london

Minotaur – 1978

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supplied by Phil Thornton & David Miller

MINOTAUR – 1978 Dave Miller- Vocals guitar, Glen Baker – Guitar, Andy Ebsworth – Drums, Ric Luther Smith – Bass, and Phil Thornton – Keyboards. The live photo is from The Victoria Palace Theatre, London Feb 19th. 1978

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 photos supplied by Dave Miller

Alan Esdaile… Dave auditions for The Walking Dead, a few years too early.

Yvonne Cleland… Phil looks like Charles the 1st!

Dave Miller… The walking poseur, more likely….what a bunch. Phil’s mum made that jacket for him, I’ll have you know…

John Wilde… and trousers to match or was that a vicious rumour?

Del Buck… I loved Minotaur – I think I still have a cassette that Dave gave me somewhere. In fact I was in a band with Dave at school – he was something special even then. Love to you man, wherever you are.

Dave Miller… Del Buck, a fine man, an exceptional guitarist and an all-round very good guy.

Mavy Jones… Does anyone know how I can get in touch with Ric Luther-Smith???

Terry Pack… When RJG, the leader of the band I was playing with in 1978, heard Philip, he was miffed that I hadn’t recommended him to his band. When he asked me why I hadn’t, I replied ‘Because he’s a friend.’ It didn’t go down too well.

David Miller… Ouch – I’ll bet that didn’t… Can’t see that being a good fit neither. Re the introduction – yes, and for far more too…

Does anyone remember Sloopy’s disco just off Piccadilly Circus?? asks Jim Miller

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Jim Miller… Does anyone remember Sloopy’s disco just off Piccadilly Circus??

A photo would be good to post on this page, if anyone has one?

Alan King… hang on…

Ross… The outside is shown 50 minutes into the 1970 film, Die Screaming Marianne.

Carol Cakir… I Used to go to Sloopys 73/4/5, before that went to a large disco upstairs via a big staircase maybe it was in the Lyceum premises further along the same side towards Leicester Sq called Bumpers there was a big neon sign of a lace up sports type of boot on the wall outside , sounds improbable I know but it was definitely there ! Also Tiffany’s, Sundowner , Samantha’s & Crackers , Studio Valbonne ( Monday night was showcase night in Valbonne different acts )Stopped for a couple of years then returned to Tiffany’s and Samantha’s 78/79 Noel was the DJ in the EType, Ozzie in the other dance floor room. Nice to read about everyone’s good memories!

Peter Waltman… this is a picture of a BRIGHTON club SLOOPYS from the early to mid 70’s NOT as stated a club in London, it is at the Town Center end of Dyke Road and about 50yds up from the Clock Tower & Churchill Square, I would have to wait outside the place when picking my Sister up from her Saturday night out there… it has changed names many times since the 70’s & closed down in about 2011, buildings still there but I don’t know what it is used as these days

Val Harrison… I worked as a part time waitress in Coventry St.Piccadilly Sloopys, not the Sloopys in the photo here. It was below ground dark and dingy but a great laugh and good dance scene. I met many celebs there. Down the road was Maximus Leicester Square. So many great discos back then, The Hippodrome in Leicester Square, Tramp,
The Candy Box, Roaring Twenties.

Eric West… Ross, I was at Sloopys every Friday for years, it then changed to Cerrys night club. It was small inside but had a massive atmosphere. At first only a few of us went there, but after it changed to Cerrys we use to fill the place, just our crew alone with a few other people. The music was first class dance tunes, Crown Heights Affair Far Out was the best dance track ever, I went into myself deeply when dancing to this tune. Best nights at this place. We even took Paul trouble Anderson with us. Late 70s was the best. Met Horace Carter there as well. Great dancer. Wondering if anyone can add to this.

Val Harrison… Thanks Eric, Sloopys Coventry Street. The door was manned by Robert Trotman and manager Kevin French. Another guy named “Goose” was like a care taker/cleaner. Sloopys was below ground, down the stairs, through a door on the right..Small dancing stage on the right side of the entrance and on the left was tables and chairs then up few stairs to the bars and alcove seating. On Coventry street’s main road there used to be an emporium selling, silver jewellery, records, kaftan etc called “kleptomania” with a K. Gosh! Although London is big anyone who worked in this area and Coventry garden pretty well knew each other. Great fun times.I met many celebs.

