I've created a new site for Coventry Arts Umbrella Club on Blogspot HERE
I've created a new site for Coventry Arts Umbrella Club on Blogspot HERE
Posted at 06:16 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Coventry arts umbrella club, coventry music scene
ASGARD - were a Coventry band in the style of Pink Floyd / Nice operating around 1969 - 71 period who were promoted by John Peel and played a number of prestigious gigs - eg Mothers in Birmingham after Pink Floyd and with Peel and Hyde Park etc. Following a recent post on Asgard with some of their music, bassist Richard Kilbride has sent these archive photos of the band and cuttings.
First a cutting from Disc - Asgard are mentioned in John Peel's column - some of them, including their manager Paul Padum stayed at Peel Acres.
Asgard played in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral in 1969 as part of the West Indian concert calld Jerico -
Asgard bassist proposed free open air concerts in Coventry in 1969 in which people could even bring along poems to read (great initiative Richard) according to this Coventry Evening Telegraph article -
The council response is interesting!!
"NO LONG-HAIRED BEATNKS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO ELEMENT" - "THE SALVATION ARMY BAND..ARE A RAVE!!!"
"Councillor Arthur Taylor, Chairman of the Recreation Committee said he would be glad to make the park available to respectable pop groups but we do not want long-haired beatniks in the San Franscisco element playing in our parks! We have the Salvation Army band playing in our parks and it's a rave! But whether pop music is eeryone's choice, I don't know." Well -
I must admit - I've never heard the Salvation Army band described as a 'Rave' before!!!!
Asgard were invited to Alexis Korner's fiftieth birthday party!!
The following are photos of the young Asgard at play with guitars and dumpeer trucks in the 60's and photos from gigs and rehearsals etc.
Along with these photos was one of another band from the 1970c period - no idea who they are or if it's a Cov band or one Asgard played on tour with - if any or Richard can throw light on this photo - let me know.
Posted at 04:23 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene, Interviews / Profiles and Tributes, Two Tone Central | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: Asgard, coventry music scene, john peel, neol davies, selecter
Lively performance poem by Trev Teasdel with his raging guitar lashing out on the times we we live in semi surreally and energetically.
Written 2006 and performed at the Writers' Cafe in Stockton endlessly and many poetry performance gigs around the country with Keith Armstong.
Cover pic froma chalk drawing done by Teesside artist Adrian Moule on the floor of the Writers Cafe.
Posted at 07:41 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene, Poets and Songwriters | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: coventry music scene, stockton on tees, trev teasdel
TO BE CONTINUED SOON
Mojo (Tony) Morgan's musical career has spanned nearly 40 years and he's still playing and developing. He
began as a bass player in a range of blues bands in 70's; fronted a Coventry ska band in the early 80's and made a single, played in a band with Roddy Radiation (after the Specials), took the blues on the road with Travelling Riverside blues band in the 80's and ran a couple of venues and in more recent years moved to Wales where he is a blues singer with his own Outfit - The Hoochie Coochie Blues Band.
.
Trev Teasdel Interview with Mojo Morgan March 2009
1. How and when did you get started on all this music lark and what were your early influences?
When I was about 10 years old, my parent's record collection was a very large collection of artist's like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lenor Horne, Billie
Holliday, and a few Robert Johnson records which I fell in love with, and lots of blues and jazz albums. In the 60s I fell in love with the sound of the likes of John Mayall, Alexis Corner, Rolling Stones. Animals. and lots of other R&B
bands. I was just mad for all that kind of stuff.
2. Your main instrument used to be bass What other instruments do you play.
I played Rhythm guitar and sang in my first band, and then I switched over to bass guitar, and stuck with it for the next 30 years.
3. The first band I saw you in was The Mick Green Blues Band - what led you to a love of the blues?
The feelings I had from listening to the blues. ( IT JUST SHOUTED OUT AT ME ).
4. Were there bands before Mick Green Blues band?
Yea! I just left school, and put a 3 piece band together called (Orange ) I was playing rhythm guitar and vocals, and Steve Harrison on drums, and Graham Dewis on Bass. we used to do lots of cover versions from The Doors, Cream, Stones, and that sort of thing! Graham Dewis's parents had a farm near Stoneliegh Island, not far from the N.E.C (Birmingham National Exhibition Centre). We used to practice there all the time. In the summer, we would practice out side to all the passers by on the motorway. The cows and the sheep liked us! We were young and just didn't care, and had a great time!
