Sassafras / Lost In Silence: Friday 25th November 2011, The Diamond, Sutton in Ashfield

Lost In Silence

? (vocals) / ? (guitar, vocals) / ? (guitar) / ? (bass) / ? (drums, percussion)

At this point I was going along to see bands every week at The Diamond as it was a good local venue although one clearly took the rough with the smooth…

Here’s another band which I can’t remember at all. Judging by the videos that I have found on YouTube they were a small Mansfield band – of schoolkids? – trying to make their way up. Their very first gig (in a school hall) was filmed and two unnamed songs from it are presented for you at the bottom of this page. The parents and grannies seemed quite impressed (as only parents and grannies can be! 🙂 ). Judging by these videos – including one shot on the night – they were a loud rock band playing their own material, which is a very risky business unless you’re particularly good. The singer sounds very flat and I can’t think that I would have been impressed. The ‘studio’ track ‘Falling to Pieces’ is rather better and has a sort of Snow Patrol or Killers type feel to it.

The video information suggests that the band had an EP in the offing, but I can’t find anything further in relation to that. The fact that they seem to have disappeared off the internet speaks volumes.

Just for the record, the only other Lost In Silence band that I can find on the internet is an American band and this lot certainly weren’t that!

Setlist (in no particular order): Deception; Falling to Pieces

Sassafras

Richard Galloni (vocals, tambourine) / Dai Shell (guitars, vocals) / Ralph Evans (guitars) / Ray Jones (bass, vocals) / Gary Davies (drums, percussion)

(Keyboards-player Marco James explains on Facebook, “Although I arrived at the Diamond, I didn’t play on this occasion. This is when I undertook my solo tour of Nottinghamshire hospitals!” )

Wow! just… WOW! One of my most favourite bands was playing right on my doorstep… in 2011! I had never expected to see this band again after the 1970s but here they were, Sassafras, at The Diamond in the lead-up to Christmas. What a present for me!

The gig was only reasonably well attended; I’ve seen it packed before. This was probably down to a couple of reasons: it wasn’t a tribute band to a classic rock band, and I’d guess that not many of the Sutton/Mansfield population had actually heard of or remembered Sassafras. Still… that was their loss.

Although they weren’t touring any particular album I know that they were still ‘pushing’ their 2002 live CD which I already had and I would recommend any fan of the band who hasn’t yet heard that disc to hunt it out as it gives a really good idea of what the band were like in their later years. It’s also the only place that you’ll find ‘live’ versions of their set (unless you’re lucky enough to have a copy of the ‘Over the Rainbow’ LP from 1975 where you’ll find two live tracks, including the brilliant cover of The Beatles‘ song ‘I Am The Walrus‘)

There are no verified setlists for this gig but I have found some videos of the gig on YouTube and I present them for you below. I seem to remember that the sound was wrong throughout the gig and it really was far too loud, which might account for the very poor quality sound in these, but you get a bit of a feel for the show in general, if your ears can put up with it!

Yes, the members of the band had aged somewhat but the music was still pretty much the same. Sadly this was the last time that I have seen the band. I know that they are still on the go (as at 2020) but I’ve not seen them advertised anywhere near my neck of the woods.

My friend Nigel Foale and I were both really impressed with our evening’s entertainment and went home very happy indeed.

Setlist (in no particular order): Electric Chair; School Days; Ohio; Riding High’; Time to Get Out of Here; Expecting Company / Meanwhile Back in Merthyr; Wheelin’n’Dealin’; Encore: I Am the Walrus

There are several fairly crappy videos here from the gig! (WARNING! Turn your volume DOWN!)