Who Recalls The Night Pink Floyd Played Guildford’s Cadena’s Nightclub?

Published on: 22 Nov, 2016
Updated on: 23 Nov, 2016

By David Rose

Back in 1967 The Pink Floyd were beginning to make a name for themselves, playing plenty of gigs and building up a following. But it would be a few years before they achieved superstar status with albums such as Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and The Dark Side Of The Moon.

The Pink Floyd appeared to have played in Guildford just once. But where?

Noted in a book, Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd by Glenn Povey, there is a listing that states the band played at Cadena’s Nightclub, Guildford, on February 2, 1967. The same listing appears on a website called The Concert Database.

But where was Cadena’s Nightclub?

Among live music venues in Guildford in the 1960s, there was the Ricky Tick Club that featured bands including the Rolling Stones when it was at the Wooden Bridge pub, and then at its later home, the Plaza, where many up and coming bands played, including the Who, as well as touring blues artists from the USA.

There was also the short-lived Harvest Moon Club in the Rodboro Buildings, (1965-67) that played host to the likes of Eric Clapton.

Dragon Reader Richard Game is a fan of Pink Floyd and has been trying to find out where Cadena’s Nightclub was, and he has found a few clues, but the not definitive answer as yet.

On a website called The Mod Generation, under a section called A Suburban Mod’s Forgotten Story, Dave Eles writes: “In 1967 Malc and I went to a new club in a Guildford pub backroom to see an up and coming group called Pink Floyd. Not too impressed, mainly because they blew the fuses and ended up singing skiffle songs acoustically! As there was no music before or between their sets there was a great lack of atmosphere that night and we convinced the promoters to take us on as DJs for all their future club nights.”

Richard came to my Guildford Pubs book launch night last month at the Keep pub and we have been corresponding with a few emails about this Pink Floyd mystery. I said I had no recollection of ever hearing the name Cadena’s.

We were then thrown a bit of a ‘red herring’ as someone made a link with the Harvest Moon Club that was in the Rodboro Buildings, a building that when new in 1901 was the home of the fledgling Dennis Bros motor vehicle manufacturers.

If you split the word Cadena’s to be spoken as ‘Car Dennis’ – it could be a play on words linked to where Dennis made its first cars before it turned its attention to specialist vehicles in 1913. Was the club there? That’s not likely…

Richard had a hunch Cadena’s might have been at the Stoke Hotel in Stoke Road, and I now believe that was indeed the venue where Pink Floyd played.

In Nigel Enever’s book Guildford The Rock ‘n’ Roll Years, under a section on local venues, he writes of the Stoke Hotel: “….By 1967 the gigs were becoming less well attended, and being in a residential area, there were complaints from neighbours, eventually leading to a temporary closing down following a Pink Floyd gig which included their mind expanding light show.”

The Stoke Hotel when it has a rather grand entrance on the corner of Stoke Road with Park Road. Click to view enlarged in a new window.

Although Nigel does not mention the name Cadena’s as such, his research has been most thorough. He has spoken to many musicians and music fans on the local music scene in the late 1950s and 60s, and was there himself as a musician by 1967.

The Pink Floyd stats in the book and website mentioned only appear to list one occasion they played Guildford – so putting all the details together it must surely have been at the Stoke Hotel – in the function room?

A night mostly forgotten, or is it?

Were you there? Do you have any memories? Please leave a reply in the box below.

Responses to Who Recalls The Night Pink Floyd Played Guildford’s Cadena’s Nightclub?

Ella Burberry Reply

November 24, 2016 at 10:39 am

It’s listed on their ’67 tour dates~
http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/concert-dates/1967-tour-dates-concerts.html
Richard Game Reply

November 28, 2016 at 9:52 am

Thanks to Dragon writer David Rose:

A lot of the early Pink Floyd history is shrouded in mystic, given the wild times and a fair degree of, suffice to say, ‘hazy memories’. Even the (relatively fanatical) fan sites have little or nothing to say about their Guildford show: some only mentioning the “Cadenas” nightclub – some misspelling this as ‘Cadennas’ to the lack of hard evidence (tickets, posters, etc).

Determined to find out more – or at least confirm the location – we’ve spoken to some of those lucky enough to have been present (even if they didn’t feel especially lucky at the time!).

For details and some background to Pink Floyd’s only show in Guildford there’s http://thedarksideofthemoon.co.uk/2016/pink-floyd-guildford-cadenas/; and perhaps more memories will emerge now to widen the perspectives.
Vanessa Griffith Reply

October 26, 2020 at 12:18 pm

I saw Pink Floyd play in a pub in Stoke Road, Guildford – the other side of the road from what was the Technical College. It was 1971, January, February or March. I should love to hear from anybody else who remembers that gig.

Editor’s response: Your memory seems to back up the theory put forward in the article, ie that the venue was The Stoke Hotel.
Jules Cranwell Reply

October 27, 2020 at 1:43 pm

I didn’t see them in Guildford, but did in 1989 by accident. I had booked a surprise trip to Venice for my wife’s birthday, and Pink Floyd turned up with 100,000 hippies. Our hotel baclony looked out over the lagoon, so got the best views of the amazing son et lumiere show. My wife to this day does not believe I didn’t plan it that way.
Terry Jarman Reply

March 27, 2021 at 5:57 pm

It was the Stoke Hotel and there was a support band..The Jerimiah Thing..I know this because I was the drummer.
The Floyd’s electronics went haywire and we had to go back on.
- Richard Allen Reply
  
  December 19, 2022 at 2:10 am
  
  Through The Dragon NEWS I wish to send a message to Terry Jarman.
  
  Hi Terry, I am doing research for a book and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I also have some film footage from inside the Stoke Hotel on January 2 1967, though the night you were there. I was wondering if you I could send you some stills or video, to also see if the film is The Stokes Hotel.
  
  Would also like to ask you some questions about your music career. Thank you Richard
  
  My email is chess2020_2000@yahoo.com
Barbara Ford Reply

January 8, 2023 at 6:41 pm

I didn’t see them there, but I did see them play on Parliament Hill Fields in north London in 1968.
Mr Stephen Jones Reply

December 11, 2023 at 7:16 pm

I’m 99.9% sure I saw them play at a Surrey UNi Students Union gig – I remember the “liquid” light show to accompany the band. Sadly, I cannot find mention of it anywhere! Does anyone else remember the gig?