Memories of 1978 Festival from geoff

Was 78 the year it really rained and rained and flooded? [ editor's note - I don't think it was too bad that year] maybe that was another year. .I remember the lovely tea tent up on the ridge where few people went, watching the sunset while Visitor 2035 played. and staying up all night listening to Thandoy apparently play for hours and hours. and entering the roll a gigantic joint competition with a 2 inch joint on a 6 foot roach, and winning until our ruse was discovered when the joint was passed up to the stage and fell to pieces. and the glorious fruit and nut pancakes, and having to dash to hospital one afternoon just as here and now had started, to take a friend who had nearly cut his thumb off cutting a tube for hot knives, and Nik Turner playing totally spaced out musick, and arriving at about midnight, just getting the tent up in time for a wonderful set from Body, and waking up one morining to find all the tents around us in 6 inches of water but miraculously we were on a slight mound.

sorry, got a bit carried away

peace

geoff

Peter Stafford Deeply Vale memories

Went to the 78 [ editors note : Emperor Gordino was only at the 76 and 77 festivals so it was probably one of them] festival with my twin Paul, and a friend, Dave Kenworthy, one of my strongest recollections of the weekend was a guy we knew as plain Gordon, who came on stage to announce an oncoming band, his name and association with music had grown out of all proportions, he announced himself, rather grandly as "Emporor (sic) Gordino - Rock On Productions" !!! Great times, hazy days, dope, shit , gruesome food but lovely people and a fine conception, definitely not wasted on the young.

Peter Stafford

Dave Fielding of The Chameleons......

has been talking to Chris Hewitt about how Deeply Vale influenced his life as a teenager and would be part of the catalyst that sparked the The Chameleons.. Dave Fielding future Chameleons guitarist went to Deeply Vale as a young teenager in 1978 with his fellow future Chameleon guitarist Reg Smithies, Dave Fielding's brother and Dave Gedge who would go on to form The Wedding Present. Reg Smithies had already been to the earlier years' Deeply Vale Festivals so he took Dave and his mates along to the Steve Hillage year [ 1978 ]. Dave Fielding also had his picture taken with Malcolm Owen of The Ruts backstage.

Dave will be doing a video interview to be part of the Truly Madly Deeply Vale DVD and will recount his memories for that interview but for now let's just say that " ....along with Jimi Goodwin of Doves, Luke Bainbridge- music journalist,Steve Cowen of The Mock Turtles,- Dave Fielding of the Chameleons, Reg Smithies of The Chameleons and Dave Gedge of The Wedding Present being a part of the audience at Deeply Vale 1978 ignited the spark that made them think" I want to be part of rock and roll culture"

These were very creative years in the North West - lets hope deeply Vale in this millenium inspires and gives a lift to new young hopefuls into music and the arts.

Dave

Tony's Deeply Vale memories

Ah the memories come flooding back. I was 14 when I attended my first Deeply Vale in 1976. I know it scared the life out of my parents that I was attending such an event but managed to allay their fears by convincing them I was with a responsible mate. It worked and I am so thankful for it!

I returned in both 1977 and 1978 camping out both times. The crowd was absolutely massive for Steve Hillage but my abiding memory of that night is Visitor 2035 who played a great set. (I even managed to get a copy of their album in Bury some months later, which I still have). I had bunked off work early to get up the Vale as soon as possible. I found my mates and looked forward to a great nights entertainment, but was so knackered I fell asleep during Steve Hillages doing Radio. I remember waking up the morning after and looking across the valley to see a number of sleeping backs (complete with contents) some distance away from their tents. Pitching a tent at 45 degrees is not a good idea!

What a great site - thanks for rekindling some great memories.

Tony

Stuart Mann's memories

Hi,

I've just stumbled across your site..... it's an amazing memory jolt for me. I'm a big fan of The Fall and came across your site through mention of them at Deeply Vale.

I was there in '79 (I think!) and was playing in a band called A Spell (named after Aspull near Wigan where we came from). All I remember was we played during the day to a very few people and then again in the evening after the Ruts (was it 79 or 78??).... the stage was covered in gob and it made walking slightly dodgy (or was that the Moroccan?) We were a 'prog rock improv' outfit with an amazing drummer (Phil Nightingale, where is he now?) and I played electric violin rather badly... still do.... I also remember staying overnight in a huge T-Pee as it started to rain - I crammed myself into a small sleeping bag cuddled up to my dog by the fire!

Anyhow, I'm not in touch with anyone from that scene anymore - time moves on, I'm 42 this year and now live in Brighton - but I do fondly remember Deeply Vale (and many many Stonehenge's before its inevitable collapse!) and am thrilled by your site.

Cheers,

Stuart

Memories of 1978 Festival from Steve-----

1978 I would be what? 17? I and two other friends went along mainly to catch Steve Hillage (guitar). Weren’t Planet Gong (teapots) playing as well[ editors note: yes Here and Now were Planet Gong in a previous incarnation] The grass wasn’t the only thing that was green.

