The Broadgate Gnome was (as far as I know) the first underground magazine in Coventry
and caused a lot of excitement. In the words of the Ian Green and Paul Leather who run the Broadgate Gnome music site -
"Broadgate Gnome
Where we got the name of the site from and an anarchic brew of attitude, politics, bands and great 'freak' atmosphere. Most of the Coventry underground can be found here. Ran from 1970-1.....
An 'underground' magazine published around 1970 - 71 and based in 'Gnome House', Humber Rd, Stoke. It contained articles on local bands, venues, politics and Coventry's 'freak scene' generally."
I don't have full copies of Broadgate Gnome in my vast archives (just odd bits) but that was the nature of the Gnome - people passed copies on as it said to do inside the mag. However quite a few fragments and articles will appear on this site. Below this is a prose poem styled survey of the early development of the Broadgate Gnome in the early 60's culminating in the full printed magazine that came out between 1970-71. The Gnome was a creatively duplicated magazine that emerged out of the 'driving force of rebellion of the 1960's'.
Although I wasn't involved with the Broadgate Gnome, it's impact on me as an organiser of band nights etc at the Umbrella was great. It cause great excitement at the time. For the first time there was a central focus for Coventry's radical and music scene (often interlinked - young people wanted to change the world at that stage - although they might not all agree on how). The Coventry music scene has to be understood against that background. Largely it wasn't about pop music as a commodity that you consume - although there was that element too. For many of the organisers, fans, musicians, artists and writers, there was a strong sense that the world was going to change, evolve, that they were part of that change, moving towards a more co-operative, egalitarian, creative, loving society. (albeit in some cases quite sexist until feminism kicked in more strongly during the 70's!). The music was part of that, underground, meaningful and so full of energy and rebellion. It wa creative and often challanged established music forms like the three minute pop song with its long, jazz rock style solos etc..
The Gnome published a range of articles, political and musical and even some poets. It was great to see people that you knew on the scene in its pages and it gave us a sense of ourselves I think, of being part of a scene. It was the Gnome that showed me (when I was 18) that a magazine could be more than just a magazine. Some of the team were created an artist's co-operative, linked to the Diggers Movement (inspired by Gerard Winstanley) (See Christopher Hill's Book below)
). Using the 'bomb Hole' outside the Golden Cross (opposite the bombed Catherdral), artists were now in control of their work from production to marketing. A similar co-operative was set up in 1971 for musicians, one of the first music collectives, that proliferated in the early 80's. They also attempted an alternative record label - The Pig Mother lable. Wandering John were to be the first band on this alternative, followed by John Gravenor's new band - one featuring Indian Summer's ex brilliant guitarist Roy Butterfield and Neol Davies ( who later of course was instrumental in forming the Two Tone lable eight years later. It was called the Tribal Rock Co-operative (an article on it from the Gnome is forthcoming on this site - along will some input from a Gnome correspondant to this site.). In addition, as the Diggers, they organised a benefit concert in The ruins of Coventry Cathedral, with no less than Pink Floyd (in their Ummagumma period) supported by the Coventry avant Garde Jazz group Ra Ho Tep, led by Tim James(August 1970).
All this wasn't lost on the creation of Hobo after Gnome's demise. The cretion of the Hobo Workshop at the HolyHead Youth Centre and later the Golden Cross was partly inspired by this initiative. Later in the 80's on Teesside I created Outlet Magazine which, apart from publishing non elitist poetry from the Tees Valley, created a community based writers infrastructure of first base creative writing course, set up a network of writers groups, performance venues, community based publishers and a Literary festival - Write Around - on which the established poets and writers came in on the terms of the local writing scene. That is what I took from it. Other followed through with their own initiatives both in Coventry and elsewhere.
Although the Gnome fell in 71, that alternative spirit in some form, continued through Hobo, Folks, Cov News and Alternative Sounds in terms of magazines through to 1980. Dando Shaft have a song called Pass it On, written by Dave Cooper, about love in the universal sense. This was the spirit, albeit, changing from a hippy perspective to an anarchist punk persuation in the mid to late 70's.
In Pete Chamber's The 2-Tone Trail - Neol Davies comments in the forward that "What was really special about 2 Tone - aside from the great music - was the attempt to change things and maybe people's thinking with an inclusive - almost co-operative approach. Bands working together instead of entirely out for themselves - we knew we were working against the grain but that seemed to make us more determined....(and later).. there seemed to be a sense of - it could only happen in Coventry - something about this city's character informed all of the band members' attitudes .. after years of forming different bands and trying to create original music"
Although working through the commercial music business rather than as an alternative, something of that early Tribal Rock co-operative spirit pervades the 2 Tone phenomenon.
