Sweet Leaf (formed in 1975) were: Andy Myers, Paul Titcomb, Norman Holditch & Mark Titcomb on drums Throughout the late seventies and early eighties they managed to achieve a certain local fame and notoriety in and around Irthlingborough. The idea behind the band at the time was to do it as big and as best we could. Wherever possible we used flashpots, bombs, dry ice and huge PA systems. Everything was on a shoe string budget, but due to the personnel involved, namely Nick 'yes thats no problem I can do it' Maple and the larger than life Jim 'I want to be Peter Grant' Crouch, things happened. We had it all, great road crew, groupies, hangers-on, our own coach, two vans for the gear, enough equipment to fill a small country and bags of energy. We played it loud and we played it proud, we might not have played it that well - but it didn't seem to matter then. Lets take a trip back in time..........

Check out the diaries from way back when c

Leighton Buzzard

LtoR-Steve Allen,Andy, Mark, John Wheatley, Paul,Jim Crouch-Bottom R/H, Karen (steves Girlfriend)

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Civic Hall

We like the phrase ' THe Big Show'

A Bus, Two Vans and some of the amassed equipment

We like the phrase ' Over the top'

This photograph was taken in 1978 on Saturday 11th November.

It shows a group of us posing for a pic after an all night party at our short lived'studio' headquarters in Kettering

Pictured are:

Back row L to R: Clifford Horn, Norman Holditch, Kim Loveday, Jim Crouch(dec) Sarah Simmonds(dec), Paul Titcomb.

Middle row L to R: Ian Murray, George.

Front row: Terry Loveday, Karen Stamp, Fiona Murray and Kojak !

Sadly Jim Crouch passed away suddenly on July 10th.

The funeral on 17th July was standing room only, and he departed this world ,as he would have wished, to the haunting strains of Stairway to Heaven. It was a very moving occasion.

Jim managed and nurtured us in our youth. He was a larger than life character who wanted to be the next Peter Grant (Manager of Led Zeppelin). We didn't quite come up to the Zep standard but he stuck with us anyway. He introduced us to the delights of beer, pool, and take aways and endless nights that drifted into early mornings.

For some considerable time all our equipment was stored in his house, rent free, there were PA bass bins next to the fridge and amplifiers stacked up in the fire place. As long as we bought him a few beers and made the coffee at the end of the night he was happy..

He will be sadly missed as he was a major part of our early life.