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The Virgin Daze
(c’81) Alan Rawlings (guitar / vocals), Neil Finch (guitar), Paul “Trogs” Trew (bass), Phil Fortescue-Longdon (synth), and Tim Huthert (drums).
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. After Cowboys International, local lad Rawlings went on to form The Virgin Daze with fellow ex-members of Thane and The Torpedoes. On 17 March ’81 they played The Venue, London which was videoed for posterity. Things were looking up with a lucrative record deal in the works. Huthert left college and all was set for a debut. Then, as these things do, it fell through and the band dissolved.
Huthert, who’d also previously played with Out of Order, the Alan “Spike” Rawlings’ Quintet and The Vandals, went on to play with Specimen and is now an Industrial Designer in the US. Rawlings went onto Spelt Like This and Penetration; as well as getting a ‘thanks’ on Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls “Searching for Heaven” single. Ex-Thane Trew had also been in The Desotos with Huthert, had played in White as White (and Twice as Dirty), and joined The Vulgar Bros.
Tracks:Gallery:
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze’s Rawlings and Trew on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze’s Rawlings on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. 
17 March 1981: The Virgin Daze on stage at The Venue, London. Alan “Spike” Rawlings Quintet, Alan Rawlings, Cowboys international, London, Neil Finch, Out of Order, Paul Trew, Pauline Murray, Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls, Penetration, Phil Fortescue-Longdon, Specimen, Spelt Like This, Thane, The Desotos, The Torpedoes, The Vandals, The Venue, The Virgin Daze, The Vulgar Bros, Tim Huthert, White as White (and Twice as Dirty) -
Obsession
(c’85) Obsession was a Farnham based fanzine, produced by Matt Siebert and John Andrews, with photographs by Guy van Steene. It featured both national and local acts with issue No.1, which was printed by Martin ?, running to 40 pages including the covers. It included The Service and Controls from the local area alongside The Fall, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, and The Smiths.
We do not believe there was ever an Issue No.2, which was supposed to include an interview with The Smiths, and pieces on The Chameleons and Ben Watt.
Gallery:
The Obsession No.1 fanzine covered The Fall, The Luddites, The Service, Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Room 101, The Controls, The Smiths and Chestnut Studios amongst other things. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 2 of Obsession No.1 fanzine. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 11 of Obsession No.1 fanzine, and the first page of The Service interview. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 15 of Obsession No.1 fanzine, and the first page of the Controls interview. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 20 and 21 of Obsession No.1 fanzine, featuring The Fall. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 24 and 25 of Obsession No.1 fanzine featuring The Fall. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 27 of Obsession No.1 fanzine, with ad for local Stupid Rabbit Tapes. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 31 of Obsession No.1 fanzine and the Red Lorry Yellow Lorry article. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 33 of Obsession No.1 fanzine carried a review of The Smiths at The Electric Ballroom, Camden. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor 
Page 40 and the back cover of Obsession No.1 fanzine. Picture courtesy of Tim Naylor -
Donegal Joe
(c’71-’91) Joe Canning (vocal / guitar)
Canning’s early path to a music career saw him playing in talent contest, before taking his acoustic 12-string and mike taped to a broom handle to Indian restaurants for a musician’s wage of a fiver and a chicken biryani. As a guard for British Rail, he ended up in Woking, and played at The Red House, Woking and the Working Men’s Club, Woking as Donegal Joe.
Donegal Joe’s second cassette LP ‘Home to Donegal‘ He released two cassette LPs, the first titled ‘A Mother’s Loves a Blessing‘ got some positive coverage in The Irish Post. Prior to release, Canning recorded his songs on a personal tape recorder and sent the tape to Terry Duffy. After Duffy arranged and recruited a number of musicians to lay down the backing tracks, they met in Tyrone to record the vocal track. The second cassette LP ‘Home to Donegal‘ was recorded in well-known Donegal musician Charlie Dolan’s Studio, Argery Ballindrait, County Donegal.
