Oldies..............what was Busby's prior ......

[bhaexpress]

t rex (when it was just mark bolan and mickey finn) ginger baker and loads i forget as drink always got the better of me

They were Tyrannosaurus Rex in those days, a rather wishy washy folk duo. I remember the old Virgin Records quite clearly, was now where Boots is, Corner of Queens Road and North Street, opposite the clock tower. I could have sworn The Big Apple was down the hill (of North Street) on the right but in fact I could very well be wrong as it was a long time ago !

 

[hitony]

They were Tyrannosaurus Rex in those days, a rather wishy washy folk duo. I remember the old Virgin Records quite clearly, was now where Boots is, Corner of Queens Road and North Street, opposite the clock tower. I could have sworn The Big Apple was down the hill (of North Street) on the right but in fact I could very well be wrong as it was a long time ago !

Yes, i know they were "Tyrannosaurus Rex" ( i just could'nt spell it ) i saw them do "Ride a white swan" so that must have been 1970 / 71? i also remember the floor that we all sat on (loads of cushions laying about as well i seem to remember) moved as the place used to be an old time dance hall, i will do a google search and see what i can dig up

 

[hitony]

Sorry this is quite lengthy, but good reading ........

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Regent Dance Hall (no longer exists) The interior of the Regent Ballroom
Photograph from a private collection
The "dance craze": 1920s-1970s
Reproduced with permission from background information available in the new local history gallery at Brighton Museum
The dance craze in Brighton
Dancing as a major form of entertainment really took off in Brighton during the 1920s and 1930s. 'Dance' music, much of it American, was becoming popular in the years before the First World War, spread by sales of sheet music and gramophone records. However, it was in the years immediately after the war that the so-called "dance craze" took place, encouraged by the spread of American-style 'jazz' and dance bands.

In Brighton a number of dance halls were established to cater for the new demand. The most famous of these were Sherry's Dance Hall, in West Street, and the Regent Dance Hall, in Queens Road.

The opening of the Regent
The Regent Dance Hall was opened in December 1923. It was constructed in an arched superstructure on the roof of the Regent Cinema that had originally been intended to house a roof garden. Decorated in a 'jazz' style, with zigzag and square patterns painted in strong primary colours, giant lanterns in a variety of shapes, and illuminated by multicoloured lights, the dance hall made a major impression. The Brighton Herald described it as "like an artist's expression of exclamation. It is jazz in its highest development. To enter without preparation into that great new hall...is to get the effect of a rocket bursting in one's face. The hall is like an explosion of all the primary and secondary colours, flung hither and thither in a restless, intersecting criss-cross of blazing light".

Saturday nights at the Regent
The Regent could accommodate 1,500 dancers on its specially sprung floor, which they boasted was 'the finest spring dancing floor in the world'. The Regent hosted afternoon tea dances, evening dances, cabaret, dancing competitions and balls. One could also learn to dance at the Regent, which had a staff of "expert professional dancing partners for both sexes".

By the 1930s, famous dance band leaders such as Jack Hylton, Billy Cotton, Harry Leader and Henry Hall were playing at the Regent and the dance hall soon became one of the leading social venues in Brighton.

A regular visitor to the Regent in the 1930s, remembered "Saturday night at the Regent was a must for us. It was an escape from reality for thousands of shop assistants, factory workers and employees who could afford to go out only once a week."

Decline and closure of the Regent
The Regent's popularity continued during the 1940s and 1950s, as people danced to big band and swing hits played by resident band leader Syd Dean. However, changing tastes in music and dancing styles saw the Regent's popularity decline in the 1960s and in July 1967 the dance hall was closed and converted into a bingo hall. In 1974 the Regent Cinema and Dance Hall building was demolished.

Today a branch of Boots stands on the site. As local resident Arthur Clarke observed in 1984: "When the cinema and dance hall finally closed, Brighton lost the finest entertainment centre south of London. Nothing has ever replaced it."

This page was added on 22/03/2006.

