Wednesday 30 April 2014

The Who's Tommy documentary wins Telly Award


The Who's new film The Who Sensation - The Story Of Tommy has been awarded a bronze prize at America's Telly Awards, which honour the best in film and video production.
 
The documentary chronicles the making of the group's landmark concept album about a blind pinball player, and features anecdotes from bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, who also portrayed Tommy in the 1975 movie inspired by the album.
 
The DVD and Blu-ray release also features archival interviews with the late John Entwistle, and contributions from key players who were involved in the making of the album.

Sunday 27 April 2014

The Strypes star suffers with tendinitis


Strypes drummer Evan Walsh has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right hand.

The teenage star been diagnosed with tendinitis after a big knot appeared in his right hand after dislocating a finger during a gig in Canada earlier this year.

The Cavan quartet are fast becoming one of rock's next big things, which means Walsh will have to suffer through his pain so that they can perform at all their forthcoming gigs.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine Walsh said: "We managed (to play) for another 40 minutes. I played even faster (than usual) to get done, because of the pain."

Ray Davies – ‘The Kinks and Beyond’ at the Stratford Literary Festival on Monday 28th April (7.30pm to 9.15pm). Tickets still available.


Date/time:
Mon 28th April 2014
7.30pm - 9.15pm

Venue:
 Stratford Arts House

Price:
 £14 with interval

Ray Davies CBE, one of the most successful and influential songwriters to emerge from the British Invasion of the 1960s, founded the rock band The Kinks with his brother Dave in London in 1964, and they celebrate 50 years this year.

The band’s string of 14 top ten international hits began with ‘You Really Got Me’, followed by ‘All Day and All of The Night’, ‘Tired of Waiting’, ‘Set Me Free’, ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’, ‘Sunny Afternoon’, ‘Waterloo Sunset’, ‘Lola’,‘Apeman’ and ‘Come Dancing’ among many others.

Davies has released two solo albums, a choral collection of Kinks classics and his recent collaborations album, See My Friends, saw him return again to the top ten working with the likes of Metallica, Bruce Springsteen and Mumford and Sons. Davies collaborated with Barrie Keeffe in 1981 on his first stage musical, Chorus Girls, and in 1988 wrote 80 Days with Snoo Wilson, which was produced at the La Jolla Playhouse. He returned with his third musical, Come Dancing, in 2008 at Stratford East which won the What’s On Stage Best off West End Musical Award.

He performed at the London Olympics followed by his most successful solo tour to date, he is working on a new musical and his second autobiography, Americana, is now out.

The Ricky Tick DJs at The Wine Vaults, Southsea, on Saturday 17th May


Tony Class – our thoughts are with you


The following statement is being made by the Page family with the consent and on the behalf of: Tony Class/Page.
 
"As some of you may know, Tony has been ill with Cancer for quite some time, regrettably it has reached it's final stages, it is his wish that his friends now be made aware of this, unfortunately his ill health prevents him from doing so personally, and whilst we understand that he will have many well-wishers, due to his grave condition we would ask that at this very difficult time, his wish for privacy be respected, he is unable to attend his phone, but any messages through this page will be conveyed to him. He is currently being cared for by his girlfriend Stephanie, his sons Jamie and Richard and his family."

Friday 25 April 2014

The Truth (original line-up) added to the bill of 'Celebrating 50 Years of Mod Culture' at Brighton Centre on Saturday 23rd August


