What a mixed bag this event was. It looks like the promoter has made some effort somewhere to present some logic to the programme, the more rabble rousing bands appearing on the opening night..... but the Rich Kids opening for David Essex!?
FLAC: https://we.tl/t-VtqS22hKt6
Artwork (by Manu Gomez): https://we.tl/t-KKcK9olfUx
01. Mr Clean
02. All Mod Cons
03. To Be Someone
04. Billy Hunt
05. Away From The Numbers
06. Sounds From The Street
07. I Need You
08. The Modern World
09. Tube Station
10. Here Comes The Weekend
11. A Bomb In Wardour Street
12. David Watts
Paul Weller at Wembley Arena
29th November 1978
The Festival was reviewed in the 9th December 1978 issue of Sounds. The gig sounds like hell on Earth in the massive aircraft hanger that is Wembley Arena. Bored kids, up for a fight, crap, overpriced beer and bad sound (for all bar The Jam it would appear). The Jam it seems dragged the night up by its boot straps in the opinion of the reviewer, turning in a blistering, tight and angry set.
Sounds 9th December 1978
I went to the first night of this, principally to see The Jam and The Pirates, although I liked Slade too - from what I remember it was pretty much as the review says. And I'd actually forgotten that Generation X played. Oops!
ReplyDeleteHey Leigh. ;)
DeleteOh well never mind. Poor old Billy. I never got to see The Jam and as such I would have been content to see them anywhere, but there are a thousand places that would come before Wembley Arena.
ReplyDeleteI went with a couple of mates from school, we were hopelessly out of our depth!
ReplyDeleteI went to this. On my own 'cause the guys who I was supposed to go with chickened out. I thought the sound was excellent and enjoyed all of the bands. I obviously went for The Jam. My ticket was right at the back upstairs but I just walked through and down to the very front of the stage. Weller announced that somebody had been stabbed and skinheads were outside waiting to beat people up. I phoned my Dad to come pick me up and he did the 15 mile journey in under half an hour expecting to find me in a pool of blood. There was no blood. There were no skinheads. Weller made it up for dramatic effect. He did stuff like that back then. Great night.
ReplyDelete