I lived in Swingin’ London from 1967 and was a regular at La Chasse Club and knew Jack well, it was always full to bursting and you only got in if Jack knew and liked you, he introduced me to my first husband Graham Knight of Marmalade, those days were fantastic and the memories of those hot, steamy, smokie nights at Le Chasse were and still are unforgettable and never to be forgotten.

I met so many now famous stars there, Jon Anderson, Rick from Status Quo and many more, we all spent many a night talking and then going on to the Speakeasy, The Cromwellian or Bag o’Nails until the wee small hours. A truly fantastic time which I will carry with me always, hoping Jack Barrie is still alive and well, he was loved and respected by us all.

Michelle Dorey, 2 May 2012.

The Marquee reopened after moving from the Academy building in Oxford St. March 13, 1964, my 16th bithday. Friday night with a big bash. Hamish Grimes let me and the rest of our four piece R&B band (not today's meaning), The Motivation in for free, name on the door. I was a kid, singing the Blues and playing harmonica. Sonny Boy Williamson had been my god since I was twelve. Hamish was up on stage introducing the acts against the red and white stripe stage. A backcombed grey suited Rod Stewart sang I'LL PUT A TIGER IN YOUR TANK, winking at Long John Baldry. Very upfront. The Yardbirds and Clapton with Sonny Boy are legend and recorded in The Five Live Yardbirds.

The Marquee was a DRY club.

I was in an empty Men's toilet when Sonny boy came and stood to the stall next to me. He towered over me, asked me where can you get a real drink around here. I told him about the Intrepid Fox just down the street. I went to the door with him and showed him where to go. 10 minutes later, in the break, everyone descended on the pub. Sonny Boy was in there and he nodded and smiled at me.

The most amazing music/club event of my life. Best to you all and a long long life!!!!!

Barry P Beckett, London, UK, April 2009.

DISCOVERY OF LOST TAPE ARCHIVE LEADS TO OFFICIAL 90-MINUTE FILM DOCUMENTARY

Previously unseen & rare footage plus exclusive interviews will chronicle 50 years of the most important venue in music Swing Café Music & Realise Films in conjunction with Nathan Lowry & The Marquee Club are producing the official documentary film of the Marquee for theatrical release during 2010, plus deluxe 4-CD Boxset full of rare and classic songs and lavish coffee-table book.

Nathan Lowry, the owner of the Marquee, received a call a few weeks ago from the widow of an exemployee who had made a remarkable discovery amongst her husbands’ possessions. Says Lowry:

“She told me her husband had worked at the Marquee and kept film footage, tapes and photos going back to the early days of the club. She asked me if we wanted them as she was moving – they were going on a skip otherwise. Of course I said yes and thanks to her, we have recovered some wonderful material. We’re currently restoring the footage but what I have seen so far has blown me away! The immediacy and energy of these amazing bands in the Marquee comes over so strongly I knew we could make something terrific. With footage as special as this, the task became to find the right team to do it justice. I knew of the famous music producer Laurie Jay and his team of Steve Graham and Rob Caiger at Swing Cafe Music through their work on the BBC documentary on Peter Green. They then showed me footage of their new documentary on the Whisky a Go Go in LA and I knew immediately they had the experience and ‘gut-feel’ to make this movie in the right way. We’re now on the hunt for more footage, photos and memorabilia plus any amazing Marquee stories the bands, fans and anyone who came to the club may have. Please get in touch via the website!”

THE MARQUEE NEEDS YOU

Do you have film footage, memorabilia, tape recordings, posters, handbills, etc? Did you play the Marquee or see a life changing concert performance? The Marquee wants to hear from you! This is a unique invitation to participate in the continuing story of the Marquee and all contributions will be credited.

CONTACT THE MARQUEE AT
info@swingcafemusic.com
+ 44 (0) 20 8882 7422
www.themarqueeclub.co.uk

Director: Steve Graham
Currently in production – completion date July 2010
Steve’s recent

Memories on this night

"Punk was moving in fast and we (Lucy) were supporting what's now called 'prog rock' Supercharge from Liverpool. They wouldn't let us use their PA as some bands did. We were paid 20 quid between us.

