“We certainly used to get big acts. Here's some music memorabilia from Torquay's past:

http://tinyurl.com/7pb9ega

http://tinyurl.com/7jb7heh

http://tinyurl.com/7mqo3bv

http://tinyurl.com/7vcm3sl

http://tinyurl.com/6pqez3x

http://tinyurl.com/89hg7r8”

“Headline acts command too much money for them to be paid from small venues now. In the 1960's groups like the Beatles played the ABC cinemas with audiences of about 1500, I worked for Rank when we took the BeeGees and the Stones, Elkie Brooks, Long John Baldry, etc on tour around the Odeons, average capacity 2000. Unthinkable for any headline act to play small venues now unless for personal reasons such as Muse at Teignmouth”

“We have dossers sleeping rough in burn't out waterfront hotels instead. You can't have eveything.”

“Muse at Teignmouth was an amazing event and a great achievement for Teignbridge. Metronomy at Torquay was not on the same scale at all, but may have paved the way for more.
At least promoters know that if they put the shows on, people will come...”

“... & here's a couple of clips of ABBA appearing on Torre Abbey Meadows in Seaside Special in 1975:

http://tinyurl.com/3dyczbb”

“Because Torbay is dead. Have you just woke up from a coma?”

“By the way DocTorre, that was Abba's first appearance in the UK. Does anyone else remember the celebrity go-kart races up at Churston? Noel Edmonds etc, all racing Vaughan Hatton's karts round the track. It was chaos!”

“Does anybody know if the Sex Pistols or The Clash came to Torbay?”

“The Sex Pistols didn't. They were due to play, I think, at the 400 Club, but the gig was cancelled. The Clash did. They played the Town Hall in July 1978. Best gig I have ever seen!”

“They were going to Torbaygirl - the Pistols, Clash and Damned were all due to play at what used to be the 400 club - but the show was pulled.

Much to our annoyance - though Torquay had a really good music scene around that time - you'll find a lot more info here: http://tinyurl.com/7q23xca

I was in one of the local bands mentioned here, though sadly, it wasn't one of the better ones.”

“Should also say that the ever-modest DocTorre did quite a lot in his former life to support local musicians - fair play to you Doc.”

“I think johnny Rotten popped into Devon once to make a commercial about butter.”

“"Torquay had a really good music scene"
You are wrong as it still has... You should hear the noise been made round the back of bohemia on a sat night. Upchuck noises are the new rock music.

Thank you farmers wife........”

“I too was a disappointed punter when the SexPistols show was cancelled

I can recall concerts in the early seventies at Torquay Town Hall, Torquay Pavillion and even the festival theatre in Paignton...bands included

Supertramp
10cc
Wishbone Ash
Tangerine Dream
Free
Hawkwind
Status Quo
Traffic
Steeleye Span
Sparks !!!
Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias
Stackridge
Man
Brinzley Schwarz
...to name but a few

And to cap it all and in line with the free vibes for all approach a local band by the name of "Ezra Pound" used to do the odd free gig on the green on Paignton sea front...

Ah...happy days indeed”

“Happy days, ineedtherapy, happy days indeed. Add The Strawbs and Focus to the Festival Theatre line-up, and Genesis when they were good....”

“The sound in the town hall was so bad that you can still hear most of those bands playing there now if you listen very carefully”

“Just to add a few more band that have played Torquay town hall or the Pavilion

Derek and the Dominoes
Cream
Traffic
Crazy World of Arthur Brown
The Rolling Stones
The Move
The Kinks
The Pretty Things
Stone the Crows
John Mayalls Blues breakers
Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac (when they played blues)
Lave Affair
Family
Geno Washington
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre
Keef Hartley Band

Incidentally when the Cream played at the town hall in 1967 I got their autographs on a piece of card. Recently I sold those autographs for £350.00!”

“When my wife and I first brought our two young sons to Torquay on holiday, we saw big the big name acts of the day at the Princess Theatre. We saw Little and Large, Jimmy Cricket, The Krankies, Jimmy Tarbuck,The Grumble Weeds,Lionel Blair, to name but a few. Every year we could count on being able to see great shows at the theatre when we came for our annual pilgrimage to Torquay.

This was part of the holiday atmosphere, something we all looked forward to.Times have changed now and artists come for one or two nights only. Torbay needs to think of the potential customers, traditional holidaymakers, family audiences. Bring back the good times!!

Good luck Torbay,

Mike and Pauline Hanson,
Halifax”

“Because the acoustics at Torquay Town Hall are absolutely terrible. Because one of the best if not the best sound arenas in the bay - Riviera Centre auditorium are for whatever reason reluctant to put bands on.

Radio 1 Roadshows and others of similar stature are far more likely to get a significant better response in many other areas of the South west than in Torbay - quite possibly the cover band capital of the world.

Because it is a fact that Torbay does have a large OAP population and much of the acts within the top 40 at present (that one would assume would be playing at a large corporate roadshow) would cause offense to many of the elderly.

Because an old man with a big white beard waving at people as they drive is far more appealing to the vast majority of people who live in Torbay than a high caliber music act playing at a venue within the bay. I could elaborate further but I'm not going to.”

“Or maybe because Torbay died a decade ago and no-one wants to come here anymore..Simples.”