Membership Card
Aqua
UMIST (Barnes Wallis Building)
1976

“AH,UMIST,SAT NIGHTS,HAPPY DAYS.MY FAVOURITE MEMORY IS OF SITTING ON THE LAWN IN FRONT OF THE BARNES WALLIS BUILDING WITH MY NEWCY BROWN,AND SEEING A SCRUFFY,BEARDED,LAD WALK DOWN THE STAIRS AND INTO THE BUILDING.HE THEN PLUGGED IN HIS GUITAR AND PLAYED THE MOST MESMORISING MUSIC ID EVER HEARD COMING OUT OF THE LARGE OPEN WINDOWS ABOVE ME.THE TRACK WAS CALLED SMALL HOURS,AND OF COURSE THE BEARDED LAD WAS JOHN MARTYN.I WAS SO CAPTIVATED BY THIS MUSIC THAT I SNEAKED IN TO THE HALL,AND JUST SAT ON THE FLOOR AND LISTENED TO THE ONE WORLD ALBUM PLAYED JUST FOR ME.TO THIS DAY I DONT KNOW WHY I WASNT THROWN OUT,BUT IT WAS THE BEST SOUNDCHECK IVE EVER HEARD,THANKS JOHN,THE GIG WAS GOOD TOO!”

“I remember being on that lawn too,but feeling not too good sometimes after all that that Newky brown.I remember Dark Side of the Moon coming from the very loud rock disco. Some of the bands I saw there were Caravan,Judas Priest,George Melly and the Feetwarmers,The Drones,Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias,Sailor.In those days everyone sat on the floor at concerts and I stood up and told Sailor that they were c--p.”

“I saw all the bands that bouncy listed & many more, however the most memorable was Gong with Steve Hillage his final tour before going solo,Anyone remember Procul Harum playing around the same time ? Their finale was like last night of the proms..brilliant”

“I think my card was pale green - they probably changed colour each year.”