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ALL FRIARS AYLESBURY PHASE
TWO GIGS HERE
Steve Harley in 2012 with the
commemorative poster of those legendary 1974 Friars gigs
Photo copyright Mike Lawn/Daily Mail
The Borough Assembly Hall
entrance 1975 and second picture in 2010
More 2010 pictures here
For an official potted history of the first 10 years of
Friars (including Phases One and Two),
please see the
news-sheet issued in June 1979 (Police gig)
Below are some of headlines generated in the
Phase Two era. Remember that this website is not intended to be viewed as
a history of Friars, but a chronicle of the gigs that took place.
Obviously a few interesting cuttings found their way here and are worth
sharing from a curiosity point of view
After a nine month hiatus in Aylesbury,
Friars returned in April 1971 with The Groundhogs and the Borough Assembly
Hall with its dodgy acoustics, became Friars' new permanent home. It
became 'home' to Ian Hunter, Steve Harley, David Bowie, Stackridge and
many others.
In the meantime, Aylesbury Vale council was
inviting people to discuss what would be phase three in phase two if you
see what I mean
Also
in 1971, a momentous event took place in Aylesbury - the Friars record
shop! (who remembers the sturdy purple bags?)
During this time, Friars was starting to get
more of a reputation for putting on a mixture of established and new and
emerging bands. When you look back now at 1972, you have to think,
how did Aylesbury get a summer of Bowie, Lou Reed and Roxy Music?
Also in 1972,
Osibisa unwittingly caused controversy when a couple of the audience
took it on themselves to take their clothes off resulting in a huge local
paper front page headline.
The David Bowie
gig in summer 72 is still, 40 years later, regarded by many as the
finest gig ever seen at Friars.
Friars reached its' fourth birthday in 1973
and two special tributes from two Friars legends, Mott the Hoople and
Genesis
One Friars member sent us this - where he
had been thanked for leaflet distribution
Genesis thanked David Stopps and Friars
Aylesbury by presenting (via the legendary Paul Conroy of Charisma Records) a
trophy for the support in getting them on the road to fame. Stopps returned the
compliment in 1980 when they came back to Friars as global superstars.
Also Friars was presenting gigs at nearby
Dunstable Civic/Queensway Hall until the plug was pulled by the local
council on 'outsiders' promoting events. This also very nearly happened at
the new Civic Centre before a ball was kicked so to speak - see news
article
By the time Friars had reached its fifth
birthday in 1974, the local press wrote this
and the national press were writing this
With the building of the new Civic Centre
yards from the Borough Assembly Hall, Friars
was
ready for the leap forward in 1975.
The Friars team getting ready for the last
night of Friars Aylesbury phase two (courtesy of the John Braley
collection)
The
last night of Phase 2 - l-r Ron Gott, David Stopps, Budget Stopps, John Braley |