By the time we arrived tent and beans in hand (two tins to last three of us two days! Planning or what.) There wasn’t a lot of room to pitch the tent; we were considering what to do when Mick (keyboards) noticed a small flat raise that although quit a way from the stage offered a superb view. We couldn’t understand for the life of us why no one was using it. So off we went to pitch our tent. Once up, beans cooking, we proudly surveyed our kingdom and prepared for the evenings entertainment. (Siouxsie and the Banshees I think.) The rise on which we had pitched our tent had a path running round the bottom that led to the valley floor, it was one of the paths into the vale and had lot of people using it. Nearly without exception they stared with raw hatred at us, some even called us names that I have to say were choice to say the least. “What the f***ks up with them” asked Steve (drums). This carried on until later that afternoon when we returned from walkabout to find a distraught Hippy rummaging around under our ground sheet. He looked at us like we had shot his mother. What’s up mate? I asked. “hey man” (He really did say that) you’ve camped on the mushrooms!!!!!!.

Steve Hillage (Guitar) eventually came on and was spectacular, I think! By the time he started I was starving and had bought some very very expensive Parkin which caused me to shrink to 3 inches high so as you can imagine my view was obscured slightly.

Great Days

Steve (Guitar) Crap Hippy….

Marc Riley's memories

Deeply Vale Memories of MARC RILEY [ former Radio One DJ Mark Lard and now BBC Six presenter] and at the time of Deeply Vale 1978 and 1979 and the Here and Now Free Tours of 1978/79 Marc was bass player in the forward thinking Prestwich band The Fall.

'Deeply Vale would have been the first festival I'd been to....and as a 'musician' rather than a punter. My memories are vague though I do remember Tony Wilson - the bloke off the telly my sister fancied like mad - was sat on the stage with his then wife...whom I fancied like mad.
(note: that would be Lindsay Reade)

The Fall's performance as I remember was a bit ragged - a mixture of no soundcheck and daylight - though the most enduring memory has to be that of my snapping three - yes count em - THREE bass strings in one song. Surely a world record. I remember reading an interview with Paul Gray of Eddie and the Hotrods who was as proud as punch coz he'd broken two bass strings in one song. Lightweight. No-one could compete with my ham-fistedness. The song was No Xmas For John Quays....funnily enuff - through the haze of time - I remember that like it was yesterday.'

Marc Riley

Vinny D's memories of Deeply Vale

What a weekend. Walked from Bury, got spat at by Hells Angels, slept under the stage, got Spizz's bus out of the mud (was it an ambulance?), the Ruts were fantastic (Malcolm never surfaced after the gig for obvious reasons, what a waste) rumours that Slaughter would be playing all weekend, rocket fuel scrumpy that somebody nicked, strange hippy types that you can never trust but really they're just the same only they like shit music [Editor’s note - I know a lot of hippies that like punk music - is that shit???] ............, can't wait for the return.

Just remembered why we slept under the stage, our 15 quid army & navy store tent leaked like mad that’s why our cider got nicked, also remembered running around in black bin liners trying to keep dry.

Cheers

Vinny D.

JK/John Keegan's memories of Deeply Vale

Guitarist John Keegan went to Brimrod Primary School with other future Rochdale guitarists Jim Milne of Tractor and Jack Wood.

JK's dad was for many years landlord of the Gale Inn on Whitworth Road and after a stint in the army as a military bandsman JK worked as a driver for Tractor Music (from one disclipined organisation to another) in the late seventies and early eighties as well as appearing at Deeply Vale as an acoustic musician. He went on to form the Silver Hill String Band in the early eighties and now runs the Planet Earth Centre on the moors between Bacup and Todmorden (near the very pipe works (disused) where some of the Tractor pictures were taken in the seventies).


Hi there Chris,
Just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying the Deeply Vale saga. You really have done a fantastic job of bringing one of the North's most notorious periods back to life.

The Deeply Vale DVD is fantastic. It's probably best described by that wonderful phrase we used at Tractor Music: "Knob Out"!! You've captured the spirit of the festival beautifully, and the memorials at the end are a wonderful touch.

Good luck with the book when it comes out. I'm sure it'll be hilarious - just remember to change the names of the innocent (whoever that person was). I'm enjoying the website and looking forward to the festival.

I'm pretty sure you are putting in masses of time and effort on the Deeply Vale project, with very little or no return right now. But hang in there Chris, we old hippies still love you, man. Cheers, JK (Superstar Retired).

JK/John Keegan

Deeply Memories of Steve Rob

My Deeply Vale was 1979 and my band at the time had just done some recordings at Cargo (still got em) and we somehow got booked for a gig at Deeply Vale and my band was Thunderbird Sabden from Burnley and Nelson which featured ex members from Glass Menagerie who made records under Chas Chandler on Polydor 68-69. We were booked on the Saturday afternoon about 3 o'clock and I recall the weather was a lovely sunny day. I have some memorabilia to drag out of the attic somewhere and will try and pass it on.

All the best Steve Rob.

Deeply Vale memories of fiddle player Graham Clark

1978, my last summer in the North West before going to university in Brighton.

Before going to the festival, in the spirit of self-sufficiency, I decided to make my own bread. I didn't know you could get wholemeal flour, so I bought some wheat from "On the Eigthth Day", and ground it myself, in a Moulinex mill! The bread was fantastic, like Irish Soda Bread, but a bit lighter. I made enough to keep my girlfriend and me safe from hunger for three or four days.

We got to the site by taxi from the railway station, I remember hearing Tim Blake's "Boogie Child" off Crystal Machine coming over the PA as we walked down the long slope into the valley. I knew it was going to be good.

