The Rolling Stones (Catford, 1964)
The Rolling Stones (Catford 1964)
Taking place at the Savoy Ballroom on the May 9, 1964 and at a point where the Stones juggernaut was accelerating pace. They had already had 3 chart singles by this point, ‘Come on Now’ in late 1963, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ in early 1964 and not ‘Not Fade Away,’ which had reached number 3 in the charts in the month prior to the gig. In the summer of 1964, their manager Andrew Oldham Loog, would hone The Stones rebel image with ‘Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Rolling Stone,’ advert, making the band a truly household name with a string of 1 number one singles to would follow
It was a gig which very much nearly didn’t happen. According Bill Wyman’s account, the band were running late, due to a seeing Chuck Berry at The Finsbury Astoria in north London earlier in the evening. Afterwards, their roadie Ian Stewart roared across town in their van to get them to The Savoy Rooms, where more than 1,800 fans were already swelling in the sweaty suburban ballroom.
Due to the crowds, it was impossible for The Stones to get access to the venue but they managed to negotiate with a local resident to go through their garden, leap over the fence and up the fire escape where, Wyman recalled "fans fainted and were laid out on the stairs" presumably by the heat even before they played!
Bill Wyman, had a strong association with South East London. Born William Perks in 1936 at Lewisham Hospital and was brought up in Penge. It’s very possible he had attended the 1950s' rock & roll sessions at the Savoy earlier in his youth
The Stones, of course, went on too much bigger things. Conquering the States, becoming a global band and brand and cementing a truly pivotal position in both British musical and cultural history. But these early gigs hold a unique place in the development of British music. representing a transitional space from the Ballrooms occupied by the previous generation of Swing bands, into a more organised and monetized framework of tour circuits and festival dates from the late 60’s onwards. This would subsequently characterize the performance pattern of successful bands and musicians looking to build longevity in a musical career. But these gigs, in their improvisational nature, élan, and often downright stupidity in terms of staging and health and safety, are representative of a time long gone, and spaces which are now often demolished.
The Savoy / Witch doctor (Rushey Green, Catford. SE6)
An art Decor building built after the First World War; Savoy Ballroom was a focal point of local entertainment throughout the big band era. In 1939 it was commandeered by the government for social services, providing food, drink and medicine to local schoolchildren. During the 50’s, as fashions changed in hosted Rock n Roll events, such as sessions by Lord Rockingham's X1, stars of pop TV show ‘Oh Boy.’
It’s popularity, and also notoriety, was augmented during the 1960’s. Upstairs continued to operate as a music venue, first as the Savoy Rooms and from 1965 onwards The Witch Doctor, drawing many of the best acts of the era, including The Who, The Animals, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, as well as Jamaican acts such as Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Jimmy Cliff, The Ethiopians. A booking strategy which no doubt reflecting the considerable Caribbean diaspora who had recently found a new home in South East London.
A noteworthy feature of the venue was the drawing power of DJ Steve Maxted and his Sunday Night sessions. A professional film stuntman, his routine involved balancing razor-sharp swords on his chin, piercing his skin with meat skewers, and stapling various parts of his body with pins. Apparently, this resulted in the regular fainting of female patrons whose boyfriends them had to carry them home.
During the mid-1960s the downstairs was acquired by successful Manchester-based businessmen Dougie Flood, a club/hotel/leisure business owner and alleged member of the Quality Street Gang, and Bill Benny, the space becoming a casino and nightclub. The story goes that in their Northern naivety, they had asked the infamous South London gang the Richardson to "protect" the club in exchange for gaming machines being placed there. After a particularly fractious evening, where guns were drawn, the venue was torn-up, resulting in one fatality, multiple injuries and most of the Richardson gang being arrested.
Despite this, the upstairs continued to function as a respected live music venue until 1969, when the ground floor was converted to retail and the first floor became a Snooker Hall, and more recently a Pentecostal church.
Peckham Soul Prints
Designed by Craig Jamieson, these prints explore the unique diversity of South London’s cultural and social history. From archive research, they draw on contemporaneous listing material to create original graphic artwork not actually designed at the time, as well as uncovering original prints from the era.
All designs are silk screen lithographic printed and use 100% recycled and sustainable paper.
