Originally known as The Velours, US soul band, The Fantastics had enjoyed Stateside success before being brought to the UK by promoter Roy Tempest in late 1967.
Billed as the “Fabulous Temptations” (even though there was no connection with the more famous Motown act), the group’s debut UK tour took place in September 1967.
To support the soul act on the road, Roy Tempest’s agency hired West London band, The Sovereigns, who had been formed in mid-1965 and comprised singer Roy St John (real name: Roy Thwaites), lead guitarist Pip Williams, bass player Mick Williams, tenor sax player Freddie Tillyer and drummer Keith Franklin.
When the band turned professional, Pip’s brother Mick dropped out and Mick Tomich took over on bass. Shortly after, sax player Freddie Tillyer also left. Just before the band got picked up by Roy Tempest’s agency, Scotsman Brian Johnson, keyboard player in The Senate, came on board.
Selected gigs:
1 September 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Hertfordshire (billed as “Fabulous Temptations”) (possibly debut show)
2 September 1967 – Starlight Room, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Equals, The Sovereigns and The Rubber Band (billed as “Fabulous Temptations”)
3 September 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield (billed as “Temptations”)
5 September 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, London (billed as “Temptations”)
Within weeks of the tour starting, Mick Tomich departed and Ron Thomas was brought in from Hamilton & The Movement. Tomich went on to play with Pickettywitch among others. By this point, the group had changed name from The Sovereigns to The House of Orange.
Selected gigs:
16 September 1967 – The Place, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
14 November 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, London (billed as “Fabulous Temptations”).
17 November 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire (billed as “Fabulous Temptations”)
3 December 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Crawley, West Sussex with The Army (billed as Temptations)
5 December 1967 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London (billed as “Fabulous Temptations”)
17 February 1968 – Princes Pavilion, Falmouth, Cornwall with Peace & Quiet
25 February 1968 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, Cheshire (bills backing group, The House of Orange) with The Jaytree Organisation
2 March 1968 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Gospel Garden, The Reformation (bills backing group, The House of Orange)
2 March 1968 – Brave New World, Portsmouth, Hampshire (billed but replaced by Mike Cotton & Lucas)
3 March 1968 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London
17 March 1968 – Beau Brummel Club, Nantwich, Cheshire (bills backing group, The House of Orange) with The Jaytree Organisation
26 April 1968 – Clockwork Orange, Chester, Cheshire (bills backing group, The House of Orange)
27 April 1968 – Ram Jam, Brixton, London with Duke Reid Sound
6 May 1968 – Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands with Immediate Pleasure
13 May 1968 – Cromwellian, London
3 June 1968 – Queen’s Hall, Leeds with The Herd, Bill Haley & The Comets, Alan Bown, Edwin Starr, Amboy Jukes, Gospel Garden, Clockwork Orange and others
3 June 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with The Action (unlikely with gig in Leeds on the same day)
10 June 1968 – Carlton Club, Warrington
11 June 1968 – Klooks Kleek, London
15 June 1968 – Bulmershe College of Education, Woodley, Berkshire
11 August 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, Kent
16 August 1968 – Fishmonger’s Arms, Wood Green, London
22 August 1968 – Klooks Kleek, West Hampstead, London
24 August 1968 – “Middle Earth”, Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon (bills backing group, The House of Orange) with The Royals and Howard Stephen Shape
1 September 1968 –Queen’s Hall, Leeds with Ben E King, Clyde McPhattter, Flirtations, Tim Rose, Timebox and The World of Oz
2 September 1968 – Brave New World, Portsmouth, Hampshire
14 September 1968 – Blue Lagoon, Newquay, Cornwall with Same Brothers and Confusion
17 September 1968 – Hatchettes Playground, London
11 October 1968 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
12 October 1968 – Links, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire with Fragrant Blend
29-31 October 1968 – Rum Runner, Birmingham with Catz
31 October 1968 – Birdcage, Harlow, Essex
1 November 1968 – Bird Cage, Harlow, Essex with Chuck Jackson and Carla Thomas
2 November 1968 – Rawtenstall Baths, Rawtenstall, Lancashire
5 November 1968 – Concord, Southampton, Hampshire
8 November 1968 – Swimming Baths, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
22 November 1968 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
23 November 1968 – Odeon Manchester (or was this Manchester Free Trade Hall?) with Diana Ross & The Supremes and others
24 November 1968 – London Palladium, London with Diana Ross & The Supremes and others
29 November 1968 – Cue Club, Paddington, London
30 November 1968 – New Century Hall, Manchester
1 December 1968 – Princes and Domino clubs, Manchester
3 December 1968 –The Place Club, Henley, Berkshire (sure not The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire?)
