just found photo of fire from Chris at Ozit

Memories include Chris being completely wrecked, eating a plate of beans and then throwing them up under the table. Budgie's drummer smashing one of his cymbals so hard it flew off the stand and landed on us in the front row. We just handed it back and they carried on playing! I remember one Friday night we went to see a band at the Free Trade(can't remember who), then went to Salford University to see ELO and then to Stoneground to catch the end of East of Eden ' three gigs in one night!

I'm sure that somewhere I've got my membership card but I've just had a quick look and can't find it. I'll have a more extensive search over the next few days.

Cheers,

John Hughes

'

i know who the support band was for the Pink Fairies - it was myself pete sherburne and my band "pearl" from Preston Lancs. the drummer is a guy called keith Gardener .I just clicked on your site looking for gigs at the stoneground that we played many times. pleasantly suprised .

thanks pete.

'

Hi there
sorry can't give you any dates (was pretty stoned in those days, lived in a bedsit in Heaton Moor) went to Stoneground a lot, here's a few of the bands I remember seeing there :- Edgar Broughton Band more than once (always excellent), Osibisa (wow), Stray (an old personal favourite),also saw Amon Duul II, I know you already listed them but they were awesome, kicking out mind blowing bass that seemed to ripple the floor, I had an ear problem for weeks after, man it was worth it. Can't think of any more bands right now but if I do then I'll let you know.So good to see Stoneground remembered

Howie.

Just had a look at your website, which I read with great interest. If its at all relevant, I was the bassplayer with a band called 'Savory Duck' who supported Caravan at Stoneground on the 18th August 1973.

Back in 2003, Some of the original members got together & recorded a cd, which features two tracks from 'Ducks' live set back then: www.time-to-reflect.co.uk

Regards

Pete Willsher.

I remember going to see Stray with two friends back in the early 70's. Must have been the Nov 72 gig. The Stoneground was an old theatre appropriately standing alone in the middle of a load of rubble, or so it seemed! My friends and I used to get to Stray gigs early to feed the roadies milk and Jaffa Cakes in return for (usually) getting in free. We got there early this time and I remember mice running across the stage as they were setting up (the roadie that is). We stayed in a B&B at Ardwick Green.

Ah, happy daze.
Sue

I just saw this site and I went often to Stoneground around 1972/73/74. I remember seeing The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - who were truly sensational and probably the best show that I saw there but sorry i have no idea of date let alone year other than it was probably '73. I also saw, amongst many other bands, Sutherland brothers and Quiver/ Stray/Brewer's Droop / Arthur Brown and if I am correct I am sure I saw Hawkwind there with Stacia the stripper and believe it or not I actually think Leo Sayer played there too - or has my memory really screwed up. Anyway wherever I saw him play he was not a popular choice.
It was such a fantastically weird place or so it seemed to me at 16!

There used to be funny guy outside called Tony who sold hotdogs, he was always there making jokes and bad hotdogs. And inside Stoneground there was a food counter that sold either chili or curry that I used to eat until the day my friend and i saw a door open in the kitchen and inside it was stacked high with lots of cans of Lassie Meaty Chunks. They either had a lot of dogs or were doing some creative cooking!!!

The other thing i remember is always having black, sooty nostrils after any evening there. It was so smoky and dirty that I am sure nowadays the health inspectors would close it down in a minute!

I live in Nepal now where I have been for the last 14 years and it is a fantastically bizarre place to live but I like to think places like Stoneground started off my love of the unusual!

Anyway lots of fun memories from Stoneground and I hope lots more people add their comments. Other places I remember too at that time that were great for hanging out were UMIST.

Ailsa Colston

Hia Tractor played at Stoneground at least twice I am fairly sure it was a Saturday in 1973 the first time

I am still their manager and the band still do occasional two piece psychedelic concerts with the original John Peel dandelion records two piece line up.

I also saw Gong there and I know the bloke who ran it was called Darryl was an ex nuclear physicist and live in the old cinema office with two alsation dogs

my websites www.tractor-ozit.com, www.deeplyvale.com, www.bickershawfestival.com, www.dandelionrecords.co.uk, www.stringdriventhing.co.uk

good luck with the site

Chris Hewitt
OZIT

Hi,

I was the second person to become a member at Stoneground with my friend Graeme, sadly killed in a motorbike accident, just beating me to number one.

Ailsa's memory was not too screwed up as Leo Sayer played Stoneground twice, once before his first single broke and once after. The first gig was not very succesful. however the Stoneground management ofered him a second booking. "The Show Must Go On" was a hit in the UK charts by then and there were queuing round the block to get in.

