The Archive .


 

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


Last update Sept 2022- new pix Led Zeppelin, The Nice and Liverpool Scene.


Bath Recreation Ground .

June 28th 1969.

We had a number of new images donated in 2018 after Melvin Green, Peter Clinick and Nigel Hall. in 2022 we had more from Alwyne Bates. So we now have more pics of Zeppelin, The Nice, Colosseum, John Peel, Keef Hartley , Roy Harper and the audience.Thanks to all our contributors, you are , as they say in Yorkshire...., champion !

Flyer courtesy Bob Hewish

Links to other sections of the Bath Festival site are at bottom of each page.

Zeppelin play in the sun on right hand stage © Mike Bird

  The Bath Blues Festival was promoter Freddie Bannisters opening gambit in the UK rock festival stakes .In 1969 he dipped his toe into the murky festival waters ,with a solid line up featuring the cream of British Blues Bands plus a few progressive groups such as The Nice- and emerged ( unlike many of his co-promoters ) , financially unscathed and ready to have another go with a more ambitious line-up in the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music .

 

   The festival took place right in the heart of Bath , whereas the 1970 show was held at Shepton Mallet . The small size of the recreation ground was fine for 1969 and the twin stage set up meant there were fairly smooth transitions between bands. The single stage in 1970 led to lengthy waits for the poor audience as equipment took ages to set up and sound check.

 

    The 1969 bash only attracted 12,000 punters, and has in general been overshadowed by its far bigger sibling festival of 1970. This site is an attempt to draw in more information from festival goers and ( hopefully ) tapers. Thanks to Lawrence Impey, Mike Ware, Malcolm Strachan ,Mike Wheeler and Tom Tom , who took photos of the bands onstage, as well as the crowd, we now have good pictorial memories to remind us what the event looked like.

 

   At long last some recordings of the festival have come to light, both audio and visual ! A guy armed with a 8 mm camera filmed about 18 minutes of various bands onstage and there are also audio portions of the sets by the Nice, Fleetwood Mac,Ten Years After ,Blodwyn Pig and Colosseum, that are generally fairly listenable - which we have been kindly given by the promoters Freddie and Wendy Bannister. More details here at the Recordings page .

   Colosseum onstage Bath festival 1969 © M Strachan

   

Photo© Tom Tom 1969

Several bands did not play due to time restrictions, according to press reports, these included Principal Edwards and Clouds

The photo shows the two stage setup - Stage left is set up for Blodwyn Pig. © Lawrence Impey

A great looking setting for a festival © Mike Read .

If you have photos, recollections, set lists, reports or tapes of the event then Contact us and we'll add them to the site. 

The other stage - Liverpool Scene entertain © Lawrence Impey.



Contents
 

If you have photos, recollections, set lists, newspaper reports or tapes of the event then email us and we'll add them to the site. Contact us

Bath 1969 home


Bands in order of appearance.(l to R)

Just Before Dawn.
Colosseum
Roy Harper.
Keef Hartley.
Edgar Broughton
Liverpool Scene. 
Champion Jack Dupree.
Chicken Shack. 
Blodwyn Pig  
The Nice
Led Zeppelin
Principal Edwards Magic Theatre.
Taste

John Mayall


Bands listed below most probably did not perform
 
Babylon 

Group Therapy.

Clouds 

Bath 69 reviews and recording information

8mm Film

Contact us

Back to the main Archive.

 

 

Bath festival products.

    All Bath festival fans will want to read the new book by Bath promoter Freddie Bannister about the 69 and 70 festivals. Its called " JUST BROKEN EVEN " -click on the photo to view more details and to learn how to purchase the limited edition before it sells out .

A limited edition of reprints of the 1969 and 1970 Bath festival posters can be bought online here

Rock festival memorabilia from various festivals can be viewed here

NB: Please note we have no commercial involvement with the Bath festival products , any enquiries regarding purchases need to be sent to the rock memorabilia site itself, not to our e-mail address .