‘Mods - The New Religion’ by Paul 'Smiler' Anderson - interview with Fred Perry


Published to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the famous ‘Mods Vs Rockers’ riots of 1964; Mods: The New Religion is everything you need to know about the real Mod scene. We chatted to the book's creator, Paul 'Smiler' Anderson, about music, style and what's up next.
When did you begin working on The New Religion? What inspired you to create the book?
I first thought about writing a book back in 2002. I did some research on bands local to me in Reading like The Moquettes and did newspaper appeals for Mods. I then decided to write a book on 60s original Mods and started that back in 2005. But ideas, changes and photos were still coming in right up until the end of December 2013, just before it had to be sent to be printed. The book now though is exactly as I imagined it...twelve years ago! The inspiration to me was the fact that the only book really dedicated to 60s Mods was written in 1979 by Richard Barnes with the help of Johnny Moke (original Mod) and nothing had really been released since. In 1964 there had been a book called 'Generation X' written by Charles Hamblett and Jane Deverson that was a cross the board social study of opinions and quotes from young teenagers talking about their views on Marriage, sex, religion, politics, class etc. It included some great quotes from Mods of the period. Another book that was influential was from 1984 called 'Days In The Life' which was a collection of interviews conducted by Jonathan Green with various people from subcultures of the 60s including Mods, Hippies etc. I just thought all I want is a book that just chats to Mods including the ones who were there at the very start in the late 1950s.

How many of your own personal experiences play into the book?
Seeing as I wasn't born until 1965 it was impossible for any of my own personal experiences to be included in the book. However the fact that I have spent over 30 years reading and talking about the original 60s period does reflect in the book I think. I have nothing but admiration for the originators of the culture and I hope that passion shows through.

In your opinion, which three tracks define the Mod era:

That is a tough call! But I think I would choose: -

'Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud' - Tony Clarke
'Madness' - Prince Buster

'I'll Keep Holding On' - The Marvelettes

But then I could easily have put in a blues record like 'My Babe' by Little Walter or 'I'm The Face' by the High Numbers as it was the first record to be actually written and aimed at the Mod audience.

What part did the Fred Perry Shirt play in the history of Mod?
Fred Perry was really some of the first 'leisure wear' that teenagers embraced as a fashion. In a world that is now full of tacky tracksuits and sportswear is a common sight it seems hard to believe that Mods were the first to embrace the Fred Perry Shirt to be worn casually, although they could also be worn under jackets also. Mods were the first to wear training shoes, cycling shoes, bowling shoes and cycle shirts as a form of fashion statement but the Fred Perry shirt worn at the start of the 60s was seen as ground breaking.

Who would you describe as today’s Mod heroes? Are there any new faces you think are important?
The whole idea of heroes to Mods is a kind of alien concept as many would not want to be seen to acknowledge any individual publicly.  That said, many Mods do hold people in high esteem. Steve Marriott of The Small Faces is often cited as an inspiration to many whilst since the revival Paul Weller has often been held in high esteem and in more recent years people such as Miles Kane and Bradley Wiggins have become high profile Mods. It is such a personal view though and very hard to get any one person as an overall Mod hero.

Finally, what’s next for you? Are you working on any future projects?
Life is harder now I have my little boy and also holding down a full time job so my time for writing has definitely got shorter. Mod is my most passionate subject so I always feel that would come into anything I write. I am also fascinated by the subject of the 1984 miner's strike so may use that as a basis for a fictional piece. I'd also love to write for music based magazines such as Mojo but find many of these type of affairs hard to gain a foothold in. Whatever happens I think I will always be inspired to write.
'Mods - The New Religion' is published by Omnibus Press. Available now.

About the author: -
PAUL ‘SMILER’ ANDERSON has been in love with the Mod way of life since 1979. He has been involved in organising numerous events since the Eighties, as well as publishing fanzines and running club nights. As a major record collector, Paul has been a  DJ at Mod events both in the UK and Europe for over 25 years. With co-author Damian Jones, Paul has also written Circles: The Strange Story of The Fleur De Lys and compiled Acid Jazz’s Rare Mod compilation albums and EPs. In 2011, Paul and Damian presented the biggest-ever exhibition devoted to Sixties Mod,  entitled Reading Steady Go! Other than his family and friends, Paul lists his greatest loves as clothes, records, scooters and West Ham United Football Club.

Paul Weller performs inside giant kaleidoscope for 'Brand New Toy' video


Paul Weller has unveiled the video for his Record Store Day track 'Brand New Toy'.

In the promo, the singer appears performing at a piano inside a giant kaleidoscope bathed in red and blue light.

The track will feature on Weller's forthcoming new compilation album 'More Modern Classics', which includes tracks from the past 15 years of the singer's solo career and is released on June 2.