Comments:
My late mother's friend, Joan (nee Mumford), was the beautiful young girl who played the organ at the cinema. Her mother was so proud but Joan hated it! Joan is nearly 90 and very fit. Does anyone remember my friend, Poppy Margeret (nee Baxendale)? She is now nearly 87 and she loved dancing at The Regent. She suffered from polio as a child so it is amazing that she took to dancing so well.
By Heather Wilson (23/02/2004)
Between 1970-72 the ballroom opened up as 'The Big Apple', run by the same people as owned the Fox Clubs in Sussex and Surrey. The Rolling Stones, T Rex, Status Quo, Johnny Winter, Leon Russell and many others played there - usually two gigs a week - and all for under a pound. I'm currently putting together as much info as I can on the Club - I've still got my tickets, but no photos or full band list. If anyone has any memories or memorabilia, please contact me.
By Paul Kaczmarek (11/05/2004)
I still have a handbill for the Big Apple club that lists the following attractions for 1971: Sat 6 March - Yes, Wed 10th March - Rolling Sones, Sat 13th March - Kinks + Patto, Thur 18th March - Emerson Lake and Palmer, Sat 20th March - Atomic Rooster, Sat 27th March - Colosseum. My recollection is that the club didn't stay open for much longer than six months - neighbours' complaints about the noise I think. Looking back there must have been a big fire risk as well. There were a hell of a lot of us crammed in for the Stones concert. The first gig I believe was Donovan in late 1970. I saw T Rex (just after they'd gone electric) supported by Status Quo just before Christmas that year. I also saw Strawbs (including Rick Wakeman) and Johnny Winter. I think Pink Floyd also played there. A hell of a lot of top name acts appeared in a very short time.
By Andrew Taylor (05/04/2005)
I remember the Stones at The Big Apple as well; I think they were supported by The Groundhogs, could that be right? Queued all night for tickets in Middle Street, they were sold from the little independent record shop next door to The Cottage Coffee Bar, now Blind Lemon Alley. Saw lots of other great bands there as well: Curved Air, Status Quo, although they were not really thought of as cool at that time! Elton John never turned up for his show, they took him to court. Most records of the location of the Regent Cinema and Big Apple list it as on the site of the current Boots, however it wasn't; it was just up Queens Road a little further. On the site of the current Boots was a bank that became Virgin Records then Boots. This is easily confirmed by checking the Clock Tower and Images on this website. There's a great photo of the Clock Tower c. 1967 - the Regent Ballroom can be seen much further up Queens Road than the Boots site.
By Peter Groves (11/01/2006)
I used to frequent the Big Apple almost every weekend in 1971/72. An aquaintance of mine, I think his name was Chris Margetts, worked on the door and would let us bunk in for nothing! I saw numerous bands there including Emerson Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, Ginger Baker's Airforce, Edgar Broughton Band, Lindisfarne, Johnny Winter, Fairport Convention, Atomic Rooster. That's all I can remember, there were many more, but the effects of various substances (at the time!) and the years have dulled my memory. I remember the floor bouncing as we leapt up and down at the request of Edgar Broughton! The place closed suddenly much to my distress; it was a great venue to see bands, not like the dull Brighton Centre.
By Paul Gasson (25/04/2006)
This page has had me thinking. Like many others at the time, a deal of substance abuse clouded the reality of the time. So far as the location, Boots is on a combination of the Virgin / Regent site, the current entrance to Boots from Queens Road is essentially where the cinema entrance was. I spent a lot of time there, in order to get free entrance I worked as a local roadie and remeber humping gear in and out of elevators to the top floor, the only way of getting the gear up and down. I seem to remember the first band that played was Ginger Baker's Airforce and I remember all the names listed above but can add T'Rex, and Eric Burdon & WAR (even though Eric was a no show they still recorded the gig). I have vivid memories of the sprung floor covered in scatter cushions and the scaffold tower lighting rigs swaying precariously either side of the two stages. I wish I could remember the name of the record shop where tickets were sold, but I do remember that Robert Feld (later to be jailed for fraud over the Norfolk / Resort Hotels scam) had something to do with the management but no other names come to mind. I dare say that the grey matter will now work overtime and more memories will come back.
By Steve Green (29/04/2006)
My sister Gloria and I had many a happy time dancing the hours away at the dear old Regent. That was indeed the highlight of our week! That was in the 1950's. How we looked forward to 'letting our hair down'!

By Sylvia Pickett nee stephens (06/10/2006)
I was wondering if anybody has some more info/strories abot Harry Leader or his wife Rona Leader.
Thank you,

By nathalie edelsztejn (14/01/2007)
I got a job collecting glasses at the Big Apple, on and off, on weekends in 1971 and so got to see many big name acts like the Stones, Deep Purple, etc whilst being paid to wander around. It was sweaty and a bit chaotic inside and the sprung dance floor from the big band days still worked so (together with 'substances' and lager) you sometimes felt a bit light on your feet. The light towers certainly swayed, as Steve Green says. I remember that Edgar Broughton gig too! I don't think it was neighbours who had it closed down as not many people lived near there then. Certainly the police raided the place a few times looking for under-age drinkers (in one raid they carted off an ex-girlfiend of mine and her mother - equally glamorous - for allowing her to be there!) and I think they used fire safety as an excuse to close it. We used to enter through a doorway at the back of the building in an alley next to the Essoldo and then climb innumerable stairs to the top. After a raucous night there we often walked to Little Preston Street for an Uncle Sam's hamburger (best in Brighton) that we ate on the beach. Great days.

