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The following is a selection of write-ups on our events over the years

ACCRINTON MCC 9th ANNUAL BIKE SHOW 17th August 2008 GALLERY

Courtesy Lancs Telegraph

 

OFF YER SPROCKET RALLY 2008

"Off Yer Sprocket" Rally 08 Gallery Daytime Pics (click here)

 

"Off Yer Sprocket" Rally 08 Gallery Night Time Pics (click here)

"Off Yer Sprocket" Rally 08 The best of the rest pics by Dawn!!(click here)

What a sensational weekend we had for our 2008 Off Yer Sprocket Rally. The sun shone all weekend with only the blustery wind causing a few problems when it came to packing up on Sunday.

Friday afternoon saw people arriving in droves. Motorcycles loaded high with equipment, bikes with trailers, trikes with trailer tents and mini caravans in tow (posh people those Boom owners) and a few cars for the larger families of our biker comrades.

Three great bands and a rock disco provided a fantastic mix of music throughout the weekend. Friday night started with Ian on the disco playing just over an hour of Punk and New Wave before moving on to a more traditional rock disco with a mix of classic and modern rock tunes from the 60's through to 2008.

It turned out there were a few Rally Virgins for the weekend. Balloons were handed out for the clubs to dress them up and a drinking game was held, whereby ½ a pint of liquid made up from the drip trays from the bar had to be drunk through a straw as fast as they could.

RIFF RAFF then took to the stage doing two sets, followed by an encore, before the DJ took us into the early hours with more rock sounds.

On Saturday afternoon we had the silly games involving no less than 15 rally virgins. Blindfold horse racing, tyre throwing and our own skittles with a difference. Using doggy balls on strings and the rugby goal posts and skittles as targets there were balls were flying in all directions.

Once the adults had stopped playing John D took the mantle as games host and it was then time for the children to have a go, who were all cheered on by the parents.

Some people were lucky enough to get themselves a bit of a suntan. Stash from Millennium BC was an obvious one, looking like Adam Ant as he had a white patch across his face where his sunglasses had been.

In to Saturday night, Ian decided to try something different and had everybody guessing the original artists as he played nearly two hours of popular songs covered in a rock style. Bruce Dickinson playing The Zoo, Guns ‘n' Roses with Live and Let Die and many others with songs like Rush Hour (Joy Rider / Jane Weidlin), I Ran (Die Krupps / Flock of Seagulls), Cars (Fear Factory / Gary Numan) and Walk On By (Stranglers / Dionne Warwick).

Some Rally Virgins never learn do they? It turned out one was being a little bit cocky so out went the shout for a couple of strong lads to assist (no shortage of volunteers) and he was promptly gaffa taped to the railings outside. He was then drowned in beer, his shoes removed, feet tickled and then was left hanging for a while. We don't like cocky, we like fun he was told. Some learn the hard way!

A new band to us, The RAKKITEERS from Barnsley, then took us through their set with songs including Born To Be Wild, Pretty Vacant, Hurry Up Harry, I predict a riot and & 7 Nation Army.

A brief interlude allowed Ian to introduce Mandy so she could present a familiar face with a leaving speech and cake. Suzi Q is off to Australia for two years hoping to complete an apprenticeship and stay for good. Away she goes taking the Boom Trike and trailer tent to continue her triker escapades in the antipodes. She will be missed by a lot of people. Good Luck Suzi.

It was then onto the headlined band - The JALAPENOS, who bounced around the stage with their strange face pulling and manic guitar riffs, mixing things like the Dr Who theme into the middle of Roadhouse Blues. Good old fashioned sixties and seventies Rock and Roll in their own up-tempo rhythm with a few more recent rock songs in their repertoire.

The weekend finished with a big bonfire to warm folk up ready for bed.

Accrington MCC would like to thank everybody who attended and helped to make it such a success, from the local clubs that support us regularly to those of you who had been planning to go to the Welsh National and decided to give us a visit instead. We do hope you enjoyed yourselves and hope to see you all again next year.

Ride safe, AMCC

 

Valentines Night 2008

Accrington MCC's annual Valentines Party started with a hard slog getting the equipment into the smaller than usual venue. Awkward narrow steps into the room didn't help, but we pulled together to get the P.A. system in place.

