At a time when so many pubs are closing down how great it is that the popular live music venue, The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth, has invested in a brand new look – and what a superb opening they had on the evening of 19th  January, 2013.

An event, Pompey Pop, (the name taken from Dave Allen's 1960s music blog site at http://pompeypop.wordpress.com) was held at the Kings Theatre last July and proved a great success with a near full house enjoying several local bands from the 1960s era back together on stage.

Dave Allen (ex-Rosemary vocalist and College Lecturer on all matters music) organised a follow-up at the Cellars and it was smiles all round as various members of many more bands got together for another celebration of the music of fifty years or so ago, all filmed by Nigel Grundy, the author of ‘My Back Pages,’ a superb read about club life in Pompey in the 1960s. Everywhere you looked there were members of such favourites from The Image, Heaven, Aubrey Small, Sons of Man, Harlem Speakeasy, St Louis Checks, Soul Society, Danny Raven’s Renegades, Coconut Mushroom, Smiling Hard, The Parkas and many more. Live music was provided by Lenny Tench`s Blues Incorporated with Dave Allen doing the vocals – the background music was selected “club” favourites from the era and then came the highlight of the evening. Former Image vocalist (now a stage lighting designer for top chart bands and festivals) Phil Freeman fronting four top class musicians Rod Watts, Alan Christmas, Alan Williams and Mike McGuigan performing material from Motown, Soul and The Action, the great mod band who played The Birdcage Club in town on numerous occasions. It is 40 years since Phil sang on stage but it didn`t show - he was superb and the great ovation they received summed it up. There was a bucket collection for the Rowans Hospice which I hope made a great deal. Where have those fifty years gone??

With thanks to DJ Pete Cross for the above report.

The proceeds from the sale of this DVD were donated to the Rowans Hospice.