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....the story so far....
Travelling Shoes - Who and When
Several characters have come and gone during the near 30 year history
of the band, but the line-up regarded as the 'real' one was; Julian
Furniss - guitar and vocals; Mick Smiles - drums; Dave Hall
- bass and backing vocal; Steve Laughlin - guitar and vocals. When
did it all begin? We could take the start as being the first use of the
name but the history goes back much further....
Read straight through or use the links below to jump to a particular part of the story
The Christopher The birth of a rock venue, and a band...
The Stubbs Band Julian, Mick and Steve together in one place and a style is formed... 1978 ~ 1980
Travelling Shoes (Mk 1) The Golden years.... 1980 ~ 1984
The Shufflers The beat of a different drum and a new name for the band if not the drummer... 1984 ~ 1986
Travelling Shoes (Mk 2) Back together again but people they come and people they go... 1986 onwards
The Gaffer Alder the nice girls love a roadie...
The future another Chris arrives on the scene... 2006 onwards
Home back to Travelling Shoes Home Page
The Christopher - Eton
The birth of a rock venue, and a band...
It was the late seventies, the eve of Thatcherism, and all sensible people were in the pub. One particular evening Julian Furniss was sitting in the bar of the Christopher in Eton High Street, with ex Nashville Teen Ian Campbell (with whom he had previously been gigging) when the landlord Nigel France approached Ian about doing a gig there the following night to start music sessions in the back bar. Prior to this, the Christopher had not been known as a rock music venue. Ian declined as he already had a booking but Julian, perhaps rashly as he had no permanent band at that moment, said, "I'll do it!"
The Stubbs Band
1978 ~ 1980
Julian, Mick and Steve together in one place and a style is formed...
Fortunately putting a band together with less than 24 hours notice presented
no problems for Julian who called on drummer and old friend Mick Smiles,
who he had met through playing with Brian Knight (Brian was
a top slide and harmonica player and key figure in the early 60s British
blues scene - his band Blues By Six had featured Cyril Davies
and appearances by future Rolling Stones Brian Jones and Charlie
Watts. A Blues By Six ticket was later to appear on the cover of a
Stones album as a name check - see if you can find it..) and in various
other bands, notably Junkey Monkey with well known Slough blues
musicians Kenny Porter (vocals/harmonica) and the fantastic Roy
Marshall (who Julian still rates as one of the best guitarists he
has ever known.) Like so many figures of this era Kenny and Roy are no
longer with us. Another long term friend Dave Stubbs (also from
the Brian Knight band and with whom he had also played in well known Bracknell/Windsor
area band Levee Camp Moan along with Ian Campbell - see
above) took the bass duties and Steve Laughlin was drafted in on
second guitar.
The Stubbs Band at an open air gig in Twickenham 21st July 1979 Left to right ~ Steve Laughlin, Mick Smiles, Julian Furniss and Dave Stubbs. Obligatory Mk 1 Transit at rear.
Although unusual to name bands after the bass player they were named
"The Stubbs Band" as this was felt to have the right
ring to it. This line-up was in at the start of the thriving Christopher
music scene, and survived until 1980. Ironically a few years later virtually
the same band (see Travelling Shoes below) were also the last band
to play at the Christopher.
It was in The Stubbs Band that the distinctive sound that was the interplay
of Julian's heavier bluesy Les Paul tones and Steve's brighter country
Strat stylings was first heard and was to later gel into the trade mark
Travelling Shoes sound.
Eventually, the band dissolved. Dave Stubbs later went on to play with
Uli Jon Roth of The Scorpions. Another long term friend
Dave Hall stepped into the bass shoes. Being another Dave this
suited rest of the band as it saved them having to learn a new name. Obviously
they could no longer use the name Stubbs Band and a new one was needed.
Named after one of their popular numbers, they became Travelling Shoes.
Travelling Shoes Mark 1
1980 ~ 1984
The Golden years....
