The Serious Chord Squad at the Cedar tree, Bagshot.

Last year, my favourite MOD band split; we turned up to see them one night and as we arrived we could see all the other cars turning round and leaving. When we got there we found out why - cancelled!

Since then, The Highs have continued but with an almost completely different line up. I haven't been able to catch them yet - they are playing out of our area quite a lot.

Anyway, the rest of the band have started a new group and last night was our first chance to catch them in action - The Serious Chord Squad;

I was fairly nervous...I took the break up quite badly.

Phew! It was almost the same mix of classic 1960's maximum R 'n B, The Jam and Paul Weller.

Nice drum kit!

But there was a different character to the band - there was an Oasis track and also The Style Council turned up too. For my part, Weller's Style Council period was the ultimate expression of the 'MOD' style but it's usually ignored by MOD bands because it doesn't fit in with their prejudiced view of what it was all about.

So what was so different?

More relaxed, more informal, more fun.

In fact,. a lot of fun.

I'm hoping to catch them again, and if they are round your way, you should too.

Neil Harris

(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

The Highs at The Cedar tree, Bagshot.

Friday night at the Cedar Tree, time for action, time for the Mods.

Time for;

 

The

H I g h s

 

I haven’t seen the band for ages; they’ve had a tremendous year appearing at various scooter rallies and for the spring bank holidays they were on Brighton pier celebrating 50 years of the Mods.

I couldn’t make it but we made it tonight for a packed Cedar Tree in Bagshot of all places.

For an evening of Motown, Stax, Northern Soul and R ‘n B from the 1960’s with a little bit of The Jam and Paul Weller thrown in too.

 

Thanks again guys.
And then while we were outside in the interval, we watched an amazing (Ooh! Aagh!) fireworks display in the distance while we stood on the central reservation of a dual carriageway to get a better view.

Nice night.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

 

The High-s lighting up Bracknell.

The Highs!m

This is Bracknell;

 

 

 

At the Travelodge hotel the guests were standing around on the pavement outside drinking lager.

There are endless Dual carriageways, office blocks and windswept underpasses - ‘A town called Malice’.

– but not on Saturday night it wasn’t.

Because Saturday night  was when the mods came out to play at The Royal Oak.

 

The High-s were in town to play their usual mix of 1960’s Rythm and Blues, classic Jam and Paul Weller.

This is the opening of ‘See me, feel me’ by The Who.

 

The High-s are just back from their two bank holiday appearances on Brighton Pier marking the 50^th anniversary of mod culture hitting the scene.

    o     
There was dancing past midnight – see what I mean?;

I’m a bit past that and far too cool to get remotely excited about being given one of these;

 

                              Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

If you haven’t yet taken a journey into the land of a thousand dances – then you need to check out The High-s……

Click on a picture for a slideshow - Blogger is getting meaner and meaner in giving out bandwidth for pictures.

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

The

BeaTles    say;

HelpmesorTouTsTpeTers.blogspoT.com

Home:     helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact:  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com


 

Hitting Hayes.

The HighsF

Friday night found me in Hayes, wondering why it’s taken me three months to see The Highs again.

 

If your interest is 1960’s British Rythym and Blues, 1970’s MOD revival and The Jam, 1990’s Paul Weller or a smattering of Northern Soul – this is the band for you.

I hit Hayes with a hacking cough, some recent bad news, it was cold and raining on me – what a grouse. I still had a great time;

 

There was The Who, The Spenser Davis Group, The Small Faces and of course, The Jam.

As the rain was blowing along The Uxbridge Road I was enjoying ‘A Town Called Malice’ for all the wrong reasons.

Some of my favourites were the instrumental numbers; ‘Green Onions’ and ‘Sliced Tomatoes’ and then there was Martha and the Vandela’s ‘Heatwave’ played with all the pace of The Jam’s final e.p. ‘Beat Surrender’.

It’s always a great night with The High-s  and if you want to find out just how great that is, you can catch them free on the 19^th April at The Sun. Over Easter they are one of the bands playing Brighton Pier to commemorate 50 years of The Mods.

Nice one.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Five weeks.

