The Buxton Rock festivals 1972-74

Hi there

I was at Buxton festival in 1972 as well as the bands you have listed, I remember there being a band called Glencoe, and a couple more I cannot remember. But I do know that Curved Air were there but did not perform, because Sonia Christina the lead singer said it was too cold and too late . I remember being very cold ,wet and hungry. It was September and I spent the night under a plastic sheet wearing just a t shirt and denim jacket.
Thanks

Chris Guest

Brian Armstrong was also there with Chris !

I was at Buxton in 1972 with one of your contributors, Chris Guest!
My memories-
A bus ride to Buxton changing in Sheffield, followed by a long walk from Buxton town centre because the promised shuttle bus service never materialised.
The fences being broken down and people getting in for free after I'd just paid!
Cold.
Wet.
John Peel's nasal scouse tones.
Curved Air - sadly missed.
Family - I missed most of their set because I fell asleep but I do remember them playing "The Weaver's Answer" my favourite Family number.
Waking up to the sound of Pink Floyd's "One of these Days" thundering round the hills on record.
Wishbone Ash - brilliant, they were the band I went to see, worth all the hassle.
Sleeping under a plastic sheet, wet and cold.
Thinking it was a crazy place to have a Rock Festival.
Receiving respect from my mates at school because I was there.
Regards,
Brian Armstrong

I was at Buxton 72 and your list shows Slade who never played. Also don't recall the Wild Angels being on the bill. Curved Air were there but chose not to play as it had run too late.

John Peel announced it and everybody booed. We were all geared up to give Sonja Kristina some drunken lecherous leers. Wishbone Ash closed the show very early in the morning with an encore of "No Easy Road". Don't recall rain but it was very cold at night. The beer tent was selling "Party Seven" giant cans of beer with seven pints in them. The queues for them were so long you had to make an important decision - one PartySeven and face queing again or or two Party Sevens ? Unfortunetely I chose the latter and while one Party Seven wasn't enough, two was too much for a sixteen year old. Part way through the second can, I got up to dance to "Easy Livin" by Uriah Heep and fell flat on my face. Remained prostrate as the world was spinning during the rest of their set and John Kay Band and Steppenwolf but heard them all right. The John Kay Band was a vehicle to promote his recent "Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes" solo album and consisted of Steppenwolf with a different drummer and organist. They then went off for a bit and came back with Jerry Edmonton on drums and Goldie McJohn on organ and did their Steppenwolf greatest hits.

Earlier in the day, Wizzard had played a good set. Their piano player (Bill Hunt ?) looked as though he was on something (three Party Sevens ?) and after a couple of numbers pushed his electric piano offstage into the pit then climbed up onto the roof of the stage and pranced about for the whole of the set !
Also went to Bickershaw and other Buxtons.
Cheers
Tim Hardman

Remember being very disappointed that Curved Air were too cold to play,but does anybody else remember Roy Wood and Wizard being pelted with beer cans and Wood losing it and storming off. Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash played great sets, I think Ash finished it all off about 4.00am.

Alexender

I remember this one and agree with just about everything else said by earlier contributors -wind - huddled up in the cold etc. Particularly remember Curved Air's no show and John Peel's scathing remarks about them. I seem to remember (which nobody else seems to have commented on) that the 4am finish wasn't just Wishbone Ash but a bit of a jam with lots of other people from other bands coming on and off. I might be wrong!There were two other bands I don't think mentioned anywhere else. The band that opened the festival were called COLD COMFORT FARM and played a number of blues standards. They were followed by GLENCOE. Another band I don't think are mentioned called SUNSHINE (with a singer called Ethel!) and then the WILD ANGELS. Then Roy Wood - Uriah Heep - John Kay Band - Steppenwolf - Family - Wishbone Ash.

David Owen Davies.

I was there . It put me off festivals for life. I lived in the next county and went with a couple of mates. It was freezing all day and some people down the front lit a fire. Family were excellent and the rest is just a blur as I never did like Uriah Heap or some of the others. Do remember the wizzard bloke dancing on the roof as others frantically tried to get him down. Left fairly early suffering from frostbite. What was I thinking in those days ? .

BOB

First memories were arriving from Nottingham on an old bus to see the centre of Buxton surrounded by freaks. This was a great start. The buzz on the ground was that the town was crawling with undercover drug squad members, a rumour that was quickly confirmed by the shuttle bus which passed two lots of dodgily dressed "freaks" who even my grandmother could have spotted were dressed up for the day. Years later an uncle of mine working for the scientific civil service confirmed their presence and the fact that one of their buses got lost en route to the festival...thick or what!!