This was the start of the classic Travelling Shoes line up, with
the harmony guitar of Julian and Steve backed up by the fabulous rhythm
section of Dave and Mick. Harmony guitar was tastefully used in old favourites
as well many Julian penned originals, including numerous instrumentals
such as Capricorn and Sandbag, which were to prove audience
favourites. They sounded like no one else on the circuit at that time,
or probably since, and gigging schedules were heavy, with regular gigs
and residencies at the likes of 'Mr. Bennett's' at the Taplow
House Hotel, the Nags Head in High Wycombe,(Ron Watts,
promoter at the Blues Loft at the Nags was very supportive of the
band and they were one of the few bands to play both upstairs at the Blues
Loft and also in the downstairs bar) Alexandra's in Slough (the
former Essoldo Cinema) and, of course the Christopher in Eton.
By the early eighties the Christopher had developed into a major local
music venue. Unfortunately, the hotel side of the business had also developed
and eventually a clash of interests forced the closure of the music venue.
It was fitting that the band that had started it all should be the one
to play it out. And so it was that on the 26th June
1981 Travelling Shoes and their good friends the Ian Campbell
Band, plus guests did the last ever rock gig at the Christopher. Angie
Fountain, who had taken over the running of the gigs at the Christopher,
started her own club "Angie's" in Wokingham, where Travelling
Shoes continued to regularly play to packed houses. It was during this
period that the first two Travelling Shoes audio tapes were recorded.
The first, just called "Travelling Shoes Live", at the
Nags Head and the second "The Face Rings a Bell.." at
Alexandra's.
Once again the band drifted apart for a while until…
The Shufflers
1984 ~1986
The beat of a different drum and a new name for the band if not the drummer...
The band was resurrected with drummer Michael Kirby, a long-time associate (Julian had performed with Michael and his brother Brian in the Kirby Band) and it simplified matters as once again the rest of the band did not have to learn a new name. It seemed inappropriate to call the band Travelling Shoes and so the name The Shufflers was coined. Under this name, the lads continued to play the regular gigs which now included the Pied Horse in Slough.
Travelling Shoes Mark 2
1986 onwards
Back together again but people they come and people they go...
The Shufflers continued for about 2 years. Now there followed a sort of wilderness period, with various line-ups and personnel. Who remembers Norfolk and Goode? Willie and the Waistcoats? Willie and the Warmers? (who was Willie?). Then in 1988 Julian, Dave and Mick found themselves free from musical commitments and decided to give the Shoes another shot. Steve came and went briefly so they continued as a three-piece with guest players, notably former John Mayall guitarist Roger Dean (he was the one before Clapton), and harp player Nigel Foster. It is with Nigel that the third audio tape, Live & Kicking', was recorded at Windsor Arts Centre. The Wheatsheaf in Slough was also a popular gig. It had long been a dream of Mick's to emigrate to Australia and this was finally realised in 1997. With Mick gone, Julian and Dave did the occasional gig with guest drummers, notably Chris Sharley of well-known Welsh recording band Sassafras, but generally it was a time of gentle retirement.
The Gaffer
Alder the nice girls love a roadie...
Throughout the history of The Stubbs Band, The Shufflers and Travelling Shoes there has been one constant. Many thanks and much appreciation must go to long-suffering roadie, sound man, gaffer and general factotum Chris Alder without whom much of the foregoing would have been difficult if not impossible.
The Future
2006 ~
another Chris arrives on the scene...
After several years of musical inactivity Julian moved to High Wycombe and, requiring some carpentry work, he called fellow High Wycombe resident and long term friend of the band Chris Wright. Over a cup of tea after a days building, having perhaps foolishly expressed an interest in harmony guitar, Julian offered to show Chris some of the old numbers. Some of the original numbers he had long since forgotten and relearning them rekindled his enthusiasm and they are now sounding better than ever. Contact with Dave and Mick has been re established the four are now back on the road. Chris however is resisting pressure to change his name to Steve.