He is related to Birdie Gallagher, also played with Bob Oliver & The Mayberries. Now residing in Strabane, to commemorate his 70th birthday he reissued ‘A Mother’s Loves a Blessing‘ on CD
Gallery:
Donegal Joe c’71 
The Irish Post review ‘A Mother’s Loves a Blessing‘ 
Reissued ‘A Mother’s Loves a Blessing‘. -
Crazy Paving
(c’69-’70) John Gamble (vocals), Keith Rendal (bass), Dave Goode (drums), ? “Dinger” Bell (rhythm guitar), and Brian Robinson (guitar)
Crazy Paving, originally called Track One, played the local circuit, including the Cambridge Hotel, Camberley; Town Hall, Farnborough; the Technical College, Farnborough; The Central Ballroom, Aldershot; 4A’s Youth Club, the Atalanta Ballroom, Woking, and The Mill Stream, Farnham.
They also visited Penzance, including The Barn Club where band’s receive free accommodation for the night, in a fly filled caravan and £40 for a Saturday night. Potter got 10%, as did The Barn’s agent, returning home to Surrey/Hampshire on Sunday afternoon with maybe £3 each in their pockets for 24 hours work. They also venture to northern venues when they were signed to Bob Potter’s agency, as well as backing Dusty Springfield.
Robinson joined the band, replacing Ron Bushaway, and was subsequently replaced by Jimmy Spence and his Gibson 330. Randal was replaced by Brian Smith.
On 1 October ’69, Crazy Paving were one of the many bands, including Sky, Wishful Thinking, The Embers, The Late, Canterbury Tales, Chimera, and Magic Alice that played a benevolent concert at Samantha’s Club, as the Agincourt, Camberley was called for a time. This was compered by Dave West and also featured the Radio 1 D.J. Ray Moore. A year later, on 28 October ’70, the band were performing at The Pheasantry, Chelsea.
Robinson, who went on to play in Bloodhound, and Bushaway would be later found in Grapevine. Smith had spent some time in The Embers. Spence has sadly passed.
Gallery:
1 October 1969: Crazy Paving played Samanthas (Agincourt Camberley). Image courtesy of Maureen Gamble 
28 October 1970: Crazy Paving played The Phesantry, London according to this Melody Maker advert. Source: www.garagehangover.com 4A’s, Agincourt, Aldershot, Atalanta, Atalanta Ballroom, Bloodhound, Bob Potter, Brian Robinson, Brian Smith, Camberley, Cambridge Hotel, Canterbury Tales, Chelsea, Crazy Paving, Dave Goode, Dave West, Dusty Springfield, Farnborough, Farnham, Grapevine, John Gamble, Keith Rendal, London, Magic Alice, Penzance, Radio 1, Ray Moore, Ron Bushaway, Samantha's Club, Sky, Technical College, The Barn, The Central Ballroom, The Embers, The Late, The Mill Stream, The Pheasantry, Town Hall, Wishful Thinking, Woking -
Mr. Kipp’s, Farnham
This nightclub at 1 Bear Lane, Farnham was once the Territorial Army / Army Cadet Drill Hall, then H.Q. of 229 Squadron, A.T.C. It opened as Harvey’s in May 1973, before becoming Mr Kipp’s in the mid-70s.
It operated mostly as a nightclub but did feature live bands. T.T. Transmission was one of those bands that played the venue in the late 70s, which was managed by the band’s manager Mike Utting. Sunday nights were quiet at Kipps, so they hosted local bands and reduced admission charges to attract punters. Many band members recall its popularity with the Scandinavian and Spanish girls from the Farnham Au Pair College, which in turn attracted many others…
It was later renamed Yogi’s – with Ted Bates on the door – then The Buckingham Snooker Club, owned and run by Karim Lawrie, before closing in ’88/’89. There are houses on the site now.
