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Polaris
(c’79-’81) Brian Viner (lead guitar), Chris Wilson (rhythm guitar), Bob Heard (drums), Steve Lewington (bass) and Terry “Scully” Sullivan (vocals).
Dead or Alive were a promising local band, even signing a publishing deal, but when Sullivan – who previously been in cabaret band Sweet Life, and fronted Monsoon – joined the band, and Viner replaced Stuart Huntingford, and Bob Heard took the drummers stool from Peter Fielder in late ’79 the band changed their name to Polaris.

10 May 1980: Polaris played Agincourt, Camberley Manager Paul Dunford secured the band their debut appearance at The Tumbledown Dick, Farnborough on 4 February ’80, getting them a mention on Radio 210 from Bob Harris who witnessed the performance. They were also introduced to the Agincourt, Camberley crowd by whispering Bob, when he hosted ‘Rock Comes to Camberley’ for Radio 210 on 10 May ’80. They are also known to have recorded tracks at Chestnut Studios, Churt. Ken Staddon replaced Sullivan in late ’80, just before the band were scheduled to play Princes Hall, Aldershot; supported by The Mode, on 4 November that year. The band also appeared at The Cambridge Hotel, Camberley; Fleet Country Club, Fleet; The Tumbledown Dick, Farnborough; and as a support act for Splodgenessabounds at the Technical College, Farnborough.
Polaris came to an end when Viner, Heard and Lewington got together with Clifford Turner to form Gem-A-Ten.
When Steve Brookes left The Jam, Viner was one of the guitarists auditioned at The Red House, Woking. Wilson now lives in Suffolk. Sullivan has unfortunately passed. Staddon would reappear in Tried and Tested.
Gallery:

Pop Scene, 1 Feb 1980 clipping. Image courtesy of Lisa Heard. 
Pop Scene, 8 Feb 1980 clipping. Image courtesy of Lisa Heard. 

David Reading’s Pop Scene column from Aldershot News, 31 October ’80 has The Mode supporting Polaris at the Princes Hall, Aldershot on 4 November. Agincourt, Aldershot, Bob Harris, Bob Heard, Brian Viner, Camberley, Cambridge Hotel, Chestnut Studios, Chris Wilson, Farnborough, Fleet, Fleet Country Club, Gem-A-Ten, Ken Staddon, Monsoon, Paul Dunford, Peter Fielder, Polaris, Princes Hall, Radio 210, Splodgenessabounds, Steve Brookes, Steve Lewington, Stuart Huntingford, Sweet Life, Technical College, Terry Sullivan, The Jam, The Mode, The Red House, The Tumbledown Dick, Tried and Tested, Woking -
Rod Bayton
(c’70 to date) Rod Bayton (singer/songwriter)
Guildford folk music writer and performer Rod “Bearded Beanstalk” Bayton played the Ukulele and Banjo.
To our knowledge he first appeared at the Stag Folk Club on the club’s opening night in ’70 and became a club resident, expertly warming up any audience for the evening. On 26 March ’72 the club meet was recorded by Tony Engle, capturing Bayton’s own track “Natural Gas Conversion” and his rendition of music hall song “The Old Dun Cow” written by Harry Wincott in 1893; with both included in the Stag Folk Club LP ‘Live Folk’.

StagFolk album sleeve front. Picture courtesy of Bens Collectors Records Bayton also appeared at the Stag Folk organized free concert at The Guildford Show on 1 September ’73 along with Derek Sarjeant & Hazel King, Ian Russell, Mountain Line, Fred Hayes, Backhurst, and Damien. Two years later, on 20 August ’75, Bayton, along with Mountain Line, and Derek Serjeant & Hazel King, repeated this appearance at the Stage Folk Free Concert at Guildford Show with Cocky, Grass Roots, Don & Sarah Morgan, Dave Tarn, and Julian High.
He was last seen performing in Guildford, where he still resides, band UkeRythmics, who formed in 2017 and he is rumoured to have attended the virtual meetings of the Anchor Folk Club Byfleet in 2020.
Gallery:

StagFolk album sleeve back. Picture courtesy of Bens Collectors Records 
StagFolk album insert. Picture courtesy of Bens Collectors Records -
Cherry Pickers
(c’92) ?
Farnham based band with a hard-edged Deacon Blue-esque sound.
Gallery:

Cherry Pickers press clipping c’92. Picture courtesy of Steve Porter -
Blackbushe Airport, Yateley
Construction of Blackbushe, on Hartfordbridge Flats, during the Second World War was completed at the end of ’42 and was originally called RAF Hartfordbridge, and was used by RAF squadrons throughout the remainder of the war for reconnaissance, defence and strike operations using Spitfires and Mosquitoes.
Blackbushe, Yateley had been used for drag racing after ’62 and was the location for Dragfest. It was suggested as an outdoor music venue on numerous occasions. On 15 July 1978 it hosted an all-day open-air concert, The Picnic at Blackbushe, which was attended by some 160-200,000 plus people – one of promoter Harvey Goldsmith’s biggest ever events – although with a large volume of counterfeit tickets it may have been more.