'Brand New Toy' was first released as a limited edition seven-inch for Record Store Day on April 19. Earlier this week, however, Weller announced that he would not be taking part in the event again in a blog post attacking "touts" selling the limited-edition release on eBay at inflated prices, which he said "goes against the whole philosophy" behind the annual event.

Record Store Day organisers have since released a statement, saying that they were "disappointed" that touts are exploiting the event, which aims to support independent record shops. The statement also said that, as only 500 copies of 'Brand New Toy' were available, "some re-selling was expected".

'Calling All First Generation Mods' for a BBC Documentary


Thursday 24 April 2014

'Quadrophenia' Hits the Quad says Gavin Edwards of Rolling Stone Magazine as the University of Sussex plan to hold symposium examining the Who album, the movie and Mod culture in Brighton this July


This year marks not only the 50th anniversary of the Who, but also the 50th anniversary of the Brighton Beach battle between mods and rockers immortalized in Quadrophenia. To mark the occasion, England's University of Sussex is holding a weekend-long symposium on both the album and the film, from July 10th through the 12th. The schedule includes talks on everything from the "the Post-1960s Mod Diaspora" to "the sea and the scooter in Quadrophenia," plus an appearance by the film's director, Franc Roddam. (Pete Townshend has been invited, and has sent a supportive e-mail, but is not expected to attend.)

"Here by the Sea and Sand: A Symposium on Quadrophenia" is being organized by the University of Sussex's Centre for Modernist Studies, whose co-director Pam Thurschwell tells Rolling Stone, "I felt that by constantly focusing on Joyce, Pound and Woolf, we weren't taking full advantage of the 'Mod' in Modernist Studies."

Townshend may have been the Sixties rock star who most self-consciously positioned himself to one day become part of the academic canon (not to mention the operatic repertoire). As Thurschwell observes, "The album is a classic work about adolescent alienation — the desire to be safely ensconced in a crowd, cut through by the fear of having one's shaky identity sucked away. It's comparable to Salinger's Catcher in the Rye or Colin MacInness' Absolute Beginners as a story of adolescent development and what thwarts it."

It rewards close study, she's already found: "I'm currently fascinated by the history behind Ethan Russell's wonderful book of photographs that accompanied the original album. Russell did the infamous cover shot for Who's Next and then took the gritty, realistic photos that document Jimmy's home life around Battersea and his trip back to Brighton to try and recapture his happy mod memories of a few weeks earlier. During the photography sessions, the kid playing Jimmy, a local kid named Chad, was arrested for stealing a bus! Russell went to court and told the judge that Chad was a male model, working for the Who, so they let him off."

The symposium is supposed to end with a restaged rumble on the Brighton beach, although it's not currently clear how a gang of middle-aged academics plan on pulling that off. "I'm not certain how many of us have scooters," Thurschwell says. "Maybe we can hire the Jane Austen society to play the rockers."

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Soul singer, Deon Jackson, died in his sleep on April 19th 2014


It's reported that soul singer, Deon Jackson, passed on in his sleep on April 19th 2014 at the age of 68.

Soul singer and songwriter Deon Jackson was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 26, 1946. He studied clarinet and drums as a child, and while in high school he formed his own vocal group, concurrently performing in area talent shows as a solo act, and composing his own original material.

While performing one of those songs at a high school concert, Jackson was discovered by producer Ollie McLaughlin, who'd previously launched the career of soul diva Barbara Lewis; McLaughlin soon produced Jackson's debut single, 1962's self-penned "You Said You Love Me." The record was a Detroit-area hit, as was its follow-up, "Come Back Home"...

The Who Releasing Quadrophenia Tour DVD & Album in June


A new concert video and album capturing The Who playing its classic 1973 concept album Quadrophenia last year in London will be released in multiple configurations on June 10.  Quadrophenia: Live in London documents the band’s performance at Wembley Arena on July 8, 2103, which was the final show of its Quadrophenia and More Tour.

The concert featured The Who performing the landmark double-disc record in its entirety, as well as a set of other memorable songs by the British rockers.  For the show, the band played in front of a high-definition video screen that showed a montage of archival footage and rare photos.  The event also included tribute segments to The Who’s two late founding members — bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon — in which the band’s current line-up performed along with concert footage of the departed rock legends.

