Gigography 1969

== January ==
10 Plymouth, Van Dyke Club: Principal Edwards Magic Theatre 
12 Mothers, Birmingham: Pink Floyd [77]
13 Queen Elizabeth Hall: Tyrannosaurus Rex (According to Rob Young's book Electric Eden (2010, p.468), one advertisement for this concert promised "John Peel proving the existence of fairies") Two shows, at 6.15 and 9.30; "Both shows have the same value but the first show is primarliy for students and kids with less money..." Included guest appearance by then unknown Melanie
17 Royal Albert Hall:
Georgie Fame, Ten Years After, Family, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre 
18 Houldsworth Hall, Manchester: Family, Roy Harper, Bridget St. John. Two shows - 6.15 and 8.30 p.m. 
19 Mothers, Birmingham: Who 
24 Sir John Cass College S.U., London E.C.3; John Peel, Occasional Word Ensemble 
24-Feb 1 Coventry, various venues, Lanchester College Arts Festival: Music includes Peel, Pentangle, Jeff Beck, Eclection, Family, Duster Bennett, Champion Jack Dupree, Liverpool Scene, Jo-Ann Kelly, Simon & Steve, Sydney Carter, Davy Graham, Ron Geesin. 
26 Mothers, Birmingham: Nice [82]
== February ==
5 Bradford University: Fairport Convention, Bridget St. John, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre 
8 Mothers, Birmingham: Moby Grape, Group Therapy, Giant (US all-nighter) [84
13 Swindon, Locarno Ballroom, attended disastrous "dance" (Ad from venue in Melody Maker gives billing as "Swindon Locarno - Thursday Blues - John Peel, Keef Hartley Blues Band", with Peel's name in much bigger letters than the band's). Same city, same evening, different venue: saw Fairport Convention in McIlroy’s Ballroom in the department Store., 
14 Acton Town Hall: Judges beauty contest for Ealing Technical College. Bands: Maddening Crowd, Steve Miller's Delivery. 
Tyrannosaurus Rex tour, with Vytas Serelis (sitar), John Peel ("catalyst"). David Bowie supports "with mime act about a boy's escape from the Chinese invasion of Tibet" 
*15 Birmingham Town Hall (Peel talks about this concert on the following day's Top Gear)
*16 Croydon Fairfield Hall
*22 Manchester Free Trade Hall
*23 Bristol Colston Hall
18 UMIST, Edgar Broughton Band, Liverpool Scene, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre 
20 Durham University: Dr K's Blues Band and Andromeda, and Big George 
21 Royal Albert Hall: "Tyrannosaurus Rex, John Peel and Friends and the Pink Floyd will then star at the Royal Albert Hall for two concerts" 
23 Mothers, Birmingham: Fleetwood Mac - note, clashes with final Tyrannosaurus Rex tour date
27 Royal Albert Hall: "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Joe Cocker and John Peel star in a concert ... in aid of unmarried mothers"
== March ==
Tyrannosaurus Rex tour continues 
*1 Liverpool Philharmonic
*8 Brighton Dome
2 Mothers, Birmingham: Chicken Shack
3 Sunderland, Whitburn, The Bay Hotel: Van Der Graaf Generator, Earth (Black Sabbath) 
3 Vic Rooms Dance, Victoria Rooms, University Of Bristol, Clifton, Bristol: Pink Floyd , Principal Edwards Magic Theatre (Peel mentions attending this gig on the shows of 05 March 1969 and 09 March 1969, as well as missing a train to Sunderland - presumably he was due to go there for the gig listed above, which clashes with this one).
7 Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London: Andromeda, Bridget St. John 
9 Mothers, Birmingham:
Spooky Tooth 
9 Mis trale Club, "adjoining Beckenham Junction Station": John Peel Show - advertised in Melody Maker issue of 8 March 1969 but clashes with above date.
