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THE Small Faces were one of the most influential bands of the Sixties and the epitome of the Mod movement. And now their story has been turned into a musical, All Or Nothing – named after the band’s chart-topping single – which is told through the eyes of guitarist and singer Steve Marriott.
Steve, who died in an accident at his home in 1991, was the band’s chief songwriter with bassist Ronnie Lane (who has also passed away), and was responsible for penning such classics as Itchycoo Park, Lazy Sunday and Sha-La-La-La-Lee.
The band had a dozen hits between 1965 and 1969, over half of them getting into the Top 10, and their number one album Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake has become iconic.
Marriott left the band to form Humble Pie but the rest carried on, recruited Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart and became The Faces.
For writer, producer and star Carol Harrison (EastEnders), getting her first musical on stage was a labour of love, the band being very special to her.
“The band were special to me, especially Steve Marriott,” she says. “Firstly, they came from the same part of East London as I do. Secondly, my cousin played in a band with Steve and I first met him when I was eight years old.
“The Small Faces influenced loads of musicians such as Paul Weller and Ocean Colour Scene, and Steve’s voice was one of the top voices of the decade. Plus, some of their songs were and are quite theatrical.”
The show tells the story of the band in their heyday and isn’t just a collection of songs.
“It’s a play with music,’’ says Carol. ‘‘It’s a classic rock and roll story, moving in parts, but the boys themselves were all funny. However, they were royally ripped off in some of their deals. “The story is really an older Steve Marriott looking back on his life from when the band starts to them splitting up. I play Kay, Steve’s mum. She was a very sassy woman and they had a close relationship.” The show ran in the West End for a while and has garnered rave reviews. “We started with a short run but we had to extend it as it kept selling out. People were coming back to see it four or five times, and there were standing ovations every night. “Plus we had the best-dressed audiences in London as Mods were always particular in their dress – and the motor scooters are great.” She adds: “We haven’t gone for soundalikes or look-alikes in the cast. It was important that they could sing, but the acting is paramount and they all play live so they’re good musicians.
“But my biggest problem when casting was height. Because the guys in Small Faces were all so small we had to have a height restriction of five feet eight inches, which cut down on our options.”
The show has had some highprofile plaudits.
“PP Arnold, who features in the story, loves the show,’’ says Carol, ‘‘and Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones was at the initial reading of the script and he liked it.”
Steve’s daughter Mollie is working on the musical as a vocal coach.
“We’ve known each other over 12 years and when I mentioned to her what I was planning she wanted to get involved. So she helped with the research and helped the actors with the vocal phrasing.”
All Or Nothing – The Small Faces Musical will be performed at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre from May 4-6.