CONCORDE 2013

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*Apologies for delay in writing up a report on this fantastic show- one of the best ever! I have been busy with other commitments etc so am just leaving the original text/images as below but thanking everybody who took part in providing another amazing evening of live music plus the DJs who filled with more classic 60s hits. Also a big thanks to the audience who came along- a very busy room and even more money raised on the door proceeds/raffle- this always goes direct to the Concorde's well established 'Pantomine' fund that goes towards local childrens' charities. Providing days out for the less fortunate youngsters and families with no overheads as in the larger national charities- we keep it local.

The Eddie Fret band opened the live performance, after some great warm-up music by Chris Golden (annual visit over from Canada from the first 2008 show!) plus Geoff Knight and Nicky Horne- our 'Jocks In The Box' Great to see Poky back again with a terrific mixed set, including their well known Shadows numbers- note perfect. Once again, I joined them for 'Move It' as Cliff Richard couldn't make it this year.....

Zac and the Zeros were another 'fab' band featuring female vocalist Nell so providing us with the classic 'girl' hits of the Crystals, Ronettes,Supremes etc- they had the dance floor packed as did most of our 2013 bands. Soulmunky closed the show with a blistering stomping Soul/Motown/Stax set with the amazing brass section and top front man Eddie Goodall- he must have lost a few gallons of sweat during their roof-raising set! Our thanks to Les Acres who operated the sound via the Soulmunky p.a. set-up etc- we had a few 'hiccups' with a more complicated arrangement of mikes, monitors etc but generally worked out well. I'll try and update this webage with a few photos- I took a few plus others kindly sent me their own pictures and I am grateful to these people as well. 2014? Yes- Friday 9th November so look out for the new page in the very near future as we sort out the line-up for the 7th annual bash- it does take some time to sort out as well as latecomers who get in touch and offer their services to join the fun of the night.

Door proceeds direct to local childrens charities via Concorde's established fund-raising section.

The well established 'Back To The Sixties' is back for another great night and features the cream of classic 60s bands, singers and DJs from the best ever decade. Original artistes who performed around the Southampton area and all over the country, provide some great sounds with over four hours of live music plus fills from the local 'vintage' DJs. Just take a look at the previous webpage reports for a feel of what it's all about. The Concorde Club celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2012, looking back to its early days from a jazz club based in the old Bassett Hotel pub in Burgess Road at the top of Southampton Common in 1957. The new premises in Stoneham Lane were founded in the early Seventies and now transformed into one of the finest music venues in the UK featuring many top names- just take a look at their own website. I have a dedicated webpage on my own site as well, which tells more of the legends that trod the old boards:

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This 'mini festival' has become well established over the last few years and witnessed some amazing performances from local Southampton musicians, many of them performing from the late Fifties and early Sixties. Many of the guest artistes have flown in from all corners of the world and linked in with visiting family, friends and hooking up with old pals after several years away as well as making some great music. The Concorde audiences cover a wide age group but many of the 'Baby Boomers' hit the dance floor from the first note of the evening and keep it packed throughout the night- some 4 hours of classic 60s hits, laughs, surprises and much more. The door proceeds go to the official Concorde Charity Fund that helps local childrens' charities, so we are hoping for another high turnout for this November show.

Every year has been so good and so different, thanks to the wide variety of singers, bands and the 'vintage' DJs who come along to play some terrific 60s music in the breaks- just like the old dance hall days with live bands plus the Jocks 'spinning the platters'. A really nostalgic night that brings back the memories of a carefree age and sees the older generation dancing to the same groups as the did back in the Swinging Sixties! Also, the younger generations soak up the atmosphere as it gives them a taste of what it was all about- many of them wishing they had been born earlier!

The 2013 line-up is now arranged and I am pleased to announce the return of Poky, who stormed the 2011 'Back To The Sixties' show with an amazing Shadows based tribute set. The line-up includes great local musicians who have been playing with several groups from the 60s so sum it all up! I had the pleasure of joining Poky on the previous show to knock out one of the finest British rock n roll hits from 1958 and you can take a look at this You Tube Clip to get a rough idea of how they sound- close your eyes and you'd think it was the actual Shads in action! For this year's show, they will be featuring a wide selection of classic 60s hits but including a few Shadows numbers by public demand!

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Our 'vintage' DJs include Geoff Knight, Nicky Horne and possibly Gary James in the 'JockBox' as well as the amazing Chris Golden who has flown over from Winnipeg Canada for every show since 2008! Between them, they play some fantastic discs in between the live bands that keep the dance floor busy and it all adds up to recreating the atmosphere of the Southampton 60s scene- memories of the Royal Pier, Banister Ballroom, Top Rank Suite and many more. Pure unadulterated nostalgia at its best and we hope that none of our DJs or musicians have any problems with former 'groupies' coming forward to 'complain' of 'inappropriate behaviour' around the back of some youth club or dance hall some 50 years ago!