10 Sunderland, Bay Hotel: Spirit Of John Morgan & The Music Of Jan Dukes De Grey 
13 City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne: Chicken Shack, Deep Purple, Spooky Tooth, Duster Bennett 
15 Oxford Polytechnic: Arthur Brown, Taste, Free, Fairport Convention, Pete Brown etc., Edgar Broughton Band, Stefan Grossman, Roy Harper, Ron Geesin, Jo-Ann Kelly, Pink Cheeks 
20 West Ham College, E.15, Release Benefit (“Folk evening presented by John Peel”): Occasional Word Ensemble, Mike Hart, Dr. Strangely Strange & Bridget St. John
21 ICA: Principal Edwards Magic Theatre + lantern lecture by John Peel ("if he can find his way there")
23 Mothers, Birmingham:
Crazy World Of Arthur Brown 
24 Royal Festival Hall “Folk Meets Pop”: Fairport Convention, Pat Sky, Sallyangie, Al Stewart
From Folk News, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969: "Cambridge Folk Festival organiser Ken Woollard presents the Fairport Convention, American singer/songwriter Pat Sky, the Sally Angie and John Pell [sic] in concert on behalf of Liberation International at the Royal Albert Hall on March 24". Audio tape of Fairport Convention's set from the concert.
28 Lyceum Ballroom, Strand, London: Country Joe and the Fish, Roy Harper, Yes, Van Der Graaf Generator, Junior's Eyes, Andromeda, Turnstyle, Hard Meat and DJ John Peel 
30 Mothers, Birmingham: Country Joe & The Fish
== April ==
5 Van Dike, Plymouth: Forest, Jacob, Afterwards 
6 Roundhouse, YCND benefit night: Artists to include Alexis Korner, Pete Brown and his Battered Ornaments, The Straw, The Egg, Mike Stevens and Gary Farr, Deviants, Amber Cat, The Screw, The Exploding Galaxy Light Show, Dennis Gould. 
6 Mothers, Birmingham: Fairport Convention, Eclection [104] - clashes with above date
unknown date Redcar (Jazz Club?): Barclay James Harvest, Glass Menagerie - mentioned on show of 13 April 1969
11 Lyceum “John Peel's Midnight Court”: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Jerome Arnold Band, Eire Apparent, Wallace Collection – Peel’s name used and he's listed as compere but apparently he wasn’t there in person. Friday night gigs at Lyceum continued under the “Midnight Court” banner (JP name dropped)
13 Mothers, Birmingham: Fleetwood Mac 
13 Empire Pool, Wembley: Daily Express Record Star Show - all-day charity event in aid of Stars Organisation for Spastics. Peel among many DJs and stars (mostly singles chart artists) listed to appear, but date clashes with gig above. Two shows, at 2 p.m. and 6.30 p.m., so it's possible (if unlikely) that JP could have shown up at the earlier one before catching a train to Birmingham for the Mothers date...
20 Mothers, Birmingham: Blodwyn Pig, Doctor K "Club News - John Peel introduces blues night at Mothers, Birmingham, tomorrow (Friday), sharing the stand with Dr. K's Blues Band and Blodwyn Pig"
21 Bay Hotel, Sunderland: Liverpool Scene, Bridget St John 
26 St. Pancras Town Hall: The Liverpool Scene
27 Mothers, Birmingham: Pink Floyd [110] 
== May ==
2 Manchester College of Commerce: Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Chicken Shack, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre 
4 Mothers, Birmingham: Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Blonde On Blonde [113]
9 Bristol Colston Hall: Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, Clouds 
10 Nottingham, Notts County Football Ground, 1969 Pop and Blues Festival: Fleetwood Mac, The Tremeloes, Marmalade, Georgie Fame, Love Sculpture, The Move, Pink Floyd, Keef Hartley, Status Quo, Duster Bennett, Dream Police, Van der Graaf Generator 
12 Hornsey Town Hall "In the Cool of the Evening": Liverpool Scene, John Fahey ("in his first British appearance") and others
18 Mothers, Birmingham: Steppenwolf [118]
25 Roundhouse, benefit for Fairport Convention after their motorway crash: Blossom Toes, Deviants, Eclection, Family, Mick Fleetwood, Mimi + Mouse, Jack Moore, Pink Floyd, Pretty Things.
