artist and had a hit with ‘Buffalo Girls’ .. but will always be remembered for the Sex Pistols.

Barry Taylor

Morten Of Norway…I attended the Pistols/Budgie gig. I was 15 year old language school student, from Norway, visiting England for the first time. I knew Budgie, but had, of course, never heard about Sex Pistols. Been addicted to punk rock ever since!

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Budgie and support from Sam Tripp – Hastings Pier 30th June 1972

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Andy Qunta… Yeah, Budgie could really squawk! Great stuff!

Nigel Ford… I woz there!

Chris Meachen… This could have been the time they came round mine afterwards for coffee & sarnies.. (They went to Clive’s one time as well..)

Janette Clare Morfey… I was there.

Martin Waghorne… Missed that one, got the album though ‘Squawk’.

Chris Baker… Budgie were great!

Paul Owen… I saw Budgie back in Brum, I think the headline band that night was Osibisa, now that was a band

David Broome… Budgie were my 1st gig saw them in Maidstone. Had some great song titles. I made the rookie mistake of standing too near the speakers. My ears rang for days.

Alan Esdaile… It was worse with Motorhead and Nazareth David.

Neil William Michael McGuigan… got that Sqawk album, brilliant

Genesis & Budgie – Hastings Pier 2nd June 1972 and Budgie 30th June 1972

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ticket supplied by Roger Carey    poster supplied by Iain Cobby  ad Sarah Harvey

Mick Knights….This was the first time I saw Genesis and as I said in my first post with this group, I remember Gabriel standing behind two antenia like spot lights looking menecing. The last time I saw them was the penultimate concert before Gabriel’s departure, at Wembly arena, where they did the Lamb. The last concert I went to this year was Steve Hackett at the Albert Hall, which was two and three quarter hours of pure nostaiga.

Pete Fisher….back in the days when it was cool to sit cross-legged on the floor at concerts…also still have the ticket!

Glenn Piper….I remember this gig (I know, I know, but it’s true, I do) Peter Gabriel wearing his flower costume etc

Tim Bruce….”Wheres my time machine?…”

Barry M Dyke….I was there with my then girlfriend (now my wife of 40 years), Gill. We both agree that Genesis were nowhere near as good as Budgie. Wasn’t Simon Davies, AKA Tony Kane, doing the disco?

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Budgie & The Sex Pistols – Hastings Pier 3rd July 1976

supplied by Sarah Harvey

photos supplied by Michael Johansson.

Michael says… Budgie 1976. Second picture 68 Milward Rd 1976

Sarah Harvey…..Was talking to the fella’ who services my boiler the other day and his lasting memory of Hastings Pier was this gig. He said the Sex Pistols were pile of poo and got practically booed off the stage…. everyone had come to see Budgie. Also amused me about the Wrestling and some those that were household names during the 70s.

Bobby Walker….I was there. Had gone to see Budgie, as had become a huge fan after seeing them supporting Genesis on the Pier (never got to see that much of Genesis as spent their set chatting to Budgie in the bar).  The Pistols were an almost completely unknown entity at the time – Danny Baker had mentioned them once in the NME.  They were on stage for less than 20 minutes. They couldn’t play. They played “(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone” three times and definitely played The Stooges “No Fun”.  They were, without doubt, the most exciting live band I’d ever seen.  Think there was only one punk in the audience. A really nice bloke who called himself Sid Vicious.
A friend, Marianne (sadly no longer with us), was so impressed with the Pistols at that gig she changed her name and formed her own band – she became Poly Styrene and the band was X-Ray Spex
Two weeks later, The Stranglers played support to the Frankie Miller Band and got the same poor reception, despite being quite brilliant. Remember only three of us were on our feet during the Stranglers … me, Gary Paine and John Storer (who I met again a couple of years back – he’s now a lawyer)
We got invited backstage by Hugh Cornwell from the stage and he called the rest of the audience “wankers”.

Jane Hartley…..Oh yes, I was at the Rosko night, still got the ciggie he gave me!

Mick O’Dowd…..Most people when asked about The Pistols appearing on The Pier thought they were the headliners when in fact they were only the support. They never did reappear on the Pier.

Martyn Baker…..My girlfriend at the time was dead keen for us to see The Sex Pistols that night. I’d never heard of them , so I said “nah, let’s go down The Anchor instead”! Missed opportunity?

Paul Morfey… I was there, wondering what the hell was going on, green hair and safety pins!

Dave Weeks… Me too

Ernest Ballard… Sex pistols supporting Budgie ?

Neil William Michael McGuigan… It was quite a night. Pistols were virtually unknown at the time outside of London and a few mentions in NME. Only 2 punks in the crowd, Sid and the blonde from SEX Kings Road

Peter Houghton… Think I saw Budgie a couple of times on the pier

Alan Esdaile… Have them listed as playing 8 times on the pier.

Tony Court-holmes… twice saw them both times i think they were the support for Genesis

Nigel Ford… I was there too and there was a group of their friends / fans (more than 2) down the front wearing safety pins and pogoing and spitting so I kept well back, thinking “Huh, they’ll never make it as their ‘music’ was so lack-lustre”… a more anaemic looking bunch I’ve never seen when they all came in the bar afterwards. BUDGIE were their brilliant heavy, tight unit as always and played some from their new album aswell as going back to their first, I think. This being about the 6th time I’d seen them in Hastings maybe more as the first time was in 1970 when I bought their eponomous, 1st album on the strength of their performance from Big Al at the DISC JOCKEY, 2 Queens Road.

photo: Stuart Richard Meadows, shared by Chris Boorman

Stuart Richard Meadows… Good day. This is probably the rarest SEX PISTOLS related poster I’m ever likely to have in my possession. A real gem from mid 1976 with heavy rockers BUDGIE being the headline act. Admission to the gig being only a quid which in this day and age seems quite remarkable. Only a few months after this gig, the Pistols would become public enemy number one and spark a huge musical revolution, inspiring loads of kids up and down the country to pick up instruments and blow away the drabness that had become the mid 70s.

Gerry Fortsch… My mum and wife were on the pier in the afternoon when the Pistols did a sound check, when they came home they both told me that they had heard the worst band ever, the rest is history.

Stuart Moir… They were shit but they made a lot of cash

Dave Weeks… Budgie were great, Pistols were shite and nobody really knew what the F they were all about. It was a good chance to watch the lightning out to sea though

Alan Esdaile… Not sure about this poster. As soon as the posters went up for this gig Bob Knights the pier manager went berserk and called it obscene, ripped the poster down and got someone else to rip all the other posters displayed, down. I’ve just checked with the promoter Barry Taylor and he doesn’t recognise this as being the poster he did and said he would not have written London. Pretty sure on the original poster Sex Pistols was in big bold type.

Peter Fairless… Pretty sure it’s fake Alan

Chris Boorman… Yes agree that it’s likely to be fake. When was Mason’s music started? Looked at a website and it says 1978. I think it’s been photoshopped over another poster.

Alan Esdaile… I did have a shop on the pier at that time Chris but don’t think I was selling tickets, as they would have been available from the box office on the pier and also would have thought Disc Jockey would have sold tickets as well.

Colin Bell… Im no expert but that doesn’t look ‘right’ to me.

Pete Fairless… Here’s the actual flyer…

Alan Esdaile… Also Barry Taylor can’t confirm the authenticity of this ticket, which appeared recently.