Day: 8 June 2023

Reading Rock Festival 1979

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Supplied by Mark Randall

Mark Randall… Reading Rock festival 1979: 6 tender memories:
1) Motörhead fans at Reading station greeting everyone that looked a bit ‘new wave’ with shouts of “ Oi! Jimmy Jimmy – Wankers !” 2) Realising there’ll be 3 not 2 of you sharing a two man tent. 3) Sting introducing a ”new song called ‘Sending out an SOS’ 4) Realising that one of the 3 sharing our 2 man tent has to be stepped over as he’s lying supine, shitfaced in a pool of mud outside the tent ( yes, no names, no pack drill ) 5) The cold hard truth that I’ve nowhere to hang my silk dressing gown when I attempt to go for a shower so give it up as a bad job. 6) the skies opening on Saturday morning meaning I’m getting the first train outta town.

Jo Turner… Think I was at this one

Dave Nattress… One hell of a line up!!

Suzi Quatro & Factory Hastings Pier Friday 8th June 1973

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poster supplied by Mick Mepham.  Ad supplied by Sarah Harvey.

Andy Qunta...Great! Thanks for this Alan! Factory supported Suzi Quatro the week Can the Can went to number 1. Her producer, Mickie Most, came up to me after we played and shook my hand and told me to get in touch. We thought he was too “poppy” for us so we didn’t follow up on it! Often wondered if that was a mistake or not!

Yvonne Cleland….Remember watching her do this in the pier ballroom! Front row!

Pete Fairless….Still love it!

Mick O’Dowd….Saw her do this in Alexander Park at the Beer Festival.

Alan Oliver… Saw her the White Rock in or around 1987. Average!

Martin Waghorne… This is getting bad I think I was there as well.

Di Veness… I don’t think she was very good live. Factory on the other hand were brilliant. We had fun that night

Gil Mulvey… I was there, she was amazing! Factory were good and of course Stallion!

Ralph Town… Just a week after her birthday 🙂 We share the same birthday, me and Suzi.Plus Ian Hunter and Mickey Finn of T-Rex.

Julie Morris… I remember this so well!

Pete Fisher… I was there!

Lucy Pappas… Me too!

Tony Qunta… Yes remember it very well!

Leigh Wieland-Boys… I was there too!

Lesley Brown… I thought I saw Suzi but thought I must have dreamt it until I saw this!

Alan Vale… I met her when years ago I lived in london and she played at my local a couple of times very nice lady great bass player

Keith Veness… Great night

Bourne ScunnerJulie… I was there and went to see her at the Brighton Centre in April and she can still belt them out…

Alan Wood… First gig with wife one

Kim Tilbury… I was there great night!

Paul Cullen… I was at this one and I seem to remember Factory getting more encores than Suzi Quatro

Andy Qunta… Paul, bless you and your excellent memory!

Keith Veness… We were there

 

Pendragon – The Carlisle Hastings 29th August 1985

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Tim Phillips… I was at that gig

Iain Cobby… So was I. great prog combo

Antonia Jacobs… Those were the days.

Nick Shute… Does anyone know of the band Lucifer?….was wondering if this was the same band that had a cult album’big gun’

Alan Esdaile… I’m pretty sure it was a local band Nick, but maybe wrong!

Reading Rock Festival 1983

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Matt Thomas… The Enid – Now that is a name I had forgotten all about

Andy Hemsley… Matt, Saw them play at The Crypt in the 80’s

Reid McDuffie… Matt, Saw them.about five years ago at the New Day festival in Faversham…very good!

Shaun Pont… I was there on the Saturday and Sunday.

Andy Hemsley… What a line-up! Book me in for the Saturday – no, on other thoughts I need a full weekend ticket

Reid McDuffie… Andy, Yeah, I’d go the weekend too. Sunday too good to miss out on, though I did see Thin Lizzy on that last ’83 tour…they were brilliant

Andy Hemsley… So many bands who were at the forefront of the new wave of Prog in the early 80’s Pallas, Twelfth Night, Solstice, Pendragon and the bloody Enid!

Judy Atkinson… saw the Enid at the Astoria some years ago – the bill included Caravan, John Wetton (Asia) & the Groundhogs

Reid McDuffie… Andy, I remember seeing Pendragon supporting a very young Marillion at The Marquee in about 1980 or 81. Marillion hadn’t even recorded the first album

Darren Johnson… I was there aged 17, it was a fantastic weekend. Lizzy, Suzi, Stranglers, Steve Harley, Marillion and many more all brilliant. I was right at the front for Sabbath but it was that rather strange version of Sabbath with Ian Gillan on vocals and they encored with Smoke on the Water.

Graham Belchamber… I was very too. An outstanding very hot sunny weekend with so many highlights; Thin Lizzy playing what turned out to be their last UK show with Phil Lynott, the newly emerging superb Big Country whose set was augmented by a ridiculously over the top pyrotechnic blast and flames when they played Fields of Fire (Stuart Adamson’s eyebrows were singed off!), Suzi Quatro who was outstanding, the previously unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan who had the crowd enraptured from his first song, The Enid as barkingly brilliant as ever, Little Steven (Steve Van Zandt from The E Street Band)…. and a truly dreadful Black Sabbath featuring Ian Gillan from Deep Purple on vocals and Bev Bevan from ELO on drums. Completely under rehearsed with a ridiculous huge Stone Henge stage set that could have been the inspiration for Spinal Tap. When they finished their main set the DJ/announcer had his work cut out to get a small percentage of the audience to call for an encore. When they did return they completely lost their way attempting an appalling version of Smoke on the Water.