A Gentle Feeling - Mark II

With the departure of Lindsay Smith from the fledgling band, Paul Fahey was recruited to take the lead guitar spot.  At the time Paul was playing with a high school band called Society’s Debt which played the Friday night dances at the St Mary’s Hall on the corner of Conon and Eye St’s, Invercargill. I believe the floor was on springs.  Because the band now had two Paul's, Paul Fahey was now called "wee" Paul.

A Gentle Feeling 1968 - Beginnings

Around the middle of 1968 a new band called A Gentle Feeling took shape.  The new venture was initiated by Dave Stubley (drums) who got together with Paul Egan (bass and vocals) and Lindsay Smith (lead guitar).  Both Dave and Paul had previously played in Dunedin bands and met up through those connections.  This line-up never performed in public due mostly to the inability to rehearse properly (lack of practice space, gear and transport) and Lindsay Smith’s decision to leave.

A Gentle Feeling - 45 South In Concert - An Overview

According to the luminary Southland band bible, 45 South in Concert, “The Gentle Feeling (sic) were a rock covers/originals band that won the Southland heat of the Battle of the Bands and placed fourth in the South Island finals.


The list of those musicians who were part of the band includes:


Ray Eade - bass guitar; Paul Fahey - lead guitar; Rob Fahey - vocals; Kelvin Fisher - guitar, bass guitar, organ and saxaphone; Bryan Gerrard - vocals, bass guitar; Steve Mallon - drums; Peter O'Neill - keyboards;  Tony Ross - vocals; Dave Stubley - drums.


The band was resident at the Strobe YMCA dance and had a popular original tune, Tomorrow's Gone. A 1969 profile of the band written by Southland Times journalist Colin Hogg click here in his weekly Southland Beat column revealed the young rockers were single-minded about playing music they wanted to, rather than what the crowds wanted to dance to. To ensure they had the freedom of choice in their repertoire, The Gentle Feeling would often play at smaller venues.


They weren’t shy, that’s for sure. Members of The Gentle Feeling went on to make their names in other bands. Bryan Gerrard went on to play in Vision and Link; Tony Ross joined Abraham, Edge then Vision; Steve Mallon went to Prentice; Ray Eade went to Abraham, Vision and then Tom Sharplin and the Cadillacs; Kelvin Fisher to Prentice and then Terry Gavin’s band the Next Move based in Sydney; and Peter O’Neill joined glam rockers Space Waltz who had a big hit in 1974 with the single Out on the Street.”


The first correction to the 45 South in Concert entry that needs to be made is that David Stubley called the band “A Gentle Feeling” and not "The Gentle Feeling" Second the list of musicians who were part of the band through its various stages of life  also includes Paul Egan (1st & 2nd iterations) and Brendan Keehan (3rd iteration). From my understanding Peter O’Neill went on to play with Watchdog and then Baby (Christchurch) before joining “Wonder Ones” the band formed by Alistair Riddell after Space Waltz. Let me know if that’s not correct Peter.