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12th: Richard and Anne say: Thank you to everyone for their most kind words, gifts, donations etc. It was obviously a terrible, terrible shock to us, as it was completely unexpected - but we are able to take kind comfort from the kindness shown by you all. John loved doing the door for rock and roll, and although he didn't get up and dance - he loved meeting all the people and characters that came to the club. We are determined to keep going with the club, and doing the door, and so look forward to seeing you all this evening. We had a collection on the way out at the December dance, and through your kind generosity we are able to donate over £60 from the rock and roll community - which will be split between 2 charities close to ours and John's heart - Asthma UK and The National Eczema Society. Obviously if anyone missed that collection and would like to donate anything else - we would be delighted to receive further donations and we will be happy to pass them on, on your behalf.

Although John wont be there any more in person - we know he will be watching down on us all, and wanting the fun and laughter to continue. So we would just like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2008 - we hope it brings you plenty of good times ahead and lots and lots of good dancing. Take care, and long may rock and roll continue.

14th: Important information: It is with sad regret that we have to announce the passing of John Johnstone, our intrepid door man, Rich's Father and Anne's Husband. John and Anne have run the door for several years now and all you regulars will have got to know them very well in that time.

The funeral will take place at 4.30pm on Friday 21st at Semington Crematorium (Family flowers only. There will be a collection on Saturday night)

If anyone reading this intends to go to the funeral can they please let me know on: 01225 706463 or 07779330042 so Rich has an idea of numbers (leave a message)

The club offers it's sincere condolences to Anne and Rich at this difficult time.

29th: All the Melksham committee say: Thank you once again to all of you for your support of the club - it has as always been much appreciated. We love what we do - putting on live and brilliant 1950's style rock and roll - and we hope you enjoy it too. We have some new ideas that we are hoping to introduce to the club in 2007, including a monthly membership draw - where you can win a free entry ticket to the next months dance; Richard is hoping to have the facility to produce 6 x 4 photos on each night of the pictures from that night (in addition to having the pictures on the website) and as a club we are hoping to organise a couple of club outings - one probably to Pakefield for the Wildest Cats in Town Weekender plus one other (your suggestions for where this could be to, are of course welcome).

We hope you had a great Christmas and we wish you all a very happy and rockin' 2007, wherever you may be.

23rd: Rich says: It was a welcome return to the club for the ever fantastic - The Jets. It was Aug 2004 since they had last been to see us at the club and anticipation was at a high as we had received lots of calls in the weeks coming up to the dance. Even before the doors officially opened at 19:30 we had about 20 people in, and then they started arriving in their droves. The atmosphere was building and Terry was belting out songs to keep people happy. By the time the Cotton brothers took to the stage at about quarter past nine, it would be safe to say that the crowd of 200+ were all in high expectations. The set opened with the now standard backing track before the guys literally exploded into the first song (sorry I cant remember what it was now as in all the excitement I forgot to write anything down!). Needless to say they kept the crowd thoroughly entertained as they swept effortlessly between jivers, strollers and boppers; somehow knowing just when to change the pace so some could sit and recover their breath whilst a new lot took over the time on the dance floor! All too soon it was time for the break, but first - what on earth was this that had invaded the dance floor! Was it Dolly Parton? Was it Barbara Windsor? Was it something that had escaped from the local cloning factory? Quite Possibly! It was actually Terry who had dressed up in what could only be described as a wacky costume for the theme of the evening (Vicars and Tarts / or any fancy dress). Well done to you mate - it was a revelation! Congratulations also while we are on this subject to everyone else who entered into the spirit of the things - but 2 special mentions must be made - 1 to Jason and Sam who came as the Vicar and Tart (nice legs by the way Jason!) and a huge congratulations to Dennis who came as Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean) - it was an amazing outfit, which I later found out was glued together with wood glue! (hope you have got it all off your face now!!). This distraction over, it was time for the raffle and the free draw for our Christmas Hamper. Just time then for a quick thanks by Rich to all the committee for their support to him and Geoff but most of all - to everyone for coming along and supporting the club over the last year. It was then just enough time for Terry to quickly hand over to Rockin' Billy for a spot on the decks (we will be hearing lots more from Rockin' Billy in 2007 I am delighted to say). The band then re-emerged onto the stage to start their second set. This was to continue in exactly the same way as the first one - with the floor being continually full from the start to what seemed like the never ending call for encores (but boy oh boy were the encores well deserved - it was a fantastic way to end the year - thanks again to you all). Encores over it was time for a quick last couple of tunes on the decks whilst people packed up their raffle prizes, and headed out into the cool night air.

Unfortunately as we went to pack all of our things up, the evening turned a bit sour for us, as we found that the inflatable snow man that we had had in the hall had mysteriously gained legs and walked. Despite checking around the car park we were unable to find our snow man, but all was not lost as the Hall has recently been fitted with CCTV, so on checking this we found that our snowman had not amazingly sprouted feet, but had been dragged out by a gentlemen as he left the dance. The snow man is not of great financial value but it really upsets me on 2 counts that things like this happen - firstly - because this snow man did not belong to the club - it had been very kindly loaned (this year and last) by my Mum and Dad (Anne & John), and secondly it angers me that we put so much time, not to mention personal money into keeping this club afloat and individuals like this gentleman think nothing of just waltzing out with someone elses property - IT FRANKLY STINKS, especially as this is the second instance we have had at the club of things being stolen (Terry lost a whole case of CD's in May 05 - which have never been recovered). So - as for the gentleman who took the snow man - you are not welcome back at this club, unless it is to return the snow man and to offer an apology to all involved.

Not wishing to end on a sour note - in summary of the evening - we certainly had a fabulous time and by your comments so did you, so we will look forward to seeing you all again in 2007 - Keep on rockin'.

22nd: Rich says: Well folks - I feel I must start with an apology for the lack of reviews on the website recently! Geoff appears to have abandoned me with regard to doing any reviews, and I have just been so snowed under with other things I haven't had the chance to keep up! I will try to improve for 2007!

As a quick summary of the reviews I have missed out - at Melksham we had some great visits from Sandy Ford who played 2 cracking sets, and sent me home with a headache to boot (not from the music I hasten to add! - sorry Sandy for the slurred conversation I tried to hold with you at the end of the evening!). Colin Paul played an extra night for us in October, and despite the last minute arrangements we had a great crowd in our smaller venue and fun was had by all. In November we were host to The Persuaders, who again gave us 2 brilliant sets and kept the crowd entertained and dancing their socks off all night. In the little bit of free time I did get I was really pleased I got across to Crondall to see Crazee Jay & The Party Timers, not just having a party but having an absolute ball. Jay completely puts me (and lots of others) to shame as she runs around the stage, the hall and anywhere else where the doors aren't bolted shut! I had forgotten how much this group love to party, and they sure partied the night away in Crondall! Equally on my flying visits to what is fast becoming my second resident home (!) Memphis Belles Mytchett - I witnessed a great performance (all be it to a very small audience - what happened?) by Jive Street. I am so glad we have them booked in already in 2008, as it is like a comfy chair with these guys - you know just what to expect and with something for everyone - they never let you down. It was also a chance to catch up with another group I haven't seen for a while - Rockin' the Joint. Again these guys are the consummate professionals and produce harmonies that can put a lot of other groups to shame. My latest visit was to see a band I had heard very mixed comments about - The Corsairs. I have to be honest (and I think a lot of people would agree with me on the night) - I really wasn't sure if they had come to the right venue. Their material was not what most people were expecting, and only occasionally seemed to include 'traditional' rock 'n roll numbers (some Stray Cat stuff for instance). It really was a very puzzling evening as even Rod (who booked them) said that when he saw them originally they played 'original' rock and roll numbers but they seemed to have missed this off their set list that night! Oh well - I guess the 40 or so who were still there at the end of the evening obviously enjoyed it, but personally for me - it wasn't my cup of tea! Still you can't win them all, and as you can see - it has certainly been a mixed couple of months!

18th: Rich and Geoff say: For those of you that cant wait a whole month between our dances we have good news! We are pleased to announce that we have been able to secure a dance with the ever talented Colin Paul & The Persuaders. This will be held on Saturday 28th October at Spencers Sports & Social Club in Melksham. Please note the change of venue. This is a smaller venue than the assembly hall so we expect tickets to be in demand. To reserve tickets or for further information please contact Jim & Eileen on 01225 760727 or Geoff on 01225 706463. Finally as this is an additional dance, unfortunately there will be no members discount available on the ticket price, however as tickets are only £6.50 each we hope you will agree that this is great value anyway! Look forward to seeing you there.