()

I’m taking a day out of my Blog – I’ve got a nasty cold and I’m a bit tired. I’m about 5 days behind on Blogging anyway – it’s been hectic and busy and I’ve run out of steam.

Yesterday I went to see the long suffering Dr Feelgood up at Charing Cross Hospital. It was good news. When I say ‘good’, I don’t mean hollering, whooping, champagne cork-popping good news.

Hope and optimism got left behind a long time ago. This was First World War, mud and guts, shell-shocking, trenchfoot fighting, gas mask fumbling, I’m-just-not-giving-in-to-this-crap, ‘good news’.

But this was good news. The party goes on for another 5 weeks and that’s good enough for me.

Five weeks on my feet and functioning. Five weeks of spring. Five more weeks as a human being.

So, that kind of good news.

I’ll be making more sense tomorrow.

In the meantime, should you be anywhere near Hayes on March 21^st, I’ll be celebrating with The High-s, Fabulous MOD band;

 

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact; neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Andrew Deevey.

I said it had been a Beatles Christmas – a few days before I won a prize in the raffle at The Highs gig at The Sun in Englefield Green.

One of the CD’s was ‘While my (acoustic) guitar gently weeps’, and it’s by the lead guitar of The Highs – Andrew Deevey.

 

 

As you can see from the front cover, its got Beatles stamped all over it.

 

 

Here he is on acoustic guitar taken at the gig at The Sun. Andrew is a Liverpuddlian, and with a back cover featuring the Liver birds on top of The Liver Building, the album itself is a Beatles labour of love; 14 Beatles numbers played on unaccompanied acoustic guitar.

Back in the 1960’s, The Beatles were so big that everybody from Frank Sinatra, the band of The Grenadier Guards and The Royal Philarmonic Orchestra all brought out albums of Beatles songs. You could buy them in Jazz (ancient and modern) pub piano, choral or just plain silly. Anything to make a buck.

Those days are gone and this album is just a fan’s homage to the city and the sound. It’s a great performance and you can buy or download it from any of the music sites (CD Baby.com is where the cover photo came from).

On a similar subject, yesterday I listened to a one off Elton John show on BBC Radio 2 – not him playing, I wouldn’t have tuned in for that.

This was two hours of a middle aged man going through his record collection, picking out some of the the best stuff and some of the more obscure stuff – it was a real treat. Soul, reggae, you name it.

From Motown to Anthea and Donna, a real Christmas treat. If you have broadband and a couple of hours to noodle away, you can catch it for a week on the BBC i-player.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Sunday Morning and Saturday Night.

F modnight

Sunday morning and Saturday night.

Spending the Sunday morning before Christmas at Tesco’s  just didn’t match the Saturday night before.

The night before? That was spent in the countryside, dark and deep – just outside the boundary of Windsor Great Park – the queen’s garden.

 

    l

If you know me you know that’s not where you are usually going to find me – unless it’s

F modnight

It was; 'The High-s' were playing at The Sun, Wick lane, Englefield Green and I was looking for a fix of 6T’s music mixed with The Jam and the world of Soul.

 

Up till now you’ve had a serious reviews about this band, (set lists, the lot) but not today – blame the Doctor, because this time dancing was allowed.

 

I wasn’t alone – this was now a pub full of skinheads as well as this proud MOD.  I think they'll get over the shock, not least because if I’m well enough and a number of other things work out, I’ll be spending New Years Eve with most of them and with The SkaSouls. You never know, perhaps I can help them out with a few style tips!

They didn't need much help with the dancing - this was hardline MOD music, hard and fast with no compromises. That’s why I keep coming back for more and so do the skins.

 

I also won a prize in the Raffle; a number of CD’s including ‘While My (acoustic) guitar gently weeps’ by the lead guitarist Andrew Deevey. That's him on acoustic and I’ll do a proper review of that in a day or so.

Clearly the landlord has a thing about The Modern World and more than a passing brush with the world of Northern Soul, but it always puzzles me how the locals, who are from a very different world indeed, cope with this culture shock every month. It's The Kinks meet ‘David Watts’.

Did I mention what a good night it was?

 

aaaa

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

The High-s.

........

