smart coffee meet
SMART coffee meet report no 76
The coming storm didn’t deter and we had a good turn out for our 76th meet at the White Rock Hotel. Among the newbies this time were Colin and Yvonne Mitchell. Colin was involved in many album covers, including Pink Floyd and The Beatles. Mo Elms had some Splash FM licence application forms and Eastbourne local radio 101.6 fm guide which included photos of Mark Briggs and Matthew Wheeler. Mo also had many photos of Radio Caroline, Mi Amigo and RNI Radio North Sea. Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland had a copy of The Beatles Please Please Me album with the brown and gold label, a Fracmo photo, another Collins and Hayes photo and a Steve Wright photo from the Radio One road show in Eastbourne. Merv Kennard had some Radio Essex, K.I.N.G Radio Invicta and Radio London badges and The One Shots Goodbye Caroline single and Radio Veronica 538 single. We have seen Ian Marketis impressive Freddie Mercury range before but this time he arrived with a bag full of Queen cd’s. Mick Thwaites had a copy of his sons autograph of Paul McCartney from The Monastery in Rye. He also had ‘Sticky Fingers’ cafe menu from Kensington and Bill Wyman’s matches! A bundle of Rolling Stones magazines, Rolling Stones 1976 tour programme and a ‘Lucky Stars’ magazine from ABC Television’s ‘Thank You Lucky Stars’ and a Froffy Coffee at The Pam Dor poster. Barry French was getting very festive and had with him Phil Spector’s Christmas Album, John Denver and The Muppets A Christmas Together and Don Estelle sings songs for Christmas LP. Pete Prescott was reminding people about the Jez Gillett tribute gig at The Carlisle on the 20th December with The Lost Boys, Stealer, Dead Calm and Vexed. I had a few more Melody Maker’s and a pile of sheet music. Pete Millington was talking about the ITT KP dance in 1975 with Ray McVay and his Orchestra and Spyke at The White Rock Pavilion. Chat was about Eric Harmer’s Christmas record, the new book by Jim McCarthy Flowers In The Rain The Move, Graham Nash coming to The White Rock Theatre, Soul Town Christmas soul party in memory of Phil Gill at The Angling Club on the 14th December, how wonderful the photos of the Bathing Pool are and our aches and pains!! This is just a small bit of what I remember. If you had anything interesting you were talking about or anything I missed out or got wrong! then please feel free to add or correct.
Claire Lonsdale… Lovely time as always. Thank you Alan for your time and effort in putting it on. Xx
Cris & Merv Kennard… Thanks Alan for organising another meeting .Always a good afternoon catching up with everyone.
Eric Harmer… Great meeting pal, you are the reason we all catch up. Thank you Alan
Keith Veness… Thank you Alan great afternoon
Monica Bane… Thanks again Alan, Always good to keep up with all the friends here. Again appreciate all the hard work you do!
Mick O’Dowd… With the forecast I wasn’t expecting such a good turn-out but I was proved wrong. Now sitting on the naughty -step! Had a very interesting chat with Chris Gentry and Claire Lonsdale about our experiences with some of the acts that we had worked with in the 70’s on the Pier and elsewhere. Some great memories rekindled. As usual there were a lot of people to chat to. None of this could happen without the hard work and organisation of Alan Esdaile. Thanks a million Alan!!
Richard Burks… I probably had those copies on melody maker back in the day
Andy James Long… I used to buy Melody Maker, N.M.E and Sounds every week at one time, usually scouring for articles about John Martyn probably!
Carrie Downing-Waite Sawatzky… Sounds an amazing get together
Mick O’Dowd… Carrie, you are always welcome to join us! We meet approx every 6 weeks so next one should be in January. We’d love to meet you.
Peter Houghton… Phil Spector’s Christmas is a great Album I’ve still got this Album with two different covers
Pete Fisher… Great you kept the Melody Maker’s Alan. Sadly I had to ditch all mine when I left home in 1973. Do you have any from 1970/1971?
Alan Esdaile… Hi Pete, they belong to Andy Knight and have had a few on display at the SMART meetings.