The band I was working as a roadie for supported Vinegar Joe (Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer) the week before The Sensatinal Alex Harvey Band gig. I made the booking over the phone and had a choice between the two weeks, at the time I had not heard of SAHB so I went for Vinegar Joe. I cant remember the date but the band, which had many names over the years, was probably called Lucifer's Graveyard.

Some of my best times in my late teens were spent at Stoneground, except the night when I lost a tooth in a fight, I say a fight however it was mostly one-sided as the guy hitting me was also strangling my friend Arthur at the same time with the other hand!

I was always a fan of Morpeheus Lights and wonder if they continued in the entertainment lighting field, I am now a lighting designer and always admired their imagination.

Unfortunatly all my Stoneground memorabilia was thrown out by my mother and it has been interesting to see the pics on the site.

The two bands I remember most were The Average White Band and SAHB. The loudest band playing to the smallest crowd must have been Golden Earring who had hired the Who's quadraphonic PA for the tour and played to a "crowd" of about 25.

My other favourite venues at the time were UMIST SU, Manchester Uni SU and the Poly SU.

Mark Thurston

Hi, Amazed to see a website (of sorts) devoted to that wonderful institution, The Stoneground!

I'd forgotten about the membership card, and lost mine many years ago.

I was a fairly regular visitor and due to my vast drug intake at the time can only remember certain things.

I remember seeing Caravan play on a few occasions and the mighty Horslips as well. Did one of their roadies accidentally set fire to his clogs on the Tain tour?

Arthur Brown with that telephone on his head and Tim Blake of Gong having a strop by kicking his synth stack down and storming off. And Steve Hillage wearing a suit the material showing either pound notes or fivers...

"Jesus" was often to be seen their in his white flowing robes and pudding-bowl haircut, and I also remember the guy outside selling hamburgers "Allright our kid" was a favourite phrase of his.

The bar area was on the right I seem to recall and enjoyed a drink with the members of Horslips on one occasion.

I also recall the place being so bloody cold, in fact didn't ice form on the drum kit of one support band - were they called Strider?

Great to see other's memories of the place, and pissed off that I had missed so many great acts - Steamhammer being one I would have LOVED!

Great, great times........

Dave Midgley

This answers the mystery of the dogfood curry as reported by a contributor who say stacks of Lassie meaty chunks through the open kitchen door. He said he stopped eating the curry after that. But another contributor says the promoter or manager lived in the office with 2 Alsations. Well dogs like that get through a lot of Lassie, I expect he bought it in wholesale and had it delivered to the premises along with other foods

Keith Mitchell

Hi,I used to go to Stoneground all the time and Graham the manager used to share a house with me and my friend in Hazel Grove. I have many crazy memories of there including very close encounters with quite a few band members! I also remember five of us being chased across the building site opposite after a gig by some crazy Glaswegian who had a brick in one hand and a broken bottle in the other. Luckily the security guards managed to stop him while we ran into a cab and when I looked back he was running behind the cab. Ah,happy days!

Suzanne

Well G'Day, Skippy here,

well thats wot they use to call me when i lived in manchester back in the 60's & 70's StoneGround, remember it well, i was a often stoned imaculate there.

Back then i was a motorcycle mechanic at Derick Johnsons manchester then motor cycle center stockport. Stoneground was straight opposite the speedway entrance. My mate big Mick from Reddish use to work the door (Be great to catch up Mick), I often use to give him a lift in and home, he used to watch the bike out the front for me and sometimes we'd stay late having drinks with the band, because i was micks lift home.

I think the managers name was Graham, i always remember the black lights just after you went in always a good sign to see wihich of the loveleys had dandruff or not. The bar was on the right, and the DJ just a little on just before the dance floor. We used to sit just round the corner up the back with Big Al, he used to build springer front ends down at levenshume, just round the corner from sivories cafe, also remember the hells angels and the coffin cheaters use to get in there.

Certainly was some great bands back then, Sensational Alex Harvey Band ,(who i just recently seen here in australia) Pinkfairies, Groundhogs, Leo sayer, (wot a clown), necter and many more, but it was a long time ago, oh! yes and the dj always finished off with Lou Reed's walk on the wild side.

Had my worst bike accident ever, leaving stonground on my way home to Reddish some dick brain decided to turn in front of me into belle vue st , well, 2 months in hospital with concushion. Great days though, wouldnt change them for Quids. We also use to go to waves and jillys, lots of fun back then, happy days .