25th: Rich says: I am going to leave this months review to Rod and Kerry who kindly came and visited us this month all the way from Memphis Belles Mytchett club in Surrey. They kindly had this to say about their visit to Melksham to see The Sundowners:

The A350, the road to YELL - REBEL YELL that is. On the A350, thirteen miles south of Junction 17 of the M4, in the county of Wiltshire, lies the small quiet town of Melksham. That, is except on one Saturday night a Month, when it gets woken up to sounds of, MELKSHAM ROCK AND ROLL CLUB. Kerry and I, with friends, took that trip down the road to YELL. Held in the Assembly Halls, situated in the Town centre, the MELKSHAM ROCK AND ROLL CLUB was easy to find. We were warmly greeted at the door by John and Anne, (who we later found out are Rich’s mum and dad). Having paid our entry fee, bought the compulsory raffle tickets, we then asked if ….. ? but too late they were on us, Geoff and Rich had seen us, and we were now being greeted like long lost family members.

Rich now works and lives in the Leatherhead area and is a regular visitor to MEMPHIS BELLE’S, he also writes for MAGGIE’S BLUE SUEDE NEWS, and does the WEB SITE for MELKSHAM ROCK ROLL CLUB (well worth a visit). We met Geoff earlier this year, at the Wildest Cats In Town Weekender. Geoff lives in Melksham and is a bus driver by profession, who takes a very keen interest in the local community by being a Town Councillor. He is also an active member of Melksham Comedy Club, a local amateur dramatics group and, when he gets the time, plays Lead/Rhythm guitar with local 60's R & B covers band FOG. (Better known as Five Old Gits!)

It is because of the dedication and hard work of these two individuals, and their committee, that MELKSHAM ROCK ROLL CLUB has just celebrated its fifth anniversary. The Hall is modern and spacious, with ambient lighting, air conditioning, plenty of comfortable seating and a large sprung dance floor. Separate bar and lounge area, (very fair prices). An excellent venue. Drinks purchased, seats found, Who’s playing that music? It’s none other than MELKSHAMS resident DJ ( Terry ) Cockney Rebel, on the decks playing all those old and popular Rock and Roll numbers, Jivers, Boppers and for the LADIES, Strollers (sorry it’s probably just me, but why, why? Do MEN stroll ). At around 9:15, with now at least 130 people in the hall, its time for the band, THE SUNDOWNERS, a three piece unit with Lee Gocher on lead / rhythm guitar, Paul Major on slap bass and drummer Richie Taylor. Small band but big sound, and boy they kept that dance floor full, until time, for a break and the Raffle. It was after the raffle, that Cockney Rebel introduced us to a 15 year old young gentleman known as ROCKIN’ BILLY. Terry announced, that due to having moved up to north London, he would be handing over the decks at MELKSHAM to this young DJ, for several nights next year and wished him good luck. This kid don’t need luck, he’s got talent, and does he know his stuff, he played out the rest of the break like the true professional he is - ROCKIN’ BILLY, a name to remember. Back then to the band, who again kept the dance floor full, excellent all round sound and brilliant guitar work by Lee. THE SUNDOWNERS will definitely be coming to MEMPHIS BELLE’S. All to soon, encores, good nights, thank you’s, and back on that road. Well - what a brilliant night out.

My advice, take the A350 to MELKSHAM ROCK N ROLL CLUB, Great Venue, Great People, Great Atmosphere. Well done to all of you, for the hard work you must have put into your Club, keep Wilshire Rockin’, we’ll be back you’all.

25th: Rich says: It was billed as an evening with Johnnie fox (not suitable for children) at Higham Rock and Roll club and this rather summed it all up nicely really! The evening was been held in a different location to usual so was interesting to find but venue located, and drink bought it was nice to also bump into friends from Crondall club. The evening kicked off with Kav bursting into song - it was the first time that I had heard Kav sing and I was very impressed - he has a great voice and he was confidently backed by 3 musicians making up the Southside Trio. However just as we were settling into enjoying the songs Kav announced that he had a special guest lined up and he handed the stage over to a 19 year old lad called Lee. As soon as he took to the small stage it was obvious who he was going to be and from the opening lyrics of Houndog he had the room wanting for more - a great Elvis impression. He then handed back to Kav who gave us a few more tunes before he introduced Johnnie onto the stage. What ensued was exactly what was expected of him as he trotted out the usual songs such as look at that moon, honeybun, fireball, tenessee border and boogie woogie country girl (complete with alternative lyrics!) but it has to be said he also interspersed the songs with some terrible jokes (which proved why he had failed as a childrens entertainer!) accompanied with his usual side order of a barrage of comments directed at the audience; but was anyone offended? I don't think so as if they were they were in the wrong place! I know Johnnie isn't everyone's cup of tea (or pint of Guinness!) but he is an entertainer who loves his rock and roll, and that's a combination I love. Kav gave him carte blanche for the club tonight and you could see Johnnies real character light up and shine through. The final song of the evening was meant to be a duet of my girl is red hot between Kav and Johnnie but in true foxie style he got half way through the song before he got distracted with beer and the audience and so abandoned Kav on stage to finish up by himself! Well done Johnnie and well done Kav for giving us the chance to see Johnnie untamed!

19th: Rich says: Well - what a night! We couldn't have asked for anything more! Over 160 of you turned up to help us celebrate the clubs 5th anniversary and all we can say is a big, big thank you to you all for coming along. The band for the evening was Jive Street and they were just as we expected - awesome! Anyway rather than me go on and on about what a brilliant evening it was (even though it was!) there is a copy of the review and club profile that we submitted to UK Rock this month and also click the link below to read the review submitted to Maggies Blue Suede News and The Melksham Independent News by Jackie and John Harrington:

Club profile and Dance Review submitted to UK Rock:

Melksham Rock and Roll club was formed as the brainchild of Geoff Mitcham in August 2001. Upon starting, the club had just one mission - to bring the best live entertainment from the 1950's to the people of Wiltshire and beyond, and this mission still remains as important now as it was 5 years ago at the birth of the club. Rich joined proceedings early in 2002 and in a bid to make the club available to as wide an audience as possible the clubs website - www.melkshamrockandroll.co.uk was launched. This is still going strong today and not only gives full and relevant information about the club and our dance lessons but also acts as a central focal point for a whole world of rock and roll related links (why not give it a try if you havent seen it?). As the club continued from strength to strength we saw our stage being graced by the presence of such stars as Marty Wilde & The Wildcats, Mike Berry, Wee Willie Harris, Chas Hodges and Colin Paul & The Persuaders to name but a few. The club however hasn't just stuck to these infinitely famous stars but has also been delighted to have played a hand in welcoming some of the lesser known but up and coming bands onto the circuit - such as The Sugar Bullets, The Flames and The Rockin' Bandits. All these talented musicians have also had the great support from our resident DJ - Terry the Cockney Rebel, who has helped promote and support the club since the first dance. Terry has played the majority of the gigs for us but he has also been ably assisted along the way by Steves Stack of Wax and more recently Rockin' Billy - who is we believe the youngest DJ on the scene (the latest news is that to our delight Billy has agreed to join Terry as the clubs resident DJ for the future so you will be seeing lots more of him at Melksham). Of course the club couldn't have achieved the heights that we have without the help of several other people including Jan and her helpers in the Assembly Hall who are always behind the bar to quench our thirsts (and given me and Geoff a few headaches!), Pauline, Anne, John and Carol who have all helped out with the various tireless jobs such as manning the front desk, managing membership and publicising the club and Foot tapping Records who have brought their CD stall to a lot of our dances. But the one group of people without who the club just wouldn't be able to function - is of course all of our regulars and other supporters who have come through our doors. Doing a rough total - we have had nearly a remarkable 8000 people through our doors for a total of 56 dances. Of course the path hasn't always been a smooth one and the club has been through both highs and lows; with one of the particular lows being a very poorly attended first ever mini weekender but with a lot of hard work and financial input from the committee members we managed to keep the club afloat and happier times have followed with Terry playing a big part as he attempted to single handledly eliminate any Guiness stocks within Melksham! The clubs first fancy dress party also provided plenty of hilarity with Rudy La Crioux and his All Stars donning grass skirts to join in the spirit of things and when Rich, Geoff and Carol emerged at one Christmas party dressed as 2 Father Christmases and a Mother Christmas it was clear that the club wasn't just a Rock and Roll club but also a place for the crazy, zany and up for anything people to get together!