Lucy (version 1) were a high-energy band featuring future Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen who was just 18 yo at the time. Singer Paul Mewes had a problem with his zipper but bassist Peter Ferris and drummer Len Foster provided a solid base for Phil's razor solos. We finished with a 100mph second encore of Suffragette City. "

Peter Ferris, Australia, February 2009.

Were you at The Marquee club on this night? Share your memories!

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"I’m sure you’ve heard about the famed dressing room in The Marquee, so tiny you couldn’t swing a cat in it... and decorated with EVERYONE’S autograph you could ever imagine. And the twits that tore down the club destroyed that iconic museum piece of musical history... so sad.

When I was with Third World War, we needed to get our act together, so we did a summer tour of Finland playing festivals (35 gigs in 31 days!!!) and then booked a gig at The Marquee upon our return. Our manager, John Fenton, couldn’t believe it was the same band, we had pulled ourselves together so tightly. It was a great gig to a packed house.

What’s interesting, is that we are all still in touch with each other today: John Hawken (piano) lives in New Jersey and still tours Europe with The Strawbs (he was a founder member). Terry Stamp (rhythm guitar and vocals and songwriter) lives in LA and plays gigs in Marina del Rey. Jim Avery (bass) lives here in England in Epsom and still writes songs with Terry. John Knightsbridge (lead) lives in Indianapolis and sells insurance (!!!), and I now live in the “rockbroker belt” of Surrey just down the road from Eric Clapton’s house and am starting a snack food business, still writing and painting and playing whenever I get the opportunity. Hawken and I get together for a drink every year here when he goes on tour with The Strawbs.'".

TheMarqueeClub.net, 2009

Guitarist Brian Sprackling played extensively at The Marquee Club from 1966 to 1968 as a member of Neat Change, one of the most important bands of London's early skinhead scene.

What is the first image that springs to your mind when you hear the words "Marquee Club?”

The best club in London, also the best Venue to be noticed for getting you gigs all over the country. If you played The Marquee, it was relatively easy to be booked anywhere else. It seemed like the ‘rubber stamp’ of approval that you were an OK band. Also, several things spring to mind and in no particular order but I always think of the ad on the back page, top right hand corner of the NME and Melody Maker longing for the day when the band I was playing in was in the ‘Billing’. I also think it goes hand in hand with the black and white border on the ad replicating the awning around the stage, and finally it had a certain smell and when I think of it, it transports me right back to when I was playing there. Fantastic!

Do you remember the very first time you ever visited the club?

Yes, it was for an audition one Saturday afternoon to play at The Marquee. Neat Change were the last to audition. We played 3 original songs penned by our singer Jimmy Edwards and bassist Steve Smith. We were given the courteous ‘thank you’ and ‘we’ll be in touch if you’re selected’. As we were about to breakdown the kit a voice came from out of the darkness asking us to hang on for a moment. We did and then we were asked to play again. This we did and after one number Long John Baldry and Jack Barrie introduced us to John Gee. They had heard our audition (He was playing there that night) and suggested to John Gee that he hear us. John Gee asked if we were playing anywhere on the following Tuesday. We said no and he asked us if we’d like to play with Manfred Man. It didn’t take long for us to say yes. A very memorable visit.

Can you remember the first time you ever played at The Marquee Club?

Yes, but cannot remember the exact date, it was late ’66 and it was supporting Manfred Mann on the Tuesday after the afore mentioned audition. I remember John Gee introducing us as a brilliant ‘find’ by The Marquee Club and that they had heard us playing an audition and just had to get them on the stage. He also said that he knew that they were going to enjoy so put your hands together for Neat Change. We opened with a Contours number, ‘First I look at the purse’. Went down a storm and when we came off stage and went onto the dressing room, John Gee was standing there congratulating us and invited us to have a curry with him afterwards.

As a member of the audience at The Marquee Club, is there any band that you remember especially?

