Andre Martin… The Easter eggs have started to fill the shops, so we have a short while now before Easter. In the Happy Ballroom on Hastings Pier, it’s some more down time, no bands/entertainments have been booked for this week, and the papers do not say that there is any refurbishment work taking place, so the flashing lights are off on the roof of the Ballroom. I remember this weekend very well as at the Witch Doctor, the Saturday night top of the Bill are UNIT FOUR + TWO and in support from Manchester we have the popular Fitzn’ Starts. Sunday Club this week has another visit from The Stormville Shakers. And on Friday night we have the first visit of The Boomerangs. The rest of the week it was Big Disc Session with our youthful team of popular DJs.
Friday Nights – Ready Steady Go was a nonstop entertainment, with this week The Artwoods “Sweet Mary”, Donovan, Tom Jones “ Not Unusual”, The Kinks “ Everybody Gonna be Happy”, Manfred Mann “ God on my side” featuring Big Jim Sullivan on guitar – {he was one of the most busy session guitarists in the business at the time} The Roulettes, Dionne Warwick and Zoot Moneys Big Roll Band – leading the show Cathy and Keith, so that would have been an excellent way to start the weekend. The weekend would have been well covered by the BBC Light Programme. Saturday Club {10.00am}Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, Marianne Faithfull, The Swingle Singers from Holland, Bobby Vee, Them, Betty Smith Quintet and The Mike Leader Orchestra { that is a name that we would get to know at the start of the 70s – I will give you a clue –Bell Records and Paul Raven}. In the afternoon at 2.00pm Saturday Swings – Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Terry Burton, Bobbie Britton and “ some swinging discs” played by Bruce Wyndham. This was followed by Top Gear {4.00pm} with Brian Matthews plus Manfred Mann, Dave Berry & The Cruisers. Followed by Round About 65 – News, Views and the best records around with Colin Hamilton. Sundays main features would have been Easy Beat {10.31am}Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, The Overlanders, Wout Steenhuis, Janie Marden with the Johnny Howard Band. Keeping order would have been Keith Fordyce. 12.noon Two Way Family Favourites – linking UK via London and BAOR via Cologne. Alan Freeman would have popped up as usual at 4.00pm with Top of the Pops. Television that weekend would have been busy on Saturday Lunchtime with the University Boat Race, Cambridge or Oxford – which did you support? Oxford was always my choice because of family connections. %.00pm with be the weekly appearance of David Jacobs with Juke Box Jury – this week’s panel – Catherine Boyle, Adam Faith, Sue Lloyd and David Tomlinson. Later that evening we had the Billy Cotton Band Show, featuring guests Petula Clark & The Seekers. One of the high points for Sunday afternoon TV would have been “Captain Pugwash”, which was a seafaring cartoon produced from an artiste who lived in Rye. If you ever get to see any of these classic shorts listen very carefully to the script!! I will say no more. Independent TV that weekend – Thank You Lucky Stars – Brian Matthews with The Animals, Peter & Gordon, The Beatles, The Drifters, Tom Jones { shortly before his visit to the Happy Ballroom – shush keep that under your hat} Mike Preston and Dionne Warwick. And doing all the adding up, Janice “I’ll give it Five“Nicholls. There we have the weekend before Easter in the Happy Ballroom and other attractions that we all followed – so what is going to happen? Wait till next week for more details. Until then enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend, lots happening in the town and around, fingers crossed for good weather. Andre Palfrey-Martin © 2015
Mick O’Dowd… Another classic report. Thanks Andre.