I spent some time with a guy who was tripping. Maybe he had met the Scotsman who kept shouting "Free tickets for a flying saucer TRIP!" The tripper asked me for some cheese, and he just crumbled it between his fingers, and smelling it, smiling. Then he wanted some more.

Wood fires, rain. Wild bilberries on the sides of the valley. For the first night, we slept in bright orange emergency plastic sleeping bags, but it rained so badly they were not really good enough. Luckily, a friend of a friend had a spare tent, so we ended up in that.

There was a macaw on site. I ended up with it on my shoulder for a while. It took apple pie from my hand and smeared it in my hair. I took it back to the tent, to show my girlfriend, then couldn't get it out again for ages.

I remember John Pendragon urging us to clear up our litter as we went.

We went for a beer in a local pub, just for a change. The barman told us that Peter Skellern drank there.

More will come back to me, I am sure. When it does, I'll post again.

Graham Clark

Brian Scranage

Deeply Vale - thoroughly enjoyed the Granada tv show recently, my dad taped it as I don't live in Granadaland anymore. Bought back some memories!

• A skinning up / biggest bifta competion at the front of the stage
• An announcer reading out reg. numbers of suspected police cars - they were all consecutive Bury (EN) plates, which everybody found hilarious
• Watching a bloke cook a chapati on an oild drum lid and then offereing it to us for free
• The free state of albion
• "All the way from sunny Salford Van Hire"
• Here and Now
• Reading about the Fall in a fanzine and wondering why they weren't playing - turns out they did!
• Misty in Roots
• The Manchester Mekons ("we're not the real Mekons" - cue hail of gob). Would that be 79?
• Steve Hillage's set - dimly - I was knackered!
• Hashcakes
• I also remember arguing with Kevin Fant in a dodgy 50s tent about the correct pronunciation of clitoris - I was wrong! Confused youth, eh?
• Digging a toilet trench on the Edenfield Moors with members 9I think) of "Stuffed Badgers"  ["Brock and Roll"]. There was  a public meeting at the Community centre, with the residents scared of a hippy invasion and John Clark and John o'Neill introducing us to the term "sub judice" for the first time. I think this was all a red herring while they sorted out Pickup Bank.
• A fundraising gig in Waterfoot with "Enforced Fun" which the local vicar closed down when things go too rowdy. Enforced Fun got to play Pickup Bank (in the company of The Ruts (DC?) et al after giving the money they raised to the organisers. i remember the sound guy taking the mick out of the "biscuit tin" drum kit.

Too many more memories - but above all I remember , the opportunity to meet great people ( i remember in particular a gorgeous scary worldly 16 yr old vegan girl and a defrocked priest) and a great spirit of collective craziness and compassion.

Elvin Eastwood

Hi as a young boy living in Chesham it was only a short walk over the tops to deeply and i still walk there now. but i still hold dear the memories of those days as i listened to the bands with my big Alsatian dog. I even one time got asked to stand on the stage with him to deter people from climbing up.

I am looking forward to the next one .....elvin eastwood!

Carol and Alan Stanley

Deeply Vale! What memories. We did the hippie trip, and the punk trip. Both good, but prefered the hippie one.Steve Hillage was excellent,plus the Ruts, which my brother in law got the autographs of,never to be seen again.We were camped next to the Hells Angels on the hill. That was an experience,chopping trees down for firewood! Now its the Hug a Tree experience.Accident on the East Lancs,and Wilful Damage, good friends. UP IN SMOKE!

Carole and Alan. Rochdale. Still Alive!

Colin

Managed to get Steve Hillage Live at Deeply Vale '78 from my local record shop but they were unable to get the Nik Turner one. I've been boring my workmates with stories about Deeply Vale but they are all much too young to know anything about it - not much chance of getting them interested in it either. I've shown them the pictures on the web site, one of which I actually appear on!

I was at Deeply Vale 1978 (definitely) when I was 17 and possibly at another but for several reasons I can't remember which. They were great times and experiences there helped to shape me into the person I became - chatting with Here and Now on their bus, watching Nik Turner at some ungodly hour (which apparently was about 4 in the morning according to some other entry I read on the Deeply Vale web site) pushing a car that was about to topple over onto the tents further down the valley, watching bands until late at night than walking back to our tents and buying hot chocolate and marshmallows from a tent on the way...more stories are deep in the recesses of my brain I'm sure....soon to be revealed hopefully.

Loved the documentary by the way, I must go back to take a look at the old valley.

Sabh……

Me and me mates went to deeply in 77,78. i was 15 in 77. we was camped on a 45 degree angle on the hillside facing the stage.about 20 yards from the teepees and had our first experience with dope.we got it from a black transit van at the back of the stage.we didnt know how to build a joint then, so i ask a girl out of one of the teepees if she would skin up for us and she did. i dont remember much after that first joint till the next morning.

i remember the free food tent. the food was free but the dish,and cutlery  we paid for them, but i was stoned so im not sure.

and been stoned ever since thanks deeply vale what an experience !

definately going again

Janet…

Hi, happy to find the website which was found by typing in 'john peel' into the guardians archive search engine., but sadly found because of jp's passing.

I went to 2 or 3 deeply vales and hailing from nr. Hull a huge crowd of Hullites also present. They were ace fessies. I remember seeing the Ruts and Nik Turner and Here n Now and lots of others too.

I still have a DV poster from 1979, look forward to the next one.

Pierre...

