Charlotte Percival reports on a Sixties music revival happening in York.

BEEHIVE hairdos, leather jackets and thick black eye makeup might be a thing of the past, but now you have a chance to relive them.

On April 25, more than 30 musicians who played in Sixties bands in and around York will regroup for a Charity Reunion Rock Concert.

Steve Cassidy And The Escorts, The Dominoes, Blind Alley, Jet Blacks, Soul Union and The Alan Carver Set will take to the stage at Huntington WMC, raising funds for the National Heart Research Fund, Cookridge Cancer Research Fund and Parkinsons Disease Society.

Among them will be Murray Addison, a guitarist who first appeared on the music scene with the band The Courtiers.

Murray, 63, held down a day job as an apprentice television engineer while playing whenever he could.

"I played in several bands as most musicians did back then," he said. "They all knew each other and it all depended where their loyalties lay at that moment in time. Transport was very important too and if you had a vehicle you were very popular."

He would work hard and play hard, he admits.

In the early days, he loved playing the Empire - which is now the Grand Opera House - because it had a proper stage.

There were many venues though, and audiences often moved on to try new music.

"They were happy times," he said. "We were young, we were teenagers and the music scene around York was very vibrant.

"You could always find time to go and watch a band."

As the years went by, bands went their separate ways but stayed in touch when they could.

However, it was not until many of them met at the funeral of Jerry Hanson (TV comedian Dustin Gee, also once known as Gerry B from Gerry B And The Rockafellas) that they decided to meet more regularly.

"I met up with some of our friends who were there and thought we should stay in touch with each other and get together more," said Murray.

"We started meeting up again once a month and having a beer. That was the start of the charity concerts that have run for some time now."

Since then, more friends have died, but it has made the musicians determined to carry on.

"The death of these friends of ours from the Sixties has kept the comradeship going and the charity concerts going," he added.

"People who come along really come along to enjoy themselves."

The concert will start at 8pm. Tickets cost £7.50 and are available from Banks Music, Bulmers and M.O.R Music.

York bands from the Sixties...

Gerry B And The Rockafellas
Ray Charles And The Beat Boys
The Courtiers
The Dominoes
The Tycoons
The Scorpions
Ian And The Shifters
Gideon's Few
The Roll Movement
Steve Cassidy and The Escorts.

Venues...

The Caribbean Club (later became the Boulevard, on the A64)
York Empire
The Assembly Rooms
The Rialto
White Horse, in Coppergate
Neal Guppy's Enterprise Club
The Folk Hall, New Earswick
The Wild Man Pub
La Bamba
The Zarf Club