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THE WHO - My Generation !


Sheffield History

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1965 was the year The Who - the band that defined Mod in the Sixties - came to the forefront. It was also the year they would play three times at legendary northern Mod club, The King Mojo, firstly in May (as pictured) and again in August and November. (The August gig almost became a disaster after Pete Townsend received an electric shock on stage, but it obviously wasn't enough to put The Who off!)

Their first chart hit, 'Can't Explain' had been released in January, and their first album 'My Generation' would be released in December.

By '65 The Mojo was firmly established as one of the venues for Mod music, and it wasn't uncommon for Mod bands to travel distances just to play there. The three times The Who played were no exception. At the May gig, as advertised on this poster T-shirt, the band were supported by a local Sheffield group called 'The Lizards', who had formerly been known as 'Dean Marshall and The Deputies'. They had been part of the Thank Your Lucky Stars show under this name in 1963.

After The Beatles had played Sheffield in '63, Peter Stringfellow, owner of The Mojo had been bitten by the rock star bug and decided he would put his own band together. Ever economical, he commandeered The Deputies in 1964, convinced them to change their name to The Lizards (a la The Beatles) and became their manager - Stringfellow has also said in interviews that he was the lead singer for the band, although interviews with other band members only talk about him as their manager.

The Who also played one other impromptu and largely unheard of gig in Sheffield in '65. A short while before the Mojo gig, the band were watching a couple of local bands perform at Sheffield's City Hall. The hall was practically empty and people were uninterested in the bands playing. The Who decided to join them on stage for a good old fashioned Rock and Roll jam which went on until the manager of the hall threw them out at the end of the night.

Pictured on Ice White and Ice Blue T-Shirt. Also available in Mens Retro Fit and Ladies Skinny Fit T-Shirts.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MOJO CLUB MERCHANDISE

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Guest Atom Retro

Amazingly, considering all that is written about The Who, we haven't been able to find an awful amount about them playing in Sheffield. We know they played 3 times at The Mojo (evidence that The Mojo was one of the most important Mod clubs in the UK at the time, with bands travelling just to play there) - but not a lot seems to be known about this specific gig which happened on the 30th May 1965.

One amusing story, at the third and last gig The Who played Pete Townsend recieved an electric shock from his guitar while playing, causing him to throw it down and smash it - perhaps it gave him an idea?! (That story was told to me by word of mouth, so perhaps may be more myth than fact).

Did anyone see The Who play at the Mojo?

Also, Peter Stringfellow claims in some interviews to have a brief stint as the lead singer for The Lizards (nee Dean Marshall and The Deputies) who supported The Who at this gig. If anyone was there, do you remember Stringfellow singing?

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I saw the Who at the Mojo. Trouble is I cant remember which gig! I do remember as in those days they played LOUD and hard! Certainly louder that you would get away with playing in a small club nowadays. Hendrix was the same. If you didnt have buzz in your ear for a day or so afterwards you felt cheated! ( I have around 15-20% tonal loss in my right ear now!) They were already being fairly aggresive with their intruments even before Townsend got the electric shock you mention, onstage at the Mojo, so I dont think that gave him the idea of throwing his guitar around.

The three Mojo gigs for The Who were May 30, Aug 29 & Nov 7, all in 1965.

As for Peter singing with the Lizards, yes he probably did, but only to join in on odd numbers. He did this sometimes, joining in with some of the bands onstage for the odd number, singing backing or chorus's etc.

According to Barry Marshall of the Lizards who were The Who's support group at the Mojo in May 65. He said the roadies let them use them use The Who's gear as it was such a small stage, which they then proceeded to blow up! 'It was one of those things'!

Peter Stringfellow had told the Lizards they had to do a 45 minute set but they barely knew enough material and one of those was the Who's 'I Cant Explain'! This was the only hit The Who had at this time. (Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere had only just been released days earlier on the 21 May) They told Pete Townsend their problem, who said 'F***n' hell, I'm sick of it already, you do it!' So they played it and The Who didnt, and afterwards they all went for a drink together at The Gate!

You could'nt make it up could you!

By the time of the Who's third Mojo gig, 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere' was a smash hit and the youth anthem 'My Generation' had just been released.

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Guest Furahi

Amazingly, considering all that is written about The Who, we haven't been able to find an awful amount about them playing in Sheffield. We know they played 3 times at The Mojo (evidence that The Mojo was one of the most important Mod clubs in the UK at the time, with bands travelling just to play there) - but not a lot seems to be known about this specific gig which happened on the 30th May 1965.

One amusing story, at the third and last gig The Who played Pete Townsend recieved an electric shock from his guitar while playing, causing him to throw it down and smash it - perhaps it gave him an idea?! (That story was told to me by word of mouth, so perhaps may be more myth than fact).

Did anyone see The Who play at the Mojo?

Also, Peter Stringfellow claims in some interviews to have a brief stint as the lead singer for The Lizards (nee Dean Marshall and The Deputies) who supported The Who at this gig. If anyone was there, do you remember Stringfellow singing?

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I saw THE WHO do the Arena last year. AWESOME!!!! good as ever. Played 3 hours solid without a break. These guys actually get better as time passes. Saw THE STONES at Don Valley Stadium as well. Nights like that you never forget.

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