Slightly before my time, but so right about the venue being missed. There are very few venues of that size left now - it's either out the back of a pub like The Horns in Snalbans or the O2. Very little in between. I saw loads of top bands there in the 70's and early 80's.. SAHB Man Budgie Peter Frampton The Selector The Damned (that was a mental night) The Buzzocks (huge fight that night between Luton & 'emel) Elvis Costello Golden Earring - complete with speakers at the back as well for a Quadraphonic effect The Specials Eddie & The Hot Rods Arthur Brown Great nights...they used to carry Charlie Wells bears, so if I was flush I was on the Red Stripe, but if skint on The Noggin!
I'm not so sure, the people who him, will be saying "they don't make music like this anymore". I am not great fan of Mr West, but people and music do move on. At the Gym this morning I had Moontan by Golden Earring playing on my iPod, even after around 40 years to still sounds as fresh as can be to me, but if I played it at home the W_Y brood (and Mrs W_Y) would tell me to "turn that rubbish off"! It's Mrs W_Y birthday today and I have secured tickets for us to see Stevie Wonder at Hyde Park in July as her present - she has been nagging me for years and I keep missing out. Now there is one absolute master blaster that everyone loves! Massive Brownie points for me today!
My youngest daughter saw Stevie Wonder at Bestival Isle of wight, said he was great. I don't think he can be described as Little Stevie Wonder anymore, he doubles for tubby John Barnes!!
i am just that little bit older...... but had a heyday of experiences Isle of Wight 1969, 1970 ( including Hendrix last gig) Glastonbury 1971 Reading, Bath, Weeley, Holywood and other festivals i can dimly remember. All nighters at the Lyceum with the pretty things, the stones etc. Had a bit of a thing about Family at one stage and followed the around London pub gigs for several weeks. My mate worked in the music department at Harrods and we got so many tickets. He also supported West Ham and i remember going with him and we were in the home end was it the East Stand.. and all these skinheads did not to know what to do about two long haired hippies standing amongst them. ("They are dirty hippies but they are supporting our team... so we cant beat them up in here") I must say i was glad to get away I was'studying' at snorbens FE college at one point ( 69-71) and remember fusing out all the lights, I was doing the light show, to Osibisa of all bands... I remember being punched up by a skinhead at a bus stop in snorbens one evening and asking him why he was doing it
West Ham home end was the North Bank - like Highbury but with a Cockney sense of humour. Saw many games there in the 60s when Watford were away. The "East Stand" was known as the Chicken Run because it was long, thin and shallow (but no wire).
I think Osibisa played every local venue every other week - I have forgotten how many times I saw them, even saw at The Cally in Dumpstable. Now that was a place for a punch-up on a Saturday night!
Morning all from a bloody chilly Bandit Country, down at 10C this morning and the heating is back on! I hope it warms up or is warmer in the West Country as we are off to Bournemouth for the week-end tomorrow to celebrate Mrs W_Y's birthday - looks like I will be packing jumpers and my bloody Barbour coat!
Morning all Off to the smoke to entertain grandchildren today after 4 days watching absolutely enthralling county cricket between Hants and Notts. The ebb and flow of a game where each day both sides got into the ascendancy only to surrender it, and a pitch which for once gave the bowlers a bit of hope and made the batsmen work made for very good watching. Sunny weather, Ringwood bitter and some friendly folk down from Nottingham all added to the enjoyment. I know the modern craze is for the quick, noisy thrash of T20 but give me the subtle development of the longer game any day! In passing it amused us that both Fletcher and Christian turned out for Notts...no Captain Bligh though!
Have a great weekend. We recently lived in Fordingbridge, the top part of the New Forest for a couple of years, absolutely loved the area, not so much built up Bournemouth but Highcliffe and Hengistbury Head for the coast. Easy parking and very laid back. The only thing that lets the area down is that they don't have much of a football team.
My concert career started off at Kingham Hall in Watford - some good bands played there at the start of the 70s : Hawkwind, Uriah Heep, The Groundhogs and Renaissance all played there. I later became a regular at the Reading festival and the Knebworth one day festivals (I saw Led Zep. there in 79, also the Allmann Brothers band, Lynyrd Skynyrd). Best band I ever saw live were Humble Pie. Going back to Kingham Hall, I can remember always having to avoid skins coming back from the Top Rank afterwards.
We spent a fair amount of time in Bournemouth when Little Miss W_Y was at Uni there, so have done it a bit to death. I am planning on getting the train to Poole and/or Lymington and spending sometime there as well. But we are booked in one of my fav Italian restaurants on Saturday night - a little place near the BIC, but they do Bira Moretti on draft and I just cannot resist it!
I went to the Allman Brothers at Knebworth, 1974 if I remember correctly. Great gig with a brilliant line-up - SAHB, Van Morrison, Doobie Brothers & The Allman's - lovely sunny afternoon, full of beer and some other substances!
For the sake of accuracy my skinhead days were well and truly over by 1970, it was followed by shoulder length hair, hipsters, and flowery shirts with big collars, dreadful fashion. In defence of the skinheads in the sixties to my knowledge they were neither political or racist, maybe those in East London were the exception.
