The Bucolic Frolic

Martin Claytor celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Knebworth Festival

- Martin Claytor

An English country house, dating back to the 15th century and set in the Hertfordshire countryside, seems an unlikely setting for a rock music event. Fifty years ago, however, that would all change as the owner threw open the grounds to host the 1974 Knebworth Festival - the first of what would become one of the most popular and successful open-air rock and pop concerts in the country.

In 1974, music promoter Freddy Bannister was keen to host a single-stage one-day festival. He found the perfect ally in Lord David Cobbold, owner of the Knebworth estate and keen to encourage events for public visitors. With the aim of keeping prices low and giving value for money, Bannister set about booking a strong line-up in the ambitious hope of attracting a big crowd. He would not be disappointed.

On Saturday 20 July, an estimated 60,000 people, described in one account as a mix of hard rockers and hippies, descended upon Knebworth's grounds. Some had camped overnight in an adjoining 12 field and were now waiting expectantly in the tree-fringed natural amphitheatre for the acts to start. With alcohol and various other substances freely available, the crowd's mood in the warm weather was relaxed and good humoured.

Titled "The Bucolic Frolic", the festival's stage line-up appeared good value for the £2.75 entry fee. First up was American singer-songwriter Tim Buckley, mixing folk and jazz with rock in front of an audience that still had a few late arrivals drifting in. Poignantly, this would be Buckley's last UK performance - within a year he had died of a heroin overdose. In a complete change of mood, the flamboyant Sensational Alex Harvey Band were next up. Dressed colourfully and indulging in theatrical choreography, the band's inventive rock soon livened up the crowd.