The true story of how the annual 'Golden Years' rock'n'roll show began, which has since raised £85,000 for charity.
Bright Spark are two guys and a girl centred on Norwich, England, playing and singing their own brand of retro Brit Pop, softcore rock, and a wide range of othe
We are primarily a working live band and one of the busiest in the area. We enjoy every sort of gig, from private functions in swish hotels to social clubs and from sweaty rock venues to ballroom dances. Our original material reflects this and we write songs and instrumentals that are also very varied in style. All three of us play and sing and we are noted for our harmony work and our instrumental ability. We are an unusual combination - the excitement of being a new and inventive band, with the sure touch that comes only from many years of experience.
Story behind the song
The Golden Years, now in its twelfth year, is the highlight of the local rock'n'roll scene, held over two weeks at the University of East Anglia (you will hear "UEA" mentioned in the song), in the biggest live venue in the area. Bands dating back to the 1960s, many with original members who had thought their playing days were through, strut their stuff once again on the big stage. Others, such as ourselves, are new bands, but all regard it as an honour to be included. Some bands play only for charity shows these days, others such as Bright Spark are professional working bands with busy date-sheets, but all keep this date to play for free to a packed audience and raise money for good causes.
Lyrics
Back in nineteen-ninety-six, the Evening News got this note:
"How's tricks?
We'd kinda like Derek James to fix a reunion for our band. I made a film of us years ago, and now I've got it on video. So please track 'em down for a movie show.
Signed: Derek Moore (The Toffs)."
The Derek James column got passed around, and soon all the rest of The Toffs were found. They decided to recreate their sound from the silence of thirty years. Then members of other bands wrote in, too:
"Please let us come and play at the do! And let's invite audience members who remember those golden years."
The organization was on the back of Terry Wickham, ex-Zodiac. He got the whole idea on track for a show at the Norwich Talk. Now, the gig was for charity, and, as such, if the poor old grandads had lost their touch, well, nobody really expected much. They called it The Golden Years. What did it matter if these old boys had forgotten their chords and lost their poise? As long as they made some sort of noise, nobody really cared. It would just be a chance to meet friends of old, catch up with how all the years had rolled. So every ticket was quickly sold for the show called The Golden Years.
But something everyone else forgot - the fierce old rivalries still burned hot, each man determined HIS band would not be outplayed at the Golden Years! So, armed to the dentures with the latest gear, each band, better than in yesteryear, said
"WE'LL be the outfit the other bands fear, when we play at the Golden Years!"
The guitarists practised till their fingers bled, the singers all sang till their throats turned red, and the drummers all drummed till their muscles went dead, leading up to the Golden Years. And so, on the night, despite their age, ten bands ready to stomp and rage - and blow all the other bands off the stage – re-formed for The Golden Years.
From when the first mighty chord rang out and the audience started to twist and shout, it was clear that the bands were all about! They called it The Golden Years. Some people had come prepared to mock, but now they looked at one another in shock - Good Golly, these boys still really rock! And so it has grown more, year by year: a bigger venue, professional gear, and lots more bands for the crowds to cheer.
Everyone comes to dance and sing, a-reelin' and a-rockin' and a-shakin' that thing - and we're all seventeen again. They call it The Golden Years.
Inside, outside, U E A, they call it The Golden Years!
