NORWICH MERCURY SERIES BEAT COMPETITION 1965

On 12th March 1965 local supplement publication the Mercury & Journal announced it was to run East Anglia’s first ever beat competition. It brought bands from all over county scuttling out of their rehearsal halls. The Mercury was a subsidiary paper to the Eastern Evening News and the competition idea was the brainchild of the papers promotions manager at the time Rex Williams. Response was quick and enthusiastic and It was clear that some bands had formed just to take part in the competition. Overwhelming backing from the local businesses & venues saw the total prize money increase from £135 between the top three bands to £270. Other prizes were to include an audition for Anglia Television. Rumours had spread as far as Liverpool and a letter was received from the Beatles manager Brian Epstein who wished the competition and it’s organisers the best of success. A panel of distinguished local judges were to decide the fate of the home grown talent and the twist in the panel would be provided by a random judge pulled from the street weekly competition called the man on the street competition. An everyday music punter was also given a chance to judge at each competition by winning a guess the charts contest each week.

All eight heats had the venues heaving with supporters, Round five at the Sunshine Rooms, Dereham was reported to have been attended by a crowd 700 strong. Photo’s of crowds so tighly packed that in many case’s it was hard to pick out the groups with many of the crowd intermingled with the group. Each winning group got to play at the intermission at the next heat. The competition was a great moral booster for all the local bands concerned, and the competition was given a very high profile over the 5 months the competition was run.

ROUND1 - MONDAY 10th MAY 1965 - THE GARIBALDI, GREAT YARMOUTH

THE TAUNTS

THE SPEX

THE BLUE SPOTS

MARSDEN & THE MB3 (Great Yarmouth)

RICK O'SHEA & THE EASTSIDERS

THE SIDEWINDERS

THE COASTLANDERS

THE MILLIONAIRES (Great Yarmouth) - Second Place

JOHNS COURT (Great Yarmouth) - Third Place

PETER & THE SPECTRES (    ) - Winner

Judges: Chic Applin / Trevor Copeman / Howard Platt / Bram Lowe / Dave Wakefield

Man On The Street judge: Olive Storey

ROUND2 - TUESDAY 11th MAY 1965 - THE GALA, NORWICH

JANE & THE 007's (Norwich)

THE FANTOMS (Norwich)

THE BLACK ACES (Norwich)

THE ECHOES (      )

THE HIJACKS (Norwich) - Winner

THE NEW SONICS (     ) - Third Place

THE BODY SNATCHERS

THE ADDICTS

THE VARIATIONS (Norwich) - Second Place

Judges: Peter Fenn / Geoff Tudor / Wendy Lamb. 

Man On The Street judge: John Butler

ROUND3 - MONDAY 17th MAY 1965 - THE OLYMPIA, CROMER

THE MYSTICS

YE HIGHWAYMEN (              ) - Second Place

5 BY FIVE

THE TRIFFIDS (Wells)

RICKY LEE & THE HUCKLEBUCKS (Norwich) - Third Place

BARRY LEE & THE PLANETS (Aylsham) - Winner

Judges: Howard Platt / John Sparrow NNN Reporter / Brian South MU Rep / Chic Applin

Man On The Street judge: Jane Hicks

Compare: Rex Williams

ROUND4 - TUESDAY 18th MAY - THE GALA, NORWICH

THE WITNESSES

THE CYNICS

THE TRENDS

PLINS G

THE OUTSIDERS

JOHN LOFT SOUNDS (           ) - Second Place

THE CHALLENGERS (            ) - Third Place

RICKY SOUTHERN AND THE CBO (            ) - Winner

Judges: Bram Lowe / Bob Shildrake MU Rep / Reg Hardy / Trevor Copeman

Man On The Street judge: Wilfred Chamberlain

Compare: Rex Williams

ROUND5 - TUESDAY 25th May - THE SUNSHINE FLOORS, DEREHAM

THE DRUMBEATS

THE TROJANS

THE OUTCASTS

GROUP X

THE BROKERS (          ) - Winners

THE DEVILS COACHMEN

THE CLANSMEN

THE MYSTERIANS (PART3)

Second: The Pagans/Third: Un-Announced.

Judges: Brian South / Geoff Tudor / Chic Applin / Roderick Leigh

Man On The Street judge: Morag Bremner

ROUND6 - TUESDAY 31st May - THE ROYAL HOTEL, LOWESTOFT

THE EASI-BEATS (Lowestoft) - Joint Third

THE CONCORDES (           ) - Winners

THE INCROWD

THE COMETS (           ) - Joint Second

THE ROAD RUNNERS

THE DETONATORS (             ) - Joint Second

THE SUNERAI

THE ROCKIN' BIRDS

Winners: The Concordes/Second: The Comets & The Detonators (Tie)

Third: The Easibeats & The Strollers (Tie)

Judges:

Man On The Street Judge:

ROUND7 - TUESDAYS 1st JUNE - DISS CORN HALL, DISS

IAN & DANNY & THE BRUNTONES (           ) - Winners

THE BLAZES

THE 007's

THE PHANTOMS FOUR

THE SUGARBEATS

THE SONICS (       ) - Second Place

THE KONKORDS

Third: The Consorts.

Judges:

Man On The Street judge:

ROUND8 - TUESDAY 8th JUNE - THE GALA, NORWICH

THE FIVE ANGLES

THE FUGITIVES

MALCOLM AND THE JETBLACKS

THE WORRYING KIND

THE ROCKING ROOSTERS

JEFF & THE JENTS

THE MYSTYX

THE SOUNDS FORCE FIVE

Winners: Malcolm & The Jetblacks/Second: The Fugitives.

Third: Un-Announced.

Judges:

Maon On The Street judge:

FINAL -  THURSDAY 1st JULY 1965 - THE ROYAL NORFOLK SHOWGROUND, NORWICH

THE BROKERS

THE HIJACKS

BARRY LEE & THE PLANETS (                ) - Winners £150

RICKY SOUTHERN & THE C.B.O.

MALCOLM & THE JETBLACKS

THE CONCORDES

PETER & THE SPECTRES (          ) - Third Place £40

IAN & DANNY EVES & THE BRUNTONES (                   ) - Second Place £80

MC: Chic Applin Judges: Simon Dee / Chic Applin /

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