The Nottingham Festival Of Blues And Progressive Music

The Nottingham Festival Of Blues And Progressive Music
Authored By John Nicholson

Saturday, July 25th 1970 The Victoria Embankment, Nottingham.
The Nottingham Festival which lasted for three weeks, including a music festival. This was to take place on the last day, Family, Taste, Atomic Rooster, Mungo Jerry, Anno Domini, Aztec City was the bill. Must have been Taste’s last tour schedule.
The festival was held in one of the largest marquees in Europe, which held 10,000 people. Promoter Peter Hubbard, who promoted along with Eddie Kennedy said, "All the festivals so far have such bad facilities and too many people all trying to make use of them at once. There is plenty of room on the site for everyone and their cars. There will be a bar and food shops open throughout the event".
Tickets cost one guinea. It was somewhat inevitably advertised as ‘Woodstock comes to Nottingham’ Not quite. It was just a gig in a tent. Taste wasn't listed to play last, that was supposed to be Family, who got to #4 earlier that year with A Song For Me.
It was a rock summer in Nottingham the year before because the ‘12 Hour Happiness’ happened on Nottingham Racecourse July 12th 1969. It was a wild bill too; The Nice, Eclection, Yes, King Crimson, Juniors Eyes, Edgar Broughton Band, Idle Race, Status Quo, Caravan, Streets Of Sadness. Juniors Eyes were an early backing band for Bowie and featured the great Tim Renwick who would later tour with Pink Floyd. Eclection were a one album early folk rock band, who counted Trevor Lucas among their number, who would later join Fairport Convention and was Sandy Denny’s boyfriend and they played at the Isle Of Wight Festival in 1969.
The compere was John Peel. Earlier that year in Nottingham a Pop & Blues Festival was held on May 10th 1969 at Notts County Football Ground and also had a stellar line-up; Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Tremeloes, Marmalade, Georgie Fame, Love Sculpture, Keef Hartley, Status Quo, Duster Bennett, Dream Police, Van Der Graaf Generator. Floyd topped the bill and was getting used to being Syd-less. Fleetwood Mac were on the verge of going to America and had a #1 with Albatross the previous November. It all cost 17 and 6 shillings and naturally, it rained all day but everyone sheltered in the stands.
Clearly, Nottingham was a happening place to be in ‘69 and ‘70...

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