Line up: 

Famous
for their “outrageously” long hair! 

Johnny Gilroy was replaced by Roy Butterfield and they cut demos, until Roy Butterfield also left to be replaced by a ‘ London session musician‘. Roy Butterfield went on to play with an early version of Indian Summer and eventually as a guitarist and songwriter with The Tom Robinson Band.

” The Little Darlin’s came second on the Coventry Express poll  – without doubt the most outrageous looking of all the Coventry groups. No drift back toward short hair for these boys. [rest of this paragraph illegible but it’s only about their haircuts- Ed]”

Via the Tim James Site From Coventry Express, Friday May 28th 1965 Citybeat by Paul Connew.

Little Darlin’s stop the traffic in London.

” IN the early 1960s, Coventry’s beat scene was predictably full to the brim with pop bands, thanks to the influence of The Beatles. As the months ticked by, new bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things would arrive on the national scene and would give pop music an altogether new, rhythm ‘n’ blues slant. One of the best would be The Yardbirds, and pretty soon their influence would show locally with freakbeat supremos The Little Darlin’s.

Guitarist John Gilroy, was working at Rolls Royce Parkside.
He was approached one day in 1963, and asked if he could play bass guitar. With
the answer being yes, it wasn’t long before he was on a Coventry Carnival float
playing alongside band members Malcolm O’Sullivan (vocals), Allan Waites
(guitar), and a drummer who left soon after to pursue his new job of shooting
snakes that fell on the deck of the Queen Mary as they sailed up the Amazon! 

The guys soon recruited new drummer Barry Eaton and when John switched to lead
guitar, a new bassman Terry Twigger was hired from an advert in The Coventry
Telegraph. The band were originally known as The Pines.

“We practiced every night for three months,” said
John. “Before unleashing ourselves on the general public. A demo disc was
made at Hollocks & Taylors in Birmingham which was touted around. Friars
Promotions, who held the monopoly at that time on local gigs, signed us up.

“Our first gig was at the Wine Lodge in Coventry, we
supported The Avengers. I asked somebody what the difference was between the
two bands? I was told that the Avengers were louder, but apart from that there
was no difference really. That was the answer I wanted to hear, and bearing in
mind the Avengers were a really tight driving band, it was obvious all our
practice sessions were paying off.”

It was at a private party, however, that things would get
interesting for the band. Present at the party were two guys from the 60s band
The Ivy League. They liked what they heard and John and the boys were invited
down to Southern Music in London.

As a publicity stunt, it was arranged for the Little
Darlin’s to plug into a barber’s shop in Denmark Street (Tin Pan Alley).

“When we opened up,” reveals John, “The
traffic stopped, a crowd gathered and even Charing Cross Road fouled up. The
Met appeared and said okay you got what you wanted, now cease! 

We eventually
got into the studio and recorded our first 45, Little Bit O’soul (and Easy to
Cry on the B-Side). We visited the influential TV pop-show Ready Steady Go, and
got our record played, which went down well. We were all introduced as the song
played, we were asked who played the keyboard, as there is some keyboard on the
record. We made the mistake of saying that none of us played the keyboard, I
think we got turned down because of that.”

“When we played our single live at the Locarno,”
continues John, “I played the keyboard fills on my guitar, someone said
that it sounded better live, than on record, boy we were sick!”

Despite the great buzz that surrounded the single, it failed
to make a dent on the charts. 

The band continued playing places such as The Matrix, alongside names including Dave Berry and the Cruisers and The Kinks. They topped the bill themselves at The Matrix on January 8, 1965, with Sam Spade and the Gravediggers in support.

By the mid-60’s, some of the band became The Sensations, but John went his separate way, as did vocalist Malc O’Sullivan. “They were happy times,” said Malcolm. “But I personally wished that we had concentrated on a more rock ‘n’ roll sound rather than rhythm ‘n’ blues sound.” From Pete Chambers Backbeat – Coventry Telegraph 2006 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Little+Darlings+stop+the+traffic+in+London.-a0154752433

From Pete Chambers – Godiva Rocked to a Backbeat

John Gilroy (Guitarist) ” When we played the Locarno with our new single, I played the keyboard frills on guitar. Someone said it sounded better live than on record – boy we were sick!” Disc Music paper said “The Little Darlin’s noise sounds just great”

Although it failed to chart for the Little Darlin’s, the song Little bit O’ Soul was a Stateside hit for Ohio – The Music Explosion in 1967 where it made No 2. In 1983 The Ramones covered the song on their Subterranean Jungle album.

