Prior to the Gin Mill, and many years after it was The Angel Hotel Stables, a blues club was run out of The Angel. It was originally organised by Keith Tillman, founding member and bassist of the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, who subsequently joined John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.
Chris “Swaggy” Szwaglis (who booked the Civic Hall, Guildford twice for The Equals, but forgot to book the band and appeared on a consumer show for his misdemeanors), then took over, booking The Equals, The Herd, and The Stormsville Shakers regularly. Szwaglis didn’t ‘forget’ to book The Equals for the Angel Blue Beat Club, as it was called, and they appeared on 16 June 1967. The next month, on 22 July, The Herd rolled through. When the Whisker Davies Blues Stormers split in July / August ’67, because Julian Davies went off to the Royal College of Music, they got together for one more gig at The Angel.
When Pete “Hairy” Newberry took on the responsibility for booking bands, he renamed the club: The Gin Mill. Jumping to April ’96 and Issue #3 of Gerfump named Club Stout at The Angel, Godalming the ‘Club of the Month’. Szwaglis passed many years ago.
Gallery:
Our Soundscene 