(c’66-71 ) Pat Martin (guitar / vocals), Ken Baker (guitar / keyboards/ vocals), Pete Perryer (vocals / drums) and Dave McGreggor (bass).

Pre-The Late Edition in 1965 (LtoR: Martin, Colborne, Baker and Perryer).

Woking based McGreggor originally joined The Pink Bears and suggested renaming the band The Late Edition, which after a while was shortened to The Late. On leaving school in ’67 they went professional as The Late, starting with local gigs at the likes of the Stereo Club, Woking and the Atalanta Ballroom, Woking.

1 April 1967: The Late played the April Fools Day Beat Dance at Dennis Bros. Source: Tina Morant via Guildford Town Past & Present

On 1 April ’67 they played the Dennis Apprentice Association’s April Fools Day Beat Dance in the Dennis Brothers canteen, Guildford; at which Perryer broke his snare skin and had no spare. Howard Crouch offered to fetch a spare snare from the bands shed in Send, in his dad’s Lotus Cortina. He was back in no time with the spare and the Cortina in need of some bodywork having lost it on a corner on the way there. The Late’s “Sleepsong” takes some inspiration from this incident and “Nightingale Crescent” was written by Crouch, who’d got a job delivering for Alsford Timber, Cobham to pay for the repairs, while out delivering to Nightingale Crescent. Both songs ended up on Unicorn‘s Blue Pine Trees LP.

The band spent some time in Graham Clark (yes, the racing driver) Studios in Walton-on-Thames resulting in a number of demos. Atalanta owner Bob Potter became The Late’s manager, replacing Martin’s father; a relationship that lasted three years, starting in late ’67 thru ’69. “Family Tree” from one of the bands demos was picked up by UK publishing company, Planetary Norm, who paid for the band to re-record the track. They however lost interest when they struggled to place it.

Under Potter the gigging increased, with venues across the lower half of the UK, and Trevor Mee (ex-Tony Rivers and the Castaways) replaced McGreggor in the line up. They supported Lunar Two, a USA soul duo and Sue and Sunny (who became Brotherhood of Man). They also supported Geno Washington at the Agincourt, Camberley. In ’68 they became Billy J. Kramer’s backing band for 9 months which included 10 TV and radio spots. On 21 June ’68 the “fabulous much in demand” The Late headlined at Bourne Youth Club’s midsummer nights dance, with The Modern Art of Living in support, held at Bourne Hall. In ’69 they were booked for a residency at The Carousel Club, Copenhagen, playing three 45-minute sets each weeknight and five at weekends.

The Late with their LWB 6 wheel Transit in 1969. Pat Martin’s mum in the background, said “You can’t use that I’ve got my pinny on!”.

To accommodate the touring and the gear The Late used a LWB 6 wheel Transit. Reportedly, four musicians, two roadies, a Hammond organ, Leslie, two Marshall stacks, a drum kit, four Wem columns, two SL 100 Wem slaves and a Wem Audiomaster mixer were taken all over England, Scotland, Wales, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Denmark and Sweden in that van.

The Late in 1969 (LtoR: Mee, Martin, Perryer, and Baker)

On 1 August ’69 the combined Farnborough Tech and R.A.E. Apprentices’ Rag Week’s Rag Queen Inauguration Ball at R.A.E. Assembly Hall, Farnborough was headlined by Status Quo, with The Late, and Magic Alice in support. About this time Baker started writing his own songs. They recorded several acetates, demos and private recordings, some recorded in Bob Potter’s studio in Mytchett, Surrey on an Ampex 4 and many are now included on Wooden Hill Records compilation “Songs From The Family Tree” [WHCD021]. Potter insisted on the group continuing as a covers band causing some friction and eventually a split.

A demo was cut and the Transatlantic Records label offered a one album deal and “Uphill all the Way” was released in May ’71, along with the “P.F Sloan” single, under the band’s new name, Unicorn.

Front cover image of CD 3 from “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967” on Cherry Red’s imprint Grapefruit Records includes “Family Tree” by The Late.

In 2016, The Late’s “Family Tree” was included on Grapefruit Records [CRSEGBOX033] “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1967” 3-CD compilation box set, compiled by David ‘Dog Man’ Wells who has worked on several projects for Woking label Tenth Planet.

Mee sadly passed away in early July 2015

Tracks:

Gallery:

CD 3 back cover image. Compiled by David Wells, who also has projects with Woking label Tenth Planet, “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967” on Cherry Red’s imprint Grapefruit Records includes “Family Tree” by The Late.
Page 31 of booklet featuring The Late. Compiled by David Wells, who also has projects with Woking label Tenth Planet, “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967” on Cherry Red’s imprint Grapefruit Records includes “Family Tree” by The Late.
Box set front cover image. Compiled by David Wells, who also has projects with Woking label Tenth Planet, “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967” on Cherry Red’s imprint Grapefruit Records includes “Family Tree” by The Late.
Box set back cover image. Compiled by David Wells, who also has projects with Woking label Tenth Planet, “Let’s Go Down And Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967” on Cherry Red’s imprint Grapefruit Records includes “Family Tree” by The Late.
1 August 1969: The Chronic rag mag for Farnborough Tech and R.A.E. Apprentices’ Rag Week 1969 lists the Rag Queen Inauguration Ball at R.A.E. Assembly Hall, Farnborough with Status Quo, The Late, and Magic Alice.
The Late’s Pete Perryer singing and playing drums with Pat Martin singing, playing guitar and wearing a Santa outfit c’66/’67. Picture courtesy of Pat Martin
1968 and the “fabulous much in demand” The Late headlined.
The Late’s Ken Baker and Pat Martin in their Transit with Dave Helm
Pat Martin of The Late.
Poster from 1970 for The Late to appear three night in a row at the Blue Lagoon, Newquay. Picture courtesy of Ben’s Collectors Records
A c’71 Unicorn press clipping from somewhere. Picture courtesy of Ben’s Collectors Records
The Late in 1968, from a photo shoot at Bisley Ranges.
The Late in 1968, from a photo shoot at Bisley Ranges. Picture courtesy of Patrick Martin
The Late with Transit “tour bus”. Picture courtesy of Patrick Martin
A Bob Potter contract booking THe Late to play at PJs Club, Truro on 23 August 1969. Picture courtesy of Patrick Martin
Agency Flyer for The Late. Purloined from a post by Richard Prest
David Rose looks back at Woking’s Pink Bears and their development, via The Late, into Unicorn in this Woking News & Mail article from 2 November 2017. Picture courtesy of Ben’s Collectors Records