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Jez Collins

The Castaways Club

Hazel recalls The Castaways Club, a girl I worked with went to see Tom Jones there in about 67/68. Anymore memories of The Castaway Club?

Batmans Wonderboys

Bri-Dar has written in with the following: Hi, I hope you are keeping well. I only came across you by accident while on line and the Midland beat brought back memories of the Sixties. I noticed you left out Batmans Wonderboys who I  happen to know of. They made the Midland Beat cover during the… Read More »Batmans Wonderboys

Yardley’s Music Shop

Yardleys in Snow Hill was the meeting place for years for Birmingham muso’s. Besides selling amps,PAs’, guitars and drums, etc… Yardleys was the place for finding gigs or forming a band. They also held Drum Clinics there ( I have a ‘Live ‘ recording of Joe Morello transferred off tape to CD which was taken… Read More »Yardley’s Music Shop

The Kipper Club

One of the great indie clubs of Birmingham that was home to indies, goths, psychobilly’s, acid jazzers and everything in between. I remember it being on Bradford St but as Alison, who wrote into the BMA about the omission of The Kipper Club on the site says “The Kipper Club should be on your list!!!!… Read More »The Kipper Club

Reddington Rare Records

Legendary record shop that occupied a number of locations and run by the a larger than life Danny. My first recollections of Reddingtons was when it was in Moor St, at the back of what now is the Pavillions and by the subways that led to Moor St Station and more importantly The Outrigger/Ship Ashore.… Read More »Reddington Rare Records

L’Esprit Manouche

There was a world class festival held in Moseley Private Park celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt.  The worlds very best players of the gypsy jazz style were here and, from the beginning, it attracted an audience from every part of the globe (people flying in from New Zealand, the States, Canada, Russia, Japan etc!)… Read More »L’Esprit Manouche

Something Else

Something Else was a youth (or yoof as it became known) show that ran on BBC 2 from 1978 to 1982. It was one of a fairly large amount of music programmes that was around during this period, picking up on the disruption that punk had caused and broadcasters responded to this ‘new’ youth demographic… Read More »Something Else