5. How did you meet Mick Green and Steve Harrison
I met Steve Harrison (Drummer) through a friend Alan Jones in Willenhall, Coventry. Steve lived up the road from me, and we became best friends. The last time I heard about Steve, he was living in France. It would be great to find where he is now, and to get back in touch.I met Mick Green through a guy called Tony who lived in the Stoke area in Coventry, and Mick became a good friend! We played together in Mick Greens Blues Band, and a few other bits and bobs, but nothing came to fruit! Steve Harrison, Mick Green and myself moved to Ealing, London, and formed a band with John Laverick and started jamming together, after a couple of weeks, we were giging around London, We were young and foolish! and it was crazy times
6. You seemed to be in a cluster of bands in the early 70's around some of the same musicians - ie Mick Green and Steve Harrison and few others such as Concert with Martin Barter on organ and one - I think with Johnny Adams (later with Squad). Apart from Mick Green band, there was Railroad in 71, Eli and Rein Chantre c 73 / 74 that I remember. What can you tell us about your early bands.
Some of the bands that i have played in!
ORANGE.
Mojo Morgan, ryth'm guitar and vocals.
Steven harrison, drums.
Graham Dewis, bass guitar.
MICK GREENS BLUES BAND. (1970)
Mick Green - Lead / Rhythm Guit / Vocals
Mojo Morgan - Bass / vocals
Steve Harrison - Drums
(at various times..Johnny Adams - Vocals / Guitar and Paul Samson? Guitar)
RAILROAD (1971)
Mojo Morgan / Mick Green / Steve Harrison (Trev Teasdel vocals / lyrics) although that didn't work out and this version of the band didn't get as far as gigging.
CONCERT 1971
Mojo Morgan bass / Vocals
Martin Barter - Organ
Steve Harrison - Drums
Jim Allen - Sax
(Other similar bands with Mick Green / Simon Lovegrove (Drums) Johnny Adams (Guitar) were - Eli - Raine Chantre?)
JOURNEY OF A LIFE TIME.....Changed name of band to MORNING FREEDOM.
Tony King, vocals.
Ray .............Rhythm Guitar.
Trevor..............guitar
......................drums.
Mojo Morgan, bass
KRYSTAL....Lots of bookings with this band....working 3 to 4
nights a week.....Club Band.
BLEEDIN' HEARTS....Walsgrave based. All bands material!
ZENITH.
Jim Allen, sax and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass.
Steve Harrison, drums.
Mark Burton, guitar.
E.M.F. (Ska with Blues bass) 1979 - 1982
(Link above to their My Space)
Donna Elkington, vocals.
Sharron Elkington.vocals.
Jim Allen, sax and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass.
Fitzroy Wilson, ryth'em
Leroy Wright, drums.
Dave Gordon, lead guitar.
SAMMY EARTHQUAKE AND THE VOLCANOES.
Dickie Slick, guitar and vocals.
Roddy Byers,AKA Roddy Radiation - guitar and vocals.
Mojo Morgan, bass and vocals.
Red............, drums.
Mojo says - "Roddy Byers after the specials had is own band Roddy Radiation and The Tearjerkers and when he was'nt playing he would come with us and play with Sammy Earthquake and the Volcanoes"
TRAVELLING RIVERSIDE BLUES BAND.
(Hear their tracks on My Space above)
John Alderson, guitar and slide.
Mojo Morgan, bass and vocals.
George Stevens, drums.
Trevor.............vocals.
THE HOOCHIE COOCHIE BAND. (In South Wales) - Still going.
Mojo Morgan, vocals.
Mr Chilli, bass and vocals.
Vince. guitar and slide and vocals.
AJ, drums and vocals
7. What was your take on the early Coventry music scene in the early 70's?
I just did my own thing, and didn't take much notice of what other bands were doing really!
8. How did the advent of punk affect your musical career after 1977?
I wasn't really into punk at the time! But some stuff now, I do like. (21 Days I do like a lot ). Two members from Sham 69 and two member from Towers of London.
9. By 1979 in the wake of Two Tone you formed your own ska band EMF - how did that come about and what was the idea behind the band. Was there still a blues buzz there?
The blues buzz never leaves me Trev.
With EMF. I just wanted to do something different! I had just met Amos Anderson who new Fitzroy Wilson - rhythm guitarist and Fitzroy knew Leroy Wright - drums, and put an add in the paper for a singer and Sharon and Donna answered the the call and came for an audition and were recruited. Then all we had to find was the lead guitarist and sax player. I knew Jim Allen who played sax, so i recruited him. I think Dave Gordon - lead guitarist heard what we were doing and just turned up. The first practice we had all together was in Hillfields in one of the flats! and it just came together like that. It just jelled straight away!
