Nektar 74 – Down to Earth

 

Nektar 74 – Down to Earth

by Pete Clemons

Chipping Norton Studios. Gerry Rafferty recorded "Baker Street" there. Radiohead recorded their debut album Pablo Honey (including "Creep") at the studio. Duran Duran recorded major parts of their debut album here. Status Quo recorded "In The Army Now" at the location.

Another, more less remembered album recorded at the Cotswolds studios created by Richard and Mike Vernon, initially for the Blue Horizon Label, was “Down to Earth” by Nektar – the bands second album to be recorded in the UK. An article about that particular journey within the bands history is reproduced below............

Hidden away in the depths of Oxfordshire is a small village by the name of Chipping Norton. There you'll find a small studio hidden away in the back streets, and this is where Nektar are working rigorously on their new album to meet the deadline only days away.

Studio time costs money and the band aren't exactly overloaded with riches. They are in the unique position of managing themselves and this means they have to cover their own expenses.

Still the British tour they've just completed has proved to be a quite rewarding exercise and they're hoping to completely break into the circuit next time round. But future plans were far back in their minds and their main concern was to complete their fifth album.

Those who are familiar with the band will know that although their origins lie in Britain they spend all their time in Germany, apart from when they tour.

'People regard us as a German band and I suppose that's true' says Mick Brockett, the guy responsible for the bands intricate light show. When I saw the band they were laying down the final tracks on one of the numbers. They were going to record the last track 'Show Me the Way' the next day.

They had all the basic tracks for it laid down. All that had to be worked in was the vocals, lyrics and let PP and Kenny Arnold and Bob Calvert (alias the mischievous Captain Lockheed) do their bit.

They were certainly looking tired, it's not surprising, apart from spending virtually all the hours of the day getting the album together they had already been on the road for 12 months. The smell of cigarette smoke and stale lager filtered around the studio and the pale, disheveled figures of the band were crumpled on studio seats.

It was in the early hours of the morning that Derek Moore thought it would be ok to hold the interview. Derek, apart from playing bass guitar is the band's manager and generally gets things together. He's a tall, thin and amiable guy and it still puzzles me how he and the rest of the guy's can contain so much enthusiasm and dedication after being on the road for so long.

Obviously the rewards have been good, they are mighty big in Germany and have secured various recording contracts all over the world. They desperately want to break in Britain as they feel it will open the pathway for them in other countries and also because it's their home.

By the looks of things they're well on the way of doing so, every place they played has asked them back and their price is getting higher each tour.

The album, provisionally titled 'Down to Earth' will be released to coincide with the bands next British tour in June. They will also be releasing a single off the album.

'We know which one we'll release in Germany, but we haven't decided for England. This is no kind of plunge for commercial success it's just that the songs on this album are shorter and more straight to the point. There are still some long ones but there are quite a few prospective singles'.

'The idea for calling this album 'Down to Earth' is because all the other albums have had a spacey feel and the run of the titles have been rather spacey and we thought we'll keep the title in the same vein but the meaning will be entirely opposite'.

This is the longest time they've spent on an album and personally I think it's their best. It packs more of a punch rather than the inert loose feel the others had. It's also more representative of the band live which is something else again.

Like their previous recordings the album follows a concept which revolves around a story about a circus. I asked Mo if there would be anything special about the presentation, 'I don't really know. Three days before we came into the studio we hardly had any numbers ready. Then we had three days rehearsal and started getting ideas together'.

'Now in the studio's we're doing things bit by bit. So we're not sure at the moment what the end's going to be'.

The band remind me a lot of Man. Both have the ability to jam and make it sound as if they were working off a score, but still retaining that raw, fresh energy that you get when you improvise.

It seems that Man are getting bigger all the time so its logical that Nektar will start picking up too, as this kind of freestyle sound is beginning to rear its head in the music scene.

'I think the music scene is beginning to stagnate. Everyone's looking around for something new. Every ten years or so everyone stops and say's well we've got nothing to follow now and they start looking around. First they go backwards and dig out all their old records and try and make it happen again and it doesn't but something new comes out of it. I think that period has arrived again'.

Very true indeed. The main base of criticism against the band has been that they sound very psychedelic and their colourful light show adds to the air of hipness. Well that's definitely not how the band want to be classified. Now that money's beginning to flow the light is going modified and a bit slicker and with Mick in charge, spectacular.

The album is tighter and might prove to be more acceptable to the airwaves who have pretty well ignored them here in Britain. But don't worry it's still Nektar, just a little more......down to earth.

The Travelling Riverside Blues Band / The Travs

The Travelling Riverside Blues Band / The Travs

By Pete Clemons

Johnny 'Slide' Alderson

With changing landscape it is a rare thing nowadays to see a band the calibre of this. One whose band members grew up to and inspired by the family group of John Mayall music and the British blues boom of the late 1960s.

The late British blues movement was driven by powerhouse bands and virtuoso guitarists who shifted traditional American blues into heavy, high-volume blues-rock and early psychedelic styles. Key purveyors included John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, and Chicken Shack and, to an extent, Led Zeppelin.

The Travelling Riverside Blues Band (often called The Travs) has its roots tracing back to Coventry, Leicester and the Midlands live music scene in the early 1980s, with members active across regional venues in the UK for over four decades, including recent active performances.

The bands line-up has changed extensively through those decades but, in recent times – and for a good number of years, has settled with founding member Johnny (Slide) Alderson on guitar, Trev Mugleston on keyboards, vocals and harmonica, Steve Hawkins bass guitar and vocals, and Jeff Durow on drums.

The earliest formation of The Travelling Riverside Blues Band I remember was with Tony 'Mojo' Morgan (bass), George Stevens (drums) and Trevor Jones (vocals). The band has had various line-ups but 'Johnny Slide' (John Alderson's other persona) now being the only constant original member. The long gone and well remembered Sunday Sessions at the Whitley Abbey Pub on Abbey Road was an early venue the band played in.

On the evidence of what I saw recently at The Broomfield Tavern The Travs are smoothly elegant and still bring total conviction to the music. They continue to regularly tour and play regional Midlands pubs and clubs near Coventry and Leicester. Their set list, which has never remained stagnant, typically consists of classic rock, pop, and blues covers tailored to the live pub crowd. Some of the songs they cover were written decades earlier but spotlighted by the British blues boom era.

