Freight Train

By Antony Clayton

The Freight Train was opened on the corner of Berwick Street and Noel Street by skiffle player Chas McDevitt early in 1958, following the success of his record of the same name.  Initially it hosted impromptu sessions, where musicians such as Diz Disley and Les Bennetts would jam into the night.  It was also the venue for an early performance by Cliff Richard and the Drifters in June 1958.  Unlike many other local establishments, however, the coffee bar’s basement was not transformed into a music club.  Instead the Freight Train served as, “a rendezvous for many of the London-based groups, a point where they could assemble to leave for a gig or unwind in the early hours returning from work.”  McDevitt claims that it was on one such occasion, in the Freight Train’s derelict basement, “surrounded by empty Coca-Cola crates and broken furniture”, that Brian Gregg, formerly in Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group composed ‘Shakin’ All Over’ in collaboration with Fred Heath of the Nutters.  Heath would make the song another seminal British rock ‘n’ roll number when he took it into the charts with his group The Pirates, under his alter-ego Johnny Kidd.

This page was added by Tim Devitt on 29/03/2010.
Comments about this page

The June Bastable comment is incorrect Sam Widges existed at the same time as The Freight Train sited diagonally across Berwick Street opposite another Coffee Bar, The Coffee Pot. Under Widges was The Top Ten a R&R club frequented by Vince Taylor etc. The Freight Train was on the site of an ordinary café. After the FT closed it became a book shop then a record store, Reg Dwight (Elton John) was reputed to have served behind the counter.

]

]

 

By CHAS McDEVITT
On 23/01/2016
So, though being a stdraand fellas don item that has steadily translated into the feminine globe afterward, riding boots have always been an object of rigorous features criteria and cultural principles easy to be afterward translated in vogue. Along with its relatively stern look, vogue designers who have been attracted to this challenging footwear have extra a good deal of delicate elegance to it. Girls riding boots ought to not at all be expected to be unisex and the exquisitely different lines of boots that leading on line specialised stores like BP Nation provide are the greatest evidence to that. You need to keep in mind that in the previous two generations riding boots have in their transform influenced city vogue design and style and browsing these types of collections will have you realize why.It can be chilly exterior and there are one hundred% odds for the rain to start out in the subsequent couple of hours. You happen to be almost certainly pondering like most gals do every early morning What footwear ought to I take nowadays? I signify, positive you can take your rain boots, but they are rarely cozy and they are as well thin to preserve your feet heat. How about your small heel sneakers? Let us facial area it, your feet will get soaking soaked and you will freeze all the way to operate.
By Sameer
On 23/01/2016

Before it became The Freight Train, it was a snack bar called "Sam Widge's".

By June Bastable
On 20/03/2014
Add a comment about this page

If you're already a registered user of this site, please login using the form on the left-hand side of this page.