6 December 1968 – City Hall, Sheffield
7 December 1968 – Elm Court Ballroom, Botley, Hampshire
9 December 1968 – Ramsgate Coronation Ballroom, Ramsgate, Kent
12 December 1968 – Pavilion, Worthing, West Sussex
13 December 1968 – Top Rank, Doncaster
15 December 1968 – RAF Mildenhall
16 December 1968 – Tithe Farm, Harlow, Essex
20 December 1968 – Tabernacle, Stockport, Greater Manchester
21 December 1968 – Cliffs Pavilion, Southend, Essex
22 December 1968 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, Kent
23 December 1968 – Golden Torch, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
24 December 1968 – Plaza Ballroom, Newbury, Berkshire
26 December 1968 – Imperial Ballroom, Nelson, Lancashire
27 December 1968 – Newmarket Hotel, Bridgewater, Somerset
28 December 1968 – Civic Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire with The Hideaways
29 December 1968 – Mercers Arms, Coventry, West Midlands
30 December 1968 – Belfry Hotel, Wishaw, West Midlands
31 December 1968 – Morecambe Pier, Morecambe, Lancashire
2 January 1969 – Sloopy’s, Middlesbrough
3 January 1969 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
4 January 1969 – Civic Hall, Winsford, Cheshire
17 January 1969 – Town Hall, Birmingham
18 January 1969 – Town Hall, Glastonbury, Somerset
19 January 1969 – Surrey Oval Rooms, Kennington, Surrey
21 January 1969 – King’s Hall, Aberystwyth, Wales
24 January 1969 – White Lion, Edgware, Middlesex
25 January 1969 – Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
1 February 1969 – New Astoria Ballroom, Rawtenstall, Lancashire and Bin Lid Club, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
2 February 1969 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire
7 February 1969 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
14-15 February 1969 – Scene 2 Club, Scarborough
16 February 1969 – Black Prince Hotel, Bexley, Kent
22 February 1969 – Cliff’s Pavilion, Southend, Essex
23 February 1969 – Good Companion’s Hotel, Slough, Berkshire
In late February, Keith Franklin and Brian Johnson both departed. Pip Williams and Ron Thomas brought in drummer James Smith from The Nashville Teens and organist Martin Woodward from Tapestry.
Selected gigs:
19 March 1969 – The Lyceum, the Strand, London with The Move (debut show with new line up)
Martin Woodward remembers playing the following venues but doesn’t remember the dates:
Civic Hall, Winsford, Cheshire
400 Ballroom Torquay (at least twice)
Scene 2 Club, Scarborough (two or three times)
The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire
Lyceum, Sheffield
Mecca Derby (at least twice)
Mecca Plymouth
Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
Dunstable (possibly California Ballroom)
Middlesbrough Showboat for a week plus one night stands
Middlesbrough (with Three Dog Night)
Kenilworth Grange
Bolton Casino, Wigan Casino, Garrick Lea (for seven days)
Sheffield University for last two nights
April – US airbases in Germany and then Zurich, Switzerland with Gun
Selected gigs:
25 April 1969 – Nottingham Boat Club, Nottingham
25 May 1969 – Skegness Seaside Soul Festival, Skegness, Lincolnshire with Amen Corner, Inez and Charlie Foxx, Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band and Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
According to James Smith, the Fantastics had problems with UK work permits around this time and had to work in Europe for six months. Just before the following gigs in Germany, Ron Thomas left (later to play, most notably, with The Heavy Metal Kids) and one of the roadie’s mates joined on bass.
Selected gigs:
June-July 1969 – US airbases in Germany
July 1969 – NATO airbase in Naples, Italy
Pip Williams, who wasn’t long married and needed to return home, left while the band was in Naples and returned home, later joining Jimmy James & The Vagabonds. A guitarist called Fred was flown out to Majorca after the bass player filled in briefly for shows in Cannes, France.
Pip Williams later became a top session player, working with producer Phil Wainman among others. Later on, he became a successful producer, and is best known for producing Status Quo and The Moody Blues, among others.
August 1969 – Majorca (for one month)
When the band folded in 1970, Martin Woodward and James Smith formed Aquila who, after gigging around the UK, Rome, Paris and Amsterdam, recorded a lone ‘prog rock’ album for RCA. They then teamed up again backing Geno Washington for a short time. Woodward then joined the Tommy Hunt Band and Smith hooked up with a German-based American soul band working in Spain.
Gig sources:
Fabulous 208 Magazine, Lincolnshire Standard, Melody Maker, Crawley Advertiser, West Briton & Royal Cornwall Gazette, Birmingham Evening Mail, Northwich Chronicle, Sheffield Star, Warrington Guardian
A huge thanks to Pip Williams, Martin Woodward, Ron Thomas and James Smith for their help piecing the band history together. Thank you to Pip Williams for The Sovereigns photos. Thanks to Martin Woodward for personal photo and to James Smith for Aquila image.
Copyright © Nick Warburton, 2015. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author. To contact the author, email: Warchive@aol.com or nick_warburton@hotmail.com
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