15 July 1978: Eric Clapton on stage Source: Liam Feeley via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia Bob Dylan headlined, with Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker & The Rumour, Lake, and Merger also on the bill. This was Dylan’s last European appearance in ’78, and first UK date in 9 years, and Armatrading was flying in from the US just for this concert. The gates opened at noon, with the concert running from approximately 2pm to 10:30 that night. If you were at the back, with all those other punters in front of you, there wasn’t a great deal to see. During the event a few thousand ‘card parachutes’ were dropped from a helicopter over the audience promoting Dylan’s “Street Legal”.
Armatrading performed in a rugby shirt; Billy Connoly finds himself standing next to Dylan to watch Clapton; and when Graham Parker & The Rumour came on, Parker yelled: “Anyone here from the One Oak?” – of course there was. Dylan performed in a Savoy doorman’s top hat and plays for almost three hours. In the audience – well probably backstage – are Jenny Agutter and Ringo Starr.
In ’80 it was suggested by the media that Pink Floyd might do on outdoor show at Blackbushe, but this never came to fruition and to our best knowledge there has been no other live music event at Blackbushe. In 2017, “The Picnic at Blackbushe”, a hardback book in a metal flight case, is written/compiled by Jerry Bloom.
Video:
Gallery:

Clipping from Record Mirror 3 June 78. 
Advert for The Picnic at Blackbushe 
15 July 1978: Blackbushe Picnic Ticket No.099540 in Zone HH. Source: John Welch via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Ticket No.185298 
Ticket for The Picnic at Blackbushe. Source: Dave Cornish via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Counterfeit ticket! Source: Liam Feeley via FHN 
Eric Clapton arriving at Blackbushe for The Picnic. Source: Susan Andre Lowson via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Blackbushe Picnic. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Can you see who is on stage? Source: Liam Feeley via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Can just see someone on stage. Source: Liam Feeley via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Card parachutes dropped over the audience at The Picnic. Source: Steve McKeown via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
The Picnic at Blackbushe t-shirt. Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk 
15 July 1978: Front cover of the official Picnic at Blackbushe programme. Source: Liam Feeley via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
15 July 1978: Back cover of the official Picnic at Blackbushe programme. Source: Liam Feeley via Farnborough (Hants) Nostalgia 
Article from 26 Jan 1980 issue of Record Mirror suggests that Blackbushe was in the running for a Pink Floyd live show… -
Crown & Cushion, Haslemere
The Crown & Cushion, sat at 4 Wey Hill, Haslemere, a short walk from the station, and hosted bands in the early ’90s.
On 20 September ’92, Thunderbox rocked the Haslemere venue, and four days later Hot Club heated up the joint, then on 25 October it was Kambium’s turn. Portsmouth based Bananafish, with roots in ska, reggae and rap, appeared and were filmed there on 5 December ’93.
The venue continued to host the occasional live music through to 2012, with the likes of Vic Cracknell (who also played at The Hautboy, Ockham), Six Miles Away, and the Jono, Gareth Icke, Alan Frew combo. The pub closed in 2013 and has now been converted to residential use and is called Wey Hill House.
Videos:
Gallery:

Crown & Cushion, Haslemere 
Crown & Cushion, Haslemere -
Rising Signs
(c’86-’88) Kendall Sparks (drums), Dean Low (guitar), Bobby Cass (bass), and Pippa Mitchener (vocals).
This Aldershot group, who’d originally considered Man Made Soul as a name, debuted at the West End Centre, Aldershot supporting Drink Britain Dry. On 4 May ’88 they were one of the bands, along with West One, Paper Moon, and UxB, at Battle for the Limelight held at Princes Hall, Aldershot. Sparks left the band after the first couple of gigs and was replaced by Vince Southey of West One.
The band were once more at the West End Centre for a local band night on 2 September ’88, with The F1-11s, supporting West One.
Southey left us in the early 2000s, as did bassist Cass in 2020. Low would form acoustic duo Deano & Co sometime in the 2000s. As of 2024, Mitchener is still performing in Self Preservation Society and Man Made Soul (funnily enough).
Tracks:Gallery:

