Sheffield FridayNightRide

we have nothing to lose but our chains

2008/12/12 Pop and Rock

The next Sheffield Friday Night Ride

Fri Dec 12 2009

Meet 6 to 6.30 for 6.45 start

at the Old Monk Tudor Square (plenty of places to park a bike in Tudor Square).

Depending on the temperature it may be better to meet indoors.

 Total distance about 12.5 miles in all – fairly slowly.  All on roads and cyclepaths, some hills but not excessive

 Map at (best to copy and paste)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108285123450551660446.00045c5d2596f51242e61&ll=53.382202,-1.465731&spn=0.011365,0.027466&z=15

 Last ride before Xmas – decorate your bike if you like and get a Santa hat. We will be mixing with the general Friday night revellers – so be prepared to freak out some and enjoy yourselves!

 I agonised over how to organise this and did some background research and realised: I didn’t know very much and I’m getting past it (I saw the Stones 14 Feb 1964 at Watford Gaumont); I am not really bothered about where Phil Oakey met his mates on a wet Tuesday; that the core of it all is going to live music

 Purpose: To tour round present and past venues of rock and pop live music in Sheffield.  Sheffield has made a significant contribution to rock and pop nationally and internationally and it hosts a wide range of pop and rock events.

 So the ride is a tour of some live music venues and I hope like previous rides we stop every so often and share our opinions, memories and thoughts.  We start with a ride past Cole’s Corner then a brisk ride to warm up going by the first venue that Peter Stringfellow, that admirable son of Sheffield, used to produce live gigs and then on to the Arena where we can mingle with the Slipknot fans going to the gig that night (Go there Sat 13 Dec and see ABC, Human League and Heaven 17 – a sheffield nostalgia night).  Then back over through Brightside into Burngreave and up to Pitsmoor Rd to find the site of the Mojo club, Stringfellow’s next venture before he moved out for good and the subject of a recent book because of its artwork and murals.  Then into town and a ride past venues around the centre which I hope we all know and maybe we can dive into for refreshment and music.  Finish at the Grapes on Trippet Lane and then for anybody who wants to we can finish off at the Casbah.

 Apologies some of the placemarks are out of order and you can add more if you want.

 Ride report

12 people met up, some with decorated bikes and helmets – brilliant.  Fantastic reception from passers-by to my decorated bike on the way into town and through Tudor Square.  Weather was mild to start but there was a threat of rain. 

 image001

We got up to St Aiden’s church hall on St Aidens Rd where Stringfellow had the Black Cat club then on to the Arena where we freaked out the security guard who looked like your nana.  Broad Yorkshire accent, bright dentures, dyed hair, corporate fleece “You can’t park your bike there it’s a pavement”, “Only looking love” and then she moved us on! –  so FNR are a bunch of deviants. Out through all the straight people going to watch Slipknot and then over the Don out through Brightside into Burngreave where we exchanged Seasons Greetings with all and sundry as we rode past.  Then we stopped when we reached the junction of Pitsmoor Rd and Firs Hill Rd where Stringfellow had the Mojo Club and Mick read out a list of all the bands that had played there – see below; some kind  of 60s pop and rock wet dream.  Back onto Pitsmoor Rd into town and cycle up Snig Hill past the Boardwalk which used to be the Black Swan where a much younger Joe Cocker used to sing and the into town to watch the crowds go to see the Pogues at Sheffield Carling Academy (that used to be the Roxy and where even Ella Fitzgerald played once)  The we headed out to sites of clubs like the Leadmill but then the rain came down and we called it a day – so off to the Kelham Island Tavern for a refreshing drink.

Who played the Mojo? Well what about:-

The Pretty Things
Them (1965 with Van Morrison)
Rufus Thomas
Spencer Davis Group (with Stevie Winwood)
The Troggs
Garnet Mimms ( 1966 & 1967)
Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds (with Albert Lee & Dave Greenslade)
Goldie & the Gingerbreads
Edwin Starr (his first UK gig)
Roy C
Long John Baldry (with Rod Stewart)
Ike & Tina Turner
Wilson Pickett (backed by Bluesology – on keyboards Reg Dwight – later Elton John)
The Hollies (1965)
Wayen Fontana & the Mindbenders (Oct 1964)
The Merseybeats (1965)
The Rattles
The Birds (1966 with Ronnie Wood)
Ben E King
John Lee Hooker (1965 backed by Tony Mcphee and the Groundhogs)
The Who (Sun 30 May, 29 Aug, 7 Nov 1965)
The Isley Brothers
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (with Peter Green, & Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce – I think )
Manfred Mann (1966)
Howlin’ Wolf (1965)
Steampacket (1965, 1966 with Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger, Mick Fleetwood)
Shotgun Express ( 1966 similar line up as above)
Sonny Boy Williamson (1964)
The Herd (1967 with Peter Frampton)
The Small Faces (Sun 21 Aug 1966)
Alex Harvey Soul Band
The Move (1966)
Pink Floyd (Sun 7 May 1967)
The Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton)
Vance Arnold & the Avengers (later Joe Cocker’s Blues Band)
Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated
Graham Bond Organisation ( 1965 with Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker & Dick Heckstall-Smith)
The Nice (with Keith Emmerson)
Amboy Bukes Big Band (24 Dec 1966)
Alan Bown Set (Jan I 1967)
Alvin Cash & the Crawlers (Sat 7 Jan 1967)
Jimi Hendrix Experience ( Sun 8 Jan 1967)
Eric Burdon & the Animals (1967)
Jnr Walker and the All Stars (1967)
Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band (30 Bec 1966)
Spellbinders (30 Dec 1966)
Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames (21 Jan 1967)
Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band ( 15 April 1967)
Inez & Charlie Foxx (1967)
(Little) Stevie Wonder & Tamla Motown revue orchestra (Sun 8 Oct 1967)
Procul Harum (July 1967)
Amen Corner (Sun 17 Sept 1967)

Other ‘outside’ shows:-

Sheffield City Hall ‘Hands Off the Mojo Show’ 23 June 1967
The Drifters, Alan Bown set, Ronnie Jones & the Q Set, Amboy Dukes Big Band & The Pitiful

Sheffield City Hall 18 March 1968
Fleetwood Mac & Blondwyn Pig

Sheffield City Hall Mon 29 Jan 1969
The Nice & The Family

King Mojo Reunion Party, Hippodrome, London Wed 3 May 1985
Edwin Starr, Jimmy James & the Vagabonds

List ligged off Sheffield Forum