TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I was interviewed by a very nice Spaanish gentleman about my memories of playing at the Marquee Club in Wardour St London.

So there's a bit about Fairport and a bit about other bands, but the whole site is very interesting as the old club was demolished in the 90's

Anyway it's here if you'd like to have a look

http://www.themarqueeclub.net

 ;D :o 8)

Thanks for the link.  I have walked past the old site in Wardour street many times, trying to imagine what it would have been like to actually see all the great bands that played there.

Hot & Sweaty, with said sweat running down the walls....literally.

...I particularly remember one extra hot evening in the summer of 67 with The Move on stage.Standing on the back of one of the sofas along the wall trying not to slip down along the wall with a bare back. Too warm for a T-shirt, it disappeared in the chaotic crowd ....
Ahh, those were the days.... ;)
Staffan

The people that run the site are really keen to have audience (and artist) memories sent to them, particularly if you remember specific gigs.

That's how I got interviewed, by saying how titchy the dressing room was and how sticky the floor was ;D

I remember seeing the Moody Blues there in 1969. It was cramped and it was dark. :P

Shame that so many of those venues are no more ... the Cavern is an obvious miss, but also the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle which was demolished only a few years ago ... the starting venue for bands as diverse as Roxy Music, the Animals, Prefab Sprout and even Jimmy Nail! There was a real campaign to save it, but now it's part of another shopping arcade!  :-[

Remember walking past the Marquee many times ..... though sadly never saw a gig there.

Did you lose any articles of clothing in those warm and steamy conditions, Flower?  :)

Never did get to see a gig at the marquee, queued outside for 5 hours for a Joe Satriani gig once though, eventually the queue diminished to about 20 people in front of me when it was announced that the house was full :( So we went on a pub crawl instead :D

I couldn't possibly comment 8)

Most of the time  I wish I was younger - but when it comes to these legendary places like the Marquee I wish I'd been born a couple of years earlier. When I was old enough to afford a journey to London on my own my favourite bands (e.g. Crimson) didn't play at Marquee anymore...
Thanks Judy for your fine contribution on "I talk to the wind"

Saw numerous heavy rock bands there during the 80's and had the great pleasure of "hanging out" in the dressing room (basically a small cubby hole) with the Lloyd Langton Band..

I agree 100% with those comments ... reckon I was born five years too late.  Was too young to see Dylan at the Isle of Wight or the 67 to 71 variations of Fairport and by the time I was allowed down to London alone or with a friend it was time for Marc Bolan and the beginning of glam rock.

Would have loved to have caught The Who at the Marquee or The Kinks at Eel Pie Island or somewhere similar in the mid to late 60s

and yes, thanks Judy, it was sublime

 :D ;D 8) Thankyou ;D

well. not fairport, but I remember as a teenager visiting London with friends (prob 1967 or 68?), we ended up at the Marquee in the evening, the placard announced 'Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac' - never heard of them we said, so went to the pub instead !!! AArrrgh!!

You & I must be pretty much the same age as I've had those thoughts you mention for many a year. Distinct jealousy here to those that did!

Neither of you give your age, which is possibly telling, but I think Chris is about 5 or 6 years younger than me, she said smugly ;D ;D ;D

I feel immensely happy that I was born when I was.

I did not live in London for very long but there were plenty of clubs in the provinces, including Mothers in Birmingham that I used to frequently frequent. John Peel said of this club 'People are amazed to hear that for a few years the best club in Britain was in Erdington'. Check out the guest list here http://www.erdington.org/mothers/

In fact if you want to check out who played where whenever in the 60's look at this site http://www.marmalade-skies.co.uk/ ;D

My jealousy could consist of not entering a London club until 1966.
Much too late. But the  London month in 67 was great.
Staffan

Great article Jude - you must have some brilliant memories!  8)

I was and indeed still am too young to have seen any of these band or visited the venues, but I still play the music regularly. To me, the British music scene of the late sixties/early seventies still sounds as fresh and exciting as ever and is still a huge influence on bands today.

Like Sandra, though, I'm happy with my age as it meant I got to see all the Punk bands like The Clash, XTC and The Damned when they were just starting out.   ;D

Ah, Bridgwit, that's when I got my second (or third, or fourth wind) and even at the ripe old age of 27 I was still young enough to enjoy the punk boom.

My first punk gig was at the Parr Hall, Warrington (I did frequent seriously cool places, you see ;)) in May 1997 seeing the Heartbreakers, the Buzzcocks and Slaughter and the Dogs. We then moved to Oxford and got involved with the likes of John Otway. 'Nough said.

I remember getting to a Johnny Moped gig there around 1977/8 and it was full to overflowing - but by slipping the bouncer 50p he let you in - he must have made an absolute bomb that night.

I was at that gig!!  (if it was the one with a guitarist  called Slimey Toad I think and there was outbreaks of fighting in the audience....)
also saw Wire (very crowded!!), Adam and the Ants (orig line-up), Johnney Thunders and loads more.... ::) ::)

I was born 50 years late  :'( :'(  ;)

The Long Suffering is from Warrington - we saw FC at the Parr Hall there last year - great venue!  :)

John Otway rocks!  8)

Think you are rather too close for comfort (age wise that is!)
 ;D ;D

Well if you mean the one I am referring to above then 'outbreaks of fighting in the audience' would be an understatement :o

The bar looked like the Texas Chain Saw Massacre had been replayed in it.

But what were you doing in Warrington!!!! I thought you had better taste, Slippy!




Then you are a perfect age ;D

My first punk gig was a punk fest at Huddersfield in the summer of 1977 and I was in charge of the bar.

I refused to serve two lads, who were well underage. They swore and spat when I told them I could give them orange juice or coke.

They were on stage later as Slaughter and the Dogs!!!

 :-[

Hi Sandy

Some confusion here methinks....I replied in haste to Jim G's message as I thought he was referring to the Marquee!  To my knowledge I've never been to Warrington in my life!!  

Nice interview, Jude. I particularly like:

"I thought he was really weird, but he was also kind of loveable, so we married..."

 :)

The first gig I ever went to was at the original Marquee I am proud to say, though it was towards the end of it's life. It was a band called After The Fire, before they had ever been signed to a record contract. They never achieved great superstardom. I was 14 then (1978) but I still have a soft spot for them. I remember the gig vividly as it was an eye opener for a sheltered kid from a small Sussex market town and I can attest to all of the heat, stickiness & sweatiness that everyone else here seems to remember too.

Yes I was referring to the Marquee London I also have never been to Warrington either.

I saw Johnny Moped at the Marquee at least twice - I used to work with the Bass player Fred Burk (sited by Captain Sensible as the creative genius behind JM and who sadly eventually threw himself under a train aged 29 ) The second time I saw them at the Marquee I got there early and just hung around backstage with Fred and the band and ended up watching the gig for for free - I also seem to recall Johnny Moped having a throat infection and was delayed at the doctors so Fred dragging me up on stage to take his place and do the sound check which was pretty cool.  

I hope you're all passing on these memories to the man at the Marquee...the more the merrier he says! :D

and


 ;D ;D ;D ;D

I saw a stream of bands at the marquee in the mid 80s but the only one I can remember was a glam rock band called Wrathchild (I think) and some dude who seemed to play Led Zepplin covers all night, but had Mitch Mitchell as his drummer.  All I remember is that it was so small and dark that no one could move.  I do remember that everytime I went there there was a women who would just walk in and say to the bouncers 'darling, I was here when Jimi Hendrix play, I don't need to pay' - and no one ever charged her.  Oh how the wheels of commercialism have moved on.  

I was there! Really into that band then....