Armand Salmon… Funny enough, I am going through some of my Dad’s old photos and came across one of the business card for Sloopy’s that had the address so I looked it up on Google Maps and then came across your posting here. Guess my Dad was partying it up back in the day.

supplied by Armand Salmon

Sat sat… Me and my North London crew went to Sloopys every Friday during the 70s for about four years before it was called Cherry’s. Those were the good days. Pure solid funk. We got home around 5am, by 12pm Saturday we were in 100 club, dancing all weekend.

Val Harrison… Armand, thanks for the card, yep that was Sloopys in Coventry Street. At the beginning of the evening and closing the dj always played “Hang on Sloopy”. I still to this day can’t stand that song listening to it night after night lol. I think it was Billy Walker the boxer who owned “Sloopys” The music was great soul and funk.

Chris Gates… I was the DJ at Sloopys and worked there for 6 or 7 Years my name is Chris great times xx.

Eric… Chris, I was at Sloopys with my crew every Friday and use to dance all night long. If I asked you to play a tune you used to play it the next record, signs of a great D J. FAR OUT CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR Great memories at Sloopys.

Chris Gates… I Bought a tune by Issac Hayes called Stranger in Paradise you loved it xx

 

 

The Magnets – Hastings Pier 27th June 1978

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Anyone remember The Magnets?

Martin Richter… er……….no 🙂 they must have cooled down by the time they reached the coast

Mike Hatchard… They no doubt had a certain attraction.

Robert Carey… They were quite a draw.

Graham Matthews… They do say opposite poles attract.

Martin Stoggell… A very attractive band

Nigel Goodman… yes they had quite a pull

Martyn Baker… I remember deciding not to attend this one.

Peter Webb… Shame the law still prohibits public singing.

Nigel Ford… No, I wasn’t drawn to them either, infact we were poles apart…..

Jim Breeds… Not sure I’ve heard of The Magnet. Anything to do with The Attractions?

Chris Stratton… Not remotely familiar.

Richard Brown… I went to most gigs back then but don’t remember these.

Mick O’Dowd… Seems they have lost their magnetism & attraction!

Jimi Hendrix museum – photos from Dave Jenkins album

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Supplied by Dave Jenkins

Dave had a photo album with loads of interesting pictures at the recent SMART meeting of the Jimi Hendrix museum in London and remembers seeing him at The Upper Cut Club in Forest Gate on the 26th December 1966 and this is where Hendrix wrote Purple Haze.

photo: https://blackcablondon.net/2014/08/01/jimi-hendrixs-london-part-one/

Mike Vawdrey… Thanks for the Jimi Hendrix’s London link which was fascinating and included some unusual shots I hadn’t seen before. Excellent clips too – not all familiar. It certainly revived an ‘ancient thrill’ or two ….

Muller at Cavern Studios London – 2nd April 1970

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Outside the Cavern Studios London, recording the single ‘Fooling Around. Paul Wiseman, Jon McCallion, Steve Demetri, Paul Dove and Alan Esdaile.

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photo by Ray Medhurst

Paul Dove….Great times, it amazes me were these photos keep coming from,next question did that record ever survive,! look at Alan doing the 1000yd stare !!,,, It always made me laugh seeing the veins in Jon Mac,s neck sticking out when we done house of the rising sun, classic.

Jon McCallion....Good times. I still have a copy of Fooling around, will play it to you one day.

Paul Dove….Hi Jon that would be great,although cant remember how it went. ! i keep meaning to come along to one of alans meetings, but i will.Yes good times.

Alan Esdaile…We only planned to record the one song and then had just enough time for an unplanned ‘B’ side which had to be an original. Nothing arranged, so the band came up with an instrumental called ‘Freak Out’.

Paul Dove…Alan you are doing wonders for my memory , yes i remember doing the b side ,We got to do a big meet up with factory, Steve k , I know we lost Stevie D .But would be great to see all the guys from that magical 60s 70s era,!!!  what was i looking at ,, think alan had dropped a 1 00 note , was good fun recording Fooling Around, same studio as the Who recorded , hope to see Jon,  Alan & maybe Paul Wiseman at Beatles Day tomorrow.

Alan Esdaile… We all look tired and fed up Paul. Hanging around for ages for the studio guy to turn up.

Pete Fisher… seem to have missed something here…what did you play Alan?

