Dave Blackman, Ken Copsey, Paul Thomas, Huggy Leaver, Eddie Mays
what was the story behind the ELO gear?
Ken Copsey… Huggy had auditioned to join them. The rest of the band were hoping to be employed as road crew.! Must have been gear hanging around at Park Gates. I bought my lovely white shoes in Canada so this would have been around August 1980 when we returned and just before our last gig on Hastings Pier
John Gale… Great photos. Not seen these before .
Elizabeth Turner… So young
Paul Mac Macnamara… John, great to see. Haven’t seen this before for sure.
Fred Marsh… Just had there single cover enlarged and framed, looks great
Dave Nattress… Great photo’s and the guys all looking so young and fresh-faced and portraying the new-Mod image.
Kevin Ling… Happy memories of great times – being young and thinking you’ll never grow old
John Gale… Great photos…must be 1979. They look so young
Huggy Leaver… Thanks for these, sadly some of us didn’t get old x
Perri Haste… The late great Dave Blackman – great pics
John Willis… Lovely bloke Dave.
Stuart Moir… That’s when bands had to work hard for the recognition, not like these manufactured bands out of TV programs, these were guys that grew up together through school and youth clubs etc .
Stewart Rockett… Tommy. Cool then, cool now.
Paul Mac Macnamara… The Fab 5. Smashing fellas. Still miss Dear Dave
Ian Rosario… Very swish
Ralph Town… I wish we all looked that good today lol.
Huggy Leaver, Paul Thomas, Eddie Mays, Dave Blackman, Ken Copsey.
Pauline Sims….Nice photo – all looking very serious!
Pete Fairless….All looking very young!
Ken Copsey… I think you’ll find it is not the real Eddie Mays in this picture but a ventriloquists dummy being operated by Dave! This was taken at the offices of The Hastings Observer.
Huggy Leaver (Vocals), Ken Copsey (lead guitar), Paul Thomas (rhythm guitar), Eddie Mays (bass) and Dave Blackman (drums)
Some of the Teenbeats’ best friends are Canadians. Dave Blackman talks to our man-with-the-earning, by J.W – 1979
The rumours are confirmed. The Teenbeats are selling records across the pond, a trip to Canada could be on the cards; and drummer Dave Blackman is still cadging drinks.But just a minute, the Teenbeats version of I can’t control myself was pretty grim – suffering, no-one would deny, from the dreadful Wall of Sponge production at the hands of international Ray Fenwick. So who is buying it?
I collared Dave Blackman in the Chatworth Hotel and asked him:“Canadians” he burbled into a pint of lager, “Canadians are buying the record. Canadians are thick. “What?” “Well its an awful record. Loads of rubbish really. “Isn’t that a little harsh?” I asked. The portly sticks man ignored that and went on: “the important thing is that if the record is selling in Canada it’s getting airplay and that means FM listeners in the States will be picking it up”. The whole band is surprised to put it midly that the record is selling as it is.
“Canadians are that much more receptive to the rough, English music,” said the Cozy Powell unlook-a-like. “The 400 copies sent out were picked up by discos and the record was then in great demand”. Huggs said the last he has heard was that the record was number two in the FM airplay chart, 20 in the disco chart and number four in Quebec.
Copies sold so far are in the region of 20,000 which means the Teenbeats should be seeing some money for their efforts.“Things in the band are generally okay” said the drummer and part time mermaid but we want to release records and we want to work”. And work they shall. The band has a gig coming up next Friday (May 30) at the Carlisle with the Model Copies.
The Jim Jim and the Jims gig taking place in the hotel on the night I talked to Dave Blackman ended with a massive slanging match between Ray Fenwick and some of The Teenbeats after the later group had acted in a rather Michael-taking manner while the other band were trying to play Smoke On The Water.Smoke on the water? Yes I burst out laughing too. Review by J Wells
Yvonne Cleland… Teenbeats doing ‘I Can’t Control Myself’? Outstanding! Go Huggy! x
Paul Thomas, Eddy Mays, Ken Copsey, Huggy Leaver, Dave Blackman.
John Wilde….Hastings most stylish band.
Perri Ann Haste….A very Young Dave Blackman R.I.P. x
Terry Pack….I liked Dave very much. It was a terrible shock when he died so young.
Andy Qunta….Lovely fella!
Pete Prescott….and a really good singer ! had a way of drawing people in.great loss.wish i had known him more.
Philip Meston…..I knew Huggy when I was at Hastings College – way before he became an actor…Not forgetting the Plastix!
Ralph Town….My old school chum Paul Thomas I think I taught him his first chords.Last time I saw him he told me he,d stopped playing due to nickel allergy.Hope he,s tried stainless strings now
