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Thread | The Meffs
at 13:01 18 Mar 2024
I was going to add this to 'Tigers at Layer Road' but 'The Meffs' deserve to appear in a heading of their own on this forum.
They are a punk band ( just two of them ) based in Colchester who are likely to make an impression on those who are fortunate enough to see them.
I have to admit to not seeing them as yet but their name has been mentioned multiple times by local gig goers.
The next best thing l could do was watch several of their tracks and ( possibly ) self made videos on YouTube and l can see why people here are enthused. I am too.
Colchester, be it a city or a town does have a decent live music scene and The Meffs are likely to be seen and heard in many locations much further afield in the coming months and years.
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Thread | Steve Harley
at 20:38 17 Mar 2024
Better known to those of us who worked with him many years ago as Stephen Nice.
I was driving into Suffolk today when the very sad news of his passing came up on my daughter's phone.
Steve worked for Essex County Newspapers back in the early seventies on several titles including The Evening Gazette, The Braintree and Witham Times and The Maldon and Burnham Standard.
Several years later he had a number one hit with 'Make me Smile ( Come up and see me ).
This just has to be one of the most perfect recordings ever - just sublime. I always wanted to use it in something and came very close to doing so in 2008. The licence for its use ( in the context intended ) was £4,000 and seemed like very good value. We had a change of musical direction but l have returned to this song time and again over the years and it always brings sunshine and light.
The story l was told by a young lady who used to be a colleague of Steve is that he wrote the song about her coming up the stairs of his flat on Sheregate Steps in Colchester.
I have heard other theories of how the song originated but Ms Freeman seemed positive that the lyrics evolved from her visits.
Either way, Steve Harley made a telling contribution to the music scene and his music will live on forever. [Post edited 17 Mar 20:43]
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Thread | Something for fans of Led Zeppelin
at 11:39 12 Mar 2024
Richard Drew Zacron may be an unfamiliar name to some.
Zacron designed the album cover for Led Zeppelin 3 with the revolving wheel. He studied art alongside Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
He died in 2012 and there will be an auction here in Colchester - probably around June featuring artworks, photography and other examples of his output from a glittering career.
As a birthday gift ( mine today ) l have been treated to a preview of what will be sold off later this year.
I am currently doing a number of home visits to advise people ( at no cost ) on valuations for vinyl record collections that can be sold via auctions.
Two auction houses in the UK who we deal with, Omega Auctions up near Liverpool and Wessex Auctions in Chippenham in Wiltshire are the current leaders in this field with warehouse stock from EMI and The BBC still being processed.
Some of which has made itself to Colchester.
My recent preference has been towards acquiring reissues of ultra rare progressive rock from around 1970 and a consignment landed here last week from our good friends Vectis up on Teeside.
🦮🦮🚣🚣
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Thread | Colchester United Chess Tournament?
at 17:49 8 Mar 2024
Sounds as though some of the players are skilled at Chess.
It would be fun to have an open tournament at The Jobserve with players, fans, media and staff included.
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Thread | Made in Colchester spoken word soundtrack
at 19:16 14 Feb 2024
Thanks to everyone who has endured 'Tigers at Layer Road'.
It can't possibly be to everyones's taste.
Please bare with me as l need to put this in one verse at a time.
Starts with this -
In the tenth month
Nineteen 'O seven
The wind it blew
And the skies were leaden
With dubined boots
And rolled up sleeves
They ran on to the pitch
Through the mud and leaves
The soldier boys
Of The Kings Royal Rifles
Beardmore, Mansfield, Young and Brooks
Ladies and gentlemen
Boys and girls
Here starts the glory of Layer Road
[Post edited 14 Feb 19:18]
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Thread | Essex Senior Cup
at 22:17 7 Feb 2024
Colchester United could still meet Maldon & Tiptree in the final at The Jobserve Stadium in March with both sides winning tonight.
Jamie Cureton came on as a late sub for The Jammers! [Post edited 7 Feb 22:18]
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Thread | Transcript from cassette tape
at 16:55 22 Jan 2024
We are having to return you to your parent club
Mm
You know why don't you
Yeah
Have you got anything to say?
Yeah
What is it?
I think they set you up
What do you mean?
I have got some nasty habits
Do you mean like the one you demonstrated on Saturday?
No, not that
What for instance?
I've got issues
What kind of issues?