Yes, as playing members of The Marquee Club we got to see many groups before they became famous. Pink Floyd, Yes (when they were called Syn), The Move and Procol Harum, etc. But I especially remember arriving at the club to play one evening and Jimi Hendrix and The Who were making a video in there for some TV program. We felt very privileged to watch two great bands perform in such a fantastic setting. I remember thinking, ‘that’ll be us one day’.

Also, when we were looking for a manager, Chas Chandler came to see us with a view to managing us. All we believe he did was steel our image and give it to Slade (Ambrose Slade). So we can put the myth to bed that Slade were the first skin-head band, they weren’t, Neat Change were.

Which was your most memorable night at The Marquee Club?

The most memorable night for us at The Marquee was the night John Gee banned us from ever playing at the club again. I will explain. Neat Change was a high visibility and high-energy act and we had a fantastic light show with Kaleidoscopes and Strobes (I think we may have been the first at the club to use a strobe) and stage fireworks and smoke bombs. You couldn’t do what we did then today; H&S would not permit it.

There were some 1,300 people in the club on the Saturday night and we were headlining. We always tried to outdo what we had done before when at The Marquee so as to keep the fan base coming along to see what we would do next. We always left the best till last during the last number. The last number was called ‘Mayday’ written by Jimmy Edwards, Steve Smith and myself. It was quite a long number and as the name of the number suggests, was full of energy and inciting panic. During the number we would have stage fireworks and smoke bombs strategically placed around the stage ready to be detonated by the roadies to accentuate the song. The light show was, so I’m told, phenomenal and boosted the already high level of audience expectation.

I will just add at this point, the stage fireworks were not the pretty indoor variety; they only consisted of ‘maroons’. These were specially prepared fireworks by Strand Lighting and were normally used for the 1812 overture as the sound of the cannons, so you can imagine how loud they were. Well, the number was well under way and the light show started then the ‘maroons’ and smoke bombs were detonated. We had arranged with Sonny, The Marquee lighting guy, to turn all the club lights out whilst our ‘show’ was going on so that when we finished with an almighty explosion, the club would be plunged into total darkness and we would then exit the stage. Sonny was then instructed to turn the house lights on after we had left the stage.

When we got back into the dressing room, John Gee was standing there furious as hell and he banned us from ever playing at the club again. How we got back into the club is another story in its own right but as far a memorable goes, you bet it was.

Can you remember who got your gigs at the club?

Initially a chap called John Sleet got us the audition at the club and it went on from there. He also looked after our money and unfortunately kept some of it and started ‘The Roundhouse at Chalk Farm’ renovations with it. Can’t prove it but it was a strong rumour at the time. As a consequence of this we parted company and that’s when Spencer Davis saw us and he became our manager and took us into The John Martin Agency and from there, they got us our Marquee gigs. Spencer Davis dropped us after being banned from The Marquee Club and that’s when Billy Gaff took us on.

Did you ever see other members from your bands performing at The Marquee before or after you played with them?

No, I didn’t, I saw Neat Change there after I left the band. Again, I’ll explain. Billy Gaff had taken us on and he already had The Herd. He decided that we should put out a record. It was all a bit cloak and dagger and we were told not to worry about it. It transpired that Pete Frampton and Andy Bown had written the song. ‘I lied to Auntie May’. Only Jimmy Edwards, our singer, was on it. It was recorded produced and released on Decca before any of us had heard it. We were all round at Billy Gaff’s flat and he played it to us. We, we all looked at one and other and I could see that we all thought it was terrible. Good song but just not us. Ballad with string quartet was not where we were. Never one for being ‘shy’, the band looked at me to voice an opinion. I remember telling Billy Gaff that I thought it was ‘crap’ and nowhere near what we were like as a band. It didn’t let people know what we are like and why didn’t he pick one of our own self-penned numbers. I suppose it was more money for him because he managed Pete Frampton and Andy Bown. It would have been the same difference but I suppose he thought that it stood a better chance because The Herd were charting at the time with ‘Underworld’. Well, unfortunately for me, Billy Gaff was not too taken with that type of candour so he got rid of me from the band as he thought I would be a troublemaker and not easy to manage. Shame for the guys left in the band because the record never made it.

