Remember Les Cousins, in London's Soho?

Subject: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Shambles
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 03:05 PM

Does anyone out there remember the 'all-nighters', the 'orrible' coffee, the hard wooden seats and the music?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Lanfranc
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 05:20 PM

Yes, I too was there. Preferred the Troubadour though - the seats were just as hard, the music was often as good, if not better, and the coffee was drinkable!

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Shambles
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 06:32 PM

The Troubadour is still going, is it not? Do you know exactly when Cousin's close it's doors?

I remember an awful faux pas, when I saw someone behind the counter and asked her for a coffee. Only to find out that she was on her way to the stage, as she was the main guest.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Micca
Date: 26 Apr 00 - 07:02 PM

Yeah, I remember it well, I learned a lot about music and singing there, I threw Paul Simon out one night at the request of the organiser (for singing badly and being boring). Noel Murphy after the pubs shut on a Friday, and about 2 all the rock and rollers and R&B guys from the Marquee and Flamingo coming to hear acoustic blues.. Great days.. Jansch, Renbourne, Jackson Frank...Al Stewart, Davy Graham, Cliff Aungier, Roy Harper, Sandy Denny,.A horrible place raised up by the music to pure magic.Shamb. The BBC did a program about it a few years ago, I dont think it was " Folk off Two" but it was quite long, I may have some on tape....

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,art
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 10:55 AM

yeah i remember les cousins

the owmers ran the soho grill above the club,they fell on hard times during the war in Cyprus,i think they lost nearly everything because of it.

Andy(?) the organiser of the club then went into the wet fish business but i think that came a cropper too.He married a girl from my locale and still lives in greek st, i was in touch about 18 months ago when a mutual friend died.

shambles can you send me an email addy i'm at [e-mail]

micca what part of the country are you in?

anyone have an email address for any of the people who got their start at les cousins?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 01:29 PM

Oh great, a thread about my lost youth. Les Cousins and don't forget Bungies but what about les Macabre? Anyone remember that? Oh glorious times. Anyone remeber the Pheonix folk club at the back of Piccadilly/Leicester square? Spent many a night around that area. Oh yes and the Soho beer keller which sold Lowenbrow in the 60's before most people even realised that the were foreign beers. How about the Purple pussy cat? And Cafe' des Artistes? I've just got homesick for London- 1st time in 30 years!!! Any one remember the "Meltin pot" folk club in Blackhorse road? Let's go down memory lane........... Cheers. Nostalgia rules. Eric

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 01:34 PM

Just a thought... Who are you all? yeh I know on the mudcat, but I mean really? I was in and out of those places all the time, most evenings were spent up that area and most weekends too. I lived in West Norwood so it was easy and you could even wlk it home if nescessary. Eric Lackford.(Went to Kingsdale school Dulwich, Paddington technical college, and then on to Yorkshire in 1972.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Micca
Date: 27 Apr 00 - 08:34 PM

Eric , what did you do at Paddington? Lab Tech??? contact me by private message, if you like, Art, I am in London. Les Cousins... I can smell it now.... and Bunjies, and they used to hold folk evenings and all-nighters in Ken Colyers jazz club in Little Newport St.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 06:03 AM

As my main interest is Jazz I was usually in the 100 Club in Oxford St when I lived in London in the late '60s and '70s but I did see Bert Jansch at the Phoenix once,in 1967 or 1968, he played as well as you'd expect,but sang incoherently and kept falling off his stool ("tired and emotional"- as a newt!).
RtS

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Kernow John
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 07:02 PM

Eric
Les Macabre wasn't that fairly close to the Two I's (with Tommy Steele) I seem to remember sitting downstairs in the dark on artificial gravestones.
At the mention of the Troubador (immortalised in Tom Paxton's 'Leaving London') I've dug out an old LP and as I write I'm listening to Martin Winsor and Redd Sullivan with Jeannie Steele, Alistaire Mcdonaldand banjo, Ian Campbell bass.
On the back of the LP is a sticker saying 2/9d!!
Those were the days
Baz

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,ART
Date: 28 Apr 00 - 08:28 PM

how sad is this one of the greatest folk venues of the "revival" attracts 8 replies i wish that those people who benefited from exposure at les cousins could benefit those who ran les cousins perhaps they could hold a benefit?

i don't know, but there should be some sort of celebration

bert jansch. davy graham, martin carthy,

and a 100 more

don't want to let this thread die

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,scouse
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 04:36 AM

One night I met a character at the old "Les." I sang "Little Tim McGuire." This guy liked it so much He swapped it for a song he had called "Just give me a twelve string Stella like Leadbelly used to play." Any-one ever heard of the song?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 29 Apr 00 - 09:32 AM

Baz, your right, Les Macabre was near the two I,s.(Was it Greek st? The years play with ones memory!!!) Anyone remember Der Fledermouse at the back of Oxford Circus-I think. yes Micca it was SLT 1967-1969. Cheers. Eric

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 01:07 PM

Well I don't know makes me feel 100 years old all this reminiscing. Les Macabre was off Wardour St as I remember and the coffee was crap. Any minute now someone will mention The Student Prince and the infamous [ notorious?] Curly Goss, who went to New Zealand to escape god knows what or whom. Ballad and Blues - The Scotch House - The Borscht and Tears, bin there done that loved it.

