Our writer, John Barlass, takes us back in time to when Bolton was a hive of live music and to a time when The Senstational Alex Harvey Band brought their show to the tiny stage at Bolton Institute of Technology…B.I.T.
Bolton in the early 1970s.
We genuinely didn’t know we were born. The weekend routine, and it was compulsory, started at 7pm, queuing on the stairs to be let into the upstairs room at The Trotters, an ugly 1960s edifice serving revolting fizzy Whitbread beers, but which had a jukebox that was always turned up to maximum volume that featured not only the chart hits of the day but also an Aladdin’s cave of prog titles such as Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” and Cream’s “Badge” (yes – I know, but we called anything that wasn’t on TOTP “prog” in those days). You could either spend the £1 you’d allocated for the evening on six pints of Whitbread Tankard and take the last bus home, or spend it on seven pints and walk home, usually stopping somewhere near Bolton School to throw up.
On Saturday morning you’d go into town and peruse the racks for new vinyl at Derek Guest’s or The Record Shop on Deansgate or, if you had serious ambitions of, one day, walking out onto the stage at The Free Trade Hall or Belle View, you’d window shop at Harker and Howarth’s and Booth’s music shops, both on Churchgate, gazing longingly at the guitars you’d never, ever be able to afford, even on easy terms.
After that, if it was winter and the Wanderers were at home, you’d meet your mates in The Man and Scythe for a couple of pints, before wobbling off down Manchester Road to Burnden Park where, despite the cider-y odour that pervaded your hair and clothing, you’d join the under-14’s queue for admission. Match over, you’d rush home for a quick bite to eat and a wash (no showers then, and only enough hot water for the more senior members of the family to have a bath) before heading out for the weekend’s highlight – the gig at the B.I.T.
Bolton Institute of Technology, or the B.I.T. as it was universally known was the ONLY place to be on a Saturday night in college term time. From the perspective of 2020, it’s almost impossible to believe the range of acts that appeared at that backwater minor college venue between the years 1971 to 1975. Sometimes the bill was filled by a local act such as Iron Maiden (not THAT one – this was a Bolton band and quite a stunning one too) or Solstice or one of the bigger Manchester acts like Greasy Bear or Drive In Rock, but increasingly frequently, the evening’s entertainment would be provided by a “name” act that we’d read about in Melody Maker or Sounds. Indeed, it came to be something of a disappointment if they weren’t familiar, in name or appearance, if not in repertoire.
By way of example, in 1971, Curved Air arrived on their tour to promote the ground-braking “Air Conditioning” album and Arthur Brown graced the stage wearing, if my memory is correct, a half black, half white suit. In late 1971 (or was it early 1972? I wasn’t keeping a diary at that point…) Wishbone Ash paid a visit and played an awe-inspiring set based upon their then-current “Pilgrimage” album and, just a few weeks later, Hawkwind – minus Stacia, probably because there wasn’t room for her and the six band members on the B.I.T’s tiny stage, took us In Search of Space. In a matter of weeks, they would be Pop Stars. As the seventies really got into gear, the big names started to appear on an almost weekly basis and my diaries for 1973 and 1974 record the following:
1973:
20 January: Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come. They arrived late but delivered an amazing set with material drawn from their then current “Journey” album. I was amazed to find myself taking a wizz next to Arthur Brown himself, fully kitted out in a gold face and wearing a bishop’s mitre. The road crew dressed as traffic lights and a galleon for one number; Arthur Brown collapsed on stage and ended up in Bolton Infirmary.
24 January: A then unknown Suzi Quatro appeared with her band, just days before hitting the big time with her “Can The Can” single. She was brilliant and really worked the crowd. Hair the colour of a new Brillo Pad, she invited members of the audience onto the stage to tell “dirty jokes” whilst the rodies changed a fuse in a busted amp.
31 January: Jo’burg Hawk. The sounds of Sowteto hit Deane Road, Bolton. 12 years before “Graceland.”
5 February: Heads, Hands and Feet. Bolton bedazzled by the magic fingers of Albert Lee.
12 February: John Martyn brings his Echoplex to town and gives us a first breath of Solid Air, surely one of the best albums ever.
16 February: What a double bill! Michael Chapman, still doing the rounds and producing awesome music, supported Robin Trower who was promoting his new “Twice Removed From Yesterday” album. I became a lifelong convert to both.
