RockScotland

The original author of this post was JammyMusic. Unfortunately the original post seems to have been lost during the forum upgrade.

JammyMusic wrote:I was the guy behind the Radio Clyde Kelvingrove Free Music Festivals in the 70s and 80s.

I guess this is the ideal place for a bit of nostalgia.

Any memories? Silly question.

Where are all the bands and musicians now?

The Kelvingrove Festivals are probably one of most missed features of the Glasgow rock music "scene".

Quite a lot of the bands/musicians that played at Kelvingrove are still kicking about - Various members of Chasar, La Paz, Trident, Lyin Rampant and many others are still around.

We should have a load of photos from Kelvingrove on the website when it goes live in the New Year and we'll probably have them in the galleries on the forum as well!

RockScotland

JammyMusic wrote:I was the guy behind the Radio Clyde Kelvingrove Free Music Festivals in the 70s and 80s.

Certainly the later Festivals were well attended when bands like Chasar, La Paz and the like were playing.

This has to be something that can be resurrected in the Glasgow area.

Obviously Radio Clyde have no connection with rock music anymore, but surely 96.3 Rock Radio could look at putting on something like this?

Even if 96.3 Rock Radio don't have the knowledge to produce/promote the show then surely they could even think about sponsoring such an event.

Axeman

I know Radio Clyde have looked at reviving the Free Music Festivals several times. The biggest stumbling block was the old bandstand now boarded up and I believe riddled with asbestos.

There was a great plan for a commercial venture to replace the old bandstand with a bar and restaurant complete with a new stage area to serve the amphitheatre which would be partly covered from the elements.

Part of the deal was that they would make the stage available for free events at certain times.

Some "locals" decided they didn't want a "pub in the park" and kicked up major objections to the proposed development which effectively killed it off.

Glasgow had the chance to create a small version of the Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl in Kelvingrove Park but now they are left with a dericlict bandstand and a great performance area gone to waste.

I just came across a copy of the official programme for what was (I think) the last Radio Clyde Kelvingrove Free Music Festival on 31st May 1992.

The lineup for this one was not very rocky there were some very talented individuals who went on to make a success of the music business. Here are the bands in 1992 - The Daes, Frontier, Wedgewood Line, Eden, The Colour Wheel, Smile, Adam 812, The Henry Brothers, The Pear Fishers, Wanted.

In the official programme I also listed some of the past performers - who remembers....

Sneaky Pete
The Jets
Woza (Early form of Deacon Blue)
Hue & Cry
Underhand Jones
One O'Clock Gang
Real Politique
Charley Brown
The Soft Cloks
Young Things West
Gentlemen of Leisure
Chou Pahrot
Those French Girls
Abel Ganz
Dick Broad and the Fallen Goats
The Petted Lips
PS
30 Bob Suits
Amandas Tapes
Zero Zero
Bite the Pillow
Rubber Yahoo
The Force
Henry Gorman Band
Pretty Boy Floyd
Mean Street
Trident (Oh yes, they really did!)
La Paz
Big george + Fraser Speirs
Anaconda
Centurion
Drunken State
Conduct of Pigeons
Filming in Africa
Jewel Scheme
The Third Party
The River Detectives
The Thieves
Julia Please
The Cuban Heels
The Royal Family
Comedy of Errors
Horse
Snapshots
Glasgow
Blind Alley
Wild River Apples
Shalkin Pyramids
China White
Rosie's Home
Farewell Parade
Amateur Hour
Kissing Bandits
Tonight at Noon
McClusky Brothers
H20
Chasar
Strangers and Brothers
Moni
The Dolphins
Happy the Man
The Crows
Hearts and Minds
The RBs
Menace
The Stingrytes
Runaway Train

Sorry if I missed anyone out... If anybody from these bands sees this can they let me know the year they appeared and any memories they had of the event... if anyone was sober enough to remember!

JammyMusic wrote:I know Radio Clyde have looked at reviving the Free Music Festivals several times.

