Belting out the hits for swimming team

Can you think back to when song lyrics were understandable and actually rhymed? Did you once get your kicks on Route 66?

If you did, throw away your Zimmer, dust off your threads and go see the Hampshire-based band, Time Warp.

These veteran purveyors of soft rock originally formed in the 1960s as Karl and the Rapiers supporting acts like The Troggs, Lulu and the Lovers and many more besides.

They went into limbo for a few years but re-formed in 1999 just as the century was closing and the millennium dawned.

Today, guitarists Bill Dowling, 74, and Steve Byles, 58, punch out the high notes while Malc Burt, 60, gives it full throttle on male vocals.

Ace drummer ‘Polly’ Pollard, from Bury St Edmunds, bass guitarist Pete Holland, 46, and silver-haired keyboard player Dave ‘Fingers’ Glasspool, 76, give the act a rock-solid foundation.

These peddlers of golden oldies from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s are ramped up by Bishop’s Waltham songbirds Karen Kille and Dr Andy Shawyer.

Karen is an estate agent and Andy is a lecturer in criminal justice studies at the University of Portsmouth.

These talented singers belt out solos and tuneful harmonies.

The tightly-knit band is enhanced by sound and lighting engineer Chris Williams.

With a dazzling repertoire of hits of yesteryear like Proud Mary, She’s Got It and Johnny B Goode, together with hits by The Rolling Stones and The Beatles ringing in your ears, it feels like you’re back in the golden age of rock and pop.

At Orchard Lea Junior School in Fareham, Time Warp recently did a knockout gig which helped to raise more than £600 for the Hamble Aquatics Swim Team (HAST).

In October this year, HAST is sending aspiring competitive swimmers to a training camp at La Santa, Lanzarote.

There, the youngsters aged between 12 and 16 will be put through their paces for a gruelling four hours of swimming and an hour of on-land fitness, seven days a week. Each swimmer is treated as an individual and a valued part of the team.

HAST was formed in 1997 and the club’s ethos is to help young swimmers develop their maximum potential and give them a track record of success at county, regional and national levels.

New members and donations are always welcome via the website hambleaquatics.co.uk.