St Something

St Something...makes a nice title for a blog entry. Its how Nigel Chappell described the location of the village hall in West Cornwall where his band Constable Zippos supported Smile with Freddie Mercury in about 1969. I spoke to Nigel last night and he was very clear about the things he could and couldn't remember. And he said it was in St Ives direction but it was nt St Ives - it was a small village with a traditional village Hall. He's going to consult his mothers diary because he thinks the detail may be in there...

Nigel knew Queen well in London, because after moving there in the 70s he shared a flat with Pat and Sue of the fan club, and worked as the band's accountant.

So regarding previously undocumented and unadvertised Smile gigs we now have:
St Georges Hall, Truro (Pete Gill-Carey)
Wadebridge ?Town Hall (Pete Edmonds)
Falmouth Art School (Pete Edmonds)
Portreath? Hotel (Graham Hankins)
Beach Parties (Tim Staffell)
Fowey Carnival/Regatta (Tim Staffell)
St Ives (Tim Staffell) ?most likely the Guildhall
And St Somewhere in West Cornwall ?St Just, ?St Erth, ?St Buryan (Nigel Chappell)

Actually the reason why St Ives Guildhall is the most likely place that Smile would have played is because it was a venue also used a lot by The Reaction. Here are some pictures:

The foyer is rather grand. You have to imagine: its the mid to late sixties and Barbara Hepworth and the other St Ives artists are, for the most part, still working in the town. Meanwhile a bunch of Roger Taylor's sixth form friends from Truro School are in the foyer of the Guildhall selling tickets to holiday makers and locals to see his heavy rock band The Reaction...

I'd have gone if I'd been there...