Rock History & Me #4: Dunstable California
Just outside the nondescript Bedfordshire town of Dunstable lies a range of chalk hills known as the Dunstable Downs, home to some attractive countryside and the famous Whipsnade Zoo. In an unlikely setting just off the main road out across the Downs was the California Ballroom, a live music venue which in its day sat comfortably on every tour itinerary below the A-list.
The California in the mid 1970s was the type of venue which would probably not get a licence these days, let alone be on a major gig circuit, without a major rethink. My first time was late ‘74/early ‘75, and my first impression on walking into that place was that I had found a little piece of heaven. Climbing the stairs to the bar above and behind the venue, we walked into a buzz of excitement and a jostling crowd, everyone alive with anticipation and chattering above both the clamour in the bar and the music on the crackling speakers.
After several prompts on the PA as concert time approached, the crowds gravitated from the bar down into the main hall, where guitars and drum kit sparkled under spotlights.
Tonight is a gig for a top band, this place will be rammed. The California, in its other guise, is a dance hall, so there is no seating, just open flooring. It is rectangular in shape, but the stage is on one of the longer sides, meaning the crowd is wider than it is deep. The ceiling is unbelievably low, feeling just inches above our heads, it’s incredibly hot and sweaty, just moments in and we are drenched in sweat. And, of course, everyone is smoking. This tight, cramped, heaving, hell-hot space is disappearing fast into a haze of cigarette smoke. And the atmosphere is utterly, utterly electric.
Time elapsed; it was normal then for acts to be late on stage, maybe an hour or more late, and with each passing minute the tension grew, the smoke got thicker, the sweat got wetter.
This was gigs, 70s style, so very different from today. We didn’t worry about the fire risk, we had no concern about suffocation, never thought that we might be crushed, even when some bands actively encouraged us to push forward towards the stage until the only way to survive was to mosh. Except we didn’t call it moshing back then. It was fantastic.
That manic, almost transcendental atmosphere permeated every gig, regardless of whether it was rock, pop, or even something more subtle. Amongst those I saw here were Sparks, Leo Sayer, Roxy Music, Stranglers and any number of lesser known names (remember The Global Village Trucking Company, anyone?) plus one memorable night in March ‘75 when I saw Cockney Rebel for the first time.
Steve Harley, not exactly loved by everyone in the music press, was magnificent that night, as Rebel pumped out the numbers, shouted obscenities and complained about the heat. The California rocked. Even more than normal. I stayed a Rebel fan for many years and went on to see Harley and his various bands many times over the years. His early music was truly innovative – anyone who needs convincing should play the debut album, “Human Menagerie”, and try to imagine just how NEW all that was in those days.
Time moved on, our gang of mates went our separate ways, and the California era was over without us ever being aware of its passing, but in those months I’d created some of the best memories of my teenage years. And been to some of the rockiest, sweatiest, earthiest gigs ever.
Phil
11 Comments
giacomoasinello
Wow! I would love to have seen Sparks and The Stranglers at their peak, and in such an intimate space! I often wondered how J.J. got that marvelous bass sound! Not so sure about Leo Sayer, although he was fun on the Kenny Everett Video Show!
Phil & Michaela
Ha ha – he wasn’t bad, in truth! Sparks was actually my first gig at The Cali – and, believe me, the Mael brothers were twice as weird live as they were on TV!
leightontravels
Sounds like a magical venue, I often feel like I was born too late when it comes to music. What a string of acts you got to see at The California, my dad would’ve been foaming at the mouth at the prospect of seeing Steve Harley live.
Phil & Michaela
I must have seen him around a dozen times – Steve Harley, not your Dad!! – across 30 years or more. They were great days for gigging, stellar artists in cramped venues.
Toonsarah
I remember similar atmospheres in other venues – the crush, the cigarette smoke, the long wait for the artists to appear. I’ve not seen any of those on your list and the one that makes me most jealous is Roxy Music – I would have loved to have seen them live!
Phil & Michaela
Nostalgia I suppose but it all seemed like so much more fun back then. Life is more sterile these days! Roxy were great but on those nights anyway, Sparks and Cockney Rebel really rocked the place apart. Sparks were just crazy.
grandmisadventures
what an epic place for good music!
Alison
Great memories Phil, and you’ve seen some of my favourite bands. I loved Roxy Music and Cockney Rebel. Sparks were a strange duo weren’t they? Some of the old bands are still very good but some are just embarrassing. A few years back we saw Sister Sledge and Village People, Sister Sledge were brilliant but Village People were just awful!
Phil & Michaela
They were great days back then. Gigs just aren’t like that any more, are they…
Alison
Haha but neither are we 😁
Phil & Michaela
That’s very true!