 
25 Mothers, Birmingham: Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum, Pete Brown’s Battered Ornaments [120] - clashes with above date; Melody Maker of 31.05.69 gig listings page mentions another Fairport Roundhouse benefit, with Peel and different billing, as happening on 1 June - see below)
29 : Van Dike, Plymouth; Fairport Convention benefit. Ron Geesin, Yes, King Crimson, Jackie Macauley, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Eclection, Forest, Bridget St. John and others 
31 Mothers, Birmingham: John Fahey [122]
== June ==
1 Roundhouse: Fairport Convention benefit. Brian Auger, Blodwyn Pig, Jackie Lomax, Jody Grind, East Of Eden, plus others 
5 Royal Albert Hall: Richie Havens, Caravan, Eclection, The Poet & The One Man Band
7 Mothers, Birmingham: Procol Harum 
8-11 Cambridge Midsummer Pop Festival. Series of open-air free concerts organised by Cambridge Arts Lab, Cambridge Corporation and Cambridge Musicians' Co-Operative. Bill includes Henry Cow, Tuesday's Children, Deviants, Edgar Broughton Band, Toby Jug and Washboard Band, Dawn, Mighty Baby, Blossom Toes and others. Peel is listed as MC for the event but it is not known on which days, if any, he attended.  
14 Mothers, Birmingham: Deep Purple, Group Therapy originally billed to appear but latter band's tour was cancelled. Melody Maker of that week lists Deep Purple and Terry Reid, with JP hosting
20 Bedford College, Inner Circle, Regent's Park, London S.W.1: Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Synaesthesia 
28 Bath Festival Of Blues: Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, Ten Years After, Led Zeppelin, Nice, Chicken Shack, Jon Hiseman's Colesseum, Mick Abrahams' Blodwyn Pig, Keef Hartley, Group Therapy, Liverpool Scene, Taste, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Champion Jack Dupree, Clouds, Babylon, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Deep Blues Band, Just Before Dawn 
29 Houldsworth Hall, Manchester, Glass Eye magazine benefit: Barclay James Harvest, Edgar Broughton Band, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Greasy Bear, Catalyst 
29 Mothers, Birmingham: Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum [130] - clashes with above date
== July ==
2 "Pop Proms", Royal Albert Hall:
Incredible String Band, Family (Fairport Convention) (Fairport were billed to appear but withdrew after their recent car crash)
5 Mothers, Birmingham: Liverpool Scene, Keef Hartley [133]
11 Under-Grad, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire: Elastic Band 
12 Nottingham Racecourse, "12 Hour Happiness": The Nice, Eclection, Yes, King Crimson, Juniors Eyes, Edgar Broughton Band, Idle Race, Status Quo, Caravan, Streets Of Sadness. J.P definitely at Nottingham from noon to midnight so could not have compered 'Mothers'. 
12 Mothers, Birmingham: Marsha Hunt [135] - clashes with above date
19 Mothers, Birmingham: Who [136]]This is probably the gig when Peel invited Mick Farren and Germaine Greer (who at the time was staying in his spare room) to travel with him to Birmingham. In his autobiography Farren doesn't give a date, but says it was "allegedly one of the very last club dates" by the Who, who he found "nothing short of magnificent" (Give The Anarchist A Cigarette, London 2002, p.219). He began an affair with Greer afterwards - for further details see Farren's book and the respective Wiki pages.
== August ==
1 Town Hall, Torquay: Keef Hartley Band, Howard Stephen Shape, Old Joe 
2 Town Hall, Torquay: Mick Abrahams' Blodwyn Pig, Sleepy Dog 
15 Exeter Pop And Blues Festival, County Ground Stadium, Exeter: Move, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, Gods, Edgar Broughton Band, Looking Glass, Element Of Time, Old Joe 
16 Beckenham Recreation Ground, Growth (Beckenham Arts Lab) free concert: Juniors Eyes, Bridget St. John, John Peel, Amory Kane, David Bowie, Sun, Gas Works, Strawbs, Miscarriage, Keith Christmas, Nita & Dave Jones, Oswald K, Gun Hill, Kamrrah & Giles & Abdul, 
 - Peel isn't mentioned in this report on the event. Nor are many of the artists listed, but it does mention Tony Visconti (not listed but Bowie's producer), who performed a "singer-songwriter" set. 
16 Beach House Gardens, Worthing, free concert: "The performers include Steamhammer, John Peel and the Entire Sioux Nation" 
 – appears to clash with event above, but ran from 7-10 p.m, whereas Beckenham concert began at noon, so it is possible JP might have attended both.
