chris gentry – SMART

Miriam Karlin, St John’s Wood, Chris Gentry – Hastings & St Leonards Charities Association – Hurst Court 27th September 1969

September 27, 2024September 27, 2024 by Alan Esdaile

photo © BBC

Remember Miriam Karlin in The Rag Trade…

Pauline Richards… Yes. Blowing a whistle shouting…..everybody out!!

Andre Martin… This Chris Gentry bloke get about – when I think of all the events that we were involved in at some point, and now the organisations just have gone. The town is that much poorer and the young people missing out on so much. Just look at the admission price 2/- wow.

Mick O’Dowd… Hurst Court has gone as well Andre/Chris/Marshall etc.etc.etc

Tim Moose Bruce… Read somewhere that Hurst Court was dismantled and shipped to the States to be put back up. They took down the outer shell and roof and left the rest behind.

Delroy Williams Show, St Johns Wood & Chris Gentry Hastings Pier – 31st Dec 1968

December 31, 2023December 31, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Mick O’Dowd… excellent concert, highly underrated.

Alan Esdaile… Managed Delroy in the 70’s, always puts on a great show and a really nice guy. Still going strong as part of Desmond Dekker’s Aces tribute.

Andre Martin… Remember the night well, unfortunatly not a very big crowd, so the ballroom was a little chilly even with the Gas fires working. Good programme and headliners were excellent.

Pete Fairless… What did Chris Gentry show, we wonder?

Andre Martin… Now that would be telling.

Alan Esdaile… style, flair, presentation skills and great music.

Chris Gentry DJ (Andre Martin) Kings Country Club 1974

December 19, 2023December 19, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

Janine Anne Hemsley…..I remember it well .

Joe Knight…..GREAT PLACE!!

Andre Martin…..These were taken Summer Season 1974 in the small building next to the new club that was being built by Ray King, when that Opened the whole scene changed and we then could deal with 2500 on a busy night. I have just worked that out – These photos are 40 years old !!

Ian Hargraves….You have not changed much!

Polly… I was just thinking about Kings Country Club and realised I have no surviving pictures of my life there. Before Janine came along I was the girlfriend of Colin and we came to Eastbourne together after Colin left the Eric Delaney Big band. Meridian was named after the local knicker factory where we came from. Pete Brent was guitarist, Barry Goacher was the drummer, Colin Hadley keyboards, Steve Devine was saxophonist. There was also a trumpeter called Keith Bolton and his wife Paula. When we first came Colin was part of the Mick Urry band. After Mick and the band parted Meridian was formed. I have many happy memories of Ray taking us for dinner on our birthdays in his Rolls Royce,as Colin was the youngest member of the band. I also remember the band who played downstairs and one of the members Laurie Broadway, who was a mate. Eddie was the entertainment manager and Lenny was one of the barmen. I remember Pete Bonner well, as we had a party at his house once and I threw up all over his prize roses! Those were the days!

Janine Anne Hemsley… Polly are you there ??? xx

Jane Hartley… Kings put on great shows, saw many a big act there. Sundowners over the road, we used to belt over the marshes after the pubs chucked out, to get there before they shut the doors! Not to be recommended kids!!!!

Mick Knights… Kings was a bit too posh, ( which really means they wouldn’t let me in) it was the Sundowners every time.

Alan Esdaile… Agree with Mick. Used to go to the Sundowners. Saw The Real Thing, Mud & The Troggs among others.

Colin Norton… We (The Rebels) were one of the first bands to play at the Sundowners. It was quite a small building at the time. When we were playing somewhere else in Eastbourne in the evening till 11 pm. We would go over to the Sundowners and play from 1 am till 3 am or something like that. We played for steak and scampi 🙂 …. Oh, and fun as well 🙂

Sandie Croft… I was singer with Meridian in 1978 & ´79. Line up then was Barry Goacher drums, Pete Brent bass, Andy Flack Keyboards.Pete was replaced by Larry Barton in ´79 & singer Ronnie Collins joined us then also. We made an album “In The Mean Time Meridian. Which I still have a couple of copies of. We were all good mates & had such fun working there.

