NEWS, THE

Lead Vocals, Keys: Andy Fields lnr

Guitar: Ivan Zagni (2)Pete Miller + Vox

Vocals, Bass: Harvey Platt

Drums: Denny Royal   

Mk1 E1966 to E1967

Lead Vocals, Guitar: Pete Miller

Vocals, Bass: Harvey Platt

Vocals, Electric Bongos: Michael Luke Watson am

Drums: Rob Newton

Mk2 C1969 to C1970

On recording their first single for Decca, Norwich stalwarts The Continentals were given the appellation The News to promote it with. The group bore very little resemblance to the rock ‘n’ roll band that formed back in the summer of 1959, although its current lineup had been together since December 1962. Harvey’s brother Howard was the head promoter at The Orford Cellar, and as well as procuring their residency at the venue, he had been pushing to get the group onto a label since 1964. Howard knew the only way forward for the band was to get the group signed. However, in mid-1966, despite their professional edge, they were sitting in the heavily oversubscribed R&B bracket. They broke through with their version of the Tony Clarke ballad The Entertainer, recorded as a demo by The Continentals, and signed to Decca in February 1966, releasing the track in March. The single failed to chart but was a local success reaching No 5 in the EEN chart at the time, with returns supplied by Gooses Records and WH Smiths. Field was not surprised by this. “I was working at Gooses Records in Davey Place at the time the record was released; people would ask me to sign the record bag as they bought it, which was a bit bewildering! I think most of the copies sold must have come from us.” The band’s diary started to include more London dates, and in August 1966, the group recorded This Is the Moment as a follow-up single. The track was also used in an episode of ITV’s detective series Adam Adamant Lives! (Episode Sing A Song Of Murder transmitted on 25 August 1966). The record was released the day after it was transmitted, but sales were poor, although as expected, it reached No 6 in the local chart. For Field, the gloss had gone from what he had been expecting from being on a label. “I sang on both singles and wasn’t happy with either if I’m honest. The first single was better, but it didn’t sound like us. When the second single came out, I could hear my voice, but I could also hear a second voice besides mine. It wasn’t there when we had listened at the end of the session. I thought neither of the records represented what we were as a live band. After all our years of effort, it was a bit of an anti-climax.” Field wasn’t the only one feeling this way, and in October 1966, Zagni headed to London to join Boz Burrell’s new Boz People. The band brought in Pete Miller from The Fuzz to play guitar, but he was no sooner bedded in when Field decided to hang up his boots, sparking the local headline, ‘City’s premier band does a Cream’. The group found it hard to regenerate, and few gigs were played in this format. Last-ditch hope came with the announcement of a planned tour of Germany in January 1967, but it was cancelled. The Midland Beat reported that with no dates in the diary, Platt and Royal shot off to Potter’s Bar in February 1967 to hold together ex-Continentals frontman Mike Patto’s continuation of The Bo Street Runners - Patto’s People but the project soon folded. Platt returned to Norwich and joined function band Alan Dennis Trio at The Samson & Hercules and Royal The Reformation. Miller joined The Washington 400 Clubhouse band, playing as The Paul Saint Trio, with Platt joining them in March 1968. According to Miller, they continued to operate as The News. Using the past success of Miller’s creation Big Boy Pete and also that of The News, the trio set about trying to get work abroad. Harvey smiles as he recalls the situation. “I think we were just trying to get a holiday abroad,” he laughs. ‘It was a bit of a shambles! Originally, I wasn’t supposed to be there; Luke was going to learn to play the bass. We had blagged our way in, sending them copies of The News records and Pete’s single Cold Turkey. We had a great time, though, and I’m glad I did it. We nearly came unstuck, though, when the promoters saw a Big Boy Pete performance on TV. Pete had used a double because he didn’t want to do the gig, and it took some explaining.” The group arrived in Thailand on 3 July 1969, and they remained there until July 1970, when Platt and Newton returned to the UK. Miller invited his friend Robin Barnes out to join them, and he brought bandmate Roger Freeman-Fox with him. Barnes had taken over the residency at The Washington 400 Club and had become known as Triffany, a name that the new Bangkok based quartet then adopted.

