Tamworth Herald – Record and Film – Review Friday December 6th 1963
ROLLING STONES TAKE TAMWORTH BY STORM
Tamworth Assembly Rooms erupted to a crescendo of female screams at 8.52pm on Monday night as the green velvet curtains slid slowly apart to reveal five lads with a pulsating beat streaming from their amplifiers.
Five young lads with more hair hanging over their ears and around their shoulders than the Beatles ever had, produced the biggest audience appeal that has ever hit the Assembly Rooms and when you consider the talent which has stepped onto the same stage – The Beatles, The Big Three, The Bachelors, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Bruisers – you have an idea of the impact made by these five talented youngsters from down-south.
The crowded hall – more crowded than I have ever seen it before – was a mass moving to a tremendous rhythm which oused[sic.] from the fingers and throats of the Rolling Stones.
If there was such a word as ‘class’ in this realm of entertainment, these lads would be one of the groups to be tabbed with the word.
They were not just a good group they were fantastic – and the people who lost were those who didn’t go along to see them.
They were a thoroughly professional group – none of this semi-professionalism which is so prevalent at the moment – and as well as being knowledgeable musicians they have that uncommon ability of putting it over in a way that creates havoc in the female population.
But what was happening before the show back-stage?
Bass guitarist Bill Wyman, was quietly sitting in the dressing room engrossed in a science-fiction thriller while blonde rhythm guitarist Brian Jones was simply pounding away on a set of drums, an instrument which he said had always fascinated him.
The other three, vocalist, Mick Jagger, lead guitarist Keith Richard; and drummer Charlie Watts paced impatiently up and down making sure everything was in its place.
And after the show? The band weren’t given a chance to get away as wave after wave of autograph hunters flocked onto the stage.
Well they say 'a Rolling Stone gathers no moss' but at least these lads will soon be gathering a following which will be from coast to coast.
For some reason we never appeared on any of the promotion material for the Rolling Stones gig although we were booked for it and did appear. In fact I ended up using Charlie Watts drum kit. We were playing our first set when the casting holding my rack tom snapped. The drum rolled across the stage and disappeared into the crowd. The next thing I know is Charlie Watts walking onto the stage carrying his drum kit, he picks mine up, moves it out of the road and replaces it with his. "You can use mine", he said and disappears off stage carrying my drum kit. So I ended up using his kit all night, I suppose it reduced the kit movement!
Thanks to: Jim Twigg (The Three Spirits)
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