As I am starting to get a little older I seem to enjoy reflecting on the most obscure things that really make me smile. Memories can become somewhat hazy as the years go by and some things are remembered differently than others. I recently shared an anecdote with an old friend about being stranded in a local bus station after missing the last train home following what I thought was a Camel gig. She was very quick to correct me and point out that it was a Peter Gabriel gig. Nevertheless, something’s you never forget. Things I remember fondly are the smells of life. In the beige era of the 1970’s the things around us seemed to smell differently. This may be down to the ageing process or quite simply that the odours we encountered then aren’t there any more? Pubs for instance, they had a smell all of their own. The culture of the pubs in Northern towns and cities were based around serving beers and lagers and the aroma of them hit you when you walked through the door. That coupled with the once plush and well used stools, chairs and tables all combined to the feeling of being there.
The same can be said of attending concerts back then. Once in the auditorium you were amongst people with their chosen colognes, perfume and of course patchouli. This also just like the pub added to the whole experience of the event. Of course this differed to the lager stadium gigs later on which to be very honest I never warmed to. So too were outdoor events, festivals and their like, which is probably why I have never been to Glastonbury. Reading festival in 1977 put me off for years to come. Not helped in part by the weather, dancing idiots spilling beer down my back and the melange of burger vans with their smell of onions, hot dogs and burgers all mixed in with the stench of weed and urinals. I returned home after the event with trench foot and a stinking cold. I encountered similar to a smaller degree at a Genesis gig in Roundhay Park in Leeds circa 1986. It wasn’t until 2010 that I actually reneged and attended Download festival in Victoria Park London and by this time so many things had changed. That said, I do remember all of the above experiences positively.
These days festivals are for the most part held indoors with half decent toilets and facilities to accommodate the older attendee. The present cycle of festivals mostly held under a roof are a more tranquil affair with a great deal of camaraderie and a respect for one another that only comes with age. However, I did recently suffer the wrath of an aggressive individual in the bar of such a festival and I nearly left for the evening and to return my digs. The one thing that kept me there of course was the music. The one thing that has never changed about attending a concert for me is the bands and artists who’s music moves me in differing degrees. It isn’t just well established bands of yore, but new and exciting musicians too who don’t have the luxury of older bands having record labels behind them and cost no object studio time. Bands and artists of today have a much harder time of things due to the decay of the music industry and the chasing the dollar attitude of those willing to exploit them. Yes, the smells of attending gigs may have changed slightly with age, though the stench of streaming sites and those out to deny bands from making a living at their chosen craft is intolerable.
What has improved over the years is the human contact between artists and their followers/fans. Back in the 70’s you had to be a stage door Johnny and hope that you could get back stage for an autograph and say hello to your idols. These days the bands deploy themselves to the bar or other public areas to mingle with their audience making them feel special, bonding rather than isolate. Many of the bands who managed to make their mark back in the day could learn a thing or two from today’s crop minstrels. I recall meeting many of my revered bands and being shunned or moved long the myriad of like-minded people who were ushered inline for a quick hello and a scribbled line on their program. Only a few notable exceptions escape this recollection, one of them being Andy Latimer of Camel.
So, we are now in May 2026 and limbering up for a Prog Day In May at the Key theatre in Peterborough. I am as excited now as I was as a child awaiting my lift to see Pink Floyd. Five bands/artists, people I know and whom I have met before will be there so I know that it will be a great day. It may not have the smells of the 1970’s, but the vibe and the sense of wellbeing is very much the same. It all smells Ok to me.
