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The Gin Mill Club, specializing in blues, was run out of a function room at the back of The Angel / Angel Hotel / Angel Court, Godalming by Pete “Hairy” Newberry back in the late 60s thru the early 70s; when he took over a previous blues club that ran out of The Angel. This prior blues club was initially run by Keith Tillman, who occasionally played bass with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. Chris Swaglis then took over, booking The Equals, The Herd, and The Stormsville Shakers regularly; before Newberry – who used to play a lot himself back in the late 60’s; at The Wooden Bridge and The Stoke Hotel, Guildford and got to know some of bands well – took on the responsibility. Purportedly, The Gin Mill was Newberry’s attempt to counter a trend that saw places to play drying up and was named after Bret Weeden’s “Gin Mill Guitar” and opened its doors in Jan ’68.

Every Sunday, and many another night, for 2/6 you could have caught what we now think of as the greats of the late 60’s / early 70’s period; with many a later famous name in the audience:

Audience, who were supported by Emily Wolf, Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Barclay James Harvest, and Black Cat Bone. Black Sabbath played The Gin Mill after making it big, honoring a booking made before the release of ‘Black Sabbath’; turning up with enough amplification for a much larger venue; which was all turned up to 11. Blitzkrieg, whose appearance at The Gin Mill apparently blew Black Sabbath completely out of the water, according to a letter published in Melody Maker. This 3-piece band were managed by Newberry who said they were “a brilliant band” with the “best guitarist I’ve ever seen”. Unfortunately they just never got picked up.

Duster Bennett was a regular feature at The Gin Mill. On the evening of 15 April ’69, one of those packed nights when some would be standing on the cast iron radiators hanging onto the rafters to see the stage, Duster Bennet’s “Bright Lights” LP was recorded live at the venue. This credits Peter Newberry as the MC on the sleeve notes. Released on the Blue Horizon label, Stella Sutton sang backing vocal, Peter Green played bass, and Anthony ‘Top’ Topham played lead guitar

Blodwyn Pig appeared on 20 September ’70 supported by Ben, Graham Bond, Chicken Shack, Clouds, Keith Christmas, Circus, Colosseum, and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup all took to the small stage. Champion Jack Dupree was convinced to play The Gin Mill by Mike Vernon, a friend of Newberry’s. Vernon used to set up the mixing desk in the bathroom and to accommodate the blues pianist, Newberry got a piano in specially and made sure it was tuned beautifully, but when Dupree turned up he brought a really bad band with him. Vernon was so furious he threw all the tapes of that night in the bin.

Graham Parker recollects attending a Fleetwood Mac gig around the release of Albatross in a number of interviews. Other sources state that they didn’t play Albatross when it was No.1, but put out an Elmore James-heavy blues set interspersed with Jeremy Spencer’esque diversions. Alexis Korner, another good friend of Newberry, phoned him up one day and said “Got a great bunch of young lads for you to book” It was Free, who performed on the 7, 8, or 9 July ’69, supported by Amazing Blondel. Parker was in the audience again, as was Tiff Needell and Adam Russel who recalls Paul Kossoff telling the DJ “hey man, piss off, we’re on now!”.

Fusion Orchestra, and Keef Hartley Band…An early Genesis gig, one of their first, was witnessed by a 14 year old Bill Leabody, who went on to be Production Manager for the likes of Peter Gabriel and Coldplay, who was also the ex-tech for The Edge. Newberry was good friends with Tony Stratton-Smith of Charisma Records which helped secure Genesis; although Newberry knew Genesis when they were still at Charterhouse as they used to hang around at the Record Corner, Godalming. Genesis rehearsed their music at The Gin Mill in June and July 1970. Genesis’ Trespass came out that year and their 20th December gig at the Gin Mill got a rave review in Sounds; “the best new band to appear here in its three years of existence” said club organizer, Newberry.

Jethro Tull, Journey, Juke Boy Bonner, Jungle Pilot who were a band of Melody Maker staff writers, including Chris Welch, Liverpool Scene, and McKenna Mendelson Mainline. Tony Nolasco, drummer with McKenna Mendelson Mainline, recalls the head of Liberty, Martin Davis coming out to the Gin Mill, which was one of their more loyally attended venues. Packed with an enthusiastic audience on the night, for what was not their first appearance at the venue, bassist Mike Harrison said that they blew the roof off and that Davis was delighted.

Mighty Baby, Mott the Hoople, who appeared on a Sunday, Christine Perfect (McVie), Quiver, Rare Bird, Savoy Brown, Skid Row featuring Gary Moore and Brush Shiels, Stray on 27 September ’70, The Spirit of John Morgan, Stone the Crows with Alex Harvey’s brother Les, Van der Graaf Generator including 13 Sept ’70 supported by Duffy, and Warm Dust…

They all took to the beer-crate stage as the audience supped on Newcastle Brown from a plastic beaker / or the bottle acquired from the beer crate bar in the back corner of the hall.

Other notables, connected to The Gin Mill, include Patrick Begley singer / guitar player for The Dipsticks (who reformed in 2008). He worked the door in the early days; infamously stopping Fleetwood Mac’s Danny Kirwan from getting in after he had claimed to be ‘with the band’ because he didn’t believe him “‘cos he just looked too young..”.

Not bad for a venue that had to close at 10.30PM and often featured the police waiting outside for when you exited, not that there was ever any trouble.

Jean-Jacques “JJ” Burnel, later of The Guildford Stranglers, also played at the Gin Mill and the venue also gets heavily featured in Nigel Enever’s “Guildford, The Rock ‘n Roll Years”.

Newberry later moved the Gin Mill Club to an old cinema in Guildford and according JJ Burnel this is where he first saw Dr. Feelgood. We know this to have been the Plaza Ballroom, Guildford which was once home to The Ricky Tick, Guildford, and Dr Feelgood were supported by Heritage. Mike and Richard Ashworth – who ran Wax Promotions and managed Wax Records on Woodbridge Rd, Guildford – organized these gigs with Newberry and the nights ran to late ’74. Newberry also organized a failed festival at Guildford City FC that featured Duster Bennett, Duffy and Capability Brown (who refused to play because of the small crowd).

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