Bobby Walker….Great gig! Huggy Leaver was a local character in Hastings around this time. This was the last time I spoke to him … next saw him in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Philip Meston…..Then there was Guns, Gangsters and Zombies!
Mick O’Dowd… Another classic 558 Entertainments promotion and don’t forget the British Heart Foundation ad with Vinnie Jones where Huggy played “The body” to “Staying Alive”. Two great bands. This was the first time I booked the Piranhas after being pestered by their management. The agreement was that I would give them 2 support act slots and if they were popular(which as it turned out, they were) i’d put them on top billing. As it happened they were so popular that they headlined after only one show.
Colin Jefferys… Was this not the gig where a few lads jumped on to the stage ( albeit a very low level small one) and tried to smack Bob Grover? I’m sure they were rubbish
Peter Fairless… Top band, the Piranhas were great Bob and Johnny wrote some magic but, hey, the Teenbeats were ours!
Ken Copsey… Seem to remember there was some discussion about the billing of the Piranhas gig at the Carlisle. They were definitely top of the bill. Teenbeats were tagged on to get in the local mods.
John Gale… Went to the all those mate,,,, the only band not worth watching on the those bills were the Teenbeats,,,, they were crap . Seriously, mate all good bands. The Chicane night ended up a bit messy i recall , less said about that the better . The Piranha gigs were particularly good as they attracted a mixed crowd , I remember the one where Nicky and the Dots supported l them too, a certain mate of mine went flying down the stairs with his broken leg. Think it was that one anyway . Good Times mate . What I would give for a night like that tonight ?
supplied by John Gale
Steve Sampson… Was that the night Kev O fell down the stairs ! … one of those at the Carlisle I lost my hearing for days after being pushed into the speaker stack while pogoing
Ken Copsey…Unless my memory fails me the place was completely packed that night from the front of the stage to about two thirds back. I can imagine it would have been quite easy to end up wedged against the PA. This was my first gig with the Teenbeats and I was still an innocent 16 year old.
supplied by Mick Mepham cutting supplied by Mick O’Dowd
Tim Bruce….I went to the Footloose gig. Loggerhead if I recall were a prog type band playing their own material.
Mick O’Dowd… Here’s on of my gigs from 1979. Footloose were a very good band in the Thin Lizzy mould if I remember rightly. I know the drummer was called Will but I don’t remember any other names. Can anybody help with names/pics? The following night Will actually played drums for Beez Neez because Mark Harris (now a Likely Lad)( He was then as well!) got held up and couldn’t get to the gig. Will did an excellent job. What can you say about the Piranhas/Teenbeats gig. Then there was those stalwarts of the local music scene Centre Page whose line-up over the years reads like a whos-who of local talent!
Peter Millington… There’s a job for you Mick – create a family tree of who’s played in Suspect/Centre Page over the 50+ years they’ve been entertaining the locals and the not so locals. Group family trees are a complicated business – I’ve just finished one for myself which goes from the CONFEDERATES – SPYKE i – SUSPECT – SPYKE II – JINKS I – EVOLUTION – JINKS II with all the members comings and goings. Not very adventurous with names were we? 53 years non-stop so no complaints!
Iain Cobby… Yes, I was the bassist in Footloose. Will on Drums (cant remember his surname) Brian Setchfield on vox, Guitars were Tony (Vic) Bridger RIP and Harry Randall. Good times were had with a mixture of covers and our own stuff. We did record one with two Saxon covers. I think we went on stage to Widors toccata in F. Such pomp!
Dave Nattress… I still see Brian Setchfield quite often along Cooden Sea-front. He walking his dog, me walking mine, and we often walk along chatting about all those old times, bands and characters. Brian was in Boulder a parallel universe to Damaris and they morphed into Footloose. Mick Kemp and Tony Barraclough played in both bands. Boulder actually earned money doing weekend gigs. Really glad you’ve “signed up” Iain – catch you soon. Loggerhead’s bassist was Steve Watson who later joined up with Mick Bridgeland, Andy Leaney, (RIP), and me in The Charts. Mick, Andy and I had been in The Prisoners for a year or two with Robin Heggie. Robin joined the Hollywood Killers and I think it was then actually Steve Watson joined us.
Mike Mitchell… I remember that gig: The Piranhas and The Teenbeats…a great night. And I found a silver Parker biro on the benches too.
Colin Fox… I like THE GENTLEMEN OF POP under Centre Page.
Mick O’Dowd… Will from Footloose took over the drumkit from Mark at this one. It’s ok Mark Harris, he was still sitting at the back!
Mark Harris… I think you might be right Mick about Will deputising.
Chris Pook… Think that was the only gig you missed Mark. Agree Mick, Footloose were a great band – Dave Neal included!!
Terry Pack on the South Coast Ska Stars…One of the many, many records of mine that I don’t have a copy of. A Ray Fenwick production. The South Coast Ska Stars were Wesley Magoogan, Tony Bird, Kevin Hoad, Ray and I. We did two songs: Head On (sung by Ray) and Ring Of Fire, an instrumental version in 5/4.
