RAPIERS ARE GO!

Colin on Shadowmania Eve

Roy and Cathy Cresswell's pre-Shadowmania Friday Night Social has become a must-attend fall event, where true Shadoraks indulge their passions playing, meeting performers and schmoozing the eve of Bruce Welch's all-dayer.

Here's a taste. Nathan J. Hulse just forwarded this clip of Colin Pryce-Jones, with little prompting, regaling the room with how The Shads changed his life, how he met them for the first time and how they continue to inspire him. Press here or anywhere on the clip to play.

When The Kaisers Met The Rapiers

Speaking of The Kaisers, cast your peepers back six falls to a mega-thrilling night in November 2001 when these rockin' Glaswegians shared a North London stage with The Rapiers in a self-described "Beat Battle".

Certainly not for the feint-hearted, this summit meeting "brought the flippin' roof down" at the Dirty Water Club inside the Boston Arms. To document this momentous meeting, we had several reports, pre and post.

• Rapiers Update!—14 October 2001
• Rapiers Update!—18 November 2002
• Rapiers Update!—1 December 2001

Here's an excerpt from the last:

"What a great crowd, they were so with us," said Colin Pryce-Jones, two days after The Rapiers' Tufnell Park gig with The Kaisers and Waistcoats. "Just a terrific night from the point of view of both audience and players—it couldn't have been any better. One guy, in fact, told me he came all the way from Germany to see the show. And The Kaisers were absolutely knock-out."

Kaisers Members Update

One of our stalwart Beat comrades in arms, Sir Anthony, earns a nice namecheck in the November 2007 Record Collector, part of a "Where Are They Now?" update on The Kaisers, Rapiers musical brethren of the highest order.

NB: See The Kaisers on YouTube and MySpace.

Send a Rapiers ecard

You've got mail!

What better way to cheer up friends, delight colleagues and show off your rock 'n' roll allegiance than by sending a free ecard from Nathan J. Hulse's photo blog.

OK, there are only two Rapiers shots posted so far, like this "from on high" shot of John Tuck. But I expect more over the coming weeks. Right, Nathan?

Bubbles v. Rapiers

Based on scanning the venue's what's on listings, a cheeky fan ponders if The Rapiers and Jet Harris's Me and My Shadows show wasn't double booked by accident with other enterainment at the Wyllyotts Theatre two weekends hence.

A quick peek does raise suspicion:

Fortunately, Bubbles and Co. are slotted at 11 a.m., a most agreeable time for a kiddywink crowd. It is hoped the stage will be dry in time for an 8 p.m. start for MAMS enthusisasts.

Calling MySpace

Kudos, well-wishes and "where am I now?" posts found in various inboxes on our MySpace domain...

Hi, Rapiers!

Remember me? I don't think I've seen you in about 15 years. And I never thought I'd see you on My Space but here you are! I am so happy to see you're still going strong. Looking and sounding good!

I'm living in America now... left good old England four years ago and never looked back.

Lots of love to Colin and John.

Debbie
(The tattooed nurse from the Three Crowns Pub)

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Hi, Rapiers!

Just refreshed my Rapiers experience, love that Gonzales flick.

Will Birch
The Records

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Hello, guys!

Second year of seeing you [at Shadowmania] and thought you were even better than the first time (and you were absolutely brilliant then).

We have the opportunity of seeing you again on Saturday, 20 October at Southend-on-Sea and to be honest we can't wait. We're really hoping we get another chance to see that fabulous rendition of The Grandfather's Clock.

Until then, keep up the great work.

Paul and Colleen

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Jet's Main Theme

Boom boom boom boom-be-boom boom boom...

Speaking of Jet Harris, and we were this week, here's the lad in his oh-so-young heyday, p'rhaps 1962 or 1963 (no one can verify the exact date or transmission source), swallowing the whole stage to mime to the Man With the Golden Arm, a monster of a track he features to this day in his Me and My Shadows stage show with The Rapiers providing the thunderous backing.

Sublime Sleepwalk

Ever succinct, ever cool, Jet Harris offers the last word: "He's good, isn't he?"

That's his summation of Colin Pryce-Jones's masterful playing on the old Santo and Johnny instrumental standard, done live at the Medina Theatre on the Isle of Wight seven years ago and part of Jet Harris Live, a concert DVD available from Leo's Den.