Among the versions of Quadrophenia: Live in London that will be available is a deluxe box set that will be packaged in a round metal container designed to look like the headlight of a mod-era scooter.  The collection will feature a high-def Blu-ray and a standard DVD of the concert film, a two-CD soundtrack of the 2013 show, a Blu-ray audio disc boasting the first-ever 5.1 surround-sound mix of the 1973 Quadrophenia album, a booklet with photos and liner notes, and a collectible button and sticker.

In addition, the Blu-ray and DVD of the concert video, the double-CD soundtrack and the 1973 Quadrophenia Blu-ray audio disc all will be sold separately.  Digital versions of the 2013 concert video and album also will be available.

Here is the track list for the Quadrophenia: Live in London DVD, Blu-ray and soundtrack:

“I Am the Sea”

“The Real Me”

“Quadrophenia”

“Cut My Hair”

“The Punk and the Godfather”

“I’m One”

“The Dirty Jobs”

“Helpless Dancer”

“Is It In My Head?”

“I’ve Had Enough”

“5:15″

“Sea and Sand”

“Drowned”

“Bell Boy”

“Doctor Jimmy”

“The Rock”

“Love Reign O’er Me”

Bonus Performances

“Who Are You”

“You Better You Bet”

“Pinball Wizard”

“Baba O’Riley”

“Won’t Get Fooled Again”

“Tea & Theatre”

New bio brings '60s pop giant Bert Berns out of the shadows


Joel Selvin's new book, "Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues," is an epic excavation of a key but forgotten figure in American music who died at the apex of his influence after a brief but meteoric ride.

From his first Top 10 hit, Solomon Burke's anguished 1962 breakthrough "Cry to Me," to Erma Franklin's original recording of "Piece of My Heart," released just weeks before his death in 1967 at 38, the songwriter and producer lived his life like a lit fuse.

Fuelled by the knowledge that the rheumatic fever he contracted as a child had damaged his heart to such an extent that doctors said he'd be lucky to see his mid-20s, Berns transformed his hidden torment and angst into jukebox gold by putting the right song in the hands of the right artist.

Finding his niche

A soulful, street-smart Jewish kid from the Bronx with no formal musical training, Berns was hardly a wunderkind. He spent his 20s slowly learning the ropes of the music business, and didn't find a home at Atlantic Records as a staff producer until his 30s. But once he came into his own, he parlayed his love of Cuban music and New York rhythm and blues into a trademark sound that helped reshape pop music and with hits like the Isley Brothers' ecstatic "Twist and Shout" (which Berns co-wrote), the Drifters' clave-inflected "Under the Boardwalk" and Burke's impassioned "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," a song on which Berns and Jerry Wexler cribbed co-writing credits, an all-too-common practice in those days.

When the Beatles launched the British Invasion, it was Berns who brought New York R&B to swinging London, where he produced "Baby, Please Don't Go," the first hit by the Northern Irish band Them, led by a young Van Morrison.

Emotional stamp

Berns wasn't a conspicuous auteur like Phil Spector. He didn't impose a particular sonic vision on every tune, though with Tom Dowd as Atlantic's house engineer his tracks sounded better than almost anything on the radio. Whether working with established acts or discovering new artists like Morrison and Neil Diamond, who both made their first recordings for Berns' Bang Records, he dialled the songs he produced to a heightened emotional pitch.

"Berns was writing about his life," says Selvin, former long-time pop music critic for The Chronicle and co-author of Sammy Hagar's memoir "Red." "His songs reflected some deep inner turmoil. As a songwriter he liked to push singers into desperate corners, right on the edge of hysteria. On the surface 'Cry to Me' is a love song. Solomon Burke is singing to his girlfriend, soliciting her affection, but the lyrics dwell on loneliness and emptiness. The chorus has him crying. There's so much torture in these Berns songs, often wrapped in this mambo gloss."