Trev - (Yes I remember going to your flat in Hillfields in 1979 - you talked to me about doing some lyrics and you explained to me then that the concept was to form a Ska band but using blues basslines and Sax licks - I don't think it was recognised you were trying to do something slightly different with the Ska sound that fitted in with your love of the blues.
10 I went to a lot of EMF gigs at the Dog and Trumpet and Tile Hill in 1980 before I left Cov. How did the band fare after that - gigs, recordings etc.
We got under Oak Agency from Birmingham, and then the gigs started rollin in, playing all over the country in collages and then we started supporting all the Two Tone acts which was a great buzz!
Trev - I used to go to the regular gigs in Tile Hill and dance to try and get others up on the dance floor! It was very danceable music.
12 = 13. The band came second in Battle of the Bands and made a single for RCA - tell us the story and What happened to EMF - how come you split up?
I can't remember how we got into Battle of the Bands but we had to go to The Odeon in Birmingham for the first heat
with all the Area bands, and we came first. RCA put us up in London to go in the studio to do a single which went on to a compelation album for the best of Battle of the bands, and was given a trophy of Battle of the bands. There was a lot of bickering in the band by then, and you don't need that in a band, so then i put an advert in the shop to start another band, Yea! A blues band! I left my own band and started The Travelling Riverside Blues Band with John Alderson. EMF got hold of another bass player and done the final battle of the bands.
14 Tell us about the Coventry bands you were in afterwards There was a band with John Alderson and a band with Ex Special Roddy Radiation I believe - tell us about them.
When I put an ad in the Clay Lane music shop to put a blues band together. The day after John Alderson phoned me, and I remembered him from Wandering John ( A top Coventry band from around 1970). He knew George the drummer, and Trev vocalist followed! I became best mates with John and we still get together on the phone and still comes down to see us down in Wales. He a great friend and great musician, he taught me a lot.
15 Your ran a blues / Folk club at the Freemason's Arms in the 80's - can you tell us a bit about that..
I ran The Coventry Blues Club in the 80's at The Freemasons Tavern on a Thursday nights which we had some great Blues Artist from all over the UK. On Tuesday nights was a folk night with the main band Dando Shaft. Lots of different artists far and wide like Don Fardon, Mick Stuart, Dave Pegg. Martin Jenkins, Rod Felton and many more.
16. How come you moved to Wales and when?
My parents are from Wales, and I came down for holiday most of my life, I always wanted to live near the sea, and
wales just seemed right!
To be continued To Come MOJO on the Hoochie Coochie Band
Posted at 07:24 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Folk Scene, Coventry Music Scene, Interviews / Profiles and Tributes, Two Tone Central | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: coventry music scene, mojo morgan's hoochie coochie band, pembrokeshire, roddy radiation, travelling riverside blues band, two tone
NEW - LIVE AUDIO OF ASGARD ADDED FROM A GIG IN LONDON in the early 70's - added 5th Feb 2009
AND SOME NEW MATERIAL TO BE ADDED TO THIS FROM RICHARD KILBRIDE'S COLLECTION.
ASGARD (whose name was inspired by Norse mythology, land of the gods). were one of Coventry's top progressive bands in a Pink Floyd vain c 1969 - 70. Neol Davis (later of Two Tone band Selecter) sometimes guested on Sitar, John Peel took the band under his wing for a while and the band began to play more widely around the country.
This post expands on our previous post about Asgard with some addtional material supplied by the band and the promise of some live audio to come to this post. It also forms a tribute to their drummer Terry Westwood whom we have just been informed has terminal cancer and to Bill Walker - their musical genius / organist Bill Walker who sadly passed away in the mid 70's, still a young man.
This post therefore is mostly in the words of their bassist Richard Kilbride and their Roadie - Bob Mansfield with some additional information from some of their friends and associates. More on the Hobo A to Z of Coventry bands https://sites.google.com/site/bandsfromcoventry/coventry-bands-a-to-z/coventry-bands-a/asgard
Asgard are now on My Space Here And also visit their REVERBNATION site - http://www.reverbnation.com/asgardcoventry
"I have also got an original acetate (demo disc) that the band did in London which is still playable although a bit battered and scratchy." Bob Mansfield. The audio added here Track 2 is the only one with vocals - and a great track too.
was digitised and cleaned up a 40 year cassette tape from the 70's as best as can be expected for us by Roger Lomas. Thanks Roger.
