DANCING

I heard the tail end of a music programme on National Radio where New Zealand music of the 1960s was discussed. This was a formative era for me as it was from about 1967 onwards that I started to go out to listen to live bands. Initially this was to church and school dances at the church halls in Newtown and Brooklyn. These events were like socials or school dances really where you went to not only listen to the music but to join in with the girls and do some dancing. This was a very serious affair and ones dance moves had to be planned out in advance ..... nothing ever changes I guess.

THE LETTER

I remember listening to The Dedikation, Rising Sons, Lost Souls, Cheshire Katt and others.

The Dedikation

It was at a Saint Bernard's church dance in Brooklyn in 1967 or 1968 when The Dedikation were playing that I wore the nice new corduroy jacket that my mum had bought for my birthday. Quite naively I took it off and hung it in the cloakroom only to find that some bastard stole it. I hated having to tell mum that when I got home.

Later, when in the 7th form at college and university going out to listen to live music didn't mean going to dances - that was uncool. The music was no longer at church halls but in the 'funky' nightspots of Wellington or at the quadrangles of Victoria university or Wellington polytechnic. It was here that we went to listen to Mammal and the various antecedents and spinoffs, Quincy Conserve,  The Fourmyula and lots of others.

All good fun but as far as I was concerned you could keep the dancing.