Not always an easy read, "Here Comes the Night" bristles with names and telegraphic descriptions of more than a hundred characters. Selvin sets the scene for Berns' rise by detailing the way rock 'n' roll and R&B disrupted the stranglehold of the major labels in the late 1950s, giving a colourful cast of hustlers the space to sign and record artists while often helping themselves to undeserved songwriting credits.

Sometimes it's even hard to keep track of Berns, who published many of his songs under the name Bert Russell and recorded under the name Russell Byrd.

Concerted campaign

Over the years there have been a few attempts at taking stock of Berns' legacy, most significantly, the British label Ace Records' two-volume anthology "Twist & Shout 1960-1964" and "Mr Success 1964-1967." Now Berns' obscurity is about to come to an end. "Here Comes the Night" is just the first salvo in a concerted campaign by Brett and Cassie Berns, who never knew their father, to raise him to his rightful place in the pop pantheon. Brett recently completed a feature-length documentary on his father, "Bang: The Bert Berns Story," and he and Cassie are producing an off-Broadway revue, "Piece of My Heart," opening this summer at the Signature Theatre.

Chatting with the siblings last week at Selvin's book release party as they shared a cigarette outside the Matrix, where a DJ had no trouble filling up an evening with classic Berns tracks, they talked about getting to know their father through his music.

"That was really the best part, learning all these songs," Cassie said.

"He knew he was going to die, and he said my children will know me through this music. As a kid, what do you get from 'Hang On Sloopy,' 'Cry to Me,' or 'Piece of My Heart'? We realized from Joel that the songs were autobiographical."

Paul Weller refuses to be involved in Record Store Day in future because of 'touts' reports NME


Paul Weller has said that he won't be taking part in Record Store Day in the future after seeing his 2014 release sold online at vastly inflated prices.

Weller put out a one-off 7-inch, 'Flame Out', for this year's Record Store Day, which took place on Saturday (April 19). As with a majority of other releases this year, copies of the record appeared on eBay later that same day while other fans complained of the release being sold out as soon as record shops opened their doors.

Addressing the issue on his official website, Weller attacks the "touts" selling the limited edition Record Store Day releases and states that the online sale of records "goes against the whole philosophy" behind the annual event.

"I agree with all of you who have sent messages expressing your anger and disappointment at the exploitation of these "limited editions" by touts," Weller writes. "Apart from making the record, the rest has very little to do with me but I am disheartened by the whole thing and unfortunately I won't be taking part in Record Store Day again."

He continues: "It's such a shame because as you know I am a big supporter of independent record stores but the greedy touts making a fast buck off genuine fans is disgusting and goes against the whole philosophy of RSD. It only takes a few to spoil a wonderful concept for everyone else. Shame on those touts."

‘Mod Jazz And Then Some!’ (Ace) to be released on 26th May


Amazon Product Description
The latest edition of the sharpest compilation in the racks. Ady Croasdell and Dean Rudland dig out 24 jazz, bluesy, latino grooves, which are destined for or have already achieved greatness. The latest volume digs deep into the archives of black America, to come up with tracks from obscure 45s or were hidden on LPs by labels big and small. Kent have in-demand 45s by Reuben Wilson and Billy Larkin on Flodavieur and Frenchy and The Chessmen's rare Dave Hamilton productions. Kent have revisited the ultimate mod jazz label, Prestige, and dug out tunes that are now earning their collectable stripes. From the sanctified organ groove of Shirley Scott's Sister Sadie, to Etta Jones sublime version of Nature Boy, a big record on the popcorn-influenced European scene and highly collectable. Old favourites such as Googie Rene and Hank Jacobs (as part of the TKO s) return to bring more of their immaculate grooves and perhaps best of all is the Nightbeats previously unreleased Leavin Town. It could have been recorded specifically with Mod Jazz in mind...