29 All Saints Hall, Notting Hill: High Tide, Skin Alley, Group X (precursor of Hawkwind) Date from The Saga Of Hawkwind, Carol Clerk, pg 19, accessed via Google Books. See Hawkwind page for more details.
== September ==
4 Lafayette Club, Wolverhampton: Black Sabbath (possibly supported by Medicine Head) Cherry Red Records, who have re-issued Medicine Head material, say Peel first came across the band in "early 1970", but this is incorrect, as the band's first single, "His Guiding Hand" was reviewed by Madeline Bell in Melody Maker's Blind Date feature in the 29 November 1969 issue (see Melody Maker: 1969: Other Mentions). The duo's first Top Gear session was recorded at the end of 1969.
8 Friars, Aylesbury ("the only progressive rock club in the country...where John Peel tells the truth"): Quintessence with John Peel
13 Rugby Rag Blues Festival, Rainsbrook, Rugby: Pink Floyd, Nice, Taste, King Crimson, Free, Edgar Broughton Band, Third Ear Band, Bridget St. John, Big Idea, Fagin's Quill 
15 Friars, Aylesbury: Atomic Rooster 
20 Queen Elizabeth Hall: "Blackhill Enterprises present the Alchemical Third Ear Band, Bridget St John in concert. The Crab and the Crescent Moon at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Guests John Peel, Sam Hutt, Tina's Light Theatre" ; "Third Ear Band & Bridget St. John & John Peel & Sam 'keep taking the tablets' Hutt! Crab & The Crecent Moon at the Queen Elizabeth Hall...."
26 Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshre: Fleetwood Mac, Family, East Of Eden, Edgar Broughton, Glass Menagerie, Spirit Of John Morgan Peel appears to recall the festival in his autobiography, Margrave Of The Marshes, p. 55-58, but it appears more likely that he was referring to the 1973 Buxton event, when Chuck Berry failed to show up.
== October ==
19 C.C.B Theatre, University College, Gordon St., London W.C.1: Mixed media concert; Blossom Toes, Big Finger, Circus, Occasional Word 
24 Locarno, Sunderland: Pink Floyd, Stone The Crows (day of release of "Atomic Heart Mother") 
26 C.C.B Theatre, University College, Gordon St., London W.C.1: Mixed media concert: White Trash, John Morgan, Mike Hart, Spontaneous Music Ensemble 
== November ==
2 Sloopy's, Brighton; Occasional Word, Bridget St. John, Mike Hart 
8 Mothers, Birmingham: John Dummer Band, Cressida [145]
9 C.C.B Theatre, University College, Gordon St., London W.C.1: Third mixed media concert. Circus, Spontaneous Music Ensemble, Business, "surprise guests"
16 C.C.B Theatre, University College, Gordon St., London W.C.1: Fourth mixed media concert. Brian Auger Trinity, Keith Tippett, Gordon Jackson, Kevin Westlake, surprise guest 
19 (or 26?) Brunel University: "Search" - Melody Maker talent contest. Rubber Duck, Graphite, Fagin, Death LetterMM report on gig simply says it took place "on Wednesday". As MM was on sale in the shops on Thursdays, Wednesday of the previous week may be the more likely date?
23 City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne: Tyrannosaurus Rex 
28 Locarno, Sunderland: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spirit Of John Morgan 
== December ==
8 Town Hall, Watford: Jon Hiseman's Colosseum, Edgar Broughton Band, Occasional Word 
9 Town Hall, Watford: Colosseum, Edgar Broughton Band, Occasional Word 
12 Richmond Athletic Association Hall: Digger Action Movement Benefit. Arthur Brown, Radha Krishna Temple, Amory Kane, Skin Alley, Thyme, Rubber Titanic, Col. Mojo, surprise group. DJs John Peel and Andy Dunkley.
14 Houldsworth Hall, Manchester: Third Ear Band, Beau, Bridget St. John, Mike Hart, Occasional Word Ensemble, David Lear, Stack Waddy, Nova Express 
18 Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London: "Tony Hall Ents and Clearwater present a Christmas concert. John Peel, Steamhammer, High Tide, Skin Alley and Trader Horne". 
19 Royal Albert Hall, charity concert for Shelter: Family, Graham Bond, Sam Apple Pie
26 Mothers, Birmingham: Groundhogs [147]
== Notes ==
Category:1969
Category:Gigography