Tag Archives: Aylesbury

David Bowie Earthly Messanger

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The Friars Club of Aylesbury brought many famous bands to the town. It was about to end when I moved to Aylesbury back in 1982. I didn’t know of it, and shortly after I moved here, the club closed.  In the early 70’s David Bowie debuted two albums in Aylesbury.  The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust on the 21st September 1971 and Spiders from Mars on the 29th January 1992.

On the 16th January 2016, David Bowie died. After a special event in Aylesbury, a week after his untimely death a petition was started to create a David Bowie statue. The council agreed, but would give no money. A Kickstarter project was started to raise the money. The money was raised and the statue built. It was installed while I was travelling in New Zealand. It has taken me until the 17th October to actually go into Aylesbury and see the statue which I contributed to. It well worth spending the time to see it, and be there at the top of the hour. A random track from David’s music is played every hour.

For those who live far away, there is a live David Bowie webcam.

 

King Crimson at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

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King Crimson at the Aylesbury Waterside TheatreKing Crimson at the Aylesbury Waterside TheatreMonths ago I ordered a ticket to see King Crimson at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.  This was the start of their tour where they are playing their music from the 70s  The first two dates were at Aylesbury, put on by the Friars Club. (There was an earlier private event at the Waterside the day before.) The reason for the first UK tour dates being hosted by Friars was Kings Crimson’s long association with them.

Well the day came, and I remembered the gig, still sitting at home, almost an hour after it had started.  I was gutted.  Luckily there were still a few good tickets available the next day, and more importantly I was given permission to go and see King Crimson.   Arrived at Aylesbury in plenty of time, time to have a pint at the Farmers Bar in the Kings Head where there were some drinkers waiting to see King Crimson, and others who had been the day before.

Back to the theatre, King Crimson merchandise purchased and then into the theatre.  What a sight – three drum sets at the front of the stage.

What an evening.  The set of three drums was phenomenal, the way they interacted.  The encore, brought tears to my eyes.  All the music was familiar King Crimson.  The encore of  The Court of the Crimson King and 21st Century Schizoid Man sealed a great evening.

The Play List

Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part One
One More Red Nightmare
VROOOM
Suitable Grounds for the Blues
Radical Action (To Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind)
Meltdown
Hell Hounds of Krim
Easy Money
The ConstruKction of Light
(Part One only, no vocals)
Level Five
Epitaph
Interlude
The Talking Drum
Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two
Starless
Encore
Devil Dogs Of Tessellation Row
The Court of the Crimson King
21st Century Schizoid Man

My T shirt

King Crimson Tee Shirt, The Back

King Crimson Tee Shirt, The Back


King Crimson Tee Shirt, The Front

King Crimson Tee Shirt, The Front

Waterside Theatre

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My first visit to Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre.  Selina had bought Rosemary, Phil & me tickets to see “The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime”, a play about an autistic teenager.   The staging of it was fantastic.  A black box, with a grid pattern and lights at the grid intersections which indicated a houses, or furniture, or a tube station. Very, very clever. It took me a while to understand what the plot was, never having read the book (both girls had, of course). All I had heard was a mention of Sherlock Holmes, so I was wondering when Sherlock would arrive, or was this a great detective story?  My problem had been a quick google of the title only without reading even a synopsis.

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime” is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title quotes the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1892 short story “Silver Blaze”.

Think I missed the word title in the above quote when I read it.

As a first time visitor to the Waterside Theater I was quite impressed.

Wonder what it will be like when it’s rearranged for the King Crimson concert I am going to on the 31st August (without Rosemary).

The Friars Club exhibition at Aylesbury Museum

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Marillion Poster at Friars Club exhibition

Marillion Poster at Friars Club exhibition

I have returned from the Friars Club exhibition in the Aylesbury Museum.  It has been on for several months and I have only just managed to get to it.  The Friars Club was the host for many rock bands during the 70’s and early 80’s.  Famous names like Free, David Bowie, Blondie, Pink Floyd, Emerson Lake and Palmer played Aylesbury in their early days of success.  Friars club was still running when I first moved to the area back in 1982, alas the club stopped in 1984 before I had even heard of it.  It has reformed, but is not running the weekly events it was renowned for.

Emerson Lake and Palmer poster at Friars Club

Emerson Lake and Palmer poster at Friars Club

The exhibition consisted of the advertising posters, band booking contracts, ticket stubs, band pictures, news letters etc.  There was a drum set from Pink Floyd on show, along with the bass guitar from Marillion.  To me the Friars club did not exist, the exhibition though was still a throw back in memory lane, remembering all those bands who had played in my formative youth.  When I saw a poster for Rare Bird, I immediately thought of the vinyl album back at home which I have not played for years.  That will be going on the record deck shortly.

Pink Floyd drum set at Friars Club

Pink Floyd drum set at Friars Club

I went around the the exhibition with a friend who was in her teens in the early 80’s, she had visited Friars club in its later days between 1982 and 1984.  She said it had been the only good thing to have come out of Aylesbury.  She recounted how her £6 pocket money for the week went on £4 for a ticket to Friars and the £2 on drink and chips.

Another pricing point, in the early 70’s a ticket cost 70p.  Glastonbury first ticket in the 70’s was a pound, with free milk on tap.  Now the price is £210.  OK can’t compare the first Glastonbury festival with a Friars Club gig, and todays Glastonbury.