The Bumblies - Back After 46 Years at The Conny Club
I stood on the stage looking back at the backdrop of John and Paul commemorating their now famous first paid appearance as the Quarrymen in 1957 and it just struck me how fortunate I was to have been around when the Beatles changed the world. I grew up opposite the club and spent most of my youth kicking a football around the car park outside the club. I can't remember the day they played there, but probably I was too busy playing football to worry about some gang of scruffs playing skiffle, and after all I was only 10. My band The Bumblies (Originally called The Soundtracks) had their first serious practice there and that was the reason we just had to go back and play the venue. In all those years it hadn't changed much, other than some different wallpaper and of course the price of drinks (Still very cheap by the way). The area surrounding the club now resembles Beirut on a bad day, which is a great shame as in my day, whilst we didn't have much money, it was a good place to grow up. We had the Broadway Club with Joe Royle Snr's band The Saturated 7 playing every weekend. Joe junior of course played for the greatest football club in the world Everton (Ed: opinion). Some weeks, stars who were appearing in the city would end up at The Broadway and very often would get up and do a few songs. Just down the road was The Montrose Club, owned by the same guy (Ernie Mack). The Montrose was of course where MerseyCats first played. Within just a few miles there must have been 30 or more social clubs and it was there, where we started to get our first bookings. The Conny club like many other clubs and pubs in the UK has suffered following the smoking ban and the increasingly draconian drink drive enforcement procedures over here and they are fighting to keep their entertainment going. MC Andy from Searchin did a great job on the night and our thanks go to him for the invite. I had some difficulty in getting through the first few numbers, as I kept looking at the spot where my dear old Mum used to sit every week. Most Saturdays the club would empty out and we would entertain a crowd of late drinkers at our house. My dad worked for Grants of St James so there was always plenty of Booze. And the cuisine....Ahhhh Tripe, butter beans and Pea and Ham soup...fond memories.Fergy Click The Video to enlarge
The Conny Club is in danger of closing. Support the appeal to keep this historic venue alive. |
