The first stop on the Preston to Manchester train line is at Leyland, known by some locals as Leylandi which is about 6 miles in a southerly direction. It is not a place I have visited regularly on a social level, but I do remember undertaking an exploratory trip in the late 80’s, as at the stage I was visiting the hostelries and checking out the merits of many local towns. There was at that time the Tiger pub which was the place to go for coach parties and stag dos, so we ensured we included it on our roster that night. The pub is now long gone and was demolished in 2002.
Also, in that era I used to play pool for the Joplin’s pub in Preston and I recall vividly an away match at a central Leyland pub and for some inexplicable reason they took a dislike to us, and the atmosphere was poisonous. I managed to win the match deciding frame and we literally scampered out of the establishment to avoid a physical altercation post-match!
I have attended a couple of functions at the large Leyland Motors club and there used to be a small excellent Chinese restaurant near the train station that Gill and I used to frequent. I am told that in a similar vein to Chorley there are now numerous ale bars which have sprung up to embellish the town centre.
Around the turn of the century, Gill’s sister Justine was seeing a chap called Phil Bailey (not the Easy Lover one!). Phil was a big music fan and was also an accomplished drummer, and he was always tapping away rhythmically on tables. He was in a suite of different bands, including one with the dainty name of Heavy Fluid Addicts who I once saw at Preston Adelphi.
His favourite band of mine that he was involved in was Mellowdrive where he teamed up with his brother Ian and three other musicians. Ian was a talented singer and songwriter, and the band’s sound was heavily indebted to early Oasis and John Lennon, so much so they covered his track ‘Mother’ on their fine album …’and everything after’ which had an evocative sleeve cover displaying a picture of distributing their father’s ashes on a mountain in the Lake District.
So, when Phil notified me that they had an appearance booked at Leyland George IV on Thursday 09/08/01 the gang of three, Uncle George, John Dewhurst and I were rounded up for an attendance. We undertook the short train journey and visited a couple of watering holes near the venue, including the original Joplins Wild West pool pub!
The venue was an old establishment situated in Towngate near the big Tesco and was originally known as the Grapes, before changing its name to George IV after his coronation in 1820. It retained the name before changing to Barristers in the early 21st century and is still in existence to this day.
It was a traditional place with a small stage at the back of the pub and the crowd was literally a friends and family affair. They played for about an hour with the album material comprising much of their set, and they were enjoyable. Like many talented local bands of that ilk, they never progressed beyond their debut promise and split into other bands soon after.
We had a parlay with them afterwards and then caught a cab outside the pub and then grabbed a post-gig curry in nearby Lostock Hall before wending our way home.