So, in answer to your question, yes, I did see Neat Change at The Marquee as a 4 piece after I left and then once again at The Marquee with Peter Banks. Contrary to belief, Peter Banks was nowhere on ‘I lied to Auntie May’ or the B-side, ‘Sandman’. He was also sacked after about 8 weeks because he didn’t fit in.

Peter Banks told me that he was fired from Neat Change because he refused to cut his long hair to match the skinhead look of the band. Do you remember that?

Peter took my place in the band and I recall talking to Jimmy Edwards, the singer, afterwards and he confirms that that was part of the reason. I am led to believe that he also didn’t like the direction that the music was taking in Neat Change.

Peter also told me on interview that Neat Change tried to move apart from the aggressive look of the skinhead, in comparison with other tough looking bands like Ambrose Slade. He also said that, unlike other skinhead bands, your music was oriented to the West Coast American sound, right?

Peter is sort of right up to a point. Our look when we first appeared at The Marquee was parallel Levi jeans with half-inch turn ups, Fell boots, skin tight ‘T’ shirt, or Ben Sherman, and Braces. Hair was cropped very short. Music we played at the time was mostly covers of music from the States such as The Contours, Jamo Thomlinson, Don Covey, Sam and Dave etc. Plus we had our own self-penned numbers. As we became more regular at The Marquee we introduced more of our own material to our play list and towards the end it was all our own material. The ‘uniform’ did go through a fashion upgrade and we became more the type of smart skin-heads wearing suits or flared trousers with colourful skin-tight tops, but always with the cropped hair. You could say it was a half-way house to hippy. I suppose the music we wrote could have been influenced by our original play list and it’s flattering of Peter to say so. I would have said that our music at the time was very ‘London’ and quite rebellious.

Being in a skinhead band in London 1967, when the hippy thing was on it's peak, how was your relationship with long haired musicians and 'Afghan coat' audiences?

Neat Change had a following of London skinheads but towards the end of our playing days we did attract the fringe hippy audience and our relationship with other bands was fine, the music crossed all those barriers.

Did you see any of the bands of the late 70's skinhead revival at The Marquee?

No, I missed that one but Jimmy Edwards our singer played at the gig with Masterswitch and then Time UK. By the late 70’s I was well into family life but still dabbled in bands, a comedy double act and some stand-up.

Do you have any particular memory about any of the managers of the club, John Gee, Jack Barrie and Nigel Hutchings?

Yes, memories of John and Jack, but not Nigel. John regularly came for a meal with us after we had played the club and on one particular Saturday night, got us a double header at the Speakeasy in Margaret Street. We went along and set our gear up and started to play. I recall there were a couple of famous faces in the audience, like Jimi Hendrix having a drink with Paul McCartney. After the first set, Jimi came up to me and said hello and that he had enjoyed our set. I asked him how I could get the same sound as he on my Strat and Marshall stack and he just told me to turn every dial to the maximum and control the volume with the guitar.

Next thing I know is that he is playing with us during the second set. He was using my Strat, wrongly strung for him but it didn’t seem to matter, and I was using my Gibson SG. So thank you John Gee for that one.

Also remember Jack’s club just up from The Marquee (La Chasse). We used to go in there for a drink before playing and rubbed shoulders with people like Long John Baldry and on one particular night, Jimmy the singer was having a drink and cigarette with a curly haired chap and after he had gone, Jack (Barry) asked us if we knew we were having a drink and cigarette with Bob Dylan, amazing!

Which other notorious people you remember seeing hanging around at Jack Barrie's club?

The only times that we really went to Jack's was when we were playing at The Marquee. Most of the other nights of the week we were playing elsewhere. On the rare nights off when we did go there we would see such people as Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, Jon Anderson, Chris Squire and people such as the Gurvitz Brothers.

Did you get to know the owners of the club, Harold and Barbara Pendleton?

No, never had the privilege.

Can you remember if you or anybody else from your band ever signed your name on the walls of The Marquee's dressing room?

