all photos & cuttings…..Andre Palfrey-martin collection
Andre Martin… To many this weekend will be a Bank Holiday, for us back in the 1960s, this was just another weekend, even though it did include the beginning of May. The History of the Happy Ballroom on Hastings Pier continues. Here we are Saturday 2nd May 1964, and have a return visit from both of the bands playing tonight, this did seem to be a regular feature over the years, and when you think of the number of venues throughout the country, many of the groups appeared with regularity, just to meet the demands of a growing pop music industry.
Top of the Bill tonight are Patrick Dane and The Quiet Five – The Quiet Five formed in the early ’60s in London, first as the Trebletones before changing their name to the Vikings. As the Vikings, they did manage one side of a 45 single, the instrumental “Space Walk,” whose title was changed to “Gemini” when it was eventually issued by Columbia. The Vikings became the Quiet Five, however, in 1964 when they became the backing band for singer Patrick Dane, the Quiet Five split from Dane to go out on their own, signing with Parlophone, where they were produced by Ron Richards also responsible for production for the Hollies.
The supporting group, were well know and very popular from Brighton original members were Dick Plant from Eastbourne, James Hazeldene, Stuart Hinchcliffe and Geoff Cooper from Brighton, the group would later this year change their name to The Shelley, and embark on a impressive career working in Denmark and Scandinavia which would keep them working outside of the UK for the next 15 years.
That’s all for this week in The Happy Ballroom – somebody asked me the other week, when was this tag given to the Pier Ballroom, so far I have traced this back to publicity issued in 1956 and will keep searching.