The 19th August 2006 therefore marked a special occasion for the club - its 5th anniversary, and we were delighted when over 160 people we would love to class as our new and old friends joined us for a party with 6 fabulous musicians, more commonly known as the ever entertaining Jive Street. With the hall decorated with posters from our favourite bygone era, pictures of the club from the last 5 years and our usual musical notes and juke boxes and a boxful of party poppers we hoped that this would help people get into the party mood. On entry they were greeted with the usual friendliness by Anne and John plus a choice of raffles - as not only were we running our usual raffle but also a special 5th anniversary one which had a single special prize of 2 tickets for each of our scheduled dances in 2007. All raffle tickets bought it was then into the hall to be greeted with Terry's usual melodic tunes. By the time 9:15 came around the band dressed in matching blue outfits were in position on stage. They went on to play a brilliant first set with their usual display of scinitilating sax, booming bass and danceable drums. The room was filled full of flashes of sparkling colour from the hooped skirts, fluorescent socks and brightly coloured drapes as the crowd lapped up everything thrown at them. All too soon it was the break and time for replenishing of glasses and supposedly a breather but Terry kept up the pace as he took back to the decks again. 15 minutes later and it was time for the raffle draw followed by a quick thankyou speech from Rich for all the support given to the club over the last 5 years. As there were several birthdays around this dance date Terry kindly played a smoochie little number as the first track which raised a great round of applause as Anne and John (from the door) took to the hall for a slow smooch in celebration of their individual birthdays. It however didn't appear that those birthdays were the only events as another of our regulars Jim was due for his birthday in a few days and our very own Elvis nuts Richard and Carol were celebrating their wedding anniversary shortly, so never one to miss an opportunity for fun Terry got most of the audience to join Jim in a conga line (!) to Elvis's Viva Las Vegas. This energetically snaked its way from the dance floor round the back of the hall through the bar and foyer and then back onto the dance floor - what a bunch of mad people we had in! It was then back to a bit more normality with some classic jivers keeping the floor full before the band again took centre stage. Immediately from the opening number of the second set the floor was to remian full to bursting as people bopped, jived, rocked, smooched, strolled and jigged to the relentless beat. Unfortunately we hadn't managed to stop time so 11:30 soon came round and the band announced the next number to be the end of their set but the crowd weren't letting them get away that easily and clapped and shouted for more. But before the band gave in and came back for the eagerly requested encores Rich came on stage for the draw for the anniversary raffle. The winning number was drawn and the winner was Sonja who is one of our regulars. She was obviously delighted as she tried to impersonate Tigger by jumping up and down on the spot! Congratulations passed on it was just down to Rich to hand back over to the band who played several more encores which left the crowd ecstatically happy. As Terry got the final section of the evening underway people started to get their things together and headed on out but Terry wanted a party and wasn't letting them go without a final bit of fun and stuck on the clubs adopted anthem of Pink and Black. Needless to say anything that could be stood upon was grabbed and arms were waved and the chorus was chanted. Midnight soon came and the evening was finished off with a version of the Trilogy just to keep those arms waving. The lights then came on and it was the end - people packed up and headed out into the cool night air but they all seemed very happy if comments such as 'great night', 'fabulous' and 'brilliant' were anything to go by.

18th: Rich says: Friday night and off I set to see The Rat Pack at Memphis Belles Mytchett Rock 'n Roll club. I was a bit late getting to the venue but I was greeted with the friendly atmosphere that you can expect from this club, followed swiftly by a request for my money! Due to the time I didn't manage to catch a lot of Wildcat Pete who was manning the decks for the evening before the band took to the stage. The Rat Pack consists of a trio of talented musicians - a guitarist, drummer and bass guitarist with the vocals being shared amongst all 3 of them. We had seen them last as they closed The Wildest Cats weekender back at the end of June and had been impressed by them then. This was still to be the case as they not exactly eased us into the first set but rather threw themselves headlong into some serious foot tapping rock 'n' roll and rockabilly. Their material for the evening covered all sorts of songs and styles including White Lightening, Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie, Gene and Eddie, Driving Wheel, Like A Wolf (which included some great harmonica playing), All I can do is cry and what they said was the only slowie they did - One Night With You (which I thought was played really, really well). Time then for a breather as they handed back over to Wildcat Pete and he took us up to the break for the raffle. Rod handled this with his usual expertise and kindly plugged all the local and not so local clubs (including Melksham - thanks for that!) and then passed on his best wishes for a speedy recovery to Pauline (who usually runs the kitchen here and at Crondall) as apparently she had just come out of hospital that day. I am sure I speak for all in reiterating Rods wishes that you are soon on the mend. Raffle and announcements over it was back to Wildcat who also gave us a fabulous plug (it must have been our lucky night!); as he again managed to fill the floor ready for the return of the band. The fun continued as the band gave us more great songs whilst showing that they also paid attention to what the audience wanted by watching whether the floor was full or not with the type of the song. A call for a guest slot was soon filled by a friend of the bands from The 2 Houndogs club as he sang what appeared to be his signature tune of 'Houndog'. This was followed up by a request from the band and audience alike for Janie (from Crondall) to get up and give us a song but she couldn't be persuaded - such a pity, but the band warned her if she missed it this time they would be after her at the Christmas do at Pakefield - you have been warned! All this fun soon meant that it was time for the band to finish but true to fashion the audience wasn't letting them get away that easily and called for encores which the band gave which included great versions of Little Girl let me walk you home and school of rock and roll. It was then down to Pete to finish the evening off as people said their good nights and wandered off happy and contented. I would have to say that I was certainly impressed with the band - not only were they very clean and professional in their sound but they gave off a really friendly atmosphere to the audience - almost as though they were friends with everyone - even if you had never met them before! And for the club - well even though there were only about 80 people in I think they managed to make a profit which is great as MBM I think stands for what rock and roll clubs should be about - a great night out with friendly like minded people enjoying the best of live rock and roll music. Long may all the clubs and the bands continue.

12th: Rich says: Another opportunity for me to see my friends The Heartbeats playing locally - this time at Guildford Hot 50s Rock and Roll Club. Arriving at about 8:30 I was greeted by 3 friendly faces on the door, but on entering the hall I had my suspicions that it was going to be another quiet night as there were probably only about 50 people in. I bumped straight into Steve and so first job was as always a drink from the bar and then I had a chance to have a quick catch up with the lads and find out what they had been up to in the last month. You certainly can tell they are popular as they had been travelling the country and playing gigs not only locally to them in Bristol but up in Birmingham as well as down my way in the Surrey area; no excuse then for people not being able to get and see them! 9:00 came and I quickly made my move down to a seat by the dance floor as the guys picked up their instruments and were announced onto stage by the DJ for the evening Moonshine Mama. As the first chords were plucked on the guitar and double bass and Steve launched into his usual enthusiastic display on the drums I knew we were going to be in for a great entertaining night again and I was soon proved right as the lads had the dance floor full despite the relatively small crowd of about 70 in. All too soon it was time for the break and so it was back over to the DJ with the only interruption for the raffle. Moonshine Mama was desperately trying to find something to get people dancing to, but as The Heartbeats emerged back on stage changed and re-energised ready for the second set the floor started to fill again. I didn't think things could get much better but with the second set they trotted out great old favourites such as I need your love tonight, How low do you feel?, Sell your soul and Johhnie Be Goode. As if this wasn't enough they also proved they could slow things down for the romantics in the audience and played a very sweet version of Tear drops will fall. All of these soon meant the end of the evening came round far too quickly and when Moonshine Mama asked the obligatory question of do you want one more, the answer was a resounding yes and so The Heartbeats responded with 2 good old boppers - One Hand Loose and Rock This Town. If these 2 great live sets hadn't exhausted everyone enough Moonshine Mama then pulled out all the stops and continued the pace with more great boppers and jivers which the small (but very energetic) crowd enthusiastically lapped up. I however decided to call it enough and said my farewells not just to the band but also the contingents from Crondall and Mytchett (again its great to see that the local clubs support each other) and headed for home. In summary of the evening it was exactly what I expected - these 3 great musicians gave a hugely entertaining night with their almost uncanny ability to be able to read an audience. Although they quite often stick to a lot of the tried and tested songs they somehow manage to play them in a way that seems to manage to make me think have I really heard them do this before!? The only shame was the low numbers again and it rather hit further home as during the last couple of weeks I had heard of at least 3 clubs that had either had to close or were on the edge of having to close due to low numbers of people supporting them. So come on folks - if you want your clubs to succeed and keep on putting on the live music we all love so much - you need to keep supporting them. I am lucky enough to be able to go out to all these clubs and experience the different venues and different bands; but even if you cant go out to lots of clubs please ensure you support your local club - Use it or Loose it - the choice is yours. I will be back to Guildford and will definitely see The Heartbeats again - I hope to see all you around at your local clubs as well. Keep on Rockin'.

6th: Rich says: Just a quick chance to remind you all about our up and coming dance on the 19th of this month. It will be with the ever brilliant Jive Street, plus hopefully they will be joined by some friends to make it a party night unlike any other. As many of you will be aware we were meant to be having Vince Eager but unfortunately Vince was double booked and so we have had to postpone him to next year. Next we were hoping to get Johhny Earle with Jive Street but Johnny has gone over to the states and it appears he has become completely uncontactable! We have invited some other friends so we hope that maybe one or two will be able to make it on the night but even if they dont it will be a night to remember, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes and party hat and are ready for a laugh. We will also be selling tickets (as per last months dance) for our anniversary raffle - this is limited to just over 200 tickets on sale and will be drawn at the end of this dance with a prize of 2 free entry tickets to every dance next year. Just have a look at the line up we have next year - this is a fantastic chance even if I do say it myself! Tickets will be available at just £1 each with the prize worth around £200; so come on give it a go and all profits go to helping us keeping going another 5 years. We really look forward to seeing you there and helping us have a celebration. Keep on rockin' folks.

