Vocals/Guitar - Geoff Miller (front centre)

Lead Guitar - Alastair Duncan (back centre)

Sax -Tony Brannan (front right)

Rhythm Guitar- Dave Weir (back left)

Bass - Eddie Nicholson (top right)

Drums - Tony Maxfield (front left)

The Defenders were formed in Workington Cumbria in 1962 and originally featured Geoff Miller on lead guitar and vocals, Brian "Tiny" Holmes (later to become proprietor of the Northern Sounds group of music shops) on drums, Alan Stubbs on rhythm guitar and Geoff Coleman on vocals.

The name "Defenders" came from sticking a pin in the local greyhound racing league table!

They were joined later in 1962 by Tony Brannan and Raymond Hendren on sax and Alastair Duncan on bass.

This lineup used to play regularly in the Fox club in Fox lane (off Portland square) on Sundays and sometimes at the Westfield welfare club.

Giving it some "welly" with the "Can Can"

Dave, Eddie and Tony in action

The Defenders' popularity grew when they started to play in the "Tin Mission" on Queen street for the Saturday dances run on behalf of the Workington Amateur Operatics Society by Ron Hill.

<Click the picture to revisit the Tin Mission.

Geoff Miller was known for his legendary instrumental numbers "Night Vigil" and the improvised "Summat in E" and also for his vocal number, which had no words, but consisted of him mumbling into an echo chamber (nobody ever noticed there were no words!)

One of the earliest successes for the Defenders came at Bothel where the lineup for the one night only consisted of two guitars, bass, drums, piano and two saxes all wearing "shades" (in December and before the Blues Brothers).

This gig was fondly remembered by the band as the first time they got paid (10 shillings or 50p each)

The Defenders were the first proper rock and roll band to play at several of the Keswick venues, where in the past local "Orchestras" had played. Early in 1963 Geoff Miller became the vocalist and Alastair Duncan took over on lead guitar, with Eddie Nicholson joining on bass. This is the lineup illustrated above. Geoff Miller eventually left the band later in 1963 and for a time they concentrated solely on instrumental numbers in the styles of the Shadows, Duane Eddy and the Ventures.

The band became very popular in the Keswick area, playing regularly in the Albion Hall (which was an upstairs ballroom in the main street), at the village halls in Threlkeld and Portinscale and at the Pavillion ballroom beside the river in Keswick.

The most successful venues for the Defenders were the "Tin Mission" in Workington, the Albion Hall in Keswick and Threlkeld village hall. Scores of people made the trip from Workington to Threlkeld with special buses being laid on and many more people "thumbing it" along the old Workington to Keswick road (now replaced by the A66).

Threlkeld was a favourite venue for the band as they got fed as well as paid!

There used to be around 400 people crammed into the tiny hall where they were previously getting around 30 people in when the "Orchestras" played.

The Defenders were banned from playing certain numbers (such as The Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers version of the CanCan) which caused the audience (many wearing climbing boots) to jump up and down and stomp their feet, as the management feared for their hall.
They were probably right in this as the Albion hall in Keswick where the band played regularly had to be closed for extensive repairs when the floor was found to have moved!

The final change in lineup came with Raymond Shaw being added on vocals. Raymond appeared on Border TV's talent show "High Hopes" singing "That'll be the day" but the band were not allowed to accompany him as all contestants had to have the same musicians.

One of the highlights of the Defenders career was playing as support band to Millie of "My Boy Lollipop" fame at the Palace ballroom in Maryport. The band finally broke up in September 1964.

By a strange twist of fate in 1967 Alastair Duncan of The Defenders and John Voce of The Meteors found themselves working together in the same department of Littlewoods mail order division in Liverpool. In a small department (averaging eight lads) it turned out, being Liverpool in the sixties, that at least half of them had been, or still were, in bands. As a result temporary bands would be formed for Christmas parties and other occasions.

There was Jim Blakemore (who had been with Ian & The Zodiacs), Eric Griffiths (who had been in The Quarrymen with John Lennon and Paul McCartney) and Alan Bushnell (Lee Curtis and The All Stars ) who lived next door to Lennon's Aunt Mimi and used to practice with John in Mimi's vestibule as she wouldn't allow "that racket" in the house.