Man of the World
Need Your Love So Bad
I cant quit you babe
Copper head Road
Gimme Some Lovin
I'm a Man
I Feel Free
You Shook Me

Johnny 'Slide' has always been fondly remembered in these parts. After all he had been a member of Coventry favourites Wandering John who were active between 1969 and 1971. When I mentioned I had recently seen The Travs it prompted some amazing comments. They were too good not to be included in this article........

Wandering John bass player Ade Taylor remembers: 'He always has been a great guitarist, since the day I joined the band "Interior War", Johnny was playing number 2 guitar to Rod Grant. I replaced John Westacott on bass, and after 2 gigs, there was a revamping of the band, and Johnny and myself were sacked!. We then decided to put our own band together, and when John Gravenor and Al Walder joined, "Wandering John" emerged as a new band. This time, John Alderson was lead guitarist, and his reputation as a top guitarist grew and grew! I'm so proud of him and John Gravenor'.

John Gravenor, nicknamed Wandering John, and where the Coventry band got its name said:
'John Alderson one of the best guitarist Coventry ever produced so proud to be part of his career'

If the late 60s, early 70s British blues scene peaks your attention then don't pass up on the opportunity if The Travs pass by your way.

Chesford Grange – The Twist Den

 

Chesford Grange – The Twist Den

by Pete Clemons

During 1964, the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth, Warwickshire was owned and operated by the Hames family. The Hames family originally took over the estate just before World War II (moving from the Kenilworth Castle Gatehouse) and successfully developed it back into a premier hotel and nightlife venue by the mid-1950s.

Michael (Mike) Eckersley served as the General Manager of the Chesford Grange Hotel from January 1964 through to sometime during the 1970s. And during his tenure, the Warwickshire venue was a highly popular hotel and live music destination.

As the 'Swinging Sixties' took off, the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth introduced a 'fabulous discotheque' downstairs in its old cellar bars to target 18-to-25-year-olds. It became known as 'The Twist Den'.

The Twist Den existed at Chesford Grange for roughly 5 to 8 years, operating from the mid-1960s until it was rebranded in the early 1970s. The space evolved across two distinct eras: The Twist Den Era that incorporated the flourishing beat scene and then the Mid-to-Late 1960s which became host to the British blues generation.

Said manager Mr, Michael Eckersley during 1968 'Chesford Grange has seen some of the better pop groups, but the scene is changing and Teenagers want blues and we want to keep up'. And his hunch paid off as hundreds would turn up for gigs. As many as 800 were mentioned.

The Twist Den featured a packed underground bar with psychedelic, ultra-violet lighting projected onto the walls. It ultimately became famous for hosting local and burgeoning rock acts, including a bi-weekly residency by The Andicaps (which could well have featured a young Jeff Lynne, later of ELO fame, as he was with the band till around 1965), as well as acts the like of the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and John Lee Hooker.

In fact after John Lee Hookers appearance it was reviewed very elegantly 'John Lee still shows magic He strolled in, grabbed a chair, sat down and began to play the blues, very quietly, very modestly, John Lee Hooker had arrived at the Chesford Grange. It was ear-straining to hear him'.

Even London's psychedelic nights were catered for and recreated at the Chesford during 1967 and 68 as bands like The Mood, Psychotic Reaction and From the Sun played regularly. Thursday evenings gave way to these night and to complete the London scene feel they came complete with Juliana's discotheque. Early April 1967 it was reported that the venue was 'invaded by pop musicians when auditions were held to select groups for Saturday sessions'. This I understand was promoted by local philanthropist David Owen.

Another name also referenced as a major contributor within the music booking history circles at the Chesford Grange is Peter Martin. I don't think he was an employee of the hotel but worked as an independent booking agency. Regardless of that, both Eckersley and Martin appeared to be incredibly hip and forward thinking. They certainly had their finger on the pulse by way of recognising the changing scenes and the bands they went for.

A newspaper article from 1969 mentioned 'We agreed on a form of cooperation said Mr. Peter Martin, of County Town Entertainments, who run's the Sunday concerts'. He went on to say that 'he had never known any trouble at the venue'.

That said things never went entirely smoothly. It was revealed during 1969 that P. P. Arnold was to have received £225 for a date and that about 500 people were at the Chesford to see her. However P.P. Arnold and her group, T.N.T., did not turn up. Martin had to face the disgruntled customers.

The Early 1970s saw the music scene at Chesford Grange shifting towards heavier progressive rock and a massive rebranding. The venue was renamed The Kinetic Kenilworth, and the old downstairs Twist Den was converted into the Kinetic Cellar. And during this heavy metal and progressive 'underground' era, the cellar hosted legendary acts such as The Groundhogs, Hawkwind and Van der Graaf Generator for entry fees of just 40p.

The overarching 'Kinetic' music venue era at the hotel came to an end around 1973, paving the way for later iterations of the hotel's nightlife spaces, such as the Camelot Suite and Oliver's. Meanwhile the cellar bar rebranded itself with names like Blaises and the Stables as the 'disco' generation took over.

At its peak the Twist Den regularly pulled in 700 to 800 revellers.and claimed that 'The cream from Radio 1 will be performing here by Monday'.

The Chesford Grange hotel continues to thrive successfully in its beautiful setting. Apart from relaxing stays it also offers a gym and pool facilities as well as catering for flamboyant weddings. Music is still there as well.

Sir Colin Campbell / The Phoenix - Coventry Venue Closes

Sir Colin Campbell / The Phoenix - Coventry Venue Closes.

by Pete Clemons

The times, and interests, they are a changing. And its quite clear that going to the pub and watching live bands are not on the social calendar quite as much as it once was. It is all still there but has somehow become more niche.

As another pub bites the dust, and whose to say it wont bounce back, here is a potted history of the Phoenix/Campbell. In terms of popular music culture the Phoenix/Campbell has an impressive one. This overview is not concise, it's far from complete, far from comprehensive, it's more of a summary.......

The Phoenix in Coventry (located at 122 Gosford Street) has officially announced its permanent closure on 6 September 2026. The building has stood since 1720, but its true musical roots took hold under its previous, legendary identity: The Colin Campbell (or simply "The Campbell").

The Sir Colin Campbell pub in Coventry—which was famously renamed The Phoenix before its final closing in September 2026—hosted hundreds of influential rock, punk, progressive, and alternative bands over its decades-long history as a staple of the city’s underground music scene.

Live music typically took place in the function room upstairs, which operated under various legendary club names over the decades.


1960s Music Scene and Performers

Folk and Acoustic: Local performers such as Ron Shuttleworth and Barry Skinner frequented the venue's acoustic and folk circles during the 1960s.

