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name: Poster 
message:  NEXT NOMADS EVENT Friday 8th April 2012 THE VINE TAVERN Keighley
(Friday 30 March 2012 10:20:39)
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name: Poster
message:
NEXT NOMADS EVENT Saturday 4th February 2012 Ryshworth Club Crossflatts
(Tuesday 27 December 2011 22:00:31)
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name: Poster
message: NEXT NOMADS EVENT Friday 13th Jan 2012 THE VINE TAVERN Keighley
(Tuesday 27 December 2011 21:56:43)
comments: | | Poster
More photo's from the Vine at http://www.thenomads.co.uk/recent.html
Seemed strange without Spike. I think last night at the Vine must have been a record, two firsts. The first time Spike had not played with his band due to recovering from a hand operation. He had intended to come along and do some singing but the pain had been just too much. Spike never one to throw a sickie, so he must have been feeling really bad. We wish him a speedy recover, if because of nothing else there was no one to waffle at length the way he does the repertoire was exhausted by 9.45 ;-)
The other first was Ian Spencer stepping in to play bass, what a good job he did, Spike might be small in stature but his shoes are big to fill, but Ian did a sterling job.
More photo's from the VINE at http://www.thenomads.co.uk/recent.html 14.01.12 14:25 |
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name: Poster
message:
(Sunday 25 December 2011 12:23:15)
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name: Pamela
email: sekretariat
message: Hello Friends
I remember Billy Bennett....
are you the same guy as Billy Stevensens? I have still got an LP (Freemans Country Band), signed from you 1985 in Zürich.
Perhaps you remember me?
Lovely greetings from Switzerland
Pamela
(Wednesday 31 August 2011 07:28:39)
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name: Ian Williams
email: ian.williams10
message: I worked with John Kirkham and Tony Hallwood in Oldham pubs, approx 1954. John Kirkham , mentioned on your website is still playing today I hope, although we have lost touch. I'm still gigging on the South Coast and can be tracked via jinksthegroup.website.orange.co.uk
(Wednesday 12 October 2011 21:49:35)
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name: poster
message: NEXT NOMADS EVENT Friday 28th Oct 2011 THE VINE TAVERN Keighley
(Monday 19 September 2011 14:41:26)
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name: poster
message: Friday 19th Aug 2011 Vine Tavern, Hope Place, Keighley
(Monday 08 August 2011 10:33:20)
comments: | | Paul J Holmes [email]
Had a Great Night 11.09.11 22:12 |
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name: poster
message: Friday 12th Aug 2011 New Inn Connonley
(Monday 08 August 2011 10:34:01)
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name: webmaster
message: Hi Nomads,
Whilst looking for something else I stumbled across your website and tumbled straight back to the early sixties.
My name is Roger Manton and I was founder and lead singer / rhythm guitar with The Beatniks which later became The Beat Squad.
Our first line up was me, Ricky Hardacre lead guitar, Mike Pickles piano/ vocals, Derek Heaton drums and no base would you believe! We pretty soon put that right. We raided the Presidents, Keighley’s first rock band, and stole Bruce Russell their base player and his girlfriend (now wife) Linda Nixon who had a great voice. Linda came from a very musical family as you probably know and both guitar playing brothers helped us out at various times.
Later, Mike Pickles left along with Derek Heaton, so then we poached The Presidents’ drummer as well…the unforgettable Ted Earl. A sort of early version of Keith Moon in character. I remember Ted getting a brand new Trixon kit with an oval shaped, two drum, base drum. He was so pleased with this that we decided to put him at the front of the stage one night at Leeds Town Hall. He got so carried away on the new kit that he didn’t notice that he hadn’t hammered the spikes of the base drum in firm enough and… yes….he ended up going over the edge of the big stage trying to catch his beloved new base drum which was heading down into the orchestra stalls.
Ricky was a fantastic guitar player. Often in the very early days we would share a bill with a trad jazz band and some of these blokes would get very snooty about being associated with “ 3 chord merchants”
like us. Rick would just get out his big beautiful Rogers guitar in the dressing room, sit down quietly in the corner and warm up with a seamless Nuages or other Django Reinhart piece. You could see the Trad bloke’s jaws hit the floor. Later I believe Rick turned to playing jazz himself, but on piano and keyboards.
