First Decent Group Van

Wiltshire 1968

This was the Toast's first van.
If you look carefully you can see the scrawl of lipstick and crayon graffiti near the rear of the vehicle ( no magic markers in those days) applied by fans .

At that stage in our careers,we had a total of about five girl fans and they were all from Streatham Ice Rink .
It was a strange gig. The bandstand was at one end of the rink and the kids would lean on the edge of the stage in their skates ,watch the band until they got cold and then skate rapidly round the ice until the body temperature rose to a suitable level. The band however froze to death for the duration of their set.

The group van was very much a status symbol for gigging bands in those days and it was the six wheel Transit which we all wanted to aspire to.
The van in the picture was only a four wheel !
This was still a luxury in comparison to the transport endured by the stars of the '60s.
The Beatles were piling into an old Bedford and touring the UK in that manner for the first two years of their success. No limos and bodyguards in them days.