'Hastings is Music'

Correctly this should be headed 'Old Photos' as they were all taken last year - but the message is clear. Hastings has so much music going on there's never a dull moment.

(top shot): The mural in town features artists old and new along with music venues in the town. 

(the two other pictures): Are taken from roughly the same spot in the Jenny Lind pub - on different occasions last year. 

(1st) is The Equatorial Group. Featured on the FMS last April. (link here).

(2nd photo) is of The Gasoline Gypsies - who played last October at the Jenny's Friday 'Sundowner' during a mini tour of the UK - and they'll be tomorrow's Friday Star Track. 

All Photos taken 2025. 

   

April - what a month of music...

It started with our Vinyl Night - more on that next month. Then a few drinks in a pub in Hastings Old Town, offered an excellent mix of old and new tracks (noted). 'Hastings Rock' radio station was the next discovery, when they broadcast an interview about the Fairlight Players latest production.

A play we were very much involved in, which included many recognisable songs from the 60s and 70s. One being the Harry Nilsson song 'Without You', which I discovered was not actually written by him but by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the group Badfinger. And then there was 'Ron on Sound' !

He is always responsible for the Sound at every Players show and he also plays a real eclectic mix of pre-show music. And he did it again for 'Some Mothers Do 'ave 'em'. We had disco hits, the Bay City Rollers, Cliff Richard, Yes and a great track from James ‘Sit Down’, with it's message of unity and shared experience. A powerful anthem that was very popular backstage before each performance.

And finally there was designer of all our Special Effects and the play Director Keith selecting a piece of music as a 'curtain call', he simply said was a favourite track of his. Bob Dylan sang ‘Watching the River Flow’ as everyone took a bow. 

A mix of styles, more blues rock than folk, with some killer guitar playing from Jesse Ed Davis with Leon Russell on piano, who also produced this 1971 record. Great stuff >

NB: Watch out for the false ending early on...

'Hasting Rock' Radio - is available via this button here ⏩ 

  

-  A  U S T R A L I A   1 9 8 2  - 

This is basically a follow up to last Wednesday's intro story (see here 🔽)

During the weeks that I was 'Down Under' something had been going on 'Up Here' ! 

Britain had acquired a new TV station. Channel 4 had launched on November 2nd, and by the time of my return Australia was happening in a big way. To begin with C4 had begun by showing The Paul Hogan Show. This had been on Australian Television for almost 10 years but was new to the UK and introduced a host of colourful characters and Aussie catchphrases. Paul Hogan would soon be 'Crocodile Dundee' and an international star. 

While the radio was continually playing a great new song by a band called Men At Work. The track had been a No.1 success the previously year 'Down Under' and would now top the charts in both the US and UK by January 1983. 

More colourful lyrics and Australian slang - so lets go "travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie" - with the official video > 

In May 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) celebrating its 75th anniversary named the 30 Best Australian Songs from 1926 to 2001, as decided by a hundred-strong industry panel. "Down Under" was ranked as the fourth song on the list.

Link to the full list. 

    H A P P Y    B I R T H D A Y   T O     

 -   M y   b r o t h e r   J I M   - 

7 0   t o d a y

Welcome to the Club "bruv" 

We have over the years shared many music memories, from numerous Fairport Convention gigs to Folk Festivals in the old VW camper. BBC radio recordings on a Sunday afternoon and local clubs and pubs, none more unusual than the one in Caines, Australia in 1982.

It was a Sunday evening at the end of October and my journal records it as follows:

We had walked around town for quite awhile before finding the advertised Folk Club. It was rather sad, at first, no wonder there are so few Folk Clubs here, people don't seem interested. Anyway the music began and we quite enjoyed the very casual feeling and listened to some good music. "Streets of London", "Mr. Bojangles", some Eric Bogle songs and nice dulcimer music from a Canadian traveller. Cairns Folk Club - it's a long way from Clare to Here ! (Someone did sing this Ralph McTell song). 

It was also on this occasion we first heard someone perform 'The Aussie Bar-B-Q song', written by Scottish born Eric Bogle (famous for his anti war songs, notably "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda". The 'barbie' was indeed a National Institution and the lyrics certainly struck a chord, many requiring translation. In fact there's a video of a 'Live on Michael Parkinson' Australian TV show, from 1982 in which the lyrics were changed from 'snags' to 'sausages' so as to not confuse an international audience! [Full lyrics here]. 

The song originally appeared on Bogle's second album "Plain & Simple" (with John Munro) the previous year. Sing along now:

Parkinson link fyi: 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cauE2CSCDyE&list=RDcauE2CSCDyE&start_radio=1

Eric Bogle did mix his more serious songs with plenty of humorous ones. In 1984 there was 'Do You Know Any Dylan' - well worth a read through of this story song [link]

   

It occurred to me, that during the 40 or so minutes* that the Artemis II Orion spacecraft and it’s crew were speeding (at 5632 km/h) through the darkness that is the far side of the Moon, they were actually in its shadow. The Moonlight’s Shadow ! Queue the song… 

Nothing to do with space travel or specifically the Moon, Mike Oldfield's 1983 release 'Moonlight Shadow' gets a 'live' full orchestra production with Miriam Stockley on vocals in this 2006 German 'Night of the Proms. 

The roar of the crowd in recognition and 'All together' in German: 'alle zusammen' >>>> 

* While this is also about the amount of time it takes to listen to the whole of the album ‘Dark Side of the Moon‘ by Pink Floyd. 

   

We begin today with a short introduction - a 30 second (TikTok) promotion video:

You may have seen this story in the news. History link here. 

No better way to celebrate than with a demonstration from one the Telecaster's finest exponents. 

Totally in the Groove [the master] playing 'live' in Boston in 1993. 'Eileen' by Mr Keith Richards and The X-Pensive Winos band. 

A YouTube comment:
"Some of the most electrifying rhythm guitar lines ever laid down have been done so by Keith Richards. This is one of the best examples. This is rock 'n' roll in all its raw power."