The Village Rock Club (1970 transition): Moving right at the turn of the decade into the 1970s, the upstairs function room hosted heavy/progressive rock bands like Indian Summer (who played a notable gig there in July 1970), April, Boots, and Flood, accompanied by progressive rock DJ Malv Preece.

The 1970s: "The Village" Prog & Heavy Rock Era

Between 1970 and 1975, the upstairs function room was home to The Village, a legendary rock night and progressive disco advertised in the historic Hobo Magazine:

Boots (also known as Gregorian Chant / Children): A heavy rock group that apparently featured Carl Palmer's brother, who headlined a historic "heavy evening" at the pub in December 1970.

Flood: A popular regional band out of Nuneaton that drew local rock crowds to the upstairs venue.

April: A well-known Coventry folk-rock outfit that played a legendary Boxing Day show at the pub in 1970.

Indian Summer: Performed several times live at the venue during their active early Gosford/local gig circuit days. The Coventry rock/blues band played at the venue in July and August 1970.

Wandering John: Band members like John Gravenor explicitly recalled playing gigs at the venue during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Asgard: Part of the active local Coventry underground and alternative scene tied to the pub and contemporaneous local spots like the Umbrella club. They performed at the venue in January 1971

Junkhouse: A local heavy rock band that frequently played the venue during the peak of the 1970 progressive scene.


Adrian Mitchell and George McBeth: Performed a lunchtime poetry and literary gig at the pub in February 1971


Local Folk and Acoustic Acts: The venue and upstairs spaces played host to local folk figures and club organizers like Pete Willow (who ran acoustic and folk sessions). In particular the Magic Lamp Folk Club alongside Bob Powell.

Posh Annie's (Silk's Graham Wood) above Colin Campbell October 1981/March 1982. Posh Annie's was in the upstairs room and had a short Friday night residency playing rock and progressive music on an in house DJ set up.

The 1980s: The Pilgrim Club Era

In the mid-1980s, the pub’s upstairs venue hosted The Pilgrim Club, which became a vital hub for early indie rock, space rock, and post-punk:

Spacemen 3: The legendary alternative rock band famously played some of their earliest gigs here. Recordings of their 1985 sets at the Sir Colin Campbell have circuited widely among fans.

Pop Will Eat Itself (PWEI): Before finding major chart success, the Stourbridge band (fronted by Coventry local Clint Mansell) played the venue numerous times under their early moniker, Wild and Wandering.

The Macc Lads: The irreverent punk rock band played notorious, high-energy shows at the venue.

The Pilgrims / Furious Apples: Local post-punk mainstays tightly tied to the curation of the Pilgrim Club.

The Long Range Weather Forecast: A notable local comedy rock band that performed there in 1985.

Popular Coventry folk blues singer songwriter - Rod Felton organised a folk club at the Colin Campbell c 1981 also.

The 1990s to Modern Era

In the 1990s and early 2000s (when it was known simply as The Campbell), the venue shifted focus toward punk, metal, indie rock, and student-centric nights. The 2000s marked a major transition for the venue. The official shift to The Phoenix in 2003 shifted its identity slightly more toward a modern student-and-sports bar, though it retained its alternative grit and live music spaces for years

Bridges (later The Enemy): Local indie musicians and upcoming university bands got their start here.

Local Dance & Techno Sound Systems: In the early 90s, the venue hosted side-room raves alongside underground DJ crews.

The Student Shift: Rebranded as The Phoenix in 2003, it shifted toward a lively student-centric music hub due to its close proximity to Coventry University. It blended late-night DJ sets, weekly student nights, and grass roots live entertainment.


The "Scream" Era: Rebranded under the "It's A Scream" student chain in the early 2000s, the pub combined cheap drink deals with raw talent, featuring a community-voted "rock hall of fame" feel.

Acoustic and Songwriter Hubs: In the later 2000s, the upstairs room regularly hosted acoustic music nights like Emma McGann's Songbird events and sessions by local artist Kristy Gallacher.

Underground Electronic and Reggae: Beyond guitars, the venue welcomed subgenres including the popular Dub Cave nights, providing a platform for Coventry's diverse sound systems.

The Wednesday Night Legends: Midweek student nights became part of Coventry folklore, acting as a crucial pre-club gathering for music fans heading to the Colosseum (now the Kasbah).

Flyer for the Village Heavy Rock Club 1970

Membership card 1970 Village Heavy Rock Club - Colin Campbell

The Village advertised in The Broadgate Gnome in 1970.

And by 1974 they had moved the Climax and advertised in Hobo (Coventry Music and Arts Magazine) - below

Some later posters

Shel Naylor - One Fine Day

 

Shel Naylor

by Pete Clemons

Shel Naylor, (real name Rob Woodward), was a singer, songwriter, and musician from Coventry who released two singles on Decca Records in the UK. Both singles were produced by Shel Talmy: the debut, "How Deep Is The Ocean" in November 1963, and a second single, "One Fine Day", in March 1964.

Rob was discovered at the age of 17 while performing as Rob Woodward at the Orchid Ballroom in Coventry. He won a talent contest that earned him £50 and a recording contract with Decca Records. His now manager, Larry Page, gave him the professional name "Shel Naylor".

On tour Rob was described in programme notes as follows: Seventeen year old Shel Naylor comes from Coventry where he worked in the car industry. He taught himself to play four instruments, piano, clarinet, guitar and ukulele when he was very young and it was the late George Formby who gave him his first ukulele. Besides being a singer he writes many songs.

He is a very keen athlete and has run the 440 yards in record time. Contemporary art holds a great interest for him and he spends much of his time visiting exhibitions.

Key details about Rob's singles:

First Single: Released November 22, 1963 ("How Deep Is The Ocean" / "La Bamba").

Second Single: Released March 6, 1964 ("One Fine Day" / "It's Gonna Happen Soon").

Both singles were produced by the legendary Shel Talmy. The 1964 release "One Fine Day" is historically significant as it was written by Dave Davies of The Kinks and featured session musicians Jimmy Page on guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.

Shel Talmey remembers: 'I was reminded of this record recently, as one of the favourites I had produced, so I thought I would bring it to everyone's attention one more time.

Although by February 1964 I had gone fully independent, I was still producing discs on behalf of Decca Records. Some of the last sessions I did at the labels studio in West Hampstead in North London was with a group of artists from the Midlands town of Coventry. This included John Goodison, aka Johnny B Great and the schoolgirl vocal trio The Orchids, both of whom I recorded on several singles in 1963.

