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October, 1964
18th December 1964
3 December 1965
30 Jan 1965
Advertised 10 December 1965
Advertised 10 December 1965
Advertised 18 December 1965
I was there!
Although Life 'n' Soul were a local band, the queue to get in was the longest I can remember. But who were Winston G?
18 August 1967
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"I can remember seeing queues right outside the building and round the corner to get in to see LIFE 'N' SOUL and, in the days prior to the Weights and Measures people getting involved with the agent London Attractions, seeing three of the FABULOUS TEMPTATIONS reappearing the very next week as THE INCREDIBLE ISLEY BROTHERS.
It was always my ambition to top the bill at the NCH which I first did on the Saturday between a mid-week Christmas and NYE (notoriously a dead night) with thick fog covering the north-west.
It took us over an hour to get four miles to the gig and, needless to say, the place was almost empty. A major disappointment in life.
The advert top left was another disappointment - Phoenix City Smash were double booked with the Staxx Club in Wythenshawe and replaced at NCH by a band called Penny Arcade."
Paul Mlynarz,
Phoenix City Smash
"I can recall Lee Dorsey doing a wonderful set as also did Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, The Love Affair and Chuck Berry. The Bay City Rollers did their first ever gig outside Scotland at The New Century Hall."
Dave Eager
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Another great picture update from Graham Pilkington!
The rear of NCH - how many muso's got their gear up those steps?
I remember hanging round the back watching Amen Corner's gear come out. Of all the bands I saw, I wonder why them?
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"I used to go to the New Century Hall and other clubs between about '67 to '69. NCH mostly frequented by under 16's because it didn't have a drinks licence: the original teeny bopper place. Very much a soul music venue, and with its big floor, a forerunner of the Wigan Casino dance style.
Saw many great soul
acts, but always remember Pink Floyd (It was a big name band, sure it was the Floyd), completely miss booked. All the teeny boppers left the room in boredom and went to the soft drinks bar outside it,. Pink Floyd did the full "Head" performance, with a big drama smashing of the kit as the finale. The venue was full, but no one was interested, so they did all this to about 20 people left in the hall. Then the soul dj started again and everyone came back in. Quite amazing, but absolutely true.
I saw lots of good soul groups at the NCH, definitely the Platters, The Drifters, - I believe at least one of the "Drifters" we saw was genuine; they were our favourite, plus more contemporary soul acts"
David Lees
In the late 1960s I saw Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band perform, on a Saturday evening I think. The times, however were a changin. Geno appeared in almost hippy gear and performed a rendition of John Lennon's Cold Turkey and not a great deal from his Marble Arch heyday. My girlfriend at the time Carol F, had blond feathered short hair. She had this great black PVC coat, pale lipstick, black mascara and wore black baggy trousers.
I think I had a green mohair suit and como plain toe shoes, hair was never that short but everyone looked like the Phoenix City band c1968. However, we were feeling our ages ie late teens as the teenyboppers, some probably 12-13 ages, in the other large disco had taken over, completely ignoring poor Geno, with a preference to theatrics to Funky Street by Arthur Conley etc.
Wonder what happened to Carol.
Warren Taylor
My favourites were Dixie's Don'ts, who were friends of Dave Eager.
At the time many groups were doing the wreck equipment, start fires, sort of performance as favoured by the Who, Creation, etc. Such mayhem not permitted at the NCHall, so when the Dont's did "Painter Man" the paintings were on polystyrene ceiling tiles and then they sprayed them with acetone or nail polish remover!
Far Out, Man!!! Whatever happened to Dixie's Don'ts?
Another memory - that sprung dance floor.. Feeling the movement of it when we were all dancing to, for instance,"Tramp"by Otis and Carla. The little wheelie contraption as Dave and Pete came on.
Saw Cat Stevens, Move, St.Louis Union - all for about half a crown or five bob a time, tops.12 and a half, twenty five pee.
Christine Oliver
First major club/dance scene I went to after I outgrew Brown's club in Stretford.
Met my first wife there 7th October 1967. Can't remember who was on, to busy snogging at the back of the hall.
The Who were billed to play there around that time but, being in love with my first real girlfriend, I went to Blackpool instead to see the lights with her.
Used to put her on the 10.45 train to Oldham and then sprint down to the Shambles for a pint before they shut.
Thinking back, I can't believe that I was expected to be in by 11.30pm and so was Sue. I had just turned 18!!!
Peter Aisthorpe-Buckley
10/1/09
NCH DJ Kevin Lane's promo picture
Another regular gig for the Manchester Federals, supported Screaming Lord Such and the Merseybeats here.The hall had a springy dance floor which was pretty innovative in them days.
Chris Evans
11/3/09
And this is where it all started! The beginning of 1965 aged 13 and all those Manchester groups - the Manchester scene; Wayne Fontana & later just the Mindbenders, The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, The Four Pennies, St Louis Union and then the shock of my life, couldn't believe what I was seeing, The Move. Came from Brum of all places and wow! They'd only been together 2 months and they got regular gigs in Manchester after that.
God, I remember many an hour spent on those steps round the back, waiting for someone to appear.
Don't remember much dancing - we made sure we all got there early so we were all squashed in at the front by the stage.
Liz Williams
9/8/09
From the Manchester Evening News: Lee Dorsey and The Black Velvets on 29 October 1966.
Nick Warburton
26/6/10
Me and my friend Janet used to come to NCH every saturday night. It was a great place.
One night on our way to the hall we were being followed by two scruffy lads (long hair etc ) and they were trying to chat us up. We got to the entrance to get into the hall and scruufy lads tried to get in too ... lol ... they said they were with us. Bouncers chucked em out and let us enter.
A few weeks later we were surprised to see same lads on stage ....they were in Joe Cocker and the Grease Band. One of them playing the drums lol.They kept waving at me and my friend Janet.
Good times hehehehehehehehehe
Ann Horan
26/2/11
My most abiding memory was seeing an awesome set from Joe Cocker and The Grease Band, they'd just released 'With a Little Help From My Friends', brilliant.
The soul night discos were superb too, I did see Love Affair, there was the controversy about whether they'd played the backing on the original recording of 'Everlasting Love' and so the band opened by leading with drums, then bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards coming in finally, I'm sure Steve Ellis attempted to vault the keyboards as he ran on stage, caught his foot and toppled the lot, then accidently disconnected his mic as he tried to recover, does anyone else remember that? None the less they were excellent!
Then the sprint for the last train home from Piccadilly.
Howard Jones
21/9/11
I loved NCH saw The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Andy Fairweatherlow,The Equal's, it was great. That was about 1968-1969, went with my pal Denise Morgan.
Maria Barlow Steele
28/10/11
I spent almost every Saturday night at the NCH seeing bands like the Love Affair, Amen Corner, Jimi Hendrix, Geno Washington - I could go on and on. Favourite local band was Dixies Donts.
Music was always great and that sprung dancefloor was something else. If you stopped dancing while the record was still playing, you could actually feel the floor flexing!
A great, cheap night out.
Sue Robinson
1/11/11
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