The SENSATIONS
C 1966 – 1967 – Source Broadgate Gnome – Freakbeat 

By the mid-60’s, some of the band became The Sensations, but John went his separate way, as did vocalist Malc O’Sullivan. “They were happy times,” said Malcolm. “But I personally wished that we had concentrated on a more rock ‘n’ roll sound rather than rhythm ‘n’ blues sound.”
Line up Colin Delaney (lead guitar), Barry Eaton (drums), Malcolm O’Sullivan (piano), Alan Waites (rhythm guitar), Terry Twigger [Terry Wyatt] (bass)

Previously The Little Darlin’s, They released a single in May 1966 ‘Look At My Baby‘, which was a Radio London ‘Record Of The Week‘.

The follow up received fascinating reviews, ‘…the boys have wasted no time recording a very weird hypnotic, as yet untitled song, which features Indian Sitar and no lyrics..’ said the Coventry Standard in May 1966. Midland Beat‘s July 1966 description was ‘ …the third disc, released in a couple of weeks is described as “way out ” featuring Sitar, scat singing and a religioso chant…’ which sounds very Yardbirds.

There were a number of significant things happening in July 1966 Barry Eaton left, but the most exciting was Liberty Records signed the band and were set to release ‘Look At My Baby‘ in the U.S. , when none other than Sonny & Cher heard the band and insisted the intended B-side, ‘What A Wonderful Feeling‘ was also released as an A-side. The label then asked for two other tracks to be recorded and sent to the U.S. for B-Sides. 


They disbanded in London in 1967. Also known as The Sensations of London. Albeit a Coventry band.
Singles:

A:Look At My Baby / B:? (Decca F12392 – 1966) in U.S.

A:Look At My Baby/B:? (Liberty 1966)

A:What A Wonderful Feeling/B:? (Liberty ? – 1966) 

The GOODTIME LOSERS c1967 Source Broadgate Gnome – Freakbeat / pop

Line up: John Darby (vocals), Colin Delaney (lead guitar), Al Waites (guitar), Terry Wyatt (bass), Chris Hunt (drums).

What happened next and whether they were issued isn’t clear, but the band became The Good Time Losers in 1967. 

Previously The Sensations. But the line up was very different, as far I can determine.

Trafalgar Square single was written by media personality, Barry Fantoni, although the self-penned b-side was better, being a brisk, almost folk-rock number.

Played at the Star Club in Hamburg.

Single:

Trafalgar Square / Where Did My Heart Go (Fontana TF791 – 1967)

 Section C

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Pete Davoile – Piano, Keyboards. Backing Vocals

Andrew Davoile – Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals.

Sam Davoile – Drums, Lead Vocals.

Steve Sparkes – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals. –

Kevin Tanner– Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals.

Rex Brough tells us – they
Played the carnival in the Memorial park in 1976, along with Midnight Circus . Sort of 70’s pop, I remember. they did a cover of the Doobie Brothers “Listen to the music”. Modie Albrighton tells me that the drummer once played in the Peppermint Kreem and the band contained three brothers named Davoile.

Memories from Steve Sparkes (From Rex Brough)

IN the 1970s three local brothers decided to form a pop group, they called themselves Seagull and embarked on something of a musical adventure.

Andrew, Simon and Peter Davoile (plus Kevin Tanner and Steve Sparks) put Seagull together in 1975 Peter was the former drummer with the bands Alice, Memories and Coventry favourites Peppermint Kreem.

“When we put this new band together, I switched to keyboards and gave up the drum stool to my younger brother Simon,” said Pete.

“We played places like Mr George’s, Tamangoes and the Locarno.”

A year down the line, and the band had built up such a reputation that they got booked to tour Germany for six months, playing American Air Force bases and German night clubs.

Whilst in Germany, Simon wrote to George Harrison’s dad Harry, reveals Peter.

“He asked if he could help in any way with our own songs. Amazingly he booked us to play a pub in Liverpool. He bought us all a pint and watched us play. We gave him a tape to give to his son George, who later (through his dad) advised us to listen to more contemporary music as our songs were missing a modern cutting element.”

Seagull continued to develop their style and writing their own material. All was looking good for the boys, until a recording session when the band were asked to release another song written by an established songwriter! The band truly believed in their own songs, and were incensed by this suggestion, and after much discussion the band refused to record another songwriters material; it would be a decision that they’d come to regret.

By 1978, the band reinvented themselves, now building their music around a ‘honky-tonk’ piano style, the next few years embarked on tours of North East clubs, perfecting their new sound.

“By 1981,” Peter said, “our brother Timothy had joined the band, and we were spotted by a local record producer, and signed to M.J. Records and released our first single SOS.

