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Jimi Hendrix's first music festival

Contributed by COLIN WARD

Jimi Hendrix's first music festival

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This is the first ever festival that JIMI HENDRIX appeared on..it predates Woodstock, The Ilse of White and Glastonbury Festivals, and also featured Cream (with Eric Clapton) and Pink Floyd.
It is important to me, as l was a local lad, in a loacl band Sounds Force 5 who shared the festival with Jimi. l had the pleasure of meeting him, talking to him, and getting to know him, at a time before he was such a musical rock icon.
The object is one of the only original posters that l removed from the door after the festival, and it is important in music history, as little is know of this the UK's first TRUE music festival

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  • 13 comments
  • 1. At 20:26 on 28 August 2010, TeeJay56 wrote:

    Does this qualify as a Festival? I think of a festival as being outdoors (this was in a hall) and over more than one day (this was one afternoon and evening) and with people living on-site... the mud I guess is optional but would have thought this was just a concert.

  • 2. At 13:07 on 20 September 2010, parka_mac wrote:

    Thanks Colin,for refreshing my memory.
    i was there- remember the event really well. No health and safety regs in those days- some people got injured when some kind of structure- a big table? - collapsed during the Zoot Money set.
    But it was a great gig, and both Hendrix and Cream were terrific.
    Concert or festival, personally I'm not bothered - but I have very happy memories of the event.

  • 3. At 17:56 on 21 September 2010, ohboy wrote:

    So it was not outside well i beg to difer if you knew the bulb auction it was outside and who cares! this area spalding/ boston was a place for many big band in the 60s including the beatles

  • 4. At 08:12 on 22 September 2010, marginalbear wrote:

    Amazing. This is the first time I've heard about a gig that I went to at the age of 15 with several mates from school. We were amongst the first to arrive and 'covered accommodation' was in the local football stadium. Sleeping on the terraces was very uncomfortable and cold in a sleeping bag my Mom had put together from old blankets. She had also packed an old navy kit bag with various tins of 'ready meals' but had left out the tin opener as we only had one. Managed to feed about a dozen frozen starving hippies from these supplies over a very dodgy Primus stove.Doesn't bear thinking about after Bradford but the terrace was concrete. The day itself was warm and sunny and the crowd kept outside the venue, the Bulb Hall, for several hours before they got us into the shade. Whatever there was to drink went down very quickly. Pink Floyd were probably the least known of the bands then and they played down near the entrance I think. The other bands played on a stage at one end and I watched over the whole of the rest of the gig from the brick ledge at the base of the roof. I don't remember any thing collapsing but it was definitely an indoors gig. The sweat was literally running down the walls at the end of the evening. As to numbers, it would be impossible to say but it had that magic of festivals at this time [I had already been to Windsor Jazz Festival in 1966]. There was no hassle, no drugs, very little to drink and with Geno playing a stormer, as well as the awe of watching Cream and Hendrix, it was a 'bosting night'.

  • 5. At 08:15 on 22 September 2010, Tony-W wrote:

    No, it was not the 1st music festival in U.K. as the annual Jazz and Blues open air fests were well established before 1967. Hendrix played in all sorts of out of the way gigs in that year also. But this does not take anything away from this event as getting a 1st rate line-up like that together ouside of London general area was no mean feat. Very well done! Fenland did rock then, what happened to it? Sadly, we here in this area are off the map these days. Cheers.

  • 6. At 08:33 on 22 September 2010, Ian Lewis wrote:

    Yeh, me too. For many - including me - it was an overnight. Could Spalding be otherwise for many? A huge place it had to be. Mud had yet to be included as positive in the memory of great music occasions. My memories include: the 'rain' from the roof and walls, just condensed sweat - the bulb auction hall was so big; being with the bands - they mingled and enjoyed the, then, huge event, too (this still happens in the smaller festivals); so much current talent in one long event - mind-blowing for the time; tents (and sleeping out) all over, no camping fields yet. Ideas are built as well as had. This was a festival of the time...was a 1960's computer a computer by 2010 standards? 'Music Festival' - shall we split that from 'Festival', too, with all its whistles and bells? Long live the freedom to evolve our humanity, especially through festivals, where the living is easy and evolution goes on and on and on evolving....The wind and I, we both were there...

  • 7. At 08:35 on 22 September 2010, Ian Lewis wrote:

    Oh, yes, and i kept my ticket, too!

  • 8. At 12:19 on 24 September 2010, Linda H wrote:

    I was 15 and went with my new boyfriend who I considered as being quite old (he was 18) and it was the first large gig I'd ever been to. I remember it as being grimy and hot. Cream were wonderful and I can still picture Jack Bruce's outfit for some reason. Jimi astounded us all but I remember it was Geno Washington who got everyone shouting. My partner found a reproduction poster somewhere on the net last year, so I've got it laminated on the wall in my kitchen now. I only wish I could remember more about it - but it's a hell of a long time ago now!

  • 9. At 00:11 on 25 September 2010, Mary wrote:

    So pleased to see this about Spalding - watching Jimi tonight on Beeb 4 prompted me to research it - as no-one seems to know about it! I was there! I was sixteen and went with St Mary's Youth Club, Derby. I'd never heard of Jimi Hendrix till he burst upon that stage and just blew everyone away. Forty three years later, I still remember that wonderful music, that amazing energy and that great, great person.

  • 10. At 21:16 on 25 September 2010, John Mckee wrote:

    Great to hear someone else was there , i had almost forgotten this even though at the time it was a big event in my life. I think it was a bank holiday monday and it was in the Tulip auction hall , people were dancing on thr rafters it was a fabulous day , however it was not the start of festivals . There had been the Windsor Jazz festival ( which moved to reading soon after due to residents complaints ) Where I saw the Who on the same stage as the Dedicated Mens Jug Band and Chris Barber and Ottilie Patterson sing Blueberry Hill in 1965, and first time I experienced the initial hippy culture
    BTW I think Cream were and are the best band ever, seen them several times since including the recent reform and they never disappoint

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