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The Bedford Bands Web Site |
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Sid Worth
Memorial Gig |
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Reflections on Sid's Memorial Gig, 2003 -
from very near the PA speakers! (or : Confessions of an amateur Stage-Manager.) Saturday's Light Alloy gig was a great success, punters dancing and singing along with great gusto, but I was keen to get home as early as possible, as the big day looms .... Finally fell into bed about 0330, and tossed and turned all night.... well, turned and turned, actually. I don't do tossing nowadays, despite what the guys who work for me in my day job say ... Out of bed at 0900, wake-up call from Liz, sounding bright and cheerful (How does she do that after only 3 hours sleep?) ... "Yeah, Yeah, sure, I've been out of bed for ages, just on my way now ...", I lied through my teeth ... 9.30: Sat outside with Bob, Marc & Andy, drinking McDonald's tea (always tastes like gnats-p1ss) just waiting for the back doors to be opened, cars full of gear, waiting to be unloaded. 10.00: Marc & Andy working on the PA, Bob setting his keys & Amps up, me lugging gear about (Sh1t, that bass amp weighs a TON!... still, I'm told that it's the dogs blx of Amps, and is going to get some serious usage over the next 12 hours!). JC arrives, looking keen to build the Drum Kit from HELL... which he does, complete with 2 miles of gaffer, the biggest bass-drum-mike you've ever seen, and a sandbag (I kid you not!) 10.30: Another cup of coffee, nearly awake now; The core of the crew assembled, Ray, Rik, Pauleen and Philippa arriving with gear, badges, labels, gaffer-tape and loads of energy and enthusiasm! 11.00 The backline built, mike's and stands nearly there, and the first setback of the day is that Full Circle's PA doesn't want to work with front of house speakers AND fold-back monitors ... It'll do one or the other, but not both. Hmmm, time for an executive decision (my first of the day...). "OK, pull it out, and rewire the original; We can't afford to be PA-less, and you only have 30 minutes till the final sound-check ....." Good as Gold, the Full Circle PA engineers do it, without protest! 10 minutes sees it up and running, and sounding pretty good, actually. (Digression - I used to be critical of the House PA, but since Mick fixed it, New Bass Bins added, Monitors repaired, and Multicore feed from the DJ Booth ... I take it back... Very Impressive! I imagine that a few of you have duff ears today... that's down to the new improved PA!) 11.30 A pantechnicon pulls up at the back door, and an army of people manhandle a huge Leslie cabinet up the steps and store it near the stage. Next in is an even bigger piece of kit .... It's a Hammond Organ .... yes folks, it takes 4 blokes to get it in, and it's also safely stored at the side of the stage, ready for the JBQ set. The JBQ guys head off for a bite to eat... 12:00 Rich and Tim arrive and look suitably impressed with the setup, Rich tries out the (Super Nutter) Bass Amp, and nods approvingly, as it shakes the foundations on the low notes. Tim puts his own touches to the drum kit..... Dennis arrives, and checks the axe for tuning... still warm from last night, I'll bet! 12:30 "Ladies & Gentlemen, to open the show.... It's the A Band!" I hear myself saying... Loud applause from the 30 or 40 people already assembled... I move off the stage, and enjoy the deep bass sound of Rich starting Rock Me Baby... "Gerry Atkins, come up and do a few", calls Rich, and Gerry heads for the stage, complete with trumpet, adding depth and brightness to the A Band. I even get invited to murder Sweet Home Chicago, and Gerry does us proud with a trumpet break that was VERY true to the original... mmm nice.... Still, there's only time for a few.... each band only gets 45 minutes, if I'm going to keep this thing on schedule all day .... 
 
 The A Band are: Rich Winter Tim Winter Dennis Chamberlain Gerry Atkins 13:15 First panic of the day, George is nowhere to be seen, so I approach John Morey, and suggest that he might like to volunteer to help The Moonshine Boys out. John used to play with them, so no problem there.... Hushie trying out the PA to see if he can hear his guitar... and they are all ready, right on time. Half way through the first number George appears through the front door, and looks gutted that the guys have started without him. Tough stuff, this showbiz, really! 14:15 I manage to catch Hushie's eye, and warn him to stop! (He's notorious for playing about twice as long as contracted!) I once saw him do 30 minutes during the break, as a solo act, just guitar, vocals and harp .... The rest of the guys coming back to join him for the second set. In the Fleur, I think. However, he takes the hint, and we get the stage back around 1420. 
 