Click the Reverbnation widget below to hear Asgards music -
Read more on hobo - A to Z of Coventry bands https://sites.google.com/site/bandsfromcoventry/coventry-bands-a-to-z/coventry-bands-a/asgard
ASGARD - by Richard Kilbride
"The band was formed as a school pal band in 1966. We were then called Union Jack and were a modish four piece Guitar, bass, farfiza and drums. They performed Who type material (hence the awful name). The three of us that became Asgard all lived within 200 yds of each other at Eastern Green and as Bill had a good shed behind his Garage that became our rehearsal studio, (every night). We soon started writing our own New wave or Psychedelic type music and did cover Nice and Floyd. We played a lot at the Umbrella Arts Club and the International Centre under the Cathedral as well as all the usual haunts that all the bands played in. We played the Warwick University Arts Festival with Pink Faries, Whistler, Sorrows etc. and Peter Waterman's progressive music venue at The Walsgrave and the Coventry police social club on a 'Penny Tour' with Comus (fantastic!) and Demon Fuzz..We were taken under the wing of John Peel for some time, through the efforts of Paul Padun our manager, We played with him on his new band spot at Mothers Erdington and also appeared at Torquay Town hall with him at a Blues festival there as support to Blodwyn Pig who failed to turn up. So we improvised a set to fill their spot. He also put us on a C.N.D festival in Victoria park (with a huge audience), headlined by The Crazy world of Arthur Brown and The Liverpool Scene. We also did many Gigs with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre in St. Ives, who were also his protogies.
The band moved to Devon to re write and re format the band, but doing so in a cottage we rented that had no electric defeated the project and Bill went off to Uni, Terry went back with Bob to Coventry and myself and Adrian Watton the bands light show and effects member stayed, seduced by the area.
I later formed a 6 piece band called Bo-Speak that had a good run of support playing throughout Devon, This band was a fusion band playing self written sets in the Talking heads, Brian Eno type stuff."
"We gigged at Mothers on our own accord not long after the Victoria Park gig (At which we replaced the then relatively unknown Black sabbath) as we impressed John Peel and he invited us to perform at his regular Friday night radio slot live from Mothers. Just as an aside Paul (our manager) went to live with John Peel in his mews appartment in Upper Harley street whilst working for bands such as Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre and Chicargo Blus Band (as did Terry when the band (Asgard) split up)"
From Asgard Roadie - Bob Mansfield - A bio of drummer Terry Westwood
"When the band went their merry ways Terry toured with Climax Blues Band along with Paul Padum for a short while after leaving Tialta Cottage in Westwood Ho, Devon. He then married Janet and lived with me in Coventry for a while until he got himself a house in Coventry. They have two sons, Neil and Lee, both of whom live near to him now in Kings Lynn. (Which is a great help at this present time). He left the heating industry (we originally both met as apprentice gas fitters in 1967) and became a lecturer in welding at Lloyds training school and got into education (technical). He joined CITB and moved back down to Westwood Ho to become regional manager for the local CITB moving finally to their head office in Kings Lynn to write their quality control system and become their health & safety director (I think). He was made redundant a number of years ago but remained on the payroll as an independent consultant, setting up his own business in the process. In between all of that he took an open university Masters Degree."
"Terry Westwood was the drummer (very much on the Nick Mason vogue) and whom the band met on the road actually jamming with them one wet wednesday night at Mothers in Erdington."
" unfortunately Bill Walker had a fatal heart atack weeks after he married circa 1975/8 ish, as did their manager Paul Padum (Coventry lad, lived in Foleshill of Ukrain family) and knew Neol Davis (Black Cat Bones) who actually never really played with Asgard as a member, more of a guest line up when he was into the Sitar"
"Paul Padun died in Bahrain whilst working with Charles Aznavour circa 1980"
Below are -
"some photos of the band in action at the Jag Sports & Social Club from a
guy called Terry Turner who was a sort of booking agent back then and organised gigs at the Jag, The Police Club and others."
Posted at 10:05 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene, Interviews / Profiles and Tributes, Two Tone Central | Permalink | Comments (3)
Tags: asgard, coventry arts umbrella club, coventry music scene, john peel, neol davies, selecter, terry westwood
WHISTLER
1969 - early 70's
WHISTLER
circa 1969 - 1971
Blues/Progressive
Line up: Kevin Harrison - guitar, Lynda Harrison, Gary Curtain - drums, John Westacott - bass, Mick Gawthorp - sax,
flute & vocals, Martin Barter (keyboards). Later Nick Trevisick joined on drums.
