The Archive .
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Last update Sept 2022- new pix Led Zeppelin, The Nice and Liverpool Scene.
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June 28th 1969.
Record
Mirror Report.
The Bath-Festival of Blues was no picnic for the poor kid stranded in the middle of the football field and badly in need of a public convenience. As one peered out on a veritable sea of heads (pun?), it appeared as if there were two or three more hippies than blades of grass on the field. 40,000 or more raving music buffs migrated to the site on Saturday the 28th via train, plane, car, foot or meditation to see the vast line-up of acts, which included among others, Fleetwood Mac, Lep Zeppelin John Mayall, Keef Hartley Band, the Nice, Roy Harper (?), Chicken Shack, Liverpool Scene and a never~ending list of others. The stages (two) were barely visible from the opposite end of the field, but the sound was audible throughout the grounds. Hot dogs were being consumed with gusto and there was a run on the ice cream van which put poor old Luigi under great stress. People shuffled through mile-long queues, forget-ting half way, what it was they were queueing for. A space forty feet from the stages was worth its weight in Watney's.
The great teeming hordes behaved exceptionally well with the frequent Persuasion Of Johm Peel and Mike Quinn. It was a great day for armpits and whiskers and not an idle one musically. Led Zeppelin and the Nice appeared to have stolen the show, but all the other acts were received with voluminous applause. The only incident occured during John Mayall's set when one monumental idiot who had been annoying the crowds and bands for hours. chucked a bottle and was promptly chucked in return. Things otherwise were handled well by the genuine people who came down to hear some good sounds. Chicken Shacks man with the 200ft. Iead, Stan Webb, had this to say:
" `It was an exceptionally
good festival, but I think they should have erected a scaffold or bleachers
in the back so all of them could see. Also the bar went dry!"
"We're not supposed to drink, so the bar doesn't affect us (cheesy grin,)”
said ZepPelints lead singer Robert Plant, ."The only drawback to the show
was the short sets. We have trouble with short bits because you can't connect
as people unless everybody has a chance to do their solo. But still. there were
a lot of acts to go on! "
A lot of people got well tanned in the sun with the music going through their ears. It was a big day for the exciting town of Bath and as the great migration north started late in the evening, apprehensive Pensioners could be seen standing in doorways casting the heavy eye on the passing crowds and thinking, 'Whats it all about? Arrrrrr'
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
Bands in order of appearance.(l to R)
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Babylon
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Group Therapy. |
Clouds |
Bath 69 reviews and recording information
| 8mm Film |
