Flyers Done!
August 16, 2008
I came up with over 1,400 flyers and all I’ve got left is a small bundle. Everyone that I asked has taken them. The Ballerina Ballroom needless to say, the library and the classroom wine bar. Add to that posters in nearly every shop and office that carries posters and I’ve done as much as I can. All I need to do now is get the missing 6 months online and I’ll be up to date again.
It seems there are more hacks here now than tourists. There was one in the library when I was on the microfiche. Three in the Classroom wine bar and at least one laden snapper, presumably told to go find some pics for the Sundays. I even borrowed one’s laptop to access my mail! I better not say who he worked for!
My great disappointment is that no-one came up to me in the street. I’m here for the last time I think. Tomorrow, I’d intended returning for John Byrne’s film in the evening but he sent me a text this afternoon to say there were none. C’est la vie! Seems he asked Tilda if she had any but there are none to be had. A second screening has been mentioned but I think that’s going to be unlikely.
Ballerina Flyer Day
August 16, 2008
Maybe it’s me being here but the rain has stayed away and is giving Nairn its first dry Highland Games in three years. It’s a quick visit to get flyers passed out in various places in town and what I’d like to call “posters” for the blog but they’re nothing more than A4 sheets that I’m hoping will get input from anyone that sees them.
It’s also a great opportunity for you to stop me in the street and tell me some of your stories or give me advice on how to get a better blog experience up. Okay, I know the answer to that one – TIME! I really will get round to adding some of the gig adverts, pop columns from The Northern Scot and pictures of the North East bands that played here.
Seriously, if you want to, just stop and say hello. You probably can’t miss me. One of the women in landbrokes (honest, I wasn’t betting but asking about their old shop) said she thought John Lennon had walked in. If that isn’t enough of a give away I’ll also be carrying a silver carrier bag full of flyers. Of course, I may not be carrying it if I get rid of them all but I digress.
Failing that, you’ll find me in the library for some time before they shut staring at the microfiche reader and getting the dates for 1967 that are missing from yesterday’s listing. Please don’t call me John, my name’s Roy!
Talking of the pop columns, there’s one fantastic piece around the time that Cream played the Ballerina. Eric Clapton had given an interview to one of the music papers in which he decried the fans in Scotland. On reading it, or more likely hearing of it, Albert Bonici, the promoter defiantly stated that he’d make sure Clapton never played here again! Little did he realize the status Eric would achieve.
Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll see you in town or you can catch up with the missing dates later.
1971
December 31, 1971
January 01 – Spiggy Topes
January 08 – Mr. Fantasy
January 15 – Agatha’s Moment plus Bones
January 22 – Bodkin plus My Dear Watson
January 29 – Gully Foyle
February 05 – Grit
February 12 – Pick Up
February 19 – Fractured Ham Sandwich
February 26 – Christie plus My Dear Watson
March 05 – Cottage
March 12 – Royal Teens
March 19 – Agatha’s Moment plus Kristoff And The Dancers
March 26 – Geno Washington And The Ram Jam Band plus Spiggy Topes
April 02 – My Dear Watson plus Bones
April 09 – Julian’s Garden
April 16 – Chicken Shack featuring one of Britain’s best guitarists Stan Webb supported by Jynx
April 23 – Billy Steele Combo
April 30 – Sudden Life
May 07 – Bay City Rollers, Edinburgh’s fabulous pop band
May 14 – Verge – One of the best from Glasgow
May 21 – Another great from Glasgow – Nickelson
May 28 – Toby Jug
June 04 – The new sound of “Writing On The Wall” – “Ears” featuring singer Linnie Paterson
June 11 – Our own great pop band – Windy Miller
June 18 – Beggar’s Opera plus Four In A Bush
June 25 – My Dear Watson
July 02 – A great pop band from Glasgow – Flight
July 04 – Grand opening of Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus Phoenix
July 09 – Humperdincks
July 11 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus My Dear Watson
July 16 – Manfred Mann
July 18 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus Humperdincks
July 23 – Bay City Rollers