 The Moonshine Boys were: Sticks (Simon) Hushie John Morey (dep for George!) Dennis Ross & the guys set up, The Rev Bob Peters kindly offers his keyboard amp to their keys player, and helps him get the sound right. We're only about 5 minutes behind. Second Exec decision, when I'm asked if he can borrow Ron Chimes' seat, which is neatly stacked on top of the huge Hammond, I say "Yes", and make a mental note to clear this with Ron when he gets here, later! 14:35 and Fun Ya Mum start. Boy, these guys are different! Mostly their own stuff, and extremely well done. Powerful vocals from the lady at the front, ably backed by a very talented band! I can't wait to hear the sound recording! A quick word with Ross, and the guys finish off to tumultuous applause, and we're ready for the big changeover of the day .... Still on time, just! 
 
 
 Fun Ya Mum are: Miriam Williams- Vox Stephen Pagano- Bass/vox Ross Anderson- Guitar Chris Millington- Guitar Stewart Noakes- Keyboards Flow- Drums Like Ants, the crew storm the stage, and begin frantically breaking down and storing JC's drum-kit, It takes 4 hefty lads to manhandle the Hammond and Leslie into place, and begin wiring extra Mikes, and building stands. Meanwhile, Tony Morton and JC build Tony's kit. This is our biggest challenge, but the guys rise to it, and we're only a few minutes behind as JBQ put the finishing touches to their sound. Mr Metronome taps out the 1, 2, 3, 4... and the unmistakeable sound of a Full Hammond/Leslie combination swells out at 1540ish... No vocals in this set, but what a reception! The assembled muso's marvel at 4 magic players, laying down the most excellent Jazz & Blues imaginable. I get to hear a couple of my favourite Booker T & The MG's hits (Time is Tight and Green Onions) and get introduced to a brilliant blues number - The Pits, Max at his best with this smokin' blues ..... Gerry Atkins gets invited to join the guys, and we now have The Jazz & Blues Quintet... (I make a mental note of this one, to help me say something appropriate for the changeover!). Maintaining eye-contact with Tom makes the end-point a doddle. The guys finish on time, and we descend on the stage to change ready for Mojo. At least Tony Morton's kit can stay, as he drums for both bands (Handy that, eh? ... well, these things are not just thrown together, you know... there was an element of pre-planning to this bit!) The Hammond and Leslie are eased out of the back door, and loaded into the waiting cavernous trailer by two young lads (hope you got paid for the day, guys!?) so we now have a bit more space around the stage to store guitar cases and drum bits ... 
 