Barter went on to Just Jake with John Alderson ex-Wandering John.
Kevin tells us: "We were basically a progressive jazz-rock group playing tricky time signatures. I remember playing some dodgy venues, but we (mostly) fared well with local audiences."
Whistler were a favourite and popular band on the Cov scene in the early 70's. I first saw them at the Umbrella club in October 1969 (at the Transcendental Cauldron (The Umbrella's Underground arts fest) when I first joined. I also booked them for a gig in 1970. They played most of the usual venues, The Warwick University Arts Fest / The Lanch / The Plough / Village (Colin Cambell) and more.
Kevin later went on to form Zoastra in the mid 70's (see Zoastra for details) and then joined Urge.
(Kevin please correct any of this or add in to it as you wish)
Posted at 06:16 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: coventry arts umbrella club, coventry music scene, kevin harrison, whistler
Tsar
This was an early and popular band in 1970 featuring drummer Al Docker, guitarists Loz Netto and Charlie Bullen a bass player and a female violinist. They rehearsed at the Umbrella where they also played along with a host of other venues. They were mentioned in Broadgate Gnome.
Posted at 06:26 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene | Permalink | Comments (2)
Tags: al docker, coventry arts umbrella club, coventry music scene, loz netto, sniff and the tears, tsar
RAILROAD 1971
This short lived band was basically a re-titling of The Mick Green Blues Band. Perhaps they were trying to forge a new identity / direction.
I arranged for them to practice in the little theatre at the back of the Umbrella club around Feb / march 1971.
The nucleus consisted of Mick Green (Lead / rhythm guitar) Mojo (Tony) Morgan bass and Steve Harrison drums
but I think they were trying to expand the line up a bit with (if my memory serves well!)
With Trev Teasdel (vocals / lyrics) Jim Allen on sax (Jim was later in EMF in 1981 and I remember Mojo introducing me to Jim in Cov centre and him turning up to a session in 1971)
Also I was invited to try out vocals and write some lyrics for the band.
The band were R & B based but exploring a more progressive side to their material.
I was asked to bring a PA and try out vocals. Pete Waterman had suggested Billy Campbell of Coconut Mat might lend me a PA for the night. Billy agreed but I think a gig came up on the actual night so I was PA less.
I did write some new lyrics for the band with a kind of King Crimson feel (or that was one of the influences anyway).
For one reason or another, the band never got off the ground although the musicians continued to play together in other formations. the initial ideas sounded good but I think maybe differences of direction and lack of a PA might have been problems.
Not a lot more to say as the band never got beyond a series of exploratory practices but here are two lyrics I wrote for the band but not in the end used.
The song is about illusion and I seem to remember that Glaik is a Scottish word meaning fool but the inference I took from my original source was one who lived under illusions. I can't seem to find a definition on the net that gives that inference so I don't know if it was me that gave it that slant or not now! The story of the monkey who seeing the sun in the lake dived in to catch it but discovered it was only a reflection was the starting point for the lyric.
GLAIK (The Illusion of the Lake) by Trev Teasdel (C) 1971
I tried to catch the sun
but it was only a reflection in the water.
I was only seeking treasure
But I ended up 'kissing the gunner's daughter'
The velvet coated bard I followed
was just a caird who was in a play.
I looked up to the sky to see
they had blackened the 'eye of the day'
chorus Glai - Aye Aye Aye k (3 times)
The Illusion of the lake.
I went to see the archimage
but he turned out to be just a javel.
I pulled the bedclothes back
to see a snake unravel.
I almost made the rainbow's end
when it suddenly turned wan
I gledged upon a peacock
who suddenly lost his fan.
Another lyric probably owed something to McBeth although it is not about McBeth and also the images in The lyric to Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson.
Beneath the Phaeic Sky (Trev Teasdel (c) 1971
The Black Knight's spectre
Prowls the battlements.
Beneath the phaeic sky
Sounds his sad lament.
The phantom pillion rider groans
as he leaps a lazing stile.
The faceless henchman totes his gun
and points it with beguile.
And the shivers of my uncertainty
Cloud my mind so I can't see.
The moon has closed her eyes
to the surrep[titious hand of fate
The groined pasageway becomes alive
Ornamental armoury vibrates.
The trees they are approaching now
Like Birnam Wood on old McBeth
The assassin's blade drips with blood
There's a stench of cobwebbed death.