I was at almost all the Kelvingrove Festivals and photographed most of them.

Unfortunately, Clyde dropping Tom Russell's Friday night rock show effectively severed any ties with rock music and Clyde just became another UK radio station with no identity (and lost a load of listeners at the same time).

People, especially from the rock "scene" that existed at the time, loved the Kelvingrove Festivals and without a doubt they gave Clyde a bit of credibility that they've long since lost. There's certainly still a rock crowd out there but I think that the only way that they could be motivated to attend any event "en masse" nowadays would be if the event was promoted and heavily advertised through a dedicated rock station like 96.3 Rock Radio, although I doubt if people would make the effort for the same level of band that played the Kelvingrove Festivals.

The days when people would regularly attend rock venues is long gone and most people only now venture out to see specific bands - I certainly miss the days when everyone would go to the rock venues like the Venue & the Heathery in Wishaw no matter what band was playing. That scene was effectively killed off by Tennents "sponsoring" everything in sight and creating too many live music venues and making it too easy for bands to play (to empty rooms) and at the same time putting all the Glasgow bands who had built up a following and reputation back to the same level as any schoolboy band who had just formed.

However, I would love to see someone come up with a free rock festival again in the Glasgow area and I would certainly give my time free of charge to help make this happen!


Lyin' Rampant - Kelvingrove 1987 - Click on the photo to see the rest of these images!

Chops wrote:Kelvingrove was great!
Comments about putting it back on are a bit irrelevant though as no one will take on the job of renovating the old place.

I don't think anyone's suggesting that anything's put on at Kelvingrove?

There could still be a FREE festival however if the right people got behind it, although I have to agree, that it would have to be a strong line-up before anyone would bother turning out!

JammyMusic wrote:Some "locals" decided they didn't want a "pub in the park" and kicked up major objections to the proposed development which effectively killed it off.

Since when have the "Council" taken any notice of any planning objections from the public? Not only that the chances of the general public being organised enough to raise "major objections" are pretty slim.

It obviously just doesn't suit the Council as they've just not been offered a proper backhander, sorry, the right deal yet.

There are plenty of examples of the Council ignoring the public's objections and demolishing listed and other historical buildings so that they could let their pals build flats etc on the land.

Even if the locals didn't want "a pub in the park", it's hardly a huge task to renovate or even demolish the bandstand and build a new one. Credit crunch or not, there's still plenty of companies in the Glasgow are who could fund this out of petty cash.

jas

Even if the locals didn't want "a pub in the park", it's hardly a huge task to renovate or even demolish the bandstand and build a new one. Credit crunch or not, there's still plenty of companies in the Glasgow are who could fund this out of petty cash.
jas

I reckon you have something there.

Even if they knocked down the old bandstand to remove the asbestos problem it would at least give us the performance area back.

JammyMusic wrote:Even if they knocked down the old bandstand to remove the asbestos problem it would at least give us the performance area back.

It's obviously no big deal - plenty of demolition companies and/or construction companies would do the demolition or construction for free (due to the employment grants available for non-skilled workers) for nothing more than a name check!

Radio Clyde, although no longer Glasgow's main broadcaster (thanks to GMG with Real and 96.3) probably still waste more on keeping the junior Bowie family employed than it would cost to build a new bandstand.

The council would do anything within the park if they got the right offer and certainly wouldn't say no to a free re-development so the bandstand itself can't be the problem.

I would suggest that all it would take would be for some tame MSP (or tame radio DJ) looking for some publicity to make the Kelvingrove Bandstand their pet project and then it would be done in a couple of weeks because it's obvious that it's not a big project (even with the asbestos removal etc).

Let's face it, developers can throw up a block of "luxury" flats in a week if they want even including the demolition of the listed historical building that was there before.

It's not a big project - but there must be something more sinister (possibly council greed) preventing the redevelopment of the bandstand at Kelvingrove!

M