The Mecca Tour

We proceeded to cut our teeth on the Mecca circuit, it seemed that if a band was to have a residency they would need to tour a number of the Mecca venues first. We then played seasons at Ilford Palais, The Lyceum Ballroom, Hammersmith Palais, Tottenham Royal, Streatham, Stevenage, Harlow, etc. Virtually all of the top bands were touring Mecca ballrooms around that period, The Who played at the Ilford Palais during our stint there, the Moody Blues and The Kinks were amongst others to play Basildon. The Beatles had also played the circuit.

Most of the larger Mecca ballrooms had revolving stages, something which took us a while to get to grips with. There would usually be a resident dance band as well as the ‘pop group’, so each would have their own side of the stage, therefore eliminating the need to get the equipment off and on for a change over.  The initial experience was our first gig at Tottenham Royal. We had just set up as normal, I don’t remember being told that the stage may rotate while we were playing, but it did. At the end of our last song we started going round, the Vox  PA columns were outside the circle and I remember Chris Pyrah along with his mic stand being entwined by wires as the whole lot was brought down and dragged round the stage, Hughie hopping round with it as his foot was caught in the gap.

We’d learnt a lesson there, never set the gear up outside the circle. Next to come was Stevenage Locarno. We got everything inside the ring and piled it up each side of the drum kit, not realising the large draped curtains forming the stage set were made of wood and plaster. We had decided to play the theme from “Magic Roundabout” after our set and as we rotated away, but the gear was too high and got jammed on the false curtains stopping the stage half way. You must now picture us and the resident dance band, stuck sideways on, with the stage motor groaning and both of us playing different tunes. I guess you had to be there, but it was quite funny at the time.