Fans like ‘a load of codgers singing and playing’

EVERGREEN pop group Clearwater Creedence Revival have a growing number of younger fans, says founding member Peter Barton.

He puts this down to children’s habit of raiding their parents’ record collections, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.

The band will play on the final night of the Thames Traditional Boat Festival in Henley this weekend and then two gigs at the Crooked Billet in Stoke Row. Barton, lead singer and guitarist, says: “We’ll be performing all the old hits and getting people singing and dancing and just having a good time, which is what it’s all about, isn’t it — a load of old codgers singing and playing.

“It’s weird with the fanbase because it’s a lot of young people. What we’ve found after covid is the audience seems to be getting younger and not older, which is great.

“With the couple of years of lockdown lots of kids have started listening to music on their mum and dads’ vinyl players, so they’ve kind of hooked on to heritage music. It seems to be paying off for a lot of old bands.”

The band have been reprising the hits of US Creedence Clearwater Revival, best known for Bad Moon Rising, a No 1 in 1969.

They comprise Barton, fellow founder member Geoff Hammond and Graham Pollock and Alan Sagar and have been together for 20 years. Barton was the lead singer of The Animals for 15 years while drummer Hammond is a former member of the Denny Laine Band, guitarist Pollock played in The Hollies with Eric Haydock and bassist Sagar was a member of cult country rock band Slack Alice.

Barton fondly recalls the last time the band played at the Crooked Billet in 2019. “It’s a good place to go and meet people,” he says. “When we were there, I met up with Ian Paice [of Deep Purple]. I think Mark Knopfler and Brian Johnson from AC/DC had been in having lunch.

“A couple of weeks ago, Jimmy Page and all his family went down and had a big get-together and I think Joe Brown celebrated his 80th birthday there. I know George Harrison used to frequent it quite regularly and I think that his wife still goes there with their son, Dhani.

“I think a lot of these people feel comfortable there because they’re not henpecked.” Crooked Billet chef-patron Paul Clerehugh will be hosting the band at his “pop-up canteen” at the “Trad”, which begins tonight (Friday).

He will be cooking from 10am to 10pm every day with fish and chips, crispy duck, salt beef, field-to-fork salads, steaks and puddings on offer alongside real ale, wine, Pimm’s and cocktails.

Barton says: “We’re looking forward to doing it. Everyone can come along and enjoy the food, the music and hopefully the weather.”

Clearwater Creedence Revival will play at Thames Traditional Boat Festival at Fawley Meadows, Henley, on Sunday at 5pm. For more information, visit www.tradboatfestival.com

They will perform at the Crooked Billet, Newlands Lane, Stoke Row, on Monday and Tuesday, July 18 and 19. Tickets, in the form of a music cover charge, cost £30). For more information, call (01491) 681048 or visit www.thecrookedbillet.co.uk