22nd: Rich says: We had had reservations about this since we decided initially to put it on. Chas Hodges Rock and Roll Trio was the main act for the evening with backing from The Flames. We had seen Chas play at the Eddie Cochrane weekender a while ago and had both felt he had been really good, however since then we had received a mixed feedback with some people seeming to love him and others vowing they wouldn't see him again and very few in the middle! So as you can understand we were extremely worried when by the time that 9:00 came we only had about 100 in. Terry wasn't around for the evening but in his place was Rockin' Billy who played for us earlier and had done a brilliant job, so Billy was working hard and getting the crowd warmed up ready for the evening ahead. The Flames were the first band on and gave a great set of totally traditional rock and roll. The floor was packed and the mood was buoyant. Following the calls for encores Billy took over the decks again and kept an ordered control on proceedings despite the fact we were already running a good 15 mins over time! Time then for the raffle followed by a few more tracks from Billy - with all this giving time for the conversion of the stage from one bands area to the set for the Trio. Chas took to the stage and sat at the piano whilst his guitarist and drummer took their respective positions. He then proceeded into his reptoire of rock and roll. The floor was soon full again and people seemed to be enjoying what was being played. There were various comments scattered around about the fact that people didn't think there was enough backing from his other 2 musicians but the overall feeling seemed to be that people were happy. The floor was certainly happy when he played his version of Old Black Joe which definitely has to be heard to be believed with the main notes coming from a keyboard! The time for encores again came quickly and then it was back over to Billy to finish the evening off which he did brilliantly. The comments received as people were leaving seemed to generally be that they had enjoyed themselves but one thing was apparent to us - there were a lot of our regular faces missing. Whether this was because of our choice of artist or whether it was just generally to do with hot weather, holidays and other things we are not sure. The evening certainly could have been a lot more of a financial success (as we certainly didnt make any money and so werent able to give our donation to the carnival funds) but there again it could also have been a lot worse. Our thanks go to everyone who came along and specifically to Billy who we are absolutely delighted has agreed to be a joint resident DJ with Terry next year. This is a real coup for us as not only is he a brilliant new talented DJ on the circuit but he is young blood and hopefully he can attract more youngsters to the scene as whatever anyone says they are the future and for Rock 'n Roll to live on as we all want it to - they have to listen to it, live it and enjoy it with the rest of us. Finally the big plug for next month as it is our special 5th anniversary dance with Jive Street. Unfortunately it has rather been plagued with one disaster after another but it will go ahead and we will make sure it is a great party - so we hope you will all be there to celebrate us keeping going 5 years (and it is also our chance to say thank you to you for supporting us) - we hope to see you all there.

21st: Rich says: A welcome chance this Friday night to pay another visit to my friends at Memphis Belles Mytchett Rock 'n Roll Club to see some more friends who I think make up one of the best 3 pieces on the circuit - they are of course The Heartbeats. It is becoming a bit of a regularity here to be greeted byt eh line up of classic cars at the door, but who is complaining - certainly not me! Into the venue and a friendly greeting as always from all the committee. As always there was a great following here with notable people from locals clubs - Crondall and Guildford. After grabbing a drink it was a good opportunity to catch up with the lads for 45 minutes before they took to the stage. The thing that never fails to amaze me about these 3 guys in particular (but all bands in general) is there absolute commitment to the cause - they are aware of all the things that are going on around the circuit and talking with them is so interesting to learn about what has happened and all the experiences they have been through. Anyway the time soon came for them to take to the stage and so it was back out into the main hall - but oh what a shame - the heat was playing havoc yet again as there were only about 70 / 80 people in; however I was in for a surprise as just as I got back into the hall who should I meet but Dennis from our place. It appeared he fancied a change and so had come down to see what Mytchett was all about! So we settled back with a drink in hand as the boys launched into their opening numbers. Unfortunately the sound didnt seem as good as I know they are able to achieve but a bit of tinkering seemed to help it. The audience seemed happy enough however and they took to the floor and jived and strolled their way through the first set with abandon. Time for the break and the band handed over to Ade and Robin (Oh Boy record Hop) who carried on with the spirit of things until Rod took the mic for the raffle. He also made a few announcements about the fact that there was a collection for a couple of charities going on and so he hoped that people would be able to dig deep and give generously. Raffle over it was back over to the DJs who were occasionally interrupted as The Heartbeats tried to determine the source of their sound problem - it turned out it was 2 mics that were plugged into the incorrect sockets! (Why is it always something so silly as that that gives so many problems!). That sorted it was their turn to make it back onto the stage. The second set opened the way the first one had finished with some great stompers and jivers which even dragged me onto the floor (much to a few peoples amazement who hadn't seen me dance before!). Again all too soon it was time for the encores and then back to Ade and Robin to wind the evening down. Then just time for a quick final word with the band and all the regulars before it was back out into the cooling evening air for the drive back home - but at least I got back at a reasonable time - spare a thought for the bands when they play like The Heartbeats here - 100 / 200 miles away from home - not only do they have to pack everything away they then have a 2 / 3 / 4 hour drive home - now that's real commitment and whats it in aid of? Entertaining us of course and when The Heartbeats are playing thats one thing I am sure of - they will be great and entertaining and they didn't let me down tonight - I look forward to seeing them again soon.

15th: Rich says: Saturday night and another chance to try out another new venue with a band I hadn't heard of before. This in mind I headed off for Shoreham Rock 'n Roll club, which incidentally identifies itself as possibly one of the longest running clubs (28 years to date). The band for the evening was Oo-Bop ShBam, of who I didnt know anything about. After a few wrong turnings I found the venue. Entry money paid my hand was stamped to allow me re-entry. The hall is a reasonable sized venue with a large stage at one end and a small bar at the other. There was a great choice of stalls with the organisers own stand selling skirts for the girls and ties and buckles for the men, then in the adjacent room there was a record stall with more CDs than you could shake a stick at and a further stall selling more buckles, CDs badges and anything else you could think of that you might want to collect. Just time to have a quick wander round these whilst the DJ finished off his first set. About 9:00 the curtains at the front of the stage opened and the band were put on display for the expectant audience. All the band were dressed very smartly but the lead vocalist caught the eye as not only did he look to be well over 6 foot tall but he was dressed in a very startling red jacket! They then launched into their opening number of Oo-Bop ShBam which was well received by the dancers. They then followed it up with other well known tunes; although it would have to be said that some of them took a little while to be recognised as the band lived up to their description on the flyer as a 40s/50s swing inspired group. I have to say that although I enjoy some of that style I found it a little hard going for a whole evening but I was obviously in the minority as the floor was well and truly packed for the whole evening. Despite the heat the large contingent of swing jivers (presumably from the Brighton area) never stopped and frankly made me out of breath from just watching - well done to them all! The end of the evening soon came and the band gave the now standard encores. I then decided I needed some air so with a quick thank you to the organisers I headed on back home. Although it was not my ideal night of music it had certainly been an experience and this is one club that certainly deserves a look at if you are into swing jive and you don't want to sit down!

30th Jun - 3rd Jul: Geoff and Rich say: We have just returned from what we would describe as probably the best weekender we have ever been to. This high level of delight has resulted from our trip to 'The Wildest Cats in Town 7' at Pakefield. As always seems to be the case with us two from Melksham the organisation on our behalf was nothing short of grossly disorganised and as a result of this we very nearly ended up with nowhere to stay! Thankfully however Ritchie was more organised than us and sorted us out!. First job then was to book in so after arriving about 3ish it was a greeting to Tracey and Terry who was banging out his tunes in front of Reception and then pick up our arm tag (more about that later!). It was then to our accommodation where we found to our horror that our friendship may be tested out more than we wished as we had been booked into a double! (Geoff was threatening to sleep in the car!) Thankfully two nice ladies from Essex came to our rescue and swapped with us leaving us with a twin room for the weekend. A quick change of clothes and then it was off to the dance hall just in time to hear the end of The Rhythm Aces set, which we agreed sounded good with some slick guitar playing and set the tone for the weekend. Hunger had set in and so it was into the large dining room for a spot of something to eat (which as last year was plentiful and tasty). We then headed into the main ballroom to bag a seat and listen to the sounds from The Bradford Dude. Porky's Hot Rockin' took to the stage promptly at 8:30, and belted their way through a blisteringly hot set which matched the ever increasing temperature in the hall - it was going to be a hot one! We were pleasantly surprised to see lots of flaring skirts and boppin' trousers on the dance floor from the off as last year there had been very few jivers around for the Friday night. Following Porky's set Wildcat Pete took to the decks and kept everyone dancing until Darrel Higham took the stage. Again this master of the guitar never fails to please and he had the crowd eating out of his hand for 45 wonderful minutes. Tartan Ted then had 30 minutes to further heat the crowd up for what was to be the best set of the night. Matchbox were on fire as they spent an hour proving what an excellent band they still are. They finished their set with a stage invasion, flags flying and boppers bopping. By now we were running late and so Steves Stack of Wax was the next DJ on and only had a short time to keep the crowd entertained but this he did with accomplished ease before the Jive Romero's took the stage. By this time many had started going to bed which was a shame because they are a fine band and those that were left carried on jiving until about 1:30 when Cockney Rebel finally got to take over the decks and start his party night. We threw in the towel however at just gone 2 and headed off back to our beds for a good nights sleep. We were certainly very, very happy and surely the rest of the weekend couldn't top that, could it? Maybe, maybe not as we heard later that Terry didnt stop playing until after 3 and only after the threat of eviction by the Security Staff!!

