East of England Show Peterborough - Saturday 20th June. This is the region's leading countryside and lifestyle show and it was our privilege to be the headline act for the weekend's entertainment. I know the show was an outstanding success, with thousands of visitors streaming through the gates to enjoy three sunny days of rural pursuits and some great food. Some of the lads couldn't resist a few tastings in the food hall on the way to the dressing room. We were looked after extremely well and I think the organisers were a little surprised at how hassle free everything ran for us. I believe last year there was an hour and a half delay waiting for Boney M. The crowd were fantastic right from the beginning and it was a really pleasant evening with a little breeze blowing across the stage to keep us reasonably cool. It was a good sight from the stage with a sea of deckchairs in front of us (see slide show). Thanks to all in the audience, the staff, organisers and the sound crew Martin and Dom. You all managed to make it a great gig for Marmalade. Look forward seeing you all in the future. All the Best, Sandy.

Saffron Lane WMC Leicester - Saturday 13th June. We had some fun at Saffron Lane W.M.C on Saturday. As some of you may know, our drummer Glenn is indeed a local Leicester lad and Brian Cooper, our former road manager also. It was a walk down memory lane, all over again, when a few old heads we hadn't seen in a long time turned up on a lovely summers 'evening to be entertained by our good selves. Brian turned up to say hello with Pat, his lady and keep us up to date with what has been happening in their lives. Although it has been three or four years, it's always like Brian has never been away when we see each other. The committee at the club made us more than welcome and thanks to them for their hospitality. We did have to resist the faggots and peas or black pudding we were offered, due to the fact it was a little to close to performing time. but it was tempting. Thanks to all the audience who seemed to enjoy everything. A good evening was had by all. Here's a little slideshow of the crowd, I'm sorry they're a little out of focus but it's difficult sometimes to take photos & perform at the same time.
We look forward to our next visit to Leicester! Bye for now, Sandy.

Huckelhoven Germany - Friday 22nd May. We made the trip to Germany in the car this time for a bit of a change. It beats hanging around for hours at airports, which seems to be an ever increasing phenomenon. It is actually quite relaxing having the short ferry trip instead of queuing up to go through endless security checks. The journey was no problem apart from having a little disagreement with the sat/nav. It seemed to favour staying on the ring road around Antwerp for as long as it took us to notice the same building three or four times. When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by George and Ilona, some long time German friends. It was a very hot day and it made us have a few beers ….just for old time’s sake!
On the bill that evening were Middle of the Road, Chris Andrews, Harpo and the Equals, so again it was many hellos throughout the evening. We were on at the end unfortunately so I crept off for a little shut eye and set the alarm on both phones in my room only to be wakened by a massive banging on my door about twenty minutes before the show. Fortunately, our Alan had noticed my absence from the dressing room and assumed I had probably crashed out completely. Graham and I had a couple of refreshments and a good old chat with Pat Lloyd from the Equals at the end of the night. They go back along way to when “Dean Ford and the Gaylords” were living in Archway when they moved down to London.
Thank you for your attention everyone but I think I shall go to bed now. In the next news letter I shall bring you up to speed with a few other events that have been keeping us busy. All the Best, Sandy.

Denmark to Dartford - 16th & 17th May. It now seems like a long time ago but an overdue update to keep abreast of what’s been going on. Saturday the 16th of May we flew out to Denmark to perform in a huge tent which they use all through the summer for festivals in Scandinavia. It was a really good bill and the British contingency consisted of Marty Wilde and the Wildcats, The Illegal Eagles and Marmalade. Most of the other bands had flown out the day before but we had the early bird from Stanstead and were picked up at the airport and driven to Esbjerg. Unfortunately for Marty Wilde there was a communication problem and our driver thought he was simply picking up Marmalade …he was supposed to pick up Marty and his assistant Marc. We had a slow day waiting for the performance which in our case wasn't until midnight but it was good to catch up with the other guys. We don’t get to see them often and after the show there were a few beers disappearing in the hotel bar. The owner of the Hotel Ansgar, Poul Rasmussen, and his wife, has always been very hospitable to all the British bands and a big thank you to them for making our stay a very enjoyable one.

The following day it was back on a late afternoon flight to Stanstead and straight down to the Orchard Theatre in Dartford for a show with the Swinging Blue Jeans and Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. The first person I bumped into was Peter Oakman who is playing bass with the Jeans. Peter has long been the perfect gentleman and from the early days as one of the original Bruvvers, when he wrote “Picture of You” for Joe Brown, he has contributed much to the music business creatively, as well as being an excellent bass player.

The back stage corridor seems to be the meeting place and it was hello to all the guys from both bands…Ray Ennis, Phil Thomson, Alan Lovell, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich with whom I had a nice chat ……It is easy to forget how much time we have all spent in each others company over the years. It really does feel like an extended family when you bump into all the guys.
All in all it was a good old weekend and the audience and staff at the Orchard Theatre made it a pleasure to be absolutely shattered.…I managed to leave all my stage clothes there but got them sent through in the post.
Oh well…..All’s well that ends well!! Bye for now, Sandy.

