CISCO - spent years playing the Imperial Hotel in Nottingham- used to do things like AWB's Pick Up The Pieces and Supertramp songs. Big local following

FACTORY - I think these boys were from Reading area. They had violins and allsorts

GLIDER - subsequently Plummet Airlines (see here) - mainly the voice of Harry Stephenson who we thought were the only band around who would actually "get somewhere" - especially when they released a 7" single (Silver Shirt) on Stiff Records (which launched folks like Elvis Costello at the time. I've STILL got that single, but now I HAVEN'T got a Record Player!)..... but they didn't! I even bought follow up Harry & The Atoms single - Working For Nothing - bit of an anthem in my life nowadays!

GAFFA - another set of Imperial residents. Even saw them on TV once singing about Fireball XL5

GYGAFO - a band from Leeds or similar, with the most imaginative name ever. One promoter apparently told them "Get your gear, and f.........." you have to complete the sentence yourself! - and it sort of stuck!

JEVUSTHA - 3 piece jazz-rock team, or certainly something I couldn't get my head round at the time, but VERY inventive and worth going out for, if only to see what they came up with next!

KELLY'S EYE - Barry and Graham from Wheels, plus Grippo back from his Scotland exile. Loud/fast

LIMELIGHT - the Scrimshaw Brothers from Bilsthorpe. Mellotrons, Twin Neck Guitars and suchlike. Big in Australia

LION - didn't Pete Boot (eventually of Budgie) play for them?

ORPHAN - big sound 3 piece containing our man Keith.

PHOEBUS - our buddies from Lancashire. Covered a few Trapeze tunes that nobody else could manage.

MATARKA - big cult following, not my sound at all, lost on me - but they had a very large and loyal fan base, resulting in severe jealousy on my part. They obviously had something that a lot of folks wanted - I never worked out what it was - as time has proven! Ultimately became Cloks, and ticked away. Paul Arnall formed Fatal Charm and they played support to folks like OMD.... word has it!

MILLION PEOPLE - the best thing I remember about these was an announcement one evening "Next week, we've got A Million People playing here!". I bet they never got them all in! Certainly NOT in the Plough and Harrow where that announcement was made!

NIRVANA - Not Kurt Colbain, but a blind kid and his 2 buddies. Laughable in immediate appearance, but as soon as they started it was Hendrix reborn - nobody else was doing this then, because they DAREN'T - but Tony and his mates could really cut it. Robin Trower was given something to think about as well!

SOB - went on to be Son of a Bitch and Saxon and rose from the swamps. Mainly Steve Dawson and Graham Oliver - still at it apparently. There's an Oliver/Dawson version and a Pete 'Biff' Byford version doing the rounds occasionally. I think they must have had a bit of a tiff?

SWEATY BETTY - guys from Birmingham, Colin and Trevor on Twin lead guitars

TATUM - nice sounds - always seemed to be playing The Test Match pub at Trent Bridge. Neil Tatum had the weirdest Gibson guitar you could imagine - never seen another like it.

VESUVIUS - Nicko and Duncan and their Matlock buddies. Brilliant '3 stick' drum solo. No point trying to explain it- you had to be there! Duncan came round my house to mend my fridge not long ago.

WHEELS - quite a successful 5 piece 'Nottingham' band with some nice tunes, all their own - but I couldn't work out what they were aiming for. Made an insane name change to Early Bird just when 'Wheels' was becoming a 'brand name' and rocketed to obscurity.

FRUUPP - Irish 4 piece band. Amazingly original material. Best drumming I have ever seen - especially in 'Decision' where Martin Foye the drummer (obviously!) would hit cymbals and 3 or 4 beats later, follow them round and choke them - AND keep the beat going as well. See their website within the CHECK THESE OUT section. Favourite song = Song For A Thought

SASSAFRAS - Mainly Welsh guys, Two guitar sound - again, and contained Terry "Beefy" Bennett from round these parts. Favourite song = Electric Chair (their web site has appeared since I first wrote this = try here)

STRIFE - Explosive 3 piece band from Liverpool. John Reid with immense sound emanating from his Gibson Flying V (before EVERYONE got one - including me) standing on top of speaker cabinets, arms and legs everywhere and frozen by strobe lighting (I used to do that as well before I grew up... or when I first fell off). Nobody does that now - we're all too old! See their website within the CHECK THESE OUT section. Favourite song = Indian Dream

UFO - first saw these supporting Steve Ellis ('Love Affair' fame? No? Thought you wouldn't remember!) at Ilkeston College. This was AFTER Mick Bolton and BEFORE Michael Schenker - I think the guy on guitar was Larry Wallis, otherwise it was the original band. We were meant to support these once, but we used so much of their material that we had to turn it down because we wouldn't have been left with anything to play! Best thing I ever saw them play = Move Over (originally by Janis Joplin) and Boogie For George at The Boat Club when Pete Way's bass amp blew up and Michael Schenker had to improvise for a few minutes.