Check Out Nathan's Photo Blog

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Point. Snap. Share.

A seaside sunset at Christchurch Harbour, singer Suzi Jari dollying herself up, a spectral theatre scene and a so-called "random Italian street" colour the new photo blog of our very own Nathan J. Hulse.

4 Rapiers, 8 Numbers

Rumour says punters at the 3 November Me and My Shadows gig at Potters Bar's Wyllyotts Theatre can expect Dave Lawes on rhythm guitar plus—wait for it!—an opening salvo of eight—not the customary six—Rapiers tunes before they bring on guests Mike Sarne, Billie Davis and Jet Harris.

Maybe it's the proximity to Rapiers HQ (Edmonton and Enfield), maybe it's in anticipation of Guy Fawkes fireworks 48 hours later. Whatever, we'll greedily sup it up.

Post o' the Week: Ex-Foottapper Sings Praises

Hi Rapiers!

Thought I'd send you a quick email saying how great I think you guys are.

I was at Shadowmania this year and when you guys started to play the hair stood up on the back of my neck. The first highlight was seeing The Foottappers, the band I used to play lead guitar for, but then my opinion changed when you guys came on—you were the best highlight of the day. Awesome sound from Colin Pryce-Jones—it was THAT SOUND.

Hope you can play the Midlands soon.

Daniel Martin
Doncaster

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What's old is new: Daniel and his fellow teens The Foottappers look to be leaders of a Brand New Generation of Shadows-influenced instrumentalists and proud of it, too.

What a Busted A String Looks Like

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An unraveling bass string ("a rare thing") and a failing amp valve dared not dampen The Rapiers' appearance last night at an East Anglian Air Ambulance benefit in Pullham Market, Norfolk, reports Nathan J. Hulse.

"Luckily, organizer Paul [Turner] had spare gear," he says. "Apart from those technical difficulties, the show was a success."

On the Set of "Telstar"

August found The Rapiers playing bit parts in the upcoming Telstar biopic on the rise and fall of producer Joe Meek, due out in 2008, at last check.

Below the lads pose with two unidentified but well-appointed cast members.

Photo courtesy Nathan J. Hulse

Lawes, Dave Lawes

Nathan J. Hulse captured Dave "Joker" Lawes reflecting his best I'm-a-Moody-Guy look on the Isle of Wight recently.

Note from BP

Hi, Rapiers!

Most importantly, keep rockin' as usual.

See you soon, BP.

GO: BP? British Petroleum? Nope, none other than Brian Poole, founder and leader of The Tremeloes, who gave The Beatles a run for the Merseybeat ring by scoring mega hits in 1963 with "Twist and Shout" (No. 4) and "Do You Love Me" (No. 1). I remind you Colin Pryce-Jones has always favoured The Trems' version of The Isley Brothers' "T&S" over The Fab Four's. Visit Brian's MySpace page for more on his career. Meanwhile, savour the lad back in the day getting to meet the toppermost of pop royalty like Dusty Springfield.

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Knowing Mr. West Won't Help at Bushey

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Checking in with a satisfied mind (and veiled Shadowmania reference) is Dick West, Rapiers historian extraordinaire and master booker of the Metropolitan Police Sports Club in Bushey, Hertfordshire, a 20-minute ride from Rapiers HQ:

Dear Greg:

Just a quick line to tell you that every ticket for our 17 November show is sold and I feel like one of these football stars before the Cup Final, with people coming out of the woodwork claiming to be distant relatives, friends from school, mates of my neighbours, work mates of my postman and a lady who once met my son, all trying to obtain seats!

Bushey will be bursting at the seams when, I hope, the boys parade their new outfits for a blitz on all the Shads numbers they want to play—and not the numbers that are left over because everyone else has played the good ones!

SPECIAL REPORT: Go-Go Rapiers at Fareham

Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Rapiers
Ferneham Hall, Fareham
9 October 2007

By Rob Bradford

Another cracking show.

