EPPING FOREST FOLK FESTIVALS

To look back at the press cuttings and advertising material for the two Epping Forest Folk Festivals is kinda scarey.What on earth possessed us to do it at all? How could we have done it for a weekend ticket of £5 (if purchased in advance obviously)? Times obviously got harder the second year as we put it up to £5.50! We had a lot of help from friends,artists,the local authority and the venues (mind you we’d spent enough over the bars of some of them over the years).

Festivals had always loomed large for me.My first was Cambridge –my fondest memory from that was listening to Colin Scot very late at night (probably doing the Beatles ‘Here Comes The Sun’.Anyone know what happened to Colin – he used to be a firm favourite in these parts – a regular at the Bishops Stortford club.I guess my favourite festival was Norwich – a smaller more civilised event (you could even wash if you felt so inclined).My wife’s fondest (and still oft talked of) memory of Norwich being Johnny and Phil Cunningham! (a terrible dilema – love of music or just pure lust).Not I suspect that we analysed it at the time but I guess what we were trying to achieve was a cross between the musical styles and feel of a festival like Norwich but set in a small selection of venues more like Christchurch (more of a dance event of course). The gear box in my Avenger gave up the ghost at Christchurch (it would only go in reverse).

Laurence Heath designed the festival logo.This is it.I still think it is rather good.

Much advice was sought from all and sundry but I think Ian Anderson,Maggie Holland and Alex Atterson had to bear the brunt of our ear bending.In the end we followed a policy that had worked quite well in our clubs,namely book people we liked both as people and as performers.We never bothered much about whether musical styles should be mixed up – if it was good put it on!

The First Festival was held May 11th-13th 1979 with the following line up:

JUNE TABOR and MARTIN SIMPSON

FRED WEDLOCK

PETE ATKIN

DERROLL ADAMS

THE ALBION MORRIS MEN

NICK JONES

SPREDTHICK

MR GLADSTONE'S BAG

PETE and CHRIS COE

ALEX ATTERSON

HOT VULTURES

DAVE PEABODY

DAVE EVANS

PETER ROWAN

MAJOR MUSTARD’S TRAVELLING SHOW

Pictured here at one of two festival shows.This one a free show for children.They later appeared in more adult mode (if that’s possible with Punch ‘n’ Judy) at the ceilidh with the Old Swan Band

ADRIAN MAY

JENNY BEECHING

TICKLERS JAM

OLD SWAN BAND

MERIDIAN LADIES MORRIS

SCRUB JAY ORCHESTRA - Who are they? I hear you ask.They were Hot Vultures and Martin Simpson and their appearance at the festival was their ‘official’ public debut.

‘It may not be 1979’s Bandoggs but it sure is fun’ Ian declared to Melody Maker.Melody Maker responded to this wisdom by describing Hot Vultures as ‘intrepid warriors’ and Martin as ‘folk’s black sheep elect’

Two press reviews deserve to be included in full.The first by Colin Irwin of the Melody Maker, the second by Ken MacKinnon from Folk News:

JUNE TABOR and MARTIN SIMPSON	FRED WEDLOCK
PETE ATKIN	DERROLL ADAMS
THE ALBION MORRIS MEN	NICK JONES
SPREDTHICK	MR GLADSTONE'S BAG
PETE and CHRIS COE	ALEX ATTERSON
HOT VULTURES	DAVE PEABODY
DAVE EVANS	PETER ROWAN
MAJOR MUSTARD’S TRAVELLING SHOW Pictured here at one of two festival shows.This one a free show for children.They later appeared in more adult mode (if that’s possible with Punch ‘n’ Judy) at the ceilidh with the Old Swan Band	ADRIAN MAY JENNY BEECHING TICKLERS JAM OLD SWAN BAND MERIDIAN LADIES MORRIS
SCRUB JAY ORCHESTRA - Who are they? I hear you ask.They were Hot Vultures and Martin Simpson and their appearance at the festival was their ‘official’ public debut.
‘It may not be 1979’s Bandoggs but it sure is fun’ Ian declared to Melody Maker.Melody Maker responded to this wisdom by describing Hot Vultures as ‘intrepid warriors’ and Martin as ‘folk’s black sheep elect’