Introducing
The new Amen Corner

 This fantastic non-stop show features the finest vocalists to have come out of  the era and is full of some of the world’s greatest pop songs ever written and will surely take you back to those kaleidoscopic days of the 60’s

 

 

 

The Summer of Love also introduces the fabulous new Amen Corner who have emerged in the last couple of years as arguably the hottest band on the 60’s circuit because of their ability to recreate so perfectly the sound and atmosphere of the period and with their new singing sensation Glen Leon they are bound to set the audience on fire. As well as performing their own electrifying set they also provide the powerhouse backing for the show.

 

This production is designed to take you both visually and musically back to the kaleidoscope day’s of the 60’s to a time of Love & Peace, Carnaby Street, Flower Power and of course The Summer of Love, that’s why the audience is strongly encouraged to dress up in their finest 60’s gear; breathing life back into the most prolific decade in musical history

Mike D’Abo
 

In 1966 there was only one man who could fill Paul Jones' shoes as front man for Manfred Mann.  Already attracting attention with his group, A Band Of Angels, Mike was thrust into a wider limelight with the Manfreds and the well-oiled hit machine rolled on.  Just Like A Woman, Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James and Mighty Quinn were just three of the string of hits with the 'new boy' in the line-up.

And, like his predecessor, Mike's career after the disbanding of the Manfreds in 1969 lost none of its momentum.  He'd already proved his impressive skill as a songwriter by composing Build Me Up Buttercup for The Foundations and Handbags & Gladrags, a massive hit for Chris Farlowe, reprised with equal success by Rod Stewart, first in 1970 and more recently on his MTV-based 'unplugged' album.  Mike recorded solo albums, made his acting debut in the West End and used his musical talents wherever they led him; from the soundtrack of the Peter Sellers/Goldie Hawn movie There's A Girl In My Soup to an array of TV jingles, including Cadbury's 'Finger of Fudge', Mike d'Abo's creative career is a seamless success story.

In addition to The Manfreds, since 1987 Mike has established a formidable reputation with Mike d'Abo & His Mighty Quintet, the band guaranteed to fill any dance floor. All this and The Manfreds too .... an impressive and enviable career.

 

Steve Ellis first began singing in a band at the age of 15. The band were called Soul Survivors, initially gate crashing weddings, youth clubs and barmitzva's in north London on the pretence that they were booked to perform. When the band improved substantially they began to play venues such as The Marquee, The Flamingo, Tiles and Mod clubs in Brighton, Clacton and Soul clubs in Manchester, Stoke etc.

After the bands first release on Decca Records, they moved on to CBS and became one of the most successful British pop acts of the late '60s, under their new name "Love Affair", and had a string of hit records. (Everlasting Love, Rainbow Valley,A Day Without Love)The music was inaudible due to the Beatle-mania like mayhem that ensued and was never repeated until a decade later when the Bay City Rollers found success.

 

 

In autumn 1969, Steve Ellis walked out of Love Affair to re-think his musical direction. CBS retained him as a solo artist and his future looked decidedly rosy. Without him, Love Affair floundered, while Steve seemed to have the world at his feet. But it didn't work out that way.

Despite a succession of different bands and deals, he never again tasted chart success - undeservedly so, judging by the records - and his career was cut painfully short in 1981 when he suffered a horrific accident after retiring from the music business to work as a docker.

But a brave fight to regain his mobility led him back to music in the early '90s, and for the next 10 years, he toured as Steve Ellis' Love Affair, belting out a mixture of the band's old hits and newer material to an audience of nostalgists and younger converts. He's also plugged in to the enduring Mod scene, organising and performing at the Small Faces Convention at the Ruskin, East London as a tribute to the late Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane. The upshot of this was sell-out concerts at The Astoria and The Royal Albert Hall, with proceeds going to Ronnie Lane's sons after their house in Wales burnt down. Both shows included all star guests paying tribute to Marriott and Lane. "A Mod is for life, not just for Christmas", he laughs.

Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers was the first London band to be signed by The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein. Their innovative brass sound introduced British youth to soul music. Within three months of Epstein's management, the band had their first UK hit single with “One Way Love” and a tour of Germany with The Beatles. They were the first British band to be signed to the Motown label.

Cliff crowned his success with The Rebel Rousers in 1966 with a song written exclusively for him by Lennon & McCartney - "Got To Get You Into My Life" which reached No. 3 in the UK charts, creating a unique British soul sound. Their other hits include: "Back In The USSR", "One Way Love" and "I'll Take You Home

Also appearing alongside Cliff once again is the legendary original Rebel Rouser himself, Sid Phillips on Baritone Sax