With Mac Poole manning the sound desk, the results were far better than when The Rapiers were last at Ferneham Hall on 1 September in tandem with Mike Berry—that too featured great performances from the artists, but the sound was substandard. Besides taking in that show, I was there to interview Mike Berry about his '60s BBC recordings. If you don't know, Mike does very long soundchecks. I was waiting quietly by the side of the stage for well over an hour (not getting in anyone's way) when, just after Mike finished, the theatre manager appeared and (despite my politely explaining my presence) literally threw me out of the theatre! But I digress... no such problems this time around with Rapiers manager Janet Pryce-Jones in attendance.

Rapiers Fast Finish

As ever, The Rapiers, this night with Dave Lawes on rhythm, set the tone for the evening with a fantastic opening quartet of numbers. With their new dark suits and brand new patent winkle-picker shoes, they really looked the part as they always do—immaculate. And Shadoogie never fails to disappoint. All the usual choreography was there and the guitar sounds were to die for. Colin Pryce-Jones's restored, revamped Meazzi echo really produced the goods during a blistering The Savage.

The whole group were on top form and Dave's relentless rhythm proved that he has lost none of his playing abilities. The Rapiers are indeed fortunate that, following the tragic loss of Wayne Nicholls, they can call upon the superb contributions of both Dave and Neil Ainsby. Furthermore, there are few drummers who can recreate the playing style of the late Tony Meehan. John Tuck is one such drummer and See You in My Drums was outstanding. As well, Nathan J. Hulse's bass playing is all too often taken for granted, so I should note that his performances are exemplary, absolutely spot on.

The Rapiers finished with an electrifyingly fast Buckleshoe Stomp.

Billie Davis On

The group, augmented by keyboards, provided brilliant backing for Billie Davis.

Billie is one of the few '60s Girls still touring and she puts lots of effort and energy into her vocal performances. How great it is to still hear live versions of Tell Him and the poignant Angel of the Morning. Billie also has a clever medley of Dreamin'/Dream Lover that works well. Or how about Dusty's Little By Little or The Shirelles' Will You Love Me Tomorrow and a superb (Your Love Takes Me) Higher And Higher.

The Rapiers always pay great attention to detail when accompanying other artists and it's fascinating to watch.

Mike Sarne Out

Special guest Mike Sarne was due to appear at this show but had to withdraw at the very last minute. Radio Solent legend Richard Cartridge bravely filled the gap at very short notice. He performed an excellent Miss You Nights to a backing track [GO: sigh!] and livened things with a light-hearted run through Roger Miller's Kansas City Star before performing a few Cliff Richard numbers with The Rapiers behind him [GO: ah!]. You could tell that he was loving every minute of it.

Jet Harris on Form

Jet Harris has been performing on stages now for just over 50 years, but let's never take his shows for granted. A reminder, it was only in 1999 that he returned to performing in theatres on a regular basis, the real start to his latter-day renaissance.

Jet had the Ferneham audience in hysterics with his customary deadpan comments and witty one-liners. Plus, Jet is really playing well. He inspires The Rapiers and they inspire confidence in him. All the customary classics were there: Diamonds, Scarlett O'Hara, Applejack, 36-24-36, Nivram, Theme for Something Really Important, Dance With the Guitar Man, The Tall Texan, Jet Black, Gonzalez, Wonderful Land, Apache, etc. The audience loved it.

Before I forget, Billie's vocal duo The Songbirds added immensely to the evening with their attractive appearance, stage presence and excellent vocal harmonies in both Billie and Jet's sets.

Tony Meehan Tribute

Jet earned a well-deserved standing ovation. But there was another bonus for the audience.

First, some background. Many fans know Jet has been recording a brand new CD, The Journey, which should be ready for Christmas. Last year he released two advance tracks (San Antonio/Ignition) as a limited edition CD/vinyl single. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Richard C. is a lifelong Jet/Shadows fan. A while ago he submitted a track that he'd written to Jet for consideration. "I was both humbled and delighted when Jet told me that he wanted to record my little composition," said Richard.

At Ferneham, Jet reappeared (on lead guitar) with Paul Rumble on acoustic guitar and Nigel Hopkins (Jet's producer/arranger for the new CD) on trumpet. Jet was clearly nervous as he explained that the rest of the instruments were on the original studio track, which would, in effect, be used as a backing track. "We thought that it would be appropriate to dedicate this to Tony Meehan," said Jet. He then announced the title Song for Tony.