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Another e-mail just received from John Goodwin who started out in the mid Sixties with The Tempests and many more across the decades. He has just discovered this website and kindly offered his very successful group of 'Zac and the Zeros' who specialise in classic 50s/60s hits. They span a wide age range but their setlist is firmly based on the kind of music that fits the annual Concorde 60s night. In addition, they feature a girl singer which adds a great dimension with the vocal hits of the 60s girl groups and solo female artistes, so really good to have them on this show. John has sent me these old photos of The Tempests in action- one at the Eling Fair and the original group played all over the South at many of the same venues such as the Royal Pier, Top Rank, Crosfield Hall Romsey, Totton Empire club etc.

"Zac And The Zeros are based in the Lymington area of the New Forest and have been gigging together for 4 years. They play at private parties, weddings and corporate functions as well as pubs and clubs. Their vocal arrangements are first class, and lead vocalists Simon and Nell share the honours of singing classic hits of the 50s/60s etc.

Nell's parents are international opera stars -David Montague-Rendell and Diana Montague, so Nell has inherited their pitch perfect voices.! Nell is the youngest at just 24 but loves the music from the 50's and 60's. Before joining the Zeros- Simon (50ish) sang with a few groups performing at parties and clubs. Dave on bass is 29 and plays both electric bass guitar and upright bass. Greg teaches drums by day and gigs with the Zeros in the evenings. Martin joined about 9 months ago when our second guitarist went to live in New Zealand. Martin is a young 59 and has played in many bands over the years. He also took a year out and studded at a well known music academy. John Goodwin is the oldest at 65, and formed a band called the Dakotas back in 1961 but forced to change the name to The Tempests when Billy J Kramer hit the charts with his own Dakotas! John later left and joined a band called The Blues Syndicate. In recent years John formed a band called Below The Belt back in 1996 but left after 5 years when he lived abroad for a while. Then a few years later after seeing a band of expats playing 60's music on a Greek island he got the bug to start playing again and put together Zac And The Zeros. The name? John was watching 'Heartbeat' on TV and in a village hall they had a band playing called Zac and the Zeros. A close friend of John's directed many episodes of Heartbeat so after a telephone conversation he was told that they could use the name as the TV band where just session musicians put together for the show! Lately the band has been recording some tracks and we are building a new website. We are also on Facebook, if you become a Facebook friend you will get regular updates on gigs and band news."

Zac and the Zeros also work alongside top DJ John Towers who has also mailed me:

I run a DJ business and am great friends with John Goodwin and his band Zac & The Zeros and also Marc White and Madison Heights etc

I have been a working DJ since I was 12 years old with nearly 40 years experience. As well as working in pubs and clubs I also do a lot of mobile work in the Hampshire and New Forest area.

As well as the usual Weddings, Birthday Parties etc, I specialise in music theme nights. I have an exceptional knowledge of music (I have been running a weekly music quiz for the past 14 years) and I use this knowledge to good effect when asked to put together a theme night such as a 80s, soul and motown or any other genre you care to suggest.

But one of my speciality themes would be 70s and 60s / Rock 'n' Roll nights. When I DJ at these events I always use as much original vinyl as I can so as to get that authentic sound everyone loves. I have also worked with Zac & The Zeros and Madison Heights on many occasions supporting the band and complimenting their music with some choice 50s/60s/70s selections of my own.

I have some links which will explain a little more of what I am about.
http://www.youtube.com/user/humanjukebox45s
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vinylrevival/
http://www.thehumanjukebox.co.uk/Home.html

John Towers

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High energy soul band in the shape of Soulmunky, with a wealth of experienced professional musicians and headed by the amazing Eddie who really grabs any audience from the first to last note of their show. Classic soul, Motown with a great brass section that captures the authentic sounds of the 60s era and much more. Please note the contact number for this show (genuine enquiries only) and you can find sound clips etc on their website as above- you may wish to book the band or find out where they are performing.

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Over the last succession of 'Back To The Sixties' we have featured many local Southampton musicians, singers, groups augmented by our DJs who help recreate the sounds and feeling of that amazing decade. Many of the 2013 line-up play with a variety of different line-ups and varying styles so we look forward to seeing them back for this year's Reunion Show and I will be updating this webpage over the next few months with news etc. We often have a few 'surprises' as we never know who might turn up- even on the actual night! I have a couple of overseas pals who have indicated that they may be able to tie in with a UK family visit and join in the fun of this fantastic night. Please contact the Concorde Club for advance tickets and especially if you need to book a table for the evening with the superb meal offers etc. This guarantees seats in the restaurant area and often sell out fairly quickly or just come and enjoy the whole night for a mere £10 door entry (proceeds to local kids charity). The above line-up is a terrific variety of styles and we can guarantee another great 'Back To The Sixties' show on the 1st November so please contact the Concorde to grab the tickets at a tenner each! If you want to make a full night of it with a meal and reserved seating in the restaurant section then these are limited so need to be booked early. We thank all the artistes for their participation in this annual 'mini-festival' and look forward to seeing YOU on the night!

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Thanks to all featured artistes and to Eddie 'Fret' Hailwood of Fret Music Shirley Southampton who kindly assists with any equipment needs on all of these shows as well as as is own participation in the show (guitar/vocals etc)