Stars (British band)
| Company type | Supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge , United Kingdom |
Key people | Syd Barrett, Twink, Jack Monck |
| Products | Live music performances |
Stars was a brief-lived British supergroup that performed a handful of live shows in Cambridge during early 1972. The lineup consisted of Syd Barrett on guitar, Twink handling drums, and Jack Monck playing bass.
Beginnings
Following a period spent in Morocco, Twink (formerly of Pink Fairies) relocated to Cambridge where he collaborated with the Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band. This ensemble originally featured vocalist and guitarist Bruce Michael Paine along with bassist John 'Honk' Lodge. Eventually, Jack Monck joined as the bassist. On 26 January 1972, they supported American blues guitarist Eddie "Guitar" Burns at King's College Cellar. Jenny Spires—Jack's wife, a friend of Twink’s, and Syd Barrett’s ex-girlfriend—brought Syd to this event, where he joined them for an impromptu jam session.
The following night, at the "Six Hour Technicolor Dream" held at Cambridge Corn Exchange on 27 January, the Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band performed alongside Hawkwind and the Pink Fairies. Fred Frith and Syd Barrett joined them for part of the set. Initially, the band played four songs before Fred and Syd came on stage for three additional numbers, ending with two more tracks.
Within a few days, Jenny, Jack, and Twink suggested forming a group with Syd. Twink recalled: "We went over to his place... Syd answered the door and Jenny said, 'Jack and Twink thought it would be great to start a band with just the three of you.' He replied 'Yeah, alright, come in.' That was how it began. We started rehearsing in his basement." Their rehearsals centered on Syd’s compositions such as Lucifer Sam, and they performed roughly six shows around Cambridge, including notable gigs at Market Square and the Dandelion Coffee Bar.
One of these concerts was recorded; although EMI seized one master tape in 1985, another copy resurfaced in 2005. This recording was put up for auction in June 2010 but failed to reach its reserve price. It was subsequently acquired by Easy Action Records, which also holds recordings from Pink Fairies and Hawkwind from the same occasion. Easy Action released the Hawkwind performance as an album licensed from EMI in 2012 and later issued the Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band’s recording under the title Six Hour Technicolor Dream in June 2014.
Performances
Every Stars show featured songs from Barrett-era Pink Floyd as well as material from Barrett’s 1970 solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Posters advertising the MC5 / Skin Alley gig also promoted a revamped version of the Last Minute Put Together Boogie Band—comprising Bruce Paine, Rick Fenn, Bill Gray, and Gary Luvaglia. Paine subsequently joined Steamhammer for a European tour later that year before returning to America.
Joly MacFie, who served as Stars’ roadie and occasionally played bass, reflected:
Hollingworth offered his perspective:
Jack Monck concurred that the performance was below expectations:
Conversely, the Terrapin fanzine provided a more favorable critique of what it termed Syd's Final Performance (January 1973):
The situation worsened after Barrett read the Melody Maker review published the next week. Although Joly claimed that the subsequent Cambridge Corn Exchange show with Nektar two days later showed improvement, Twink confirmed:
Guitarist Bernie Elliott was brought in for Stars shows without Syd, reportedly held at Seymour Hall in London or Essex University. In 1972, Twink, Monck, Dan Kelleher (guitar/keyboards), and George Bacon (guitar) recorded sessions at Polydor Studios in London; one track was included on a 1991 compilation release. Later that year, Monck established Rocks Off alongside Rusty Burnhill.
Aftermath
Soon thereafter, Syd Barrett retreated from both the music scene and public attention, choosing a life of seclusion. His final documented public appearance took place in Cambridge during the summer of 1973, performing alongside Jack Bruce. Bruce and his collaborator Pete Brown hosted an evening dedicated to poetry and music; during this event, Brown honored Barrett as a pioneer of the English Psychedelic movement, only to be met with Barrett’s own denial of this title.
Although recordings of Stars' concerts were made, they have since been lost. American photographer Victor Kraft captured and filmed several Dandelion performances, but these materials were removed following his death in 1976. While the show featuring Nektar was recorded, the tapes are missing; conversely, recordings from the Boogie Band concert with Hawkwind and Pink Fairies have survived, along with a purported tape from the Eddie "Guitar" Burns performance. Twink asserted that Barrett recorded all their rehearsals on cassette, though these recordings have also disappeared. Roy Hollingworth later expressed remorse over the group’s dissolution, underlining his admiration for Barrett and hoping for his successful return.
Known 'Stars' appearances
- Saturday 29 January 1972 – The Dandelion Coffee Bar, Cambridge
- Saturday 5 February 1972 – The Dandelion Coffee Bar, Cambridge
- Saturday 12 February 1972 – Petty Cury, Cambridge
- February 1972 – The Dandelion Coffee Bar, Cambridge
- Thursday 24 February 1972 – The Corn Exchange, Cambridge (featuring MC5 & Skin Alley)
- Saturday 26 February 1972 – The Corn Exchange, Cambridge (with Nektar)