I’m a big fan of the efforts being made to show just how crucial Ealing was in the birth of British Rhythm and Blues and I’ve taken my first dip in to crowdfunding with this film. The target is to raise £6,000 by August 25th and as of writing this we’ve raised £963, so pretty good going as it’s only just been launched.
Feb 1965: The WHO & Fery Asgari at The Ealing Club
Suburban Steps to Rockland is a documentary feature film focusing on the the story of the Ealing Club, a small venue in West London, where bands and artists like The Who, The Rolling Stones, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton – just to name a few – started their careers in the early ’60s.
Your chance to support the film and get rewarded for participation
Many Interviews with veteran musicians and leading rock writers have already been completed including: Bobbie Korner (Wife of Alexis) Don Craine (Downliners Sect) Ali Mackenzie (The Birds) Terry Marshall (co-founder Marshall Amps) John O’Leary (Savoy Brown) Pete Brown (lyricist for Cream) Tom Newman (co-founder Virgin Records, Ealing Club veteran and Producer of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells”) Mike Watt (The Minutemen, Iggy Pop and The Stooges) Damian and John O’Neill (The Undertones) Harry Shapiro (Rock Music Biographer) and Paul Trynka (Music Writer). A special PROMO MOVIE can be viewed at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ealingclubfilm/suburban-steps-to-rockland
Supporters will receive copies of the completed film, access to exclusive merchandise and LIVE EVENTS being planned (please see Kickstarter for details)
I’m delighted that you’ve mentioned this project on your site as I feel that the Ealing Club is one of the borough’s hidden gems. Our modern music heritage is at the back of the queue when it comes to funding, far behind ancient buildngs and artefacts, yet when venues similar to the Ealing Club are lost a lot of people complain that no one did anything to prevent it. I wonder how many people realise how close we came to losing the site where some of the greatest names in British music started out? The fact that it survived is down to the hard work, passion and dedication of those who are now asking for support through Kickstarter. If you’ve never been involved in a campaign you probably don’t understand just how much it can cost simply to network and spread the word. It can’t all be done online so my guess is that those behind the Ealing Club try not to think about their personal phone bills and other campaign essentials until they have to, which isn’t fair as they are saving something which belongs to all of us. I speak from personal experience as I am trying to save a local asset myself (and not doing as good a job of it as the Ealing Club or the folks in Hanwell). Anyone who thinks that preserving Ealing’s music heritage is simply motivated by nostalgia and is a waste of time or money should note the number of hotels appearing along Uxbridge Road and the many foreign visitors who have begun to stay in them. These tourists are heading for central London via Ealing Broadway Station to spend their money there. As far as I can tell little or no effort is being made by the council to encourage them to visit local music venues such as the Ealing Club or those in Hanwell. We need to do everything we can to promote our own music history because of its significance to the borough but also because it is an opportunity to create jobs and attract revenue to the area. To ignore it is to look a gift horse in the mouth.