 
 JBQ are: Ron Chimes Tom McGrath Tony Morton Max Milligan Gerry Atkins Nearly on time again... Mojo start, Dave King as relaxed as ever, Neil having a bit of trouble hearing the fold-back (I'm looking forward to hearing the audio from this one! <grin>) so Ray gets a request to up the Monitors a bit... (Ray comes in for an 'Above-And-Beyond' award for his work on the day... He was not well, but stuck to the desk all day, and did a brilliant job... thanks Ray!) A good set from Mojo, specially reformed for today's gig, and assisted by The Rev Bob Peters on keys! Nice one, guys... and a big thanks to Dave for taking the trouble to come over all the way from Ipswich! 17:15 and I motion to Neil that he's about to run over, they finish the last one, and leave the stage, again, great applause. The people in the place today are all REAL Live Music fans, and show their appreciation in the best way possible! MAKE SOME Noise!! 
 Mojo are: Neil Cook Dave King John Morey Tony Morton Bob Peters Another big changeover now. The Crew working like a well-oiled machine, breaking and packing Tony's kit, and reassembling JC's. Extra DI boxes wired up so we can hear Vince and Bruce through the PA, The frontline mikes all set and tested... JC replaces his Bass-Drum, and fixes another 2 miles of gaffer on to the Bass-Drum-Mike (which keeps falling over!). Cutting Out are huge in number, actually the highest number of members of all the bands on the bill today, but strangely organised .... much more so than usual! 17:35 So we get the stage rebuilt, only a few minutes behind time, and they start, providing entertainment as only Cutting Out do ... fun, and in yer face! Great full sound, provided by Vince & Bruce's acoustics, filled with Dennis's unmistakeable lead playing ... magic! Disaster strikes, Smoothie's mike goes down, and I can't get another plugged in before it's the end of the set... Sorry, Smoothie.... Gutted wasn't a strong enough word for how I felt! However, the audience appreciate these guys.... They are, after all, the real thing when it comes to pub-band entertainment in the Bedford area. (Pics to follow) Cutting Out are: Bruce Vince Dennis John Butler Smoothie John Carr Billy 18:15 Cutting Out finish the set, and we move into raffle mode! Bl00dy hell, this is boring, gotta find a better way of running a raffle, I think to myself, as Liz pulls out the hundredth ticket for which there is no owner! .... Still, it's over by 7pm, and I get a few minutes to grab a plate of Chilli, and a couple of doorstop sized pieces of bread. Time for my first beer of the day, as well .... most welcome, I can tell you! Still, it's relentless, the pressure to keep to time.... so I go looking for the Mystery Guest Star... it's 19:20, and I find him mingling with the muso's near the bar. "Hi, Rob .... what's my start time?" says the star who's flown in specially from The Costa Blanca to do this gig ... (Not really, he was over for a family christening, but it sounds better the way I tell it!). "About now, Steve...." is my response, and quickly unpack the Strat, so that he'll have a real size guitar to play with, instead of the electric mandolin that he played on Friday at The Kings Arms! I stand up and announce: "All the way from Benidorm, Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for Seldom Sober, specially reformed for this gig! Steve Martin, Jonny Parella and Bruno... take it away!" I head off to the side, and Steve goes for it, although he was hoping that Dennis and/or Hushie might jam-in for this gig, they did well as a three piece.... The great thing was that they only had about 6 numbers to do.... so I'm 15 minutes ahead when they finish! 
 
 Seldom Sober (reformed) are: Steve Martin Jonny Parella Bruno I get the stage back at about 20:00, as Steve, Jonny and Bruno finish off to well-deserved applause from the packed house. Setting up for Rubberneck is a doddle, as the guys are ready almost immediately.... 20:15 "Boys and girls, One of Bedford's most popular bands .... Rik, Rich and Steve... RUBBERNECK!!" I scream, and leave them to Punk It Up with the energy and talent that they bring to every performance! The crowd goes wild, Rik hits all the high notes, Steve revels in hitting the low notes on the db's of Bass Amps, and Rich fills in with some good backing vocals and strong rhythms... A great crowd pleaser, according to all accounts as I mingle with the assembled masses now packing the place to the rafters! It don't get much better than this, I muse, as they hit us with all the Rubberneck trademarks: 4 non-blondes, Sex-Pistols, Muse, Wheatus .... Always a sign of a good set, it seems over almost as soon as they start, but I look at my watch, and they have been going for nearly 50 minutes! Nice one, guys! I give Rik the nod, and they finish off the final number, Rik screaming .... "Thank you very much, and GOODNIGHT!" as only he does.... The crowd go wild, and the DJ fades the vinyl up.... 
 
 Rubberneck are: Rich Steve Rik 21:05 Setting up for Full Circle... no problems here, as it's mostly their gear! Marc, Andy and JC are raring to go, given that they've all been here since sparrows-fart .... It must be nice to be young and full of energy!! They start early, about 21:20, and we get the classic Full Circle set.. Changin' Man, Stormy Blue, I saw her standin' there, Twist & Shout ... culminating in their trade-mark ending .... The Proclaimers 500 miles (on their gig-list as 100,000 miles ....!) The crowd roar their approval, as the guys reach the double speed ending.... and we're back to the DJ for 20 minutes whilst we reset for the final band.  Full Circle are: Marc Patching Andy Childs John Carr Well, here we are, at the end of 10 bands in 12 hours .... back where we started, in fact, with The A Band. A fitting tribute to our missing mate, Sidney. This incarnation of the A Band includes a talented young guy - Mat Roberts, and a third appearance of the day for Gerry Atkins, on trumpet. They rock through a few A Band standards, and move on to a few influenced by Mat's presence, T-Rex's Get It On... I Feel Good, Be-Bop-A-Lula ... before moving back to the usual set-list. As is traditional with A Band sets, guests are invited (encouraged!) to join them, and I get introduced in time-honoured fashion as "Rob with the big Kn0b". I get to finish Midnight Hour, sing my throat off with Sweet Home Chicago, and then (the highlight of the evening for me, I have to admit) raising the roof with my favourite number. Yes folks, Mustang Sally, complete with brilliant audience participation, the roof nearly came off in the final chorus, there were so many joining in! Rik gets to show the rest of us how it's done with a superb rendition of Bring It On Home To Me, and the guys finish off with Three A Band Classics, I'm a Believer, Hi Ho Silver Lining and Johnny B Goode. Mat says to Rich..... "Shall we do it, then?" and Rich nods his agreement ..... "We'd just like to finish off with this one, in memory of Sid" says Mat, and they launch into Sweeping Up The Leaves. Sid's favourite A Band number... fitting, and a few tears evident around the room .... Still, not for melancholy, the guys finish the number, and leave the stage to massive applause from a jam-packed house. 
 