Hi there, yea went to deeply vale back in the seventies a few times with me mates,remember ridin me bike up a little cobbled path we came down into the valley then rode up the hill to park up.  Tony wilson was there at one of them cant remember the bands I was to stoned or trippin  had a great time though. I remember gettin soaked a few times but who cares had a great laugh the bands were great an so were the people plus a big fire soon got you dry anyway.... should do another an see what happens sure it would go down great again. I'd certainly be there even though am now older but no wiser (who cares) not me. just get deeply vale up n runnin again.
 
cheers...

pierre

Deeply Vale, 7th August 1979

It was a summer's day in August 1979; we set off in Chris' Transit as usual for another gig.

We went out through Bury (Lancashire) and turned off the main road, down tracks to what seemed like the middle of no where. I remember as we dropped down the hill in to the valley, tents pitched everywhere, people cooking on open fires, old ambulances being used as mobile homes, children running about, all of a sudden the van got stuck in mud. We got out to push and the campers came to assist they even had a tractor to pull us out!!

The atmosphere was brilliant everyone getting on, just enjoying themselves.

We were not playing 'til about 9pm so we just wandered around taking in the unique atmosphere.

We watched other artists from poets, folk singers, rock bands to bands like ourselves. I think we were all a little nervous as we went on, by now it was getting dark, and there were thousands out there.

The first song went down well, then Steve's mike wouldn't work, (nothing new most gigs he ends up pulling the lead out at some stage!), a few minutes later and we are powering through our usual set, Images of you, Why, What can I do, You're so funny etc. Towards the end of the set Steve introduces a new song, the first time we had ever played it live.... "The kids just wanna dance." , we were all set to record 'Images of you' as a single for Streets Ahead in a few weeks time but decided to record 'The Kids' instead after the reception it received.

The single has since gone on to be highly sought after by collectors and sells for amazing amounts of money, some say it's one of the best powerpop songs from the era!

The song in our set that was the most popular at that time was "Who loves Jimmy Anderton" written about the Chief Constable of Manchester Police at the time, who was very forthright in his opinions, he had been named by the media as "God's Cop." and did his best to get punk banned, got a great reaction from the audience so much so Steve was pulled from the stage whilst kneeling at the edge to share the mike with them !!!

A great night was had and if you get the chance to see some of the footage the memories come flooding back, all the best Chris on the project.

Stuart Murray "Fast Cars" www.thefastcars.com

Thank you Observer Music Monthly for confirming that Deeply Vale did exist.....

I have gathered some memories but they do blur a little. Just like Ste, I lived off Walmersley Road and was 13 in 1978. With the same curiousity I also followed the hippies that were making their way to Deeply Vale, with my brother and friends. It was extremely handy that the Festival took place in the school holidays. Arriving at Deeply Vale had a huge impression on me
and I still love hanging around in a field listening to live music to this day. We did see some bands in 1978 but we were day trippers only, apart from the one night when Steve Hillage was on and we stayed a bit too late. When we arrived home we found out that my mother had called the police. With adult hindsight this is perfectly reasonable behaviour when your children go missing but it seemed a great injustice to be told off at the time.

Unfortunately for my mother, I was hooked and in 1979 there was no way that I was going to be just a day tripper but I needed an elaborate plan to stay at the Festival. With a couple of friends we all told each of our parents that we were staying over at each other's houses. We showed up at the festival, innapropriately dressed, as if we were going to a nightclub, I even had silver ballet pumps on! We saw some bands and I don't know whether my memory serves me well but did the Ruts play in 1979 or was it another band headlining? For some reason I have fixed it in my mind that I saw the Ruts. I definately saw the Fall one year and Crispy Ambulance.

We didn't have a tent but I had arranged to stay in a tent that two guys were leaving behind. We also managed to get some cider and free food, served by a woman with bright red hair - I think she felt sorry for us. When we finally made our way to the tent, it was cold, late and very dark. We pushed my friend's younger brother in first and he alerted us that somebody was sleeping in the tent, we just thought it was one of the guys that I had met and all three of us piled in. Shivering throughout the night until the sun started to appear it became very clear that we had got in the wrong tent. I think the spirit of Deeply Vale was very much present that
morning, Dillinger was playing on the sound system, the sun was coming up and the guy who had shared his tent with three intruders - schoolchildren, offered us some stale bread and a toke on his joint and was not in any way perplexed that he had never seen us before in his life!

When we left that day I was asked whether I could hide a lump of dope in my hair, which I agreed to, because the person who asked felt that the police would not search us, I also befriended a young punk guy with pink hair, who I let use our bathroom at home. One of the neighbours saw me with this guy and my friends and alerted my mother. Needless to say, I was kept under strict surveillance the following year and absolutely NOT allowed to go off to the festival, which I think moved. I recall my brother going.

I will be getting my mum to record the programme on the 19 November - we have laughed about the website and my misbehaviour. I live in London so I won't get the programme, but she still lives off Walmersley Road. I now have a respectable job as a Visual Arts Officer at the Arts Council but I have been showing the site to our music officers. There are probably many more rogue schoolchildren who experienced Deeply Vale.

Keep up the good work

Julie Lomax

Memories of Johhny Shepherd guitarist with Wilful Damage at Deeply Vale 1979 (their second year)

Hi,

Great days! I recall the 79, festival, being guitarist at the time with Wilful Damage. We did our set sometime in the afternoon, Stanny was singer, Phil Odell drums, Andy Schemet bass, me six string(rhythm? lead?). What a buzz though to do a gig in front of a crowd like that , I'm not sure if they took much notice of us but we had our own loyal support from Whitworth. We even got our picture in Melody Maker , next to the Deeply Vale review, being admired by "sub human".

