stallion

Stray and Stallion – Hastings Pier Sat 8th December 1973

13330_369636198709_5751899_n

stray-ticket-214x300

poster & ticket supplied by Mick Mepham

Andy  Qunta…. “Loved Stray! Have their 1st 2 albums – great stuff!”

Martyn Baker….”I was there, loved it, and I still have the Stray album to this day.

From 1970 one of their best tracks ‘ All In Your Mind’

Tony Qunta….”Loved Stray and that song is a cracker!”

Sarah Harvey…..what Jenni Inness thought of it the week afterin her column of December 15th, 1973.

1525439_402309056581224_1985363312_n-2

supplied by Sarah Harvey

Alan Esdaile…..great gig this one.

Sarah Harvey….It was a great line-up because I loved Stray as well. I have all of their albums (all 2 of them I think) on vinyl.

Phil Thornton…..”Stray were great. When I was in Die Laughing we used to play a cover of their song ‘All in your mind’ brings back brilliant memories of all those mad gigs in Germany and Wales !!!”

David Miller….”Stray..! My tinnitus is an ever-ringing badge of honour won by listening/vibrating to them at my local music club The Farx, standing next to the exploding dustin and generally having a great time at extreme volume. There were also other contributors to this award, including sitting next to the big speaker in The Bubble for hours on end. Good times….”

Nigel Ford… This was my first time seeing Stallion with Tich in skeleton suit & whitened face. Saw them several times subsquently as was very impressed, moreso than Stray.

Dave Weeks… I remember that one too.

Stackridge – Hastings Pier 27th September 1972 & Bexhill De La Warr with Stallion 16th November 1975

26234_385826203709_7553249_n img681

13330_369636443709_3407838_n 5men_adog

ticket and poster supplied by Mick Mepham

Terry Pack…. was too young (14) to have gone to the Pier to see Stackridge in 1972. I went to a lot of gigs between 73 and 76 before I went pro, after which I almost never went again for many years, being too busy playing myself. I really enjoyed the gigs on the pier, often enjoying the support bands more than the headline acts.

Phil Gill of Stallion….At the De La Warr I remember playing bass and 12 string at that gig – we had an idea for a Genesis type song and if Mike Rutherford could do it, then… It was also one of the last gigs Stallion played with Tony Bridger on guitar. I was also present at the Stackridge pier gig and remember it as big fun.

Terry Pack.…That was one of the first times, if not the very first time, that I heard you play, in that case, I suspect, although I might have heard you on a gig or two in Hastings before that. As you know, I can’t remember very much about the distant past! I don’t actually remember the De La Warr gig, I just recall going to it and enjoying it. That was a good period for music in Bexhill, usually a bit of desert for gigs that weren’t Centre Page.

Michael Mepham…. still have one of the Stackridge dustbin lids. They were for the song Let There Be Lids (dustbin ones) Hurrah!

John Wilde….Yep I performed with Stallion this night.

Martin Waghorne… Great night @ the De La Warr. Can’t believe it was only £1:00.

Lucy Pappas… Goodness! I’d forgotten all about Stackridge but I was definitely there!

Mick O’Dowd… Saw Stackridge at Wembley Stadium with Elton John/Beach Boys/Eagles/Chaka Khan & Rufus and many more. Think it was about 1972.

Pete Fisher… 21st June 1975…I was there! Must have missed them, as I remember the first (and best) band was Rufus…left after two songs from EJ, who was definitely not the act to follow the Beach Boys…

Mick O’Dowd… No he wasn’t Pete. Stackridge were early on. Beach Boys had the weather (sun sun sun) in the afternoon and Elton played “Cpt Fantastic” album track by track( a dirge) and lost the crowd. When he played the hits the place cam alive!

 

Global Village Trucking Company – Hastings Pier 3rd August 1974

10399992_504064856405643_1951970974464565533_n

img393

ad supplied by Sarah Harvey                    promo photo supplied by Clive Richardson

Sarah Harvey…..Here is a really good video about the group some of which was filmed in 1973. It tells the story of the band and a reunion in 2007 which was produced as a documentary for the BBC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3K9BEo8UVs

Alan Esdaile….I used to see Pete Kirtley from Global Village play with Liane Carroll at the Filo. Flying Gnome disco was Chris Cornford. Anyone in contact with him?

Mick Mepham…..Another load of bands I missed, doooooohhhh!!!!

Clive Richardson…Global Village were excellent. I always believed that the above photo was taken in Hastings old town. Anyone confirm or deny?

Mick O’Dowd…..Found these pics of Global Village….

globalglobal lp

Kev Towner…  Well apparently Seagull Coaches were based in Blackpool, although that scene in the background is rather reminiscent of that farm on The Ridge just before the Harrow Junction.