I want to kill someone
I hope you don't want to kill me
No, not you
I hope there is no one at this football club you want to kill
No, l like it here
Anyone down the road?
Yeah
Do you think you need help lad?
Yeah
Have your club given you any help?
Yeah
What help was that?
They had me sectioned
When was that?
Last season
Did it help?
I escaped after a couple of days and went back to the training ground
Were they surprised to see you?
A couple of them ran away
I am at a loss lad, you are a good player
Yeah, but when l get the red mist l am capable of anything
Yes
It was me that burned down that warehouse in Stowmarket
I saw that on the news
And the one in Lawford
You have been busy
Yeah |
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Thread | Penalty shoot out in underground car park
at 19:20 18 Jan 2024
In 2000 l was working for an advertising agency in London.
We occupied 191 Old Marylebone Road just up from Baker Street underground in what had been a purpose built and designed dwelling for an Ad agency.
There was quite an interest in football there and some of the male staff were playing part time for the likes of Bromley, Boreham Wood, Hayes & Yeading, Carshalton, Dulwich Hamlet etc.
Several other staff members had played for Gillingham, Reading, Arsenal and Crystal Palace. It was decided by one of the directors ( a season ticket holder at Chelsea ) that we should have a penalty competition and that it would be held on Friday lunchtimes in the underground car park.
It was a bit like the FA Cup in respect of the draw being made. ( I managed to reach the final where l was beaten by a young Account Manager ).
The agency had been located in four separate buildings due to rapid growth and my place of work had been just off the Kings Road in Chelsea where many staff members were regular visitors to Stamford Bridge.
A few years later l was at Stamford Bridge to watch Colchester United put on a fantastic performance against Chelsea in the FA Cup. With ten minutes to go it looked like we were taking Chelsea back to Layer Road for a replay. I had kept in touch with friends at the agency who were at the match and they were mighty impressed with Colchester's performance that day.
Colchester must have sold out their full allocation of tickets and l had to sit in a packed Matthew Harding Stand.
I still keep in touch with some of my work associates and several are now directors of clubs in League One, The National League and The National South. This has resulted in a very useful source of information.
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Thread | The birth of Iron Maiden
at 21:49 2 Jan 2024
I have been present at four births. The first three were my daughters who first saw daylight at Colchester Maternity Hospital in Lexden Road, Colchester.
When the second one was about to be born l was running up and down the stairs as Graham Gooch was closing in on a hundred and l was following the match on my car radio. The nurses give you a rough idea of an ETA so l felt confident l could witness both events. I had about four trips down to the car and thankfully Goochie struck a boundary to bring up his century. It was a quarter final in the B&H l think.
When l returned to the bedside the head was about half way out but there was no midwife to be seen.
I began to panic. I ran along to a side room where a baby's head was even further out and the bedside was surrounded by nursing staff.
I managed to recruit one of them and we rushed back to the bedside with seconds to spare. It's quite a relief when they slither out in a swimming motion especially with eyes open, and although they cannot speak they seem to say hello in their own way.
I have just returned from the Essex coast where this particular baby now resides.
So the fourth birth l was to witness was a little different.
Although l got to name all my children l didn't get to put a title to this golden child.
This was the work of Stephen Percy Harris..
Iron Maiden was the name and he registered the birth which was a very sensible move as another child of the same name was already up and walking in the Basildon area.
I didn't actually meet the new baby until it was crawling around an art studio in Rathbone Place, London W.1.
The baby already had ambition. It dreamed of a recording contract.
It was attending nursery in East End of London public houses where it was getting noticed and had soon made lots of friends.
[Post edited 3 Jan 17:27]
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Thread | Etherington
at 17:30 1 Jan 2024
Sounds like it might be over tonight for Matty.
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Thread | Colchester United Rebrand
at 17:38 18 Dec 2023
This is not a rebrand that the club has any control over and has evolved during the past few seasons.....the term 'Struggling Colchester' has become the most common description of the club, often appearing in national media reports and even on Teletext.
Colchester's population appears to growing faster than anywhere else in the U.K. currently but of the new intake, only a tiny minority will take an interest in a club that is languishing in the lower reaches of what l still refer to as Division 4.
Hence, we are stuck on 3,200.
It's not an easy fix, or it doesn't appear to be.
This must represent a burden for the owner.
It must represent a burden to everyone connected to Colchester United.