Another Coventry artist that I produced for Decca was born Rob Woodward, but used the professional name, Shel Naylor (and no I don't know if he stole my first name or not!)

I did two singles with Shel and for the second one, I decided to feature a song by the new group I had just signed to Pye Records - The Kinks

Even though Ray Davies was the leader of The Kinks and the groups chief songwriter, the track we recorded, 'One Fine Day', was written by his younger brother Dave.

The song was a rocker in The Kinks' early style. For the session I used Bobby Graham on drums and Jimmy Page on guitar, so the track came out with some of the flavour of the records I would soon produce with the group.

The single came out in March 1964 and like the early Kinks releases, didn't go anywhere'.

The singles were reviewed by music paper critics as follows:

How Deep is The Ocean/La Bamba (Decca F11776): New boy with a violent vocal style who veritably attacks the oldie. Sings the verse first with biggish backing then roars into the evergreen lyrics. Irving Berlin never, no not never, heard his song treated in this way. But it's in the correct idiom and could easily take off into a sizeable hit status. Good backing (Charles Blackwell). Flip has had a lot of different treatments, dating back to Ritchie Valens. Shel injects a lot of fire.

Another review mentioned:“How deep is the Ocean” has been dressed up to 1963 style with a Charles Blackwell arrangement, augmenting Shel Naylor’s forceful vocal delivery. Seventeen-year-old, six foot tall Shel hails from Coventry, where he works in that city’s motor

One Fine Day/Its Gonna Happen Soon (Decca F11856): Fast beat on this rock disc which moves along at a brisk danceable pace.

Shel Naylor was managed by the manager of Coventry's Orchid Ballroom, Larry Page, who later inserted himself into The Kinks operation and would soon start to claim credit for their success.

While in Coventry Larry would, of course, promote his protege at the ballroom.

A 1963 gig for Decca Records saw Shel performing at a twang night that included Johnny B. Great and The Goodmen, The Avengers, The Chimes and The Orchids.

During 1964 a Shel Naylor gig was advertised: the 18 years old Coventry recording artist and his new group, The Goodmen (who had previously backed Johnny Goodison), are to turn the clock back to the era of rock 'n' roll. He has teamed up with them and we hope that the Goodmen play their favourite type of music.

Rob Woodward did eventually found UK chart success in the early 1970s with the group Lieutenant Pigeon who had a big hit record with an instrumental called 'Mouldy Old Dough'.

One Fine Day Shel Naylor

It's Gonna Happen Soon - Shel Naylor

How deep is the Ocean - Shel Naylor

La Bamba - Shel Naylor

Tony Clarke (Moody Blues) – A Fascination With Space and Astronomy

 

Tony Clarke (Moody Blues) – A Fascination With Space and Astronomy.

By Pete Clemons

NASA’s Artemis program, recently, successfully completed its historic first crewed mission, Artemis II, which launched on 1 April 2026 and safely returned to Earth on 10 April 2026. The focus of today's lunar efforts has officially shifted to hardware preparation and crew training for the next phases of deep-space travel.

NASA has also introduced the designated crew for the Artemis III mission which will return humans to the lunar surface. Reusable Rockets using the frequently used Falcon 9 flights and ongoing test flights of large next-generation vehicles like SpaceX's Starship system will drive down launch costs.

This is all a far cry from the days when music producer, Tony Clarke, took some of his inspiration from the space age days of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Yes, it appears that Tony Clarke, often called the 'sixth Moody Blue', had a huge fascination with space, he visited Cape Canaveral several times as a guest of NASA, and that fascination influenced some of his production work.

Coventry born music producer Tony Clarke had a large telescope and a custom dome installed on the roof of his house for stargazing. Moody Blues band member, the late Ray Thomas, recalled going up to the roof to look at the moon and stars with Clarke while discussing philosophy and music.

Clarke's deep fascination with astronomy directly inspired the space-themed concept for the 1969 Moody Blues album To Our Children's Children's Children.

While the band’s relationship with NASA was extensive—their 1969 album To Our Children's Children's Children was inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing. The album also had a strong connection to Apollo 15. The Astronaut Playlist for the crew of Apollo 15 (1971) carried and listened to the album To Our Children's Children's Children on cassette tape during their mission.

For the song 'Higher and Higher', the band initially requested a recording of a rocket launch from NASA. When they found the provided audio unsatisfactory, they created their own 'space sound' (partially by dropping a piano off a building) and sent it back to NASA for their potential future use.

'Higher and Higher' opens the album with a dramatic custom rocket launch sound and spoken-word poetry celebrating humanity breaking Earth's gravity.

Another tune, 'Gypsy' (Of a Strange and Distant Time) explores the emotional isolation and vast distances of a long space voyage.

'Floating' a whimsical track by Ray Thomas was quite possibly imagining a low-gravity walk on the moon.

'Out and In' and 'Candle of Life' can be percieved as both reflecting on the quiet isolation, the journey, and the beauty of looking back at the world from the cosmos.

Finally 'I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Hundred' / 'I Never Thought I'd Live to Be a Million' could be contemplating the immense stretches of time required for deep-space travel.

Dirt Road Band – Godiva Festival 2026

 

Dirt Road Band – Godiva Festival 2026

by Pete Clemons

The much maligned Godiva in the city 2026 wasn't all negative. Yes the administration of the event left room for improvement – absolutely no accountability for tickets appeared to be one of the main issues - but, from what I saw, and I only attended the millennium stage, the organisation and the artists who appeared were excellent.

The Millennium stage, ironically, was set within the area of the site where the long lamented Coventry Theatre once stood. Of course the Millennium square is now in the shadow of the transport museum.

And finding a temporary outdoor event stage on or very near this exact footprint is fitting given the area's rich history. The former 2000 seat Coventry Theatre (originally the New Hippodrome) on Hales Street was a local cultural staple before its demolition in 2002. But this is now in the distant past, generations before many of today's younger music lovers came along.

While there isn't a permanent theatre on Hales Street any more, a variety of exciting performances and theatrical events regularly take place across the city centre. And this festival was no exception.

However, back to the music, and one of the highlights for me was the late addition of the Dirt Road Band.

Don't be put off if you hear that Dirt Road Band are just another blues combo and you prefer your music a bit more edgy. Dirt Road Band are a rock 'n' blues band rolled into one satisfying whole. Dirt Road Band delivers raw power, gritty guitar riffs, and deep emotional grooves. They combine the fast energy of rock with the soul of the blues.