The Rolling Stones (Catford 1964)
Taking place at the Savoy Ballroom on the May 9, 1964 and at a point where the Stones juggernaut was accelerating pace. They had already had 3 chart singles by this point, ‘Come on Now’ in late 1963, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ in early 1964 and not ‘Not Fade Away,’ which had reached number 3 in the charts in the month prior to the gig. In the summer of 1964, their manager Andrew Oldham Loog, would hone The Stones rebel image with ‘Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Rolling Stone,’ advert, making the band a truly household name with a string of 1 number one singles to would follow
It was a gig which very much nearly didn’t happen. According Bill Wyman’s account, the band were running late, due to a seeing Chuck Berry at The Finsbury Astoria in north London earlier in the evening. Afterwards, their roadie Ian Stewart roared across town in their van to get them to The Savoy Rooms, where more than 1,800 fans were already swelling in the sweaty suburban ballroom.
Due to the crowds, it was impossible for The Stones to get access to the venue but they managed to negotiate with a local resident to go through their garden, leap over the fence and up the fire escape where, Wyman recalled "fans fainted and were laid out on the stairs" presumably by the heat even before they played!
Bill Wyman, had a strong association with South East London. Born William Perks in 1936 at Lewisham Hospital and was brought up in Penge. It’s very possible he had attended the 1950s' rock & roll sessions at the Savoy earlier in his youth
The Stones, of course, went on too much bigger things. Conquering the States, becoming a global band and brand and cementing a truly pivotal position in both British musical and cultural history. But these early gigs hold a unique place in the development of British music. representing a transitional space from the Ballrooms occupied by the previous generation of Swing bands, into a more organised and monetized framework of tour circuits and festival dates from the late 60’s onwards. This would subsequently characterize the performance pattern of successful bands and musicians looking to build longevity in a musical career. But these gigs, in their improvisational nature, élan, and often downright stupidity in terms of staging and health and safety, are representative of a time long gone, and spaces which are now often demolished.
The Savoy / Witch doctor (Rushey Green, Catford. SE6)
An art Decor building built after the First World War; Savoy Ballroom was a focal point of local entertainment throughout the big band era. In 1939 it was commandeered by the government for social services, providing food, drink and medicine to local schoolchildren. During the 50’s, as fashions changed in hosted Rock n Roll events, such as sessions by Lord Rockingham's X1, stars of pop TV show ‘Oh Boy.’
It’s popularity, and also notoriety, was augmented during the 1960’s. Upstairs continued to operate as a music venue, first as the Savoy Rooms and from 1965 onwards The Witch Doctor, drawing many of the best acts of the era, including The Who, The Animals, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones, as well as Jamaican acts such as Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Jimmy Cliff, The Ethiopians. A booking strategy which no doubt reflecting the considerable Caribbean diaspora who had recently found a new home in South East London.
A noteworthy feature of the venue was the drawing power of DJ Steve Maxted and his Sunday Night sessions. A professional film stuntman, his routine involved balancing razor-sharp swords on his chin, piercing his skin with meat skewers, and stapling various parts of his body with pins. Apparently, this resulted in the regular fainting of female patrons whose boyfriends them had to carry them home.
During the mid-1960s the downstairs was acquired by successful Manchester-based businessmen Dougie Flood, a club/hotel/leisure business owner and alleged member of the Quality Street Gang, and Bill Benny, the space becoming a casino and nightclub. The story goes that in their Northern naivety, they had asked the infamous South London gang the Richardson to "protect" the club in exchange for gaming machines being placed there. After a particularly fractious evening, where guns were drawn, the venue was torn-up, resulting in one fatality, multiple injuries and most of the Richardson gang being arrested.
Despite this, the upstairs continued to function as a respected live music venue until 1969, when the ground floor was converted to retail and the first floor became a Snooker Hall, and more recently a Pentecostal church.
Peckham Soul Prints
Designed by Craig Jamieson, these prints explore the unique diversity of South London’s cultural and social history. From archive research, they draw on contemporaneous listing material to create original graphic artwork not actually designed at the time, as well as uncovering original prints from the era.
All designs are silk screen lithographic printed and use 100% recycled and sustainable paper.