It is even a burden to the local press and media as they appear quite exhausted by the continued malaise.
Do we really need interview after interview pre match and post match with players and a conveyer belt of head coaches who have virtually nothing of interest to say?
This is not just common to Colchester United. Some clubs might consider closing their media arms down....the game has become too corporate but most of the speak is just meaningless fluff.
What a shame real football Manager's morphed into Head Coaches who appear to be reading from the same autocue.
Friday brings Salford.
A victory will ease the pressure.
A significant home defeat could bring dramatic changes.
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Thread | Urgent message for WESSEX
at 15:08 14 Dec 2023
We are flying above Chippenham now in the four seater at 1,600 feet to the North.....wave if you are there. |
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Thread | Is a crime story permitted on here?
at 09:49 8 Dec 2023
I have just been informed that Steve Wright, the Suffolk Serial Killer was arrested for the second time this week in relation to the murder of Vicky Hall in 1999.
This is a case that Sparkfilms spent many months researching. We identified time lines and hired vehicles that put Steve Wright very much in contention as a suspect in the case.
There were similarities in body deposition with the first two victims found in the Ipswich murders.
We also may have discovered ( Suffolk Serial Murders ) how all the belongings to the victims ( clothes, shoes, phones, bags etc ) may have been hidden - and as yet, never accounted for by Suffolk Police.
This has become quite a past time for me over the years.
My track record isn't great - a few l have got right, and a few l have got wrong ...but sifting through hours of witness statements has become quite addictive to me in later life.
If the mods feel this content unsuitable then please remove.
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Thread | Mitchell Cowling
at 23:55 16 Nov 2023
A taboo subject for sure.
The police were investigating the fraud case for six years.
So I wonder if they were following the civil law case that Mitchell Cowling was involved in that also had elements of fraud involving Texo Scaffolding.
Anyone interested in this case should check out the listing at Stuart Cribb Chambers. Mitchell Cowling's company at that time was M&M Sports Management Limited.
I would have expected Mitchell to resign from his position at Maldon and Tiptree F.C., or perhaps it would have been for the best if he had looked to do something with his future well away from football before becoming the "General Manager' at M&T.
Let's hope he can finally turn his life around. He is quite a story.
I also followed events at Waterford F.C. and wonder if a further development lurks on the horizon.
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Thread | M&T makeover
at 08:18 11 Nov 2023
I have lost track of the spree of signings M&T have made over recent days and weeks. One could be forgiven for thinking they have a more expansive budget than some clubs playing at League Two level.
Which begs the question ....who on earth is funding operations at Park Drive?
After suffering a string of humiliating defeats the boot is well and truly on the other foot after signing virtually a new squad at break neck speed.
With the apparent recent investment M&T should have their sites set on The Conference South at the very least.
That could make for a very interesting local football scene .
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Thread | The Layer Road Experience - Part 6 Youtube
at 21:53 3 Nov 2023
I was told today that the footage we shot during half time at an evening match at Layer Road is very rare.
We were given access to the office to charge our camera batteries and filmed the staff counting ticket stubs and the like.
According to an old friend who works for ITV Sport this footage might be virtually unique in British football.
The staff didn't seem to mind performing their tasks in front of the camera and this offers football followers an opportunity to watch what goes on behind the scenes during a time portal that is neglected by mainstream production companies.
ITV were also interested in the fact we took a small plane up from Clacton to film from 1,600 feet above the ground while a match ( v Sheffield United ) was taking place....something they have never done, and probably for good reason as the cross winds make filming difficult.
I don't think we would have been allowed to film by drone. |
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Thread | New leadership of Colchester United required
at 22:32 21 Oct 2023
I think Robbie Cowling should take a break from the club and allow someone else to re-evaluate how Colchester United is run.
I don't doubt his dedication to the cause but it just isn't working.
Appointment after appointment of Head Coaches.
Nothing works.
Some of these appointments were beyond belief.
Equally, some of the recruitment has been extremely ill judged.
I think Mr Cowling needs to take time out and consider the very radical decision of a caretaker owner to guide the club in a totally different direction.
This has gone on long enough.
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Thread | Sparkfims owner shot in Colchester
at 12:49 7 Oct 2023
I was victim of a firearms assault in Colchester last night.
Just back home from Colchester Police Station.
Young kids trying to sell me drugs with a replica, and it has left a mark on the images.
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