Track Listing:- 

1. Saturday Night Stomp (Inst) - Eddie Blues Man Kirkland 

2. Nature Boy - Etta Jones 

3. Sister Sadie - Shirley Scott 

4. Comin Home Baby - Eric Kloss 

5. Bucket Full Of Soul - Trudy Pitts 

6. Free For All - King Curtis 

7. The Chiller (A Very Short Story) - Googie Rene 

8. Troubles - Bobby Jenkins& His Quartet 

9. That s A Lie - Billy Larkin 

10. Cooking In Grease - Reuben Wilson 

11. Hen House - Paul & Rick 

12. Congo Buggie - Freddy Washington s Band 

13. Leavin Town - Nightbeats 

14. Dig In - Pac Keys 

15. Watermelon Walk - Five Counts 

16. Poontwangie Aka Three O clock Stomp B. B. King 

17. Chili With Honey - Danny Bell & The Bell Hops 

18. Fat Man - TKOs 

19. Sorry Bout That - Chuck Higgins 

20. In The Dark - Dave Hamilton 

21. El Tacos - Frenchy & The Chessmen 

22. Another Child Lost - Floyd White 

23. You Were Wrong - Miles Grayson 

24. Hard Working Girl - Clarence Daniels & Obie Jessie 

Monday 21 April 2014

The Modernist Society Blog has now exceeded 150,000 visits in just 22 months



A BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM PAUL & KAREN H-K
 

‘Mods v Rockers! The beach battles that rocked Britain in 1964 - and terrified bank holiday tourists’ says the Daily Mirror


50 years ago the nation was shocked by violence which accompanied our first true youth culture. One man at the notorious Brighton brawl looks back on the chaos

The bank holiday began with tourists flocking to the coast but ended with them fleeing for their lives as Mods and Rockers turned beaches into battlefields.

Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1964, simmering rivalry between the groups reached a flashpoint as they clashed repeatedly on seaside piers and promenades across the country.

But the worst of the violence was seen in Brighton, as families were trapped in a shocking showdown which sparked moral panic about the state of British youth.

Tony Edwards was 18 and one of the first band of Mods to arrive on the Sussex coast that day. He says: “The Rockers had outnumbered us for years but leading up to 1964 we’d grown in numbers – now it was payback time.

“When we arrived on the beach there were just a few Mods and a big group of Rockers in the middle. Within about 90 minutes the beach filled up with hundreds of Mods.

“Then someone on our side threw a pebble at them and within a few seconds they were just being blitzed. I saw one guy who’d been cut on the head with blood running down his face.

“In the end the police had to charge on to the beach and escort this group of Rockers off the seafront, which must have been humiliating. They were tough men and we were just little kids poncing around in fancy clothes.

“But we weren’t going to take their c**p any more. It was the holidaymakers I felt sorry for. They looked terrified.”

Tensions had been rising for some time. The Rockers were usually in their 20s or 30s; Elvis-loving bikers rooted in 1950s Teddy Boy culture.

The teenage Mods’ culture, which flourished in the early 60s, was based on continental clothes, Italian Vespa and Lambretta scooters and the music of soul and jazz musicians.

They first clashed that spring on the March bank holiday in Clacton. At the Essex resort 97 people were arrested and the battle lines were drawn.

After that, trouble flared from Bournemouth to Margate, up to the bank holiday of August 1964. But Brighton’s Whitsun clash was the most notorious, thanks to sensational headlines and its immortalisation in Mod flick Quadrophenia.

Battles ran well into the night but although there were weapons – knives, chains and makeshift knuckle dusters – most scuffles involved fists and boots.

Tony, once branded King of the Mods in hometown Reading, says: “There were quite a few scuffles. I got into a few myself and nearly got arrested.

“I kept out of it most of the time but we would rush over and watch if something did kick off. We saw the action on top of the aquarium, a scene which is famous.

"In the middle were these Mods with deck chairs bringing them down on the heads of Rockers.

“But a lot of injuries came from the sense of panic and all these crowds running around. It was bedlam.

“A Mod got pushed through a window and got so badly cut he was pouring with blood. It was really nasty and there was this copper holding this lad and he was quite emotional: ‘For Christ’s sake, just look at this!’ he said.

“It was an accident, the crowds pushed him through, but word spread that a Rocker did it – and that fired us up more.”

The Mods got much of the blame for the violence but 68-year-old Tony, now a dad of three and a grandad of two living in Cornwall, blames the Rockers and police.

He says: “The police were very heavy-handed. There was panic about Mods but it was misplaced. All we wanted was to have a good time. Music and clothes were our passion.

