supplied by Andy Gunton Dakka Dakka Dakka Facebook site
Andy Gunton… One & only gig by Mandrake, a forerunner of Dakka Dakka Dakka, at a fete in Golden Green, Kent on Sat, 5th June 1975. L to R: Simon Flack, Andy Gunton, John McCue, Martin Fredericks & Gary Bunt.
Mick O’Dowd… You weren’t related to Mandrake Paddlesteamer were you?
Andy Gunton…Today we bring you the freshly digitised version of ‘Dreamworld’, the A Side of the single released in mid 1986. The B Side ‘Leather Jeans’ will be coming in due course.
supplied by Andy Gunton… Tonbridge local press cutting from 1985.
supplied by Andy Gunton… Rehearsal photo from c1982. Taken in the oast house that we used to rehearse in. It was also used at that time by The Anti Nowhere League. Boy, did that place get cold in the winter!
Peter Russell…. Hey. Just stumbled across this. I was looking for some pics of my best friend who was your bassist for a short while and died in a bike crash. Mark Brown. He left a group Tuesday Town to join you.
Andy Gunton… We never has a bass player called Mark Brown. The bass player throughout the history of the band was called Keith Edwards. We did try out several singers before finally getting Phil Alamo. who is in this video & who sadly died a few years ago. I’m sure I remember the name Tuesday Town though 🙂
Peter Russell… Hmmm strange. I saw Mark playing with Dakka at the rock garden I think it was? Maybe dingwalls. Phil went to marks funeral on that old moto guzzi he used to ride. I’ll dig out some pics if you like. I used to do all the promo stuff and handouts for Tuesday town.
Caz Simpson… Pete, I have a lasting memory of you coming to work in your brand new Levi’s and hating them. You couldn’t wait for them to get faded! The things we remember eh?
Ralph Town…. An early Nova kit car possibly.Looks like an over grown 60s Hot Wheels either way 🙂
Pete Fairless… Looks like something we used to race down Hollingsworth’s ramp, Ralph!
Jenny Tyler… Loved Steve Maxted on a Thursday night at the Aquarius. I remember he told us ” next week we’ve got Gary Glitter”. The next week there was the big drum roll, then The Leader of the Gang. Out cane Gary Glitter, he put his arms in the air, then left the stage. That was it, lol. We were really disappointed.
Alan Esdaile… I remember he started the show with various tapes of famous people like Diana Ross saying Welcome to the Steve Maxted show. Then would it have been I Can’t Explain by The Who? Same Old Song The Four Tops, Third Finger Left hand Martha Reeves, The Liquidator Harry J Allstars. Anyone remember anything else he played a lot?
Jim Breeds… The Locomotion came to mind?
Reg Wood… Hey there lonely girl by Eddie Holman.
John Wilde… Bernadette The Four Tops plus I’ll Be There and always Dancing in the Street..Martha and the Vandellas.
Chris Sambrook…Just to pay tribute to Richard Coughlan former landlord of The Castle Ashford and Drummer from Caravan, who has passed away. Spent many a happy time after playing going through Richard’s Scrap books from his past with a bottle of Southern Comfort to make things more amusing, and having a good laugh.Band’s from Hastings that might have played the Castle will know how friendly everyone was towards you no matter how good or bad you played. My condolences to Sue his wife and Beth his daughter, and to Caravan fans everywhere. He was a bloody good bloke.
Andy Knight….I’ll drink to that, The Jukes played many a happy gig in The Castle
Phil Gill….Agreed – there goes man who knew how to make his pub perfect for bands, from the way the room was set out, to loading direct from the street to the stage, to his hospitality.
Terry Pack….RIP, Richard. I loved his playing on the Caravan albums. We shared a manager and played several gigs together during the 1970s. A good bloke.
Neil Cartwright….Brief story to relate: We played over at the Castle a number of times – late 80’s. I drove an old Hillman Avenger, and on one occasion, at the end of the gig, I went back to my car, only to find that I’d locked my keys inside. (I think it was a midweek night, because I was worrying about work the next day). Anyway, I went back into the pub, and somebody said, ‘Hang on, I’ll get Richard’. He came, and I explained what had happened. No problem. He had a word with somebody sitting at the bar. The guy came outside with me, and produced from his pocket, a short length of packing strip, which he fed through the door seal, lifted the lock, and the car was open in less than a minute. Seriously, as quickly as that. Yes, fond memories.
Pete Shaw….. played a gig with Lianne and Roger Carey….at our short sound check I heard two guys being pretty disparaging about the band being “a bird ” and two geezers. I thought to myself, ” just you wait… ” as I well knew how marvellous Lianne and Roger worked, arranged and packaged great songs….I was of course right….we started with a Steely Dan number “Do it again”and I could see these guys spluttering in their pints of lager and Lianne went down a storm……Richard was very complimentary overall and about my playing and, following a few drinks, we had, at the end of the gig to settle our bar bill against the gig money…£220 gig, £209 bar bill….and I drive home! Richard even helped carry my gear as Lianne and Rog were booked in to stay the night as Richard loved his “latesies”….Quite a chap!