   C

I’ve been banned from dancing for 15 days now and I’m three days into the drinking ban. How come a glass of Coke costs as much as a beer?

Doctors?

It’s high time I got a second opinion. I understand Dr Feelgood comes highly recommended.

          M

It’s Saturday night and I’m heading back to The Sun in Englefield Green. I was there back in September and I've come back for more.
I was due to see some comrades in arms but health got in the way so instead it’s got to be MOD night with The High-s:

That's right it’s the world of ‘Jam Shoes’ and loafers with tassles. Straight ties and narrow trousers. Only it’s happening in a tiny, country pub in the middle of nowhere.

And I’m having to take it easy, following the rules, not getting carried away. Not dancing. Which wasn’t so easy tonight.

I’m with a high octane MOD band churning through the hits of The Who, The Faces, The Kinks and the Jam.

Stage? They’ve got a corner to play in. They definitely need a stage and room for a proper audience. And I think they may be getting one at The Ace Café on the North Circular Road on the 5th December (check the date with lemonrock before you travel). It’s a night of 6T’s nostalgia and a ‘Minimeet’ at the home of Rockers and Bikers – age has obviously mellowed them.

I've caught several of the local MOD bands now, a few to go and as I said back in September, I was hoping to run with it as long as I could. Still running!

Back in the country, I even got Booker T and the MG’s ‘Green Onions’, which, even if there was no Hammond organ, went some way to making up for The James Taylor Quartet cancelling their Brighton gig at the Concorde 2 nightclub on Friday.
The High's are at their best doing 1960's hardline Rhythm and Blues; early Who/High numbers, The Small Faces, but The Jam were there too. The Eton Rifles, David Watts and their fast and furious version of 'Heatwave'. It was a good night with something like 4 encores to enjoy. 

I’m not bitter, not really. At least not after Saturday night. Anyway I've put a link to my MOD page just in case this doesn't make any sense. (if it doesn't work, cut 'n paste it into search)



Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

........

http://helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/this-is-modern-world.html

Modern World.

I found the key to my time machine – it turned out to be an original pair of narrow toed 1960’s suede shoes, a straight tie, a black jacket and a shirt by Mr Ben Sherman. It’s Saturday night, I’m all dressed up and ready for The Sun Inn, Engelfield Green.

Who? What? Where?

The where was the middle of nowhere  (no - it really was).

The what was MOD night.

The who was a band called ‘The High-s’ and here they are;

 

 This was a mixture of the 1960’s and the MOD revival of the 1970’s – my time.

First number up was ‘I can’t explain’ by The Who, and they came up all through the evening, but the 60’s were also represented by The Small Faces (What you gonna do about it), The Spencer Davis Group, The Kinks and more Who (Substitute, Pinball Wizard.

There were ‘High Heeled Sneakers’ and a hard as nails version of ‘green Onions’ by Booker T and the M.G.’s.

For me, you can’t beat The Jam – from just up the road at Woking – ‘In The City’, ‘This is the Modern World’, ‘David Watts’ and a hard, fast, toughened up version of Martha and the Vandelas ‘Heatwave’ that sounded to me as though it came from The Jam’s ‘Beat Surrender E.P. but I haven’t looked it out to check it yet.

There was a lot of soul as background music for the gaps – Motown and Northern Soul. In the crowd I recognised at least one feathercut from a SkaSouls gig– what a double bill that would make. And the crowd loved it – the dancing ended up fairly chaotic and the band wandered out. A good night.

 

Technically they were far better than Wellar and The Jam were in 1977/8, with better instruments, and technology no one then imagined possible. Good sound.

If there’s a ‘but’ coming, it’s because The Jam had something else as well – we were all punks too, not just MODS – that gave it a speed, an edge and an anger that was missing tonight.

Different people, different times, and life today is a lot easier and kinder than it was in 77. Then again, The Jam started off looking back at the 60’s before they did their own stuff and just flew.

In this area alone there seem to be about 5 or 6 MOD bands – I think there’s a scene - I’ll keep an eye on as many as I can and this group from Camberley (a dull town but there’s soul underneath) have a way to go.

While I’m able to, I think I’ll string along for the ride.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com