(Photo) Dressing room shot of the JHE plus 13-year old Barbara Humphries [see Univibes # 23]
THE CHATHAM STANDARD - ‘ Hall mix-up ruins beat shows first performance’ by S.A:
“Chatham Council's first beat promotion on Friday did not have perfect start. While fans sat listening to the Outer Limits—first on the bill--- organizers rushed about in quest of missing groups.
Where was the Pink Floyd, the Move, and, primarily, Hendrix Experience?
They were at the Town Hall, searching for the audience that had already settled itself at the Central Hall a few hundred yards away.
With a few changes in programme order, the groups all managed to arrive in time to
prevent any embarrassingly long gaps during the evening, but the confusion at the start seemed somehow to upset the atmosphere. But the show was not short of highlights. The first came with theNice, a four-piece psychedelic group which would have made a perfect show-opener.In fact, they were scheduled to start the second half, but because they were among the
first to arrive they were brought forward. They performed two numbers, and the best was an insistent, urgent version of Dylan's “She's Got Everything She Needs.” There were some wild sounds from the organ, played by Keith Emerson, and a strange, weaving vocal from lead guitarist David O’List, while all around lights flashed, vibrated, and
Jerked. We had to wait for Hendrix himself for another performance as exciting as this one, and even then it was slightly less stirring because it was predictable.
He opened his act with the Beatles’ number ‘Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ and the three-piece group made as much of an impression as a studio full of musicians. Once upon a time this sort of noise could not be reproduced outside a studio. He did several of his own numbers, including unfaultable versions of ‘Hey Joe’ and ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘The Troggs’ ‘Wlld Thing.’ ‘The Pink Floyd’ was, for me, the biggest disappointment., because I was expecting so much more. They performed in near darkness for most of the time, played some unrecognisable numbers, and were completely overshadowed by the entertainig antics of a young man in a bearskin jacket, whose task seemed to be to leap about the stage adjusting amplifiers, twisting knobs and retrieving the odd cymbal and microphone.
The Move did not Iive up to expectations either, except when they did "Flowers, in the Rain.” "I Can Hear the Grass Grow" was remarkable only for the volume at which it was played, and the almost complete lack of musical noises during it.
The Amen Corner wore uniform satin shirts of red, purple and lemon, danced to the music like the Shadows.
The Eire Apparent filled the remaining gap in the bill, described as four lively Irish Iads who are young, goodlooking, and bristling with talent. Their influences seemed to come, from a pre-psychedelic era, but they were competent enough at their style of rock.
So the groups were good, occasionally great. They did not like the Central Hall and one or two of them voiced their opinions, either on stage or off.
The Experience said they could not hear themselves, and another vocalist said it was a pity he had been asked to perform in a place the size of his own sitting room.The small first house audience had to put up with insults about its size--- “Thank you, both” was a typical on-stage comment, but was still expected to applaud with enthusiasm.”
Sujet: Chatham (Central Hall) : 1er décembre 1967 
Mar 13 Juil 2010 - 18:20