Alan Esdaile… played the fool Pete! I was manager of the band or should I say humper of the gear, arranged the recording session and gigs and got paid lots of money. Well maybe not the last bit!

The Breathers – Windsor Castle photos from Allan Morrow

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all photos © Allan Morrow

John Wilde… Aww Steve. (photo 5) and the very cool Ric Hool (photo 2)

Jeannette Wilde… John, love the advertising on the wall there! Classic

Ric Hool… Individuals aside, we were just a fabulous unit: music, energy, presentation…
I don’t think we ever conceived a ‘possible audience’: we just did what we did…

John Wilde… quite agree Ric, The Breathers were special.

The Breathers graffitti, in Minder TV series 1980 & Intake Tour dates

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supplied by John Wilde

Could be The Marquee?

David Miller… He don’t minder the noise

The Breathers Intake Tour 1980

James Bell… sh#### that was intense!!!

Ric Hool… I recall most of the gigs vividly and for very different reasons. At The Green Tree, Bathgate the group turned up early to set up and sound check, our usual modus operandi, to be met by three beautiful women with trays of tea and fruit scones. That sort of welcome was not rare – it was absolutely unheard of ! The Breathers, as usual, were starving and got through several stacked trays of fare. The Green Tree, Bathgate was immediately earmarked, ‘must play again’. Sadly we never did. Elsewhere, Scotland took in The Breathers with open arms. People hosted us and gave us accommodation.
We were ‘strangers in a strange land’ but beautifully so, whilst the UK became hardened to the ‘dog eat dog’ climate of the Thatcher administration. For the night of the Herriot Watt Uni gig, we were put up by wonderful people who had every cupboard, and there were many, hung not with coats but huge bushes of drying cannabis. It was there I heard the Dire Straits’ lyric: ‘Rock away, rock away / From Cullercoats to Whitley Bay’. Raised in Cullercoats, I felt the full impact of location: being ‘of’ a place and coming ‘from’ that place. A lot further south, in Shrewsbury Music Hall, The Breathers played in an upstairs ballroom where the group and the audience shook the floor up and down. What a night ! We stayed in a beautiful loft at John Wilde’s mum’s house. The next day, returning to Hastings, the van engine seized…

Jeanette Wilde… Ric, brilliant piece thanks for sharing. Mum had loved putting you all up! Watched some awesome Breathers gigs.

John Wilde… What wonderful memories.

The Breathers – Windsor Castle London 1980’s by Clive Pierce

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photo supplied by Clive Pierce

Jim Bell (Red Ferrari), John Wilde (Izzi Peptone),  Clive Pierce and Ric Hool

Clive Pierce… I would just like to clear a few inaccuracies up In relation to my short spell with The Breathers. I was contacted quite out of the blue by Simon Davies, who had been one of the A&R managers at a subsidiary label of EMI called Cobra Records. I was in a group called CRAZE who were signed to Cobra. Everything was going well until for reasons unbeknownst to me, Simon and his co A&R partner Tony Squires decided to jump ship leaving all the artists signed to Cobra floundering. We were passed on to EMI Harvest but we weren’t anyone’s baby anymore so consequently were neglected and through this Craze split. I was asked by Simon if I would like to try out for the vacant drummer position in The Breathers so off to Hastings I went to meet the guys in the group and to see if we could click. I found them all very amicable and was made to feel part of the group almost immediately after my audition. It is true that I did consider at this stage to becoming a session drummer and had started to earn quite good money but I absolutely hated every minute of it. I was 18 years old and was playing sessions on tracks that I had no affinity with whatsoever, so The Breathers were a breath of fresh air ‘pun intended’. Even though I gave The Breathers my best shot I was still in love with CRAZE so just slipped slowly away but with no hard feelings. Lovely guys and Izzi was an absolute character. Rick was very accommodating and friendly. I stayed at his place in Hastings while we rehearsed for a mini tour of the North and even stayed at his parents house up in Newcastle….I love the folk from the North East. One thing i must say that did not sit for me very well concerns the single they released. I have no idea why their original drummer Steve Demetri left but I have to take this chance to say that it was him and not I who played the drums on Living In An Age Age even though I am credited on the sleeve as doing so. It was done without my consultation and it was too late to have my name removed after they had gone into production. That was just not right and embarrassing for me.I would have been livid if it was the other way round. If I had my way Steve’s name would have been on the sleeve and not mine. Anyway….thank you guys for the fun. Clive.

