Portsmouth Music Scene

The Portsmouth Music Scene

Truffle and Mafia

truffle2
truffle

TRUFFLE

TRUFFLE. John Bedford says they ran two bands. “Truffle” the rock band, and the MAFIA who did covers and often played at the Salutation on Mondays nights.
My own lasting memory was their manager, the drummer’s 5ft tall mother, who swore WORSE than a trooper! What ever happened to them?”

Rod Watts Says:
March 29, 2011
The lady in question was, as you quite rightly said, the drummers mum Pat Hatch. Nobody pulled the wool over her eyes and if they did, you were on the receiving end of some good old English 4 letter words…
The drummer was Adrian, owned possibly the largest Ludwig drum kit I’d ever sold during my days at Bennetts Music Store in Fratton Road. Russ was the bass player, I can’t remember the rest of the band. I was told that Pat had passed away a good few years ago.

Pete Hello Mick & thanks for the email!
There is no Truffle info on the MAFIA website as they are two different bands!
I joined Truffle in 1979 but by then we were only playing our own more heavy rock material, not the more pop tunes of the Honky Tonk Bar days.
Russ (bass player) & Ace (drummer) are currently in a local band called the Italian Job and Ace’s email address is … acef@absolute-cal.co.uk in case you may want to email him.
The band that is the MAFIA as we are now play heavy rock cover numbers which you can see at http://themafiarocks.com/set/ and we play at the Heroes the last Friday of every month.
Good luck with the website Regards Pete

Hello Mick
As I said to you, the Truffle to which you are referring was the cabaret band which was before I joined them …I joined in 1979 & the band was already playing it’s own heavy rock material by then. If you are interested there is a German record company High Roller Records who have recently put out 2 vinyl albums of Truffle original material (with another due out next month) http://www.hrrecords.de/shop/suche.php?special=hst&kHersteller=5136?
Best regards
Pete

A Portsmouth based act that played support to the likes of SPIDER, DIAMOND HEAD and TANK during 1982, TRUFFLE released a self financed single featuring the epic 'Round Tower' the same year. In 1984 TRUFFLE added guitarist Mark Mullholland to the band and the group released the 'Bacon Slicer Strikes Again' cassette album in 1986. However, in the same year TRUFFLE parted company with guitarist/keyboard player Greg Watkins in favour of ex-GRAMERCY RIFF guitarist Paul Jupe and the enigmatic new keyboard player Clive.
By 1988 TRUFFLE was a single guitar band retaining Stopforth, as Mulholland had split the previous year to form ASHAMATA.
ASHAMATA featured former MAMMATH drummer Kerry Lovelock alongside ex-TOKYO BLADE guitarist Gary Jeffrey.
Another erstwhile TRUFFLE guitarist, Tim Meek, could be found in THE CHASE with ex-SIEGE bassist Danny Glover and former PROPHECY drummer Paul Clark.
By 1997 Mulholland was a member of AOR act NEWMAN alongside guitarist Steve Newman.

TRUFFLE were a heavy rock band from Portsmouth, England that gigged all over the UK in the 80's and early 90's. They released a single “Round tower/If you really want” in 1981, a cassette single “633 Squadron/Do you like heavy metal” in 1984 and the cassette album “The bacon slicer strikes again” in 1985.

The same band also formed a covers band which ran alongside TRUFFLE in 1986 called the (Monday) MAFIA. Both bands gigged for several years but gradually the boys found that more & more people in pubs wanted to hear cover numbers & so the TRUFFLE gigs slowly fell off & the MAFIA ones increased.

The MAFIA are still gigging (click link on the left for the MAFIA website) and in April 2011 at their 25th anniversary gig at the Heroes, Waterlooville in April 2011 TRUFFLE performed 3 songs live, the first time they had done so in nearly 20 years.

Also in 2011 a German record company HIGH ROLLER RECORDS remastered and released most of the material TRUFFLE had recorded on 3 vinyl albums “If you really want”, “1st Attempt” & “The bacon slicer strikes again” ...fantastic for the boys after nearly 30 years!