In 1974, during the Hobo period - the Diggers group followed on the the 1970 concert with a new one which was
reproted both the local press and in HOBO No 4
From Hobo No 4 August 1974
ROCK IN THE RUINS
"Once more the Cathedral Ruins will ROCK! Following the success of the Digger's Concert in 1970, when several Coventry bands were featured. Streetmasse have got it together to present a concert on Saturday, July 13th at 6.30pm..admission (at gate only) 35p and, among other things, we are relying on the appearence of Monster Magnet, Scotch Mist and another band as yet unnamed. This is tobe a benefit concert in aid of the Digger's Hole, opposite the Golden Cross, which, with any luck, will be re-opening soon as an Art Gallery which will exhibit the work of local artists. If this proves successful and is well supported, there may well be a sequel in August and also possibly a folk concert. So let's have a good turns out. Any artists interested in the 'Hole' should contact Arol." Hobo Issue 4
Below is a prose / poems styled contribution from a Broadgate Gnome correspondant, responding creativley to this site, charting the early development of the Broadgate Gnome from its roots in the early 60's...
The Broadgate Gnome is a muse, an ethereal being that that floats in a
nearby but not always accessible place, from which occasional forays
are made into the world of Man. Long before He/She ever acquired a
public name the Muse first appearred to two Stoke Park schoolgirls.
Handwritten, potato printed sheets of Beatnick poetry ,vulgar cartoons
and private messages passed from hand to hand , usually in the Hertford
Arms
In 1964 it broadened in interests and Translated into an occasional
neswletter type thing ,in real print, courtesy of The Matrix, and
mainly to do with the bands and musicians associated with the Cortina
Club in Bishops street. Initially ment as a way of promoting local
bands into clubs,it failed miserably, although It organised trips to
out of town gigs and actually promoted gigs of its own around the !
country. It did produce some work from the Working Mens Clubs across
the City, while convincing one of the proprietors of the great need for
childrens entertainers. Other Dabblings led to the tentacles being
lodged into Proper Journalism across the Midlands and beyond
Its most important contribution to society was to emphasise the
importance Of Tuesday as he most important religious day of the week.
After huge financial losses it demised along with the rest of its
empire, although one cartoonist did attempt a resurrection in a more
radical anarchistic form. This interest disappearred on night in the
city centre when detectives searching him found the original artwork of
"Superrickles",
The muse floated away for a while, until sometime in 1968 when some Art
Students, a local press photographer and some political militants )mai! n
influence Jerry Rubin)and some local music groupies, mov ed into a pair
of rented houses on Bedworth Road. One house for parties and one to
house a newly aquired early electric typewiter, a rather bizzare heat
operated copying machine and some huge silk screening frames. Now
named the Gnome, attempts to get into print , apart from some excellent
individual poster work by the residents (naked Lunch) by a number of
factors. These were, the parties, the involvement of the group in
organising a more hip element into the forthcoming Anti Springboks
demonstrations and the overwhelming religious experience of one of the
number upon being invited as a special guest at the opening of the Sikh
Temple opposite. The subsequent disappearrance of half the occupants in
the direction of Afghanistan was the final factor in the end of this
chapter.
The poor Gnome was now but a tattered flag! lying on the battlefield,
soon to be raised by a younger group,( once more in the form of
handwritten poetry sheets ( Big G) and posters and happenings)who
were then struggling to give local young artist and oppurtunity to show
their own work (The Hole in the ground opposite the Golden Cross).
With this success and the provision of premises by an Old Hartford Arms
contact, in Humber Road, the Gnome cast a wider web and drummed up more
support, even though this was ending time of many things as the end of
the decade approached.
Those canvassed in this widespread apeall for support and money covered
many aspects of local society and hipdom. From Broughtons roadies to
"straight" old Labour Party and Communist Party contacts(yes we will o
an article on the Spanish Civil War) The local taxi firm, the often
inte! rmixed and transisent groups that made up the local "Alternative
Society" including The original founders (now a large mystical
feminist group about to decamp to a commune in wales) The People of The
Magic Wood( a very trippy group who met on the site of a bronze age
settelement near the University , chanted and plotted on how to change
the world, the local political theatre group ( who planted plastic
flowers everywhere and once raided an after election banquet in the
Guild Hall and stole the salmon starters) still shackled as yet
unorganised GayLibbers, the Artists co-op itself and even many whose
activities may have been deemed legal.and even some University don
type@.
All were asked for their thoughts and ideas and told they would be on
the management comittee, although this never met.
A roneo duplicator was acquired on a forever unpaid HP arrangement, a
way of! including parts of a electrostatic stencil into typed pages was
invented and production began, as people were encouraged bullied and
often blackmailed into coming up with suitable content,
Financially it was doomed from the start , as although it was sold for
money ,usually by street vendors, who were promised a slice of the
action but usually got all of the takings because no one was really too
bothered about collecting the income. The production staff had first
pick of any free tickets or "competition prizes!" that were collected.
@There has been many a rumour that a well known feminist lecturer and
writer was involved at some stage,but fell out when the an issue
carried a picture of a semi naked young lady astride a large motorbike.
Other than saying that the "Young Lady" was in fact one of the
production staff who was usually seen in a different guise , i am
unable to offer further comment.
To follow,,,The muse moves on ..Celtic Cell, Dig For Victory and other
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