3 November: Another great double bill. Genius deviant Mike Absolom treated us to a selection of his peccadilloes (“Hector the Dope-Sniffing Hound, anyone?) before our eardrums were punctured by Stray.
10 November: Trapeze. Where it all started for Glenn Hughes.
8 December: Andy Fraser’s post-Free band. Fraser had left the band by the time they came to Bolton, but the lineup still included future punk mentor Chris Spedding. They were touring their new album, “Jab it in Yore Eye.”
15 December: Bedlam. Boisterous Cockney fun from a band featuring the soon-to-be famous Cozy Powell on drums.
1974:
9 February: Camel. I was disappointed that it wasn’t the version of Camel led by Peter Frampton; rather it was the prog band led by Peter Bardens that would, within 12 months, hit the big time with “The Snow Goose.”
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23 February: One of those life-changing events. Magma performed “Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh album (lyrics delivered in Kobaïan, a language created by the band’s drummer and leader, Christian Vander).
The performance left a lasting impression with many of those present, just as the album influenced such luminaries as John Lydon, Steven Wilson and even snooker player Steve Davies.
2 March: Yet another up-and coming maverick, this time the inimitable Kevin Coyne. He played a chord-tuned National steel guitar, barring chords with one finger and played a set of songs drawn from his amazing “Marjorie Razor Blade” album.
9 March: PC Plod’s Love Affair – a brilliant piece of comedy theatre from ex-Scaffold member John Gorman that provided a great deal of influence when I formed my own comedy band later that year.
16 March: Principal Edwards. The former John Peel mentees no longer using the erstwhile “Magic Theatre” part of their name. They performed an incredible set drawn mainly from their contemporary “Round One” album and struggled to fit the more theatrical aspects of their show onto the B.I.T’s tiny stage.
12 October: I celebrated my 19th birthday at an appearance by Dr Feelgood. Wilko hurtled around the stage and Lee sweated in his still fairly new and clean white suit. Little did we know that we were seeing what would, within 12 months, be the UK’s number one concert attraction.
And that’s just a selection of the bands that appeared at that one venue. Even in Bolton there were other venues where, during the same period, Budgie, Home, Judas Priest, Pink Fairies and many others could be spotted, and that was even before we bothered getting the number 12 bus to Manchester… Great days indeed.
But of all the B.I.T performances, over all the years that I, my partner and virtually all my friends were fortunate to see, the one that stands out above all others was the show by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band that took place on 27th January, 1973.
The show stands out in my memory for a number of reasons; firstly, although Glam was probably at its height in January 1973, its excesses were something of an irrelevance to the B.I.T crowd. We were more inclined to the patched denim look that denoted a more “serious” approach to music, so The Sensational Alex Harvey Band really stood out in their COSTUMES!
Alex was, of course, wearing his trademark (although we didn’t know it then) stripy matelot shirt but the eyes were really caught by Chris Glenn in his blue “onesie” and particularly by Zal in a green leotard. And he was wearing MAKEUP (!) although nowhere near to the excess he was later to adopt when the band broke into the big time.
Secondly, despite the costumes and makeup, these guys looked and sounded scary. It was rare to meet someone in Bolton in 1973 who spoke with an unadulterated Glasgow accent and the place I now know to be one of Europe’s, if not the world’s greatest and friendliest cities had, shall we say, a certain “reputation” in mid 70s Bolton.
Although Zal had primped himself effectively, Alex stalked the stage like the schoolmaster from hell and Chris spent the entire set glaring into the eyes of any audience member with the courage to make eye contact. No-one was going to step out of line whilst these guys were in command of the stage.
But really, and happily, it was the music that left the most lasting impression. Veering between progressive rock, heavy metal, rock and roll, pop standards and vaudeville, their set was a joy from start to finish. I’m obviously hazy about the exact content of the band’s set, after all, this happened 47 years ago (blimey!) but I’ve enough of a memory to recall that the setlist was something akin to a mixture of the contents of the “Framed” and the “Penthouse Tapes” albums.