July 26 – Beggar’s Opera
July 30 – Lordy
August 01 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus My Dear Watson
August 06 – Sunshine
August 08 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus Sunshine
August 11 – Slade
August 13 – Teargas
August 15 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene plus My Dear Watson
August 20 – Windy Miller
August 27 – From Aberdeen – Pick Up
September 03 – From Glasgow – Priory
September 04 – My Dear Watson
September 09 – Fleetwood Mac
September 10 – One of Edinburgh’s best – Index
September 17 – Beggar’s Opera plus Goliath
September 24 – Verge
October 01 – Phoenix
October 08 – Priory
October 15 – My Dear Watson
October 22 – Merlin (Magical sound from Glasgow)
October 26 – Beggar’s Opera
October 29 – Herman’s Hermits plus Goliath
November 05 – Mickey Finn
November 12 – My Dear Watson
November 19 – Boogie from Glasgow
November 26 – Billy Steele Combo
December 03 – Nickelson
December 10 – Levi
December 17 – Mr. Fantasy
December 24 – A Xmas Event with Beggar’s Opera plus Pick Up
December 26 – Windy Miller
1970
December 31, 1970
January 01 – The Lucky Charms
January 02 – My Dear Watson plus The Grey Wooly Affair
January 09 – The Royal Teens
January 16 – The Happy Ever After
January 28 – It’s A Phantasmagoria
January 30 – The T-Set
February 06 – Archemedes Principle
February 13 – Whisky Martin’s Poker Orchestra
February 20 – Writing On The Wall plus The Stack
February 27 – Marjorine plus The T-Set
March 06 – The Variations plus Argus Butterfly
March 13 – Power Vane
March 20 – Spiggy Topes plus The T-Set
March 27 – My Dear Watson plus The Grey Wooly Affair
April 03 – Skipping Rope ‘n’ Bangles
April 10 – Wild Oats
April 17 – Picketty Witch plus The Grey Wooly Affair
April 24 – Spiggy Topes
May 01 – Gollum The Underdog plus The Grey Wooly Affair
May 08 – Sunshine plus Sockitombe Disco Light Show
May 15 – Magic Roundabout plus My Dear Watson
May 22 – Dance moves to Forres Victoria Hotel for one night only. Toe Fat plus Spiggy Topes
May 29 – Gollum The Underdog plus The T-Set
June 05 – No Dance
June 12 – Twilight Zone
June 16 – Juicy Lucy
June 19 – Hot Cottage plus The T-Set
June 26 – Mr. Blues Band
June 28 – Fanny’s Scene plus The T-Set
July 03 – The Toy Shop
July 05 – Fanny’s Sunday Scene with My Dear Watson
July 10 – Slade plus The T-Set
July 12 – The Foundations
July 17 – The Foundations plus Cody High
July 20 – My Dear Watson plus Grass
July 24 – My Dear Watson plus Grass
July 31 – Freedom Train
August 02 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Shallow Justice
August 07 – Status Quo plus Bones
August 09 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with My Dear Watson
August 14 – Agatha’s Moment plus Hot Cottage
August 16 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Spiggy Topes
August 21 – Beggar’s Opera plus Mr. Fantasy
August 23 – Fanny’s Saturday Scene with Bones
August 28 – My Dear Watson plus Bones
September 04 – Ceremony plus Grass
September 11 – Gollum The Underdog plus Sunshine
September 18 – String Driven Thing plus Julian’s Garden
September 25 – Agatha’s Moment
October 02 – The Royal Teens plus Rock Machine
Ovtober 09 – Spiggy Topes plus Badge
October 16 – Hot Chocolate plus My Dear Watson
October 23 – Chuckles plus Wide Horse
October 30 – Beggar’s Opera
November 06 – Lucas And The Ragged Edge plus Cyril Plugg
November 13 – Geno Washington
November 20 – My Dear Watson plus Shallow Justice
November 27 – Agatha’s Moment plus Spiggy Topes
December 04 – Billy Steele Combo plus Woodstock
December 11 – Royal Teens plus Jynx
December 18 – Writing On The Wall plus My Dear Watson
December 25 – Gully Foyle
1968
December 31, 1968
1968
January 12 – The Floribunda Rose plus The Rebel Sounds. The Floribunda Rose was an Anglo-South African band that had formed in Johannesburg in early 1967. In May of that year, they set off by ship for London in search of fame and fortune. By the time they arrived in England, they didn’t even have a name but came up with this one to tie in with the music scene’s obsession with flower power. Things came to a head for the group when they finished a month long residency at the Top Ten Club in Hamburg and then had to drive all the way to Scotland to start a ten day tour. Two days after playing The Ballerina, guitarist Pete Clifford flew back to South Africa. His duties were taken over by singer John Kongos but the band soon fell apart.
