Hidden history: Roxy Music legends broke up at York gig

YORK has welcomed many great rock and pop acts over the years.

Today we take you back to the summer of 1973 when Roxy Music played a gig in the Museum Gardens on Sunday, July 8.

Sadly, we've not been able to locate any old photos of the now legendary band playing on the night - but we have unearthed a review of the concert that was published in The Yorkshire Evening Press the following day.

We also have a photo of the purpose-built concert stage and what we believe was one of the warm-up acts before Bryan Ferry et al appeared as top of the bill.

From this photo, you can see how hundreds of people were sitting on the grass by the stage, patiently waiting for Roxy Music.

A poster from the event tells us more. Simply headlined: York Mystery Plays & Festival of the Arts, it promotes a "Spectacular Open Air Pop Concert in the Museum Gardens York". It warns that there is "limited stand seating only" - with all seats £1.

Poster for the Roxy Music gig in York on July 8 1973

As you will see from the Press article, our reviewer - and the crowd - were not impressed with most of the show, particularly the first performers.

Things changed dramatically, however, when Roxy Music took control of proceedings.

And as we reveal later, the gig was to be especially poignant for the band, which by 1973 had already had musical success with its first single Virginia Plain - which reached number 4 in the UK charts. The band had also just released its second album, For Your Pleasure.

That fateful night in York was to be last time Roxy's electronic keyboards whiz Brian Eno performed live with the band - and a dramatic scene between the York crowd and singer Bryan Ferry appeared to have exacerbated tensions between the two musicians.

The Press review of the July 8 show - published the following day - has the headline "Flashy, loud and exciting" and reads:

"For a while, it looked as if last night's York Festival pop concert in the Museum Gardens was going to be as exciting as a wet firework.

It began with a recital by the Portsmouth Sinfonia, whose claim to distinction is their inability to play their instruments.

For three-quarters of an hour, they strangled a number of popular classical works, adding bits here and missing notes there. You name it and they couldn't play it.

The whole thing, of course, is a joke - but a joke which quickly wears thin. It was not long before the young musicians were being showered with paper planes and requests from the audience to 'Get off!'.

After that, it was up to Lloyd Watson to try to set things alight. There was never any fear of his being worse than the Portsmouth Sinfonia, but his music was a bit too limited for an audience who were there to see Roxy Music.

When Roxy Music came on stage, they changed everything. What had previously been a slow and somewhat boring event suddenly became flashy, loud and exciting.

The group are an unusual mixture of hard rock, space-age electronics and 1950 rock and roll. It is a mixture which finds expression in the different way each member of the group dresses.

Lead singer Bryan Ferry and saxophonist Andrew Mackay, both with slicked-back hair, look as if they have strayed in from the musical, Grease. The man in charge of electronics looks as if he is from another planet. The lead guitarist, bassist and drummer look like "normal" rock musicians."

Photo from the York Festival of July 1973 - crowd patiently waiting for Roxy Music

The keyboard player, described by our reviewer as looking "as if he is from another planet" was none other than Brian Eno, who went on to have a phenomenal musical career working with some of the biggest names in rock and pop including David Bowie, David Byrne and Talking Heads, U2, Grace Jones, Coldplay and Damon Albarn.

In an interesting pop-trivia twist, the York gig was to the the last time Eno performed live with Roxy Music - he left the band that summer.

Accounts of the gig reveal there had been tension on the York stage. Apparently, Eno fans began shouting over Bryan Ferry's singing, which prompted Eno to leave the stage in an attempt to calm the situation.

The drama happened while the band performed the song Beauty Queen - which turned out to be the last song Brian Eno performed live with Roxy Music. While Ferry was singing Beauty Queen, the crowd started to drown out his voice with a loud chant of "Eno! Eno!".

How The Yorkshire Evening Press reported on the York Festival July 9th 1973 - including the Roxy Music gig in Museum Gardens

Press readers have been sharing their memories of the night too in our nostalgia group on Facebook at Why We Love York - Memories (facebook.com/groups/yorknostalgia).

Dave Thorp wasn't there but said he could hear it at home in Acomb! Irene Hollett says she listened from the nearby Bay Horse pub in Marygate. 

Dave Furnell was 15 and was right at the front - on his own at the gig. Mick Knapton was even younger: "Was 13 and on the side of the stage with the Press photographer. After the concert we went to the party in the Marygate entrance. Met the band. Got autographs. But lost them years ago."

It's been many years since music fans enjoyed gigs in the Museum Gardens. However, just last month, York's Shed Seven staged two sell-out 'homecoming gigs' - riding high on their number-one album, A Matter of Time, coinciding with 30 years in the music business for the band led by charismatic frontman Rick Witter.

Share your memories

Were you there? We'd love to hear your memories of the night Roxy Music played in Museum Gardens - and see photos if you have them! Email - maxine.gordon@thepress.co.uk. Or join the conversation in our nostalgia group on Facebook at Why We Love York - Memories. Find us at: facebook.com/groups/yorknostalgia.