The Pop Corporation

The Bickershaw Festival is the stuff of legend in the North of England, and to anyone with an interest in the UK’s festival scene.

Staged in a mining town with not much going on in 1972, the show was spearheaded by Jeremy Beadle, who would of course go on to have a very interesting life and big TV career.

Who played in this Northern hotbed? Well, taking the stage was Captain Beefheart, The Grateful Dead, Hawkwind, The Kinks, Wishbone Ash, Dr John, Donovan, Cheech & Chong, The Incredible String Band, Country Joe McDonald and many more.

While this is all reasonably well documented elsewhere, this BBC piece is magic for the response of the locals. Listen out for someone being asked if they’ve heard of yoghurt, an old woman spitting “dirty sluts, y’nuthin’ else!” and a Wigan trader calling himself ‘The Count’ with impressively rank teeth.

This is a beautiful, charming and really funny document of a legendary festival that was beseiged with problems and whatnot.

Don’t hesitate in watching this.