January 19 – The Beatstalkers plus The Sweet Soc
January 26 – The Powerhouse plus The T-Set
February 02 – The Live Wires plus Keith Taylor
February 09 – The Children plus Keith Taylor
February 16 – The Children plus Keith Taylor
February 23 – The group that made the charts backing Paul and Barry Ryan – The School
March 01 – The Methode
March 08 – Moray and Nairn Constituency Association S.N.P. present MISS S.N.P. 1968. First of the heats to find the winner who will go forward to the national final. Sash and prizes to winner. Prizes for all. Judging by the nation’s top disc makers. Top of the pops. The Merseys plus The Parchment People. You may not know The Merseys but you will know their only hit, “Sorrow”, which was later covered by david Bowie. Here’s the original.
March 15 – The Scots Of St. James
March 22 – The Fortunes
March 29 – The Live Wires
April 05 – Mr. Marigold Attraction plus The Newcomers
April 12 – Aberdeen Students’ Charities’ Campaign – Secured at no little cost – Sir Percy And The Riot Squad – plus the new – Yesterday’s Mood
April 19 – Three-Band Show – The Zoo plus The T-Set plus The Rogues
April 26 – The Searchers plus The Facells. The Searchers were no longer the force they once were. It had been three years since they even had a top ten hit. Still, they were a great touring band and here they are with “Umbrella Man”.
May 03 – Clubland’s most exciting exotic dancer Margo Delmar. Also starring Mr. Marigold Attraction
May 10 – Floribunda Rose
May 17 – No dance in Nairn. All buses to One Night Special in Forres starring John’s Followers
May 19 – New Sunday Beat Club – Eucalyptus Convention
May 24 – Horror! Horror! Bring your own coffin – We’ve none left! The woodworm and the beatles ate them all! Ghosts admitted free. No spirits allowed. It’s a real scream with The Motion
May 31 – America’s leading coloured soul singer – Nepenthe plus The T-Set plus The Sweet Soc.
June 02 – Dave & Dee’s Playground plus the Eucalyptus Convention
June 07 – Wayne Fontana with the mighty sound of The Opposition
June 09 – The fabulous American soul show – The Hummingbirds featuring the explosive R&B singer Tiger J. Brown. With their dynamic T.N.T. backing group – plus the Eucalyptus Convention
June 14 – The Sponge plus The Royal Teens plus Pedestrians
June 16 – Eucalyptus Convention
June 21 – The Fox
June 23 – Eucalyptus Convention
June 28 – The Herd, seen here from a Beat Club performance on German TV in January with “Paradise Lost”.
July 05 – The Impact plus The T-Set
July 12 – Damson Jam plus the Pedestrians
July 14 – Eucalyptus Convention
July 18 – Nairn Entertainments Committee ‘The Caravaneers Night-Out’ with The Jimmy Martin Quartet
July 19 – My Dear Watson plus The Phase V
July 25 – Holiday Beat Festival with The Mindbenders plus My Dear Watson plus The Yankee Clippers plus The Peeps
July 26 – The mighty Royal Teens
July 28 – My Dear Watson plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 02 – My Dear Watson
August 04 – The Plague plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 09 – The Orange Garden
August 11 – Purple Dream plus the Eucalyptus Convention
August 16 – The Delroy Williams Show plus The New Jacobeats featuring the brass section from the Freddie Mack Show
August 18 – The T-Set
August 23 – Fingal McCool plus the Pedestrians
August 25 – The Sweet Soc.
