MY MUSIC - MEMORIES OF GIGS AND FESTIVALS - Its not a long list but they've been important to me.

1968
The first music I got into was Buffy Sainte Marie (Soldier Blue etc. favourite album Changing Woman)  and T Rex , Then in 1971 Curved Air, 1972 Alice Cooper,  Hawkwind, Genesis . I used to go to a local pub / disco every week that had a geat resident band who were all Deep Purple, Free, Alex Harvey and such.

I first saw Hawkwind on the Original Space Ritual Tour   in 1972 at both the Edmonton and Brixton Sundown's.

I stood in front of one of the Speaker stacks in the 2nd row at Edmonton, and watched the boots of the Hells Angels laid out drunk at the back of the stage while the band played. I couldnt hear my cars engine running for ages after coming out and kept thinking it had stalled.  At Brixton I was up in the circle which was shaking with the vibration from the bass, it felt like your stomach  was going to come apart and I got to see my first naked woman in the flesh so to speak, Stacia who decided she would take her clothes off that night.

I saw them once again at Reading Rock Festival and then years later got the chance to be part of getting them on stage locally in Hitchin MORE.


In 1975 I made my first visit to what is now The Reading Rock Festival, its a long while ago but I remember Supertramp (who had just released "Crisis what Crisis") clearly and the swearing by John Peel when the sound people couldn't get set up right for "Yes" (due to the rain) resulting is long delays. It poured with rain during "Yes" and most of the crowd huddled under plastic sheets. The laser show was shooting out through the rain into the crowd.

Other acts were  ALBERTO Y LOS TRIOS  PARANIOS JOAN ARMATRADING  BABE RUTH  CARAVAN  CLIMAX BLUES BAND  DR FEELGOOD  HAWKWIND  HEAVY METAL KIDS  JUDAS PRIEST  KOKOMO  KURSAAL FLYERS  MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA  ALAN STIVELL  WALLY  OZARK MOUNTAIN     DAREDEVILS  LOU REED  SNAFU   SOFT MACHINE  STELLA  STRING DRIVEN THING  SUPERTRAMP  THIN LIZZY  ROBIN TROWER  U.F.O  WALLY   WISHBONE ASH   YES   ZZEBRA

  The 1975 Reading Festival 

I finally got to see Curved Air on the Airborne tour with Stewart Copeland on drums. I saw them twice at The Roundhouse both brilliant gigs, where they were supported by "A Band called O" and "Brand X" (with Phil Collins on drums) and and once at Southend Kursall.

I remember Stewart had splinters flying from his drum sticks during his solos and managed to break the pedal on one of the drums at the Kursal and the kit started jumping across the stage. It was -2C that night and my car parked on the seafront was covered in thick ice when I came out.

A couple  of years ago, (probably 2004) I saw Sonja Kristina do her new material at Rhythms of the World in Hitchin, and do some improvising with a group of musicians including Maya. Nick Turner (ex Hawkwind) was also there that day (More about ROTW 2004 with pics )

Curved Air 1976 Roundhouse

http://www.curvedair.com/NewAirborne.html


1976
I had a holiday with relatives in Wales for a week, stopping at The Reading Festival on the way home. It was the summer of the drought,  all the reservoirs were empty, and being the last day of the  Reading Rock Festival it decided to rain. Everyone started fires because it was cold and the smoke was choking. I really dont remember the music, all I remember is the cold, smoke and rain. The line up was Howard Bragen, Aft, The Enid, A Band Called 'O', BackDoor, Sassafras, Brand X,  AC/DC,  Sutherland Bros & Quiver, Ted Nugent,  Black Oak Arkansas, I wanted to go because I really enjoyed A Band called O when they were supportingCurved Air at the roundhouse.