Saturday morning arrived far too quickly and breakfas was very well received. Finishing that we were then in time for a quick perusal round Mad Ralphs Jumble Sale (which had vastly increased in size and range of things sold from last year) and then into the Princes Hall to catch the end of Terry's morning set (had he really been to bed or just kept playing!?). Sat and chatted with Terry before heading on down to the beach for the 2 Hound Dogs Beach Party. The beach is massive but was soon full of rockers and rollers and the combination of the scorching weather, alcohol and great music must have made some people mad as they donned swimming gear and plunged into the North Sea! Rich opted for the more traditional idea of rolling his trouser legs up and having a paddle while Geoff just lay back and burnt to a frazzle! Others on the beach were Tiger and her mates who got soaked (thought Tigers didnt like the water!) and the Crondall gang who had brought all the beach games! Deciding it was getting far too hot we retired back up to the main ballroom where DJ Tel' Star was playing. Unfortunately in competition with the sun there were not many in but we and Maggie enjoyed sitting back and listening to his choices. As Shelley arrived for her Jive lesson she wondered what she had done wrong as we immediately got up and left! Nothing was the answer but we were on our way over to see the Brick Lane Bogie Boys, only to find an empty stage! We were then told that not only had they not turned up but neither had Furious! We then headed back to the main ballroom to see some of Shelleys lesson and have a look at the stalls. Just before 4 o'clock the entire camp appeared to try and fit into the Queen Vic Bar - apparently there was some football match on! We grabbed some available seats (along with Tiger, Cockney Rebel and Stack of Wax) and proceeded to put ourselves through just over 2 hours of sheer hell and misery! Geoff didn't want to watch us loose at penalties (did he have a premonition!?) and so went in for dinner, whilst everyone else left their dinners and came out to watch! Following our loss it was a mad rush in for the last 15 minutes of serving time! We then headed straight to the ballroom to see Stack of Wax finish his set before Rudy La Crioux and The Allstars tried to lift our spirits which they did excellently. At 9 we were torn as Cockney Rebel again took to the decks and The Skyrockers appeared in The Princes Hall. Sorry Terry you lost! As always a great set from these 5 guys and they threw themselves round stage with great abandon (why oh why are they confined to the small hall and not in the main ballroom, a comment we heard from several other people). They were even joined by Michael from The Lennerockers for a version of High Class Lady. People obviously loved them as the DJ asked them if they would do a song as an encore and Andy told him they were doing 3! Back then to the main hall where The Spitfires were already on stage. First time we have seen these (although of course we all know Keith from Lucas & The Dynamos) and they showed their class - so we are looking forward to seeing them at Melksham next year where they are already booked. Then it was up to the Bradford Dude to take us up to Crazy Cavan and The Rhythm Rockers. Unfortunately due to 'artistic differences of opinion' all of our group (bar Geoff) decided to take a break while Cavan was on. Geoff says that he felt they were better than last year but they would be even better if Lyndon just played without all the stage antics (but this is just our opinion and there were obviously lots of people there who loved them). Wildcat Pete then took another turn on the decks before we were joined by Rocky Burnette and some of his immediate family who then proceeded to give us some great renditions from the Johnny Burnette catalogue of songs. They stayed entertaining the crowds until just before 2, following which we gave in and headed back to our beds leaving Tartan Ted to his late night rockin' set.

Sunday morning again arrived far too quickly, but breakfast helped wake us up. We joined several others having a look at the classic cars with the idea that we would go back and pick up Rich's car and join the end of the car cruise, but the plan soon changed when we were delighted to be offered a lift in Rod and Kerry's (Memphis Belles Mytchett Rock 'n Roll Club) 1957 Pontiac. We enthusiastically accepted and rode through the streets of Pakefield along with about another 100 original cars and bikes (something we wont be forgetting in any hurry). We arrived on The Royal Green at Lowestoft to the sounds of DJ's 2 Hound Dogs playing some great tracks, and they were soon taken over by some live sounds from The Rhythm Aces who played until the arrival of Jack Scott by Big Mack Truck. Rod and others even took the opportunity to get the local police officials dancing and they showed very good humour and some natural ability as they jived on the green. Photo session with Ritchie and the Mayor / Mayoress of Lowestoft over it was back into the cars for the cruise back to the camp. We were amazed at the part taken by Suffolk police - how many other police forces would put this effort into allowing this sort of thing to happen? Well done to them. We arrived back and joined a rapidly sun burning Terry playing some tracks outside the Queen Vic at Graces amazing BBQ. A few beers and a chilled out afternoon ensued and so we only caught about 10 minutes of The Flying Saucers, with a different drummer, but a great sound. We unfortunately missed completely Porky's Tea Party but if last year was anything to go by it would have been excellent! We retired into the relative cool of the dining room for grub at 5, and then back to the hotel to get changed. The first band of this final evening was The Lennerockers so we decided not to keep any chairs but to grab a place at the front of the stage. 2 Hound Dogs got the crowd dancing before the band came on at 8:30. All the usual antics happened and they didn't fail to entertain us or anyone else come to that. They are an absolute asset to the scene and long may they continue to entertain us (we both agreed they will be back to Melksham in the very near future). Stack of Wax then kept it all together as the stage was set for the main act of the weekend - Jack Scott and his band. The legend 'Jack Scott' sang and strummed his way through lots of songs (inc. Leroy, Geraldine and Midgie to name but a few) - some of which we recognised and some not, but all the songs were excellently played and the whole act was totally professional. You could see why he is still a popular figure on the rock and roll scene even though he only plays a very select few gigs these days. We were most impressed. Bradford Dude then again span the discs before the final band of the weekend. Rat Pack were billed as with special guests, and these 3 musicians rose to the occasion of playing the final slot very well. They were joined by multiple people on stage including several of the very young generation who showed no sign of any lack of energy (more than could be said for me and Geoff!). We had seen several of these youngsters dancing away throughout the weekend with absolute precision and not missing a beat whether they were bopping, jiving or strolling. Where were they from, where did they learn and how do we attract youngsters like this to our club? It was great to see the youngsters so into the scene - that's where the future lies after all. The band finally bowed off stage about half one, leaving Wildcat Pete to finish up the evening with his own style of what everyone wanted. We wandered off and met up with Terry, Tracey and Ritchie who we thanked for a fabulous weekend. His enthusiasm to put on the most enjoyable weekenders is obvious and he is a thoroughly nice guy. It was then time once again to disappear back into the cooling night air and get a few hours kip before the long drive back home the next day. It at least gave us time to reflect on how it had yet again been another fabulous weekender and that the event is so good it attracts an international audience as we heard there were people there from Holland and Japan at the very least. The Friday night had stolen it for us but all the bands had put on great shows, the DJs had played their heart and souls out and everyone had been so friendly and hospitable - we were in heaven. Rock and Roll heaven! The only questions that we had left to be answered were - how the hell were we going to make it up in time for breakfast again the next day and why did we appear to be just about the only people walking round camp with red armbands!!! (everyone elses was green!) Answers on the back of a postcard to Melksham Rock and Roll!

24th: Rich says: We have just heard that the band for this evening - Meanstreak have had a slight problem this week in that they have lost one of their members! (careless!). The great news is that they have confirmed with us that they will still be here tonight and giving it their every effort - so come along and take this chance to see a world exclusive at Melksham - Meanstreak as a four piece!