Alan Esdaile… Thanks Kev, I know where you mean. Could be in the coach broke down on the way to the pier?

Stallion – Melody Maker win, Roundhouse ticket 27th June 1976 and review.

stallion 1976

1604390_406349139510549_756969189_n

ticket supplied by Iain Cobby      cutting supplied by Sarah Harvey.

Andy Qunta… Still awesome! Brilliant achievement by Stallion! Well done, lads! Still proud of our fellow Hastings muso friends!

John Wilde… Stallion on the Pier 2016? Count me in.

Andy Qunta… I’ll volunteer Factory for some of that too!

John Wilde… That would be a good night Andy.

Phil Gill… Bloody hippies….

Phil Thornton… specially the one with the scarf !

Pete Fisher… 40 years ago…blimey!! The band I was in (who rejoiced in the name of Roger The Cat!) won the semi-final at the Marquee the following year in 1977, but failed to win the final…we were basically a pub cover band doing the London circuit…track at my SoundCloud page…

Early Stallion – Skeleton Tich, dustbin photo and playlist 1975

1150398_151045658434910_1778752544_n

 skeleton photo supplied by Chris Meachen, dustbin photo supplied by Stallion Facebook page

playlist supplied by Roger Carey

Tich Turner, Tony Bridger, Phil Thornton, Steve Demetri, Roger Carey.

David Miller….Phil’s trashed again…..

Yvonne Cleland….hoho

Glenn Piper….I  remember it well

Caz Simpson… I have a cd of the tape they did of Cobra and a Skinny Kid and all. I never met a nicer man than Steve. I went with them to the competitions, and the final x

John Wilde…  I was Stallions singer when we won the 1976 Melody Maker contest. x

Caz Simpson…   I was there when you won, it was an amazing night and a well deserved win x

Phil Gill… Fabulous – that’s the set I learned from a cassette when I first joined the band. Some great songs there, I’d love to here them again.

Alan Esdaile… Farts? on playlist.

Glenn Piper… Directions maybe?

Phil Gill… No idea Alan, the list at the bottom looks more like stage directions. It’s one way of getting your own dressing room.

Alan Esdaile… Perhaps its something you need to do before you put the outfit on.

 

String Driven Thing and Stallion – Hastings Pier 7th September 1974

7TH SEPT 1974 STRING DRIVEN THING. 26234_385823838709_4111139_n

STRING DRIVE THING. DRESSING ROOM SEPT 1974 STRING DRIVEN THING SEPT 1974.

poster supplied by Mick Mepham. pier photos Chris Meachen.

Tich from Stallion at the pier gig supplied by Roger Carey

Here’s a great recording of ‘Circus’ venue unknown.

Wesley Magoogan…. Those Observer adverts were the center of some of our lives then.Whomever was on the advert for the pier were that week’s big deal !

Phil Gill… I was there, it was a brilliant gig.

Stallion -Martin Casson Agency promo photo – Rock-A-Nore Hastings 1975

73700_458897189286_3120611_n

Tich Turner, Phil Thornton, Roger Carey, Steve Demetri, Vic Bridger.

Promotion picture when they were signed to ‘Martin Casson Agency’.

Roger Carey… they asked us to wear suits for the promo photo.

Gaynor Duke… Tony Bridger

Glenn Piper… Anthony Victor Bridger hence the “Vic”

Andy Qunta… Can’t see exactly, but it looks like Tich might have been the only one who complied with that request!

Pete Prescott… Should I tell my Tich/skeleton story ?

Martyn Baker… Yes, of course you should Pete. I’m all ears!

Pete Prescott… Here goes. So it’s Sep 77 and I’m down in Hastings from north Kent where I live to audition for a band Steppin Out. It’s a Sunday afternoon. I go to a place in Silverhill called The Box. The audition seems to go well, I’m asked about my past. I mention that my last band made it to the final of the Melody Maker competition a few years previously. “Oh” says Tich “we were on that year too!” Just as I’m about to say “do you remember that complete tosser in the skeleton outfit that had everyone pissing themselves?” Tich says “you might remember me…I had a skeleton outfit on!” I was that close to never living in Hastings (and having no teeth !). I have to say that the time I spent in Steppin Out was an eye opener for me. An education. I wasn’t really up to the job. Tich was (and No doubt still is) a fantastic front man. I liked his singing. I couldn’t think why they wanted another singer. I had never sung harmonies and was bloody useless at those. I was very static on stage in those days. Pretty redundant. Rich also wrote sing great songs with Roger Hubbard who was the guitarist. It was an amazing band. Tich should have been successful. Wearing that skeleton outfit was something I would never have done. I didn’t have the balls. He did. Singers like Peter Gabriel or David Bowie wore make up and costumes and stunned people. I realised then that that could never be me. So hats off to the skeleton outfit !