Jock

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,jayohjo
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 02:48 PM

Huge amounts of envy....my parents (in separate places, mind) and all their friends, who I've started running into on my own at festivals etc, all reminisce about Cousins, and how it all was....so I'm very jealous of you all. Jayohjo XXX

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 06:35 AM

Hell yeah! Les Cousins, the Student Prince, Bunjies, the Scots Hoose, the Partisan … etc etc… Alex Campbell, Noel Murphy, Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, Doris Henderson & John Renbourn etc etc... they were great times (I remember, I was there, too).

Nevertheless, while nostalgia is a good breakfast, it makes but a poor supper – so what are we doing tonight guys? Nothing much, in my case, but tomorrow night (Wednesday)I'll be at the fortnightly singaround at The Old Tannery, in Hexham, Northumberland (England, UK). Any catters within range are welcome to drop in. And I hope to see some of you at Whitby next month.

Wassail

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,michael batory
Date: 03 Oct 01 - 07:32 AM

yes - all great venues. Amory Kane and Brian McKay at Bunjies are good memories too. The Lavender Cowboy (Dennis O'Brien) who ran that really good club at Whetstone, the Black Bull I think; and what about The Witch's Cauldron at Belsize Village? Great Modern Jazz on Saturday afternoons and a pretty mean spagbol for a shilling.

Subject: Les Cousins
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 04:26 PM

Anyone out there got any interesting memories of Les Cousins ( cult 60s London, Soho, Folkclub). I'll start with this one:-
    One time, I was in Cousins, (67/68? ), and Davy Graham was running the evening. He was in a very talkative mood - which wasn't always the case- and at some point he starts attacking the then current - and new - trend for writing long songs, Davy finished his attack by saying that if a songwriter couldn't get his message over in 3 minutes or so then he was lacking vital skills. He had barely finished his tirade when Roy Harper pops his head round the door ( he was wearing a woolly hat a la " Gengis Smith * photo). Davy invites Roy to do a few numbers, and , of course, the first number Roy did was a lenghty 8min plus job. Interestingly, I don't suppose either Davy or Roy saw the irony of it all, as Roy missed Davy's comments and Davy disappeared during Roy's mini-set.

---

I moved this message here from another thread on the same topic.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Les Cousins
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Jul 03 - 05:21 PM

I remember Martin Windsor picking up a large milk churn lid that did duty as an ashtray, and without stopping singing, crept up the club to where some eedjit was talking to someone behind him in a loud voice. He raised this "weapon" above his head, and shouted the next line of the song in the guy's ear, [and he had very loud voice] Well this guy spun round, saw the raised arm, and I think his sphincter failed, I've not often seen anybody scared quite so shitless.
Giok

---

I moved this message here from another thread on the same topic.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Jim Ward
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 05:56 AM

Les Macacarbre (actually Le Macarbe) was in Meard Street which ran between Wardour Street and Dean Street. It was at the Wardour Street end almost opposite The Roundhouse pub, where Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies ran a skiffle club and later one of the first blues clubs in London. Back in the skiffle days it had coffins for tables with candles inside skulls on top. The building now houses up-market offices.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 07:21 AM

Les Cousins had a large and rather noisy fan as its only form of ventilation. Roy Harper once called for it to be to be turned off but some wit warned him that wasn't a good move as it was the only one he had in there.

Does anyone remember Judith Piepe and Stefan Gottlieb who used to ask people back for coffee until the tube started running on Sunday mornings?

Or did any of you head for Cornwall in the summer and hang out at the Folk Cottage, Mitchell?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 09:05 AM

countess richard: Ah, the Folk Cottage, only visited it once in 1967. I was staying in Looe with some folkie friends, and I decided to hitch to St.Ives ( that was the "hippie" summer ). That evening, hitching back to Looe, I got a lift from a guy, and he told me he was heading for the Folk Cottage, Mitchell. He was in the resident group, and I rememeber him telling me all about Ralph McTell who had been playing there. I got up and did a floor spot that night at the Folk Cottage. A guy from St Austill put me up that night. He was a pottter, and heavily into the Incredible String Band. Great memories.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,alinact
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 09:15 AM

Serious question - is it Les Cousins as in Lez Cuzzins or Les Cousins as in Lay Coozeens, and how did it get its name?