4 May 1988: Ticket for Battle For The Limelight at Princes Hall, Aldershotwith West One, Paper Moon, UxB, and Rising Signs. Source: West One
Man Made Soul. Picture courtesy of Pippa Mitchener 
Man Made Soul. Picture courtesy of Pippa Mitchener 
2 September 1988: Poster for West One at the West End Centre, Aldershot supported by Rising Signs, and F1-11. Source: West One 
2 September 1988: Poster for West One at the West End Centre, Aldershot supported by Rising Signs, and F1-11. Source: West One 
2 September 1988: Poster for West One at the West End Centre, Aldershot supported by Rising Signs, and F1-11. Source: West One -
Bunters, Guildford
(c’71-’82) Bunters, on the Shalford Road, opposite the Yvonne Arnaud was run by Billy “Bunter” Williamson, with bar manager Raymond Young. Prior to Bunters, from ’71 it was called Dronfields after that club moved down from Tunsgate to 11 Quarry Street. This club then changed its name to Frasers, before it became Bunters.
Local police were often on site due to incidents caused by the “overzealous bouncers”, oft described as “little scuffles”. Entering from Quarry Street and once you got through the door, and passed the likes of bouncers Tuppenny Kendall, James “Coco” Essua (He would also join LongPig on stage occasionally playing bongos), Brian Durbridge, and John Wright, the venue was not particularly salubrious, with low ceilings, papers on the wall, three floors that were often ‘sticky’, and a different music genre in each bar supplied by resident DJ, Billy “Cat Weasel” Jepp. Occasionally Noel Edmonds was present, often promoting some alcoholic beverage.
Tuesday night was half price night and Bunter’s “restaurant” apparently produced some pretty tasty grub when you were a few pints into the evening. Disc jockey Andy Miles recalls The Jackie Lynton Band playing Bunters in late ’73, while he spun the vinyl with help from Frank Cox, but it was more likely Jackie Lynton’s Grande. The Jam are listed as playing the venue on the 7 and 21 July ’74 with another gig on 5 Oct, supporting The Rock Island Line, cancelled due to the bombings in Guildford. In an interview with Malcolm Wyatt, Rick Buckler states “I remember we set up the equipment in there, went home to Woking, had some tea, because we weren’t going to be on until really late at night. But then we got a phone call, saying we can’t come back because they’d literally shut the whole of Guildford down.”
On 7 April ’76, Blackblood played Bunters, and George Gimarc’s “Punk Diary: The Ultimate Train-spotter’s Guide to Underground Rock, 1970-1982” does list The Sex Pistols as playing Bunter’s Club (which is listed on Sex Pistols site as The Place) on 28 September ’76, although we’ve found no evidence to date. Similarly, The Clash are also reported to have played Bunters, but there has been no evidence uncovered to date either, although page 211 of Marcus Gray’s “Last Gang in Town” does state: [The Clash’s] second trip out on their own, on some forgotten date in October [’76], was to a pub-cum-disco in Guildford run by Marmalade’s former bass player. It was the smallest venue the band ever played, and that the audience consisted of “one lone drunk refugee from the club/disco below, where the bouncers were having the shit kicked out of them by a bunch of squaddies”. Is that Bunters? According to an article by Malcolm Wyatt for The Guildford Dragon ‘The Clash’s Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer reminisced about that date in a 1982 NBC TV interview as having ‘only one person in the audience’. Another band to play the venue in the ’70s was Woking group the Slim Franklin Band.

24 July 1978: Junction, Guildford hpsed Magnets and The Little Jimmies. Picture courtesy of John Hudson In the late 70’s / early ’80s, The Junction night took up residence on the top floor, featuring live bands every Monday – there was also a The Junction night at The Star, Guildford. The Bunker’s Junction hosted Jasmin Pie, supported by The Reaction on 24 April ’78. The Magnets, supported by The Little Jimmies, on 24 July ’78, and a month later, on 24 August, Crisis performed a 10-song set at the venue, On 12 November ’79, UBz supported Rockola. The following month Dick Middleton organized a Battle of the Bands night, this included Farnborough based rockers Kama Sutra who appeared at the event, on 19 December ’79. The next year Spider/s performed on 14 January returning on 4 February. El Seven dropped by on 14 April, Crosswinds on 11 August, and Pozer are known to have appeared there on 13 October ’80. They were followed a week later by Cavalry on 20 October and the triple header of The Chevrons with B Film, and Red Box on 3 November ’80, and then UBz returned on 12 November. Jumping to mid ’81 we find Panther opened for The Alligators on 10 July ’81. Other bands that are known to have played the venue are The Detroit Emeralds, The Golden Age of Metro, Heatwave, House, Duffo (with local keyboardist Sev Lewkowicz), The Dodgers who were supported by Squire in ’78, Luxury Glass Town, Patrick Fitzgerald, The Volunteers, Whirlwind, White Colors, and The Vapors.

