No substitute for memories of real The Who fans

Within days of playing at two of the most famous events in history, Roger Daltrey and co took to the stage in Harraby, Carlisle.

After performing to some of the largest crowds ever, about 1,000 people crammed into the Cosmo.

Did The Who perform with as much gusto there as at their biggest shows?

Author Richard Houghton is trying to find out. Richard is calling on Cumbrians to give their memories of the occasion and the four other times the band performed in Carlisle.

He is writing a book called The Who: I Was There, to be published this year.

Richard, who has also written people’s histories of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, says: “I’m interested in any stories, however faded the memories might seem to be, of seeing The Who and people’s recollections of who they went with and what they paid for their ticket. It’s a story of The Who in the words of their fans that I want to tell.”

As well as their hits – including My Generation, I Can’t Explain, Substitute and Pinball Wizard – the band were famed for smashing guitars and hotel rooms.

Fans of the legendary foursome – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon – have already been in touch with Richard.

He says: “I’ve had some great stories from fans of seeing the group up close and personal at the Cosmopolitan Club [the Cosmo] and at the Market Hall in Carlisle.

“They played these venues five times in total between October 1965 and September 1969.

“These memories help to paint a great picture of what it was like to be a pop fan in the 1960s, both in terms of how approachable and accessible groups were back then but also to give a glimpse of life in the Sixties.

“The Who are still performing today, of course. But the gigs they played in the Sixties were in much more intimate venues than the arena shows they play now.”

Those who have responded so far include Gordon Rae, who recalls seeing The Who at both the Market Hall and the Cosmo.

He told Richard: “They arrived at one show in a black limousine and they took Roger Daltrey to the infirmary after he strained his voice and vocal cords. No wonder – they put up a great performance both times.”

This subject is particularly topical given the death last month of the man who brought The Who to the Cosmo.

In the 1960s club owner Les Leighton put Harraby on the map with some of the biggest acts in the world.

As well as The Who, he brought Pink Floyd, The Kinks and many other chart-toppers there.

In the days before bands played at stadiums and arenas, places like Carlisle could compete for their attention with much bigger cities.

The Who played at Carlisle’s Market Hall, on Fisher Street, in 1965 and twice in 1966. Their Cosmo appearances were in 1966 and that final Carlisle show three years later.

Andy Park saw them at both venues. Andy now runs Andy Park Promotions. In the 1960s he wrote a music column – Andy’s Pop Talk – for the Carlisle Journal. This led him to interview Pete Townshend before the band’s first gig at the Market Hall on Saturday October 9, 1965. It was three weeks before The Who’s best-known song, My Generation, was released.

Les Leighton, left and Andy Park Andy says: “They would have sounded a lot better at The Cosmo. That wasn’t so big. The Market Hall held about 1,500 and The Cosmo about 1,000. The Market Hall was like an aircraft hangar. Halfway down the hall you couldn’t hear the stage because the equipment wasn’t anything like it is today.”

This was not the case when The Who played there.

“All I can remember is the gear. I’d never seen as much equipment in my life.

“If a band like Brian Poole and the Tremeloes were on, they would have a couple of speakers and a couple of amps and that would be it.

“The Who had a wall of amplifiers piled up. They took about three hours to set up. Everybody else took about an hour. The noise was fantastic. It was like listening to six jukeboxes.

“Pete Townshend, instead of standing at the front playing out to the audience, he was more sideways, playing into his amplifier so that he could hear what it sounded like. I spoke to him for ages. I’ve always been interested in equipment.”

Andy’s Pop Talk reviewed the gig. The column was headlined ‘So that’s where all that noise comes from!’

Andy wrote: ‘He [Pete Townshend] told me the secret of the really weird sound effects that are currently taking the charts by storm. By playing into the amplifiers the sound is fed back with a way-out note.

‘Pete has even been known to throw his guitar at the amplifier!

‘Their new disc, My Generation, which despite its title is not a protest song, is due out later this month and they’ll appear in Ready Steady Go and Thank Your Lucky Stars before November too.’

An advert for The Who’s next show at the Market Hall eight months later read: ‘Border Dances take pleasure in presenting a group which is still one of Britain’s most interesting and controversial attractions.’

They were supported by The Cordettes and The Jaguars. Admission was six shillings until 7.30pm and seven shillings and six pence later.

The Who are still performing today, albeit without the classic line-up which played in Carlisle. Drummer Keith Moon died in 1978 and bass player John Entwistle died in 2002. Both deaths were linked to drug use.

This story’s strange postscript is that The Who nearly played in Carlisle again, 37 years after their last appearance.

In 2006 the band wanted to perform at the Sands Centre, as a warm-up for a summer playing festivals and football stadiums around Europe. Their request was rejected.

The Sands did try to accommodate The Who. But a karate competition had been arranged for the only date the band could play.

So it’s left to those who were around in the Sixties to recall one of the world’s biggest, and loudest, bands rocking Carlisle.

Andy Park says: “On a normal weekend you could have The Who, The Hollies or The Kinks in Carlisle. You could see a band every night of the week. We went through such a good period in life. We were so lucky.”

To contact Richard Houghton with your memories of The Who, email thewhointhe60s@gmail.com or write to him at 1 Totnes Road, Manchester, M21 8XF.

The Who: I Was There will be published by Red Planet.