READING 1976


Then I got distracted by work and family and though I still followed music Blondie, Cherry Vanilla, The Police (Stewart Copeland again and at one time the backing band for Cherry Vanilla Link ), Lene Lovich and the more popular rock and punk that was around. Even some of the dance I really pay much attention to what was going on other than stuff that made the news. By the 80's I didn't really have any favourites, I just knew what I didn't like. I remember watching Hit Man and Her during sleepless nights with my first child and not hating it, but I couldnt say I liked more than a few of the artists.

I didn't  manage to see anyone live other than the occasional pub bands. 

Finally the frustration with all the mediochre music and my involvement with concerts at Hitchin Town Hall in 2001 got me interested in what was going on  with cable TV carrying channels like Kerrang I began to get back into something more meaningful.

Linkin Park's first album made a big impression, Nickelback, Puddle of Mud, Lost Prophets and so on. Then more as a just had to see them once thing I went to see Status Quo at Audley End 7th August 2004.  Site

Suddenly I discovered a band that had been around since 1980, starting  just after I lost track due to being to over involved with my work, then family and then health ( it would not have happened if mp3 players had existed back then). I had actually managed to not hear anything by Iron Maiden for over 20 years, best of all all the old albums are only a fiver or so. Quickly getting the lot and a couple of DVD's and getting a taste for something a little heavier,  I horrify my wife by switching from Madonna, The Corrs and New Order in the car to Iron Maiden, Slayer, System of A Down, Queens of the Stone Age , Foo Fighters, Tsunami Bomb, Offspring, Lacuna Coil and Lost Prophets.


In 2004 we went as a family to the mud bath that was Reading Rock Festival for the Friday, and saw The Offspring, Ash, The Hives, The Distillers, Jurassic 5, Hundred Reasons, Reel Big Fish (who were surprisingly good), Taking Back Sunday, Goldie Lookin' Chain (who we nearly missed due to a hold up at the gate). The whole area was thick with mud and it rained most of the day. We left before The Darkness came on (none of us like them), but is was Offspring we really wanted to see. I enjoyed most of the music, but my wife moaned about the rain for the whole day and sat in the vip area next to the stage for a lot of the time. Reading has a reputation for being wet but this was probably the wettest with large areas closed due to flooding. 2004 website

The next time I got to a concert it was the O2 Wireless Festival in 2005 in Hyde Park. Top of the bill  were  NEW ORDER  supported by MOBY  THE BRAVERY  GRAHAM COXON  PSYCHEDELIC FURS  THE DRESDEN DOLLS. The concert was great but it thunderstormed and sitting next to a tall steel tower in the middle of a field with lightning all around is distracting.  New Order were great but I thought Moby were better. It was the same day that Glastonbury went underwater, so at least we weren't as badly off as the crowds there.

Then summer 2005 again I went to Reading Festival again, this time for the full 3 days sleeping in the People Carrier due to being given a tent with a mixture of pole lengths that made it impossible to put it up.

I really wanted to see Foo Fighters, and Iron Maiden (who by this time were two of my favourite bands) but enjoyed most of the performances. Queens of the Stoneage, No FX, All American Rejects, Marilyn Manson and GLC (who I had hated up till then) stick in my mind. The others : The Coral, Elbow, Dropkick Murphys, Razorlight, Kings of Leon, Killers, Iggy and the Stooges, Funeral for a Friend, Alkaline Trio , Bullet for my Valentine, all did great performances.  Im afraid I found the Pixies  tedious, but then I didnt know their work before seeing them, which doesn't help and I just didnt like Incubus, The Wedding Present or Dinosaur Jr. Looking down the list there are couple of bands I just dont remember. A bit annoyed that My Chemical Romance sidestepped the mainstage due to other commitments.

By the end of the festival I was physically shattered and surprisingly for Reading sunburned.  2005 website

I doubt I'll get to Reading again but I would love to see Lost Prophets, Muse, System of A Down, Lacuna Coil, Bullet for My Valentine, Trivium and of course Maiden and Foo Fighters  .......  I watch Kerrang or Scuzz quite a lot and so the list gets longer but tickets all cost so much these days - Maybe one day.

Ive got some of my pics to post later but thats all for now.