10 July 1981: The Alligators supported by Panther played Junction (top floor of Bunters), Guildford. Picture courtesy of John Hudson. The story goes that Williamson was a friend of the Krays and may have “done a runner” to Spain due to underworld connections / activity (which might explain the loaded gun in the glove box of his bright yellow jag). He lived above the club and had a small private bar where he reportedly entertained ‘off duty’ detectives; and was certainly seen waving a shotgun out of an upstairs window. Meanwhile, Essua – who liberally deployed a very colourful vocabulary when up trees in opposition to the local constabulary, ripping the lights from the roof of a police car, on buses, and when collecting debts – was charged for stealing sheep!
It became Legion in 2007 and is now flats.
Gallery:

7 April 1976: Blackblood played Bunters, Guildford according to this advert from Record Mirror. 
12 November 1980: Set list for UBz’s gig at Bunters, Guildford Andy Miles, B Film, Billy Jepp, Billy Wiliamson, Blackblood, Brian Durbridge, Bunters, Cavalry, Crisis, Crosswinds, Dick Middleton, Dronfield’s, Duffo, El Seven, Farnborough, Frank Cox, Frasers, George Gimarc, Guildford, Heatwave, House, Jackie Lynton Band, Jackie Lynton's Grande, James Essua, Jasmine Pie, Joe Strummer, John Wright, Kama Sutra, Legion, LongPig, Luxury Glass Town, Marcus Gray, Marmalade, NBC, New Haw, Panther, Patrick Fitzgerald, Paul Simonon, Pozer, Raymond Young, Red Box, Rick Buckler, Rockola, Sev Lewkowicz, Spider, Spiders, Squire, The Alligators, The Chevrons, The Clash, The Detroit Emeralds, The Dodgers, The Golden Age of Metro, The Guildford Dragon, The Jam, The Junction, The Little Jimmies, The Magnets, The Place, The Reaction, The Rock Island Line, The Sex Pistols, The Slim Franklin Band, The Star, The Vapors, The Volunteers, Tuppenny Kendall, UBz, West Byfleet, Whirlwind, White Colours -
Billie Davis
(c’61-date) Billie Davis (singer)
Born Carol Hedges in Woking, Robert Stigwood suggested the performing name Billie (Holliday)/(Sammy) Davis (Jr.). Backed by the Rebel Rousers she won a talent contest at Southall Community Centre singing Connie Francis’ “Many Tears Ago”; and subsequently teamed up with The Tornados to record a few demo tracks for Joe Meek, signing to Decca.

Woking born Carol Hedges, aka Billie Davis In August ’62 “Will I What” [Parlophone R4932] was released on which she performed with Mike Sarne, which reached No.18 in the UK Singles Chart. Her biggest success came early the next year with a cover of The Exciters’ “Tell Him” [Decca F11572], peaking at No.10. The promotion for “Tell Him” had Davis in Package Tours with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. This was followed by “He’s The One” [Decca F11658] which barely made the Top 40.

1 May 1963. Source: bradfordtimeline.co.uk Davis went on an All-Stars Package Tour with Mike Sarne, John Leyton, Mike Berry, Don Spencer, The Innocents, Jet Harris & Tony Meehan, Billy Doyle, Duffy Power, Grazina, The X-L Five, and Bick Ford across the end April and through May ’63. On Saturday morning’s the BBC broadcast Saturday Club, a show of predominantly pre-recorded “live” performances. Davis recorded tracks for Episode 239, 252, and 272, broacast on 27 April, 27 July, and 14 December ’63 respectively. The then 17-year-old, Davis split from Decca and moved to Columbia and got involved with married ex-Shadows bassist Jet Harris. In September, while returning from a gig their chauffeured car crashed into a bus, breaking Davis’ jaw and Harris received head injuries. The press focused on the “scandalous” side of the story, while Davis was unable to work for months due to the injuries received. But the photogenic, bobbed, long booted, leather mini wearing Davis would be back.