SMART coffee meet report number 75
Lovely day and a good turn out for our 75th meet at the White Rock Hotel. Among the newbies this time were Mike and Helen Haddock. Mike and Helen have traveled down from Northamptonshire and had an album full of photos and cuttings including a photo of when Mike was manager of M.P. Harris & Co Ltd building merchants in Bexhill. Also letters from Radio Caroline dj’s that he booked in 1967 including Robbie Dale and Steve Young and John Lee Hooker’s autograph with dj’s including Roger Day when he appeared at Chislehurst Caves. Also a signed photo of dj Keefers (Keith Hampshire). Mick O’Dowd had with him Eddie Piller presents The Mod Top 100 4 cd set which has recently been released on Edsel Records. Barry French had a collection of Focus LP’s. Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland had photos of the fluffy elephant that used to be along the seafront, Collins & Hayes photo of Peter and Nicholas Hayes, Gulf garage and Gas showrooms Queens Road, Gamleys and Blockbuster, Queens Road Motors and Albert Road’s magistrates building adjoining John Collier, which shows ‘Nan’s’ green Metro in the picture. Great to see Digger and he had with him Head On promotion leaflet and cd’s of Stallion and singles of Some Of My Best Friends Are Canadians ‘Feeling Sheepish’, Tich Turner’s Escalator ‘Don’t Really Want You Back Again’ and The Breathers ‘Living In The Age Age’. Ian Marketis has delved into his Kate Bush collection and had a mountain of singles, lp’s, dvd, cassette, book and autographed postcards from the 1979 London Palladium gig. Merv Kennard had more from his pirate radio archives, including 7” singles of Jumbo Records Caroline jingles with Mi Amigo jingles on the ‘B’ side, The One Shots ‘Goodbye Caroline’ single and on EMI, Swag with ‘London’ which is a Radio London theme. Also cd’s of Radio Nordsee 1971 reopening and ‘On Fire’ and offshore radio jingles as well as the book by Steve Conway ‘Shiprocked’ life on the waves with Radio Caroline, which he highly recommends to read. Keith Veness has found some more cards including ‘The Mariners’ business card, Tudor Club membership card, a ticket from the wonderful ‘Gracious’ gig on the pier and a ticket receipt from the Fifty Eight Club of payment for one supper! This is just a small bit of what I remember. If you had anything interesting you were talking about or anything I missed out or got wrong! then please feel free to add or correct.
Colin Bell… Great to see everyone again
Pete Prescott… great to see you Colin
Mick O’Dowd… Really nice to see you again Colin.
Claire Lonsdale… Thank you Alan for a lovely afternoon as always. Seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves as people were still deep in conversation at the end. X
Wendy Weaver… Nice to meet old friends again.
Eric Harmer… So sorry I couldn’t make this one guys, hope to make the next one. Glad it went so well
Roger Carey… Sorry I haven’t been to a SMART meet for ages, am currently on Steeleye Span tour (including White Rock Hastings Sunday October 27th!), so missed this one , but many times have noted a meet up only to find it’s another Friday where I’m away/working or similar. Hope to be at the next one!
Mick O’Dowd… Nice one as usual Alan! I found it not at all rock’n’roll as it’s a coffee meet! Pity that the person who said this doesn’t come along and find out for himself!
Leigh Mitchell… Sounds like a very interesting meet! 75th one too, wow, well done Alan xx
Merv Kennard… Thanks Alan for organising another great meeting today. Really enjoyed catching up with lots of friends and chatting to others.
Andy Qunta… Sounds great!
Mick O’Dowd… Wonderful afternoon. Had some interesting chats with Colin Bell, Monica Bane (interesting lady!) and Claire Lonsdale, who was talking about her pet hate when advertisers mangle classic songs so that they sound dull and nothing like the versions we love! Well done Alan for keeping us all under control
JS Bythesea… My brother (David Cash) was in Hat Trick
Jacquie Hinves… I am so sorry to have missed yet another great opportunity to meet up with you all. My apologies to you all.
Jackie Hersee… I am sorry I couldn’t make it on Friday. I was in Spain! Looking forward to the next meet up
Peter Ellingworth… Sorry for not being able to make it this last meet Alan, all being well will be down next time. Glad it was so well attended.
SMART coffee meet No 75 – Friday 18th October 2024
Chris Wood… I’m not being funny but…. Coffee….. not very rock n roll
Mick O’Dowd… Chris, Give it a try you will be amazed!
