The group played their first gig on 19 April 1968 at the Nag’s Head

The group played their first gig on 19 April 1968 at the Nag’s Head pub, at the junction of York Road and Plough Road in Battersea , London. They were all teenagers – bass player Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Kossoff was 17, and lead singer Rodgers and drummer Kirke were 18. By November they had recorded their first album, Tons of Sobs , for Island Records , released in March 1969. The album documented their first six months together and contains studio renditions of much of their early live set. To promote the forthcoming album they opened some shows at the end of 1968 for The Who , who played a short theatre tour with Arthur Brown .