Friars Promotions - You can find out more about Friars from the Broagate Gnome Vox blog (click on
their icon and scroll down - or from Pete Chamber's article here.
Friars was started by Vince Holliday of Vince and the Vampires and they were tied in with the Cortina Club, managing a number of venues in the city and local and top stars including Shane Fenton (later Alvin Stardust).
Pete Waterman worked for them running discos and gigs at the Walsgrave and the Mercers Arms among others. I had no
direct contact with Friars but did help out with the Walsgrave, doing door duty and helping the
bands to load in their equipment.
Entry in HOBO No 4 (Unpublished Version) August 1974 -
"Reports reach Hobo that Friars Promotions have gone bust.."
Other Coventry music agencies included CBR who were based at 2 Queen Victoria Rd.
I have no detailed info about CBR except that they were located close to the Coventry Arts
Umbrella and I remember going along with Al Docker when he was in charge of organising the bands nights at the Brolly. I think
we went along to book the Birmingham bands Ghost and Tea and Symphony and a vague recollection that Audience played at the Brolly too through CBR . I never really dealt with them when I ran the band nights as there were so many Coventry Bands forthcoming or bands out of the area wrote in.
Other agencies included Chris King Promotions; Anvil Promotions; Rougestar (more on that in the Disco directory); and the Tony Harte Promotions who promoted bands like Rogation Sunday, Acorn and Drops of Brandy.
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