I admit I was a nervous wreck, 19 years old, skint, and gaggin for some booze, but did it anyway. After our set I went for a walk about, ended up walking all the way back to Castleton (Rochdale.) If a van went past I stuck my thumb out, only to recieve (usually) a two finger salute. I thought to myself "fuckin hippies." We were committed punks, but when I was indoors I'd listen to Hendrix or Genesis. Only now 25 years on can I dare to admit it??!!

Best of luck with everything your doing,

regards

Johnny Shep

THE LEGEND OF THE BAND WILFUL DAMAGE BY BAND MEMBER AND FOUNDER STANNY

In 1976 aged just 14, my mate Phil Odell (later to be drummer in Wilful Damage) said there was a rock fest on over Bury,off we went.walking for miles over the moors.my first sight was various hippies. tents and run down cars and vans.scattered around.there can't have been more than 300 people there. .the band that most sticks in my memory were rockslide.who a year later became punk band the Drones.it was a bit drizzly.but we took the tent and decided to stay. .cant remember saturday.as we took some magic mushrooms.. decided to go home saturday teatime. got bollocked off me mam and dad.so i couldnt go sunday .1977. formed our own band.Wilful Damage. learnt how to tune my guitar in g. i wanted to play Deeply Vale..we hated fuckin hippies. punk was in.so we hassled Chris Hewit to put us on at the festival.we told him we were good.and being the genius that he is he decided to put our band on before Steve Hillage.we turned up .no bass player.and me with the worst guitar sound youve ever heard.but in our heads we were fuckin brilliant.i got on that stage that monday night.aged 15. and thought to myself.these hippies are fuckin havin it. a near riot happened that night. as this long haired idiot [ sid rawle - leader of the tipi people] threw our singer Wayne off stage. in the end after my rebel rousing speech.we won over thousands of hippies.i went to all the other Deeply Vale festivals after that even when it moved to pickup bank Darwen .

FREE FESTIVALS ARE SADLY MISSED.ALL THIS COMMERCIAL GLASTONBURY SHIT DOESN'T INTEREST ME,ONE DAY WILFUL DAMAGE AND DEEPLY VALE WILL BE BACK

ANTHONY STANSFIELD (A.K.A STANNY) GUITARIST (AND LATER VOCALIST) OF WILFUL DAMAGE

Editor's note- from that pivotal moment when Sid Rawle threw one of Wilful Damage off the stage, the northern hippies that ran Deeply Vale (and the audience) embraced punk in a big way and so did Grant Showbiz sound man and co-ordinator of Here and Now who invited Wilful Damage,The Fall and Danny and the Dressmakers to tour with Here and Now after Deeply Vale 1978. thanks to the intolerance of Sid Rawle and some of the tipi people/ southern festival crowd who thought they could dictate what sort of bands should be on at Deeply Vale- as they had had smaller free festivals running in the south since the early to mid seventies and they started to arrive in big numbers to 1978's Deeply Vale, they did a big favour for Deeply''s musical strategy as the incident was the catalyst that sparked "an any genre of music goes at deeply vale policy" because Sid Rawle had set himself up as an establisment dictator of the anti-establishment [somewhat of a contradiction??] and we wanted no part of his tipi authoritarianism against punk. hippies were never meant to be intolerant against a particular genre of music Sid!!!

I think it must be 1978 [Editor - "it was 1978"]

When my friends and I managed to play at least 3 or 4 times over the weekend. We had a proggy band called Aqua (doing mostly Gong covers) a punk band called Danny and the Dressmakers (mentored by Here and Now, we borrowed their equipment on many occasions) I also played electric violin in Crispy Ambulance on that gig (we were all in each others bands in Levenshulme) and we did some busking with scaffolding poles and bricks on the main stage 1st thing Sunday morning. I remember seeing Steve Hillage, the Fall and Visitor (whatever) [Editor - "Visitor 2035"] and in fact had there rare groove album for a while (twas a bit spacey fusion as I remember) and vague memories of Nik Turners Sphynx in their own tent (not the stage) [Editor- "they played on the stage and in their own tent- they played on the stage at around 4am as the sun was coming up!!!"]

I went the following year but thats really bleary or I can't differentiate the two years..
Colin Seddon our Bass player's parents took us all down in a box van and Barry his dad was the Folk columnist on the Manchester Evening News so knew the Tractor lot. Barry Recorded every gig he could for us, so I'm pretty sure he'll have recordings or Colin will, may be of other bands also at the event I remember an announcement over the PA to look out for Feds dressed in such and such (accurately describing Mr and Mrs Seddon,) actually my mate Graham.

Clark reminded me of this .Ive been telling people of the great ramshackle DIY nature of this largely forgotten festival for years. Usually, when I'm at some well organised boring one in Europe with cash machines and Starbucks stalls. I've carried on with music over the years with Biting Tongues (Factory) and then 808State (www.808state.com) I'll do some digging ,the TV people alerted me to this site ,and Alan Hempsall of Crispy Ambulance.

Graham Massey of 808 State

Memories from the 1979 Festival.