August 30 – The Mint Tulip
September 06 – Newton’s Theory
September 08 – The Pedestrians
September 13 – The Rogues
September 15 – My Dear Watson
September 20 – My Dear Watson
September 22 – The Sweet Soc
September 27 – The Royal Teens
October 04 – Damson Jam
October 11 – The New Mo-Jo Band
October 13 – The Riot Squad
October 18 – The Riot Squad
October 25 – The Casuals plus My Dear Watson. The Casuals were in the charts with “Jesamine” and here it is. 3m 33s.
November 01 – ‘Hi Steppin’ Damson Jam‘
November 08 – The Beatstalkers plus The T-Set
November 15 – The Rockin’ Preacher
November 22 – The Technicolour Dream
November 29 – ‘High Steppin’ Damson Jam‘
December 06 – The Royal Teens
December 13 – Born With Soul plus Peppermint Kreem
December 20 – Tangerine Machine
December 24 – Soul Purpose plus The Trak plus Rising Sun
December 27 – My Dear Watson
December 31 – Charge Of The Light Brigade
1967
December 31, 1967
January 06 – The Washington D.C.’s plus The Rebel Sounds
January 13 – Big Three Star Show – Tomorrow’s People plus Neil Christian plus Chatz and the Scatz-Katz. Here’s Neil Christian with “Two At A Time”. 2m 16s.
January 20 – The Flock plus The Circle plus Go-Go Competition
January 27 – The Magic Lanterns plus The New Jacobeats
February 03 – It’s the “45” all over again, with the sassenachs The In Crowd adainst the Highlanders themselves, the New Jacobeats
February 10 – Valentine’s Queen. Who will be Nairn’s pin-up for 1967? The Throb plus The T-Set
February 17 – The Web plus Oreogons
February 24 – Beatstalkers plus The Style
March 03 – Night Of The Op-Arts. 3 Bands. The Regent V plus The Circle plus The Blues Union
March 10 – The Luvvers plus The T-Set
March 17 – The Facells
March 24 – Hear the beat of the ghostly group with their devilish sound. If you like what’s ‘way out’ then try this spine chilling night of !HORROR!
March 31 – Fortunes plus The Winston G-Set. Here are the Fortunes with “You’ve Got Your Troubles” from last year’s NME POllwinners Concert. 6m 17s.
April 07 – The Wild Flowers plus a special event for the Mod Man – prizes for The Miniest Shirt. My guess is that tonight’s band was actually The Wilde Flowers, who would see one member from this line-up join Soft Machine and the others form Caravan. Despite their progressive future, the band at this time had a strong soul sound.
April 14 – A 3D ‘Freak Out’ In Weird World Of Psychedelic Sounds And Scenes. No groups listed.
April 21 – The Throb plus The King Pins
April 28 – It’s – Heat Two Of This Year’s May Queen with The Tony Merrick Scene plus The Beatroute
May 05 – The Alan Price Set plus The T-Set. The clip above comes from the German TV show “Beat Club” and features Alan Price performing “Simon Smith And His Amazing Dancing Bear”.
May 12 – The Steeple-Jacks plus Chatz and the Skat Kats
May 19 – The Pride And The Passion plus The Beatroute
May 26 – Haydock’s Rockhouse plus The Rebel Sounds
June 02 – Wimple Witch playing at the dance to find nairn’s M.D.E. (Modern dancing Enterprises) Queen.
June 09 – Wimple Witch plus The T-Set
June 16 – The Shireens plus The Throb plus The Copycats
June 23 – Final of the Modern dancing Enterprises Queen for 1967 with The Ashley Kaye Group plus The Rebel Sounds
June 30 – Honey Band plus The Tiffany Shell
July 07 – Cream plus Newton’s Theory with its Go-Go Girls. The gig was cancelled when the van carrying the band’s equipment failed to turn up. Above is the M.D.E. advert announcing tonight’s scheduled gig from The Northern Scot.