The room filled up very quickly once the doors had opened with visitors from The Scavengers, Whitworth Warriors, Millennium and C.A.T. joining the Accrington rockers to see Freebird on stage and listen to Ian's mixture of rock tunes through the ages. Talking of Whitworth Warriors, how many drinks did Gypsy knock over throughout the night squeezing down the narrow gaps with his jacket bottom catching peoples glasses of beer and wine? Cost him a small fortune and he wasn't even drunk. The rest of us enjoyed cheap bar prices with bitter coming in at £1.90 per pint

Jane and Gayle went round with the raffle tickets looking like an advert for Shiela's Wheels in their pink regalia and we raised £230 towards the Accrington Pals Memorial Fund, thanks to all who bought a ticket.

What would Valentines be without a love story?.....Ken, a regular at our rock nights, was joined by Doreen, his wife, and he presented her with a big bouquet of flowers, a card and a box of chocolates to celebrate 50 years of marriage....... congratulations to the both of you.

Looking forward to the new rally season and hope we get some weather like we've had for the last fortnight but a little warmer please. Hope to see you all throughout the year at many of the biker events we all love to attend. Ride safe, AMCC

 

 

 

PHOTO GALLERY

FRIGHT NIGHT 07

What was the new venue going to be like? Well, it wasn't as homely and cosy as King Street Club but it proved a worthwhile move to the Town Hall as we had more than 300 people come to watch Maiden England perform hits like Number of the Beast, Run To The Hills, Fear of the Dark, The Trooper and Can I Play With Madness.

A great session from a superb band who looked to be enjoying it just as much as the crowd. The only downside to the night was the early finish, Ian didn't get much time with the disco but the Hope & Anchor provided us with the extra hours of rock music with Rick to take us to the early hours. Here's hoping for a rapid return to King Street.

Lots of people made the effort to don fancy dress and £400 was raised for charity with £150 to the Air Ambulance and £250 for Tommy's Tools. Thank you for your kind donations.

See you all at the next event, Thank You All, AMCC.

 

Jane & Doug's Wedding

You could not have asked for a better day. Dry weather, not too hot and lots of motorcycles. Jane had a procession of mainly female riders with a trike leading the wedding car from the house to St Leonard's church.

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The vicar appeared to have a loss of sense of humour when he asked the congregation if anybody knew any reason why the couple should not be married as some of the bikers coughed and "ahemmed" with amusement to everybody else. I'm sure even God has a sense of humour and would have chuckled.

The trike then led the way to the reception at the Higher Trapp where the happy couple were pictured with their biker friends from Accrington, Whitworth Warriors, Dambusters and Wharf MCC's.TV star Basil Brush also made an appearance wearing a nice white dicky bow.

The night reception was a great way to finish the day with a mixture of songs from the 60's to 2007 and a selection of rock music making sure the dancefloor was full all night.

Best wishes to Jane & Doug from your fellow members at Accrington MCC.

 

 

ANNUAL CHARITY BIKE SHOW IN SUPPORT OF ALEX HOUSE

BIKE SHOW GALLERY click here

Winner "Best in show 2007" Accrington MCC Shield

Name Dave Nield Bike~The Dragon - S&S hand built by owner single handedly

 

Accrington Motorcycle Club held it's 8th annual bike show on Sunday 19th August. A band called ESTRANGED offered to play at very short notice, literally throwing their equipment on to the stage, plugging in and playing. The band comprise Jamie George, Chris Greenwood, Mike Johnson, Tom Barclay and Robert Berry (TWIGG). They delivered their own brand of Funk Punk, combining loads of chilli with extra pepper. Watch out Chilli Peppers these guys have re-invented your brand of music and believe me they're hot stuff! Freeform bass slapping adds a funky new dimension to a very talented and original band. Standing still is not an option when listening to this HIGH OCTANE outfit. All of us at Accrington MCC would like to thank the band for performing at our event and would like to wish the guys best of luck for the future.

After the monsoon rains of recent days and a rather damp early Sunday morning we were lucky to have a dry, if slightly grey day for the show. So well done and thanks to all those who turned out to support us on the day, especially the early arrivals from the flat lands. Look forward to seeing you at our Halloween Rock night. To those who had survived a wet weekend rally, also well done.