And the shivers of my uncertainty
Cloud my mind so I can't see.
Beelzebub whets his fangs
and summons the firedrake
As a prudent Aquila swoops in
along the monsters wake.
The unsuspecting demon squirms
with the stab of a venom tongue
And the shivers of my uncertainty
Cloud my mind so I can't see.
Posted at 10:27 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: coventry arts umbrella, coventry music scene, mick green, mojo morgan, Railroad, trev teasdel
RA HO TEP (Early 70's)
This was Tim James's band. (Hopefully Tim will furnish us with more details.
I must have seen this three piece (bass, drums and sax / Keys) many times in the early 70's from October 1969
through to at least 1972. I think I also booked them for the Cov Arts
Umbrella in 1970. The Umbrella is where I first saw them, at the Transcendental Cauldron in October 1969 (An Underground Arts fest.). This band was an unusual but highly regarded Avant Garde / experimental jazz with band leader Tim James on Sax and keyboards. I saw them at Warwick University Arts
Fest / The Lanch Poly (now Cov Uni), the Village, Plough - in fact most of the venues of the time, including Coventry Cathedral Ruins (see the photograph).
I don't know the line up though so if Tim or anybody else remembers,
please comment this post with the details.
Posted at 08:38 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: coventry music scene, Ra ho tep, tim james
NACK-ED-EN (1970)
A tasteful heavy rock band for 1970.
Lead Guitar - LOZ NETTO (later with Tsar / Love Zeus / Sniff and the Tears (Now solo) and more.
Bass Guitar - NEIL RICHARDSON - formerly with Acorn later with Drops of Brandy.
Drums - 1st drummer STEVE HARRISON previously with Mick Green Blues Band later with Concert / Railroad
Replaced by JOHN (BRAD) BRADBURY (much later with The Specials
Following on fromt he piece on the Mick Green Blues Band - drummer Steve Harrison introduced me to this band, asking me to bring some of my lyrics to a rehearsal at a pub in Primrose Hill St. one Sunday afternoon in 1970. it was the first time I'd met the band (apart from Steve) but got to see a lot of them later on, especially Loz.
A tight three piece with high-octane musicianship. The second week when I
went along with my lyrics, Steve had been replaced by John Bradbury. Brad ws a stand out drummer even back then, 10 years before the Specials, no long messy drum solos, his breaks were tearse and highly skillful (as in Gangsters) and he seemed to have a great sense of song structure and band leadership. Loz was a skilful lead guitarist - he seemed to let rip in a blues style and yet weave in melody as well. One of his heros was Bob Fripp of King Crimson. I know that because I was with Loz at the Lanch Poly when he collered hold of Greg Lake and Carl Palmer outside
after the ELP gig and quizzed Lake on Bob Fripp. Before that in 1971 we'd been at the Warwick university Arts Festival where the Pink Faries were playing (along with Cov bands Whistler / The Sorrows (reformed) etc. Loz and went into the dressing room and he got himself a go on their lead guitar - it was a special one but I can't remember what kind - Loz was more up on electric guitars than I then - I was just learning. Loz gave me my first lead guitar lessons in the dressing room but the lesson was disrupted whent he Pink Faries stuck a condom over the tap in the gents and turned on the tap - two besuited University gentlemen came out soaked to the skin and very annoyed - we headed back to the gig quick!!
I organised the band nights at the Umbrella club then and got them free
(Neil Richardon is in the Middle in the photo)
rehearsal space at the Umbrella and so saw a lot of them. The band (as was common then, didn't seem to last more than a couple of months - Neil left to join the pop band Drops of Brandy with Ted Duggan etc and went on tour. Loz joined Tsar and then Love Zeus.
Because Steve leaft my songs didn't get used but we went to the Dive bar (Lady Godiva) after the Primrose Hill rehearsal and sat with Guitarist Chris Jones and they read through the lyrics. i remember Brad reading them and
saying 'who is he?'. I wasn't sure if that was good or band but Chris Jones asked me to do some lyrics for him but again as soon as bands formed, they seemed to split so I never really got anywhere - but by the end of 1971 I could play guitar myself and began putting my own music to them and playing in folk clubs or between sets of my friends bands.
As far as I remember the music was mainly R & B but had an impressive progressive element with John Bradbury's jazz rock skills and Loz's interest in bands like King Crimson.
Posted at 10:41 PM in Coventry Arts Umbrella Club, Coventry Music Scene, Two Tone Central | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: coventry music scene, John bradbury, loz netto, sniff and the tears, specials, two tone
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