July 10 – Cream return to play their concert. The rare footage above is from the Paris Pop Festival staged last month, the track is “We’re Going Wrong” and shows the band at the peak of their career.
July 12 – The Nairnshire Telegraph carries an advert for The Pink Floyd for this day but the actual date was July 21.
July 14 – The Rebel Sounds
July 15 – The Beatroute
July 21 – Pink Floyd. “See Emily Play” was climbing the charts and here the band are miming to it on a Belgian TV show.
July 28 – Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band plus The Copy Cats. Here’s Geno with “Michael (He’s A Lover” and “Que Sera Sera”.
August – 18 The Small Faces – concert cancelled.
August 31 – Zoot Money and his new group Dantalion’s Chariot plus The T-Set
September – 08 The Freddie Mack Show
September – 15 The Throb plus The Life N’ Soul
September – 22 Tony Merrick plus The T-Set
October 06 – The Who plus Gideon’s Few (pictured below). The Who were in the charts with “I Can See For Miles” and here it is In Colour from The Smothers Brothers TV Show.
October 13 – The Beatstalkers plus The Rebel Sound
October 20 – The Four Shades Of Blue plus The T-Set
October 27 – The Tamala Express plus The Beatroute
November 03 – The Rhubarb plus The Barons
November 10 – Clock-work Orange plus Last Chapter
November 17 – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Seen here on Top Of The Pops with “Zabadak”. 3m 41s.
December 01 – The Delroy Williams Show plus Keith Taylor
December 08 – The Troggs plus The Throb. Here are the Troggs with their original version of “Love Is All Around” which got to number 5 in October. The promo film is typically surreal for the time but gives great glimpses of the band on stage and in transit to gigs.
December 15 – Symon Dupree. Ok, you and I both know that it should be Simon Dupree but the adverts carry a “y”. Here he is with The Big Sound performing “Kites” which hit the top ten last month. The video’s a bit jumpy but it does show exactly how the band were on stage.
December 22 – Cash Boutique Queen For 1967. Grand Final
December 25 – Aberdeen Students’ Charities’ Campaign present Their Xmas Beatnik Ball with The Circle plus The T-Set
December 29 – The 1967 Last Fling with The Middle Earth plus The T-Set
1966
December 31, 1966
January 21 – Grand Opening. Sounds Inc. plus The Ballerina Band.
Considering the promoter, Albert Bonici, had a well established series of venues for many years, it’s odd he should have waited so long to open at the Ballerina. He had regular dances at the Two Red Shoes Ballroom, the Assembly Rooms and the Town Hall in Elgin, Victoria Ballroom in Forres, the Public Hall in Craigellachie, the Fisherman’s Hall in Buckie and Longmore Hall, Keith.
He had also used the Regal Ballroom in Leopold Street back in 1960 when The Beatles (then known as The Silver Beetles) played as support to Johnny Gentle for his tour of Scotland. I’d be interested to know how much Bonici used the Regal before the opening of the Ballerina and if he was staging regular dances there.
January 28 – The Highland Press Club presents Malcolm Clarke and The Cresters
February 04 – The Caley F.C. Supporters Club featuring The Mindbenders. Seen here, as they were at the Ballerina – without Wayne Fontana – with “Groovy Kind Of Love”. If the guy on guitar and lead vocals looks familiar, it’s because he’s Eric Stewart who made it to mega stardom in the 70’s as a member of 10cc.
February 11 –Johnny And The Copycats
February 12 – The Facells plus The Graham Nairne 7 with guest, ex-Jacobeats singer, Terry Russell
February 18 – North of Scotland 2nd XI presents The Stramash Show with The Bell Sisters, Peter London, Sol Byron and The Senate
February 19 – New Style Saturday Night Dancing featuring The Flock with guest, ex-Jacobeats singer, Terry Russell
February 25 – The Poets. Here they are with “Now We’re Thru”.
