“Une Pause Dans Le Temps”
The Blue-Berries Paul Swan’s memories (2/2)
Comparing all of our notes makes you realise just how much support we all had from parents and close relatives. Don't think we would have managed much without it - don't think we could have carried that equipment on our bikes!!
I have an old exercise book in which I wrote all the details of our gigs and stapled the press clippings which I scanned and sent you both some time ago. This starts on 27th June 1964, with the Clacton Football Ground Fête, for which we received the princely sum of £4 in total. This must have been the event you both mention when were practising and were asked to 'put up or shut up!'
I see that we played the Spencer Davis gig on 23rd Jan 1965 and with Them on 17th July 1965. I remember we got the Town Hall gigs as one of our class mates Ross Thompson's dad was the Entertainments Manager at the Princes Theatre (as it's called). I suppose we were local, cheap and not too shabby!!
As to when we first started, I remember cycling home from rehearsals with my acoustic slung around my back, and on more than one occasion the refrains of 'She loves you, yeh, yeh, yeh' were sung after me by some sad pedestrian. I've got the single somewhere but the date of that will be near the mark.
On the subject of Highlands Caravan Camp down Thorpe Road, we played there on 27th June 1965 and 31st July 1965. I remember on the second occasion we got a bit blasé and were having a bit of a jam, killing time as no-one was on the dance floor. I was sat on an amp chatting up Karen (who had accompanied us there, as the camp was conveniently adjacent to Chilburn Road, where I lived and there was a cut-through to it), when the camp manager came up, a bit pissy, and told us to get on with it - especially as he was paying us (£8 to be precise!). His name was Mr Dabs - or something peculiar like that. We also played at Rosebank Caravan Camp (24th July 1965), which I think was also down Thorpe Rd. Both camps are long gone now to housing - bit sad!
Paul Swan, September 2012
