

at Pontin's Seacroft Holiday Camp at Hemsby, Great Yarmouth. When that was over, I joined the band with Chipperfield's Circus. It was a hard blow - I remember muddy Newbury Race Course, 7 hour rehearsals in cold tents and bleeding lips.


For the past fifteen years we've been updating the world about jazz in the north east of England and updating the north east of England about jazz in the world. WINNER of the Jazz Media Category in the 2018 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Contact lanceliddle@gmail.com
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Holly Cooper, Mouthpiece Music: "Lance writes pull quotes like no one else!"
September
Thu 28: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ The Holystone, Whitley Road, North Tyneside. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 28: Alice Grace Quartet @ King's Hall, Newcastle University. 1:15pm. Free.
Thu 28: Gateshead Jazz Appreciation Society @ Gateshead Central Library, Gateshead. 2:30pm. All welcome.
Thu 28: Faye MacCalman + Snape/Sankey @ Cobalt Studios, Newcastle. 7:00pm.
Thu 28: Zoe Rahman @ Jesmond United Reformed Church, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:30pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Thu 28: '58 Jazz Collective @ Hops & Cheese, Hartlepool. 7:30pm.
Thu 28: Speakeasy @ Queen's Hall, Hexham. 7:30pm. £15.00. A Southpaw Dance Company presentation. Dance, audio-visuals, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, swing dancers etc.
Thu 28: Mick Cantwell Band @ Harbour View, Sunderland. 8:00pm. Free. Ace blues band.
Thu 28: Tees Hot Club @ Dorman's Club, Middlesbrough. 9:00pm.
Fri 29: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Fri 29: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.
Fri 29: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms, Monkseaton. 1:00pm.
Sat 30: John Pope Quintet + Late Girl + Shapeshifters @ Bobik's, Jesmond, Newcastle.
Sat 30: Papa G's Troves @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A 'Jar on the Bar' gig.
OCTOBER
Sun 01: Smokin' Spitfires @ The Cluny, Newcastle. 12:45pm.
Sun 01: Dulcie May Moreno sings Portrait of Sheila @ Central Bar, Gateshead. 2:00pm. £10.00. Moreno sings Sheila Jordan with Giles Strong, Mick Shoulder & John Bradford.
Sun 01: Middlesbrough Jazz & Blues Orchestra @ Saltburn Community Hall. 2:00pm.
Sun 01: The Easy Rollers @ Prohibition Bar, Newcastle. 7:00pm. £13.70., £11.55.
Sun 01: Brand/Roberts/Champion/Sanders @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 8:00pm. A Newcastle Festival of Jazz & Improvised Music event.
Sun 01: Papa G's Troves @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.
Mon 02: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Mon 02: FILM: Wattstax; 50th Anniversary @ Forum Cinema, Hexham. 8:00pm.
Tue 03: Paul Skerritt @ The Rabbit Hole, Hallgarth St., Durham DH1 3AT. 7:00pm. Paul Skerritt's (solo) weekly residency.
Tue 03: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. House trio: Michael Young (piano); Paul Grainger (double bass); Paul Wight (drums).
Wed 04: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm.
Wed 04: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 04: Paul Skerritt @ Vespa Italian Bar & Steakhouse, Primrose Hill, Jarrow. From 7:00pm. To book a table - 0191 483 3355.
Wed 04: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm.
7 comments :
I'm enjoying the Road to Hong Kong; fascinating story about how music can take you all over the world!
As I have been reading about Irish showbands I was interested to see that Colin describes the Steve Stephenson band as a 'showband' which included singing, dressing up and comedy in the overall act. I was wondering if this band was unusual in the UK context as I thought the 'showband' concept was pretty much an Irish phenomenon, albeit a highly popular one. At its peak in Ireland in the early 1960s there were 500 showbands and 450 dance halls throughout the country, some holding up to 3000 dancers. Was this a common thing in the UK as well?
JC
Hi JC,
You are correct about Showbands being an Irish phenomenon many of whom also came over and played in the UK, In consequence many combos who'd previously been known as dance bands and pop groups re-branded themselves as showbands to jump on the (show)band wagon playing working men's clubs and what remained of the dancehalls or, in Colin's case, holiday camps.
Lance, you hit the nail on the head, I remember being on the road, and on gigs with 2 or 3 bands at the same function, such as The Jack Hawkins Showband & Singers, Andy Ross, Ray McVay and many others did jump on the band wagon in the 60's & 70's. also a showband would play all different types of music from Quicksteps, Waltz's, Comedy to the current pops of the time, even a little jazz & swing, of course Glenn Miller's music was still very popular in that era, as it still is today.
The Steve Stephenson Showband worked for Mecca for a short period at the Mecca Ballroom, Belfast
Yes you are right, what year was this, maybe 1960's ?? and did you see the band ??
Hi I am Gene Mayo's Grandson.
I've been searching for any info or pictures but not having much luck.
Just wondered if that is him playing the drums in the G.M picture
Cheers Dave
Hi Dave,
Yes, that is your granddad playing drums at Pontin's Seacroft Holiday Camp, Gt Yarmouth. This is where I played one summer season with him back in 1976.
I also remember his name being up at the Oxford Galleries in Newcastle back in the mid to late late 60's, when I was a kid.
If you would like some pictures of the band at Pontin's Seacroft, I would be more than happy to email them to you.
My email. aitchisoncolin@yahoo.com
Regards
Colin Aitchison.
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