Regards...................Johnny Mees (Skippy)

PS : I KNOW YOU LIKE BIKES HERE'S MY LATEST RIDE, I'M STILL BUILDING THEM.

Hi there

It's good to see the internet is useful for something,namely this website. My mate Andy Sharrocks,now a country singer,says we saw Leo sayer at the Stoneground and others confirm he was on. I think I saw Silverhead and a Spanish flamenco rock group called Carmen.Is this possible?

Did John Ormerod,later famous as John the Postman,turn up one night with some mates all dressed up as droogs from the Clockwork Orange?Or did I dream it ?

I was eighteen at the time but am now somewhat out of my teenage years.Later I progressed to Rafters in Oxford street. Did anyone else go down the same route? I'd love to get in touch.

Thanks for the website

Mark Hartley

Brilliant site man.

Saw Amon Duul 2 at the Stoneground and they were superb, must of played four or five encores. They were up at the back before the gig eating "Sossages" and talking to Dozy from Bury. Everyone thought they were the roadies/crew. The band had been refused two tours prior to this as they wern't members of the musicians union. Smashing gig .

I well remember Jesus and what about Aunties Kitchen (on a side street next to the town hall in Manchester center. I don't think there was live music but the disco was entirely rock, Floyd, King Crimson, Zep, Amon Duul 2, et al. This stayed open til 2am and your admittance included a supper ticket for a burger or similar) and did anyone ever find "WALLY"

Going back to the AD2 concert, I taped it on my first ever cassette recorder,the sound was very rough and inconsistant with the batteries running out. I've an idea I bought the player the previous weekend and the tape would of been the only blank I had. Long gone I'm afraid although I still kick myself as modern technology may have corrected it.

Rock On - Tony from Kendal

I have just come off the phone from an old friend and drinking partner who I have not seen for years and he mentioned your site.

Back in the early 70's we virtually lived there and I certainly have fond many memories of the club. I used to help out (unpaid) at the Stonedground or Stoneground, whichever name you prefer to use and later went on to be a roadie and then DJ at the originally Jilly's (Gore St) near Piccadilly Stn as well as several other clubs

No one as yet appears to have mentioned "The Heavy Metal Kids" who had the late Gary Holten on vocals who later found fame as Wayne in Auf Weidersehen Pet .

A few days before they played the club, it was the venue for the University "Rag Stag" night which was about 20 strippers one after another, one came on to "Silver Machine", later got talking to Graham and came back with her friend on the Sat night when the "Kids" were on and did an impromptu show on the side stage and then appeared on stage with the "Kids"!

Other bands I have not seen mentioned who definitely played are Dr Hook, (I'll tell a story about that when I have time) Jon Hiseman's Tempest and Robin Trower (I went to see him at The Academy a few months ago).

A few other characters people may remember are Ron Evans wife Barbara (both of whom dressed Bowie style) Ronnie (aka as King Midas), Jock the Scottish DJ who had a stammer except when he was on the mike and Viv and Barbara who worked on the bar.

I actually returned to the building in the early 80's (I think it was) and DJ'd one night when they had a rock band on (I think it was Ange but not 100% sure) and I don't think the place had changed (or even been cleaned!!) much since the old days.

Are you still in touch with Graham? I know that Darryl worked for Virgin for some time after the club closed, I met up with him by chance a few years later and he had a band recording at Strawberry studios in Stockport

When I have a little bit more time I'll jot down and send some more memories.

All the best

Paul Nash

As far as I recall Dr Hook substituted for a band that had cancelled and it was their first ever gig in England. My memory was that they turned the gig into one hell of a party and would not get off. Cannot remember the end either,

Nice to see so many old friends on the site, especialy those overseas. Would be nice to see some photoes, as all of mine were destroyed in a flood.

Take care you all,

Andy P.

Just stumbled on your website as I typed "Stoneground" into my computer and was fascinated to see all the details of bands who had played there. I played there myself in the early seventies .I was bass player for a band called "Regeneration" and we supported the excellent Edgar Broughton Band. The odd thing that sticks in my mind is that one of their very young roadies distinguished himself by coming in to the dressing room and carrying out two guitar cases but unfortunately didn't think to check that they were in fact closed , with the disastrous consequence that a very valuable Gibson Les Paul fell clean out of its case and hit the floor..... whoops!!! The air turned very blue as the poor unfortunate lad received a real ear bashing from a more experienced colleague.I remember thinking "Rather you than me" . I think we just got paid expenses and as we had travelled up from Bedfordshire it was totally uneconomic,such is life! I am still involved in music and write and record my own material mainly on acoustic guitar.

My website is www.robinchilds.co.uk