12 Feb 1964: John Leyton w/ Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Don Spencer, Billy Boyle, The Rolling Stones, Mike Berry and The Innocents, Billie Davis and the Le Roys. and Jet Harris One of those package tours, the All Stars ’64 tour, headlined by John Leyton, along with Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Rolling Stones, Don Spencer, Billy Boyle, Mike Berry and The Innocents, and Jet Harris, bought Billie Davis and the Le Roys close to her hometown when it hit the Odeon, Guildford on 12 February ’64. She returned to BBC Radio 1’s Saturday Club on 13 June ’64 (Episode 298).
Davies changed label from Columbia to Pye Records and released a Burt Bacharach number on 19 March ’65. The next month she appeared on Radio Luxembourg’s ‘Ready, Steady, Radio!’ with The Temptations and The Zephyrs on 3 April ’65. There was another appearance on Episode 369 of Saturday Club which went out on 30 October ’65.
Early in ’66, Episode 380 of Saturday Club, broadcast on 15 Jan ’66, carried a Davis session. Also, in ’66, the duo called Keith and Billie formed and signed onto the Piccadilly record label. Together Keith Powell, of The Valets, and Davis released three singles including “Swingin’ Tight”, but without chart success the pairing dissolved. Dhe was back on the Saturday Club on 11 June ’66 (Episode 401). Peter Simensky, of The Manchester Playboys, recalls Davis working at The Scotch of St James, Mayfair around July ’67 when they were gigging in London. Back on Decca, Davis recorded several singles, including “Angel of the Morning”, in ’67, backed by Kiki Dee, Madeline Bell, Doris Troy, Kay Garner, The Moody Blues and P. P. Arnold.
Northern soul-esque “I Want You to Be My Baby” was Davis’ last charting single, topping out at No.33 in October ’68, possibly aided by an appearance on Saturday Club, Episode 517 on 31 August ’68 and Episode 526 on 2 November ’68.She left Decca again on ’71, after the release of an eponymous LP in ’70. The recording didn’t stop however, with a number of releases on several different labels and touring too, with “I Want You to Be My Baby” doing well in Spain; well enough for a Spanish language version to be recorded and released.

Front cover of the eponymous “Bilie Davis” LP from 1970. In ’93, Davis was part of the Telstar Tour which visited Guildford on 25 February. Spanish TV aired her performing a cover of The Moody Blues “Nights in White Satin”, which also charted in Spain. A cover of Burt Bacharach’s “The Last One to Be Loved” appeared on the “Trains & Boats & Covers” compilation LP. Teaming up with Albert Lee in ’99, they created and released “Stormy”, an LP of Davis’ own songs. A retrospective collection of recordings, titled “The Decca Years” was released in 2005 and in January 2021, Davis was featured in The Beat magazine.
Gallery:

An early Billie Davis promo shot 
13 May 1963. Source: bradfordtimeline.co.uk 
February/March 1964: John Leyton w/ Mike Sarne, The Swinging Blue Jeans, Don Spencer, Billy Boyle, The Rolling Stones, Mike Berry and The Innocents, Billie Davis and the Le Roys. and Jet Harris 
Don Spencer is none too complimentary of Billie Davis’ performance in his Melody Maker (15 February 1964) review of Robert Stigwood’s ‘All Star ’64’ package tour. 
April/May 63: Front cover of the All-Stars Package Tour souvenir program. Source: www.bradfordtimeline.co.uk 
April/May 63: Billie Davis profile on Page 9 of the All-Stars Package Tour souvenir program. Source: www.bradfordtimeline.co.uk 
April/May 63: Decca advert featuring Billie Davis on Page 11 of the All-Stars Package Tour souvenir program. Source: www.bradfordtimeline.co.uk 
14 July 1963. Source: bradfordtimeline.co.uk 
Back cover of the eponymoud “Bilie Davis” LP from 1970. 
25 February 1993, Billie was part of the Telstar Tour at Civic Hall, Guildford. Clipping from February issue of Aldershot News. Source: Who Moved the Ground? Albert Lee, BBC, BBC Radio 1, Bick Ford, Billie Davis, Billie Davis and the Le Roys, Billy Boyle, Billy Doyle, Burt Bacharach, Carol Hedges, Columbia, Community Centre, Connie Francis, Decca, Don Spencer, Doris Troy, Duffy Power, Grazina, Guildford, Jet Harris, Joe Meek, John Leyton, Kay Garner, Keith Powell, Kiki Dee, London, Madeline Bell, Mayfair, Mike Berry, Mike Berry & The Innocents, Mike Sarne, Odeon, P.P. Arnold, Parlephone, Peter Simensky, Piccadilly, Pye Records, Radio Luxembourg, Ready Steady Radio, Rebel Rousers, Robert Stigwood, Saturday Club, Southall, Spain, Telstar, The Beat, The Beatles, The Exciters, The Innocents, The Manchester Playboys, The Moody Blues, The Rolling Stones, The Scotch of St.James, The Shadows, The Swinging Blue Jeans, The Temptations, The Tornados, The Valets, The X-L Five, The Zephyrs, Tony Meehan, Woking










































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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