Yes, we all signed our names, Jimmy Edwards (Singer), John Lumley-Savile (keyboards), Steve Smith (Bass), Brian Sprackling (Lead), Bob Chandler (Original drummer) and Ian McLean (Drummer).

More importantly, when we were setting the gear up to play at the club, we used to use the ladies loo as well seeing as how there were none there at the time. It was a revelation to see what was written on their walls. It was far more explicit than the boy’s loo. There was a section there that measured the ‘wedding tackle’ of some bands and their members!

Is there any particular anecdote from The Marquee that always makes you laugh?

Yes, how we got back into The Marquee Club after being banned. I promised I would never tell the story so I suppose I didn’t ought too. Who cares!! I will tell.

We were all sitting in the Farenzzi coffee bar and spaghetti house and it was decided that I should be sent to apologise to John Gee for doing what we did and that we hadn’t realised how much playing at the club meant to us. I wandered the 50 yards up Wardour Street to the club and asked to see John. He came out and asked what the hell I wanted. I told him that I wanted to apologise on behalf of the band for what we had done and please would he forgive us and let us play there again. He looked at me for some time and when he finally spoke, he said that there was only one way that he would let us back in the club. I asked how, we’d do anything. It was a simple request of his; he said that he wanted to have dinner with our singer Jimmy Edwards. Is that it. I asked and he said yes.

I went back and said that we can get back in if Jimmy had dinner with John. Jimmy was a touch resistant to this, as we all knew what John might have had in mind. At first Jimmy said no so I was sent back in to negotiate. Well after several visits back and forth the deal was struck and Jimmy had dinner with John one evening. There are no details that have ever been discussed but the band was eternally grateful to Jimmy for getting us back in the club. We played there a total of 41 times, coming 10th in the league table of appearances.

Did you ever visit The Marquee Club or keep in touch with people from the club after you quit playing there?

I didn’t, but Jimmy the singer did and I think he took his other bands there, Time UK and Masterswitch.

What did you think when you heard about the demolishing of the original building at 90 Wardour street in the 90's?

Gutted. A very large part of London’s Music scene was lost to so called progress. Where will we ever be able to smell that unique odour that the club had?

If you had to define the effect that The Marquee Club had in your life or in your musical career, how would you put it into words?

Wow, how long have you got? You only have to mention, even today, that you played at The Marquee Club in the 60’s and people are all over you wanting to know about it. I would say that it was the springboard for my life in music, cabaret, comedy and the band I play with today. Without its dedication to music of the period and time, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, lots of bands would not have been discovered and be able to enjoy the fruits of their success today.

Justin Colman worked at The Marquee Club as a bartender from 1987 to 1988 under the management of Jack Barrie.

What is the first image that springs to your mind when you hear the words Marquee Club?

The dark, the sticky floors, the terrible fake copper, sharp and dangerous bar-top, the completely unreliable coke-dispensing guns with a tendency to explode mid-poor! Tomato Sauce flavour crisps, the dilapidated 'bomb-blast' decor and the unmistakable dirty smell of Rock 'N' Roll!

Do you remember the very first time you ever visited the club?

The very first time I walked in to The Marquee on 90 Wardour Street, the first person I saw was Joe Strummer! He was sitting in the seating area to the right of the bar as you walk in to the first room, tuning his guitar. I knew I was in the right place!

As there was no one else to be seen in the place it was down to him to answer my obvious question as to where the manager could be found (I was looking for Bush or Paul). So instead of asking him all the questions dying to leap from the mouth of an impressionable young music fan (ie 'Sandanista' - what was all that about Joe?), I ended up basically asking him directions. He was very genial and polite, even wishing me luck with securing the post of barman, my intended goal upon entering the club. Turns out he was playing with his new band that night and hence providing the soundtrack to my first evening behind the bar in The Marquee.

Can you remember how did you get the job at the club?

Yes, I was working for TFA Stage Sound but there was no real connection between them and The Marquee. I got the job purely by chance in that I was walking past the club one Saturday afternoon with my mate Jez and we saw a sign on the door saying: 'Help Wanted' or something like that. I knocked on the door and some guy said come back at 6 that evening. So we walked around town for a while and then I went back to the club, which is when I walked in and met Joe.

