LOST GARDEN BAND, THE

Vocals, Melodeon, Synths, Guitar, Dulcimer, Spoons: Keef Looney aka Keith Loney

Vocals, TCBass: John Royston Peacock

Vocals, Sax: Karen Harris

Vocals, Bass: Littlejohn David Deller

Vocals, Piano Accordion, Clarinet, Whistles: Helen Boreham

Vocals, Guitar: Nathan Moore

Vocals, Guitar (occasionally Bass): Peter Womble Keenan

Vocals, Drums, Bodhran, Mandola: Lee Westell

 The LGB started as the house band at the Golden Star P.H, Duke Street, Nch in 1980. Keith Loney on Melodeon and guitars (Keef Looney only within the band and other musical projects) and I started playing sessions in the pub in the spring of 1980 for free beer, joined later that year by Lee Westell (deceased) and David Peacock (known as Royston Peacock in the band).  Lee had a good voice and played bodhran and other percussion, as well as mandola.  Mr Peacock had a wonderful, gravelly voice with elements of Popey, and played the tea-chest bass.

 After about a year of this line-up during which we did a fair amount of busking as well as sessions in pubs, we started to play ceilidhs and festivals, adding Pete Keenan on guitars, then, after the departure of Royston Peacock, gained John Hooton and Helen Boreham.  John sang and called dances, also playing tin whistles and recorders.  Helen played piano accordion and clarinet, also whistles.

 For some years we played the summer fairs and festivals circuit with a couple of “mini tours” of the Midlands and the South East.  Our bread and butter was weddings and Rugby Club parties.

 We lost Pete Keenan sometime soon after Anglia for Africa, which he had helped to organise, and where we went on just before Mari Wilson and the Supremes.

 Nathan Moore joined us on guitars at that point, and began doing bigger venues and festivals as we had our own 4Kw PA system.  We were sometimes hired as a band, sometimes as a PA company and sometimes as both, as it was cost-effective for festival organisers.  We regularly played the Alford Craft Fair in Lincolnshire, providing PA over three days on two sites, and performing three times over the long weekend.

 Karen began to join us on sax and midi-woodwind at this stage. John Hooton and Helen Boreham left to form Mooncoin with Uli Schwabe, a fine band playing more “traditional” folk music.  Calling duties and many vocal duties now went to Lee Westell, which necessitated changing our stage layout to a unique one where the drums were set up at stage right facing stage centre.

 This was to be the final format of the band until we dissolved in the early 90s. Lee and I went on to form Don’t Panic with Uli Schwabe and virtuoso guitarist John Skripniuk on electric fiddle and guitars respectively.  Uli was a founder-member of the Leipzig Morris, and John had played sessions for Fairport Convention.

 We continued on much the same ceilidh/wedding/festival and Christmas and birthday-party circuit until Lee became too ill to continue.