“There was probably a hardcore of violent people, Mods and Rockers, who just used it as an opportunity for a fight.

“But it was the Rockers who went to Brighton knowing there was going to be trouble. They went there looking for it – and they certainly found it.”

Thursday 17 April 2014

The Faces Experience - 23rd May, Southend


Wang Dang Doodle - Newcastle-under-Lyme on Friday 25th April from 8pm to 1am (£3)


A vintage scooter club will rev it up Italian-style to mark the 50th anniversary of an infamous motorcycling and scooter rivalry.


Up to 50 members of Crawley Bullseye Scooter Club will ride their Italian vintage bikes to Horsham on Monday (April 21) and have them on show to mark the 50th anniversary of the infamous clashes between Mods and Rockers.

Karen Turnham, 55, and her partner Phillip Walker, 55, of Pound Hill, founded the club in 2009.

Karen, “the governor” of the club, said: “We’ve made a lot of friends through it and go out to lots of different places. It’s given people a life. It’s brought their youth back to them.”

Karen said the club had raised thousands of pounds at events it had put on for a various charities.

Among the fundraising efforts was £1,600 for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity thanks to a 60s-themed music event at The Tilgate Pub, Ashdown Drive. Karen said: “It’s been increasing every year. We are recognised as a very active scooter club because we do so much.”

The group meet twice per month at The Snooty Fox pub, in Three Bridges, and go out on weekend rides regularly.

Karen said: “We’re all different, some are really shy when they first meet. It brings people to life.”

Vikki Thatcher, the pub’s landlady, was also a scooterist in Bournemouth.

Karen said the club was “thriving” with its membership increasing every year.

The group has around 50 members, the youngest being aged 18 and the oldest 66.

One member owned five scooters.

Phil said he started riding after his father bought him a scooter when he was 12-years-old. He attended Ifield Comprehensive School, now Ifield Community College, and became a member of the school’s motorbike club.

Phil, who works as a mechanic in Gatwick, said: “Other people from other places join us on these [ride-outs].

“People take photos of us. It’s great, the Americans can’t get enough of it.”

Karen got into scooters after she met Phil more than 14 years ago. She said most of their scooters were classic Lambrettas and Vespas from the 1960s and that club members had appeared in television commercials, film extras and fashion photo shoots.

A number of members were involved in the opening of the Brighton Marathon.

The Crawley Bullseye Scooter Club will park up in the bandstand in Horsham from 11.30am to 3pm.

‘Vespa rides on with launch of Primavera: Iconic Italian scooter still revving up millions of sales’ reports The Independent


Without wishing to disrespect Jack Dee, there can't be many things the British comedian has in common with the late, great, American actor Gregory Peck. Height, gravitas and the most scholarly diction are Peck's alone, although one could argue that Dee has the edge on deadpan witticism. But both are united in their appreciation of that most famous of Italian designs, the Vespa. The former liked to ride his in the opening credits to his witty BBC sitcom Lead Balloon, while the latter did similar – though far more suavely, it must be said – through the streets of 1950s Rome.

That cinematic segment of Peck's, which came halfway through William Wyler's classic 1953 film Roman Holiday, sent worldwide sales of Italy's leading utilitarian mode of transport through the roof, and transformed its image overnight. This was due not only to the elegance of its design, but the fact that Audrey Hepburn happened to be riding pillion, thereby creating in the viewer a subliminal link between the bike and the world's most beautiful woman. One cannot buy advertising like that.

The Vespa has remained a style icon ever since, and the release this month of its latest model, the Primavera, confirms it has lost little of its lustre. In the florid prose of Marco Lambri, director of the Piaggio Group Style Centre, where the two-wheeler is hammered into artisanal shape, "the Vespa was designed around man from its inception, placing the human figure at the centre. It was light years ahead of its time, and she is truly the daughter of functionality."