Allan

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 09:33 AM

I'm pretty sure it was generally called simply "cousins" , in the normal English way. Read the Bert Jansch biog " Dazzling Stranger" for detailed info on the club.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Jim McLean
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 09:45 AM

I see Kernow John, from April 2000, had an LP from the Troubadour which I suspect is the one I produced, photographs by my wife Alison Chapman. She took a lot of pictures in the early sixties of all the folkies. Great times.
Jim Mclean

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Micca
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 11:03 AM

As I recall, someone told me it was so named because a bloke called Les Cousins owned it, and it wasnt French at all!!! tho' often pronounced as if it was!!

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 05 Jul 03 - 11:20 AM

I never got to Cousins as I was in the R A F in the sixties and seldom
in UK very much at that time.Got to The Macabre a couple of time and
to The Bastille which also had 'odd' Folk nights.Got to be a good mate
of Dis Disley when he was running all night jazz sessions at the Ken
Colyer Club,and got heavily into the Troubadour in the later days in
the seventies,when i used to gig in London quite a bit and get down to do a spot at the Troubadour on my wasy home.Incidentally saw Doris
Henderson only a few weeks ago at The Brewery Tap. She can still put a song over!!!

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Jim Ward
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 08:12 AM

I used to go there when it was the Skiffle Cellar but my spies tell me that it was started as 'Les Cousins' by Andy Matthews whose folks ran a nearby resturant. He called it 'Les Cousins' to give it a french slant. Later on in it was advertised as just 'Cousins'

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 11:11 AM

What about McColls "Singers' CLub"?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 12:04 PM

The Singers' Club had surely far too many venues around Holborn and Clerkenwell for anyone to remember them all. The Princess Louise, Pindar of Wakefield, Union Tavern and New Merlin's Cave I can picture - others of a less inebriate tendency might recall others.

Who remembers the Enterprise in Chalk Farm or Roy Guest's Howff?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 12:38 PM

Oh, and after MacColl's Critics group finally fell apart, Sandra Kerr and others including Ron Elliott, Michael Rosen and John Faulkner took off to the Knave of Clubs in Bethnal Green to run a truly amazing venue combining both traditional song and agitprop theatre. This came to mind because I was watching Sandra's daughter Nancy last night .

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: boglion
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 12:43 PM

I remember Cousins only too well. We'd often do both sessions on a Saturday night.

Sitting in the back corner by the Ladies toilet and using its door as a fan operated by foot.... We'd see Harper, Jansch, Renbourne, and dozens of other legends.

We'd tip out into the Soho air at 6am and walk back across the river. We'd stop at St George's circus for breakfast and then home to bed.

Great times.

About the same time we'd go to the Marquee and see bands like Taste and Nice.

One night at the Marquee the Doors turned up to see the Nice and just mingled with the crowd.

Ooh I'm feeling all nostalgic....

Terry

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 12:45 PM

Back to Les Cousins, I think I chap I went to school with used to go there, name of Wallace-Hadrill. That would have been about '65. I was into electric then.

Anyone remember/know him?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 02:22 PM

And what about turning out at some exciting hour(probably dawn) and going to the Golden egg in Leicester square

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Jul 03 - 02:48 PM

Yes The Enterprise at Chalk farm run by Terry Gould, Heady days, I saw Maddy Prior do a clog dance there, in the days of Tim Hart & Maddy Prior, and I nearly had a stand up row with Jimmy McGregor there, over his calling Prince Charles Edward Stewart a poof,{and in front of Englishmen too!!].....Giok

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Lanfranc at the orifice
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 04:34 AM

Speaking of the Enterprise, my old friend Dom Bonito (who was a resident there)has a tablecloth signed by most of the guests who appeared there in the late 60s and early 70s.

"Those were the days ..... "

Alan

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 04:57 AM

Ah, Don Bonito. I heard he was still picking his banjo somewhere in Essex? And another resident, Marian McKenzie, well-known in every haunt mentioned above as well as singing in the Three City Four with Leon Rosselson, Roy Bailey and Martin Carthy...last heard of in Dorset married to a Yettie. Anyone got more news?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 07:39 AM

Don Bonito + Don Wallis(?) + Maureen Seaton made up the resident group "The Northwest Three" (the Hampstead post code). Sometimes Maureen's sister Frances would join them. Maureen was Don Wallis' wife and Francis was Don Bonito's (I'm sure it was that way round). They did a wonderful version of "Queen Eleanor's Confession". I was only living off Haverstock Hill at the time and it was therefore my nearest folk club. Terry Gould used to run a Tea/Coffee shop in Flask Walk, Hampstead and Martin Carthy lived just round the corner.

