By 1958, Dave Sutch and a friend of his Colin Dale, who later became roadie of his band, started to go to the famous Two Is Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street, Soho, London. The coffee bar run by Tom Littlewood being a mecca to budding pop stars - was The hottest place to be - as it was here that Tommy Steele, Terry Dene, Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard were discovered. One night they took to the stage in the cellar and earned a plate of fish and chips each as wages. Obviously Littlewood never paid much at any time.
In early 1959, resolved to be a rock'n'roll singer, Sutch attended auditions there which were interrupted because the auditioners got fed up with all the Elvis Presley look-alikes who came.
Dave Sutch:
“It was just a cellar in a basement of a Coffee Bar, where they sold frothy Coffee, but It was a breeding ground for Rock’n’rollers. I got an audition. They said at the time that they didn’t want any more guys just coming and copying Elvis...”
Littlewood advised the newcomer: “Get a gimmick, and you’re in”. So Sutch decided to swap his former apparel for the 'wild man of Borneo' look after he saw a pair of old buffalo horns for sale at 15 shillings in a place called "Jack's Second Hand Shop".The next day, Sutch returned to the Two I's Coffee Bar, disguised with buffalo horns glued to his crash helmet and his aunt's leopard skin jacket, which he tored the sleeves off. Flaunting his wild man image, he impressed at his audition, singing an old song called “Bullshit Boogie”.(2)Tom Littlewood remembers his first encounter with Screaming Lord Sutch:“One afternoon a strange individual came in, presenting himself as Mr. Sutch and asked if he could do an audition. I was very much amazed when he arrived, looking like a rag-and-bone man. He had with him a large bundle of miscellaneous equipment - sheepskin, pair of Buffalo horns, a man-trap, snow shoes and so forth. He sang an obscure old number called “Bullshit Boogie”.He therefore landed a spot singing at the Two I's, and began to pick up bookings for gigs. However he spent the proceeds of his first two gigs reimbursing his aunt the cost of the coat. The material of his debut is impossible to pinpoint though his early influences were Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. His repertoire probably included then current hits such as Jerry Lee Lewis' “Great Balls of Fire”, Little Richard's “Good Golly Miss Molly” or Bobby Darin’s “Bullmoose” and “Splish Splash”. Did Sutch already know Tim Bradshaw’s original and bluesy version of “The Train Kept Rollin’” or was he inspired by its more rockabilly oriented rendition of the Johnny Burnette Trio? Also impossible to determine: who was backing him at that time? Probably the Two I's house band which comprised Tony Harvey on lead guitar and Bobby Woodman drums who both later worked with Vince Taylor as members of his Playboys.
(2) It seems that it would be a legend from a newspaper:
Obviously Rock star Vince Taylor, who was one of the main acts at the venue, would recommended Sutch to Littlehood after he heard him scream somewhere.
On September 28th 1960, The Sunday Pictorial ran a photograph of Screaming Lord Sutch - arms outstreched, eyes shut, mouth wide open, hair hanging around his face - with the head line “he’s the daftest yet”.
The 19 year old screamer was plain Dave Sutch from South Harrow, Middlesex, when he asked Rock star Vince Taylor for work with his group. Vince heard Dave scream and recommended him to his own backer, Tom Littlehood, who runs the 2I’s… Tom advised the newcomer: “Get a gimmick, and you’re in”.
So, plain Dave Sutch went away and bought a pair of buffalo horns in a Second Hand Shop for 15 shillings. He fixed them in a hat, and returned to Two I's as Screaming Lord Sutch, the 18-inch hair just grew, along with the gimmick, and now he is touring with Vince’s group. Says Vince: “When the screamer starts work, the fans don’t know wether to laugh, jive or run away”. Sutch described the group’ style at that time as “Rock’n’Roll, Wild and Frantic”.
When Tom Littlewood put “Screaming Lord” Sutch out on the road with Keith Kelly and Vince Taylor, in Autumn of 1960, the all-purpose backing band was held together by Bobbie Woodman.
The first tour Screaming Lord Sutch and The Playboys did together was of Devon and Cornwall, during which their pianist Alan Le Claire used to drive the old van of the band as Sutch had no driving licence.
Alan LeClaire
“While we were with Taylor, we were introduced to Sutch. He didn't have a band at that time, so he toured with us for a few months before getting his own group together… The first tour we did was of Devon and Cornwall. He had an old van, but no driving licence. I drove it and it kept on breaking down… Sutch slept in the back of the van to save on expences… He act was general lunacy and quite funny. He couldn't sing, but just shouted while we played…
His stage show was really a visual performance of organised insanity. A real good laugh, but not much musical value…”
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