16th: Rich says: It was time for another trip to Memphis Belles Mytchett (MBM) again to see a band that seems to be appearing more and more in every clubs up and coming gig guides (not surprising though with the quality of what they play) - it was of course the fabulous Kingcats. Arriving just before 9, the first thing I saw was a bevvy of beautiful classic cars in the car park - what a fantastic sight and what lucky, lucky people owning them - you make me very jealous! Anyway after tearing myself away from the cars it was inside into the hall where I was greeted at the door like a long lost friend which was so nice! There is always a large contingent of the committee ready to meet you at this club and they all without exception are really friendly and interested in ensuring that you have a great time. There were probably only about 100 or so people in this night, so not quite as many as when I had been before but irrespective they were having a good time. First priority as always was to grab a drink, which I did whilst listening to the background sounds being played by the DJs - Ade and Robin (Oh Boy Record Hop), then it was time and The Kingcats emerged on stage all dressed very smartly in black shirts. They erupted into the first song with a pace of a band possessed and continued to hurtle headlong through the rest of the set with great abandon. I have to say that even though I have seen these guys several times in the last few months I can't tire of them at all, as they put every effort into entertaining all the paying customers and that is exactly what they achieved. Time for a break for the raffle with Rod taking the mike and declaring his undying love for each of the lucky lady winners! (what was he on?) Then back over to the DJ boys before the return of the band. A great second set followed including several encores and then the evening was wound up again by the Oh Boy record Hop. One thing I did notice in the newsletter that always comes out for Mytchett was that last month they had a slight disaster in that the band broke down on the way to the gig and so the DJ (Steves Stack of Wax) had to pull out all the stops and keep everyone entertained for the whole evening; this he did by the sounds of it brilliantly - which just goes to show how important the DJ is. MBM has some fabulous DJs available to them that they use, as do we at Melksham (Cockney Rebel and Rockin' Billy) and so often they are not fully appreciated. So please don't forget to say a huge thanks to the DJ when you go to the dance because they work just as hard as everyone else (promoters / organisers / bands etc) and they sometimes just get forgotten - I mean think how quiet the evening would be without them in between the bands sets! Anyway finally - again a big congratulations to Rod and his team at Mytchett who put on another great night. I will be back, but meantime if any of the Mytchett supporters gang (or anyone else) fancy seeing how we do it in Melksham then please do pop along and say hello.

9th: Rich says: Some would call it brave, some would call it foolish but Taunton Rock and Roll club decided to hold one of their rare live band dances on the opening night of World Cup 2006. I had been working in Wells just down the road so off I set to North Petherton Rugby Club to see what this club had to offer and listen to a new band called Memphis. Arriving at just gone 8, I was greeted on the door by Cheryl and the sounds of traditional tracks being played by the DJ Tony. There were only about 30 or so people in at this time which meant the room (with seating for about 80) still looked relatively empty. There was however enough time before the band was due on stage for me to grab a quick drink from the bar and to sit and browse through some of the other local clubs flyers. The floor remained resolutely empty until Tony changed over to the strollers and this brought a few onto the dance floor but they soon left again when the tunes changed back to the Jivers! At about 9:00 Mikey (Lead vocals), Ady (Lead Guitar), Mark (Bass), Pete (Acoustic Guitar) and AJ (Drums) [making up Memphis] took to the stage in front of a total crowd of about 80 (including a few faces we see from time to time at Melksham). First tune of the evening was the classic Thats alright Mama, which was fast followed up with a mixture of other classics, including material from Chuck Berry, Go Kat Go and Carl Perkins, but it took until Johnny B Goode to get the dancers onto the floor. Other tunes that featured throughout the bands 2 sets were I dont care if the sun dont shine, That'll be the day, Fools fall in love, Boogie Woogie Country Girl, Honey Don't and Rip it up. The final set was completed with well played versions of Matchbox, Whole Lotta Shakin' and Shake, Rattle and Roll. Cheryl and Tony tried very hard to create a classic live band night and despite the relatively low numbers of attendees, and the lack of people in traditional 1950s dress they pretty much managed to fulfil this. The band created a great tight, clean sound and I felt overall were very impressive. Thus this was an enjoyable night of classic music interrupted only by a stop for the obligatory raffle. The nice thing about coming along to this club is that it has reenforced my thoughts that wherever I travel in the country and whichever club I go to (for the first time or the umpteenth time) you are always pretty much assured of a friendly welcome and some fantastic tunes both from the band and from the DJ. So with this in mind please continue to support your local and not so local clubs / bands and they will continue to supply you with the music we all love so much.

6th: Rich says: For those of you who are keen followers of Cockney Rebel or just love to hear good Rock and Roll sounds being played and appreciated Terry returns to the www (Wibbly Wobbly Web in his own words!). You can listen to Terry take you through the sounds on a Wednesday evening 8 - 10 and / or a Sunday afternoon 2 - 4 (starting tomorrow - Weds 7th Jun). Just tune in at www.forestfm.co.uk. You never know who else you may hear!

27 / 28th: Geoff and Rich say: The last Bank Holiday in May so it was time again for The 3R's Jive, Jive, Jive weekender at The Rivermead Centre, Reading. Rich was on his own for Saturday night as Geoff and Carol had other commitments, and it was probably just as well as I don't think they would have wanted to know him as he tried to work out why he couldn't get a room at the hotel and then found out it was because he was at the wrong hotel! That sorted, it was into the right place, a quick freshen up and then off down the road to the venue. This complex boasts a massive hall for those that haven't been there before and inside there was seating laid out for probably about 800 or so people. Not too many people in at 8, but there was a steady stream coming through the door and Galaxie Bob was setting the tone of the event with some great tracks. 9:00 soon came and Rich settled back with friends (our regulars Dennis and Cheryl, Foot Tapping Records and Banbury R 'n' R club organisers) to enjoy The Sundowners. A great set which was appreciated by all the dancers and the floor was full from the start. A break to allow replenishment of glasses and get some food and then the ever popular Kingcats replaced The Sundowners on stage. Again a fabulous set and the floor remained full. A final chance for Galaxie Bob to squeeze a few more songs in before a rude awakening as the lights came on and very contented people drifted back out into the night and to the hotels.

Saturday morning saw Geoff and Carol arrive and after booking in at The Holiday Express next door (take note Rich - they got the right hotel!) we all headed to the venue. Arriving about 12.15 we found the hall quite empty and Geoff noted that there were less tables than there had been before and a much smaller PA system (a particular worry as it's a big venue to get the sound right). The first band wasn't due on until 1:00 so we chatted to more people who we hadn't realised were coming and took the opportunity to look at the variety of stalls next door. In the meantime Wildcat Pete had already started his set to warm up the ever increasing number. By 1pm the hall had filled up quite dramatically and there was good representation evident from clubs such as Cuxton, Crondall, Hardy Spicers, Bristol and Banbury to name but a few. The expectant atmosphere was building as Fever took the stage. Now this is a band that we had in Melksham back in February and very fine they were too but they sounded ten times better here and Geoff's worries about the PA soon subsided. Everyone was up dancing straight away and these 3 guys set the pace for the rest of the day. During the set we were joined by Maggie and Tel Star from Blue Suede News which was nice and allowed us a quick catch up. By 2.30 hunger was setting in so whilst the stage was again reset we headed to the carvery next door to get what was a great lunch. Carol, unfortunately appeared to have been struck down with a bad cough so she decided to get some rest, whilst Geoff and Rich went back to the Riverside arriving just in time to see Good Rockin' Tonite who had been called in at the last moment after Doomsday Rocker's drummer had hurt his hand in a car crash (from all at Melksham - hope you are soon recovered). They played a blistering set with Lee (from The Sundowners) helping out on guitar. Yet again they had a great sound with Geoff commenting that they were better than he had ever heard them. As Bob and the boys finished their set Pete again then took to the decks allowing time for another lightening quick change of the stage for a band we hadn't seen before - Rip It Up. Geoff had heard reports that they were good on stage and these were obviously correct as they seemed to wind everything up a gear and everyone kept dancing. As the band kept the dance floor full there were still more people pouring through the doors - where were they all coming from! and the other big question was - was there going to be enough room - especially with all the food Mandy (from Foot Tapping) had brought - our table alone could have fed most of the hall! (Thanks for the offer of things to eat Mandy - myself and Geoff loved the Chocolate Rolls!). As the band finished Mick the Mike then took over on the decks and we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for the evening. We were then back just in time to see another band we hadn't seen before take to the stage - Juke Box Eddies. What a great band - they covered a wide spectrum of classic Rock 'n' Roll, Rockabilly, Strollers, Jivers and Boppers and did it very professionally indeed. Both Geoff and Rich agreed that we must try to get them to Melksham when we can as they would go down a storm with our crowd. Next up were one of our favourite bands Rockin' The Joint but with a different double bass player - however they continued to deliver what we expected a great set with some fabulous harmonies. Well done lads and they still found time to pose for photos! (On that note apologies to anyone Rich dazzled on the dance floor!). It was then time for another break with the DJ and then following an announcement regarding continuing on with the event (but under new management) it was time for the fabulous Jets. This band continues to be one of the most professional bands on the circuit. Showing how long they have been going they played one of their songs that they originally did back in the 70's (they don't look old enough!). Some friends that were sat with us had never seen them before but they were loving every minute after the first song. We have heard some people call them a cabaret band - why? Because they inject some humour into their act with things like their Cajun rock outing? What's wrong with that? People were lapping up everything they did and who can blame them? With 3 talented lads like these - the future of Rock 'n Roll will live on (p.s. with the Cajun rock - is it our imagination or does that hat get bigger every time we see them!?). All too soon however it was time for their last song and then it was handed back over to Pete to wind the evening down with a couple of smoochers and a final jiver. Then out into the cold but thankfully dry night for the walk (or should that be stagger) back to the hotel!

