60's groups and Nottingham Venues


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On 2/1/2011 at 12:55 PM, barclaycon said:

Very recently some friends of mine were reminiscing about Moor Farm Inn and seeing Judas Priest at the Gun Deck !

off topic but Judas Priest played a few other local venues too, Plough and Harrow Hucknall, Elizebethan Rooms Ilkeston, Grey Topper Jacksdale, and support to Budgie at the Sherwood Rooms

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Haha. Yes, Budgie - heavy trio from Wales!

I saw quite a few good gigs at the Sherwood Rooms - which I always liked as a venue. What's happened to it now ?

In fact some of the places in Nottingham that had some great gigs are probably still there - but just don't have groups on anymore. Albert Hall, Theatre Royal, Nottingham Playhouse. I can remember seeing Man (another Welsh group) at a hotel on Maid Marion Way. Can't remember the name. I think it's a Travelodge now.

My brother has got programmes from gigs in Nottingham that he went to in the 60's - Stone the Crows, Blodwyn Pig, Jethro Tull (on the same bill). Ten Years After, Tir Na Nog, Quintessence, Curved Air. Jimi Hendrix played at the Theatre Royal once. My mum worked at the sweetshop round the corner (Watmoughs) and remembers selling him a pack of cigarettes.

Ah the memories...

 

We had the start of a good thread going here until some pin-head decided to try and sell DJ equipment (!)

Anyway, to continue ....

Apparently the Sherwood Rooms in Nottingham have now been converted to a big Disco Club called Oceanic.

The Hotel where I saw 'Man' is apparently now what is the Hilton. Can't remember what it was called way back then.

Very worthy of mention are the Boat, Britannia or Union Rowing clubs on Trent Bridge.

Some excellent groups played there, including Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Fleetwood Mac, Groundhogs.

Many a happy Saturday or Sunday spent at the Boat - followed by a late-night kebab or indian down Arkwright Street.

Further to what I was saying about the Albert Hall, we dug up some of the set lists from years ago and groups that played there included Jethro Tull, Curved Air, Wishbone Ash, Mott The Hoople, Black Sabbath, Tangerine Dream and, of course, our very own Ten Years After. Alvin Lee was from Sutton Passeys Crescent in Wollaton and Chick Churchill was from Beeston where his folks had a sweet shop.

The other major venues were Trent Polytechnic and Nottingham University (Pink Floyd etc.)

My brother says he saw Captain Beefheart play at Nottingham Uni with his wife sitting in a rocking chair knitting!

Of course there were also the Big Events either on Victoria Embankment: e.g. Atomic Rooster/Rory Gallagher/Mungo Jerry etc. Or Notts County’s ground e.g. Fleetwood Mac, The Nice, The Tremeloes etc.

I guess you could say that Nottingham was a happening place at that time!

Ahh memories indeed.

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Not forgetting the Beatles at the Co Op Rainbow Rooms on Broad Street and the Odeon cinema , along with the Stones!

Incedentally many moons later, we put loads of old 60s groups on at "The Mardis Gras" in the 80s . Geno Washington , Dave Berry and the Cruisers and Freddie and the Dreamers to name but a few.

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there was a past posting on here re the stones never played nottingham? I don't know, but did see them drinking in The Bowling Green ? (not sure of name) pub on Canal Street near Wilford Road on midweek dinner with tour bus outside, also posted before was the story of Pink Floyd at Mapperley Hospital Nurses home party

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Don't forget The Imperial on St James Street, they used to have some good bands on in the Cooler Bar; the hotel on Maid Marian Way was the Albany.

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Floyd played at Meadow Lane in the 60s, and the Groundhogs played the Running Horse a few times during the 80s and 90s.

Used to see The Jaybirds,(Ten Years After)regularly at the Gaumont on Saturday mornings.

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Yes. thank you Zab. It was the Albany Hotel.

According to picturethepast The Beatles played at the Odeon on Angel Row on 12 December 1963.

Has that area all been levelled now ?

The Rainbow Rooms Broad Street ? Could you give a few more clues on that one. I couldn't find any information.

The Gaumont - corner of Wollaton and Goldsmith Street. Yes, I remember going there several times. Quite an imposing building.

It seems that Notts County ground was the midlands equivalent of the Wembley outdoor gig in the 60's !

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Went to some gig at The Rainbow Rooms, (full fishtail parka but 500cc matchless) don't recall anyone well known playing there? esp The Beatles! Believe it or not another venue was The Albert Hall, saw Tangerine Dream there, and was really looking forward to seeing/hearing Nazareth doing "this flight tonight" there (great flanging effect) but barstewards pulled out at last minute, (still waiting for refund) another venue for local bands was YMCA, plus 20 (not 10!) years later Tiffany's, Ashley Promotions put 3 bands on there, Sovereign, Paralax, and ABK, all 3 went down like a lead balloon!

