A MANCHESTER author is looking for people who may have seen legendary rock band The Who play in Uxbridge in the 1960s.

The Who – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon – were famed for smashing guitars and drum kits and for headline-grabbing off-stage antics including wrecking hotel rooms and crashing a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool.

But before they hit the big time The Who played hundreds of shows up and down the length of Britain, sometimes performing seven nights in a row.

And author Richard Houghton is trying to trace fans who may have witnessed early performances of the group in Uxbridge, at either Burton’s Ballroom or the New Georgian Club, to help him write a 'people's history' of the group.

Mr Houghton said: “The Who have been performing for more than 50 years and lots of books have been written about them. 

“But I want to tell their story in the words of the people who saw The Who when they were starting out. 

“Britain was a very different place back in the 1960s and I'm hoping people might be willing to share their teenage memories of seeing The Who before they were famous to help me capture a little piece of music history.”

Mr Houghton has already written two books on popular music – The Beatles: I Was There and You Had To Be There: The Rolling Stones Live.

The 56-year-old said: “The Who played Uxbridge twice in less than two months in 1965 – in June and then again in August – so it seems they enjoyed playing there and were able to attract a good audience. 

“People who were teenagers in the 60s will have some great memories of those evenings which I’d like to capture in order to preserve the memories of a golden age of pop.”

You can share your memories of The Who at thewhointhe60s@gmail.com or by writing to Mr Houghton at 1 Totnes Road, Manchester, M21 8XF.