The stage for the 79 festival was built late. Consequently their was no music at the beginning of the festival. So "Roll Up Rock", a band from Shropshire, ran a power lead from a generator up the side of a hill along the lane that leads in to the site, and played to people as they arrived at
the festival. None of us remember if we always planned to play, or if the opportunity to play came up and Ken - the bands organiser and leader - wized back to shropshire to get a genarator.

Either way, we found a natural stage set about 20 metres up the side of the valley. The line up was guitar, keyboard, bass, drums, sax, trombone and vocals. We played Dylan, Stones, Beatles, JJ Cale covers plus other stuff.

That first evening there still was no stage, so Tim (trombone) and myself (saxophone) headed for the top of the valley overlooking the campsite and played some Charlie Parker tunes.

My other strong memory is of a near-death experience. Tim and I fell asleep in our tent with a lit candle placed on an uptunred magerine tub - presumably a little worse for wear having tried the various Cocunut Macaroons on offer. We woke to a tent full of fumes and hole in the ground
sheet.

Ken (vocal and guitar) taught and worked as a technician in the local art college, and continued to lead an organise music in the local area. Sadly he died of cancer 11 years ago. His contribution to the local scene is remebered with great fondness. Mary - Kens' wife and piano player, has worked as an organic gardener an artist. Tim is - I think - a professional trombomist and was something significant in the musicians union. John Enckle (sorry if pelling in wrong) works in media. The bass player..we've lost touch with, and I teach popular music and related stuff at Telfords sixth form college and play Jazz in Shropshire.

Sam, Marys' son who was with us as a 4 year old is a good musician and songwriter and a tree surgeon.

Julian Dean.Then 18 years old

Thanks to Mary Rickards for the photos!

Hello again. (continued from previous posting)

Over the past few week the following "memories" have resurfaced (probably something to do with the aging process and death of brain cells etc). I've not fleshed them out but left them raw (so to speak?). I rememeber an urgent plea put out over the P.A. for people to stop using farmers' gates and fences for firewood - the farmers didn't like it very much. I remember a naked couple fornicating in the mud in front of the stage in the rain (seemingly tripping) and another couple likewise engaged in a transparent polythene "cloche" just below my tent. I remember mud and loads of wood smoke and dope smoke and wet fags (leaking tent). I also remember having long range 'light sabre' fights with people on the other side of the valley (shining a torch into the smoke filled night sky), remember Star Wars had just come out.

More to follow... brain willing

Steve

Deeply Vale Festivals and gig nights at the Seven Stars in Heywood in the 1970's.

I used to eat, work and live for as it was such a memorable era of my life. I lived in Bury at the time and could not wait for Fridays to come. The music atmosphere was brilliant plus I got to see some really good bands.

Deeply Vale Festival was just something mind blowing. People came from all over the world to that little valley for free music for a week. There was no trouble at all just lots of love and peace as it should be. I just loved the teepees, the bikes from all over the place. Hells Angels never any trouble. Entertainment practically 24 hours a day. I just loved ,the children with faces painted running around happy free and safe, the walk there and back meeting people from all walks of life and seeing Steve Hillage play live there to so many people.

I actually wrote some poems from the atmosphere and inspiration I got from being there. I have walked up to the valley of Deeply Vale a few times since and it feels sad now, a few people still turn up each summer and camp and hope for a festival . It was on the map for a short moment in time.

Little Wing (Angela Welsh)

Hi,

Does any one remember helping to bump starting an old motorbike and sidecar on the Sunday mornin? I seem to remember it like a realay race where as 1 tired out hippie lagged at the strain ,another would take his place so about twenty participants in all,in the mud.in the rain,all knackerd etc...etc.

What a great time that weekend.

Efin brilliant

Rob

Ok,

Ok...I remember Bloody Tony Wilson (can't remember the year) - everyone else covered in mud - Anthony H. appears on stage in a pristine white suit - " the trouble with hippies is your all so fucking complacent" ... followed by Joy Division [EDITOR- IT WAS DURUTTI COLUMN!!!!!], I think. I have probs remembering because I was camped in a tent that was pitched at 45 degrees to the vertical on the hillside to the left of the stage as you looked at it. Stoned of course and constipated. The barrel bogs were too much to endure even in that state.

More to follow - good site.

Steve

Hi,

Deeply Vale 77 was my first ever festival. I went with my girlfriend Mel and some friends of hers from school and I think my sister Helen came along. We knew the site because we used to go walking there with our parents. I was 18 that year and had just left school.
First thing I remember is the sound of music drifting up from the site. My memory has it that it was The Fall playing something like psychic dancehall but I don't know if they played. Any way this music was kind of bouncing around the hillsides and warping in and out of phase in a very psychedelic fashion and it all seemed very exciting.

Next thing was the smell, that wonderful alchemy of shit, sweat, dope and woodsmoke which can still get my pulse racing and beats the finest French parfum. We wandered down onto the site and mingled with the exotic creatures cavorting in the valley. A very dirty but beautiful couple were standing by the stage area, looking into each other's eyes and rubbing their feet up and down each other's legs in a most erotic manner. One of Mel's mates said something about "weekend hips and gyps" but I just thought they were lovely.

