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Stray and Factory and Tony Kane Disco – Hastings Pier 25th March 1972

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poster supplied by Mick Mepham, ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

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source: http://www.stray-the-band.co.uk

Andy Qunta….Stray were great! Bought their 1st 2 albums! Fave songs – All In Your Mind & Jericho.

Leigh Wieland-Boys….The gig was a bit expensive though, wasn’t it Andy?! And I bet the albums set you back about £1.25 each….those were the days of affordable music – live & on vinyl – aTime Machine for Christmas please

Andy Qunta….Yes, outrageous prices back then, Leigh! LOL! Love your Time Machine comment too – that would be nice!

David Miller…  still have that 1st album and the tinnitus I got from sitting too near the exploding dustbin when it went off….and the great loud music too. Now it is all in my mind for the duration…..

Chris Meachen… Excellent band, Stray.. Still have my copy of ‘Saturday morning pictures’…

Andy Qunta… Thanks again to Mick Mepham for posting the poster! I don’t have any of those things from that time, so it’s nice to see them!

Gill Harrod… Stray! I remember they were really good!

Dave Nattress… Stray…seriously good. Saturday Morning Pictures – got it on vinyl. “After the Rain” – pure Stray at their best. Lost the other vinyls but have a couple of 2 CD compilations – been looking out for the original vinyls in second hand record shops or CD versions. Saw them at the pier at least twice, seems like more – I think they played a few times more than just twice, and their shows featured strobe lighting which really added to the performance. Oh, yeah, and great memories dragged up of all those old bands whose gigs featured on the posters on the Time Machine clip.

Read moreStray and Factory and Tony Kane Disco – Hastings Pier 25th March 1972

Candy Choir, Factory & Old Silver – Hastings Pier 20th March 1971

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Paul Dove… Remember this, well done for finding it.

Chris Baker… Wow! Look at those young hipsters grooving away!

Robert Searle… Nice to see Candy Choir gets some mention especially as they played a lot in the Hastings St Leonard’s and Eastbourne areas in the 60s 70s. Candy Choir great vocals

Mick O’Dowd… Candy Choir were an excellent band. Saw them many times at Cobweb. Strange line-up.  I liked Candy Choir but they were a world away from Factory.

Geoff Peckham… I don’t suppose Andy will mind my quoting from his Factory gig diary: “March 20th at Hastings Pier for £15. Rubbish really. By the time the power points were sorted out it was difficult to get the atmosphere going. Not bad performance, audience danced politely, but in 45 minutes we could hardly whip up a frenzy. Candy Choir and Old Silver also on the bill.” Can’t say as I remember it; this is probably why!

Alan Esdaile… I’m sure you would have played ‘Substitute’ and ‘Born To Be Wild’ at this gig Geoff.

Geoff Peckham… Indeed, Alan, but I can’t imagine what the polite dancers would have made of ‘Time Machine’.

Andy Qunta… This was a lot of fun, but I don’t remember it in detail.

 

Medicine Head and Factory – Hastings Pier 12th March 1976

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ticket supplied by Mick Mepham,          review supplied by Sarah Harvey.

Tony May… A personal appeal here for some help from you all. I am looking for pictures of the band Medicine Head which appeared in the local newspapers from their Hastings pier gigs during the 1970’s. One particular picture is said to include my friend, Simon Griffiths (otherwise known to a lot of you as Karl) who was a bouncer on the pier for a short time in the background. I do not have many pictures of Simon (only those from the Bexhill Observer of 1977) so would really appreciate any of him from any time period. If anyone here can help I would be very grateful.

Andy Qunta… Wow! 40 years to the day! I don’t really remember this gig, but I’m sure I wasn’t thinking that 40 years from now, Factory will be about to release their first album!

Steve Kinch… I don’t recall ever playing with Medicine Head… then again, I don’t remember what I had for breakfast.

Peter Fairless…. As well as the 12th March 1977 they played in September ’74, too. What a great band!

Jim Munday… Yes, but not very good at sums… 

Chris Meachen… Nice blokes, one of the very few acts that bought us a drink for dragging their gear on…

Gerry  Fortsch… That was a bloody long haul to get your gear on the pier, I remember it well.

Chris Giles… Medicine Head great group …enjoyed watching them and their music brilliant …had forgotten I’d gone and seen them

Half Human Band, Factory, Stackridge – Hastings Pier 20th & 27th July 1974

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supplied by Mick Mepham, HHB promo photo unknown venue, Stackridge photos from the gig by Chris Meachen

poster supplied by Peter Houghton

Andy Qunta….Funnily enough I don’t remember the Half Human Band, although I don’t know how I could forget a name like that! I remember Stackridge though! They were great! Factory supported them at least once! Thanks to Mick Mepham for finding this, btw!

Geoff Peckham…..I remember the name Half Human Band, but no matter how much I scrunch up my face, I can’t summon up a memory of them. Now Mutter Slater and Stackridge playing Purple Space Ships Over Yatton present no such problem!

Martin Waghorne…..I can remember watching Stackridge @the De LA Warr Pavilion, one track I remember is ‘Mr Mick’.

Tony Qunta…..I never realised we were a half human band!

Andy Qunta…..Which half was human, & what was the other half?

Sarah Harvey…..Super human?

Phil Thornton.….Stackridge were great !

John Storer…My abiding memory of the Stackridge gig, which was great fun. is of seeing half the band smashing dustbin lids together during one track

Chris Baker…..Saw Stackridge twice I believe. They were a great band!

Mick O’Dowd…..Saw them at Wembley Stadium with Elton John , The Beach Boys & The Eagles + others.