Phil Gill… That poor man has no shirt. I’d have given him back one of those he gave me in 1976 if I’d known.

Alan King… I lost mine on the 3:35 at Lingfield perhaps he did too

Ric Hool… Clive Pierce was a crisp drummer, sharp to The Breather’s material and if I never said so before, thanks Clive. Yes, Steve Demetri was the drummer on Livin In The Age Age. Once heard, you couldn’t mistake Steve’s unique style. It’s gracious of Clive to put the record straight. That tour Clive mentions, I think, went into Scotland – Edinburgh, Bathgate, Glasgow… Every gig outside of Hastings was virtually always north and most often a long, long drive so putting a tour together, though we never made money, put enough petrol in the van to keep us going. Friends were made along the way who put us up overnight and, as Clive mentions, when possible, staying with family was a luxury. Motorway eating was far too expensive but as soup was the cheapest item on the menu we got through a lot of it. John (Izzi) and I, in desperate times of hunger, used to scan the tables to see what other customers were leaving and make a dive for the scraps as soon as those tables were deserted. Typical of most groups trying to make it: Lords on stage; Beggars off stage. Best Ric

John Wilde… Hi Boys. Great to see posts from Clive and Ric.Thank you Clive for your keen presence all those years ago. They were great times. So, thank you Ric for inviting me on board. We were a tight unit, I wish I had paid better attention and focussed more on the music instead of preening my feathers. I wish both Ric and Jim (Red Ferrari) all the best and Clive, thank you for your graciousness.

Janie Watson… Would you by any chance be the Johnny Wilde who used to dance amazingly onstage at The Cobweb, c1969/70? Usually to Grooving With Mr Bloe? Apologies if not!

John Wilde… yep that was me. Great times.

Stuart Moir… They were the good times when the gear was perched on beer crates

Tony Davis… Strange to see this now. During my recent local music show on Hastings Rock Radio I decided to dig out some legacy tracks and was extremely grateful to Julian Deeprose for letting me have a copy of Age Age. It was great to here again and if anyone has any other Breathers tracks I would love to play them. Great days

Dave Allan… Hi, I also covered some gigs in the drum seat for the lads when they were working up’t North. I’d previously worked with Jim & Ric in a band called Telephone with Brendan Healey and Chris McPherson (don’t mention that Renault 4 🙂 )and then ultimately with Brendan in a band called The East Side Torpedoes. Sadly Brendan’s no longer with us, but it would be great to hear what Ric and Jim are up to these days. Take care everyone. Dave

Dee Hellier… (in reply to Dave Allan) Hi Dave, well I can tell you that Jim is well and living in London now.  He has never hung up his guitar and is as excited about music now as he was then. He has his own studio located a short walk up the garden, where he writes, records and develops loads of new artists. He also teaches at BIMM London! He is still very much living in the age age!  Dee x

Factory – Hope & Anchor 1974

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supplied by Roger Carey

Yvonne Cleland….I remember Tony’s tasselled waistcoat, but don’t remember him wearing nothing else

Steve Kinch….Friggin’ eck…! Gonna have to check these guys out

Pete Prescott….when i was on the london pub scene in the 70’p we used to hear about this amazing band that played jig a jig ! never saw them.wish i had.and to end up playing with them years later !

Michael Mepham……. Jig a Jig?

Andy Qunta….Wow! I’d love to play in a band like that!

Martyn Baker….This was inspiring stuff to the teenage me.

Phil Thornton….lamp post lil ?

Geoff Peckham….Hi Philip. I believe we went to the same sunday school! Yeah, Lampost Lil. I think Andy and Tone will remember that when we recorded it at Daltrey’s place, it set off a debate about our musical direction. The guys in the control room (Paul Waldron, our then manager, John Jansen and others) were shocked at the way Lil started gently and then went off ‘at a tangent’. They said we should be playing more ‘laid back’ music a la West Coast bands like Little Feat and the Eagles. We didn’t agree. That band in the picture doesn’t look as though they’re playing Tequilla Sunrise. I also remember, when recording Lil, getting on my knees to play the Hammond bass pedals. I’d love to hear it again if anyone has a copy.

Phil Thornton….Hi Geoff – ha ! sunday school ! – I havent heard lampost Lil since the Greyhound/King and Queen days !! – watching Factory was such a big inspiration !