Tony Kane

Who remembers Tony Kane/Simon Davies?

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supplied by Andy Davies

David Kent… Remember Andy, Simon and family very well. Sorry to hear Simon no longer with us. Hi Andy.

Kevin Burchett… Simon was a very good friend of Derek Reade the owner of Scalliwags it was Simon who worked for EMI at the time gave Derek the Scalliwags song it was a demo. he connection to EMI and Simon Davies is in the video

Alan Esdaile… Happy memories of Simon. Remember him waving his plastic legs and all manner of things at his discos! Also listening to tapes at the recording studio in Denmark Street and taking me to a live Top Of The Pops show. He seemed to have access all areas and we were waved through the gates, while the fans waited outside. Sitting in the board room at EMI and would play me the latest recordings and ask my opinion. Used to see him a lot when I was working in London. When I opened the shop and struggling, he got me to make badges for The Eddie Grundy Fan Club and others. I think it was him that got The Breathers record deal? Very much missed.

Mick O’Dowd… A really nice guy and got on well with him. Gave him a few tips along the ways and he helped me as well Sad to hear of his passing. As they say the good always die young. R.I.P. Simon/Tony.

Andy Davies… Lovely to meet you Alan and Mick, couldn’t believe it’s over forty years since I met you guys. i think Simon would be delighted to know we’ve met and people remember him, and people that helped him along the way and knew him back then. I’ve got a few records that he was involved with, I’ll try and find them and bring them along another time. Incidentally I found I do have an original copy of Time Machine by Factory on the Oak label. Hi to David and Kevin too.

Andy Qunta… I remember him well as Tony Kane, the DJ at many of Factory’s early gigs. Lovely fella! Great to have met his brother Andy at the SMART meeting last week!

Tony Court-holmes… I think i went to school with me

Glenn Piper… Did you really? You went to school with yourself, nice one

Debbie… So sad to hear such sad news about Simon even though it was a few years back. Always thought about him and my family loved him.

Factory & Effigy – Clive Vale Annexe. Fri 7th May 1971 & YMCA review 13th August 1971

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Supplied by Jon McCallion

Andy Qunta… Ah! Good times!

Phil Gill… I was there, probably with young Carey, Meachen and Shirley, as they labelled us at school. Sarah Harvey might have enjoyed the evening too.

Sarah Harvey…. I did indeed Phil and I had. completely forgotten about Effigy and to be honest cannot remember seeing them at all other than a vague memory that I didn’t think much of them. Factory as ever were THE band of Hastings at the time.

Chris Baker… Hah! Flight of the Rat was one of my “Flashy” solos! Those were the days! We only did a few gigs.

Phil Gill… As I recall Chris, you showed me how to play the pedal note riff from Flight of the Rat, one night at an Effigy rehearsal that Roger Carey and I attended. Was it School Road in Ore? Roger was buying Iain Cobby’s speaker cabinet and we came along to look at it.

Brigitte Lee… Where was Clive Vale Annex?

Chris Baker… Ha! Phil! My arthritic old fingers can’t play it so fast these days! Fun to so though. Still got that analog Park Fuzzbox too and the old Hofner!

Geoff Peckham… I remember we (Factory) were really impressed with Effigy. Didn’t they do a couple of other Deep Purple covers? Speed King, and Child in Time? According to Andy’s diary we played with them twice in 1971. May 7th at Priory Road School. Andy said that school gigs have been “…really great. This was no exception. Bit of trouble from old ladies and police about the noise but never mind. Effigy supported (or did we support them?) – not bad for their first gig.” The second was at the YMCA on August 13th. Andy mentions the awful acoustics and that “Effigy (with Tom) supported.” Could that have been the legendary Tom Jones? (The one from Stoke, not S. Wales!)

Phil Gill… And Steve’s drumming was *never* too loud. End of.

John Wilde…. Tom Jones, any info on his history or where he is now?

Geoff Peckham…. I got to know Tom in ’69 when his dad had an electrical shop in Western Rd, Bexhill. He told me stories about being in a pre-Black Sabbath band called Horny Moon (!) and other tales. He was a great character and raconteur. Like you, he had great stage presence – a great blues singer and harpist. He moved back to Stoke, and around 73-74 turned up at a Factory gig in NE Staffs University. I think he put us up for the night. Haven’t seen him since. Anyone else know anything? Be good to see you again sometime.

Alan Esdaile…yes it was School Road Ore where the rehearsals took place, in the old church hall which was full of antiques and clobber and the band squeezed somehow in the middle. I think their was a giant stuff bear but maybe wrong? Geoff Peckham date is correct as Friday 7th May 1971. Clive Vale Annex was part of Priory Road School and the gig took place at Clive Vale. Jon McCallion sung with Effigy at this gig and glad you remembered Tom Jones. I got a review somewhere which I will post on the YMCA gig shortly.

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Stray and Factory and Tony Kane Disco – Hastings Pier 25th March 1972

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poster supplied by Mick Mepham, ad supplied by Sarah Harvey

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source: http://www.stray-the-band.co.uk

Andy Qunta….Stray were great! Bought their 1st 2 albums! Fave songs – All In Your Mind & Jericho.

Leigh Wieland-Boys….The gig was a bit expensive though, wasn’t it Andy?! And I bet the albums set you back about £1.25 each….those were the days of affordable music – live & on vinyl – aTime Machine for Christmas please

Andy Qunta….Yes, outrageous prices back then, Leigh! LOL! Love your Time Machine comment too – that would be nice!

David Miller…  still have that 1st album and the tinnitus I got from sitting too near the exploding dustbin when it went off….and the great loud music too. Now it is all in my mind for the duration…..

Chris Meachen… Excellent band, Stray.. Still have my copy of ‘Saturday morning pictures’…

Andy Qunta… Thanks again to Mick Mepham for posting the poster! I don’t have any of those things from that time, so it’s nice to see them!

Gill Harrod… Stray! I remember they were really good!

Dave Nattress… Stray…seriously good. Saturday Morning Pictures – got it on vinyl. “After the Rain” – pure Stray at their best. Lost the other vinyls but have a couple of 2 CD compilations – been looking out for the original vinyls in second hand record shops or CD versions. Saw them at the pier at least twice, seems like more – I think they played a few times more than just twice, and their shows featured strobe lighting which really added to the performance. Oh, yeah, and great memories dragged up of all those old bands whose gigs featured on the posters on the Time Machine clip.

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Simon Davies 1980 supplied by Allan Morrow

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photo © Allan Morrow

Ric Hool… Simon was The Breathers manager, a lovely man with an A&R track record with EMI and United Artists, before setting up Curly Management. The story goes, names after Simon’s fantastic afro hairstyle.

Kevin Burchett… he was a friend of Derek Reade so was a regular at Scalliwags in the 70s. We went to see him in London when he worked for EMI and had a great time being shown around before going to the Bloomsbury Hotel for a dj show and exhibition there. I know Derek brought some lights there and on the way back home had my first le scargo or snails in a posh restaurant along with a steak great day out

Jim Bell… Wow, that brings back memories!!

Mick O’Dowd… I knew Simon back in the 70’s/80’s. He was setting up a disco business. He’s got family connections in the music business, quite big ones. Really nice guy. His younger brother came to SMART Meet sometime ago. Sadly Simon is no longer with us.

Alan Esdaile… Many happy memories of Simon, in various recording studios, taking me to Top Of The Pops studio, sitting in EMI Records listening to the new releases and watching the new videos and in later times I used to make him hundreds of badges for the Eddy Grundy fan club! Much  missed, he was one of the nice guys.