Discography:
7” The Entertainer b/w I Count the Tears
Decca Records F12356 [r] 11/03/66
7” This The Moment b/w Ya Ya Da Da
Decca Records F12477 [r] 26/08/66 (p144/55)

Selected advertised supports:
27/03/66 Tavern Club, Dham - Zoot Money’s Big Roll band
01/05/66 Tavern Club, Dham - Jimmy James & The Vagabonds
26/05/66 Orford Cellar, Nch - The Moody Blues
12/06/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - Billy J Kramer & The Dekotas
17/07/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - She Trinity
21/08/66 Tavern Club, Dham - The Raisons
30/10/66 Olympia BR, Crmr - The Fourmost
11/11/66 Hoveton VH, Nfk - Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds
18/11/66 Hoveton VH, Nfk - The Cream
02/12/66 Hoveton VH, Nfk - The Alan Price Set

Tours: Thailand Jul69-70 Resident at ?? (Mk2 version)

Mediography:
News in the news H&N EEN14/03/66
Local chart success for the News H&N EEN 21/03/66
Date for The News at London’s newest club H&N EEN 09/05/66
Norwich group tape song for Adam... H&N EEN 18/07/66
Is this the moment for The News ITG LJ 26/08/66
Success without the ballyhoo? H&N EEN 19/09/66
Pete Miller joins The News H&N EEN 17/10/66
City’s premier group does a Cream H&N EEN 31/10/66
Pete Miller’s £200 guitar missing H&N EEN 07/11/66
Guitar found H&N EEN 14/11/66
German trip off for the News Group H&N EEN 02/01/67

Bibliography:

EBBG ‘80

CBDP,Vol1‘86

RRG2000

TV:
BBC East: Look East ~ This Is The Moment [a] 25/08/66

Thursday 25th August 1966 8pm
BBC1 Adam Adamant Lives!: Sing a Song of Murder 8.00 - 8.50 pm
“High frequencies hidden in a pop song ‘This Is The Moment’ by The News are turning people into robots, controlled by an evil record company boss. The pop group is played by Barry Nobel, Emmett Hennessey and James Southwood.”

Related titles:
Andy Field & The News / The News with Pete Miller

[unchecked text]               

Harvey’s brother Howard pushed the group through his GWO (Garret Waite Organistaion®) promotion agency.

Recorded by The Continentals as a demo the first single the Entertainer.

Since then the band has had several reunions mainly under the Continental banner. first being

Andy Field takes up the story ‘I sang on both singles Mike Patto                      I wasn’t happy about the second single I can hear my voice and then when it was released I could here a second voice besides mine, It wasn’t their at the end of the session. I was working at Gooses records in Davey Place at the time they were released, people asked me to sign the record bag as they bought it, I think most of the copies sold came from us. I felt neither of the records represented what we were as a band and decided to call it a day.’ The group continued at first helping Mike Patto’s unsuccessful attempts at reviving the dead in the water Bo Street Runners, before leaving Ivan in London and returning to Norwich to continue the News as a three piece, with Pete Miller on vocals & guitar. In     although it was never officially announced the band had started to go it’s own way. Pete was working            . And  denny joined giging band reformation waining attemps     [End]     

Conx:

Mk1 = (Miller - The Fuzz) The Continentals <> (Royal-Reformation) (I.Zagni - ??) (Platt - ??)

Mk2 = (Watson -The Pleasure Machine) Rob Newton Trio <> Triffiny

Adiitional notes:

"When were the News not the News? When you are desperate to get a holiday in a hot country under the pretence you are a well known English band. After interviewing Harvey Platt I still could not tie up some discrepancies in dates. So I asked him about rumours that the News actually finished in the early seventies and reminded him of reports that the News played in Thailand. Harvey put his hand to his forehead and just laughed. ‘It was a shambles’ He Said ‘Originally I wasn’t suppose to be there, Luke was going to learn to play the bass after I declined. We had blagged our way in, sending them copies of the News records and of Pete’s ‘Cold Turkey’. We had a great time for about eighteen months, but I’m glad we were in Thailand. The group became unstuck when Pete’s record ‘Cold Turkey’ entered the German charts. Pete’s reluctance to promote the record live saw someone else mime to the record on German TV, seen by the tours promoters it raised doubts about Pete’s real identity. Who was the real Big Boy Pete?" HP

Releases
Cover	Title	Studio	Label	YoR
	THE ENTERTAINER		DECCA RECORDS	1966
	THIS IS THE MOMENT		DECCA RECORDS	1966