The festival featured a wide variety of bands , it being towards the end of the decade , the hippie bands were tending to go into a decline. As many had split up or mutated into other styles , there simply weren't enough of them to keep a free festival supplied with music for a week. Apart from that tastes had changed and many free festival devotees were prepared to listen to other forms of music such as reggae and punk. However , punk bands did not always go down well and one was bottled by the " peace loving " freaks who were not propared for change.

    Amongst the bands featured at the festival were Nik Turner, who provided one of the side stages for the event , Misty In Roots, Crispy Ambulances ( 7-25-78), Steve Hillage , Here and Now, The Fall and Tractor, (who resurrected their career with performances at the earliest festivals).

   Here and Now also released the album Gospel Of Free featuring two tracks recorded live at Deeply Vale in 1978.

Those tracks were "Hairy Barber" and "Strawberry", recorded 23rd July, 1978 and 24th July, 1978 .
   The album has a great 32-page booklet about the free festivals of the late seventies and some pictures of Deeply Vale and of Glastonbury 1977, as well as the detailed story of British free festivals through the eyes of the Here And Now band and family.

You can order the album by visiting this link.

 

  Last but no means least , we have probably the cream of the crop, recently issued by OZIT records ,Steve Hillage's entire performance at the 1978 Deeply Vale Festival. This as Hillage at his most psychedelic and trippiest .The playing here is really unique, Hillage experiments with the structure of the songs and the music visits some strange and exotic places that are rarely explored on his studio albums .Although there are a few minor rough spots sound wise, this soundboard recording is a treasure . The music alternately swirls, explodes and oozes from the speakers from the word go . A real cracker of a set and the accompanying booklet about the festival is also a joy to behold.

Buy it NOW

Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy ,Andy Anderson ,John Mackenzie and Christian Boule.

Pete Farrow

Pete was also a compatriot of John Cooper Clarke,Trevor Hyett and Anna Ford when she was a folk singer. CD album Pete Farrow " Who says there's no beach in Stockport? "

The Ruts( pix 1 & 2. )

The Ruts were formed at Deeply Vale in a tent in 1977 from a band that was playing there that year called Hit and Run. By 1978s deeply vale they were The Ruts and they have said that the Deeply Vales were some of the best gigs they ever did.

The Fall ( pic 3)

The Fall got into the hippie scene by touring with Here and Now and Wilful Damage on free tours. Here and Now set up free tours and they always brought new talent such as The Fall ." It was just an extension of the Deeply Vale ethos".

The Fast Cars.

for more photos and info on the band who appear on the 1979 video of the festival

go here

Accident on the East Lancs

Featuring Andy Sharrocks vocals plus in the background of the picture (with beard ) Dave Addison of Tractor on bass
guitar- Accident on the East Lancs had two singles on Roach Records - the
first one being 'We Want It Legalised'- (they were strong supporters of the
Legalise Cannabis Campaign)