Kevin Hoad…..As Terry has stated.That was the line up.I have a copy still.And the album on safari records is selling well.In the Parker is Wes Magoogan, Tony Bird on the left. I Thankyou.
Wesley Magoogan….This compilation album was put together by our own version of Simon Cowell ,Ray Fenwick .
Andy Knight….Re the covers, the top one is the CD version, the guy on the Vespa is the Vinyl version, that’s what I have anyway, the vinyl was what we were given at the time, I bought the CD from HMV! the CD came out in 1994 I think.
Mick O’Dowd….Still got my vinyl version with scooter boy.
Tony Bird….Uppers on the South Downs LP was recorded at my Studio (WING) in Ninfield and Ike Nossel (Park Gates Studio) in Catsfield ………produced by Ray Fenwick
Terry Pack….The tracks done at Wing (8 track) often sounded better than those done on 24 track at Park Gates! Most notably the demo versions of certain singles
Andy Knight….We (Missing Persons) did some recording at a studio on the road to Hawkhurst called Bluebell Studios, owned by an author of children’s books I think?
Ken Copsey… As a 16 year old it would have been nice to have had a bit more care and guidance. The production on everything the Teenbeats recorded was appalling. The only thing anyone was interested in was trying to make a fast buck out of Huggy’s charasismatic personality, which apart from stopping and starting at the same time was all the Teenbeats had. Its good to see that someone is making some money out of these recordings because we never did. Not even the 50,000 singles sold in Canada. Rock ‘n ‘ Roll. Same old story. On the subject of songwriting credits all the self penned Teenbeats tracks appeared on later compilations credited to people I have never heard of. A new mod compilation has just been released with Strength Of A Nation on it but strangely none of the other tracks on Uppers.
Pete Prescott… I don’t know what happened to my copy. So many Hastings guys on it. A lot of it was recorded at Tony Birds studio. And some at park gates.
Robert Searle… Did some tracks at Bluebell studios with Ray Fenwick with Rev Stockdale,Paul Freeman and a fantastic sax player didnt know his name and me on bass guitar. Didnt know what happened to the recordings.
Huggy Leaver, Paul Thomas, Eddie Mays, Dave Blackman, Ken Copsey.
Pauline Sims….Nice photo – all looking very serious!
Pete Fairless….All looking very young!
Ken Copsey… I think you’ll find it is not the real Eddie Mays in this picture but a ventriloquists dummy being operated by Dave! This was taken at the offices of The Hastings Observer.
Huggy Leaver (Vocals), Ken Copsey (lead guitar), Paul Thomas (rhythm guitar), Eddie Mays (bass) and Dave Blackman (drums)
Some of the Teenbeats’ best friends are Canadians. Dave Blackman talks to our man-with-the-earning, by J.W – 1979
The rumours are confirmed. The Teenbeats are selling records across the pond, a trip to Canada could be on the cards; and drummer Dave Blackman is still cadging drinks.But just a minute, the Teenbeats version of I can’t control myself was pretty grim – suffering, no-one would deny, from the dreadful Wall of Sponge production at the hands of international Ray Fenwick. So who is buying it?
I collared Dave Blackman in the Chatworth Hotel and asked him:“Canadians” he burbled into a pint of lager, “Canadians are buying the record. Canadians are thick. “What?” “Well its an awful record. Loads of rubbish really. “Isn’t that a little harsh?” I asked. The portly sticks man ignored that and went on: “the important thing is that if the record is selling in Canada it’s getting airplay and that means FM listeners in the States will be picking it up”. The whole band is surprised to put it midly that the record is selling as it is.
“Canadians are that much more receptive to the rough, English music,” said the Cozy Powell unlook-a-like. “The 400 copies sent out were picked up by discos and the record was then in great demand”. Huggs said the last he has heard was that the record was number two in the FM airplay chart, 20 in the disco chart and number four in Quebec.
Copies sold so far are in the region of 20,000 which means the Teenbeats should be seeing some money for their efforts.“Things in the band are generally okay” said the drummer and part time mermaid but we want to release records and we want to work”. And work they shall. The band has a gig coming up next Friday (May 30) at the Carlisle with the Model Copies.
The Jim Jim and the Jims gig taking place in the hotel on the night I talked to Dave Blackman ended with a massive slanging match between Ray Fenwick and some of The Teenbeats after the later group had acted in a rather Michael-taking manner while the other band were trying to play Smoke On The Water.Smoke on the water? Yes I burst out laughing too. Review by J Wells
Yvonne Cleland… Teenbeats doing ‘I Can’t Control Myself’? Outstanding! Go Huggy! x
It’s here! Issue 6 of The Stinger has arrived and is now available. Don’t forget that it also includes a full Fat Tuesday programme at the back of the magazine.
Alan Esdaile… Bumper issue and a great read, with The Fat Tuesday full guide, write up from Stuart Huggett on The Teenbeats and The Mod Revival and new Indie record shop in Eastbourne ‘Pebble Records’.
Stuart Huggett… Ah, good stuff, I’ll keep my eyes open. Got loads of Teenbeats interview material in the end.
