Chichester: Have wig, will rock!

As band member Keith Simpson, who lives in Chichester, says, it’s back to the sounds of flower power and glam rock at the Chichester Inn, 38 West Street on Saturday, September 12 from 7.30pm.

Entry is free but donations to the Snowdrop Trust will be sought on the night or can be made beforehand through http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/losamigos.

Keith said: “We’ve played a number of fund-raising gigs in south London for the Snowdrop Trust and thought it would be nice to do something on their home territory in Chichester. Most of what we play is from the 60s and 70s so it seemed a good idea to coincide the gig with the Revival weekend when the city is in a nostalgic frame of mind. Hopefully we’ll see some platform soles, flared jeans and mini-skirts on the dance floor!

“I split my time between Chichester and Wimbledon. The other members of the band are all based in Wimbledon, and the gigs are usually in that part of the world, but I have persuaded them to come south to the delights of Chichester. It has taken about a year. I guess it was just a question of right place, right occasion. I became a volunteer, doing stuff for the Snowdrop Trust about a year, a year and a half ago, and then I started to bolt that onto the gigs we were doing around south-west London, and then I thought it would be good to do something down here, and everything just followed from there. The Snowdrop Trust were a catalyst really and meant we had a good reason for doing it.

“The band started about five years ago. It grew out of a little festival which is held in the Wimbledon area. It is organised by an old boys club and grew out of that and now plays in pubs and clubs in the local area. It’s very much a good-time little band. We try to encourage people to sing along and dance along to a degree. We are never going to win any awards, but we have a good time, and every time we play now we bolt it on to the Snowdrop Trust.”

As for that 50 rock and pop classics in 150 minutes aim, as Keith says, they are helped a bit by the fact a lot of Beatles songs are quite short, plus you can pack a fair few Status Quo songs into one medley.

“You can knock off quite a few in rapid succession!”

You can expect songs by The Beatles, Van Morrison, The Eagles, The Stones, The Monkees etc. Beatles numbers might include I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, Hey Jude, Lady Madonna, Twist and Shout and Back in the USSR. Stones numbers might include Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Women.

Put it all together, and Keith is promising a great time – an evening of great songs all in the best possible cause.

“The Snowdrop Trust do a fantastic job,” Keith said. He was looking for volunteering opportunities, with a bit of time on his hands, and just happened to chance upon the Snowdrop Trust: “I was just looking to do something locally in the Chichester or Bognor area, and I found out about them.”

The band are also looking for potential sponsors for the night. Anyone able to help should contact Los Amigos on 07939 156 779 or [email protected].

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