Congratulations to all the prize winners, from the extremes of a superb Rocket, a clean custom Jawa, a well worked Dragstar trike an R6, through to a great paint job on a Wild Star. I am not sure which was the Golden Oldie, the rather well restored BMW or our old friend Gipsy. No it was the Beemer, Gipsy got the Rat trophy, I think it was for his tandem trikes, not himself. Best in show just had to be the Dragon Bike, individual and well engineered. Well done to all the prize winners .

Again, well done all of you who turned out to support the event, keep the same weekend open for next year and if we don't see you at one of our other events, see you then.

Fame and fortune will have been visited on some of you as we were pleased to welcome Kirsty and Bob from Channel M. This is to be found on Sky and Cable networks. We are not sure of the viewing date yet, so watch the channel anyway to be sure not to miss your moment of fame. When we know the transmission date we will try and post it on our website.

Thanks to all the others who made a damp August Sunday a successful Bike Show, the truck from Gary Bowker of Accolade Logistics Accrington, the generator from Dave and Dave, the sound system from Ken and Jackie at the Broadway, our hosts and great supporters Steve and Pauline at the Hope and Anchor, they give us our home and base, thanks a lot. There will be many more to thank, stalls and food and club members, well done and thanks.

Must mention our stand in DJ, Gaz (who stepped in for Ian who had prior arrangements), our voice and image to the network, Geoff and the two Robs.

So a successful day all round. Some very nice bikes, with a bunch of really nice riders.

Well done all, RIDE SAFE.

OFF YER SPROCKET RALLY 2007

Picture Gallery Click here

Could somebody shoot the weather forecasters as they are wrong so often that it is affecting the numbers at rallies. Wet was what they told us and it turned out to be dry but chilly. Together with Millennium's two birthday party's over the weekend Darwen MCC at Darwen Festival and late advertising in BSH, it was quite a poor turn out at the superb, newly refurbished Rugby Club.

Friday night saw a new band to the scene with CIRCUS FREAK who played a mixture of rock covers, but they did not choose the usual songs cover bands play. It's So Easy - Guns 'n' Roses, Slither - Velvet Revolver, Symptom of the Universe - Black Sabbath to name but a few.

The JALAPENOS headlined Friday night with their own up tempo brand of Rock and Roll, bouncing round the stage like men posessed with tracks from the likes of Duane Eddy, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran etc.

Saturday afternoon brought the Famous Accrington MCC Silly Games and club DJ / games organiser, Ian ensured that the Rally Virgins were all in the same team. One Rally Virgin was so green that he tried to hide when the games were about to start so we sent a few Scavengers to "go get him!" With megaphone in hand Ian let everybody know that a forfeit would be handed out in due course for him shirking away.

Piggy back riding and Wheelbarrowing whilst batting a rugby ball through a slalom, eating dry weetabix and cream crackers, drinking cans of beer, retrieving prunes form bowls of custard, cream and vegetable soup without using your hands and Four people in a big sack for a sack race proved great entertainment for the spectators. The forfeit for the rally virgin was to be placed in the centre and covered in the remains of the bowls by the other contestants. Scottie from Scavengers tried hard to claim victory in the Accrington Nori Brick throw and was duly awarded a trophy for being a sore loser.

Early in the evening, DJ / games organiser, Ian was seen up a ladder tying a black bin bag to the ceiling in the club house leaving everybody wondering what was inside it. More later.

WRECKED were the first band on Saturday with their assortment of rock covers and were fantastic. Banter with the crowd, getting them singing along, then filling the dancefloor and rocking the early evening with great aplomb.

Inbetween bands Ian gave out names of the silly games winners, club turn out SELECT FEW and furthest travelled, who were Henry and Jimmy from Stirling at 230 miles each. It is still unknown who got the voucher for two Stormin' tickets (please let us know, phone the chairman, Thank you). At this point it was revealed what was in the black bin bag with a short story. At the Leyland Eagles rally a couple of weeks ago, Millennium and Scavengers had a drunken Stag night and Hen party and it all got a little out of hand with Millenniums caveman mascot being thrown around. Legs and arms came off, stuffing poured out of him and he was left tattered and torn. Scavengers took him home and nursed him back to health apart from a lost arm which was replaced with an old Teddy bears paw. A tug on the string revealed the caveman and the intention was for Millennium to form a human pyramid to get him back. Alas they didn't turn up so Scavengers posed for photo's with him wearing a Scavengers hat. It was said that they are going to buy the caveman a Vespa scooter and a green Parka jacket and a CD by The Jam. He will then be converted from a neanderthal to a thalida-mod.

