st leonards

Tony Rivers and The Castaways – The Dolphin Ballroom 6th January 1968

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John Warner… Tony Rivers, met him in later life when his wife Tina came to work for me. That really is a blast from the past.

Tony Rivers… Yeah I was wondering just where I was that day!

Mick Knights… I still remember them playing Good Vibrations at The Witch Doctor, they were one of my favourite giging bands at the time, saw them on a quite a few occasions, one of them was most probably at the Dolphin Ballroom which was used while the Witch Doctor morphed into The Cobweb. My favourite live band at time, most probably there as it was the only place to go in the limbo between the Witch Doctor closing and the Cobweb opening.

 

Peter B’s Looners – The Witch Doctor Sat 1st January 1966.

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poster supplied by Peter Millington

Bruce Eder biographer – Peter B’s Looners (also sometimes called Peter B’s) were formed by Pete Bardens and Mick Fleetwood in 1966, following the breakup of their previous band, the Cheynes. The original lineup, in addition to Bardens and Fleetwood, included Dave Ambrose (ex-Steampacket) on bass and Mick Parker on guitar. An instrumental outfit, they were signed to EMI’s Columbia label, but Parker had exited before they got around to recording their sole single release, “If You Wanna Be Happy” b/w “Jodrell Blues,” with guitar chores on that record were handled by Peter Green in his debut recording. Despite the impressive names involved, Peter B’s Looners proved a transitional vehicle for all concerned and the group had split up by the end of 1966. Ambrose became a member of Brian Auger & the Trinity, while Green moved on to John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. There, he hooked up with John McVie, and was later joined by Fleetwood, and together they formed Fleetwood Mac. Meanwhile, Bardens moved on to form Shotgun Express, passed through the lineup of Them, and a solo career that ultimately led to his forming Camel.

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-bs-looners-mn0001893500/biography

Alan Esdaile…. some people here will remember Pete Bardens Camel.

Mick O’Dowd… Didn’t he also have Pete Bardens Express?

ITT Consumer Products Ltd R&D team 1972

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photo © Roy Acland

Roy Acland… the ITT Consumer Products R&D team from 1972. It’s taken at Foots Cray site and later in the year the team relocated to Hastings and about half of those shown moved to the new site.

Chris Baker… bonuses to work there I believe

Terry Hopper… I travelled to Foots Cray for 3 months by coach every day with Dave Vast and helped to move the model / proto type workshop to Hastings where I then worked until 1978 when it was relocated to Basildon

The Confederates & The Jazz Caverners – Dolphin Ballroom 17th December 1965

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from Peter Millington  https://pet842.wixsite.com/confeds-to-jinks Ad Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Joe Knight… like the girl bit!!! LOL & price!!

Mick Mepham… 25p to you young’uns.

Caz Simpson… Ha! I’d get in for two & six now!!

Andre Martin… Typical Alan Jensen SOH – Ha Hah!

Andy Qunta… I love the bit about free admission for girls wearing plastic macs, rubber aprons & leather knee pads! What was that all about?

Andre Martin… Andy, if you knew Alan Jensen you would understand, he has a great SOH and would put out such crazy offers to see who would take the bate – many of us know Alan from way back, he was a great guy, a businessman, a gentleman and somebody who would help you if he could, with no alterative motive.

Andy Qunta… Well, I didn’t know him that well, but I always thought he was a great bloke! I wonder if any girls took the offer that night!

Peter Millington… We played many gigs under the dubious management of Alan and can’t remember one taker for the plastic mac and knee pads – However, there were many blokes that came in the hope of seeing the dressed up girls – shrewd businessman as Andre says.

Mr Cherry’s 42/43 Marina St Leonards-on-Sea – bar photo 1969

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Phil Little… Fantastic pub, first played there in 1984.

Stuart Moir… “Centre Page” played there on many occasions.

Carrie Downing-Waite Sawatzky… Loved Mr Cherrys … who remembers the night it closed

Jane Privett… Loved Mr Cherry’s. In the late 70s and then up Saturdays

Patric Fairhead… I reopened it in the 90’s for Bob Faulkner’s pub co and my uncle Greg played Guitar in Centre Page, best Sunday lunch I remember, Roger Carey on Bass n vocals and Steve Demetri on drums what a show

 

 

Tudor Club St Leonards-on-Sea membership card 1976

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supplied by Keith Veness

Leigh Mitchell… J Chipping? I had a friend called Jackie Chipping from Hastings, wonder if that was her? Met her early 70s up the Aquarius. She & I worked in London mid 80s and met for lunch regularly (she worked in Selfridges & I worked in Wigmore Street). Lost touch but have since found out she passed away

Peter Millington… Played there many times in JINKS.

Julie Findlay-jones… I knew a girl called Karen Veness from HollingtonJuniorSchool, I wonder if that’s her.

Jo Turner… Julie, I was at the High school with someone of that name too

 

 

 

 

Little Walter – Witch Doctor St Leonards 1st November 1964

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Poster supplied by John Busbridge

Ken Copsey… Wow! I didn’t know he had played in Hastings. Someone I would have loved to have seen live.Anyone on here go to the gig? Tragic that he died aged 37 and was originally buried in an unmarked grave.

Pete Fisher… look what I missed in the little seaside town where I grew up! I would have been 9 years old, so a bit young to get into this club…so many bands played here back then, including Jimi Hendrix on the pier in 1967…missed that one too…started catching up in ’69, starting with The Who! I would have just turned 14, and was allowed to go escorted by my older sister’s best girlfriend, who’d organised tickets. We stood up the front too at first, but after a couple of songs I started feeling weird and the room started to distort visually (this was way before I indulged in anything mind enhancing), just from the sheer volume, so I had to pop out briefly for a bit of sea air…came back and watched the rest from a more sensible distance…my mate Ben came into school the next day with one of Keith Moon’s drumsticks, which he’d managed to keep hold of despite being chased out of the ballroom and off the pier by envious fans at the end of the gig…being of diminutive stature and a fine rugby player probably helped…

Ian Middleton… I was at the Witch Doctor that night. It was a great show. I believe it was the last night of this particular tour.

David Edwards… Little Walker played Hastings, well bugger me!

The Lonely Ones & The Laymen – The Dolphin Ballroom 29th October 1965

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Andre Palfrey-martin collection

Andre Martin… Turning out some old tickets, I found the attached from 29 October 1965 at the Dolphin Ballroom, St Leonards – you know the one, down one floor from the Witch Doctor. Thinking back I remember the main group The Lonely Ones – who were regulars at the WD and other local venues. They were based in Folkstone and can remember the late Chris Sayer once telling me that he thought they were good. What many of us did not realise at the time was who played in the group Neil Langdon who would go on and record with The FlowerPot Men – Lets all go to ….and on lead Guitar Noel Redding – who would change to bass and become one of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Small world, but just goes to prove that we had some of the up and coming names cutting their teeth in our clubs and dance halls.

Alan Esdaile… Also Neil Langdon & Noel Redding were both in the band Fat Mattress which I’m sure a number of people here remember.

Andre Martin… From The Witch Doctor in 1964, one of the bands that Neil played with before the Lonely Ones.

Alan Esdaile… Looking at ‘Fab’ all round the ad, I can remember saying the word ‘Fab’ and my parents going mad and saying that its not a proper word, so I said it more!