February 26 – The Royal Teens plus The Graham Nairne 7 with singer Terry Russell
March 04 – The Facells plus The Graham Nairne 7
March 05 – The Souls plus Terry Russell plus The Graham Nairne 7
March 18 – The Four Pennies
March 25 – The Klansmen
March 26 – Ballerina Big Beat Nite with The Oreogons plus The Graham Nairne 7
April 01 – Neil Landon with The Colin Anthony Combo
April 02 – Ballerina Big Beat Nite with Size 4
April 15 – The Habits
April 22 – Stramash with Sol Byron plus The Senate plus The Rebel Sounds
April 29 – The Applejacks. While I was looking for a live clip of the band, I found this. It’s the Pathe newsreel of the wedding of two members from last year. Crazy to think that you might have watched this at the cinema back in ’65!
May 06 – St. Louis Union
May 13 – McKinlay Sisters
May 27 – The Honeycombs plus The Rebel Sounds. Here are The Honeycombs with “Have I The Right”
June 03 – Julie Grant plus The Graham Nairne Set and The Flock
June 10 – The Foundations plus The Graham Nairne Set
June 17 – David and Jonathan plus The Graham Nairne Set and Deirdre Cameron. Here’s David and Jonathan with “Lovers Of The World Unite” which will peak at number 7 in the charts on July 7th.
June 24 – The Truth
July 01 – Winners of the South of Scotland Festival Beat Championship 1966 – The Beachcombers
July 08 – Sounds Incorporated. Here they are from the NME Poll Winners’ Concert later in the year.
July 15 – The Rebel Sounds plus The New Jacobeats
July 22 – Two Band Show – The Quantrelles plus The Size
July 27 – Boutique Dance with Mannequin Parade – The Copycats
July 29 – Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, seen above with “I Can’t Stand It”.
August 03 – Special Summer Dance also featuring Beauty Queen Contest – The Copycats plus The Rebel Sound
August 05 – Neil Landon And The Burnettes
August 10 – Contest Special with ‘Miss Mod Gear’ – The Copycats plus The Soundcasters
August 12 – Pinkerton’s Assorted Colours plus The Soundcasters
August 17 – Miss Mini Skirt – The Facells
August 19 – Heinz plus The Soundcasters and Me And The Others
August 20 – The Oreogons
August 26 – The Drovers plus The Flock
August 27 – The Soundcasters
August 31 – The Raging Storms
September 02 – The Chuckles plus The Soundcasters
September 03 – The Oddity
September 09 – Swinging Blue Jeans plus The New Jacobeats
September 16 – The Beatstalkers plus The Rebel Sounds
September 23 – The Drovers plus The Phantoms
September 30 – The Klondykes plus The Soundcasters
October 07 – The Flintlocks plus The Flock
October 14 – The Chris-Do-Lynns plus The Rebel Sounds plus The New Jacobeats
October 21 – It’s The fabulous Sandie Shaw’s Backing Group – The Escorts plus The Phantoms
October 28 – The Quantrelles plus The Soundcasters
November 04 – Times plus Bootleggers
November 11 – The Crazy Late Nite. Admission only costs 1d, if the penny is dated 1951, 1952 or 1953 – Normal Price Of Admission 6/11 1/2d. The Dawn Breakers plus The Klansmen plus The 3 Blind Mice
November 18 – The Koobas plus The Throb. This is the Koobas on the German pop show, “Beat Beat Beat” on September 23rd, playing “Shake” and “Take Me For A Little While”.
November 25 – The Honeycombs plus The Mike Curtis Set
December 02 – Wayne Fontana and The Opposition plus The Rebel Sounds
December 09 – 1) The Beatstalkers 2) Garry and The Highlanders 3) The T-Set
December 16 – The Mojos plus The Soundcasters
December 23 – ‘The Krazy Xmas Kappers’ Show’ with The Royal Teens plus The New Phantoms
December 26 – Aberdeen Students’ Charities’ Campaign Punch Ball present The Agents plus The Blue Stars
December 30 – Phase Five plus The T-Set
Ballerina Ballroom, Nairn 