SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Phips wrote: Sometimes there were Rock 'n' Roll nights there, and the place was taken over by Teds. Anyone remember Crazy Cavan & the Rythm Rockers? (still going), The Riot Rockers, or, on a less busy night, Namesake (though they were often at The Gaiety). Hi PhippsI certainly remember the Rock 'n' Roll nights, used to be Monday as a rule, didn't it? I've just had a look at my list of gigs I kept in the late 70's to early 80's, these are the RnR bands I saw at the Fforde Grene:Matchbox, Don E Sibley's Dixie Phoenix, Flying Saucers, Johnny Storm and Memphis, Shades, Remember This, Johnny and the Jailbirds, Riot Rockers, Johnny and the Roccos, Vernon and the GI's, Crazy Cavan.Hope those names bring back a few memories for you.Other bands I saw at the Ffordey included the brilliant local bands The Sneakers (how I miss them, even now), Dale Hargreaves' Flamingos, Sharp Practice, New King Snakes, and The Prowlers (still playing, saw them this year at the Irish Centre suppporting Wilko Johnson), and more well known acts including Girl's School, Bomber, Lew Lewis & Reformer, The Blues Band, The Dance Band, John Cooper-Clarke, Dr Feelgood, and the Steve Gibbons Band.

Wow - thanks Bruno. Matchbox, Johnny Storm, Remember This - yes, stirred some good old keys there! Don't think the Dave Lee Sound or Hotfoot Gale used to play there much, if at all. Other R'n'R places were the Astoria, Gaiety, sometimes the Wykebeck and occasionally the Shaftsbury. What was the name of the 'wild west' themed place I think in East End Park somewhere? Plenty of Teds about in those days eh? The opening record the DJ used to play at The Fforde was either by Be Bop Deluxe, the Steve Miller Band or early Queen. And the last invariably Freebird or Stairway to Heaven. Oh for a pint of flat electric Tetely's in an oversized glass......     

Phips wrote: Wow - thanks Bruno. What was the name of the 'wild west' themed place I think in East End Park somewhere?      Was it Prospect City?

Prospect! Thank you - that's it. Used to be cowboys who went there, and to see Hank Rogers at the New Eagle and the White Swan (the one near the Corn Exchange).

I remember seeing Iron Maiden at the Fforde back in the late 70's.Regards.

Sorry to be a bit pedantic but the Sex Pistols didn't play the Fforde Greene on the Anarchy tour in December 1976 - the only Leeds date they played on that tour was at the Polytechnic (one of only a handful of dates that survived the mass bannings).They did however play the Fforde Greene in early September 1976.

JPChere's 4 pages for you to read

This might be better here where many of the bands are mentioned -JPC Location: Joined on: 20-Nov-2011 11:47:22Posted: 1 posts # Posted on: 20-Nov-2011 11:59:56.    Edit | Quote Hello I am new here and I hope that this thread has not been covered before. I was born and brought up in Chapeltown, Hillcrest View to be exact, and left Leeds aged 18 in 1974. My first local was the Fforde Greene. Allways a great music venue I saw a diffferent band every Friday night. As it was such a long ago I can only remember the name of 3 bands that I saw. They are, Oscar a band from Manchester, Bob Kerrs Whoope Band and Be Bop Deluxe, who did you see there?

Saw Pere Ubu there late 70/early 80's

I seem to have a recollection that Dire Straits played the Fforde Grene sometime during 1977. I first saw them on the TV programme hosted by Peter Cook, the name of which is currently eluding me. It was obvious that Sultans of Swing was going to be big. I am sure a mate of mine told me that they had appeared at the Fforde Grene.Hopefully someone can confirm this.