Deeply Vale Festivals
| Deeply Vale Festivals | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Punk rock, rock music |
| Location(s) | Bury in northwest England |
| Years active | 1976-1979, 2015 |
| Founded by | Chris Hewitt |
| Attendance | 20,000+ |
| Website | |
| Deeply Vale Festival | |
The Deeply Vale Festivals were unique free festivals held near Bury in northwest England in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. They are regarded as significant events that united punk music into the festival scene. A revival took place in March 2015.
In the 1970s Rochdale resident and associate of John Peel (through his links with the band Tractor). Chris Hewitt was one of the main organisers of the event between 1976 and 1978 along with residents of a commune further up Oldham Road in Rochdale, Hewitt's inspiration for Deeply Vale Festivals was partly triggered working on Bickershaw Festival with Jeremy Beadle in 1972 and an event at Rivington Pike in August 1976. Chris went on to produce many other festivals and concerts and start a record company Ozit/Dandelion Records.
Starting with an audience of 300 camping for two days in 1976 watching space rockers Body and John Peel favourites Tractor, the festival grew to 3,000 in 1977 (bands including Andy McCluskey's Pegasus, a forerunner of OMD in 1977) and by 1978 and 1979 to 20,000 people watching bands and camping for six days.
The Home Office-sponsored body that reported on many pop festivals from the mid-1970s - Festival Welfare Services - said in a report on the 1978 that the 20,000 people event at Deeply Vale Festival "was actually better organised than the large Bob Dylan concert at Blackbushe the same summer" "In fact in 1978 it was a model for how festivals should be run". It was the biggest free festival in England ending its annual run in the actual valley of Deeply Vale after four years in 1979.
As with the 1970s festivals, Deeply Vale hoped to bring together music of all styles, to create new styles and genres and maybe break a few. Since music seems to follow trends set already in history by names such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and many others who broke the musical mould of the 1950s and 1960s turning the times into a psychedelic outlook on life. Deeply Vale has been credited as a catalyst for many current bands who have formed since the 1970s festivals. Amongst people who claim to have been in the audience at Deeply Vale from the next generation of musicians and Deeply Vale inspired them to pursue a musical career are Andy Rourke of The Smiths, David Gedge from the Wedding Present, Dave Fielding, Mark Burgess and Reg Smithies from the Chameleons, Jimi Goodwin from the Doves, Boff Whalley from Chumbawamba Steve Cowen from the Mock Turtles and Ian Brown from the Stone Roses.
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