Saturday 19th April 2009. From Brean Sands to Benalmadena. We took a trip out to Spain to perform in the 'Bonanza Bar' in Benalmadena for Kelvin, who runs both the club and “ Yesterday once More”, which hosts many events including the Brean Sands events which we perform at. We had a great time and I must say, were looked after exceptionally well….Thank you Kelvin and all the staff at the club. There were a few blasts from the past on the evening ….a wonderful hen party and an audience who were definitely there for a good time ….Look forward to maybe repeating the experience in the future.
Once again, thanks to everyone who made our stay pleasurable. Speak soon, Sandy.

GOOD FRIDAY - 10th April 2009. Hello from Sandy!...I hope everybody had a great Easter break. I spent Easter Friday in the company of Chip Hawkes who had a show down in Rayleigh in Essex at a great place called the Touchline.

He asked me back in January if I was free and did I know any drummer who could do the show with us? ….as it happened, Damon Sawyer, with whom I have been working in the recording studio, was free and along with Mick Steed from “Love Affair”, on Bass/Keyboards, we had a great night. Their professionalism shone through and made it a pleasure for both Chip and myself.

One surprise of the evening was a visit from two original “Rubettes”. Bill Hurd and Micky Clark both toddled along without knowing the other was coming. Bill came with his wife, Gina and his son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Helen.
Sam and Helen had invited all of Marmalade to their wedding which turned out to be 12 years ago….I couldn't believe it had been so long! It was also the first time Bill and Micky had seen each other in years since the split into two “Rubettes". It was good to see them both together and all in all, it was a very nostalgic evening. We took some silly pictures for posterity. We now have a potential six piece band, full of mad men… I hope you enjoy!!

Thanks to the entire organisation who made the show possible and if you ever get the chance to go see someone at the Touchline, www.justlivemusic.co.uk I can guarantee you will be made most welcome.

Till the next time………All the Best, Sandy.

Friday 27th March 2009 saw Marmalade in the studio laying some tracks for the new album. It was a long and fruitful day and we all left the studio feeling satisfied that our efforts were sounding good .
We were performing again that evening back in Bognor Regis and had a real good night with a splendid reaction from the crowd ….Thank you!! Here's a few photos courtesy of our web master 'Ian Munro' www.imp.uk.com
A big thank you to Martin Maguire who took the time to send us an email review having seen the show that night…Sorry we never got round to playing “Falling Apart at the Seams”, it was simply a lapse of memory….the crowd seemed to want to Rock n’ Roll too much…..It was noisy!
We had decided to stay after the show because the next day, we were off to Hamilton in Scotland and were required to be there at 4 pm.

Saturday 28th March 2009 - Hamilton was a pleasure on many counts ….We got a warm welcome from the minute we arrived both from the crew and the management of Hamilton House and “The Piggies “, who were on the bill with us, accommodated us in every way possible with the staging for the evening…Thanks lads !!!
It was the audience that held the most interest for the conversation in the car, on our way home.

It happens when you play your old home patch that people whom you haven’t seen for years, come out of the woodwork. …This was certainly the case that night. The original road manager Ian Osmond came to see the band for the first time since the early seventies when he left and followed a career in South Africa. Charlie Smith, our former guitarist and then drummer turned up and we haven’t seen each other for over ten years. Alan Kelly, who was undoubtedly my mentor in the music business …he gave me guidance, encouragement and opened my ears to great music when I was fortunate enough to play with him from the age of 15 in a band called “The Candy Floss”.
My brother James and his wife Marion ….they have always been a great support. Hazel Gibb and her daughter Heather drove up from Manchester to be there. (Pictures courtesy of Hazel)
A few old “Dean Ford and the Gaylord’s” fans made themselves known to Graham and all in all, it was a great night.
Makes you think how long we have all been at it……time for bed!!!!
More “Reflections” another day. Cheers, Sandy.

Wednesday 1st April 2009 - Trust us, this is not an April Fools joke......
Hi Everyone. A little update of things we have been up to over the last week.
We were performing at Butlins Holiday Camp Bognor Regis last week on Wednesday 25th of March and also on Friday 27th, so it seemed a good idea to stay together and utilise the time to work on something new for the future.
After a fantastic night at Butlins, the next day, Thursday, we had photographic session and video shoot at an arts centre in Bracknell called 'South Hill Park' which is an historical old building with much character. Most of the content of the days work was pointed towards a brand new album from Marmalade !!! Yes !!!! You heard it right.... A brand new album from Marmalade!!!! It leans heavily on acoustic instrumentation with honest simple arrangements and not a sampling machine in sight !!! It will also Include some timeless classics and a collection of absolutely brand new songs, it is our hope that you will enjoy.

On Thursday evening we moved on to the 'Frog and Wicket' at Eversley Cross for a good old fashioned style pub gig ….no frills ”Alive and kickin’”..” Rough and ready “..like it used to be in the old days. It’s great to be up close and personal with the audience (and the bar) in that kind of environment. A good old blast of Rock N’Roll….That is what it was like in the 60s & 70's. It is how we all served our apprenticeship. We had a fantastic turnout and thanks to all who turned up on the evening. Some had traveled a considerable distance but everyone seemed to have a great night and we look forward to repeating a similar night sometime in the future. A big thank you to Mark and Tania of the' Frog and Wicket' for their kindness and co-operation.
Here's few pix from our night at The Frog & Wicket.

More photos & updates to follow later, watch this space......... Cheers from the lads :-)