Last band of the weekend were DI MORTIUS with another set of classic rock covers who were unfortunate enough to be on at the same time that somebody ignited the bonfire. It was a case of all the pyromaniacs to the inferno, leaving just a handful in the clubhouse.

Although the numbers were lower than usual everybody had a great weekend with many people thanking us for the great bands and rock disco we had put on. Hopefully the attendance will return to normal next year. Thank you to all who came along this year and we look forward to seeing you all again next year with more of your friends.

Thanks again, Ride safe, Accrington MCC.

 

PET FOOD RUN GALLERY

Pet Food Charity Ride Out 2006

Preperation is everything and as we were having a new route we had a day for the outriders the weekend before to check out the junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights to try to ensure everybody stayed together on the day. The weather was bloody awful, heavy rain, wind and quite a chill in the air but a day out on the bikes makes it all worthwhile........ doesn't it?

The day of the charity run started with myself (Ian) travelling to Blackburn on the trike to pick up my son Harley. He's growing fast and yearning to be old enough to have his own bike or trike and drink lots of alcohol with the rest of us and he's only 11. To get to his house I had to travel over some of the days route and once on top of the Grane Road it was misty as hell and I thought "we picked a scenic road and we can't see bugger all because of the fog".I worried for nothing because within the hour the sun was out and the day ahead looked dry.

We at Accrington MCC must apologise for not having hot drinks on arrival as the water heater we had borrowed had been hidden behind something and the landlord wasn't aware it was in his pub, so sorry folks, we won't let it happen again.

JAD the German Shepherd Dog made a welcome return in his sidecar getting lots of attention from the public and the press, before we mounted our steel horses and advanced to the RSPCA at Altham where we dropped off different types of animal feeds and cash donations. Todays route was going to take us over one of Lancashires most scenic roads and we could have been in the Lake District with the view as we rode along the Grane Road. Hills all around, Valleys below, the reservoirs and winding road as we continued to Bleak Holt Animal Sanctuary to donate more cash and pet food. Here we could get a hot drink from the cafe and look round the animals you were helping. I had a chat to some of the working people and found that most of them were volunteers dedicating their spare time to the dogs, goats, rabbits, cats and donkeys.

Finishing off back at the Hope and Anchor we had a hot stew awaiting us with proper mushy peas , you know, the ones you soak overnight with a soda tablet that make you fart for hours, pastry, red cabbage and HP sauce all lovingly prepared by Aunty Yvonne and Sue.

We hope you enjoyed the new route and went home with a feeling of well being having been so charitable to the homeless animals. Thank you to the Corn Mill and Eureka animal feeds at Rising Bridge for their kind donations www.eurekaanimalfeeds.co.uk We look forward to meeting up with you all again in the near future.

Ride Safe and thank you all from Accrington MCC.

 

FRIGHT NIGHT GALLERY

Fright Night 2006

A great night once again with Ian on the disco playing a mixture of classic rock and new rock with the fantastic Jalapeno's playing live on stage. What a great bunch of lads they are with a set consisting of good old rock and roll mixed with light rock done in their own upbeat style. Lots of people made the effort to don fancy dress and we raised £200 for the Air Ambulance. A big thank you to all those who helped make it a great night out.

 

 

Bike Show 2006

Dismal weather all week didn't stop you all from coming to this years bike show, but it appeared to put off the trade stalls as only RED ROSE MAG and THE BUTTY HUT bothered to show up. Thanks to Christian Salvesen for once again loaning a wagon to use as the stage.

Janine took to her new role as Club DJ (with Ian looking over her shoulder) and Ace stepped in for chairman Mick who had just returned from America (no wonder we have no club funds) with Geoff and Marie working hard, organising, all week to make the show as succesful as possible.

A full spec American police car, blue lights and sirens, was parked in the corner (how did you get it through customs Mick)? and classic bikes lined up alongside custom and factory built machines. Thanks to all who attended to help raise funds for Alex Home an establisment for the disabled, based in Accrington. (amount to be disclosed)

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Thanks to all who attended, Ride safe, AMCC.