“Even EMI began to show an interest in us, and asked us to make a demo tape for them, even filming a video of the song for a potential Top of the Pops showing. Sadly the deal fell through.”

As 1990 dawned, Simon and Timothy were concentrating on recording projects, while Andrew and Peter auditioned for Opportunity Knocks, appearing in March of 1990. The band continued playing gigs carrying their piano up and down stairs, until the glamour of ‘showbiz’ finally faded, along with their creaking backs!

“What we most miss is the challenge to play in front of people who have come to hear our songs,” said Peter. “I don’t have any regrets, though it would have been nice to have cracked it.”

Band Trivia

* They were the only band to appear at the Theatre One cinema playing to the kids on Saturday morning.

* Andrew & Peter made history when they became the last act to appear on Opportunity Knocks using the Clapometer.

* After Seagull opened the night at the Winter Gardens in Malvern, Bobby Crush used Pete’s Honky Tonk piano to back comic legend Arthur Askey.

 Schizoid

Coventry Rock band c 1974 

Schizoid put a small add in Hobo Coventry Music and Arts Magazine as ‘a Rock Band’ – Ken 55024. Editor Trev Teasdel engaged them for the Hobo Workshop at the Holyhead Youth Centre and the Hobo Coventry Precinct gig which was shut down.

Pete Clemons wrote about the shut down concert for the Coventry Telegraph and you can read about the Hobo Workshop Coventry Precinct gig 1974 – here https://coventrygigs.blogspot.com/2020/07/coventry-ring-road-a4053-and-music.html

“The band are on the gig list for the Hobo Workshop at the Holyhead Youth Center in Coventry for October or early November 1974 – i think by November we had moved to upstairs at the Golden Cross and I think Schizoid played there for us.” Trev Teasdel

Here is the brief ad in Hobo magazine February 1974 – 9th down.

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Scarlet Phere were a Coventry (well Nuneaton) band that generated some interest of c 2004. One of their songs, Jurojin’s Photograph, appeared on an HMV compilation CD in April 2004.

SCARLET PHERE Believe Me You CD https://www.amazon.co.uk/SCARLET-PHERE-Believe-Me-You/dp/B00QW0E6DO

“The line-up at the Earlsdon Cottage in Coventry tonight. Linear, Scarlet Phere and Spotlight Kid are three bands who have forced people to sit up and take notice of them this year by the twin virtues of being very good and gigging and gigging and gigging. Simple really, isn’t it? They share the bill at the Cottage with Zodiac Twin Fifty and Dreamphase.” Coventry Telegraph.

“The excellent Scarlet Phere from Nuneaton, who have built up an enviable reputation over the past year. They began life as a nu-blues and rock band, taking their tips from the likes of The Strokes and The White Stripes, but have quickly developed into a band with their own identity dealing in high-energy, melodic rock tunes put over with a viciously passionate performance.” Coventry Telegraph

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Ian Green says “I was in Cov band the Sawdust Caesars . 2 x 7″ singles, regular Peel play around 1997 – 2002 …we never seem to get mentioned anywhere !”

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But there’s a mention on the single on this site here https://www.discogs.com/artist/1293688-Sawdust-CaesarsAND a fuller bio of the band can be found here http://rocketrecordings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/this-is-where-it-all-started-sawdust.html

Sawdust Caesars Harmonium In The Dust
Bass, Vocals – Ian Lee (3)Drums – Martin Ward (3)Guitar, Vocals – Julian (7) Lead Vocals, Guitar – Ian Green (8)

Sawdust Caesars first vinyl release from the 4 Band Meltdown EP released in 1997 on Dwarfish Records, Very primitive recording from their psychedelic period.

 Satsangi

Website https://www.satsangiband.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/satsangi.band/

Satsangi are based in the UK and gig internationally

World influenced pysch-rock-n-roll.

From the UK, with roots in Kerala in India, blending rock ‘n’ roll, punk riffs to tripped out
jazz and pysch. Satsangi have gigged extensively, including with The Kills, The Moons, and The Primitives. Their videos are broadcast globally on MTV Networks.

Satsangi have headlined gigs throughout the UK and toured in Africa

​Supporting touring bands including The Kills, Fields

​Satsangi have played festivals alongside James Bay, Elvis Costello, Macy Grey​, James, Tom Jones,

Imelda May, Van Morrison. Martha Reeves, Steve Winwood

​With their music videos broadcast in New York by MTV Iggy, Satsangi became featured artists for the groundbreaking show ‘MTV Roots’ (Mumbai) on MTV India.

