Stirchley venue
Celebrating Birmingham's Popular Music History
Celebrating Birmingham's Popular Music History
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The Breedon Bar as a serious music venue was run by Bob and Anne Moore between 1988 to around 1992. It was highly respected nationally. Bob specialised in bringing American artises in of all genres, That is Lonnie Brooks and Ronnie Baker Brooks ,Phil Guy (Buddys brother) , Rodney Crowell ,Jimmy Dale Gilmore ,Green on Red ,Otis Grand Grand and the Dance Kings and others I cant recall.
From these shores we had Oysterband ,Dave Berry,John Couglan, Blues and Trouble and of course Steve Marriott and the highly popular DTs,Ruby Turner, Alias Ron Kavana.
When Bob left it collapsed into mediocrity. But for those four years it was absolutely top draw.
Anne has passed on. Bob wherever you are I hope you are well and enjoying life
and the redoubtable Les (on the sound desk) and Jackie too.
It didn’t collapse into mediocrity, when I lived there for the last few years it was open we had some great bands in and some massively busy nights…bad manners, John otway, crazy work of Arthur brown, the straws, tenpole Tudor, the selector…bob Moore was great but it’s unfair and incorrect of you to say it was never good after he left!
Perhaps I should have said it was never as good after Bob left. Im glad you enjoyed whoever you saw but looking at those you have listed (apart from Otway) I stick with my original comments.
Is that the same John who sold T-shirts on various tours?
Dead right ! The Breedon was a top notch venue during that period.
The Joe Ely Band with David Grissom on guitar was one of the best.
The wonderful Jesse Taylor ( smashing bloke too).
Joe Louis Walker.
Gerry Donahue.
Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks.
The mighty Green on Red.
Also remember Channel 4 filming Billy Bragg , The Bhundu Boys and Kathryn Tickell. for a TV music programme.
Wild Willy Barrett sawing up his guitar whilst still playing it after he’d just sold it to a member of the audience.
The Even Crazier World of Arthur Brown.
To name but a few…………
Breedon bar gave many local bands a chance. Nowhere like it now.
A mere five years after the original post, here is the Channel Four show. The Breedon footage is either side of the first ad break. I was there, it was hot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYViN_wN4-c
*crazy world if Arthur Brown *the strawbs
Hey Michelle. Not sure if you remember Stereogram – played the Breedon towards the end. Great times 🙂 Did you go on to run any other live music pubs?
My fav band at the Breedon was the DTs and I was gutted when Steve Walwyn left them to join Dr Feelgood. I never went to see them again so don’t know if the new guitarist shaped up, though he was, understandably, struggling on his first gig as he’d been drafted in at short notice.
Steve is doing some gigs with the DTs again when he’s got time as he’s still lead guitar for the Feelgoods. No sign of the DTs coming back to Brum yet. I believe there is another band of the same name in Brum. They played in the Old Hare and Hounds at Rednal in December but we discovered they weren’t the original DTs so didn’t go to see them. Hard to imagine they would be of the same calibre.
The DTs were certainly the Breedons favorite band. Massively popular with the regulars. Simon’Honeyboy’ Hickling was the best front man of any band who played there. Still out on the road 25 years on he still turns on a show for the punters. Big Al Taylor who replaced Steve Walwyn was a good guitarist but found Steve too hot to follow. I find it hard to believe that Steve is to play with Simons band after all these years as Simon was less than pleased when he left. They might play the Hare and Hounds if it did come off.If so I shall most certainly be there.
one band not mentioned in the above posts that I saw at the Breedon Bar was the excellent American Music club who played on Wednesday 29 March 1989 . I still have my ticket Stub and the cost was £5 . those were the days. Low cost gigs and cheap beer. . Not like to day although I am still a great supporter of modern music and unlike some do not “live in the past”
An excellent intimate venue . I was only a few feet away from Mark Eizel. Always a lot of banter and stories’ with Mark.
The Breedon Bar was a fantastic music venue and Bob & Anne who had the place at the time, were amazing people who booked some amazing shows there. I played there loads of times with a couple of bands I was in at that time, namely Smokehouse Brown & The Millhouse blues band. There were lots of good American band that graced the place with their talents. Although we call it the Breedon Bar it was also known as the Border Cafe. It wqas a great loss to Birmingham when this venue closed. Wish we could have those days back.
When Bob and Anne Moore had the venue they refused to put on the usual Birmingham covers and tribute bands, you know Trevor Burton , Quill etc, even though they draw a crowd. I played there several times with Red Shoes, including
the support to Green On Red. We always packed the place, and I think more people saw us there, than any other venue. Brilliant venue.
Used to go every week ,best none musical night was when picker ton colours were playing to three people a dog when sixty girls on a hen night(canal trip) burst in and insisted on dancing with everyone and everything including the dog
I saw John Stewart, Albert Lee and Iain Matthews at the Breedon Bar. They were/are favourites of mine and they were all superb.
Blimey! The Breedon Bar was brilliant. I was most fortunate to be resident round the corner on Heathcote Road during the glory years 1990-96. We would go there virtually every night there was music. The bands that stand out in my recollection were Steve Gibbons Band, Trevor Burton, Red Lemons, DTs, Mack and the Boys – but by far my favourite was the E Numbers who would draw people in from across the Mdilands to see them. I was bass player in the group from 91 and off and on till 96 as well as singer in Fowl Play and Dr Ford and the Murray Bros. Sty Ford was the most fantastic guitar player.
Did anyone ever see a band called ‘Bumgravy’ play at the Breedon Bar?
I have a flyer of February at Breedon in my copy of MAN’s album BACK TO THE FUTURE and could show if this message accepted pics… Bands included are Rayban and the Shades, Reverend Brown and EarlyBirds, Red Lemon Electric BB, Steve Gibbons Band, Man obviously , Thin Pillow, Split Beaver and many many others in 30 venues Could you tell the year?