On the Millennium stage Dry Road Band, as they were inexplicably introduced, were positive and aggressive blending their usual attack with tunes like 'Never get over losing you' and 'Worry no more'.

If you enjoy seeing a band playing exceptionally good music please make a point of seeing Dirt Road Band who stand out within their field.

Set list.......

'Never Get Over Losing You'
'Instinct to Survive'
'Cutting Room Floor' – dedicated by Horace to the Smithfield Pub
'Worry No More'
'And Johnny Winter' - the working title of a brand new song
'Down to the Doctors' - Steve dedicated this tune to his 32 years in Dr Feelgood

Fingers crossed the organisation team can have better control over ticketing next year. People intuitively grab anything for free regardless of whether they use it or not. The overused adage 'lessons must be used' has to come into play. Exceptional artists deserve better.

Coventry College of Education (Canley College)

 

Coventry College of Education (Canley College)

by Pete Clemons

Graphic from Hobo (Coventry Music and Arts Magazine) February 1974

For many years any gig I saw on the Warwick University campus I simply referred to seeing the band at Warwick Uni. Generically called the place Warwick Uni when I referred to gigs. Only recently, through research, have I discovered that some of those bands may actually have been at Coventry College of Education.

As such I am attempting to rectify this situation and give Canley College the recognition it deserves.

Also it personally explains a decades old puzzle as to why venues, at times, looked different. I guess I assumed the Uni simply had several band rooms which technically it did. But at that time, bearing in mind I was probably still a teenager, I was more interested in seeing the band rather than wonder about the room they were playing in.

People, me in particular it seems, absolutely got confused, primarily because both venues operated as bustling, high-profile stops on the UK college gig circuit. Adding to the confusion, the former Coventry College of Education was absorbed into the University of Warwick in the late 1970s and became its Westwood Campus.

The history of the college can be traced through several key milestones. It appears that the college began around 1948 when it was established on Kirby Corner Road inside a converted wartime workers' hostel to urgently address a post-war shortage of teachers.

By 1958 the college became coeducational and was officially renamed the Coventry College of Education. Under the long-standing leadership of principal Joan Dillon Browne (who served from 1948 to 1975), the student roll grew to approximately 1,500.

Canley College of Education (historically known as the City of Coventry Training College for Women then Coventry College of Education) was a prominent teacher training institution in Coventry that operated as a separate entity until its incorporation into the University of Warwick in 1978. It expanded significantly in the 1950s and 60s, offering specialist courses in areas like secondary PE. Later, the site is known as the university's Westwood Campus.

From the late 1960s to the late 1970s, the Coventry College of Education (colloquially known as 'Canley College') boasted a fantastic live music scene. Students flocked there to see massive touring acts such as Genesis, Thin Lizzy, Wizzard, Status Quo, Stealers Wheel, The Pirates and many more. Meanwhile, the University of Warwick (and its growing Warwick Arts Centre) was pulling in the likes of Pink Floyd, The Wailers, and The Smiths.

And maybe I am not alone in my generic terminology of 'Warwick Uni'. It appears that because the college sat roughly 2 miles from the main Warwick campus, ticket buyers regularly mixed up which campus venue hosted which artist.

The fact that the Coventry College of Education sat in Canley (while Warwick sprawled out toward Gibbet Hill/Coventry) made directions tricky. Once Warwick absorbed the site, many gig-goers simply remembered seeing historic bands 'at Warwick' without realising the specific venue changed.

Either way the legacy as a whole, whether it be Canley College, Warwick Uni or the Arts Centre is something to be admired. And still today great entertainment can be found at the venue.

THE FORTUNES 1965

THE FORTUNES 1965

BY Pete Clemons

The Fortunes, who have had strong Coventry connections through the year, are to this day still thrilling audiences. Incredibly they are on a second tour of America as part of the 'Happy Together' tour which acknowledges 60 years since the invasion of British pop into the US. The following article goes right back to 1965. Not when The Fortunes formed but when they finally became a unit and the hits started to flow......... Considering all the well publicised praise that's been lavished on them, The Fortunes remain unusually unaffected. 

Leafing through their credentials I see that - long before they ever made anything remotely resembling a hit record - they were being hailed by a recording manager as the best vocal harmony pop group in Britain, by a television producer as 'too good for his show', by Johnnie Ray as 'wonderful fantastic, etc and billed breathtakingly, as 'the group who stole the show from The Beatles'. Well if they'd inspired all that gush before, you can imagine how I expected them to be after, after two solid hits, that is - for 'Here it Comes Again' looks like duplicating the success of 'You've Got Your Troubles'. But perhaps because The Fortunes had a solid two years of troubles until the good times started to roll, they've stayed totally level headed about their good fortune. When they began they were three - Rod Allen, Barry Pritchard and Glen Dale. 

But three didn't turn out to be a luck number: the musicians they used as accompanists had a habit of turning ugly and saying they weren't getting paid enough. And, although the boys were working steadily enough, they just didn't seem able to pull in the big money with their records. This, despite the fact that few groups have been launched with such careful planning as The Fortunes. The threesome lived together at Clifton Hall, Rugby (the massive mansion bought by manager Reg Calvert as a potential headquarters of a Midlands commercial radio station: when commercial radio was not legalised by the government Reg set up Radio City instead in the Thames estuary and used the Rugby house as an incubator for The Fortunes). 

Anyway, this year The Fortunes tiring of squabbling with backing musicians decided to become a complete unit and so they added a drummer - Andy Brown, and singing organist - Dave Carr, and turned themselves into a quintet. They also had a change of A & R man and began an association with arranger Les Reed. Said Rod: 'Troubles was certainly the best record we'd made by a long way. But we weren't sure we'd made a hit'. Glen said: 'But we've only just got our foot in at the moment. We've got to get to the top and stay there'. But who were those accompanying musicians? Well for that I tapped into the memory of Tom Long who also worked for Reg Calvert. It seems that Chris Capaldi played keyboards and Gary Fletcher drums but 'he left very early on' remembered Tom. Another musician was Tony Britnell who later featuredwith Jigsaw. 'He was a phenominal sax

The Flys Talking – Taking off February 1978

The Flys Talking – Taking off February 1978

by Pete Clemons

The Flys. Group of Coventry origin: Neil O'Connor guitar and vocals; David Freeman lead guitar; Joe Hughes bass; Pete King drums.