Yes, quite. In other words, it works. Like the Fiat 500, a machine also generous with its curves, it has been adopted, and adapted, for subsequent generations ever since. In the 1960s, it was the heavily accessorised ride of choice for mods buzzing down to British coastal towns looking for rockers to glass, and by 1979 its cachet was seamlessly revived courtesy of the film Quadrophenia, which documented that 1960s era. In the 1990s, Jamie Oliver gave it geezerish appeal (he rode it in between chopping onions on The Naked Chef), while Britpop included it as part of its nationalistic cultural obsessions, despite its thoroughly foreign style.

The Vespa was launched into post-war Italy in 1946, and has changed little in its 68-year history. "There's a reason for that," says Andy Gillard, editor of Scootering Magazine. "You don't fix what's not broken."

The only real change has been a merciful one: the replacing of its original two-stroke engine – which may well have explained its name (vespa, in Italian, means wasp) but also made an ungodly racket – to the quieter four-stroke, so much more amenable for the man or woman about town. Though its popularity is perennial – 1.3 million have been sold in the last decade – the average owner today is pretty much Jack Dee: a chap in his late 40s/early 50s, likely experiencing the quiet beta-male midlife crisis, content to let his alpha counterpart rev himself silly on a fat Harley-Davidson. As Andy Gillard points out: "The Vespa's fun, but it's also practical. Lift the seat, and you can put your shopping in. Handy."

It isn't exclusively the plaything of balding men, however. Lucia Jordan, a 41-year-old digital marketing executive from the Wirral, runs vespa.org.uk, an online appreciation society with thousands of members worldwide, many of whom convene up to 12 times a year for international rallies. "We have many women members," she assures, "and we're all very friendly."

Its enduring appeal, she suggests, is a fundamental, pan-gender one. "You know when you see a dog sticking its head out of the car window, grinning in the breeze? That's how I feel on my Vespa every time. I'm as far away from my computer screen as I can get. I'm free."

The Vespa Primavera 125cc retails at £3,371 (inc OTR).

Paul Weller - 'More Modern Classics' 3-CD Track-listing


 
More Modern Classics is the long awaited follow up to 1998′s Modern Classics which showcased the first part of Paul Weller’s highly successful solo career.
 
This album confirms Weller’s status as the most resilient survivor from punk’s class of ’76 and outclassing and outperforming many of his earlier and later years’ contemporaries.
 
It showcases his continuing progression as an artist, never afraid to take chances, move forward and buck trends, always staying fresh and transcending the zeitgeist.
 
More Modern Classics continues to serve as a reminder of his wide range and gift for melody and song writing.


Track List: -

Disc 1

 He’s The Keeper

 Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea

 It’s Written In The Stars

 Wishing On A Star

 From The Floorboards Up

 Come On / Let’s Go

 Wild Blue Yonder

 Have You Made Up Your Mind

 Echoes Round the Sun

 All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)

 Push It Along

 22 Dreams

 No Tears To Cry

 Wake Up The Nation

 Fast Car / Slow Traffic

 Starlite

 That Dangerous Age

 When Your Garden’s Overgrown

 The Attic

 Flame-Out!

 Brand New Toy
 

Disc 2

 Frightened

 With Time And Temperance

 A Bullet For Everyone

 One X One

 Don’t Make Promises

 One Way Road

 Birds

 Blink And You’ll Miss it

 Roll Along Summer

 The Pebble And The Boy

 Empty Ring

 Why Walk When You Can Run

 Night Lights

 7 & 3 Is The Striker’s Name

 Trees

 Up The Dosage

 Green

 Paperchase

 Be Happy Children

 The Olde Original
 

 Disc 3 (Track List subject to change)

 All I Wanna Do (The Sun Session)

 From The Floorboards Up (XFM Session)

 The Attic (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 Around The Lake (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 Andromeda (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 That Dangerous Age (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 When Your Gardens (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 Wake Up The Nation (Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music Session)

 Savages (Capital Gold Session)

 Time Of The Season (BBC Radio 2 Session)

 Aim High (Black Barn Session)

 Daydream (Loving Spoonful Cover) (XFM Session)

BREAKING NEWS: The Mark Three to play the IPO Festival at The Cavern, Liverpool, on Sunday 2nd June

  The Mark Three's stage times for Sunday 2nd June are: - 5.15pm The Cavern Pub 7.00pm The Cavern Club