Warley Odeon Band Concerts

[Old Boy]

Hi All,

Last night on TV I saw an advert for a new 'Squadronaires' DVD playing Glenn Miller music. It reminded me that the first time I saw 'The Squadronaires' was at a Sunday evening concert at Warley Odeon. At the end of the forties a Big Band concert was always held on a Sunday evening at Warley Odeon. They were always full and youngsters travelled from all over the city to attend. Not many came from further afield because of lack of transport

I saw most of the popular big bands of the period there although my memory is letting me down as regards names. Anyone who did attend will be in their late 70s and 80s now. Does anyone else on the forum remember these smashing nights which brought pleasure into a rather grim postwar period?

Old Boy

 

[GEFF]

I remember my brother going to the Warley Odeon for the Sunday evening concerts during the war. That was before he went into the Navy in 1942 and was killed on the Atlantic convoys in October 1943, it must have started in the war to help boost moral. Geff

 

[oldroddy]

The first time i heard the name,The Odeon Warley,was work related,in 1973/74,and i made,and fitted, a lot of metalwork for the,as then,new highrise building there.
Mostly steel platforms,for each floor, for the inspection of the pipework that ran from top to bottom of the building.
I also made the iron fencing that skirts the outside of the site,all around the corner,myself and a number of other lads fitted it on saturday one summer,untill we escaped to the pub(across the other side of the main road).
I hope the fencing/railings are still standing,they were the last time i was in that area,about,blimey,17/18 years ago.

 

[BrianHarryB]

Hi All,

Last night on TV I saw an advert for a new 'Squadronaires' DVD playing Glenn Miller music. It reminded me that the first time I saw 'The Squadronaires' was at a Sunday evening concert at Warley Odeon. At the end of the forties a Big Band concert was always held on a Sunday evening at Warley Odeon. They were always full and youngsters travelled from all over the city to attend. Not many came from further afield because of lack of transport

I saw most of the popular big bands of the period there although my memory is letting me down as regards names. Anyone who did attend will be in their late 70s and 80s now. Does anyone else on the forum remember these smashing nights which brought pleasure into a rather grim postwar period?

Old Boy

BrianHarryB
From 1945 to 1948 I was the drummer in Ray French's band and he liked us to go to the band concerts at the WO, to get inspiration and keep up with all the latest in dance and swing music. We saw many of the great bands= Roy Fox, Bernard Hermann, The Squadronaiers', Ivy Benson (all girls band), Sid Millward (and his Nitwits) Joe Loss- no name but a few. They were great evenings.