These are my contact pages for friends, the band, family and anyone else who remembers me.
Alan
Arkless
I have lived in Brittany since August 2003 though you may remember me from days in County Durham or times I spent in Oxford, London, Berkshire or Hampshire. The photo on the left was taken at Westminster College in 1968. My contact address is on the last page. I make trips back to the UK when possible so please either arrange to meet up or visit me in Brittany - it's not far by ferry and quite cheap by air. Flights arrive from Stanstead, Southampton, Birmingham, Luton, Exeter, Leeds/Bradford and of course - NEWCASTLE to RENNES
When I left home in 1966 I was an innocent 18 year old. I was met at Oxford Railway Station by Dave Kidd. From then it was all downhill - I fell in with a bad crowd of musicians, artists & potters who worked hard to keep me from lectures - I’ll always be grateful for their guidance & support.
Eventually, I gave up thinking to concentrate on being a drummer.
I joined a college band and thanks to the enthusiasm & vision of our manager we had a series of identities.
Four Bidden Fruit, Cellophane Cloud and finally The Carley Hill Blues Band.
As our experiences grew we changed musical genres from Pop to Soul and finally Blues. We played around the Oxford area, occasionally reaching South London or U.S.A.F. Upper Heyford.
I'll never forget the gig at The Crawdaddy Club in Reading. We were easy to spot in Brian's grey van with the logo....
In 1999 I re-recorded our mastertapes onto CD.
Here’s how we looked in the 1960s.
In Y2000 some of the Westminster Gang visited me for a 30 year reunion.
We must meet up again soon because Geoff has a new bass and he's started building speaker cabinets. Tony has promised to finally learn the 1969 set so now all we need is to arrange his UK visit.
Brian is looking for a venue, though he's still very confused with the difference between his 10% and a 10/- note so avoid any mention of fees! John still thinks he's going painting - he'll catch on when we tell him to bring his guitar.
Hugh just pops in whenever he's in the neighbourhood or he's en route from Tanzania to The Lake District.
Harold will just appear - like magic!
Since the 1960s I've played most styles of music with a lot of good musicians. I've also played country music.
My earliest memories of playing in bands are on these pages so have a laugh and a listen.
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