I heard virtually all the big names on the folk scene there.

Sheila Finn of Folk London collected the entrance money for many years.

Met up with Frances the other year when Linda and I were running a West Gallery workshop at Walton-on-the_Naze.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Barden of England
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:00 AM

Flask Walk, Hampstead. One of my many watering holes was the 'Flask'. Lovely drop of Youngs Ramrod & Special, or if I was feeling particularly good, a pint of Export & Special. Bit like your Knockholt Knockout Dave!!

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:10 AM

There used to be a lovely old blue-stocking style lady who "held court" in the Flask. One evening there was a rather snobbish couple attending who kept appending "for people like us who live in Hampstead" to all their statements. "Oh, what part of Hampstead do you live in ?" the old lady enquired. "West Hamstead" replied the couple. "Is that British West Hamstead ?" was the retort.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,Kevin Sheils
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:20 AM

Hi Dave Bryant

Your memory of the Enterprise residents is spot on for the earliest years, later after Don and Maureen Wallis moved away Marian McKenzie (mentioned elsewhere is the thread) became a resident and then she and Don B were joined by Clive Woolf (Terry Gould was still involved). I'd sung a few years earlier with Clive (resident at the Cellar C#H) and when he left the Enterprise I became a resident, probably '72 - '75 singing mainly with Don B although we all did solos as well. Don and I tended to share the MC'ing and Don and I were also resident at the Cellar. Good days, Don and I revived a couple of songs at the Cellar Upstairs birthday celebrations a couple of years back after about 25 years since we'd sung together. The only place I think your memory has failed is that Sheila Finn did not collect the money at the time you're recalling, but probaby after all the originals had gone an Mike Butcher continued the club but it was really a different club post 1977'ish I guess.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:34 AM

Hi Kevin, I didn't mean to infer that Sheila collected the money in the days of NW3, and of course I can remember both you and Clive at the club. By that time, however, I was living in SE London/Kent and my visits were more sporadic.

Mention of the original "Three City Four" prompts me to ask if anyone knows what became of Ralph Trainer - he had a lovely light tenor voice. As mentioned of course, Marion married Pete Shutler of the Yetties, and Leon and Martin are still on the scene of course.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 09:51 AM

Mention of The Cellar remind me of Jack and Margaret King, who were the residents at The Cellar in CSH, back when I used to go there about 1964.
Giok

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: boglion
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 06:09 PM

Does anyone remember Old Meg - a lady of the streets - who would call into Cousins and sing a song with an excellent voice before trundling off with her carrier bags? Al Stewart who was compere there for a lot of the time I went there always seemed to encourage her.

Terry

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Borchester Echo
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 06:21 PM

Yes, Meg Aikman.
Anyone remember Mox, a blues guitarist with a mane of red hair and a beard to match?

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jul 03 - 06:40 PM

Mox used to work in a shop in Kingly St, next door to The Bag-o'-Nails, I remember him primarily as a blues harp player.
Giok

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: GUEST,JOHN in Germany
Date: 08 Jul 03 - 04:56 PM

I remember "Les Cousins" played there in a band "PANAMA LTD" same bill as Stefan Grossman,1967. Anybody got lyrics for DOLLY MOUNT STRAND. I heard JOHN BASSETT sing "Give me a 12 string Stella like Leadbelly used to play" in the TROUBADOR, he had been on stage in a show called Golden Boy starring Sammy Davis Jr.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 10 Jul 03 - 06:33 PM

Meg, she was a character. She was even invited on stage by the Dubliners at the Royal Albert Hall. 1968/69. They recorded Navvie boots live at that gig, still have the single.Funny enough, I used to go to Les C's a lot and was talking to Al Stewart when he was in Leeds a couple of years ago about the place.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: The Shambles
Date: 11 Jul 03 - 05:59 AM

Rumour has it that Meg was the 'old girl' - who was 'carrying her home in two carrier bags' - imortalised in Ralph MacTell's Steets Of London.......

Probably true, I think.

Subject: RE: Remember Les Cousin's, in London's Soho?
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 11 Jul 03 - 06:17 AM

I guess the 'old girl' is a generic character but, I agree with Shambles, probably inspired by Meg whom I'd forgotten but the thread brought her memory back.

Now, any suggestions for the 'old man outside the seamen's mission'?