THE Teenbeats were one of the local groups which played at the Carfax Assembly Rooms in Oxford.

The five-strong band provided the music for hundreds of youngsters to dance the night away.

Bass guitarist Mike Godwin got in touch after hearing of other readers’ memories of the famous Cornmarket Street venue.

He has pictures and a series of posters to remind him of the good days in the 1960s.

The group, which later changed its name to the Alphabeats to avoid a clash with an American band, was formed at the Red Lion in Wolvercote.

Mr Godwin, who lives at Cassington, recalls: “A few of us would go along with our instruments on Sunday evenings.

“The landlord, Gilbert Rivers, and his wife allowed us to use a small room at the front of the pub.

“But eventually, so many came that they agreed we should move to a big building at the back.

“People would try to dance if there was room, but it was often chock-a-block.”

One happy result of the Sunday night sessions was that the Teenbeats were formed – Mike Godwin (bass guitar), Mick Hopcroft (lead guitar), Tony Meehan (singer), Richard Burrage (rhythm guitar) and Mick Charlton (drums).

The band went on to play at numerous local venues – the Corn Exchange at Faringdon, the Institute Hall at Bampton, Ickford village hall, the Masonic Hall at Wantage, to name a few.

They would also enjoy a weekend tour – playing at Southsea on Friday night, making a Saturday morning cinema appearance at Southampton, performing on Southampton pier at night, and then appearing at Salisbury on Sunday night before heading home.

Of the local venues, Carfax Assembly Rooms was one of their favourites.

Mr Godwin has a poster advertising a night of dancing there, with Eric Tolley and his band upstairs providing ballroom dancing and the Teenbeats keeping the young fans happy downstairs, all for five shillings.

He recalls: “Once you were in, you could go to either ballroom.”

During the week, the downstairs became a café and restaurant, but on Saturday nights, it was dancing all the way.

Life for the Teenbeats was always hectic – some of them had day jobs as well as playing in the band – and not always straightforward.

When they appeared in St Michael’s Hall in Shoe Lane, Oxford, they had to haul their equipment up and down several flights of stairs and the electrics in the hall often blew.

And their van was too small to take the gear and all five performers – so some of them often had to walk home late at night.