THIS POST HAS BEEN REDEVELOPED WITH THE COMMENTS HERE http://covdiscoarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/lanchester-arts-festivals-now-coventry.html with some new material.
These are the programmes from the annual Lanch Arts Festivals from 1971 to 76 - or as many as I have. The Lanch
is now known as Coventry University for non Coventrians.
Moments were when Monty Python's Flying Circus, who were performing at the Belgrade Theatre, marched from the Lanch Student Union block to the Belgrade with knotted Hankerchiefs on their heads and rolled up trousers, singing I'm a Lumber Jack and I'm Ok; and when the Liverpool poets joined in
the fun of the fair on the lawn outside the Union block. On one occasion there was a strange street theatre performance involving coloured lighting (it was dark) on the lawn outside and characters
dressed as skeletons emerging from tombstones (part of the Lanch grounds include the former grave yard of the old Cov Cathedral!
Below - Coventry University as it is now - formerly the Lanchester Polytechnic.
For Trev Teasdale
I tried taking a pic of the 1972 Arts fest poster with my iPad but it's too large, 35 by 24 ins. Would be happy to let you have a look at it sometime. It lists the pink Flloyd concert taking place before Chuck Berry but it was actually the other way round, and Slade were bottom of the bill even though they were doing very well at the time!
Posted by: Chris Porch | 07/21/2012 at 06:30 PM
This is a bit of a blast from the past. I ran the Lanchester Arts Festivals in 1976 and 1977. The 1976 one I ran with Sheila someone (sorry - can't remember her surname) who was a Fine Art student. I do still have a copy of that programme (photo above) and I remember typing the content on a golf ball typewriter in the LAF Office. My highlights from 1976 were definitely Ivor Cutler - who I know appeared more than once at Lancester - George Melly, who was a real character and who I met several more times before he passed, and probably the Sex Pistols - who appeared at the LAF just before one of them said 'fuck' on television which ricocheted their career into the limelight. I do remember them inciting the audience to riot! The Tierra Buena Jazz band were a group of local jazzers who I knew too. We didn't have the budget of the earlier LAFs and our programme wasn't quite so high profile, but a great time was had by all, I'd say, nonetheless. I don't know if I have the 1977 programme off hand - will have to search through my old files. The 1976 programme cover was designed by another Fine Art student - Jim Morris. Happy memories!
Posted by: Jennifer Jones | 04/23/2013 at 11:21 PM
Thanks for your interesting comment Jennifer,
That would be great if you had the 1977 programme. If you find you can send it via [email protected]
There are some other post about the Lanch on here - about Ted Little who organised it originally and some of the co-oganisers have left comments here http://coventrymusichistory.typepad.com/blog/2009/02/ted-little-and-the-lanchester-arts-festival-coventry.html
Also I interviewed Colin Richardson for this blog - he was the Bron music agent through which some of the big names were booked. The interview is over several posts on here and concerns his wider career as Colosseum manager etc but he talks about giving Ivor Cutler a life to the Lanch gig.
Shame the funding was curtailed - they were always great events and influenced not only students but a lot of budding Cov musicians. A lot of us appreciated the work that went into organising them.
It was at the Sex pistols Lanch gig that a Cov friend of ours Scon became a roadie with them and later Clash - better known as Roadent. He went on to appear in a German TV play and went out with Barbara Grogan of the Passions - who wrote the 80's hit I'm in love with a German Film Star. As a result he introduced the Specials to the infamous Bernie Rhodes at Mr Georges and as Mr Rhodes is the subject of Gangsters inadvertently influenced another song! The story is on here http://coventrymusichistory.typepad.com/blog/2007/06/a-clash-with-scon-roadent-of-the-sex-pistols-subject-of-the-passions-song.html
Thanks again Jennifer - Trev Teasdel
Posted by: Coventry Music Archives | 04/24/2013 at 04:24 PM
Also we have an article by Pete Clemons from the Coventry Telegraph - about the Lanch Arts festivals - although he doesn't say much about the 1976 / 77 festivals - he did mention the Sex Pistols! Here's the link on one of our newer sites http://coventrygigs.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-lanch-lanchester-polytechnic-gigs.html
Trev
Posted by: Coventry Music Archives | 04/24/2013 at 04:46 PM