Our thanks must go to everyone who was involved with organising this event. I think everyone who went along knew that it had been a troubled year and the event so nearly didn't go ahead - but it did, and thank goodness. It was a terrific weekend with great company, 8 fabulous bands, 19.5 hours of excellent rock and roll (8 hours from live bands) and all for just £25 - what more could we ask for? Let's hope we see it again next year because we are certainly looking forward to it.

26th: Rich says: I know some people think I am a bit barking at times but even I was questioning my sanity as I set off for Higham Rock 'n Roll Club (60 miles away) on a busy Bank Holiday Friday evening, however the traffic proved not to be as bad as my initial fears and so I arrived at the club about 8:30. Kav Kavanagh has taken over the running of Higham Rock 'n Roll club which used to be The Midnite club and this dance was the fourth dance put on so far at this new venue. The dances take place in the Higham Working Mens club and the band for this evening was Rockin' Rocket 88. They are a five piece set up however due to problems on the road only 4 of them had managed to make it in time to take to the stage for the first set. Unfortunately for them them as well the missing member of the band was a key instrumentalist so their first announcement was that for those who had seen them before the first sets sound may sound quite different to usual! They started into the first set after some problems with getting the volume acceptable (its good to know we are not the only ones who have to contend with noise limiters!) and overall it contained some good rockin' sounds - the majority of which I was quite impressed with. Time soon came for a break and the resident DJ - Suzi Q took over on the decks and she obviously knew her crowd as she filled the dance floor with good old jivers and strollers. This was only interrupted by a pause to allow the club to do their draw for pieces of meat! (Is it just me or is this a first at a rock and roll dance!?). Time then for a few more jivers before handing back over to the band who were now returned to full numbers. The missing member (sorry I don't know your names) launched the second set off with some very good harmonica playing followed with a violin and then a guitar - demonstrating that he was suitably skilled with various instruments! The floor throughout the evening remained fairly empty apart from some strollers - but this maybe wasn't overly surprising due to the fact that the audience was probably split roughly 50:50 with hardened rock and roll fans and locals from the village who were probably a bit in awe of the whole spectacle!

As an overall judgement of the evening I think I would have to say that I enjoyed it - with the band finding some songs that really hit the spot for me, however having said that there were some takes on standard numbers, which equally weren't to my liking at all. The venue has good potential and Kav and Suzi obviously have a great determination to try and make this club and venue work - which is of course highly commendable as anything we can do to stop any more clubs from going under has to be great. Finally a big thanks to 'Calamity Jane' who bailed me out when I realised I had forgotten to take my camera along and kindly supplied me with some pictures of the band!

19th: Geoff says: I know we always say we hate doing Fridays but it always worrying if we'll get an audience or not. We counted the people in, with John's new counter, as they steadily arrived but we needn't have worried. By the time the band, The Rockin' Bandits, came on we had 100 in which was excellent. It was the third visit by this band and they played two fine sets. They tried to tailor their sets to the audience but some liked them and others didn't so what can you do? You win some and you lose some. Overall it was a good night. Terry played a few more classic rockers than usual and most people went home happy. For a Friday not too bad really.

5th: Rich says: A first chance for me to head over to The Winning Post at Twickenham to see yet another new band for me - Something Else. I hadn't bargained for how big Twickenham was, so it was a case of stopping and asking several passers by for directions, but I eventually found the venue just off of a dual carriageway at about 9:00! Not many people in when I arrived but the hall gradually started to fill up. Glenda (AKA The Big Bounce) was playing the decks and she lived up to her reputation as she played some all the range and obviously knew what the crowd (mainly of modern jivers) was after as the floor was kept busy most of the time. The band however soon to the stage and made their way through 2 sets of songs including classics such as Moving and a grooving, something beautiful, baby I don't care, 30 days, Rock this joint, Promised land, Good rockin' tonight, 'Gone, Gone, Gone', Stray Cat Strut and their signature tune of 'Something else' which unfortunately got off to a false start! Unfortunately for me though - I would have to say that although I liked a lot of their choices of songs this group on this evening was not for me. I didn't feel the vocals lived up to what I was expecting and the overall sound was not to the quality that I was expecting from a group that seems to have their name positively mentioned quite a bit on the circuit. Thankfully the songs that the Big Bounce selected were absolutely spot on and so my feet were tapping and that helped to make the evening a bit more for me. In summary - as I always say although this group on this night at this venue didn't work for me - that's not to say that the next person along won't completely disagree with me or that if I saw them on another night or at another venue I wouldn't feel differently - this is just my view! Feel free to add a note to our guestbook if you think differently!

22nd: Rich says: It was an evening of firsts at the club - first time for The Lennerockers playing at Melksham, first time for Rockin Billy DJ to take to the decks and the first time Terry (Cockney Rebel) had compered - and he had gone the whole hog and was certainly dressed to impress in his smart Edwardian gear. We had hoped for a good crowd and that is exactly what we got with about 160 expectant people in. Billy started the evening off with a fabulous mix of tunes from a great selection of bands (old and new) and people were soon in the mood to party as they took the opportunity to use the not too packed dance floor. The dance floor however was not to stay that way as at about 9:15 Terry (complete with a pint of the black stuff) took to the stage and introduced The Lennerockers. Dressed in their usual black and white tops they looked great and full of energy despite just having spent about 11 hours travelling all the way from Germany! They played all the great tunes that we have come to expect form these guys, including their big hit of 'High Class Lady' - well we couldn't have missed it could we? Boy oh boy did they sound good and their enthusiasm knows no bounds as they rocked, jumped, laid and ran round the stage. We were treated to all their usual tricks of climbing up the bass, laying on top of the piano, swapping instruments and playing of the washboard and the crowd loved every one of them. Eileen and Mike (loyal Melksham regulars) made their appearance on stage as well and bopped their way round the band but they didn't miss a beat! Time for a quick break to refresh the glasses and oh look - Terry was already in the bar with Geoff and me - what a surprise!! Then back to the The Lennerockers as they powered their way through a second set. As the end of the evening came the crowd didn't want to let the band go, so they concluded with a couple of cracking encores (to avoid a major disturbance!) and then retired back to their dressing room for some more of their well earned German beer (which they offered me some of - but I was too scared - have you seen the size of their bottles!!?? and I think these guys could even give Terry a run for his money!). As Billy wound the evening down people started to drift out and the general consensus of opinion seemed to be how much people had enjoyed themselves and we certainly could not disagree with them - it had been a fabulous night - thanks to everyone. As for all the firsts - well the band they will certainly be back again soon - how could we do anything else! Terry - you made a great compere and you don't half scrub up well! (plus you behaved yourself and didn't even manage to drink the bar dry of the black stuff!). As for Rockin' Billy - what an absolute star - he played and choose the music to suit the audience with the knowledge of somebody who had been doing it years - he is definitely going to be a very sought after DJ and we were delighted to have been given the chance to showcase his talents here at Melksham. Last but not least a big thank you to all the first time attendees at the club - we hope you enjoyed our venue, the band, the DJ and most of all the friendly atmoshpere and you will be back again to meet up with us all soon as without your support (and that of all of our regulars) we wouldn't be able to continue BUT as long as you keep supporting the music and the venue we will continue to put on the best music we can find. Long live rock and roll.

21st: Rich says: Myself and Geoff decided it was time that we paid another visit to the 3R's in Reading. We knew it should be a good night as The Kingcats were playing. I picked Geoff up and off we set up the M4 - getting about half way there before we both asked each other the question of - do you remember where the venue is!! Thankfully we got over that initial hurdle and after just one wrong turning we arrived at the venue about 8:30. Just enough time for us to catch up with some faces we recognised and Foottapping Records who it now seems are getting to every event we turn up to! The band took to the stage shortly after we arrived. Just as we expected they had a great sound and the dance floor at Reading was soon full of Jivers dancing the night away. The floor stayed full for the rest of the evening and the band entertained with a great selection of tunes just stopping to allow time for the raffle to be drawn and the DJ to fit in a few tunes from the decks. It also provided an opportunity for myself and Geoff to get our tickets for the Jive, Jive, Jive alldayer which is still going ahead (with a new backer) despite all the rumours that have been flying around. At the end of the evening it was just time to pack up and say good bye before heading back on the road to Melksham. Cheers for a good night.

16th: Rich says: It was a while since I had been to the BAWA club in Bristol but I set off in glorious sunshine to see Rock back the Clock playing at the club for the first time. I arrived at about 20:30 and there were already about 100 or so people. A very respectable turnout considering that the Eddie Cochrane Cherised Memories weekender was also playing in Chippenham, but as I soon found out there was still more to come. The DJ for the evening was Rockin' John who was spinning the discs for those couples who were making their way onto the dance floor. I was pleased to see some friendly faces belonging to some of our Melksham regulars in the crowd, so after grabbing a reasonably priced drink from the bar I sat down for a quick chat and found that I wasnt alone in not having seen the band before.

