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The Acropolis - Folkestone - Small club venue - Used to get raided by the police! The
Beehive, Canterbury Bridge
Country Club Click
for Posters I am doing some research into the late 1968 UK tour by Led Zeppelin when they were still billed in some places as The Yardbirds. Your name has cropped up, so I figured you may know someone who was there, or may even have been there yourself. On
a ridiculously more hopeful note, would you have any idea if anybody regularly
taped shows at the Club ? Either illicitly or through the mixing Any help, guidance or /anything/ you can contribute would be a massive help. Also, while we are down your way [I only live in Swanley and know the area well], how about the University show in 1971 ? I'll leave you to scratch your head and cast your mind back through the fuzz, and hope to hear from you soon. Thanks - Paul Chapman Cavern at Lido - Cliftonville. Granada Picture House - Maidstone My first ever gig was at the Granada picture house in Maidstone to see the second show of that day of THE ROLLING STONES,THE RONETTES, SWINGING BLUE JEANS, DAVE BERRY, MARTY WILD & the WYLDCATS, THE CHEYNES (who later became Fleetwood Mac) on the 8th January 1964 on Elvis' Birthday...was any one else there ? Corn Exchange Maidstone Coach and Horses, Canterbury Co-Op
Club - Folkestone Cream played there to
an audience of about 12 people. Dover
Town Hall - Lots of bands from Dover/ Folkestone - Lonely Ones / Big
Beats etc. I saw Deep
Purple there. Awesome. - NRA Roger "Twiggy"
Day writes Dreamland Ballroom
was the place Though. Everybody played it. I remember the queues all along the
seafront to see Brian Poole & The Tremeloes who were almost resident band before
they hit the big time. Great value at two shillings and sixpence. That is where
I started my career playing records while the bands had a break. I must have appeared
with all the chart bands of the era. If only I had taken a camera with me. The
while working on the off-shore stations I did discos at most of the venues I mentioned
earlier. Empress
Ballroom - Pfizers Club
At
a later date Martin Jones
and his friend and partner Peter Hickey opened the "Sundowner Club"
on the 2nd floor of the Empress Ballroom site, which later had to move to the
bottom of Dover Road 100 yards away under the old Co-op - due to town and road
restructuring. The club gave opportunity to new bands to start their own careers
in the music business, an ideal still required today.
Going
up the road from the entrance towards Payers Park were shops under the Hillside
Club, an alley to the Wooddcutters, Swift School of Motoring, a greengrocers,
Michael's fish & chip shop, R.O. Wiltshire, calor gas stockist, Renham's cycle
shop, a linen, fancy goods & toy shop and The Copper Kettle, tobacconists,
confectioners and stationers.
Folkestone
Art School
Hillside Social Club, Dover Rd Folkestone ( knocked down now )
December
31st 1966 - Jimi Hendrix played in Folkestone on an impromptu visit to the Hillside
Club, which was one building further up Dover Rd than the
Empress Ballroom . Picture Left , Thanks to Alan Taylor - Next building down the road was the Empress Ballroom under the Pfizer's Club.