What kind of work would do and how was a typical working day at The Marquee?

My job was that purely of barman. I would typically do three or four shifts a week - something like Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and some Saturdays and Sundays. The shift would start at 6 and end at whenever we finished which was usually 11:30 to 12:00. I was often able to get the last tube home. If not, there was a night bus service. So the job was simply serving drinks behind the bar(s). At the beginning of the shift we'd decide who was working on which bar.

The front bar was always busier and quieter but the back bar was actually in the auditorium so was fairly loud and the punters had to shout to be heard. Obviously, if you liked the band it was good to be in the back bar and vica versa. At the end of the night we'd clean up and go home - and that was it really in terms of what I actually did. What made it was the bands, the characters and the atmosphere of the place.

As a member of the audience at The Marquee Club, is there any band that you remember especially?

I think my most treasured memory from that time was seeing Guns 'N Roses for their first ever gigs in the UK. They did a couple of shows at The Marquee and had been eagerly anticipated.

At the time, Soho was awash with the glam rock and poodle hair look from across the pond with bands like Poison, Ratt, Pretty Boy Floyd, Tiger Tailz, etc. being the bands of the time. But to see these dirty rock 'n rollers tear the place apart was quite a spectacle. They were so much more like a punk band in attitude but doing AC/DC covers and the like. I saw so many lame so called 'hard' bands but with Guns 'N Roses - I definitely remember thinking that this was like something I'd never seen before, they had so much power on stage and were so together although off stage they seemed really un-together as people and a bit of a mess really. Quite pleasant really and before the show we kind of thought they were harmless buffoons but on stage they totally transformed in to a band that were truly as a whole, greater than the sum of their parts.

It wasn't all good though and I can remember two acts that stood out at the time especially as being just totally incapable and lacking any ability at all, down to the point where the guitars weren't in tune, the singer was way off and they forgot the lyrics/chords etc. A cacophony of aimless noise and feedback. They were a band called Transvision Vamp and a singer called Terence Trent D'arby. Admittedly, I saw them in their earliest incarnations but I just remember them being so staggeringly awful that I found it unbelievable that they went on to have a limited form of success.

During the time you worked at The Marquee you witnessed many of the infamous secret gigs from famous bands, such as the shooting of Marillion's video clip “Incommunicado��?. Do you remember about it?

Fish was a really nice bloke and he drank in the manner of his moniker and I distinctly remember his drink. -Something like 4 measures of brandy in a pint glass with ice and filled with coke. This he drank all night and he's a big bloke, that's a lot of drunk man to be careering around the relatively small Marquee stage. They took shoot after shoot and each one was worse and worse, problem was that everyone in the band and crew etc. seemed to be drinking at the same inane speed so no-one could really tell except us the bar staff! Think we got out of there at 3 or 4 in the morning, something like that. Complete train wreck. 7-.

Marillion's Keyboardist Mark Kelly played the roll for the bartender at The Marquee. Were you featured in the video?

I wasn't in the video but one of my co-workers, Justine, was although only briefly. She was a lot better looking than me after all.

Is there any other secret gigs that you specially remember?

There was a kind of tradition of having secret or fan-club only type gigs over Christmas and the new year period. I remember The Sisters Of Mercy playing but have forgotten a lot of that as I went in on a night off and was drinking.

Brian Adams did a secret show there once and I remember it being so hot people were fainting and all the walls were wet with sweat and condensation, it was so packed that no-one could move. God knows how many times we doubled the fire-capacity limit, don't know if we even had one!

Ronnie Wood used to come in and play sometimes unexpectedly as well.

Do you have any particular memory about manager Jack Barrie?

What I do remember about Jack was him leering at the male bar staffs backsides whilst we were restocking the shelves and making lurid comments about and to us. All very jovial though and I got on well with Jack. When he was inclined to reminisce, he was a very interesting man and had had quite an interesting life. I can't think of The Marquee without thinking about Jack.

You also worked with manager BushTelfer and assistant Paul McAvoy. What is your memory about them?

