Friday 5 March 2021


Finally, at long last, my much promised ✶✶✶ 'Hobbits Garden' Music Spot ✶✶✶
Having previously mentioned this short lived but legendary 'Underground Scene' in The Broadway, Wimbledon, my memories and those of others are featured this week and next. Because the dates are corresponding to the Club being on a Friday Night, I can tell you on March 5th 1971 the band Stray were playing.
Formed in 1966 by school friends from Christopher Wren School in West London [who my school played at football in the 60s] - the band were still all teenagers by the time of this Hobbit's gig, with their second LP about to be released. STRAY - file under: Very popular locally, but never quite made it big !
The opening track on their first album was called 'All In Your Mind'. [ One review quotes:
A 9-minute assault, deceptively builds and then swiftly bolts into a chugging plod of mortar fire riffs with a vocal harmony verse/chorus. Guitarist Del Bromham switching to space searching sonics and back to a tank attack riff with a smashing devastating end result. Holy smokes! ]
And that was just for starters. 'Time Machine' was another favourite and the 'In Reverse/Some Say' was the set finale with explosive magnesium smoke bombs. In the tiny narrow room of Hobbits Garden "You couldn't see the band and you couldn't heard again until the following day". Great memories.
Here then is the opener as an edit version 'All In Your Mind' > 


For the curious here's the full nine minutes version > [link to] 
This track was covered by Iron Maiden in 1990.

The band are still performing to this day. Often billed as Del Bromham's Stray, their recognisable logo also still in use. They were scheduled to be part of the 2020 Isle of Wight 'Experience 1970' festival that was postponed.

More Hobbit Tales on Tuesday and part three next Friday 
✶✶✶ 

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