Welcome to LHS Presents…

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist and a singer in a band. My Mum used to love to recount the story of me in front of the TV in the early Sixties with my Beatles guitar and nappy swaying in time to “She Loves You” and me singing “She Lubs You”.

Anyway, I spent many years doing unsatisfactory jobs, as well as a stint in the Royal Navy, and not being true to my artistic creativity. But hang on, let’s roll the clock back to the early 1980s.After many years of loving Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Sweet, Marc Bolan, David Bowie et al, I got into Rock and Roll and Rockabilly in a big way around 1977/8. This was mainly due to the fact that I loved looking at the fashions of my Mum and Dad in old photos from the 1950s. A guy at school, Bud, was into rockabilly and he played me “Flying Saucers Rock n Roll” and I was gone. I spent many a happy hour poring over records and devouring all that I could possibly hear. Something about the music was in my soul, and resonated with my wild streak beautifully.

The dates are hazy now, over 45 years on, but I started playing guitar (badly) and composing silly songs. Eventually I jumped up on stage at the Ship in Plumstead, South East London and with Rob Glazebrook’s band at the Goldsmith’s Tavern in New Cross. For some reason, people seemed to like the off kilter stuff we were presenting (at that time it was me, The Phantom and Bud as a semi skiffle trio). Utter rubbish, but it made people laugh. Rob then asked if we could get together for a jam session with him and Rochee and the Sarnos were born. Many people have asked me where the name Rochee and the Sarnos came from. It’s a actually a misheard lyric from Surfin’ USA by the Beach Boys. The real line is “You’d see ’em wearing their baggies, Huarachi sandals too” – I thought it said “Rocheesarnos too”, and then it morphed into Rochee and the Sarnos, and we played around using Rochee etc in our song titles, a la Bo Diddley. So now you know! We recorded a rather lunatic first EP “Sarno Fever”, followed up with a single “Rumble in the Jungle”, then an album “Understanding Sarno” all in the eighties and our second album “The Golden Dawn” was released in 2008. We played a lot of gigs in Europe and UK, most memorable being The Isle of Wight, Klub Foot and a Berlin gig that was a blast! We also played some dreadful gigs (mainly due to me), but all bands have them, you just gotta go with the flow sometimes.

Around 2009, 2010 I started to create some artworks, all abstract in nature. I’m still creating art to this day and I love it. It gives me a sense of peace and wellbeing, which helps me greatly in so many ways. Some of my art will be for sale soon. Around 2020 and during lockdown and a particularly upsetting personal phase, I started writing songs again (some of which started out as poems).

I experienced a few false starts and one major disappointment, which is summed up best by John Greenleaf Whittier “For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been'”.

A great deal of work went into the album and we managed to get “Thynk Pynk!” finished and it is now available in the Store. It has been a collaborative work with some fantastic Rock ‘n’ Roll luminaries, namely Batmobile and the inimitable Boz Boorer, with me doing all the vocals. The lyrics are here on the site, and an explanation of the thought processes that went into each song. The unusual spelling is a nod to one of my great musical heroes in the form of Nick Drake, and his “Bryter Layter” album, his second and dating from 1971. The idea behind “Thynk Pynk” is exactly that, think black (I know I have done in the past, and still do at times) and we all know the result – Thynk Pynk, and life can be a little better. I hope the album brings a little happiness, amusement and love into your Worlds, it certainly has done to mine.

The album artwork concept has been created by my dear friend – the very talented Jess Jefferies, who did the artwork for the first EP, so we have now come full circle – decades layter! A poster of the totem pole will be available in the Store soon, just ripe for framing and putting on your bedroom wall. Other artwork has been created by Rohan Voo and a specially commissioned work “Rochee’s Space” which adorns the cover of the album, again, it will be available in the Store soon. The majority of the funds for the art will go mainly to the artists involved as I believe in supporting great talent.

The album is available in the Store along with The Golden Dawn, and some badges for the moment. I hope you enjoy some of my humble offerings, it is all done with you in mind.

My sincere thanks and admiration go to:

The Sarnos – Rob Glazebrook, Jamie Farquhar, Kev Lennon and Nick Simonon

Andy, Ellis and Dick – So close!

Batmobile – Jeroen, Eric and Johnny

Mark Black – Drums (except Batmobile tracks) & Backing Vocals

Lyn Boorer – Hospitality & Backing Vocals

Rohan Voo – “Rochee’s Space”

Jess Jefferies – “Totem Pole” plus Cover and Art Design Concept

Gf Designs – Cover Graphics

Ali Gordon – LHS Photography

Dominik Nowacki  – LHS Ink

And finally, without whose help, friendship, guidance and inspiration, this album would still be just a collection of words…

Boz Boorer! The final words go to him “LHS is a legend… in his own mind”

Thynk Pynk! Is dedicated to my parents Valerie and Colin, and my brother Craig.

Rock ‘n’ Roll… love from LHS!