Pitted against Paul's delicate acoustic figures, the rising and falling backing track soundscape and Nigel's thrilling, piercing and haunting trumpet playing, this track was a musical eulogy for Tony, Jet playing with the style and sound of 1963. Jet was nervous, but that gave his playing real edge as he clearly poured his heart and soul into the performance. It was genuinely moving, a rare moment when instrumental artistry becomes a living expression of emotion. God rest you, Tony, and God bless you, Jet.

What an evening.

Well-Dressed English Abroad

Giusy, a rockabilly fan from Torino, Italy (that's her beaming on the far right), forwarded this backstage party snap, presumably of our lads (and unknown second fan) during their recent Summer Jamboree show in Senigallia.

Former Marine Recalls Time in Bognor

What is it about seaside weekenders to fire up memories? Here comes another missive from an early Rapiers fan, one Chris of Liverpool, who subject-lined his post to our MySpace inbox "Glad to see you are still going."

Dear Rapiers:

You won't remember me, but we met back in 1988, at a '60s festival in Bognor Regis. I was with The Undertakers as a roadie, and I used to stand in as the drummer, now and again.

I remember meeting you guys, and your manager, Janet, a woman larger than life, who kept pinching my cheeks, and giving me a big hug every time she saw me. I think she felt sorry for me, as I was a skinny little 17-year-old, surrounded by all these [showbiz] people.

I had a brilliant weekend, working and watching all the bands including yourselves. If I remember correctly, you also backed Lord Sutch.

I left The Undertakers in 1989, as roadies/drummers wages wouldn't keep me going forever. I joined the Royal Marines, and served in the first Gulf War. I left the Forces in 1997 and have been through various jobs since. I still miss the bug of being on the road with bands, and I guess it will never leave me.

Like I said, I am made up to see you guys are still going.

Post o' the Week: Suzi Sings Kathy

Dear Rapiers:

Just to let you know, I will be playing Kathy Kirby in a story of her life next year. My website tells you all about the show.

Suzi Jari

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Our Suzi, who on occasion lends a super soaring soprano behind John Leyton and The Rapiers, is set to star in "Secrets, Loves & Lip Gloss", a musical theatre production based on author James Harman's book on Kirby, one of the original '60s BritPop Girls, who flamed out after a bucket of hits (e.g., a vocal version of The Shadows' "Dance On") and became a virtual pop recluse, a la Garbo.

OT Video Triple Play: Billy Liar-esque

Trailer for director John Schlesinger's utterly fantastic 1963 film

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"Oi, Shadders!" Tom Courtenay loses himself in London

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Julie Christie swings down the high street in Little Murders' "She Lets Me Know" (1981, footage from BL)

Poster for Potters

Rapiers Join Juke Box Heroes Greenwich Show

Perusing the latest Thunderbolt, the magazine of record for the Joe Meek Society, I noticed The Rapiers are backing John Leyton at a Juke Box Heroes soiree with The Honeycombs on 30 November at Greenwich Town Social Club, Blackwell Lane, London.

Tickets available from singer Tony Harte on 01268 583366 or via The Honeycombs site.

In other Meek-related news, the Gloucestershire town of Newent is staging its first annual Joe Meek Festival to honour its native son, 26-28 October, featuring talks, film, exhibits and The Tornados on stage.

A Rapier's Photogenic Side in Print

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Nathan J. Hulse, who occasionally has stars in his sights as a moonlighting "pap" (as in "papparazi"), scored a mention in yesterday's The London Paper in an article on the competitive world of celebrity photographers, Paparazzi in London With Celebrities:

Nathan Hulse, 35, from Enfield, alternates papping with playing bass guitar in a band and more mainstream photography work. He has been snapping celebrities since June, having simply turned up outside The Ivy one afternoon with his camera.

He is now on the books of Famous Pictures—not that the more experienced snappers appreciate his presence.

"I used to get ignored a lot when I started and any questions would be met with a grunt," says Hulse, who shuns the scooter—the paparazzi's favourite mode of transport—for buses and trains. "I get pics of the celebs going into events," he says, "but have to leave before they come out again because I have to get the bus home."

This recent snap of actress Kate Beckinsale is but one example of Nathan's extracurricular activity.