We are looking for positive confirmation of these events please contact chris@kentgigs.com 01303 893472 Hole in The Wall - Dover Rd, Folkestone Kings Hall - Herne Bay. Leas
Cliff Hall Former Managers
The best gig ever, at The Leas? - contributions please. I have just returned to the site after about a year and am impressed with its growth. I
can remember seeing "Focus" at the Leas Cliff Hall in the mid seventies
along with most of the other bands listed. Hocus Pocus and Sylvia chart Suzie Quattro, Mud, Medicine
Head, Rubetts and Hawkwind played too. "Ten Years After" They were excellent, having
stood in for "Jethro Tull" at short notice. - Nick
Ashman Just
looked at your webpage and it took me back
Yes Plus later in 73
or 74 The New Seekers (had to take my sister) and Ralph McTell
Best regards, I'm
surprised at you! Did you not see any of: Saturnalia
I can remember seeing "Focus" at the Leas Cliff Hall in the mid
seventies along with most of the other bands listed. Hocus Pocus and Sylvia chart Saw "Yes" there, when Leas was closed for major repairs, I believe it was subsidence ! Incidently, Jan and I saw "Yes" at the Apollo last year (2000). They are the same as ever, but with less hair. It was weird going to a major gig like that with lots of other balding middle-aged old rockers. NRA Neptune
Dymchurch
May
17 1964 Odeon Theatre Folkestone Kent (2 Shows) Pleasurama at Ramsgate. Seafront, - Home of the Radio London Nights promoted by Radlon Enterprises of Curzon Street,London and sponsored by Inecto hair shampoo. - Many,many great bands - Brian Auger & the Trinity - Rod Stewart,Julie Driscoll & Long John Baldry , Episode 6 (Later to become Deep Purple) The Troggs - David Bowie & the Lower Third, Small Faces,Alex Harvey Soul Band,Pinkertons Assorted Colours (I wish I could remember them all )....C.A.Rose The Quarterdeck youth club in Zion place,MARGATE - Could get very crowded with the local mods Springfield Hotel(Folkestone) Early 80's This place really
took off as a friendly meeting place for the musicians of Folkestone, the pay
wasn't great but at least most bands could get a gig or a jam. For the landlord
and the bands it was about their music and the freedom to play anything. Around this time Chris was asked to arrange Sunday Lunchtime Jam Sessions for the venue so he enlisted Jack Pound to run them as he was the only person he knew that was experienced and reliable. Jack made a brilliant job of it and the venue got busier and busier. In general at that time, if you were in a band and not playing that night you would be at The Springfield. Jack Pound is still actively presenting Jam Sessions fortnightly at the "The Butt" in Hythe. Problems with the neighbouring Hotel and Bar resulted
in a court appearance and a "Clockwork Orange" was installed along with
bricking-up of windows and some soundproofing. The "too loud" bands
found that they were suddenly cut off in full scream. Not much fun but this device
kept the place open for a few more years until the retirement of the owners. Star Hotel. Maidstone Starlite Herne Bay (managed by Charlie Chesters son, he also used to be in Cliff's backing band in the early days) Strand Palais , Walmer,DEAL. - Popular with the marine squaddies and the locals. - Stones played there just prior to release of "Around & Around". St Thomas Hall ,Canterbury - Large church hall near Iron Bar Lane - A few hard rock bands like Johnny Kidd and the Pirates - Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages.(Funny gigs seemed to stop after the aforementioned) - I wonder why? Tofts
Resident bands 1962/3 - Pat Barry &The
Travellers - The Sundowners - The
Lonely Ones - The Playboys
P.A. speakers had to be placed on shelves down the side walls. No alcohol was served and the bouncers were tough and quick to deal with any disturbance. The atmosphere was electric, all of the top bands wanted to play the venue. There was an Ultra Violet light above the dance floor which Illuminated the girls' underwear (and dandruff) whilst they danced around their handbags. The best gig ever, at Tofts - contributions please. Geno
Washington and The Ram Jam Band - Chris Ashman 1968/9 During 1966 - 67 - Wilde Flowers 28.1.1967 - The Who 18 Feb 1967 - Cream 1967??? - Jimi Hendrix - Hendrix never played Tofts, he played the Hillside Social Club, Grace Hill. ( knocked down now ).Those were the days........Shacks 19th January 1968 - Freddy Mack
Show. Who can remember Mod band Dave Amboy
& the Amboy Dukes ?? 1968 ? loads of the mods on the stage singing into
Dave Amboy's microphone..ha!! - see Dec 1969 09 May 1970 - Hawkwind 15 Aug 1970 - Derek & The Dominoes Sat 3rd October 1970-Daddy Longlegs What about the
"Acropolis", With "Archie", Wasn't he a bouncer for Harold
and Doris ? Best gig at Tofts?. So many. Canned Heat, Moody Blues, Geno Washington, Freddie Mac, Fleetwood Mac, Who. Those were the days ....Shacks Hi Chris I
am looking for a copy of a vinyl album recorded live at Tofts in Thanks
The Trapezium - Strand Street, SANDWICH. - Always very popular with the rockers and their motorbikes from around east Kent. Tudor House, Bearsted Van Gogh Woodward
Hall - Folkestone Oh!
|
 Bridge Place Country Club is situated in an old Manor House the village
of Bridge just outside of Canterbury. Below is the 1968/69 programme in real money - Average national wage about £15 a week. Local bands were paid £16 - £18 and expected to play 2-3hrs. |
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1968   1969  
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Also how about Maidstone
Fiesta festival 1970 with Fairport Convention and Matthews Southern Comfort
Maidstone
College also went through a phase of good gigs – worth adding that? I only
saw a band called Daddy Longlegs there in 1971, but they had better!