By Adrian Baron (25/01/2007)
I have found a batch of photographs of Leslie Appleton, a Big Band musician who I believe to have lived at the old Springfield pub (now The Open House, Springfield Road). Photographs include his wedding pictures to Phyllis Pearn (1938) and many, many family pictures dating from the late 30s to early 70s. If anyone knows of these people or their family please get in touch.

By Laura Creasey (15/02/2007)
My father, Denys O'loughlin, was the Regent's general manager at the time, and along with Adam Faith started the big apple(he also rented out the front corner of the building to the unknown Richard Branson, who had his first virgin records shop there, remember the huge cushions & headphones?). we lived in the flat above the Regent, and worked in the cinema in school holidays, often taking our breaks upstairs chatting to the bands setting up. I saw every band that performed there and met many after in dad's office. There were also 2 private gantry boxes which we often frequented, fantastic! When the Regent closed, dad left Top Rank and bought Chatfields, naming it the New Regent,(now the Walkabout Bar),which promoted new wave bands, later to become punk bands. We had young hopefuls like U2, Madness, X-Ray Specs,XTC, and the Buzcocks etc performing weekly; I still have video of these. Dad Denys died in 1984, mum Pat still lives in Brighton watching her boys,(us), still playing in local band The Diablos.

By terry o'loughlin (25/07/2007)
The name of the record shop in Middle Street that sold Big Apple tickets was 'Exspantion'. We queued for Rolling Stones too, but hadn't got up early enough to get tickets. This shop was run by Mike Clayton, manager of the 'Mike Stuart Span', hence the odd spelling to include 'span'. Don't know why it had the 't' instead of 's' though. This shop was first in Hove off Portland Road (Westbourne Street?), then briefly above a shop in Duke Street. After Middle Street there was an ill-fated change of name to 'Tiger Moth Records' and move to the Lanes (straight ahead of you, if coming from Duke Street), where they went out of business a while later. I think there was also a branch in Portsmouth. I have a flyer from 1969 for an Exspantion presentation at The Dome with Edgar Broughton, Strawbs(!), David Bowie and Steamhammer. We saw Curved Air at Big Apple. Sonja Kristina stood near us during the support act, although we only knew this by her distinctive embroidered jeans with little mirror discs when she was on stage later. Curved Air were excellent, but when it came to the encore, they'd already played all they knew, and had to play some songs again. We also saw Sonja K. at Exeter Arts Centre some 20 years later, but she was rather disappointing.
(Never try to go back.)

By Barry Parks (08/08/2007)
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Regent Dance Hall
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Notes and queries: Syd Dean
The "dance craze": 1920s-1970s
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The Syd Dean Band: family memories
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[Freddie Goodwin.]

Yes, The Revolution was the place for a Friday.

Very dark, painted black, smell of plastic, 'glasses' of plastic, lots of james brown and music of that ilk.

 

[dougdeep]

The Hungry Years was the place for me. Heavy metal axe music at it's best.

 

[Goodfella]

Jenkinson's was shit, I had the misfortune to work behind the bar there for a week.

Although I did see the Troggs play there one midweek evening. There were at least 20 people there!!!

I saw Jerry and The Pacemakers, what an apt name that was.

Think it's proper name was Jenkinsons Cabaret Bar.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

I saw cannon & ball at Jenkinsons. I also saw Bad manners, which tends to show it was rather goiung downhill.

 

[hitony]

Yes, The Revolution was the place for a Friday.

Very dark, painted black, smell of plastic, 'glasses' of plastic, lots of james brown and music of that ilk.

oh you definatly remember the place then i used to go there on a friday night, does anyone remember a guy called Mark Abraham he was (in those days) one of the only coloured guys about, fantastic dancer, he was always up on the podiums dancing, he was a good mate of mine, just wondered whatever became of him ? it would have been the early to mid 70s

 

[Publius Ovidius]

The Hungry Years was the place for me. Heavy metal axe music at it's best.

moi aussi

 

[Deleted User X18H]

Does Hove Bed & Breakfast buy the matchday programme? Only he doesn't mention anything about buying a programme in his thread about what makes a true Brighton fan.

No Mr Handbag I do not buy a programme

 

[hitony]

The Hungry Years was the place for me. Heavy metal axe music at it's best.

If my memory serves me well, (and i did frequent the Hungry Years quite a bit back in the early 70s) but Leo Sayer used to drink in there just before / as he became famous.........right old rock n roller he is eh (having said that i didnt mind his stuff at the time )