A lot of people remember Bill Haley and the Comets. Bill was the mild-mannered American with a kiss curl and an iffy taste in sports jackets, who ushered in Rock ‘n’ Roll more than 50 years ago. Bill died in 1981 but his re-formed Comets are currently on a five-date tour of Europe and they paid a visit to the Costa del Sol last Saturday (9th February).
The show was the high point of the 14th Rockin’ Race Jamboree in Torremolinos. This vibrant ‘roots’ event is not simply for followers of traditional 1950’s style rock’n’roll, although there is that in abundance, but a celebration of every conceivable hybrid of rockabilly, blues and country music imaginable. And the best thing is that there is not a backing track or synthesiser to be heard. Every note is as it should be - live.
Sprightly line-up
I last saw the Comets play on the Costa in 2004 and sadly since then original pianist Johnny Grande has passed away. This sprightly five-piece line-up of guitar, bass, drums, sax and keyboards has to be unique, especially when considering they notch up around 350 years between them. A special mention must be made of drummer Dick Richards who at 84 years of age must be the oldest in the rock ‘n’ roll live circuit. The ‘boys’ took to the stage after midnight and promptly ploughed through a generous set to an ecstatic audience. The fans, mostly Spanish and under 25, were surprising; a frantic scrum of leather jackets, drape suits and lots of hair gel. A modest gathering of older ex-pats studied proceedings from the wings. All the honking hits including ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and ‘See you later, Alligator’ were covered but there was really only one song the audience wanted to hear. ‘Rock Around the Clock’, played live, still has a raucous energy, even if it does celebrate its 54th birthday in April. After a single encore the band good-naturedly appeared to sign autographs for an eager throng of noticeably young fans.
The next day would see the Comets continue on to another country and yet another gig.