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The Satin Dolls
From Coventry Telegraph 15th June 2009
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/satin-dolls-set-rock-stardom-3081547

The Satin Dolls Set for Rock Stardom
COVENTRY band The Satin Dolls are set for stardom as they release their debut album Illuminati and prepare to open this summer’s Coventry Godiva festival.

COVENTRY band The Satin Dolls are set for stardom as they release their debut album Illuminati and prepare to open this summer’s Coventry Godiva festival. The four-piece rockers have gone from strength to strength since forming five years ago.

They performed a 72-date tour in 2007, supporting the Feeling, the Specials, the Stranglers and the Subways, and were voted the best unsigned female lead rock band in the UK.

The band is made up of Julie Ann Burrows (vocals), Rob Wells (guitar), Adam Richard Burrows (bass) and Seth Harris White (drums) who developed the band through a final year project at Coventry University.

As one of only four bands selected to perform on the main stage, the foursome can’t wait to rock their home town.

Lead singer Julie Ann Burrows, said: “What we wanted more than anything was to perform at the Godiva Festival. I’m very much a Coventry girl and I’m so excited to go on the main stage, open it up and show the city what we have.”

She added: “It’s also great because we have a huge young fan base that can’t get into clubs to see us, so we are really pleased we can perform for them.”

The audience can expect an electrifying performance from the band along with distinctive vocals.

Julie said: “We have an energy that really affects people. We love what we do and think the music speaks for itself.

“It’s also great that we’re performing on American Independence Day because a lot of our music is a statement against the system.”

With their increasing exposure and the release of their album, the Satin Dolls are hoping to get the right management soon.

Julie said: “We’re open to offers and there’s been interest. The market is quite saturated with Indie music. It’s time for rock music to come into fruition – it’s coming back round to rock music being embraced again.”

After five years, the band’s music has evolved and their album captures their infectious live energy.”

Another interview here on It’s All About Coventry http://www.itsallaboutcoventry.co.uk/video_satindolls.shtml

A creative twosome, exerting a lot of energy, fired by ambition, brewing in the back scene of Coventry. By name they are Mark Rider (multi-instrumentalist) who has guitared his way through many bands in various styles of music. And Ray Barrie, who also being a man of many instruments, is similarly qualified group wise, and has much to say about the local and national music scene.

Own Songs
Ray started writing his own songs and looking for musicians to do sessions. He met mark and slowly they discovered their creative compatibility. Mark being a technical wizard as well as a good musician, was able to supply the attributes needed to make a two-man team. Mark also writes but is more adept at spontaneous stage writing. – get-it-on-music- creating atmosphere.

After making a demo recording at a well known Midland recording studio, they were offered free recording time to produce a hit single, but after much thought and work on the product, they refused the offer as the sound quality was not to their satisfaction. They did not feel that the studio catered to the needs of the artist.

Mini – Home Studio
After months of hard work, they acquired their own equipment and converted ray’s boxroom bedroom into a mini-home studio containing a multi-track 4000 D.S. AKIA recorder with Beyer and Shure mikes. Orange and HH amplification, Fender guitars and Precision bass; piano; banjos and an assortment of good American acoustic guitars.

Recently they have been preparing tapes, with a commercial appeal, in the hope of attaining management / agency / recording contract. (and news has just reached me that several companies are very interested in their music – but I can’t elaborate on that at present.).

The tapes that I heard contained songs with a soft, yet catchy country rock feel, but the tapes are intended as more of an indication of their potential than to display individual songs.

Although they love music in all its aspects and enjoy making it, they are not afraid to admit that they are interested in making money also. They said the music business is just that, a business, and you have to come to terms with it, at least in the initial stages. Despite the music revolution of the late 60’s, the ugly-mongory of capitalist society still holds the reigns of Tin pan Alley.

Rugby band playing R & B who came out of The Phantom 5. Sam Spade’s real name was Ray Barrett. Hard working, playing all over the area but split 1966. Some members became the Tea Set. “A typical set would include Smokestack Lightening, Hoochie Coochie Man and Walking the Dog. We were dubbed R n B kings of the Midlands by the local press and we were immortalised in Alan Clayson’s book about 60’s pop groups entitled Beat Merchants. Alan Hayward recalls – “I remember playing with Coventry’s Sorrows and being shocked to see them guitarist Pip Witcher using his Stratocaster as a dart board! We travelled down to Soho’s famous 2i’s club to audition for promoter Larry Parnes and then backing recording star Danny Rivers. Sadly we never recorded ourselves and split after Sam after Sam decided to call it a day in 1966.