Torquay's musical heyday is being celebrated at a charity event
There was a time when the biggest names in music all headed to the town hall
Last updated 20th Mar 2024
Torquay's heyday - when bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who and David Bowie all performed - is being remembered at a special charity event.
Music promoter Lionel Digby will next month be sharing stories from his 30 year career to support the Children's Hospice South West - at a special film premiere, where there's also a Q&A and live music.
Lionel would book up and coming acts for shows across the West Country - which would encourage bands to head down to Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.
On the Rolling Stones, he said; "It was very early days, in fact their first sort of tour outside of playing London clubs and small venues,
"In actual fact Torquay Town Hall was too big for their PA system to be honest - it didn't sell out."
Lionel remembers the Stones were staying at Torquay's Grand Hotel at the time and would use the instruments left there by the house band to jam in the evenings.
Lionel also remembers bringing Cream to play in the mid 60s, saying: "They came down to Torquay and was the first date they did with over 1,000 people.
"I remember how nervous they were because they'd never appeared as the Cream, the three together in a big venue and a big crowd - and they went down well."
The talk takes place at Torquay's Royal Lyceum Theatre and will also include why the Sex Pistols never made it onto a Torquay stage and how a local audience got a first look at a prototype Led Zeppelin.
The video to accompany the evening called 'Music Scene Memories' will feature many local people who were part of the scene, sharing their memories of watching and even playing alongside big-name chart acts of the time.
Among the bands Mr Digby brought to the venue at Castle Circus were The Clash and The Jam.
John Tomkins, who is behind the film, said: "Earlier still, he was the first man to bring ground-breaking rock and rollers to town, and the film features his memories of working with the likes of Screaming Lord Sutch and Wee Willie Harris, who was known as the ‘wild man’ of rock and roll.
“Ever since I collaborated with Lionel on a short film about the music scene at Torquay Town Hall in 2020, Lionel has talked to me about the many other stories and people we could have interviewed for that film.
“At that time we were partly restricted because of lockdown, so last March we started to make a special edition of the film.
“Lionel got out his contacts book and invited many of the people he worked with in the heyday of the town hall, some of them traveling across the country to be interviewed.”
The film will also be added to the digital archive at Torquay Museum.
He added: “What started as a special edition of the film has turned into something really special.
“I like to think of it as a re-imagining of the original film, with more than 40 minutes of re-filmed and new interview footage, animations and band archive photos.
“It really does showcase the legacy of the extraordinary music scene at the Town Hall which was instigated and promoted by the remarkable Mr Lionel Digby.”
Host for the evening will be local historian Dr Kevin Dixon, and there will be an exhibition of music memorabilia in the theatre’s foyer. All ticket profits will go to Children's Hospice South West.