Terry Pack…..I  was at that Wembley gig, too, Mick. And the Pier gig above. The Wembley gig was incredible: Stackridge, Rufus, Joe Walsh, Eagles, Elton John, Beach Boys!

Phil Thornton……yes Stackridge – great band ! I was at this gig and when they played at the De La Warr Pavilion – I think Stallion supported them at one point ! btw – they are still going, I have a recent album – excellent stuff !

Martin Isaacs….Sorry you can’t remember Half Human Band. My only memory of the gig was the van (we called it The Pig) going through one of the planks on the pier, and we feared we’d not goet it out – but we did … Check out the HHB page on Facebook!

Mick O’Dowd….Yeah Terry it was a great day at Wembley including the weather. Did we actually SEE these bands as there were no large screens in them days and I was on the half-way point on the pitch? Stackridge were a highly underated band who deserved more recognition.

Dave Nattress… Stackridge – seems like they gigged everywhere constantly in the 70’s and I saw them a few times but in the hazy past I can’t recall where or when although one I’m sure was at a festival and once at the pier. Don’t remember the DLW – slapped wrist to have missed that on the home turf. Didn’t have any of the albums as vinyls but delighted to have mopped up 6 albums on CD over they years including “Radio 1 In Concert “and “The Radio One Sessions” . I used to get to London a lot – working – and Stackridge was on the list of stuff I always had with me that I wanted to get hold of, so back in the day before the WWW, Amazon and others and a lot of mail-order shops, Tower Records, HMV, Virgin all clustered in and around Oxford Street/Piccadilly – Tower I think was Piccadilly and also in Kingston-upon-Thames, used to occasionally have one or more in stock

Mick Mepham… Let There Be Lids – Dustbin Ones!

Pete Houghton… I saw both stackridge and curley on the pier and both band’s signed a poster of the gig and when I saw Half Human Band they signed a photo of themselves

Tony Court-holmes… I was there i think

Kenny 22nd Dec, Factory 24th Dec, Stallion 27th Dec 1975

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supplied by Sarah Harvey

Phil Gill… Apparently I played a Stallion gig on the Saturday. Buggered if I can remember that one….

Mark Randall… Ooooh they call you Fancy Pants!

Julie Morris… Saw that Kenny concert!

Andy Qunta.. The guy in the far right of the Kenny photo is their lead singer & guitarist, Rick Driscoll. He’s been a friend of mine since we were both playing with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel in 1981! Lovely bloke, btw!

Darryl Way’s Wolf & Factory Hastings Pier 23rd November 1973

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poster & ticket supplied by Mick Mepham

Tony Qunta….Also remember being blown away by John Etheridge playing some of the fastest guitar I had ever heard!

Glenn Piper….Another one I worked on

Andy Qunta….Funnily enough, I remember seeing Darryl Way’s Wolf – they were great, but I don’t remember seeing Factory that night. I must have been in the bar during their set!

Geoff Peckham….I  would definitely have been in the bar with you, Andy, so Factory would have been a duo that night.

Andy Qunta….Looks like it must have been just Lol Cooksey playing that night! I’m sure he put on a great show, as always!

Chris Coleman…Music Machine Disco AKA Jon Royle.

Factory – Mallet Hall Bexhill (early rehearsals) 1970

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supplied by Lol Cooksey

‘Jaffa’ (Geoff Peckham) Bass, Lol Cooksey Drums, Andy Qunta Lead Vocals 12 String Guitar, Tony Qunta Lead Guitar.

Yvonne Cleland… Lovely x Bexhill’s produced its fair share of musicians!

Phil Gill… Nice to see a pic of Tony Qunta playing the WEM Sapphire. You sold that guitar to me about a year later Tone, remember?

Geoff Peckham… Can anyone identity the bass I’m playing? I don’t remember it.

Phil Gill… Is it a Vox of some sort Geoff? I’m more concerned that you’re apparently possessed by demons in the first pic.

Geoff Peckham… That’s right – I think it is a Vox. Yes that’s a strange picture isn’t it. I sent it to Andy as a Halloween card! I blame it on Lol. He still has the power…..

Andy Qunta… Yes, Lol has always had the power!  I don’t remember that bass at all, Jaffa! I thought you always had a Fender Mustang! Don’t remember Tone’s WEM Sapphire either! I remember what I had for breakfast today though, so no need to worry yet!

Geoff Peckham… Yes, Andy. And I still have the Fender Mustang – always a pleasure to play but the pick-ups are shot so hardly any volume. Does anyone out there know of any way I can replace or repair them without spoiling the guitar? I think I had an Antoria bass at some stage, before buying the Mustang

Tony Qunta…. Phil, thanks for reminding me re selling the WEM guitar to you – I had completely forgotten about that! I’m pretty sure that was Andy’s originally. (photo no 4) My Miles Davis pose! 🙂

Phil Gill… It was a great guitar. I liked it a lot, but eventually traded it for this:

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Steve Kinch… great to see these old shots

Mick Mepham… You can get the pickups rewound I believe, as long as they aren’t hermetically sealed …..Also, the bass looks a bit like a Danelectro (maybe)

Phil Gill… Try my pal James Collins at http://www.jamescollinsguitars.com/ I think he’s in Mayfield. Or if you fancy a pick up expert and are prepared to post to USA, I highly recommend Curtis Novak. He made me a great set of Strat pickups: http://curtisnovak.com/pickups_bass.shtml

Mick Mepham… Jaffa, are you actually the devil in disguise? Those eyes …..