Flying Start: 'Me and David and Joe have been playing together for three or four years. The front room situation!' - Neil

'Neil started us off. We began writing songs together and recording them on beat up cassettes' - David

'We were originally called Midnight Circus. You see I was really into the Pretty Things and that came from a song of theirs. That was the first working situation, but it was not easy or right to remember' - Neil

'We all made lists of names for the band and The Flys on two people's lists. So that was it' - David

'F-l-i-e-s may be correct, but looks terrible. Flys is visually more acceptable. We were not thinking of insects, zips or anything like that. Though when zips became trendy friends accused us of that implication' - Neil

'Coventry died in the disco thing. The only live music is from club bands. We had difficulty in finding a drummer, because most to work in a £5 job in the clubs, rather than do something new' - David

'Its only recently that people have tried to get something together. There are four or five new wave bands in the area and one club has a new wave night. It may only be 18 months late but in Coventry.........' - Neil

'One club used to book us when other bands cancelled. People must have got fed up with seeing us'. 'One night Peter almost refused to play there. That night we got an encore' - David

'Four or five night supporting Buzzcocks helped us. They paid for us out of their own money'. 'Yeah, they're really decent blokes' - Neil

'EMI saw us at a gig with them. It also brought us to London' - David

'Even before EMI came along we decided our own record out. We wanted to put out value for money so put out value for money so we made a five track EP for 90p' - Neil

'We recorded 13 tracks in two days at Pathway Studios. 2350 printed and it made number ten in the Lightning new wave chart. We were going to put out 7000 then EMI showed interest' - David

'We were surprised when EMI said they wanted to put out 'Love and a Molotov Cocktail' on the single. It was on our own record label too and has been in the set for months and we were getting a bit tired of it. Now we can't put it on the rest pile' - Neil

'Big interest from EMI came after Buzzcocks Marquee gig. There were so many bands in London that it had been difficult for us yo get gigs here because we were not a London band. We've still only played here a handful of times' - David

'Coming from Coventry we felt a bit like country bumpkins. Sometimes it seems a bit strange with us in Coventry and the company in London but I wouldn't want to live here full time. I wouldn't mind somewhere we could stay when we're down here though. Whether we can afford it is another matter though' - Neil

A Fly in the ointment: 'You're the most rubbishy band we've ever seen. And I'm going to tell all the other people I know not to book you. Here's a fiver' - manager of a London club

Flying squad: 'A year ago we did a gig up Redcar way and it was so heavy we were scared stiff. There was a long line of bouncers armed with wooden clubs forming a line in front of the stage. People were shouting: 'come on be a punk. Do something outrageous'. The manager of the place told us we'd be alright the next time as the next gig was at an elite place. But it turned out to be near a skinhead stronghold and they were chucking bottles at the stage and pouring beer down the neck of the roadie sitting at the mixing desk. The manager had to take me through the crowd to get to the toilet and told me very reassuringly - 'your going to get fucking battered tonight lads'. Our van was showered with missiles. We had to have a police escort. Can you imagine the police protecting a new wave band?' - David

Fly blown: 'We supported the Rich Kids at the 100 club and had no room to play at all. Their roadies set their stuff up on stage and we weren't allowed to move it, so we ended up cramped up trying to get our gear and ourselves on the stage as well as their gear. Consequently we were pretty crappy' - David

'We've vowed that that sort of thing wont happen when we're at the stage of having someone support us. Support bands should get the chance to have a soundcheck, use of a good PA and other equipment if necessary. Groups can't forget what they had to go through can they? Some of them obviously don't remember the days when they used to be supporting better known acts and what they had to put up with' - Neil

'It's not always the bands fault. Some of the roadies get a bit bossy' - Neil

Fly paper: 'Some of our mates were dead jealous when we told them we were being interviewed by Sounds magazine, it's the first time we have been interviewed' - David

'When we released our EP that for us was fulfilling our fantasy. Then when we signed with EMI that was a further step into the dream world' - Neil

'Now our fantasy is to be on television. Your standards and hopes rise all the time as things develop. It was incredible to hear our record on the radio, even though John Peel didn't sound overkeen on it after he played it. After five years of learning guitar it is quite good to walk in a disco and hear a DJ say; 'this record is by The Flys.....' That is enough to get the heart going very fast' - David

'We're straining at the leash to get into the studio's to start work on the album. We have plenty of material to work on. We have already had six of our songs out on record, which isn't bad going (five of their own on the 'Bunch of Five' EP, with two re-done cuts on the EMI three track single now in the shops)' - Neil

Unidentified flying object: 'People tell us our songs are very melodic. That's just the way they come out. This fresh pop craze is nothing new, just another fashion. It's like at the end of the year all those one-two-three-four punk stuff just neatly disappears for the next craze' - David

'I'm glad we came out at the end of '77 instead of the beginning. We could easily have been swamped in the mass movement. By the end of '77 it was obvious you had to come out with something different if you're going to break through' - Neil

FLY-OVER

Lanchester PolyTech Festival - February 1973

 

Lanchester Polytech Festival - February 1973

by Pete Clemons

Lanchester Polytechnic festivals of the past have been celebrated affairs. Here is an account of one that maybe has kind of flown under the radar as time has advanced over the years.

Friday: Charisma at Lanch

Friday night at the Lanchester Arts Festival was Charisma night, featuring Howard Werth (will he join The Doors? Even he doesn't know). Peter Hammill and Genesis.

Genesis were experimenting with a new stage set up, due to be completed before their new tour officially starts, and when it works it should be dramatic.

The set was good, if unspectacular - a standard performance of recorded works, but nonetheless popular and well received. So many of the audience knew and sang the words that it was hard to tell, in the quiet sections, if the echo effect was their singing or the terrible acoustics. 'Suppers Ready' was the longest and possibly the best piece they played, with more depth and content than their lighter fairytale songs, but all went down equally well.

Saturday: Jazz at the Lanch

The following night was billed as a jazz night - a title that may have put off many rock fans from an excellent new band that calls itself Q, it should really be called X, with a complete set of musicians previously in more famous bands.

There's Paul Jones vocals, ex Manfred Mann, Mike Giles drums and Graham Preskitt on violin and piano, both ex King Crimson, and Dave Wintour bass, Terry Smith guitar and Dave Quincey saxophones, all ex - If.

The first piece was an If song, 'The Light Still Shines', and it looks as if that's the way they are going to go - a full band sound, and Terry Smith sending out surging waves of guitar notes. But there's too much diversity in the band for that, and they go through such a range of styles from free-form improvisation to vaudeville and poetry reading - not a collection easily labelled.

