Lambley / Nottingham band 1978 – 1980

Richard Common got in touch and gave me a brief history of the band. Feb 2025.

“My Dad was a skiffle drummer in Mansfield so music was in the family. The first band in Lambley, I was in, was basically friends messing around, managing one appearance at the Youth Club (under the name ‘Squadron‘)”.

Squadron Line up:
Rick Common: Drums
Chris Hillary: Bass Guitar
Dave Moore: Guitar/vocals/sax
Paul Martin: Guitar

“Paul Martin later worked at Jack Brentnall’s (from 77) so he was a source of endless gossip about the local music scene“. 

“I went to the Riverside Rock Extravaganza in 1975. One of my first live gigs. I saw Limelight a few years later reborn as NWOBHM band at a one day festival headlined by Hawkwind! I recall they moved the annual Extravaganza indoors in 1976 to the Victoria Leisure Centre. I am sure I went to that one and recall Gaffa and Morris Convertible. I was very much into prog rock so my heroes were Phil Collins, Carl Palmer and Chris Cutler (I even decorated my kit like his)“.

Richard joined his first proper group, Metronome, in 1976.

Metronome Line up:
Steve McCauley (15): Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Phil McCauley (14): Lead Guitar, Vocals
Rick Common (14): Drums
Chris Hillary (15): Bass Guitar

Ages as of the summer of 1976

Brothers Steve and Phil were self taught and had written around 50 songs ranging from rock and pop. Both were from Woodthorpe in Notts. Both Chris and Rick were from Lambley and Rick Common had been playing drums since he was nine. In June 1976 about 30 pupils from Henry Mellish School took part in a rock drama called “Teen Dream” at the ICC (International Community Centre) on Mansfield Road, Nottingham. Some songs were written by pupils of Highbury Vale School and Metronome also wrote music and played. They had previously had three sell out nights at Henry Mellish School where all but Phil were studying. As a result they were added to a prestigious bill at the Albert Hall, Nottingham opening for Six Hands In Tempo, Magna Carta and Pam Ayers.

“I recall we did another gig in the summer of 76 at the Nottingham Expo on the Forest but can’t find any evidence!”

On the 19th July 1976 they played a gig at the “Heart Of The Midland” (Later to become Rock City) with proceeds from the show going to a Woodthorpe Youth Club project. Top of the bill was former Paper Lace star Carlo Santana. They played a few times as a support act at the Heart Of The Midland and headlined on October 22nd 1976 by which time the line up had changed with Mark Black and Phil Thompson replacing Rick Common and Chris Hillary.

“What happened with Metronome is that the Macauley brothers disbanded it in late 76 and then reconvened the band in 77 so we were effectively fired!”

There is a separate page about Metronome.

Dark Star was formed in 1978.

“In 1978, I was part of another local band called Dark Star and we often supported Last Call (later Pinski Zoo) at the Hearty Good Fellow. We had to change our name as some Brummie rockers, more famous than us, also adopted the same name. I recall upstairs at the Hearty Good Fellow being unusually packed one night and discovered the crowd was waiting for them, not us!”

Dark Star Line up *1
Dave Moore from Lambley (guitar/vocals/sax and main writer),
Mark Beardsley from Bramcote on bass and me on drums.
Rick Common: Drums

“Dark Star started off as a 3 piece until Tim joined in late 78“. 

Dark Star Line up *2
Dave Moore from Lambley (guitar/vocals/sax and main writer),
Mark Beardsley from Bramcote on bass and me on drums.
Tim Richardson from Beeston on keyboards.
Rick Common: Drums

“I am 100% we played no covers – it was all Dave Moore’s material, most of it instrumental.  I recall supporting another band at the Hearty Good Fellow – a band called Bad Publicity who came from Derby.  They seemed very professional. We never got beyond playing the usual haunts in Nottingham only ever headlined gigs we put on ourselves (famously playing an unofficial gig outside High Pavement college in 79). After being confronted by the fans of the ‘other Dark Star; at the Hearty Good Fellow in 1980 we changed our name to The Warm and Wonderful Beverage Company but not for long as the band split in the summer of 80“.

The Warm and Wonderful Beverage Company Line up:
Dave Moore from Lambley (guitar/vocals/sax and main writer),
Mark Beardsley from Bramcote on bass and me on drums.
Tim Richardson from Beeston on keyboards.
Rick Common: Drums

Dave Moore can still be found on Wednesday nights at the Navigation and I played in several bands over the years (most recently the Organ Grinder in Loughborough with Junction 33). We did know that bloke who went on to be Julian Cope’s guitarist…. Doggen. First encountered in the early 80s as something of a child prodigy on guitar playing in a rock covers band with his brother. We did a gig with them at a party in Lambley Village Hall (in 1982)”.

“All the bands played original material – the Macauley Bros wrote the Metronome stuff (I can only remember ‘Wheeler Dealer’) and Dave Moore wrote the vast majority of the Dark Star/Bev Co stuff (I can remember most of the titles including ‘WI Blues’, ‘Lazy Lemon’ and ‘Midnight in Berlin’ – I have a tape from the Hearty Good Fellow somewhere), When I look back, that was quite an achievement for the lad as some of it was complex stuff (he was influenced by the Allman Bros and Camel)”.