A little exploration revealed that dope was on sale openly at the various cafes and tat shops and we chose some nice looking people and bought a quarter ounce of blonde leb from them for £7(!). Not knowing any better, me and a bloke i didn't know very well (boyfriend of one of Mel's mates) ate it between us. After that i don't remember too much. We'd only come for the day and when I got home i had to tell my mum I'd had too much cider and go and fall unconcious in my bedroom. My grandma was visiting at the time and I remember how difficult it was to try to speak to her.

I returned to the vale the next two years, staying about a week each time. By 78's festival, i felt like an old hand, having just spent the earlier part of the summer at Stonehenge and Glastonbury (the last free glasto, it rained fairly constantly and Michael asked us all to go home as we had turned his field into soup). Deeply Vale was the best of these festivals, however, as its size (smaller than henge) and location (kind of private and also easy to defend) made for a cosier, friendlier experience. I was with a new girlfriend by then, a feminist lass called Perry and I remember we were campaigning about something or other and going around getting petitions signed and handing out leaflets. I also remember spending a lot of time helping out a bloke who made hot air balloons out of tissue paper. We used to launch them over people's camp fires. They had fire lighters at the bottom and these lit up the canopies, so that they looked like extra moons floating over the festival.

The bands were less important to me than the people, politics, freedom and frolics but i remember some amazing sets by Steve Hillage and I used to love Here and Now. A friend from Uni called Dave (spelt Daze) had played bass with Hillage and seemed to know all the musicians, so I spent a bit of time with them. I remember having a strange conversation with Nick Turner about people injecting LSD into their eyeballs in the 60's. I also remember Syd Rawle pushing a young punk guy off the stage one afternoon, after the kid had taunted everyone for being useless hippies. It caused a lot of contoversy at the time but the Hippy/Punk divide probably died right there.

By the next year we were all pretty much the same tribe.

Martintina xxxxx

Pitched the tent mid afternoon in the school holidays of 77.

Gorgeous summer day.
Right in the middle of nowhere !
As darkness arrived an army of hippies/punks/angels/whatever
descended over the grassy dunes . . . . .
Great food great music top weed
Fantastic memory.

Mark Sims

Hi,

I understand you're looking for anecdotes from people who went to the Deeply Vale festivals - my first Deeply was 1978 when I was a schoolkid, went the night that Steve Hillage and Nik Turners Sphinx played but only got to see Visitor 2035 before I had to go home (boy was I gutted!)

But I remember just as I was leaving there were some "flying saucers" shooting across the valley, just before the Hillage set I guess.

In 1979 there was an excellent benefit gig at Middleton Civic Hall featuring Misty in Roots and the Ruts, Misty playing a few weeks after they'd recorded the legendary "Live at the Counter Eurovision" album, therefore same line-up and probably the same set. Went to some of the festivals that year, can only remember seeing Here and Now and Misty (again) who played at something stupid like 6am. I have a program from that year and some very dark photo's of Here and Now.

Paul Mills

Nigel Dowey now works for Notts County Council

Here are his memories about Deeply Vale.

A fire eater /blower who was painted silver all over got a little enthusiastic in the middle of his act under the multicore wires leading from the mixing tower to the stage. The MC warned him with the words "too close to the wire Silver Surfer" in the sort of Voiceover heard on movie trailers.

Wilful Damage - the first proper punk band[?] at Deeply Vale 1978 [Wilful Damage also played 1979] [The Drones played in 1977 but were more glam punk] Wilful Damage took the piss out of Hippies so much that Sid Rawle threw the lead singer off the front of the stage reputedly breaking his collar bone. A minor riot [considering everyone was stoned] ensued and despite the injury Wilful Damage, by popular demand played on. I instantly converted from Yes/Pink Floyd/Tangerine Dream etc to punk and never looked back.

Hi,

I read the article in M.E.N on friday and it brought great memories flooding back, I went to the last festival held there and Ive been to StoneHenge and Glastonbury festivals as well as the one that was held near Seatle in yorkshire but Deeply Vale was by far the best of all, and even though Im in my Mid 40's I think it should be revived.

If theres any Memorabilia you can send me I would be most Grateful, and if there's any chance of a revival I would be the first to offer my services. Deeply Vale is the Grand Daddy of all festivals and I had the time of my life there, anyway, I really enjoyed the article, I still talk about it to this day, thanks for the memories and the experience, Glastonbury eat your heart out.

cya Scush

Hi,

I was just sat behind my computer tonight bored out of my fucking skull, and for some reason my mind was reflecting back on my childhood days(happier times I suppose) And as I grew up living in Bury-On a small road ajoined to Warmsley RD, I remembered the Deeply Vale festival... (I have a distinct memory of bare footed hippies walking past my house). I must have been about twelve or thirteen at the time and tried to dress like a punk...safety pins stuck in all my clothes that kind of thing, yet listened mostly to my brothers Genesis record, which is a strange mix to say the least. Anyway, I remember going up to the festival with my mates. On the way up way up Warlmsley Rd. just outside the newsagents was a large(well it seemed large to me) gang of leather clad Hells Angels sitting menacingly on there motorbikes...As me and one of my mates were walking past the Hells Angels, they said to me in a deep threatining voice "Are you a Punk?... I kinda just rushed past and didn't say a word.