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I've just had a word with my Mum about The Beatles tale, and I was mixing up two stories (Well three actually) The year was '62 , the venue was "The Co oP Rainbow Rooms" on Broad Street Just before "Love me do" hit the charts, they were booked to do a gig there, but on the strength of them now being a chart act they pulled out !!

Shift forwards to '63 they did finally appear in Nott'm at "The Odeon" Angel Row, the band then took some lucky audience members for coffee at the Co oP on Upper Parliament Street, my Aunty Pat being one of them , it was no later than '63 as my Aunty Pat died in Jan '64!! (I'm still unable to ascertain how my Aunty Pat got invited!! other than the possibility was as a bit of compensation for cancelling the gig the year previous!!)

She had been a big fan of them from their days in Hamburg and a couple of them hitched all the way there to watch them once (Obviously an unheard of thing to do in those days) and she was one of the founder members of their fan club

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Re Rainbow Rooms, part of the co-op complex on Broad St,as I recall building stood back with steps up to it and glass doors? it went through to Heathcote St with another way in virtually next door to Gee Dee Models, The YMCA I referred to was on Shakespeare St, was in The Dolphin one night and wandered around corner, saw band in YMCA, then another upstairs above Blacks Camping Shop, then back to the pub! Around that era also saw The Move and another band in a big tent somewhere near Clifton Bridge, maybe at some cricket club do? and the following weekend nearly saw another band playing in a field at Balloon Wood crossroads, say nearly as stopped by police climbing over the fence

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The Imperial on St James Street was the residency for Gaffa. Wayne Evans was indeed the driving force behind them.

Seem to remember him having a bass in the shape of a frog. Kevin Unwin (also known as Stan) played guitar with them for a short while.

Some other bands worth a mention: Desparate Dan and Slender Loris.

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Hendrix played the Theatre Royal 3rd December 1967 supported by Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, Amen Corner, Eire Apparent, Outer Limits, DJ Pete Drummond, ticket prices 5/- to 17/6d, I can't remember why the hell I didn't go, it must have been sold out! Hendrix supposedly played the Beachcomber Club in January 67, and as a supporting act to the Walker Brothers Farewell Tour in August 67 along with Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdink, that must have been interesting to see. My brother saw Hendrix at the Sherwood Rooms in 1968, he got a ticket, I didn't, I was shattered, although he reported back that he spent the evening in a cloud of other peoples dope smoke, I wondered why he fell in the door when he came home, a naughty Chartered Accountant.

Derrick and the Dominoes, aka Clapton, were due to appear at the Sherwood Rooms in 1970 and I was determined not to miss this one, unfortunately Hendrix died and Clapton cancelled the concert as he went to Seattle for Hendrix's funeral.

Incidentally, I'm not sure that the Pink Floyd ever played the Uni, we went to see them in the gym at Trent Poly about 1973, they turned up late as they thought they were supposed to be at the Uni, we witnessed the first faltering steps towards Dark Side of The Moon, amazing, though I had seen them and their superb liquid light show and performance on South Parade Pier, Southsea in 1969.

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  • 5 years later...
  • 5 years later...

Also saw ground hogs at Nottm uni plus Roxy Music,T Rex,Sha Na Na Black Sabbath at tha Albert Hall,pretty sure Mott the Hoople wrecked the dressing rooms and that was that!.

Don’t forget the boat club,saw some great bands there,one of the best was a band called Wild Turkey.

A bit further afield,the great live band ever SAHB at the demons fort and AC/DC,Ian Dury and the blockheads at Derby Assembly Rooms.

Fantastic nights

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Welcome SteveP! 
I spent a lot of time at The Dungeon, Beachcomber and Boat Clubs.  Too much time really, I should have been at home revising for exams but n’er mind, I did OK anyway.  

My younger brother saw Black Sabbath at Arnold High School Youth Club in the late 60s, before they became big.   It’s amazing to think how these performers who really make it big-time just start out in little local venues, the Jaybirds being a prime example! 

 

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Welcome Steve.  I too, like Lizzie, spent a lot of time at the Boat Clubs and the Beachcomber.  I never saw Roxy Music, because I'd left Nottm before they 'broke', but I was at school with Rick (Rik) Kenton, who played bass with them for a while.

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  • Cliff Ton changed the title to 60's groups and Nottingham Venues

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