...................................................................................................Graham
Can you help Brian ?
Hi can you help please
I am a local musician
and am currently writing a book concerning venues that I have played since I began
in the early 60's
In particular - I am trying to get some info on places
that I rembember playing - but can find little or no no reference to in local
archives
Here are some of them - the year could be one adrift either
way
49) Headcorn Youth Club Headcorn Kent (1966)
50) Silver Palms
- Maidstone Barracks, Maidstone, Kent (1966)
51) Regency Club - Rochester,
Kent (1966)
52) (Queen) Carolines Bedroom - Rochester, Kent (1966)
53)
Galahad Club - Strood, Kent (1966)
54) Cardijn Club - Chatham, Kent (1966)
55) The Big 6 Club Tonbridge (1966)
56) HMS Pembroke - Chatham, Kent (1966)
57) The Central Hotel - Chatham, Kent (1966)
58) Lenham Carnival - Village
Hall, Lenham, Kent (1966)
59) Brompton Barracks - Chatham, Kent (1967)
60)
Chuff Club - Wigmore, Kent (1967)
61) Hook & Hatchet - Walderslade, Chatham,
Kent (1967)
62) The Seaview Hotel Sheerness - (1967)
Also the Supreme
Ballroom Ramsgate and Micks Flamingo in Tontine Street Folkestone - both in 1967
Here are some clues .......
51 and 52 were the same venue - closed
and reopened with a change of name
They were - I think - on th left as you
come down Strood hill into Strood heading east
The Cardijn was behind Chatham
station
I think I played downstairs at the Central - would that be right
in those days or was that at Central halls ?
The Chuff Club may have
been held in a pub ??
Were the Pembroke and the Brompton Barracks 'the
same gig'?
When did 62 close ?
Ive got to cover around 400 in all
mainly in London and the SouthEast but this early period has got me a bit stuck
All contributions gratefully received
cheers
Email :
Brian Brockie
GIG
GUIDE HOME PAGE Tel.01303 893472
email chris@kentgigs.com RED
ADMIRAL RECORDS LLP Registered Office: The Cedars, Elvington Lane, Hawkinge, Folkestone,
Kent. CT18 7AD |
Drummer of Caravan jammed with us here in 1968 - CJA
Alan
Taylor who kindly supplied these photos and some of the text said.
I
recall seeing a number of the bands in the late 70's at the Golden Arrow in sandgate.
Denigh, City Blues Band, Life n Soul, etc etc and Henry McCullough (I think) on
one occassion . Good Web Pages. 
Contrary
to popular belief, Hendrix never played 
Picture
Right - The Circuit at The Hilside Club 1966 (Pic. Thanks to Rod Jones)
Poster
Left for an un-official Experience gig thought to be in Folkestone captured from
The Circuit's van window 1968 believed to be held at the 
The
Leas Cliff Hall on Folkestone's spectacular cliff top location is the largest
hall in the area. In the 60's it held about 1200 standing and 800 seated and has
been the main live music venue for decades. Every Saturday night it was the place
to be with famous international bands and was nearly always full. It was common
to have two local support bands as well, which gave them the "Large Venue" experience
and their first dressing room with the band's name on. If only walls could talk!.
Tofts
was originally a Dance Studio & Youth Club operated by Harold and Doris Toft
next to the old Pleasure Gardens Theatre on Bouverie Road West. The building was
pulled down to make way for the Orion Insurance building in the early 1960's.
the club was later called theTofts Jazz Club and had over 6000 members.
July
1969