|
Deeply Vale Free Festival One had to travel along single lane farm roads to
reach Deeply Vale and as one reached the venue one could see that
it formed a natural arena for performances. The 'Vale' was triangular
with most of the tents being set up at the pointed end and the stage
at the opposite end. The valley sides were quite steep and there
was a small reservoir behind the stage area where the great unwashed
could do their laundry, obtain water for cooking or drinks, or have
fun splashing about in it. 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 another glorious
veggie stew starting its creative path to reality. Oh my guts! I even took my dog along to one years festival. Man he enjoyed it too but I have to admit he wasn't a good traveller and on the first day of his visit he became involved in a little territorial dispute with another four-legged friend which resulted in the demolishing of a neighbouring tent. Oops, peace man?
|
In
the middle of the 70's there was a free music festival organised
in a small valley near Bury in Lancashire that became known as Deeply
Vale. The site of the festival was not easy to find but once found
it soon became apparent that it was idyllic for the purposes of
a multi-day music festival and it gained enough recognition to attract
the likes of Steve Hillage, Misty In Roots, The Fall, The Out, Durutti
Column, Here & Now and many more bands to play there. 
A
typical day was;
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
Deeply
Vale lasted for approximately 4 years before it became defunct.
Someone did try to keep it going at another location, Pickup Bank
overlooking Darwen 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. 
The Doors
Roger Dean
(70's Album Covers)
Hawkwind
(Official)
Hawkwind
(Also Official)
Vivian Stanshall
(Official)
|
|
|
|
|
|