Paul, Mr. TV, Jones, appears for one song 'Wrestling Man', dressed or rather under dressed for the part, in wrestling boots and trunks only - but the musical quality is not compromised - a superb solo piece with just a harmonica. That's really the essence of this band. All superb musicians taking turns to express their own musical ideas. What direction they may move in its impossible to predict.

Sunday: Coventry Theatre

The finale of the festival turned out to be a fiasco. Sunday night at the Coventry Theatre with a host of stars billed to play together. The list was extensive and grew during the whole week as further names were tentatively added. Carl Palmer, Albert Lee, Chris Farlowe, Poli Palmer and Keith Tippett were to have been the central core with Keith Moon, Rick Wakeman, Ric Lee, Tony Iommi and so on as possibles.

However something went wrong, and after the two support bands, Necromandus and the really excellent Average White Band had suitably whetted our appetites, we were greeted with sad news. Viv Stanshall and sundry limbs belonging to Keith Moon appeared through the curtain, expressed considerable dissatisfaction that they and Gaspar Lawal were the only ones there and would perform, and assisted by various members of Necromandus, they played a wholly chaotic couple of pieces interrupted loudly by an angry audience.

People who left in disgust before an announcement was finally made, are recommended to write to the organisers who have promised to do their best concerning refunds. It was a sad end to a festival which makes commendable efforts to put on a wide range of activities, and it is, unfortunately, their reputation which will suffer most.

Bruce Soord – Ghosts in the Park

 

Bruce Soord – Ghosts in the Park

by Pete Clemons

Making music from adversity is a powerful process of transforming trauma into triumph.

I will never let this happen to you while I'm alive, Not while I'm alive. You made a promise, You would look after me - Is it now a lie?, Take heart we are all here – these are just a few of the lyrics contained within the new Bruce Soord album 'Ghosts in the Park'.

And the contrivance of this involves challenges, pain and loss as fuel for its creative expression. All of which is deeply personal.

'Nothing extraordinary' though Bruce alludes to in the sleeve notes. To my mind – and the way I have read it anyway - Bruce is acknowledging that, in the grand scheme of things, he is not alone. We could all face similar challenges at some point in our lives.

But, (and I'm trying to remember Bruce's words from a recent gig), he wanted these new songs to remember the times from when he was young and not necessarily reflect back on all the difficult days.

But, of course, when you are confronted by these issues, it is one of the most extraordinary personal challenges you will confront. It can all be so frustrating, deeply upsetting and incredibly difficult to come back from.

Music serves as a lifeline and sanctuary for expressing emotions that are difficult to otherwise articulate. This is a cathartic exercise of providing some relief through the open expression of intense emotions.

On this album you find a set of songs that can soothe, even melt a stoic mindset such as mine. It has certainly had me in reflective mood lately.

The songs emphasise themes of resilience, acceptance of fate, emotional control, and finding inner peace amidst chaos.

This new set of songs, together, is quite simply a wondrous album. Just absorb and file under engaging, exquisite and elegant.

Yet while adversity can be challenging, it can clearly be a profound source of inspiration for music that offers hope, redemption, and connection to others. I think 'Ghosts in the Park' does just that.

This album hasn't been written in a pitiful way. You are not fully entering Bruce's world, you are I think, looking into a slightly open window. This isn't how life should be but, sadly, it can.

Hilda Woodward - The Homing Pigeon 1972 interview

 

Hilda Woodward - The Homing Pigeon 1972 interview.

by Pete Clemons

 At short notice and being more or less set in her ways, Hilda hadn't even dressed up for the grand occasion, though of course she looked her best. Hilda does take a pride in her appearance. That favourite old black and white turban hat and that nice green dress with fur trimmed collar, that would do nicely. It's best to feel comfortable when you're in strange surroundings.

It wasn't so much the hat, nor the dress, nor for that matter her insistence on shaking everybody's hand that gave the impression that it was all a bit new to her. It was the cup of tea and the plate of sandwiches that Hilda was clinging to as she made her way with some trepidation through the music business reception throng of beautiful people breakfasting on chilled champers, deep fried drum sticks and calling each other 'dwarling' that first gave me the impression that this might just a shade different from those coffee mornings back home in Coventry.

Still, this sort of thing happens when suddenly you're top of the nation's singles chart.

You've never heard of Hilda Woodward?. Well she's not the kind who seeks publicity. She prefers to remain one of the two piano players in Lieutenant Pigeon - the cuddly grandma in dark shades who pounds out 'Mouldy Old Dough' on Top of the Pops.

What does stardom feel like?.

'It's absolutely incredible and this is a lovely cup of tea'. Hilda admits in the same breath, in a voice that reveals an accent as distinctive as the motor car engine that originate from her part of the world.

'To tell you the truth, I haven't come down yet' she adds.

Hilda's husband George couldn't attend this reception laid on in her honour by Decca Records.

'You see, he's an engineer and at the moment he's on nights'.

But Hilda doesn't think he has missed much because 'George is a quiet sort of person'.

Up until now Hilda Woodward has enjoyed a small measure of fame as an accompanist round the Coventry cabaret and working person's club circuit. She also organises a choir of disabled people at the Enterprise Club, who do charity appearances.

Though the offers are starting to pour in, Hilda and the other Pigeons aren't planning live appearances. 'I'm 52 and it's a bit hard to start doing one night stands at my time of life'.

I expect the rest of the lads in the band, who also appear under the name of Stavely Makepiece, must have told Hilda about the perils of living on a diet of M1 transport caff grub.

'Anyway' she continues 'I just haven't got the time. I've got the house to run and my club work to think of'. What an amazing lady !.

What will Hilda do when the Mouldy Old Dough comes rolling in via royalty cheques?. 'Well one thing's certain, I'm not going on a spending spree......I'm not that kind of person'.

She ponders on something to splash out on. 'I've always fancied a fur coat, so I might buy myself one, and I'd love to buy a television for the Enterprise Club'.

By Christmas world sales for 'Mouldy Old Dough' could mean that Santa will be delivering a gold disc to Hilda's home. This could prove to be a bit of a problem too. Say's Hilda 'We'd have to get the house done up first and then think of a special place to put it......I'm glad you mentioned that'.

Hilda's particularly pleased for her two grand-daughters, Barbara, seven and Susie, six. 'They're over the moon' she says in a voice that only proud grandmothers possess, but ponders the predicament, 'but I'm afraid that they've now got a rock 'n' roll grandma'.

Well, when you come to think of it, there are worse things in life.