My late mother told me last year that she had bumped into Bruce Russell in Keighley and he told her that he (on regular guitar) and Rick on keyboard were playing some small gigs at golf cubs etc…. Together again after all these years.
We played all around the local area, clubs, town halls, ballrooms etc but I think the best time I had was when we went to France to play US army and air bases. One GI actually wanted us to go to the States where he would manage us “and make us really big” …wonder what would have happened if we had said yes?
Eventually we broke up and went our separate ways. Bruce and Linda played on….resident for years at the big Batley Variety Club, Rick became a TV sound man, I went to London and a career on the creative side of advertising, Mike Pickles became a BA captain flying Jumbos, Ted I last heard of years ago doing the big cruise liners with a guitarist called Murph.
For anyone who is interested in the history of bands in the area, I attach some old photos. One (blurry) is early days at the Mechanics with a stand-in base player called “Bones” but can’t remember his real name. Incidentally, we were the last band to ever play The Mechanics , it burnt to the ground the same night we played there….wonder who’s fag end it was? Another is in France showing me, some GI, Linda, Ricky and Ted, no Bruce so he must have taken it. The posed shot was taken in Central Youth Club and the even posier playing one at, I think, Imperial Ballroom Nelson.
It is wonderful to see you guys keeping the spirit of rock music alive in Keighley and obviously enjoying every minute of it. I send best wishes to anyone who remembers me from all those years back.
Happy New Year you all for 2008
Roger
Photos can be seen here http://www.thenomads.co.uk/other.html
(Sunday 13 January 2008 15:01:56)
comments: | | Les Piggin [email]
From Les Piggin, Halifax
Re: The Beat Squad 1962
I was delighted to see Roger Manton's photos and email about the Beat Squad, a group I remember with respect from 1962. My own band, Dino & the Travellers, from Halifax, had the experience of sharing a stage with the Squad on two occasions in late 1962.
The first was at the Empress Ballroom, Huddersfield, about October 1962. We were a very young (17-18) and inexperienced band, just starting out, with only a few gigs behind us. This was our first time at the Empress and our first time playing with another band. The Beat Squad seemed to be highly professional seasoned veterans, having played at US bases abroad.
After seeing the photos I can remember Roger as the vocalist but my strongest memories are of the others in the band. The lead guitarist, a big guy, was certainly a great player. I seem to recall he had a green Gretsch and a Vox amp. In the band room he demonstrated to us the opening chords of Carole King’s ‘Might as well rain until September’ and other tasty stuff. During their act I believe he donned a cape and a big hat and played a fabulous version of Malagenia.
I remember the drummer with his beautiful Trixon kit, driving the band with a great sound. The bass player played high up the neck of his guitar – to avoid blowing his speakers he told us. I believe they each wore different coloured suits and they applied stage make up before going on – unbelievable!. They had various speaker cabinets placed around the stage to give a wide sound spread. They were full of confidence and they blew us off the stage of course. We were very impressed and realised just how much we had to learn.
A couple of months later we met up with the Squad again, this time at Burnley Mecca on New Year’s Eve, 31 December 1962. The house DJ was playing the Beatles’ ‘Please Please Me’ every 3rd or 4th record. On this occasion we actually managed to pinch a bit of the Squad’s act – in the middle of ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ – bringing the volume right down for several choruses and sitting/lying down on the stage, before jumping up again at full belt (I couldn’t do that now!). As we went on before the Squad we got away with that one, to their evident displeasure!
Sadly, we didn’t hear of the Beat Squad again after that. Did they really split as early as 1963?
Our band went on, with changes of personnel, to see out the 60s and Dino and I, now in our mid-60s, still do occasional gigs. We’ve played our first 80th birthday party! Guitar playing has remained an important part of my life and I still have most of the old group gear set up at home.
So, thank you Roger and your fellow Beat Squaddies for providing me with memorable formative experiences.
Anyone with an interest in pop music nostalgia will find much to absorb them in the two books ‘Small Town Saturday Night’ vols. 1 & 2 by Trevor Simpson. They catalogue in meticulous detail the top acts which performed in Halifax in the 1960s, with much previously unpublished material. They also go into detail about the many local bands performing at local venues, some of whom went on to the big time. A great read. Have a look at the website: www.smalltownsaturdaynight.co.uk
03.08.10 18:06 |
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