OFF YER SPROCKET RALLY GALLERY 06 Pt 1

OFF YER SPROCKET RALLY GALLERY 06 Pt 2

 

Great tasting food at good prices from the Butty Hut again this year. These guys would love to break into the rally scene. The "BUTTY HUT" IS AVAILABLE FOR RALLIES ETC, call Lorna on 07884380892.

To reitterate what Mick said above, this years rally was a great success once again. Thanks to all who supported us considering the weather had threatened storms all week. The Isle of Man TT and Welsh National were on the same weekend too.

First on stage Friday night were LOVE BATTERY, a punk covers band who thrilled us with songs between 1977 and 1979 from the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Blondie, Siouxsie & the Banshees and X-Ray Spex to name a few. Vic and Jo taking turns on the vocals, a new drummer from last year and a saxophonist has been added to the band too making these the best punk tribute band I have been fortunate enough to see. They certainly had people singing along and dancing around.

The BEERMONSTERS then delighted us as they belted out some classic rock which made sure the dancefloor stayed full. Fantastic musicians with a great sense of fun. Walking round the room getting the audience to play their guitars and generally partying with the rest of us.

Saturday afternoon saw a challenge from Ian put to the different bike clubs with the making of the arrows to throw during the silly games. A piece of card, some string some tape and a bamboo being the only materials allowed. With a brief description of how to make and throw your arrows you joined in and had lots of fun trying them out. Then nearest to the cone in the centre of the field was easier said than done, with 7 feet away being best effort.

Rally Virgins were rounded up for the Wheelbarrow and Piggy Back relay race where dry weetabix, prunes in custard, batting a rugby ball down the course and drinking a bottle of beer through a condom were the challenges ahead. Next game was Ballbreaker teams of four, dribbling, balancing, throwing and holding a rugby ball between your knees before kicking it through the goal post.The NORI challenge saw Accrington Nori bricks hurled in the air to see who could throw it the furthest down the field and a variation on Tug o' War with the Land Rover pull saw the Scavengers take 1st spot. We finished with a game of British Bulldogs with loads of kids and teenagers running across the rugby pitch just as frenzied as we did when we were younger, with the inevitable fall out and fight at the end. No wonder schools banned it.

The Reefer Knot Challenge was sorely missed so it will be back next year upon demand.

Saturday night came and WRECKED played a superb set with rock classics from down the ages, once again bringing the crowd out of their seats onto the dancefloor.

OZZBEST were the main band of the night with their tribute to Ozzy and Black Sabbath. Once again a wonderful collection of songs keeping you singing and dancing through the night.

Last but not least, IAN was behind the disco playing a wide selection of old and new rock music making this a fantastic weekend for all.

 

Valentines Rock Night 2006

BLAZE set the night on fire with songs from all three albums and also included a couple of Wolsbane and Iron Maiden tracks along the way.

The man on the turntables, Ian the DJ, started the evenings events by playing a mixture of classic rock love songs blended in with old and new rock music before taking a break for the main acts.

Rick Hulse from NABD was next on the floor with jokes and funny stories having the room in fits of laughter. Rick went on to introduce the first act, comedian Duncan Oakley, who played some well known rock tunes on his electric guitar whilst inserting his own humerous lyrics as well as some songs of his own with a few jokes in between. Next was the raffle and a £170 donation to NABD from the proceeds. Thanks for your generosity from Rick and from Accrington MCC.

Time for the main action with Blaze Bayley and his band BLAZE taking to the stage. For those familiar with the albums it was a fantastic set played by brilliant musicians thoroughly enjoing themselves. For those not so familiar it was great to see the professionalism, passion and raw energy from a guy who has fronted one of the best rock bands ever in Iron Maiden.

Close on an hour and a half of non-stop entertainment from these awesome instrumentalists had a few dancing, many singing along, lots of people drumming fingers and more tapping feet to the beat. Everything was so clear and precise it could have been recorded for a live album.

Four young lads at the front were simply in awe and it made their night to be photographed on stage with their heroes and collect their autographs at the end.

Back to the DJ and Ian made sure the dancefloor rocked until 2am with lots of different rock anthems through the ages. Another fantastic night and many thanks to all those who supported this event from all at Accrington MCC.

Keep rockin', Keep ridin', Keep safe. CHEERS