Gallery:
Buckingham Club membership card. Source: Graham Varney via Historic Farnham Town And Surrounding Villages 
Flyer for Harvey’s which briefly mentions ‘Live Groups’. Source: Susie Habgood via Historic Farnham Town And Surrounding Villages 
The old Drill Hall, when it was The Buckingham Club. Source: Graham Varney via Historic Farnham Town And Surrounding Villages -
Eye to Eye
(c’88-08) Keith Smart (vocals / guitar / keyboards) and Ian Roworth (bass).
Also known as i2i, the duo responsible for GZ Image in ’85, reappeared as Eye to Eye around ’88. The pair were augmented for live performance by Stuart “Sticks” Warren (drums / vocals) and Malcolm Humphries (keyboards / vocals).
Warren and Humphries would later join the group, and they released a single 45 titled “Money (Equals Friends)“, backed by “Life on the Street” on their own G.Z. Records in ’89. Cut at Abbey Road Studios by Chris Blair; the tracks were worked on at Notice Studios, London and Midas Studios, Surrey, and the cover featured a picture of Tracy ? in a bath of bank notes.
Eye to Eye at the Mean Fiddler, Harlesdon. Known to have played at the Mean Fiddler, Harlesdon, by 2004, Eye to Eye were a three-piece band, without Humphries.
Gallery:
Eye to Eye pictured at rehearsal 
Cover of Eye to Eye’s “Money (Equals Friends)” 7″ single, featuring Tracey ? in the bath. 
Side One label of Eye to Eye’s “Money (Equals Friends)” 7″ single 
Side Two label of Eye to Eye’s “Money (Equals Friends)” 7″ single 
Band promo shot for Eye to Eye 
Band promo shot for Eye to Eye -
The Vandals
(c’78) Paul Trew (bass/vocals), Keith “Kipper” Ledgerwood (guitar), Tim Claydon (drums), and Joe Power (vocals)
The Vandals were a ‘One Gig Wonder’, playing only once, supporting T.T. Transmission at the Agincourt, Camberley on 7 January ’78. The gig was a second audition with RCA for the headliner, and it is possible that Radio 210 recorded the whole gig too.
Claydon also played with The Mode, and Ledgerwood and Trew played in The Torpedoes and The Virgin Daze.
Gallery:
7 January 1978: Rock at The Agincourt featured T. T. Transmission supported by The Vandels. Picture courtesy of Mark Terry -
The Combined Forces
(c’67) Julian “Whisker” Davies (piano), Brian “Powerhouse Jake” Page (guitar), Ian “Mayo” May (vocals), Dick Forcey (drums) and Kirk Riddle (bass).
The Combined Forces drew musicians from a number of local bands and formed for one gig – A local blues super group. Davies was with the Whisker Davies Blues Stormers, Page and May the King’s Biscuit Boys Jug Band, and Forcey and Riddle were both in The Stormsville Shakers.
Picture courtesy of Jim Cook’s Memoir, Mostly Music & Me Prior to the gig they rehearsed in the function room of The Parrot Inn, Shalford. The event was a charity concert on 9 May ’67 held in the Borough Hall, Godalming headlined by the Graham Bond Organisation, with Duster Bennett, Georgia Skin Men, Whisker Davies Blues Stormers, Alfie Lucas & Jim Cook and The Combined Forces supporting. On the night, on the occurrence of consuming some Polish pure spirit, May ‘stepped’ off the stage but got up and carried on. On being asked ‘how?’, May smiled and simply stated “I was pissed”.
Sadly, May past in 2016. Riddle, who lately played in the Staubanzee skiffle band, sadly passed away November 2017. Dick Forcey was last heard of in Australia.Gallery:
Advert from Melody Maker. Picture courtesy of Jim Cook’s Memoir, Mostly Music & Me 
9 May 1967: Ticket for charity gig at Godalming Borough Hall, featuring the Graham Bond Organisation, Picture courtesy of Bens Collectors Records 
The Combined Forces rehearsing in the back room at The Parrot Inn, Shalford. Source: Brian Page via Godalming Town Past & Present Alfie Lucas, Borough Hall, Brian Page, Dick Forcey, Duster Bennett, Georgia Skin Men, Godalming, Graham Bond Organisation, Ian May, Jim Cook, Julian Davies, King’s Biscuit Boys Jug Band, Kirk Riddle, Lucas & Jim Cook, Shalford, The Combined Forces, The Parrot Inn, The Stormsville Shakers, Whisker Davies Blues Stormers -
Wilfrid Noyce Centre, Godalming
After 4 years of campaigning, fund raising and building, Cuthbert Wilfrid Francis Noyce; mountaineer, author master at Charterhouse School, and special forces officer opened the Youth Centre, Godalming on 6 June ’62.
