THE Esplanade, or “Esp” as it was affectionately dubbed by its regulars, has on and off over its 100 year history, been the place to be for many musos, bands and rock ‘n’ roll audiences - and the list of bands who have played there reads like a veritable who’s who of the great and the good.

In the Seventies, bands such as Canvey’s most famous exports, Dr Feelgood, and artists such as Mickey Jupp with his band Legend drew in the crowds, thanks to the promotional skills of Will Birch and Paul Shuttleworth, who started a live music night there, called the the Grand Canyon Club.

The pair, who afterwards shot to fame with their band the Kursaal Flyers, had started the weekly event, purely because they wanted somewhere for their own band - Cow Pie - to be able to play regular gigs, and of course, just for the love of it.

They wanted to create a local pub rock scene like there was in London, and were also, partly hoping that their band would “get spotted” and signed to a record deal admits Will Birch, now a successful author who wrote the definitive biography of Ian Dury.

In the late Seventies, during the post-punk era, faces such as the Steve Hooker group, Savage and the Psychopaths graced the stage.

Later on, in the Nineties, it became the home to indie and grunge kids, largely thanks to a regular event held there courtesy of the now Chinnerys owner Glyn Morgan, who booked more big names than he can accurately remember.

Among them were of course Pearl Jam, who were doing well in the States when Glyn managed to book them.

By the time their Esplanade date came round, their debut studio album Ten had hit, and the gig was sold out.

Other notable bands such as the Sneaker Pimps, Stereolab, Reef and Catatonia were also among the many who played the venue.

Regular Sam McDonagh, from Prittlewell, who is now a guitarist in the rock band Hobo, has special reason to remember one of his visits to the Esplanade.

He said: “I remember Cerys Matthews from Catatonia asked for a fag off me.

“She then drank so much Special Brew, she kept slipping into Welsh during the songs.”

  • THE Esplanade pub was “quintessential Southend” and the place to be in the Nineties, according to revellers and musicians alike.

Southend historian Ian Yearsley remembers spending a lot time there in his youth.

The 51-year-old said: “The Esplanade was definitely the place to be in the Nineties. It was brilliant. We had some really good nights there and my mates still talk about it.

“The atmosphere was more relaxed than most places. You could go there and be yourself. You didn’t have to look or dress in a certain way. A lot of other places you had to get dressed up and put on airs and graces to get in but it wasn’t like that at the Esplanade.

“I certainly look back fondly on it.”

Mike Wade, 67, is a drummer who grew up in Southend before moving to London in later life and remembers going to and playing gigs at the popular music venue.

He said: “The Southend music scene was very unusual and the Esplanade reflected that perfectly. It was quintessential Southend.

“The venue was on the front looking out over the sea so you really knew where you were.

“It was a bit of a rough house. You didn’t have to worry about pretending to be something and you knew your friends would be in there.”

Mr Wade played in several successful bands himself and considered the Esplanade as the benchmark of quality live music in Southend.

He added: “The thing about it was that it was a kind of banker. Even if you didn’t know who was playing there you knew you would have a great time. Generally speaking, it was a good night because they always had quality music acts playing.”