The Archive: a history of UK rock festivals .

Last updated June 28th 2009

Please Contact us regarding any malfunctions such as bad links , missing images etc and we will try to fix them asap. NB : Old archive@bigpond.net.au address will no longer function after June, if you find any examples still around after that date please let us know so we can change them over !

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Big thanks to our sponsor Neil !

For information on today's festivals see eFestivals.co.uk

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Being a social and musical history ( of sorts ) of commercial Rock festivals of the United Kingdom , from 1960 to 1990 -and of the Free Festivals and related traveller scene of the United Kingdom , from 1965-1992.

Best viewed at 1280x 1020 resolution

Festival related products and projects

These folks are looking for info to use in films , websites or books, contact them if you can help.

Film footage of Jonathon Kelly in concert is needed as there seems to be nothing in the vaults anywhere, contact his management

Our old friend Garry Marsh is writing a book on the Hollywood festival and wants MORE info

Krumlin Festival- a book is in the preparatory stages, contact John Wharton if you can help.

East Anglian Fairs web site ( we now have some info on these fairs on our site as well......)

Joss Mullinger is selling a book of his excellent Cropredy Festival photos- proceeds to Teenage Cancer Trust

Andy Roberts fascinating new book Albion Dreaming has much information about free festivals of the 70s and 80s . Essential reading for all devottes of the countercultural scene of the past 40 or so years . ! Read a review here

We couldn't do this without YOU

This site is dedicated to all the nice people who have donated their memories, documents ,photos and recordings to us over the past ten years. The site is non profit making and will never accept paying adverts both as a tribute to your generosity and also because we still believe in the old hippie/digger ethos that giving something for free is a reward in itself !

There are too many of you to mention here, but we couldn't have done it without you and for your efforts, many, many thanks .......

June 2009

Find of the month

Some great black and white pix from the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970, courtesy of Col Underhill

 

The late great John Entwhistle and Roger Daltry - Isle of Wight festival 1970

© Col Underhill

The links below are links to the major parts of the site. If you get lost anywhere just click to go back to the return to Archive link , this link is on almost all the pages on the site. 

UK Free Festivals

1960s and 70s

1970s and 80s

UK Festivals of the 60s

UK Festivals of the 70s

 
UK Festivals of the 80s

History of Womadelaide

Check out the latest updates June 8th 2009.

Feature artists

information , reviews of shows and photogalleries

Wanted

We always want more information on ANY UK festivals, but we are especially seeking any information about the following festivals .

1960s

  • Uxbridge Blues Festival 65-66
  • Longleat Pop 1962-64- any other Longleat festivals.
  • Camden fringe 68- 69
  • Love In Festival 1967
  • Kent Pop Festival 1967.
  • Reading 1967.
  • Hastings 1967.
  • Midsummer Nights Dream 1968
  • Croydon Free Festival Beckenham ,Bromley Aug 16th 1969
  • Midsummer Pop Festival Cambridge June 11th 1969

1970s

  • Medicine Ball Caravan Canterbury 1970
  • Meigan Faire 74-76.79
  • ANY free festivals 1967-90.
  • Canterbury 1970
  • Cambridge free festivals.
  • Crystal Palace 1977 and 1980
  • The Who Wembley 1979
  • Reading 1976-80
  • Inverness 1970
  • Baston Lincoln 1970.
  • Anti Nazi League /RAR outdoor concerts

 

  • 1980s

    • Monsters of Rock Donington 1980-90
    • Heavy Metal Holocaust 1981
    • Rock On The Tyne 1981
    • Reading 1980-90
    • Glastonbury Festival 1980-90
    • Treworgey Tree Fayre
    • Nostell Priory 1983- Nospop 83
    • Elephant Fayre lineups 84-85 ,photos of the Fall and other bands
    • Loch Lomond 1980
    • Deep Purple Knebworth 1985
    • Queen Knebworth 1986
    • Knebworth 1990.
    • Gateshead Stadium 1982
    • Milton Keynes Bowl concerts 1980s
    • Womad at Reading up to 1990
    • Any free festivals of the 80s.
    • Photos, info on traveller camps and vehicles .

    and we welcome contributions about any benefits and one day events not currently listed apart from folk and jazz festivals, we just don't have the time to cover them .

About the Archive.
    When we started this site 10 years ago we just intended to document a few festivals we had attended in the late 60s and early 70s, but its taken over our lives and become much more than that. In the past two years the site has expanded greatly and now covers a 30 year time span - which may eventually go to 40 !

   This is NOT a nostalgia site ! Yes, we celebrate the past, but this is as much a sociological project as it is a musical odyssey . The Archive aims to eventually provide as much information as possible about all aspects of the major UK festivals, Free festivals and outdoor concerts from 1960 to 1990 and scrutinise them from sociological and musical perspectives . Festivals are not divorced from society and they usually mirror changes in our general culture as well as in musical tastes. As music fans we also provide information on many of the groups who performed at the festivals, well , we do have to have some fun !

    So, that is our mission. BUT , only way that this can happen is if we get help from those of you who have memories, articles , photos and recordings of the events, so please - Contact usContact us before you snuff it !

    To prove that we are not completely stuck in a time warp , in addition to the older stuff, the site also features sections about more modern festivals , such as Womadelaide and has some archival information about tours of Australia by various artists , mostly in the folk , blues and  jazz arena. We also have provided many photos of featured artists and links to other sites where appropriate.

Hope you enjoyed the site and that you will visit The Archive again sometime soon !

We all know how we suffered at festivals from that vile UK weather back in the 60s and 70s- relive it all again by viewing.....

Order copies of these comics by artist Pete Loveday

Latest works are entitled -Big Trip Travel Agency order by clicking on the link .

"I know Pete Loveday's work well, and I love it ! ": Hunt Emerson- cartoonist extraordinaire...

Help find old aquaintances from Loughborough College of Art 1970-73

Links

Visit the The Old Hippie's Groovy Site for lots of info on how you are being duped by the Industrial Military complex

Cd trays made of Hemp ? Details here

Hemp musical instruments


This site is non profit making , its a site for die-hard fans- and run as a source of information for those interested in Rock music of the past .We are completely against the sale of bootlegged artefacts , especially musical ones .We attempt to obtain permission to use articles and photos wherever possible, but on occasions , due to the age and obscure origin of some items , we have not been able to ascertain the owner of the copyright .It is possible that occasionally we are sent material from sources that assert that they own the copyright of material, but their claims are spurious - If you see any material on the site that you believe you own the copyright of - please send us an e-mail with proof that you have ownership of the image and we will remove the offending item from the site immediately.
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