This single-story plain brick building on Woodside Road was Chiddingfold’s community centre, working men’s club and work-a-day village hall. But ‘The Chidd’ or ‘Chidd Club’, as locals called it, had another side featuring greats of the rock and blues world. Eric Clapton, Gary Brooker, Andy Fairweather-Low, Roger Taylor, Dave Gilmour and Bill Wyman have all rubbed shoulders with card playing pensioners and pool playing village lads.
It started with Clapton and Genesis. On the wall was a framed Genesis album cover with the inscription “To the Chiddingfold Ex-Servicemen’s Club. With much appreciation for all the help given to us over the years. Phil and Genesis.” The club had been a great place to rehearse undisturbed in the buildup to ‘Calling All Stations’ and ‘We Can’t Dance’ tours, (they rehearsed there from 13 March – 5 April ’92 for We Can’t Dance) and the acoustics were actually pretty good. It is also said that the main floor space of the Chidd Club was the exact size of the Wembley Arena stage, making it perfect for production rehearsals. It was also a filming location for the TV movie “Genesis: Opening Night” in ’92.
Rolling back a couple of years, on 23 December ’89, there was a benefit fundraising concert for local charities organized by Gary Brooker, at which Clapton and No Stiletto Shoes, consisting of Brooker (keyboards / vocals), Fairweather Low (guitar / vocals), Dave Bronze (bass), Henry Spinetti (drums), and Frank Mead (sax), rocked a 300-ish audience.
Word got around and as the leafy rolling hills are peppered with their homes, a few well known bands and individuals, such as Clapton, started showing up. In the mid 90’s Clodagh Rodgers held a benefit for her husband, guitarist Ian Sorbie, who had cancer and regrettably dies in ’95. Sev Lewkowicz played keys for that event, in a pick-up band with Mike Rutherford, Kenney Jones, Spinetti, Richard O’Brien, Graham Cooper and Tim Wheatley; rehearsing for it at Jones house. At Christmas, Gary Brooker put on a charity event with top names dropping in to gig and have fun. Then for two consecutive nights, the 15 and 16 December ’95, Clapton returned to guest with No Stiletto Shoes – Brooker, Fairweather-Low, Bronze, Spinetti, and Geoff Whitehorn (guitar), – on stage, supported by Big Town Playboys.
In ’96 there was a commemorative gig for Chris ‘Wheelbarrow’ Brayne with Jackie Lynton, Cryin’ Out Loud, House and a pickup band that included Ray Dorset. It became the Chiddingfold Live Music Club with rock and blues acts most Fridays with Howard Williams acting as promoter. Spike Edney’s SAS Band’s Christmas gigs were highly memorable with a who’s who of pop and rock in attendance and Hugh Cornwell revisited the village, that had housed The Stranglers in the early years, to perform at the club on 13 October 2000. Over the years Albert Lee, Wishbone Ash, Jim Capaldi, Caravan Jones, James Taylor Quartet, John Otway, Yardbirds, The Animals, James Hunter, Ainsley Lister, Cliff Bennett, Nine Below Zero, Mike Sanchez, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, Company of Snakes, Counterfeit Stones, Two Timers, Dr Feelgood, Caravan, Colosseum 2, and Eugene Hideaway Bridges are among the many acts that have performed here.
On 20 December ’03 and 18 December ’04, Brooker’s charity Christmas gig featured Clapton again, as it did on 15 December ’06, when Clapton sat in on four songs with No Stiletto Shoes, for what was now a tradition at The Chidd. Some of the last gigs at the venue were Brookers Christmas gig on 21 December ’07, The Hamsters on 25 Jan ’08, Killer Queen on 7 March ’08, and The Hoax on 5 May ’08. Dwindling numbers led to the Chidd Club closing in ’08 to make way for housing and a much smaller club. Unused, it became rundown, derelict, and was finally bulldozed in 2011. In September 2012 a replacement was opened – but it’s not the same; with the new housing so close and the smaller size it just not possible to put on live bands.
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