It was a cold and grey day with a long long walk to the queues for the toilets, too cold to relax, and worse later on. Musically things were slow, with an Amercian funk band deluging part of the site with their flyers...might have been Cold Farm Comfort or some such band. Glencoe were a muscular outfit who were well rehearsed and to the point. I remember the John Kay band coming on big time about the fact that they were no longer Steppenwolf, but having to remind a dozy uninterested crowd that, this was THE John Kay from, er Steppenwolf!

Wizzard were entertaining if only for the guy climbing the scoffolding ..I thought it was Ace Kefford, but now I dont think he was even in the band...but the sound was atrocious and diluted anything in the way of light and shade.

We presume the surroundings of the stage are blocks of hay, not bricks, a strange contraption indeed.

I too remember Peely being extemely pissed off - nay, even swearing - about Curved Air's absence. I'd love to say I remembered Uriah Heep's "July Morning", but I can't. I do however remember three more things, it got colder, it periodically got wet, but up stepped Family, and Chappo hit the stage with a passion that belied everything that had gone before. Peel was obviously glad to have them there, and I remember a magnificent feeling of controlled power -one minute Chapman spat out his lines, and the next the band would play some gorgeous melodies. The vibes sounded splendid, the crowd at the front really went for it, we all stood up and tried to keep warm, without losing sight of our little patch of space, and Weavers Answer was a memorable highlight.

Later on Wishbone Ash belied the early hours, the cold , the damp and the darkness and worked up the crowd, only to come out with the immortal lines, "You are great, you've got us all night now"; They promptly played one more number and left us to the cold and dark.

I was glad I was there, even if it was a warning of how things had changed over the last 2 years or so. The yanks were crass, the new british bands didnt really cut it , Ash did well but Family proved to be the kings of a disappointing festival, if only by virtue of Chappo apart, they played some inspiring music, and connected with the crowd.

The journey home next day , was marked by lots of mud, but a real sense of achivement that we stuck it out through the night.
Regards,
Pete Feenstra

Bloody cold. Interminable wait between bands. Standing in a tent having a piss next to John Peel (one of the highlights of my life up to that point and possibly since). Wishbone Ash coming on at some ridiculous hour of the morning yelling “It’s Wishbone time” over a PA that barely woke us all up. Absolutely brilliant. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Nick Cassidy

    This was my first ever festival, I went with a few friends, Mick and Mary Corrigan, Dave Cawley and a few unremembered others.

    It was cold and wet, and I am sure it snowed at one point. I remember being near the front and being terrified by the Hells Angels who were close by. I remember them relieving people of their sleeping bags and using them as fuel on their fire, when they attempted to take ours, they had not anticipated the fury of Mary, who was a diminutive blue eyed blonde, she sent them scattering, they left us well alone for the rest of the festival.

   One of the highlights for me was when Dave and I went looking for an alternative toilet, found ourselves at the back of the stage and ended up playing football with John Peel, I think Roy Wood was there, but was in awe that Peely would invite me for a game of improvised football.

   I remember the party sevens (and the queues to get them), but I don't remember much of the bands except Uriah Heep who I thought were very good, and being disappointed by Steppenwolf.

    Overall, I am glad I experienced the festival even though it was cold and wet, but I remember Reading 1975 better, two nurses from London and one single sleeping bag, don't remember seeing any bands except Hawkwind :)

Trevor

Uriah Heep Buxton 1974

I can't really add much to what has been written so far except that the longer it went on the colder it got. Can't recall rain, but it was 30-odd years ago and the memory is failing to match the body. It's amazing how much heat plastic sheeting can retain! The highlights for me were Family and Wishbone Ash. The former for having Roger Chapman as a frontman - a truly inspiring performer. The latter for having the commitment to get on stage at some stupid time of the morning in the freezing cold and playing some inspired music. Can't remember Roy Wood! Uriah Heep were ok but Steppenwolf and the John Kay band were poor.

I went with two mates from school. Managed to hitch a lift part of the way back but had to walk the last 6 miles home as there were no buses at that time of the morning on a Sunday. Nicked milk off doorsteps to keep the energy up!! I take this opportunity to apologise to those residents of Hazel Grove who's Sunday pintas mysteriously disappeared.

We only went to this concert as we'd been to the previous year's indoor event. Which, even though was hot, noisy and cramped at least was sheltered from the elements. The only bands I can remember from that gig was Juicy Lucy, the Groundhogs and Brewers Droop, who's song "It's Not The Meat, It's The Motion" I still remember if only the title!!!

Happy days!!

Keith Humphreys

Known Recordings of Buxton 1972.