New Friarage Hall, Walton Street, Aylesbury

Monday June 2nd 1969

Mike Cooper

Mandrake Paddle Steamer

EXCLUSIVE FRIARS INTERVIEW WITH MIKE COOPER - SEE HERE

Paul Riordan (Mandrake Paddle Steamer) came back to the Friars stage on June 1st 2009 - see HERE

Mandrake Paddle Steamer: Couger and Dark; SloBo; October Country; Blitz; Overspill; The East Wing; Solitaire Husk Carmen

Mandrake Paddle Steamer: Brian Engel  Martin Briley  Martin Hooker  Barry Nightingale  Paul Riordan

Click on images to enlarge

       David Stopps in an email to Mike Cooper 2008 (reproduced with kind permission of David Stopps)

"I can completely understand your difficulty in recalling a single Monday night gig back then on 2nd June 1969. There must have been so many of them and it was nearly 39 years ago!

For us though it was a hugely important show. It was our very first. The week after you headlined we had the Pretty Things and the week after that it was Free. In the 15 years that followed we presented Genesis, The Clash, Captain Beefheart, U2 and hundreds of others.

But it was your gig that started us all off.

Just a big thank you for that and its great to hear you are still touring"

Gerald Saunders writing for the Friars Aylesbury website in 2008 said:     

"I have membership number 50 from the Mandrake Paddle Steamer + Mike Cooper.

I won the Mike Cooper Album - all signed -. stupidly lent it to someone at Wycombe College and never saw it again"

Paul Riordan, Mandrake Paddle Steamer, writing for the Friars Aylesbury website in 2008 said:     

"Mike Cooper was one of my inspirations when I was starting out - I have a couple of his EP's' - and of course can remember seeing him at Friars -  I was trying to convince the  band to listen - but none of them were into all that 'blues stuff'"

Mike Cooper, writing for the Friars Aylesbury website in 2008 said:     

 "I'm not good at recalling gigs that far back. I did so many in those days they all blurred into one after a while..at least in my memory. I also have no recollection of that other band at all (that'll be Mandrake Paddle Steamer then ! - Ed). I was probably in the bar...arrogant little fuckwit that I was. Funny you mention Lol (Coxhill) though...he was from Aylesbury. We will tour together as The Recedents in the UK in July...but not Aylesbury alas."

Mike Cooper, after we pointed out that he was an inspiration to the Mandrakes:     

"I apologise to those guys and say thanks!"

  This was the first ever Friars gig.

  Mike has lived in Italy for some time and is still making music and playing live with his own brand of improvised music. He received a Heroes Award in 2009 and has also been interviewed on this website. The Mandrakes now geographically all over the world and also received a Heroes Award in 2009.

Mike Cooper official site    Mike Cooper MySpace