Bush was OK, told some great stories. I believe he had some connection with some band like The Bay City Rollers or Sweet. Paul was quite aloof, quiet and had slicked back hair and leather trousers. He liked The Bolshoi (not the ballet!), an indie band of the time. Paul was generous, I remember that, and better at counting money at the end of the night than Bush!

At the bar, you worked along with Tim Wilkinson. What do you remember about him?

Tim and I kept in contact after The Marquee days and still have some contact up to this day. Tim was a very nice bloke, knowledgeable in the ways of rock and he started work at The Marquee the day after me, so we always got along. Tim had a straight job doing 9-5 and then came to work. We went to Reading Rock together and we spent many a night out around the haunts of the rock circuit in Soho: Gossips, St Moritz and The Lido Chinese restaurant that was open all night. We saw the humour in all the hair, make up and girly clothes and never took it too seriously. Great days.

Justin Colman with DJs Monty Zero and Martin Ball at Reading Rock backstage, 1987

During the time you worked at The Marquee Monty Zero, Martin Ball and Nick Henbry were the resident Djs. What is your memory about them?

Monty was the cool one in black leather jacket and blonde hair. He played more American and weirder stuff whereas Martin was more traditional and played a lot of British rock. That's how I remember it anyway!

Do you remember any other people from the staff at The Marquee?

Czar was the doorman, and probably still is! We always set aside a bucket full of Newcastle Brown Ale on ice for him that he drank throughout the night, every night. Jovial chap, probably had to put up with a lot of crap. He was good friends with Lemmy, if I remember correctly. As for the others, yes, I remember 'Donkey Paul' and Janice and Paul but really they're just names, I can't remember any real details.

Did you become friend with any of the musicians that were performing at The Marquee during those days??

Not really 'friends' as such but I would drink with Lemmy sometimes over at the St. Moritz club over the road after work. My mate Tim knew Dumpy of Dumpy's Rusty Nuts' "fame".

I also vaguely knew a couple of characters called Butz and Spike, they ran a rock night in Gossips and Spike was in a band called The Quireboys who had some limited success.

Justin Colman at Reading Rock backstage, 1987

You also got involved in Reading Festival, is that right?

Yes, Tim and I and few others went down as we had passes to go anywhere as The Marquee was heavily involved in organising Reading Rock. I don't think we actually did any work in the end but just spent the whole weekend 'ligging' as they used to say.

I loved going to Reading Rock, it was like a mini adventure. I remember driving down there at night with Tim in his car and the atmosphere when we arrived, even though it was dark just seemed electric. We saw Alice Cooper and loved it when some of our lot took the stage: Quireboys, Dumpy, etc. It was as if they were our team at this big event with acts from round the world.

Talking about ligging, how much is true about this legend about the groupies at The Marquee

Right, what can I say? If you think about it, you're working behind the bar at one of the coolest rock 'n roll venues in the city, it's a legendary place. So obviously there is a certain attraction there.

So yes, I received propositions of various activities, some of which I took up, others I didn't. Think I got a bit choosy! God if only I had that problem now! As a matter of fact I went out with a girl that approached me in the club for a fair while. A lot of people wanted their picture taken with you as well which was all a bit strange, often Americans. On the whole I don't think I abused my position, well no more than the next man anyway!

Is there any particular anecdote from The Marquee that always makes you laugh?

Many , but one I often tell is this, when the topic of 'drummer jokes' comes up: each night someone was assigned to look after the band and their back-stage needs; usually just their rider, the drinks etc. One night, I was backstage doing this with a band called Lords Of The New Church, part of the goth scene at the time but they were quite popular. Well, I went in to the dressing room before they went back out for their encore and one of the guys was on the floor looking like he was having a fit or something. So I asked if he needed help as they seemed to be ignoring him and the answer came back 'No mate, it's alright, he's a drummer' so I let them get on with it. Next minute he was up and behind the kit. Never found out what was happening to him, just took it on board that he's a drummer and that's what they do!

Did you ever visit The Marquee Club or keep in touch with people from the club after you quit working there?

