Glitterball will turn Chinnery's usual punters into disco divas and Travolta tigers when they play their wow-fab-groovy music on Friday night (July 14) - but they'll be doing it for the last time.

Sad to say the ultimate 70s disco experience is splitting up after this performance so it'll be you last chance to catch this particular wave.

For two-hours you can expect everything from KC and the Sunshine Band to the Jackson, with maybe even an Oops Up Side Your Head and a Dancing Queen thrown in for good measure.

Support for the evening comes in the shape of Closing Time, which features Leon Chant from Glitterball on piano and vocals.

Leon said the band combine a mixture of blues, soul and jazz to create a unique blend of original material.

Closing Time will also be joined for half of their set by a host of guest musicians. Catch them down at Chinnery's on Marine Parade, Southend seafront at about 8.30pm onwards for just £4.

Beatglider' flying visit

The legendary Pink Toothbrush in High Street, Rayleigh is starting up regular gigs again - the first one being Thursday (July 13) featuring local Essex talent.

Starting off will be the critically-acclaimed Beatglider who are headlining.

Beatglider are three-quarters Rayleigh and one-quarter Hullbridge and have been playing together for about three years.

They have been alikened to American bands such as Pavement, the Flaming Lips, and British bands such as Spacemen 3 and Spiritualised Rave reviews of their first album Forty Days of Summer were made by XFM, GLR and Radio 1 with the album being rated album of month on GLR.

They are currently sealing a deal with Doo-little of Fire Records and are recording a second album.

Support comes from The Somethings; Paperboy (formerly Lylo) and Kidkhula (formerly Auntie Mabel).

Admission is £4 on the door or £3 in advance at The Pink Toothbrush, High Street, Rayleigh. Doors open at 8.30pm.

Bad Manners abound...

Oi, lip up fatty.

Yes - Buster Bloodvessel is back with his bonkers band Bad Manners and a string of witty, though repetitive tunes. Two Tone with a sense of humour was their forte and you can catch them on July 19 at Chinnery's, on Marine Parade, Southend.

Yes, there was the huge tongue, the huge torso, the shaven head and the wild dancing - but there was also Lip Up Fatty, My Girl Lollipop, Special Brew and the Can Can which always gets a party going.

Still playing all over the country to packed pubs and clubs, Bad Manners were one of the more wilder cornerstones of early 80s Ska Along with Madness and the Specials they were the god-uncles of Brit pop and they still hold a place in many a heart.

Though you may think the ticket price of £8 (available from Honky Tonk music in Southend and Fives records in Leigh) is pricey - just remember Glyn Morgan of Chinnery's words.

He said: "We can't wait for this show in the club. It was so much fun when we did them this time last year - they're totally mental.

"The crowd loved the show and the band loved the venue - even by comparison to bands today they really put on a storming show which you walk away grinning from. Not to be missed."

The band also play the Army and Navy on July 25 for the same ticket price so if you're not able to see them on the gloriously sunny (hah) seafront you can catch them at 138 Parkway, Chelmsford.

Eddie fast becoming a legend

Eddie and the Hot Rods will be playing the Riga Music Bar on July 15 and it's fair to say they are a little bit of rock history on the cusp of being legends.

Go back to the days of pub rock when every music journalist was bombing it down to Canvey and Southend to catch the latest thing, you'll find the Hot Rods, from Canvey, showing everyone how it was done.

The Ramones were wary of them, they called Dr Feelgood friends and the NME loved them.

In 1977 Do Anything You Wanna Do became a top ten hit, firmly establishing the band as a major chart force - for a while at least.

But like all the bands who never got the recognition they deserved, the Hot Rods petered out due to the rise of the wet musicians and New Romantics who wouldn't know rock and roll if it kicked them in the butt - or until it became fashionable again.

So, the band split in 81, but reformed in 92 and have been aggressively gigging and recording ever since.

The gig is a prelude to a quite remarkable tour which the Echo is getting heavily involved in - the 76 date Naughty Rhythms tour which will have Dr Feelgood, The Hamsters and the Hot Rods, plus rock's greatest and most loveable failure John Otway.

In many ways these bands were a firm part of the indie family tree - starting with rhythm and blues to two-minute rock and roll, spawning punk rock and all that followed.

The Riga gig will be your last chance to catch the Hot Rods in their entirety before the Naughty Rhythms tour in November, which will be played at the much larger Cliffs Pavilion.

They've promises to play their early stuff, which they recorded with Island Records and a new CD has recently been released, entitled Live At The Paradiso.

Dawning talent

Ian Henderson has taken the reigns of Club Dawn in Southchurch Road, Southend and if you're a band looking for a backline, PA and venue to showcase your talents then contact him pronto.

He said the aim of the new Thursday and Friday nights is to give new bands of any style the chance to get the much-needed practice without the much-unwanted headaches of where to play.

In addition, the musicians workshop will continue to run on Sunday from 4pm where any musician can come along and jam - be you an oboe player, drummer, guitarist or ukulele genius.

For more information contact Ian on 0777 5832233.

By Carl Eve

Reporter's e-mail: carl.eve@notes.newsquest.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.