Bickershaw festival
Encyclopedia
The Bickershaw festival was a rock festival
held in Bickershaw
, Greater Manchester
, England between the 5–7 May 1972. Apart from the 1976-79 Deeply Vale Festivals
, the Bickershaw festival was the only major north-west multi-day festival with camping. Many organisers of the Deeply Vale festivals say it was the Bickershaw festival that inspired them to put on a north-west music festival with camping.
, before he achieved fame as a television presenter, booked the West Coast bands and was artistic policy maker. Chris Hewitt, manager of Tractor
, worked with Jeremy Beadle and was involved in distribution of publicity and selling of advance tickets, as was future manager of the Mock Turtles, Bob Fisher. Although the organisers put together a line-up of United Kingdom and American acts such as the Grateful Dead
, Captain Beefheart
, New Riders of the Purple Sage
, Dr John, Hawkwind
, The Kinks
, Country Joe McDonald
, The Incredible String Band, Donovan
, Wishbone Ash
and a host of mixed-media acts such as high divers and clowns, the festival suffered from several major deficiencies.
The artist line-up was inspirational to many of the audience, including teenager Joe Strummer
, who said it was his favourite concert, especially the late-night set from Captain Beefheart
, and Elvis Costello
. Costello stood in the mud amazed by the five-hour set from the Grateful Dead
, the performance which convinced him he should start a band. Future rock journalist and rock biographer Mick Middles, then aged 16, travelled there on a moped just to watch the Grateful Dead on the Sunday.
There were problems, the site was prone to flooding and there was standing water on the site. The weather was wet, it rained before the festival opened and then showers for most of the three days of the festival. A tank used by a high-dive act was emptied directly onto the area in front of the stage, resulting in a sea of mud. Security on the gates was inefficient. Tickets were taken and resold to those who were entering the site, or were not checked. Festival goers simply got passouts and sold their ticket at half price to people arriving. As a consequence the organisers lost money. By Sunday, all semblance of organization had disappeared and locals wandered freely onto the site to watch the Grateful Dead. By this time much of the site was awash with mud.
No festivals have been held at the site since.
Rock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
held in Bickershaw
Bickershaw
Bickershaw is a hamlet, effectively a suburb of Abram, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, in Greater Manchester, England. With a population of 1,405, Bickershaw is 3 miles south-southeast of Wigan....
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England between the 5–7 May 1972. Apart from the 1976-79 Deeply Vale Festivals
Deeply Vale Festivals
The Deeply Vale Festivals were a unique free festival held in northwest England in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. It is regarded as the one of significant events that united punk music into the festival scene.-Deeply Vale Free Festival:...
, the Bickershaw festival was the only major north-west multi-day festival with camping. Many organisers of the Deeply Vale festivals say it was the Bickershaw festival that inspired them to put on a north-west music festival with camping.
Bickershaw Festival
The Bickershaw festival was assembled under the auspices of local businessmen and Jeremy BeadleJeremy Beadle
Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer. During the 1980s, he was a regular face on British television and in two years appeared 50 weeks of the year. His shows regularly topped the charts beating Coronation Street and EastEnders on one...
, before he achieved fame as a television presenter, booked the West Coast bands and was artistic policy maker. Chris Hewitt, manager of Tractor
Tractor (band)
Tractor is a band founded in Rochdale, Lancashire, England by guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton in 1971. Both had been members of a beat group, The Way We Live since 1966. They are notable both for their appreciation by John Peel and Julian Cope, but also for their longevity...
, worked with Jeremy Beadle and was involved in distribution of publicity and selling of advance tickets, as was future manager of the Mock Turtles, Bob Fisher. Although the organisers put together a line-up of United Kingdom and American acts such as the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
, New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage
New Riders of the Purple Sage is an American country rock band. The group emerged from the psychedelic rock scene in San Francisco, California in 1969, and its original lineup included several members of the Grateful Dead. Their best known song is "Panama Red"...
, Dr John, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...
, The Incredible String Band, Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England...
and a host of mixed-media acts such as high divers and clowns, the festival suffered from several major deficiencies.
The artist line-up was inspirational to many of the audience, including teenager Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
, who said it was his favourite concert, especially the late-night set from Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
, and Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. Costello stood in the mud amazed by the five-hour set from the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, the performance which convinced him he should start a band. Future rock journalist and rock biographer Mick Middles, then aged 16, travelled there on a moped just to watch the Grateful Dead on the Sunday.
There were problems, the site was prone to flooding and there was standing water on the site. The weather was wet, it rained before the festival opened and then showers for most of the three days of the festival. A tank used by a high-dive act was emptied directly onto the area in front of the stage, resulting in a sea of mud. Security on the gates was inefficient. Tickets were taken and resold to those who were entering the site, or were not checked. Festival goers simply got passouts and sold their ticket at half price to people arriving. As a consequence the organisers lost money. By Sunday, all semblance of organization had disappeared and locals wandered freely onto the site to watch the Grateful Dead. By this time much of the site was awash with mud.
No festivals have been held at the site since.