It’s likely you didn’t realise that you were witnessing one of the most astounding folk rock acts of the seventies but, unlike gigs in the sixties, if you were there then you probably remember it.
So we’re compiling a list of the gigs Caedmon played. Check it out and see if you can remember. And if the Horlicks hasn’t already kicked in, maybe you can add an anecdote…
I’ve just added the list of gigs for the end of academic year ’74 – ’75 (on the ’73 – ’75 page) and all the gigs for academic year ’75 – ’76, for most of which Simon was away in France. If you were at any of them then let us know.
I’ve now added the gigs for Winter ’77 and at least part of ’77. Unfortunately the record stops there for now – we’ll look for the rest. Missing are at least two notable events – the farewell concert in the spring of ’78 and the epic trip to Greenbelt in the summer of ’77. Ken has mentioned the last one in another place, but it certainly was an epic – the last night of our week’s run of 10pm concerts at the Netherbow on Saturday night, the drive through the night to Bedfordshire, the weird and almost audience-free gig at Greenbelt and then a drive to Leamington Spa for a gig at Dave Hewitt’s church on the Sunday evening. Perhaps I should muse further on that somewhere else.
And do you remember stopping by at my parent’s house, Amersham, Bucks during these epic drives. Did we end up at Simon’s parents’ place in Kent?
Hi Alan!
The epic drive that came to your house was us going to Simon’s “Farewell to Sellindge” party at the Vicarage. If I recall correctly you had gone home and left your car in Edinburgh. I drove it down with Carolyn and Jim (was it?), we picked up Claire from the Tickled Trout by the M6 at Preston (3 hours late, and no way to tell her) and then ended up in Amersham at some late hour before carrying on to Kent in the wee small hours. Did we have the Caedmon PA speakers in the boot and other belongings piled up around us? We were held up somewhere in Kent in the middle of the night while the police cleared up an accident.
I also remember going swimming in the English Channel (Hythe?) the next morning and Simon lost his glasses (calamity!). He went back on the next tide and there they were lying on the shingle.
Hi – A casual websearch without much expectation of a result has led me to you.
Just to say that I and my wife (both EU students; me reading Psychology) were at your farewell concert. We were bowled over by the performance and bought the LP (and, ostensibly, the single) afterwards. I’m still the proud owner of the LP and, after countless trips to the Netherbow, the single too – both in fine condition!
Ken – you persauded me to go and sold me the tickets – something for which I’m truely grateful. The acclaim the band is receiving is well deserved. Thank you.
Good luck with your contempory sessions (a la utube). Now I’m alerted to your comeback and I’ll keep an eye open for your imminent release.
Good to hear that web searching for Caedmon is now directing people to our site!
We’ll keep you informed of developments Mike, thanks for getting in contact.
Ken
Hi Alan, just read your reminisc…[ can’t spell it now I’m over 50] …I have a vivid memory of you being stung on the lip by a wasp at greenbelt when you swigged on a can of coke. Was that when we were playing or on another visit ie when your leg was in plaster after being sat on by a horse???