THE ’70s is renowned for its Rock ‘n’ Roll, and this year celebrates the 40th anniversary of one of the most memorable rock festivals in Powys.
The Knighton Rock Festival in 1970 was a landmark in the history of rock and pop music in the UK, and the festival was one that was inspiration for festivals such as Glastonbury, which started a year later.
This festival included names that were soon after to become huge names in the world of rock such as The Move and Alexis Korner.
The idea for the festival was formed by three boys from the Knighton area – Chris Plant, Gareth Kell and Elwyn Powell– who worked tirelessly for 18 months to organise the festival which took place in August, 1970.
But the boys needed help along the way which they got from a young Knighton town councillor, John Jordan, who managed to get permission to hold the event.
Although the music on offer wasn’t to his taste John was enthusiastic about the festival and recalls persuading the town council to allow it.
“I did stick my neck on the line. I was seen as the hippy councillor, but I admired what the lads were doing”, John recalled, “I was in my mid 30s and the other councillors were in their 60s and 70s, and it took a lot of work to persuade the older councillors to allow the festival.
"There was a bit of animosity from some of the people in the town, but generally people thought it was a good idea. The festival went really well.”
Poet Crispin Thomas, a hippie who lived in Bleddfa at the time, spoke fondly of the festival, its success and its innocence. “It was simple and humble as an event. That time was just incredible.
“It was very sweet and very innocent in a way, the festival was done naively, but it worked and there was no trouble. It was a brave place to do something like that, the word ‘pop festival’ in 1970, literally was shock horror. It was a time when people were trying to express themselves with music.”
Chris Plant one of the organisers of the event spoke fondly on the time at the festival, despite his total exhaustion from organising it. He said: “In short, I remember the build up to the festival as one of the most exciting and eventful periods of my life but the day itself as a blur of exhaustion.
“I remember the caterer threatening me with legal action because the public was using the back stage bar. I remember the Move arriving in a wave of arrogance and demanding immediate payment or they would leave. I remember giving in to sleep well before headliners Piblokto and The Move took the stage. I remember waking to find the stage being dismantled and the audience having long gone.”
The festival went largely in peace despite fears about drugs, of which there were undoubtedly some incidents, but the Chief Inspector at the time dubbed the general behaviour of festival goers as excellent.
This year, the spirit of the festival will come to the Powys town again. Knighton Community Centre is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the festival with the help of original organiser Chris.
On August 21, 2010 the community centre welcomes Ska legends The Beat to the town. Supporting them with the irresistible rhythms of Zimbabwean Jit will be Chimanimani, originally from Harare and now UK festival favourites.
* THE Knighton Rock Festival in 1970 saw some big names come to the Powys.
The biggest name of the event saw The Move come to the Radnorshire.
The Move were one of the leading British rock bands of the Sixties, with nine Top 20 singles over five years.
After Knighton the band morphed into The Electric Light Orchestra (aka ELO), one of the biggest bands in the world during the Seventies. Roy Wood left them early on to form the glam rock hit machine Wizzard.
Alexis Korner was another headliner at the festival.
Having given a first break in his band to such promising talent as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker of Cream, Jimmy Page and R obert Plant of Led Zeppelin, as well as popularising on this side of the Atlantic the use of the electric guitar for playing the blues and promoting the UK audiences of such blues legends as Muddy Waters, Alexis had earned a few lie-ins by the Seventies.
In his later life he was most famous as a radio broadcaster - and of course the hit recording of “Whole Lotta Love” he made with his band CCS became the theme music for TV’s most famous music show ever, Top of the Pops.
Other big bands included Forevermore, James Litherland’s Brotherhood, Clark Hutchinson, Pete Drummond, Killing Floor, Roger Bunn and Pete Brown and Piblokto with Pete being poet and lyricist to Seventies supergroup Cream.
Many rock fans would now dream of seeing such a line-up, but on August 23, 1970, these names, many of which went on to become big names were gracing a field in Knighton with their music.