Not always a popular venue for popular music, The Corn Exchange was only used on a small number of occasions.  One of the reasons for this was the attitude of the Brighton police in the sixties.

In 1963, the First Operation Hungerstop event was held at The Corn Exchange, as well as the first Miss Teenage Brighton contest.

Both events were a smash success.  The Evening Argus reported the evening's events and how the queue for the show went down the road and round the corner.  The sell-out show meant there were over two thousand teenagers in the hall with hundreds turned away.

As the Argus trumpeted the following day:

"You would have thought the Beatles were in town"

The music was provided by Count Downe & the Zeros, The Sunsets and Mickey & the Sapphires, who rushed down to the event after finishing that evening's performance at The Starlight Rooms, and gave their services free.

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