The Romans on stage c1961
John Snell from The Reaction remembers the venue;
I remember the Godolphin Hall as having a stage that projected forward into the hall but it did have curtains too. The stage must have been fairly big because I think I played there with the Bobby Knight band and we took up a lot of space! I remember the big doors at the end leading to the granite entrance steps. It was the biggest hall on the Pascoe/Brokenshire West Cornwall dance circuit that Reaction played in their early days after the 1965 Rock & Rhythm Championship.
Tony Cousins remembers an incident at the hall;
Would have been 1968-9 I think. “Saville’s Travels” was a radio show featuring Jimmy Saville. He would visit towns throughout the UK and interview local people live. The show went out “live” on Sundays but was recorded the previous day. I was with a band called The Raid from Cambridge and we were on tour in Cornwall playing local venues (Tall Trees, Flamingo, Blue Lagoon, etc). This particular day Jimmy Saville was at the Godolphin Hall, Helston. Someone has already stated that the stage was bigger than in the photo and there were definitely curtains. We were there as the “live act” and what usually happened was that, at the end of the show, Jimmy Saville would say,”Now then, now then, as it ‘appens.what we have for you, right now, guys and gals, is some special music” and he would then introduce the live act. So there we were, waiting, with a PERFECT arrangement (rehearsed all day cos we were gonna be on the Radio) of Jimmy Hendix’s “Fire” from the “Are you “Experienced” album. Jimmy went through his “Now then, now then”ritual.............”and what we have for you is the wonderful RAID!!!” One, two three................and off we went. Note perfect, tight, it just belted along............and for those of you that know the track, it’s a real rocker! Crowd went mad at the end so we did it again!! Saville had disappeared by then so we carried on with a few more numbers.
We were staying in B&B in Bodmin and needed to find a radio to listen to the Sunday afternoon show. I think the landlady at the B&B let us gather in her lounge to listen to Saville’s Travels. So on it came and we are all sitting waiting for the end when we would hear our efforts broadcast to millions of listeners in the UK. Saville said “Now then, now then, as it happens....................” AND PLAYED SOMETHING ELSE!!!! Not us, something else. Back then you couldn’t pick up your mobile and call the BBC. We couldn’t Google anyone. We just sat there........gutted..........silent.......amazed.
Never did find out what happened. Was it too “heavy” for a Sunday afternoon? Did someone forget to press “record”? Was it crap?
Photos of interior from 1977
With thanks to QueeninCornwall |