 The A Band - and guests... were: Rich Winter Tim Winter Mat Roberts Gerry Atkins Rik King Rob Vernon !!! A bit of an anti-climax, doing the final raffle at this point, but... it had to be done. The committee would like to thank all the local businesses and individuals who donated prizes. Ross & Bruce, The Music Centre - Acoustic Guitar c.a.l.m/NHS - Concert Tickets (James Taylor Quartet at The Corn Exchange, 10th October) Cool Price Music Shop - 2 Guitars British American Distributors - 100 Recorders and Guitar Tuning Pedal Orlando's Commecial Rd Bedford - Dinner for Two Charles Wells - Various Red Stripe / Lee Cooper T-Shirts and Jackets Max Milligan, Music Centre - Guitar Tuition Voucher Mike Dakin, Roxton Garden Centre - Musical Frog garden ornaments x 3 Fine Style Hair Salon - Haircut by Senior Stylist Well Of Wellbeing, Lime St Bedford - Treatment Voucher Korner Kutz, Castle Rd Bedford - 6 x 10 minute sunbed treatments Steadfast Roofing - Bottle of Bacardi Rum Classic Music Shop, Lime St Bedford - Neil Diamond CD The Lizard - Cuddly Teddy, Moet Champagne, Footy Fix x 2 Hughes and Kettner - Tour T-Shirt Diageo (Roger the rep!) - Guinness Fleece, Watch and Umbrella; Gordon's Fleece Coke (Sanjeet the rep!) - Coke Golf Balls, Mini-Radio, Umbrella and T-Shirt Tori - Framed photograph of the day Adept Electrical Contractors - Bottle of Bacardi Rum Apologies if I've left anyone out, but I worked from a list that was being added to hourly, throughout the day!! Sincere thanks to you all for your generous donations! More news later on how much was raised. Audio and Picture CD's of the event will be available soon, watch this space for details! The list of musicians above (50+) represents only about half of the people who volunteered to play; It's a sure bet that we'll be asked to arrange another event, and you can be sure that we'll be approaching you to see if you would like to contribute to the next Sid Worth memorial gig! Thanks to : Well, the list is almost endless... so many people contributed their time (for free!) and worked tirelessly on the day .... Apologies if I missed anyone out.... mail me to be included! All band members, partners and supporters - without you we couldn't have done it! Marc, Andy and John (Full Circle) for supplying their gear, and manning the Stage-Crew Rik, Philippa and Ray for Stage-Crew and Mixing Desk (especially Ray for the Mixing desk - A BRILL job, mate, thanks!) Pauleen for Badge production and administration Philippa, Kim and Sarah for raffle ticket sales (and ripping/folding duties!) Pete the DJ for filling a couple of spots with his excellent vinyl collection Paul & Pappa's Boys for DJ duties all day K2 Studios (www.k-studios.co.uk) for recording the event Esquires security for providing their services (free of charge!) - Thanks Guys, much appreciated! Tori for the photographs Tom McGrath for his advice and counselling! The gorgeous bar staff, (yes, including you Steve!) for their hard work keeping us well-oiled throughout the day...!! :-)) All of you Live Music supporters for your attendance on the day, and your generous contributions to the collection boxes and raffles. 
 and finally, Liz, for providing us with free food, and a superb venue for an excellent event! I certainly learned a lot, wore myself out, but had a great time, keeping it Live, and keeping it on time! |