They definitely did “Midnight Moses,” “There’s No Lights on the Chrismas Tree Mother, They’re Burning Big Louie Tonight,” “Hole in Her Stocking,” and “Jungle Jenny.” “Jungle Jenny” was introduced by Zal, in an Australian accent for some reason and he displayed such vulnerability that one, probably drunk, audience member was brave enough to shout “Get yer makeup off, cock” at him. How foolhardy – I bet they kicked his head in in the car park afterwards! I recollect also that they did a cover of Sly’s “Dance to the Music” and, unless my memory is playing cruel tricks on me, they had an interlude in which members of the audience were invited onto the stage to join the band playing 12 bars of anything they chose (perhaps any readers who were present that night can confirm this?)
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But the set highlights were two songs that would become highlights of the band’s repertoire as they passed along that continuum from a tiny college refectory to the cavernous Celtic Park; “Framed,” the title track of their (then) newly released debut album and “St. Anthony,” a hard riff-laden rocker from that same album. They hadn’t, at this stage incorporated the theatrical trimmings that would, in the not-too-distant future see Alex walking though a brick wall wearing an Adolf Hitler costume during “Framed” but the music was strong enough to carry the songs, despite this omission.
I was lucky enough to see The Sensational Alex Harvey Band on several more occasions during their short life. Shows at Buxton Festival, Manchester Free Trade Hall and The Vetch Field, Swansea (during The Who’s “Put The Boot In” tour) were fantastic on each occasion.
The theatrical content of the show was greater on each occasion, but the basics – gritty, uncompromising rock, especially once “The Faith Healer” had found a place on the setlist, remained the same. But my greatest memory of this incredible band remains that time they came to the tiny, low ceilinged, sweaty, stuffy refectory at the B.I.T.
Thanks Alex!
Listen to St. Anthony below. Let us know about your memories of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band in the comments.
You can read more from our Time Tunnel archive, here.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Facebook
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Categories: Time Tunnel
Hiya Johnny. Great article🎵🎵😋.
I remember the night TSAHB played BIT, and I particularly remembered hearing St. Anthony for the first time. Great days indeed😀😀😀
Your article must have stirred some interest, because we were hit by a deluge of folk downloading the single Cracked Path from our album Maiden Flight. All goes to Cancer Research do thank you for that 🙏🙏
Paul O’Neill TBIM
Cheers Paul! If this article has, indeed, stimulated any interest in Cracked Path, I’m delighted! (And, if you haven’t heard Cracked Path, visit Paul’s website and give it a listen – it’s brilliant!) Great to hear from you!!
Apologies – I should have provided a link the Bolton Iron Maiden website. Have a look and enjoy!
http://theboltonironmaiden.com/
And have a listen to the guys playing Cell Debis here:
https://youtu.be/UsQfHms5pgg
If you like this, you’ll LOVE their single, Cracked Path, so why not contact Paul and order a copy!
Hi John, Many thanks for sending your article to.me
I very much enjoyed it and it brought back many memories. Thanks also for giving the (Bolton) Iron Maiden a mention in the article. On the subject of TSAHB, I was at the BIT gig, but had also previously seen the band that they had evolved from, namely Tear Gas. I was on a training course in Edinburgh during the last year of my GPO apprenticeship in 1969 (or could have been 1970) and saw Tear Gas at a ballroom about the same size as Bolton Palais. I can remember that they played a lot of covers and opened with ‘Love Story’ by Jethro Till. I can also recall being deeply impressed by their backline of Sound City stacks! Thanks again for the memories. Best regards, Derek
That was a fantastic read btw.
From a Farnworthian. I used to walk home from B.I.T with my mates and sing Genesis’ Suppers ready over and over again.
I saw SAHB at Stoke City’s ground supporting YES.That was 1975 and they stole the show.
Man and Sythe………. oh yes!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you
Richard Harrison, age 63.
Cheers Richard – Great days!!!
Cheers Derek! The Tear Gas gig sounds amazing! SAHB did keep Love Story in their set for quite a long time – they might have even done it at B.I.T…? We were certainly fortunate to have such great music at our fingertips! Great to hear from you – please keep in touch!
I know its a Bit Later but does anyone remember A PENCIL Who used to play there and around the area.