I remember seeing these Hells Angels again at the festival site...and there was an announcement over the tannoy - it went something like "if these fuckin' Hells Angels give anybody any shit then well give them some real northern shit too etc.etc"...it was something like that anyhow.So it was great to see your site and see the pics of Deeply Vale they not only reminded me of my childhood up at 'deeply' when the festival wasn't there, time spent picking magic mushrooms, that kinda thing:)...The best part of the festival was the people, I remembergoing up to the beer tent to get some beer... there were 2 guys there, one said you can't sell him ought! the other guy just handed me the cider and said "he'll be reet'!" Top Guys, great days...Within todays money mad music industry...Festivals will never be the same again.

Many Thanks Ste

Was absolutely thrilled to happen upon your site! I was beginning to think I imagined Deeply Vale. So it's true then eh? it wasn't a figment of my imagination. I think I was at all the Vale festivals One way or another, I am from the Wirral and there were hundreds of 'heads' here then. Some of my friends some of my friends had a magazine called third stone and one year I remember they had a tent at Deeply Vale and controlled the sounds that were being played in between bands.

I also remember a band called Thandoy one year who were something to do with Here and Now, they had a bongo player who looked like lurch from the Adams family, a moment before they began to play I walked on stage with a bong and handed it to him and he duly took a good old toke..I sat with my friend Alan Hanley (sadly no longer with us) and also the synth player from Here and Now. and we watched the poor bugger try to play his bongoes while stoned for England!!!...He kept looking over at us and looking up to the heavens, it was hilarious... happy days. I also remember Steve Hillage playing there, that was special. Anyway, thanks alot for doing this site, youve made an old balding Hippy very Happy.

Cheers Steve

Hi,

My name is Martin Greenwood and I was in a band that played in 79 called MUDANZAS. We came from Rochdale. I have been trying to find a listing of bands and any info on Martin@Greenwood3281.freeserve.co.uk

Thanx Martin Greenwood

Misty In Roots were the first roots band I ever saw live Before mi sight Ras Ta. I was at a free festival near Manchester UK in a beautiful valley called Deeply Vale. We were camped very near the stage and were woken up at dawn by MIR I will neva forget it. Must have been 1978 or 79 cah my youngest dawter was about three years old. Could be they started I on this path mi now trod cah a coupla years after mi sight up, seen. give thanx and praise for these righteous idren Jah Blessing,

Mary Dread from LONDON ENGLAND

Hi,

I was fortunate enough to be at Deeply Vale two years running back in the late 70's (can't remember which two though - Memory loss for some reason ??) I remember the Mirror Boys playing one year and Steve Hillage another along with the obvious Here and Now. I was camped just off what we call the high street and shared a fire with someone who claimed to be in a Magazine. A few Hells Angels turned up (delivered good gear) and a police road block was set up at the end of the road to prevent access. I drove a Singer Chamois which was finally impounded by the law for being unroadworthy. People dont believe me when I tell them that this festival actually happened so its great to see a website with some pictures. Good work. Who knows why the wind blows?

Andy Merret

In the middle of the 70's there was a free festival organised in a small valley near Bury in Lancashire that became known as Deeply Vale. The site was not easy to find but once found it soon became apparent that it was idyllic for the purposes of a multi-day festival and it gained enough recognition to attract the likes of Steve Hillage and Here and Now to play there.

One had to travel along single lane farm roads to reach Deeply Vale and as one reached the venue one could see it formed a natural area for Performances. The 'Vale' was triangular with most of the tents being set up at the pointed end and the stage at the pointed end and the stage at the opposite end. The valley sides were quite asleep and there was a small reservoir behind the stage area where the great unwashed could do there laundry, obtain water for cooking or drinks, or have fun splashing about in it, if my memory serves me well the latrines were simple chemically-treated holes in the ground.

A part from the mystical quality of the music the main things thats stick out in my mind are the free availability of drugs, the free food tent and their accursed beanburgers (only a two-man tent) and the sounds of a myriad different musical tastes being exercised when the stage was off air'.

A typical day was;

up in the late morning and on with the kettle man, can't function without hot liquids to wash away yesterday's excesses. Then perform ones toilet procedures and set about preparing some lunch. At the same time this process was being performed by a couple of hundred other bleary eyed new age gypsies so you made sure you were at the top end of the stream when it came to having a wash. My goodness whatever happened to those big titted hippy chicks that let it all hang out when it came to sorting out ones personal hygiene?.

Mid afternoon and things started to happen around the stage area. Equipment arrived, sound systems would crackle briefly to life and the free food kitchen would show signs of a glorious veggie stew starting its creative path to reality. Oh my guts!

Early evening and there would be some groovy music being played over the stages P.A. system as things began to happen and before long the first band would take to the stage.

Night fell and the music played on. Band after band performed and the dark would ensure that the world disappeared and we would remain encapsulated within this bubble of musical creativity with the sight and smell of camp fires, food and joints floating in and out of ones perception. Ah those were the daze!

I even took my dog along to one years festival. Man he enjoyed it too but I have too admit he wasn't a good traveller and on the first of his visit he became involved in a little territorial dispute with another four legged friend which resulted in the demolishing of a neighboring tent. Oops, peace man?

Deeply Vale lasted approximately 4 years before it became defunct. Someone did try to keep it going at another location, pickup bank overlooking Darwin and Blackburn, high up on the windy moors but it just wasn't the same and eventually the police and landowners contrived to make it impossible for them to carry on. So one year we turned up but the festival didn't. My main memory from pickup bank was trying to find the latrines whilst there was a pea souper of a fog and I was in a state of altered reality. These things just don't go together!4

Pete Piwowarski