6 June 1963: Wilfrid Noyce opening the Youth Centre, Godalming. He was a member of the ’53 British Expedition that made the first ascent of Mount Everest. A matter of weeks after opening the centre, Noyce died in a mountaineering accident after a successful ascent of Mount Garmo in the Pamirs, Tajikistan and the youth centre was named posthumously, the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, in his honor.
On 12 September ’64, The Rivals played their second gig – a short interval slot of half a dozen numbers – at the Centre. The bands amp was insufficient, and they borrowed some kit from The Cutaways, but not knowing how to use the borrowed kit, it didn’t go well.
9 December 1972: Ticket for a Half Moon Charity Concert. Source: David Johnson’s post in Godalming Town Past & Present. On the 9 December ’72, the Half Moon Folk Club, Farncombe, in partnership with Stag Folk Club, Shackleford, presented a charity folk concert, at the Centre, in aid of G.O.P.W.A. for a drop-in centre for the elderly. In ’73, The Jam won a battle of the bands held at the Centre. Guildford / Godalming synth band Technik visited the Wilfrid Noyce Centre on 11 April ’85, to support Cabina Telefonica. Snuff, supported by Leatherface and Wat Taylor, performed there on 2 June 90 – both bands and all their gear traveling to the gig in one transit van – with Steve Porter the bassist with Peachrazor being awarded for the farthest stage dive that night, having walked into the guitarist on stage before taking his leap. Who Moved the Ground? visited on 30 July ’93, as did Winterfall in ’94.
Increasing costs lead to the venues closure in 2015. Subsequently the town council voted to create a new / refurbished community venue. It has subsequently reopened with Noyce’s two sons present and has hosted many great gigs since.Gallery:
11 April 1985: Cabina Telefonica and Tecchnik played Wilfrid Noyce Youth Centre. Image courtesy of Ben’s Collectors Records 
The Wilfred Noyce Centre, Godalming a few years prior to refurbishment. Cabina Telefonica, Charterhouse School, Cuthbert Wilfrid Francis Noyce, Farncombe, G.O.P.W.A., Godalming, Guildford, Half Moon Folk Club, Leatherface, Mount Everest, Mount Garmo, Peachrazor, Shackleford, Snuff, Stag Folk Club, Steve Porter, Tajikistan, Technik, The Cutaways, The Jam, The Rivals, Wat Taylor, Who Moved the Ground?, Wilfrid Noyce Centre, Winterfall, Youth Centre -
GZ Image
(c’85) Keith Smart (vocals / bass / guitar / synth) and Ian Roworth (bass).
After M.I.5 and Cutting Edge, Woking based Smart teamed up with Roworth, who’d been in Surrey punk band F-Effekt, to form GZ Image. In ’85 they self-released a one-off dance floor new wave single “Somebodies Melody” on G.Z. Records [G.Z. 37901]; having recorded it at Broadway Studios and mastering the tracks at EMI’s Abbey Road Studio. The duo reappeared as Eye to Eye in ’89.
Tracks:
Gallery:
Front cover of GZ Image’s “Somebodies Melody” 7″ single 
Back cover of GZ Image’s “Somebodies Melody” 7″ single 
Side One label of GZ Image’s “Somebodies Melody” 7″ single
Our Soundscene 
Human beings takes me back to 1981. Followed them all over the Surrey reading area for a year a great band and 3 good guys playing well written songs of the era. I wish john Tim and steve well what ever they are doing now. Should reform for a few shows just like Oasis but do the wooden bridge.
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