Our Next Gig

Andy Billups
7th November 1953 - 28th December 2025

On the 28^th December 2025 we lost our very dear friend and fantastic musician Andy Billups after his 16-month fight against pleural mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him including the many musicians that he worked with throughout his life.

To celebrate his life there will be a special charity concert held in his memory at The Soundry, Hockley, on Saturday, 23rd May. The concert will raise money in aid of Mesothelioma UK and the St Barnabas House hospice. Both of these charities played a very important role in caring for him during his terminal illness.

The concert will be a highly entertaining evening of quality live music featuring a very rare mix of notable musicians who have worked with Andy during his life, including:

Tons Of Sobs
Tony Kiley (The Blow Monkeys, Illegal Eagles, …)
Al Vosper (Alfie Boe, Anastacia, Chesney Hawkes, …)
Ray Brown (Illegal Eagles)
Chris Teeder (Phil Hilborne Band, Nicko McBrain, Moritz, …)
Eddie & The Blizzards
Barry Martin (aka ‘Snail’s-Pace Slim’ from The Hamsters)
Richard Holgarth (Eddie & The Hot Rods, John Otway Band, ...)
Gary Fletcher (The Blues Band)
Phil Hilborne (We Will Rock You, Nicko McBrain, …)
Mike Lawrence (Ultimate Eagles, The Legend of Springsteen)
Andy Sankey & Anna Rey
Plus More...

As many will know, Andy was an incredibly talented musician and songwriter, who is probably remembered by most as 'Ms Zsa Zsa Poltergeist', the bass player of the legendary band The Hamsters. During his life he played in many other bands, including Eddie & The Blizzards, Tons Of Sobs and The Gary Fletcher Band, to name a few. He also produced his own highly acclaimed album called Afton Down.

In May last year, Andy made one of his final stage appearances when he performed with Tons Of Sobs at our venue. That evening he was joined on stage by his fellow Hamster bandmate, Barry Martin, aka 'Snail's-Pace Slim', together with other members of Eddie & The Blizzards and many other musician friends he has worked with during his life.

In the summer of 2024 Andy was diagnosed with mesothelioma. This is an aggressive cancer, primarily caused by asbestos exposure, that develops in the mesothelium, a lining that covers organs such as the lungs, heart and intestines. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, this is where the cancer forms in the lungs. It is currently an incurable disease that has very limited options for treatment, with most patients surviving just a few months after they have been diagnosed with the condition.

Mesothelioma UK is a national charity dedicated to supporting people affected by mesothelioma through expert care, information, and advocacy. Their mission is to improve the lives of those living with the disease and to help prevent future cases. They do this by championing equitable access to care, advancing research, and ensuring the voices of those with mesothelioma are heard. You may find out more about their work by visiting their website at www.mesothelioma.uk.com.

St Barnabas House hospice is an amazing establishment where Andy was cared for so very well during his final days. Their incredible facilities together with their hard-working, kind and caring staff helped make his last days as comfortable as possible. The hospice has very limited government funding and relies on public donations to help them continue to provide the excellent level of service and highly qualified staff that help people in their care. You may find more about this truly great organisation by visiting their website at www.stbarnabas-hospice.org.uk.

All proceeds from this concert will be split between these two charities to help them with their vitally important work. So please give your support by purchasing tickets for what will be a great evening of quality live music entertainment featuring some great musicians.