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This, via Youtube, is a taste of the many bands who played the college circuit and the Lanch in the 70's.

Lanchester Polytech (now Coventry University) Rock gigs and Arts Festival
From the late 1960's throughout the 70's and beyond, the Lanchester Polytech Student union put on some
fantastic and then mostly up and coming bands on a Saturday night in the main hall. Often there were two or three bands at prices you wouldn't get now! It was a great cultural experience, not only for students but for many of Coventry's budding and practicing musicians and rock / folk fans in general. The itinerary often included solo artists, poets and much more. Each year from 1969 to about 1976, the Lanch (now Coventry University) held an Arts festival each year at the end of January and through the first week of February. There were an amazing multi-media experience in 1971, it hosted the first ever live performance of the Monty Python team at the Belgrade Theatre. In 1972 the held some of the festival events at Coventry Locarno with Pink Floyd, Slade and where Chuck Berry recorded his No hit My Ding a Ling.

Here a link to the story behind Monty Python doing their first ever Live performance for the Lanch Arts  http://covdiscoarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/colin-richardson-interview-part-6-monty.html
Colin Richardson with Paul McCartney
Festival at the Belgrade Theatre in 1971, as told by Colin Richardson, who was the booking agent for Bron - the London agency with whom Ted Little (the Social Secretary) worked with to book the bands for the festival from 1969 to 1971. Colin's own blog charting his music business history is here http://colinrichardsonjazz.typepad.com/blog/2009




The Lanchester Arts Festival Programmes and More..
You can read more about the Lanch Arts festivals here on one of the Hobo - Coventry Music Archive sites.
http://covdiscoarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/lanchester-arts-festivals-now-coventry.html

Here is an article by Pete Clemons on the Lanch Gigs published in the Coventry Telegraph 2013.






5 comments:

Unknown said...

I saw U2 ...what year was it...79, 80 or 81? Also saw John Martyn with an electric band. I played there during a Battle of the Bands contest...don't know...79...80 with my band The Offbeats. Saw the Stiff Tour with Any Trouble, Ten Pole Tudor and ....err the rest is a mystery. Happy days!

Tony said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I think I remember a Battle of the Bands in 79/80 where a band called Silmarillion played. I have no idea if it was the same Silmarillion who went on to become Marillion

Unknown said...

Enjoyed some great years at The Lanch between 67 and 70 and fondly remember working with Edwin Frith Little (Ted) and others pulling together the first of the phenomenal Arts Festival programmes.
Rob Jones

Unknown said...

Anyone know what year it was When Eyeless in Gaza played at The Poly.
Downstairs in a Little Room that could only Hold about 250 People ??