John Busbridge… You can always get a beer!
Mick O’Dowd… Be there or be square!
Cris and Merv Kennard… We will be there
SMART coffee meet 74 – Friday 30th August 2024.
Chris Wood… Coffee meet….. That’s not very rock n roll
SMART coffee meet report number 73
Our 73rd meet and it was a wet and windy day but didn’t stop a great turn out. Among the newbies this time were Rose Pearsall and Jude Montague. Rose was chatting about her favourite sixties singles and Jude was talking about her duo Montague Armstrong and her fine art printmaking studio shop in Kings Road St Leonards, as well as working on her research into ‘Grey Owl’. Peter Ellingworth had with him books of The British Trolley Bus Scene 1950 to 1969 and British Trolleybus Centenary 1911 to 2011. Both featuring a few Hastings and St Leonards photos and a couple of wonderful photos of ‘Happy Harold’. Anthony ‘Nan’ Morland had a great photo of the ABC cinema from 1971 and a bizarre heavy piece of merchandise from The Beatles! It was a boxed brick from the Salvation Army children’s home at Strawberry Field Liverpool with certificate of authenticity. Mick Thwaites has been delving into his massive collection of Rolling Stones memorabilia and had with his a range of small kaleidoscopes from the Voodoo Lounge tour, Sticky Fingers cd in a wooden shaped box, Rock and Roll Circus dvd and cd box set, as well as some fishing floats made by Mick Erends. Paul Mulry had a couple of interesting vinyl album releases with him. The 60th anniversary edition of Booker T & The M.G.s Green Onions, in green vinyl and Mirwood Records Northern Soul compilation. Linda Boiling had a photo of the Dick Whittington pantomime from 1963, which took place at St John the Evangelist Church Upper Church Road St Leonards and featured a very young Nicholas Ball, who we sadly lost recently. Merv Kennard came up with some more rare pirate radio cassettes, cd’s, videos, records, from Radio Caroline, RNLI, Hauraki and more, as well as a recording from the Radio One Roadshow in Bude in 1978 and the single ‘What shall we do with the drunken DJ’! Chris Stovold had some interesting cd’s with him ‘The Psychedelic Years compilation set, Family, The Idle Race, Nuggets and Wishbone Ash. Ian Marketis had a number of Meat Loaf releases, including tour programmes and cd’s with one autographed. Alan Harding had albums of his wonderful photos and Pete Prescott was chatting about his new group ‘Stealer’ who have a number of gigs coming up and you will be able to see them live at the Bexhill 70s Explosion on Saturday 20th July. This is just a small bit of what I remember. If you had anything interesting you were talking about or anything I missed out or got wrong! then please feel free to add or correct.
Claire Lonsdale… Thank you Alan. Was lovely to see everyone despite the foul weather. X
Monica Bane… Very enjoyable afternoon. Meeting more new interesting people. I know how much hard work you do, so thanks again Alan x
Merv and Cris Kennard… Thanks Alan for organising another meeting, great to see everyone and swap yarns.
Mick O’Dowd… Another good Meet Alan. Thanks!
Jim Breeds… Sorry didn’t make it. Had been up all night watching election.
Claire Lonsdale… Jim, me too! But that didn’t stop me! You’ve got no stamina Jim!
Jude Montague… loved meeting you all thank you Alan
Stephen Moran… Thank you for the report Alan, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to join you on this occasion.
Mick O’Dowd… Good vibes and talk as usual. Chris Gentry and myself were talking about some of the strange venues that we had been booked into over the years. Great memories. Well done Alan for yet another interesting MEET!
Carrie Downing-Waite Sawatzky… Had forgotten Kings, went there a few times
SMART coffee meet no.71 – Friday 22nd March 2024
Gill Smith… Would love to come along! Been down here since 1976!
Alan Esdaile… you are most welcome to join us Gill.
Jim McCarthy… Hi I am Jim, currently writing a book on (the Move) living in Bexhill and talked to Colin Bell recently. I’d like to come along, I better put this in my diary thank you, hope all is well
Alan Esdaile… look forward to seeing you Jim
Alan Esdaile… Pete Prescott will have on display the photos albums of Bexhill Hop 1980’s, for anyone who missed them last time.