Freddie Smith… My Mum was probably there

Willie Wicking… Used to go to kings & sundowners my 1st company dinner was at Kings 1976 & the Stylistics were the band playing also saw shawadywady at Sundowners think it was one of their 1st gigs last band I saw at kings was glitter band

Tony Court-holmes… seems like a long time ago mate

Cupids Inspiration – YMCA Hastings – 23rd Sept 1970

September 23, 2023 by Alan Esdaile

supplied by Sarah Harvey

Andre Martin… That was a good show for so many reasons ????

Alan Esdaile… I heard the dj was pretty good that night.

Andre Martin… Sensational would be the best description !!

Mick O’Dowd… Whatever happened to Marshall Scott?

Andre Martin… Retired and lives his life remembering the past ! lol

The Sweet – Hastings Pier 31st Dec 1971

December 31, 2022 by Alan Esdaile

supplied by Andre Palfrey-Martin Collection

Chris Giles….Saw Sweet at the Aquarius was surprised and quite pleased that they did a lot of rock numbers

Alan Esdaile….I also saw them at the Aquarius Chris and we were packed in like sardines. They always did some good rock ‘b’ sides, one of the best was ‘done me wrong alright’.

Mick Mepham….Sweet were always a rock band first and a pop band second.

Karen Sweatman was Blackman… Saw a band called the Wandering Crutchlees down the Crypt in the early nineties. Two ex members of Sweet. At the end of the gig, they called out to the audience for requests. Don’t think they were expecting me to shout out ‘Poppa Joe’ and they fell about laughing. They decided to do Ballroom Blitz instead!

Kev Towner… I was a big Sweet fan – but I was only 9 in 1971!! I’ve still got the vast majority of The Sweet’s singles on vinyl. The albums seem more difficult to track down.

Karen Sweatman was Blackman… Beat you. I was only 1! But I’m sure I was dribbling along with the best of them. I also saw The Sweet with Mud at the White Rock a few years ago. Half the audience were obviously reliving their teenage years and the other half were about my age (early twenties at the time) seeing what we had missed. Great party night.

Jane Hartley… I saw them at the Aquarius!

Nicola Dobson… I was 17!

Matt Thomas… I was working behind the bar at The White Rock when they appeared around 1989/90 sadly they had all seen better days lol

Jeff Chuzz Balcombe… wasn’t a good turnout only a handful of peps & they wasn’t that good.

Tim Elms… I saw Sweet at the Aquarius the week they went to no 1 with Blockbuster, fantastic night. I worked there behind the bar but this was a night off. Much of their set was rock although I suspect many in the the audience where there for the pop. I seem to remember they finished on Blockbuster, the house went wild. The manager told me he enquired about re-booking Sweet but they were now way too expensive for a small venue. The group asked for a six foot safety area between the stage and the audience but were persuaded it was not necessary in sleepy Hastings. Instead, a large friendly doorman (can’t remember his name) stood centre front of the stage watching the crowd. A weird image that has stayed with me!

Andre Martin… OMG another good night on the Pier – playing to 2.00am !!!!!

Jan Warren… Loved The Sweet. I remember most of their “b-sides” of the singles were good rock music!! They “cleverly” put out the pop music to get in the charts, but us rock fans always listened to the b-sides ……… just listening to a SWEET cd now and I remember “Burning” was one of my fave b-sides, yeeee Haaa!!!

Janet Cruttenden… I went to see them recently at del la warr bexhil

Sue Goddard…me too, what a great night.

Chris Gentry Disc Jockey – Kings Country Club Eastbourne 1976

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022 by Alan Esdaile

photos taken by Graham How

Graham How… Did I add the sepia?!

Andre Martin… All I remember was you following around several of the dancers and taking lots of photos, I never did find out if you ever had any film in your camera – do you recall the game we used to play, based on numbers ????

Alan Esdaile… you did have long hair then! Mind you I bet your playing some Motown and not Black Sabbath.

Andre Martin… Correct Disco & Motown without a doubt, and a few classic 60s tracks thrown in for good measure !

Tony Court-holmes… please do say you have no pictures of me there. I was there a couple of times

Sid Saunders… The girls look so smart.

Joanna Mod… I’m actually just a couple of streets away where I live now….I grew up here a couple of streets away from Kings…now a housing estate/shopping…leading onto the harbour…….and as a child could hear the music often….I’m back here living at my parents who have been here since 1966…I went to Kings just once ….disco…….my sister saw a few stars in their shows there….