I went back a couple of times when it moved to Charing Cross Road but it was getting more corporate and wasn't the same.

What did you think when you heard about the demolishing of the original building at 90 Wardour street in the 90's?

Just sadness really that it was deemed more important for a restaurant to be there than a piece of London's history. London has many restaurants, it only had one Marquee.

If you had to define the effect that The Marquee Club had in your life, how would you put it into words?

Pivotal. A baptism by fire into the seedy underbelly of rock 'n roll London in the eighties.

My time there is precious to me and I shall never forget it. In those few years I saw hundreds of bands and it gave me a good ear. The sheer rush of being there whilst these bands played merely feet away was exhilarating. It was a treasured time.

Born on the 7th of August, 1966, in Gillingham, Kent, UK, Justin Colman worked as a bartender at The Marquee Club between April 1987 and July 1988, under the management of Jack Barrie.

Before his involvement in The Marquee Club, Colman worked for a sound engineering company called TFA Stage Sound, which was later incorporated into Samuelson's Concert Productions based in Cricklewood, London.

After leaving The Marquee, he went and lived on a Kibbutz in Israel for a while and whilst there did some more sound engineering work for a company called Aleph Bet Electronica in Tel Aviv.

Justin returned to England the next year and worked as a security guard for a company called Security Express before again returning to Israel in the summer of '89. He then returned to the UK and again worked for SE and another security company called Sterling until the summer of 1990 when I again hitch-hiked back to Israel and the kibbutz. He later spent some time in Egypt and after that India and Nepal for several months and I returned to London to work for Marshall Cavendish Publications in the picture library department.

In, he went to Brighton to do a 4 year degree course in teaching and later worked as a teacher and also went to teach to Japan in 1998.

In 2003, Justin Colman quit teaching and started working for Brighton & Hove Social Services, looking after people with learning disabilities in residential care.

Interview with Justin Colman

What is the first image that springs to your mind when you hear the words Marquee Club??

Hot sweaty nights. It was so hot in there when the place was packed, we had to have industrial coolers blowing across the stage to ensure we didn't pass out with the heat.

As a member of the audience at The Marquee Club, is there any band that you remember especially?

As a member of the audience? Y&T, great hard melodic rock band from San Francisco.

Which was your most memorable night at The Marquee Club?

The most memorable was on January 3rd when Spider headlined the gig and Marillion were the support act.

Can you remember who got your gigs at the club?

We were asked to play there as support to somebody or other... I cannot remember who or when exactly. After we had supported Slade on a national tour, and had a session on BBC Radio One Friday Rock show in late 1981. From then on in every gig we played at The Marquee was a headliner.

Do you have any particular memory about any of the managers of the club?

I remember very well a guy that we used to know as 'Bush'. He was a great guy.

Can you remember if you or anybody else from your band ever signed your name on the walls of The Marquee's dressing room?

I'm sure we must've done, though thinking about it we'd of been hard pushed to find space.

Spider played at Reading Festival in 1982. Which is your memory about it?

My memories of it are that we opened the days proceedings on the Sunday and went down particularly well. Also on the bill that year were Y&T, Twisted Sister, Marillion, Michael Schenker Group, Jackie Lynton etc... We had a track on The BBC album Reading Rocks 1? which is a good reminder of the day 'All The Time'.

Is there any particular anecdote from The Marquee that always makes you laugh?

Yes, diving offstage to urgently pay a visit to the backstage toilet to take a leak and being unable to do so because the support bands drummer was engaged in 'relations' with a young lady. A plastic bottle was urgently sought out and put to good use.

Did you ever visit The Marquee Club or keep in touch with people from the club after you quit playing there?

I Visited a couple of times to see other bands and saw 'Bush' regularly there.

What did you think when you heard about the demolishing of the original building at 90 Wardour street in the 90's?

My first thought was: “there goes a great piece of music history?.

If you had to define the effect that The Marquee Club had in your life or in your musical career, how would you put it into words?

It was a great honor to play The Marquee Club. There was a certain sense of achievement as a musician if you got to play there. I was fortunate to do so many, many times.