Hi John, was great to read your gig diary. I have been looking for the Bedlam and Sharks gig dates for ages in old rock mags but never found them. Finally filled a big hole in my concert diary history. Went many times on a Sat night to the B.I.T. gig on a saturday night around 1973-74. Remember Camel, Magma, Fusion Orchestra and Wolf plus others. Was still at Smithills School then in the 6th form but played table tennis for the college and used to speak with the booking agent in his small room near the students bar to see who was coming up. I’m sure I also saw the Andy Fraser Band around 1974 but not sure? but did see Budgie+Judas Priest in 1973 and HM Kids in 1975 at the Albert Hall and Home at the Technical College on Manchester Road with Laurie Wisefield just before he joined Wishbone Ash. Never saw SAHB in Bolton but they were the best live band I’ve ever seen at the Free Trade Hall in 1975, Charlton FC in 1976 and Reading in 1977. Inspired me to start my own music label called MLP in early 2000 and we have now released three albums by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (British Tour ’76, US Tour ’74 & Hot City-The 1974 Unreleased Studio Album). Funny how things turn out. Thanx again for the memories. Mike Dixon. ps: do you know if Stray ever played a pub on Deane Rd around 1971-72? Seems like a distant memory.
Hi Mike – Many thanks for your comment – we must have spent many hours in that room at the BIT at the same time! I was also at the Budgie/ Judas Priest fag at the Town Hall, and was BIM present when Judas Priest played the BIT – I think in 1975 (I’d stopped keeping a diary by the) just before they hit the big time. It was a fantastic scene and I still come across a lot of people who were pleased to have been part of it. I’m afraid I don’t recall any gig by Stray in a Dean Road pub, but I’m sure that you’re right.
Incidentally, if there’s anything that you’re putting out on MLP that you think would be of interest to At The Barrier, please do keep us in the loop / you’ll have guessed from the stuff we cover that we’re a pretty broad church and there’ll almost certainly be one of us who’ll be keen to do a review!
Hi John. I also attended the gigs at The B.I.T. on a fairly regular basis.
Apart from seeing probably around 50% of the bands you mentioned, I also remember Ange, Robin Trower, Ace, Global village Trucking company, Byzantium, Greenslade,Trapeze, Strife,String Driven Thing amongst others. I wonder if anybody here can add to our list. It would be great to have some sort of gig archive.
I also remember the evening usually started with Money ( By Floyd) being played and that famous King Crimson number(?)
The evening finished with “ Singing in the rain and ( believe it or not) “Ballerò” ( from “ Songs of the Auvergne by Joseph canteloube.
Loved the plastic glasses incidentally.
P.S. Anybody remember the guy wandering around wit a flashing sign around his neck with the word SAG?
Take care
Ian
Hi Ian – Many thanks for your comments. I think I was present at BIT for every one of the other acts you mention. Ange were a French prog rock band that used to feature a couple of slightly bizarre wooden hand puppets in their act – and they gave out some lovely psychedelic badges – I still wear one occasionally! As I recall, Global Village Trucking Co were a hippy collective and they shared their BIT bill with Wild Turkey, the band formed by Glenn Cornick after he’d left Jethro Tull. Greenslade had an amazing light show – I bought a couple of their albums on the strength of their BIT appearance!
SAG Dave died I believe a few tears ago. Spent a lot of his later years involved with Santa Pod and drag racing. Last saw him at the B.I.M.reunion gig.
Hi Mike – thanks for getting in touch. Sadly, you are correct. Sag passed away in 2017 after a long struggle with cancer. He was a wonderful character who followed his passions – particularly cars, drag racing and rock & roll – avidly, and I never knew him to have a bad word for anyone. A few weeks before he died, when he knew the end was inevitable, he bravely arranged an afternoon in the Man & Scythe in Bolton, which was attended by many from the 1970s music scene, including Paul and Derek from BIM, along with loads of the band’s followers, some of whom I hadn’t seen for about 35 years! It was a great afternoon, and the pleasure that Sag got from being together with his old friends once again was incredible. Sadly, he passed away just a few days later, but I was so pleased that we all managed to get together with him.
String Driven Thing were another band I latched onto after seeing them at BIT – their album “The Machine That Cried” is a real piece of buried treasure that still sounds fresh today.
The guy with the flashing “SAG” sight round his neck was David Southworth, aka Sag, a great bloke and a real character. He was the number one fan of Bolton’s top ban, Iron Maiden (no – not that one, but a great band nonetheless). Sadly, Sag – a life-long rock and roll devotee with a passion for classic American cars – passed away in 2017 after contracting cancer. We did an At The Barrier piece on The Bolton Iron Maiden, which includes some words about Sag, in October – you might like to check it out!