The band took to the stage about 21:15 and by this time there was about 190 people in so the hall was buzzing. The band consisted of 6 people (of which 4 took turns in doing the lead vocals) - 3 guitarists, 1 keyboard player, a drummer and a singer. They launched their first set with a rendition of Shake, Rattle and Roll, which filled the dance floor with Jivers. The floor stayed this way as the band continued to keep the pace up with versions of High Class Lady, Shoppin' around, Marie Marie, Brown Eyed Handsome Man, High School Hop, Old Black Joe and Chantilly Lace. The BAWA club attracts a wide variety of dancers including traditional rock and rollers, modern jivers, lindy hoppers, boppers and strollers. Time soon came for a break and Rockin' John kept the never tiring dancers happy with a further selection of well known and loved tracks. The band then returned to the stage in a change of clothes and continued with the stream of well known classics which the crowd just lapped up. They finished the set off with a couple of slowies which brought the smoochers onto the floor, and then as an encore they launched into Rock this Town which pleased me and the other boppers.

As they left the stage, the hall slowly cleared of all the dancers and I had a chance to catch up with the band and find out a bit more about them. The reason they havent particularly broken into the South at the moment is because they come all the way from Manchester, but they are keen to play more clubs down here. Well from what I saw - they are a tight band who play good old traditional rock and roll material, so I think they would go down well at our place. Hopefully we can get them in for 2007, but if you see them advertised for a dance near you before then and you like good old traditional well known rock and roll then I would suggest give them a go - they are good fun light entertainment.

14th: Rich says: Just heard that there is a rumour circulating that we are sold out for The Lennerockers dance on the 22nd. This is not true - we have the usual tickets available ahead of the dance via our usual outlets but there will be tickets available on the door. We do however expect this to be a popular dance so it may be worthwhile to ensure you arrive in reasonable time. If you hear of any other rumours regarding the club then please let myself or Geoff know and we will ensure that all answers are made publicly available here. Cheers and keep on rockin'.

1st: Rich says: To finish up my weekend it was my first opportunity to head over to Horsham Rock and Roll club. Now this is a club where the reputation proceeded them and having met Tall Paul who runs the club at Crondall last week I was looking forward to my first visit. A quick call to Paul provided me with a great, clear set of instructions on how to get to the venue and so I arrived at the Drill Hall about 8:45. Unfortunately the large car park was shut for repairs so it was a bit of a nightmare trying to find a parking space but with that achieved I set off to find the entrance, but before I got too lost someone kindly came to my rescue and guided me into the entrance hall via a side door. In the entrance hall I found Paul and re-introduced myself and added my pile of flyers to the flyer table which was literally awash with advertisments for other clubs. I then headed into the main hall and was absolutely gobsmacked at what I saw - the setting for those of you that haven't been before is in a wonderfully large aerodrome type hall that I would think would easily accommodate 200+ dancers (so roughly about the same size as our dance floor) but with a wonderfully high ceiling. The stage at the far end was set up with the bands kit and a big back drop announcing that this was the venue for Horsham Rock and Roll Club. In one corner of the room was Memphis Pete set up with all his interesting things for sale, and then off to the other side was a small but very reasonably priced bar / seating area which was partly taken up with The Foot Tapping Record stall. Having made all my introductions I made my way into the hall as The Skyrockers erupted into their first number. People eagerly listened to the first number and then literally the Jivers packed the floor as the band went through all their great material. Andy was his usual very funny Northern self as he entertained the audience with funny comments in between the numbers and Ashley went on his walkabouts - circling the dance floor and providing close up entertainment to those at the back of the hall. The first set came to an end all too soon and Peter Phillips took over as the DJ for the break. This gave me a chance to go and say hello again to the boys (what a nice bunch of guys they are) and pass on a question from Geoff to Ashley regarding his wireless guitar system (Thanks for answering that one Ash!). The raffle was short but contained some very nice prizes that were more expensive and imaginative than the usual raffle prizes. Then it was time for the band to come back on - but one problem - no one could properly hear them!! It appeared that somehow during the break they had managed to blow up their amp!! Thanks to quick thinking and no panicking from the band Andy used the DJs mike while between the rest of them there were knobs twiddled and buttons pressed and eventually the sound was restored. Well done lads - a very tricky situation handled brilliantly. The rest of the set carried on without much incidence and the floor remained packed all the way through. The set finished off with an encore of Honey don't and Old Black Joe which were extremely well received by the teddy boys and then Peter Phillips wound the evening down to a close at about 11:45. I have to say that this was a great venue and I can see why it draws such a good crowd (there were over 240 people in for this dance alone) and I certainly hope to return soon. My only disappointment was that when I asked the guys about CD's I was told they only really had the one available at the moment (which I have) and that there are no plans to make another - well come on lads your fans would love another CD and I am sure Foot Tapping or any of the other companies out there would love to do one with you - so don't disappoint us - get back in the studio soon! On the other hand - we at Melksham have offered the guys another date for 2007 (due to popular demand) so maybe you would like to do a live recording when you come down to us? A first for Melksham - how about it lads?

31st: Rich says: Following my trip to Crondall last week I had met up with Rod from Mytchett again, who had informed me that Gene Gambler and The Shufflers were playing at their place on the 31st, so off I went to Memphis Belles Mytchett as it was another band I hadn't seen before, but had heard several people talk about. Arriving at about 8:30 there was no problem in parking as this club has a lovely large car park just outside. I was welcomed like a long lost friend by the committee which was great - thanks. Time again to get a drink, which appeared to be the general consensus with the queue at the bar! With that achieved I was able to find myself a place propping up a doorway listening to Wildcat Pete who was playing the decks before the arrival of Gene Gambler and The Shufflers on stage at about 9:15. When this 4 piece took to the stage I wasn't really very sure what to make of them - dressed smartly in shirts and ties and playing a mix of what was best described to me as Countrybilly Rock and Roll (Thanks Clive for this description!). What I did like was that Gene introduced each song with the name of the song and who originally sang it. This was most interesting for people like me who weren't around in the original era and are keen to learn the history. Well I have to say that I really enjoyed the 2 sets they played, and they certainly appeared to know how to read the crowd, as they moved effortlessly between jivers, boppers and strollers allowing the crowd time to catch their breath and have a drink between each 'group' of songs. Wildcat Pete was the DJ for the evening, and it was a while since I had seen him playing, but it was immediately evident why he is such a well respected and brilliant DJ as he played and chose the most suitable tracks to keep everyone happy. Also have to thank him for the plug he gave us for our forthcoming gig and for his compliments generally about us as a club - they were most appreciated and although I know you said you are working when we have gigs on - you know you are always welcome to come and say hello Pete if ever you are in the area. Not really much else I can say about the evening - apart from as I said before - this is another great club with a friendly atmosphere in this local area. And it just goes to prove yet again - if clubs work together and don't clash everyone can live in harmony as there was a crowd of about 130 in for this dance including several representatives from Crondall and other local clubs. Thanks again for another great night.

25th: Rich says: Another opportunity for me to pay a visit to the Crondall Rock 'n Roll club. Jack Rabbit Slim was the band playing tonight - not a band that I particularly knew a lot about, but I wanted to see them as I had heard their name mentioned a few times on the circuit. I got to the venue about 8:30 ish and instantly realised that if I wanted any chance of a parking space I should have been there earlier! After finding a place to leave the car on the road I was greeted by Jane, Ade and all their friends - a very nice start to the evening. Inside the hall there was already a large crowd of people (about 120 or so) gathering, and I was pleased to recognise several faces. The band took to the stage at about 9:15 and I was stood at the back of the hall. Unfortunately as they started into the first song I would have to say that the sound they generated didn't set me alight. In my humble opinion (as someone who cant tell one end of an instrument from the other!) all I could say was that I felt that there was something of an issue with the balance of the instruments and the vocals as it just didn't sound as I expected them to. A few songs into the set I took the opportunity to move up to the front of the hall to take some pictures and to my surprise I felt that the sound improved a fair bit the nearer I got to the stage. Time for the break soon arrived and Steves Stack of Wax took over with spinning the discs, which he did very well and managed to get some people up on the floor and bopping and jiving. This also gave me opportunity to visit Dawn with her clothing stall and the CD stall which were set up in the corner. Following the break for the raffle it was time for the band to return to the stage, and following my earlier discovery I found myself a seat near the front and stayed there. The band finished their set about 11:30 with a couple of encouraged encores (so obviously my opinion wasn't reflected by everyone); that then left Steve to rap up the evening with some good old favourites. Overall I would have to say that although I felt the sound improved as I moved forward the sound just didn't seem right. I have however always believed that no band will play brilliantly at every gig they do, and they are all entitled to an off night, and so maybe this was one of those for Jack Rabbit Slim. So if I get a chance I will see them again as there were obviously lots of people at the club who had seen them before and enjoyed them, plus the band have earned themselves a decent reputation on the circuit. The band just wasn't right for me that night and that's not the clubs fault and neither is it necessarily the bands -