Lieutenant Pigeon - Oct 72 Article

 Lieutenant Pigeon - Oct 72 Article

By Pete Clemons

Mrs Mills is alive and well and living in - well, almost living in the personage of a Mrs Hilda Woodward. Hilda is just one of the surprising aspects of a band named Lieutenant Pigeon, currently at number 2 in the charts. Every year you expect a few freak hits, and if you thought we'de got through '72 on the strength of 'Amazing Grace' and 'Popcorn' you didn't bargain for the freakiest of them all - 'Mouldy Old Dough'.

Lieutenant Pigeon have never played any gigs together. They don't intend to either. Three of them - drummer Nigel Fletcher, bassist Steve Johnson and pianist Rob Woodward form the nucleus of another band, Stavely Makepiece.

Lieutenant Pigeon is a send up. Drummer Fletcher informed me: 'It's not meant to be taken seriously - the whole thing is tongue in cheek. It's the first time we've made a record under that name - and probably the last. Stavely Makepiece is the main concern'.

Neither Abbey Road or Trident Studios, nor for that matter any studio, had the honour of Lieutenant Pigeon hiring out time. The record, like the best jam, was home made. Hilda's front room in her semi in Coventry was the scene of the crime.

'We didn't use the best equipment - it was recorded on a domestic machine. We find we get a better sound using the front room'. And obviously they cut corners on recording costs.

While most people are under the impression that 'Mouldy Old Dough' has rocketed up the charts in a matter of weeks, Fletcher is quick to point out it really is a mouldie oldie.

'It was released in February this year and didn't do a thing. Then it was picked up in Belgium where it went to number one. And it's now about number six in Holland'.

Fortunately he's under no illusions that his voice is reminiscent of Presley or Mario Lanza. He says 'I can't sing for nuts - that's why they put me on it'.

A mickey take at the expense of the public, it may seem? - 'No, we're not taking the mickey - we just want to enjoy ourselves, we're not out to take anyone'.

For the immediate future, Fletcher says they are going to 'sit down and sort something out - I'm not sure what. We've had a lot of agents phoning up to find out if we're working or not. We're working on an album too - there are about five tracks done so far. Yes, made in Hilda's room'.

And Hilda? She's still adjusting to life as an artiste (it's uncool to say star ya know) and planking away on the old joanna.

Fletcher says he is particularly pleased for her because she's put in a lot of hard slog over the years playing for charity, and it's good that she should at last get some kind of recognition.

Dando Shaft pick up the pieces.....

 Dando Shaft pick up the pieces.....

by Pete Clemons

June 1972 saw the release of Lantaloon, Dando Shaft's third album. It would be their last - (until the brief reunion in 1977). One review mentioned 'The groups sheer unpredictability is a joy'.

Despite its adulation, soon after Lantaloon's release, the band broke up. This wasn't quite the end however. By October mk 2 Dando Shaft was under way seemingly led by Martin Jenkins.........

There was no great fuss when Dando Shaft broke up recently. In any case many people weren't aware of the fact that and only their faithful followers mourned the passing. 'Lantaloon', the third fine album of their work, had scarcely found the opportunity to make an impression when the decision was made.

But in the past month lead Instrumentalist Martin Jenkins has succeeded in picking up the pieces and has put together a new Dando Shaft with a fresh approach to the music. After an intense period of rehearsal they are all ready to go out on the road once again.

Only conga and tabla player Ted Kay survives from the original band, and the new Dando's will feature Coventry songwriter Roger Williamson on guitar, and the old bands roadie Bill Borthwick on bass.

'The old group had steadily built up a following although we'd never been a huge draw' Martin reflected. 'There were lots more things we could have done - like we had plans to go electric with the old band but never quite got around to it and economically it was difficult.

'The first person to leave was Polly (Bolton) because she didn't really dig the travelling too much. Then later Dave (Cooper) just decided he didn't want to do it anymore and Rog (Bullen) and Kev (Dempsey) decided they didn't want to do it anymore either - they just didn't want to go on playing professionally'.

Martin's first reaction was to join another band but in the meantime he started to jam with Ted Kay, the old group percussionist, and Bill Borthwick. 'That's what made us decide to have a bash at getting another Dando Shaft together' Martin went on. And this was the cue for him to use his fiddle, mandolin and cello in an electric context for the first time.

'We figured on asking Rog Williamson, an old friend from Coventry to join up with us, and at the moment our material consists about half and half of his songs and mine. We're also doing a few of the old group numbers like 'Coming Home', 'Road Song', 'It Was Good' and 'Now's the Time For Changing', but the basic difference is that this band is a lot funkier - Rog's stuff is pretty funky' Martin added.

'We decided to keep the same name because the feel of the music is generally the same, it's just a bit heavier. In any case during the early days of Dando Shaft we used to listen to a lot of Roger's stuff back in Coventry, and Ted and I did a couple of things with Roger on record'.

Had Dando Shaft evolved in the way Martin had intended during their two and a half years together ?. 'It didn't really, because I wanted to use electric gear on 'Lantaloon' but in the end we just didn't have time to get into the instruments properly - in fact, we were a bit rushed in doing the 'Lantaloon' record'.

So where had the first band slipped up - mismanagement perhaps? 'Well there's no way of knowing whether or not we were mismanaged', Martin decided. 'I'm just pleased that it took a long time for us to build up a following: I think that if the old band on and gone electric it would have turned out pretty well as we are now'.

The band now hope to get their stage act worked out with a series of live performances. They have a good deal of work ahead of them as bookings have continued to come in for the old band. Maybe after a few months they will decide to start work on an album for they have no doubts about the material.

Roger and Martin will largely be sharing the vocals, and although initially Roger will be playing mostly a rhythm behind Martin's lead work, eventually they hope to get the same counterpoint playing going as Martin had succeeded in doing with Kev Dempsey.

'Kev's a genius and it's sad we lost him' Martin went on. 'But Rog and I hope to be doing similar things as we'd achieved in the old band'.

Martin already has designs of augmenting the band as soon as finances allow. A full drum kit, various other instruments such as flute which he Hope's to incorporate himself, and a likelihood of at least one addition to the band.

'I just hope that all the people who saw the old Dando Shaft will enjoy the new Dando Shaft as well' was his parting remark.

As it happened, Mk 2 Dando Shaft failed to fly. That said, dates were undertaken. Amongst them in places like Cheltenham, Hull, Exeter and the College of Education in Leicester but sadly the album failed to materialise.