I enjoyed the read John. I was at the Wishbone Ash gig at BIT and managed to get their autographs after standing with Martin zturner watching the support act. I also saw Hawkwind and Susie Quatro at BIT and Home at the place on Manchester Road. Regarding Budgie, I’m sure I attended a gig at Rivington Top Barn but I’ve no idea what year that would be and I’ve not as yet been able to confirm is my memory of this is correct. Any help you can offer in this respect would be much appreciated
Hi Marton – Many thanks for your comments. I’ve tried to do some digging regarding the Budgie gig at Rivington Barn, but I’ve not managed to unearth anything, unfortunately – although I do have a dim recollection of them playing there. Budgie certainly had a strong following in Bolton during the early seventies and I have a vague feeling that a couple of my mates did get to see them at the barn. The Students’ Union at Bolton Technical College (the place on Manchester Road) used to pout their annual Summer Ball on at Rivington – I went to the 1972 event (which was right in the middle of my ‘O’ Level exams!) to see Thin Lizzy and Brewer’s Droop, and I’m aware that Pink Floyd were the band for the 1967 ball – I was too young, but, again, I knew a few lucky souls who did get to that show. If i do find anything to confirm the Budgie show, I’ll certainly let you know.
Gosh…Lots of memories! Saw lots of those groups and met my wife at BIT in 1973.
I remember the climax of the evening when everyone linked together to freak out to ‘One of these days’ by Pink Floyd. Judas Priest with the huge searchlight at the back of the stage. Met John Peel and Peter Skillen was booed off one night. SAG of course with his flashing lights. Youngers Tartan beer, Newcastle browns and steak sandwiches in the bar. Happy times!
Excellent stuff Steve! I was there on each of those nights you mention. The linked freakout was, I suppose, BIT’s “signature” dance and the organiser/DJ, Louis Edwards, would plead with the participants to stay clear of the sound equipment – which nearly went over on more than one occasion! John Peel’s visit was something of a revelation – a bona-fide media star in Bolton! Wherever he went that evening, even to the toilet, he thronged by a phalanx of star-struck admirers.
Peter Skellern was an odd choice of booking for a venue that was decidedly Heavy Metal in its tastes; he’d just had an MOR hit with “You’re a Lady,” a song that appealed to an entirely different generation, and I think he lasted about two songs before deciding that neither he, nor the audience, were making the best use of their time. The only other band that I remember being booed off were Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias on their second appearance at BIT. By this time, the BIT audience had attracted a significant “biker” element who failed to “get” the satirical content of The Albertos set. C.P.Lee (a key figure in the Alberto set-up) mentions the gig in his excellent memoir “When We Were Thin.”
Judas Priest brought enough sound equipment to satisfy Glastonbury – they were deafening, but their appearance at BIT won them a huge following in Bolton. I’d seen them a few months earlier, supporting Budgie at Bolton Hall (perhaps you were at that gig too…?) and, at that show, Rob Halford had been a bit of a Bowie copyist. By the time they arrived at BIT, he was moving towards his trademark leather look.
Regrettably, I shouted “Your singer’s a poof!” as the band came on stage, to which Rob Halford replied “Keep the comments down, please.”
Great days!
And yes, you’re right – they were VERY happy times, despite the Younger’s Tartan. And those steak sandwiches were delicious!
Hi played bar football with john peel he asked us for a game also lent lemmy 10p to play pinball machine next to mine was awesome
I’m pretty sure Budgie only played in Bolton once at the Albert Hall with Judas Priest as support on July 17th 1973. It was the first gig on the tour that was promoting their third album ‘Never Turn Your Back On A Friend’ which featured their anthem ‘Breadfan’ later covered by Metallica. I am a member of three Budgie groups and their gig history doesn’t list Rivington Barn as a venue but I will ask on the site just in case.. I was also at the HOME gig at BTC in 1973. They were promoting their third album for CBS ‘The Alchemist’ Can’t remember the exact date and support act for this one but did get to meet guitarist Laurie Wisefield after the gig. A month later he had joined Wishbone Ash as replacement for Ted Turner and that was the end of the band HOME.
Yes Budgie played Rivi Barn and a support act was Screw. The year escapes me but I think 73 or 74.