Truffle were;-
Bass, Vocals Russ Horton
Drums Peter Patterson
Guitar John Dunning
Lead Guitar Ritchie Stopforth
Rhythm Guitar Mark Mulholland
Russ Horthon on vocals
Keyboards on one track Paul Travers the engineer

Truffle on YouTube

MAFIA

Richie Stopforth Lead guitar, vocals
Pete - Drums, vocals
Daz - Bass guitar, vocals
Nobba - Lead vocals
Grapes - Guitar, keys, vocals

Line-ups
Nobba, Ritchie, Grapes, Daz, Pete, Andy 2012 - present
Nobba, Ritchie, Grapes, Simon, Pete, Andy - 2011
Nobba, Ritchie, Grapes, Daz, Pete, Andy 2010 - 2011
Pete, Grapes, H, Daz, Nobba, Andy 2010 -
Pete, Grapes, H, Daz, Mr. Oz - 2009
Pete, Grapes, H, T.C., Mr. Oz, Andy - 2008 - 2009
Pete, Grapes, H, Crow, Mr. Oz, Andy - 2008
Pete, Grapes, H, Crow, Mayfield - 2008
Pete, Grapes, Scooby, Crow, Mayfield - 2006 - 2008
Pete, Grapes, Norbert, Crow, Mayfield - 1999 - 2006
Pete, Grapes, Norbert, Crow, Mr Piles - 1998 - 1999
Pete, Dan, Norbert, Russ, Mr Piles - 1996 - 1997
Pete, Dan, Norbert, Russ, Ace, Mr Piles - 1995 - 1996
Pete, Dan, Norbert, Russ, Ace - 1993 - 1995
Pete, Dan, Les, Russ, Ace - 1992 - 1993
Pete, Les, Russ, Ace - 1992
Pete, Cliff, Ritchie, Les, Russ, Ace - 1990
Pete, Cliff, Ritchie, Norbert, Russ, Pat - 1989
Pete, Andy, Ritchie, Norbert, Russ, Pat - 1988
Pete, Andy, Ritchie, Russ, Pat - 1988
Pete, Andy, Ritchie, Wendy, Russ, Pat - 1988
Pete, Greg, Ritchie, Russ, Pat - 1986 - 1988

mafia1
mafia2
mafia3

The 2017 version of The Mafia,
Pete drums-vocals, Ritchie lead guitar-vocals, Terry bass guitar-vocals, Steve lead vocals, Jamie guitar-vocals.

Facebook comments about the bands

Rick McKay
I remember Truffle, and The Mafia (aka: The Monday Mafia) They didn’t change their name, they just worked under multiple names because they had more than one set lust for different audiences, if I remember rightly, and also, the line up was slightly different, at least it was on Monday nights at The Salutation in New Road. I only remember “Battle of the Bands” being held at “The Gaiety Bar” on South Parade Pier, so yours may have been earlier. I was in a band called Rock Therapy in 1985, I think, when we won our heat, only to be informed that the overall winners of the competition had already been chosen, WAY before the final. We returned for the next round, but we knew it was a waste of time. I don’t remember the name of the band that won it that year, but I do remember knowing weeks before. Peter Patterson, was the drummer in Truffle and the Mafia, and you’ve just reminded me to send him a copy of the recording session we did with our mutual friend, and Pompey legend in his own right, Greg Watkins. Greg was an incredible multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, who also recorded and engineered the majority of my early sessions at John Gordon’s studio in Denmead, and also from his own mobile studio, built into his van, called “No Fixed Abode”, which was also the name of his own band. I think Pete was the drummer in that band too. It was all very integrated at times.
Peter Patterson
Hey Rick McKay good to hear from you my friend & hope you & your "Tammy" are doing well? ?? ?? Greg & I were in Truffle together, then he asked me to dep for No fixed abode & then when we started Mafia he said he would do Mafia if I joined No fixed abode permanently ...so we were then in 3 different bands together ?? ?? They were some fun days weren't they? ?? Would definitly be fab to hear that old stuff we recorded back then ??
Rick McKay
Hi Peter. Great to hear from you. That all makes sense now. I just remember watching The Mafia and No Fixed Abode at the Sally. I never saw Truffle, but I did get to ride in that big, converted removals van you all used as a gig bus once. I’m just digging out those recordings now (I’m sure I converted them to digital for you a while back) and will send them to you if you PM me your address.
Rock Therapy
Rick McKay it was An American in Paris who won that year (1986) I think they went on to achieve precisely nothing!
Rick McKay
Rock Therapy Good! ??????
Rick McKay
Rock Therapy I still remember Paul Haines delivering my favourite public acceptance speech of all time the night we won, but found out that was as far as we’d go in the competition. The compère said, “How does it feel to have won your heat and be through to the next round?” to which Paul replied, simply, “Bollocks”, at which point we left the stage. ????????
Peter Patterson
Cheers for the kind words Mick ?? ...this is our 37th year (as Mafia) & of playing the same 4 Would be great to have a chat about the old days next time you come along ??
Rick McKay
Peter Patterson Has your setlist changed much? ??
Debbie Rohleder Pat was my mother in law. Much missed.

Return to the previous page