UMA (Brighton)

Another UK Light Show from the early 1970's that I have been unable to trace anymore information on apart fom this Melody Maker small ad and a Fleetwood Mac gig in Brighton.

If you know who ran this then please get in touch ASAP !!

2024 update from someone with first hand experience!

Hi:

I’ve just come across your scant entry for Uma Lights and request for any more information.

Hopefully I can help a bit.

Uma were based in Brighton, and as far as I know were the first Light Show in town.

The first time I saw them was a weekly gig ‘The sound of one hand clapping’, which took place at a church hall in Kemp Town during 1967- early 1968.

Sun Dragon – not the ones who had a minor hit with a version of ‘Green Tambourine’ - was the resident band and the evenings also featured other local musicians and poets (one notable evening had someone reading poetry from the top of a stepladder (I believe it may have been Jeff Nuttall, but not sure).

Sun Dragon were associated with Third Ear Band members slightly later, and the music was a very similar Eastern drone sound.

Music played on the evenings was a very cool selection of current psychedelia – Ultimate Spinach, Vanilla Fudge, the Zodiac Cosmic Sounds album – which set me on a musical path for which I’m eternally grateful. It was a revelation for a 13 year old and set me on a musical path for which I’m eternally grateful.

Uma Lights flooded the place with an astounding display that washed the whole room.

They later held their own evenings in a church hall (usually Fridays} again with local bands. Not sure how long they ran, but several years to around mid-1971 I think. Again I have handbills somewhere.

By 1970 they had started to do larger gigs for touring bands that came to Brighton. The Big Apple handout you displayed was something that was distributed locally weekly for the gigs there {there’s plenty of info about Big Apple online, but I have pretty well all the memorabilia if you’re stuck as I saw all but one gig and worked there}.

I’ve got other handbills for various gigs that mention Uma going up to around ‘73. Don’t recall hearing anything about them after that.

Uma Lights were an astounding venture, streets ahead of anything else in the area and most of the big lights. I can’t be certain, but seem to recall at least one of them was associated with big names in music.

I’m a bit busy at the moment with work on a book, but would be happy to drag out any memories, and I would be happy to head for the acres of boxes in the attic and dig out handbills, tickets etc. It would be a pleasure {any excuse for a nostalgia trip :-}

Just a thought, I seem to recall an interview with Uma in one of the local magazines at some point. If so, it’s in the attic archive.

Cheers

Paul.K - May 5th 2024

If you can help with more information about this Light Show we would love to hear from you.