Viv Albertine remembers first time she saw the Third Ear Band.

Viv Albertine, singer, guitar player, founder of seminal female punk band The Slits (1977-1982), in 2014 published an autobiography titled "Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys" where, at page 41, quite surprisingly, she writes a short memory on the Third Ear Band...

"One of the strangest bands I saw around this time was the Third Ear Band at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I found out about then through listening to John Peel on the radio. He was always mentioning them. He played on their record Alchemy. The music was over my head, really difficult, but I understood their ideas - experimentation, pushing boundaries and not conforming to musical clichés. I stared at the stage, I couldn't tell if one of the players  in the band was male or female, the tall skinny one with  long black hair; I stared and stared at this one hoping and hoping that they were female. I left without knowing as she or he had their head down the whole time."

 

"Me and my friend Zaza went to see Third Ear Band again (even though they were very experimental, they played all over the place and had a big following) in July 1969 when I was fifteen. They opened for the Rolling Stones at the ‘Stones in the Park’ free concert in ‘the cockpit’ — the big dip in the grass in Hyde Park. King Crimson were on too."

 

Would she be pleased today to know that a woman also played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall... Ursula Smith?

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The Al Stewart and Third Ear Band's 1970 tour programme.

 

 

Among the Third Ear Band memorabilia in my archive, this tour program has a special place because it was given to me years ago by Steve Pank, the band's first manager (and driver). As 'lived-in' as it is, when I leaf through it for me it is always a pleasure to look at.

It is interesting to note the band's introductory note with the famous motto “art form or con?” devised by Blackhill and the comments to the individual tracks in the set. These include the apparently unreleased Druid 11(almost ironic, since we know Druid and Druid One exist in the repertoire) and Labyrinth, with that laconic “Find the end.”
 

Truly jarring the iconography and writing of the Band and the following promos for Al Stewart, 'authentic star' of the tour. Can you imagine what Paul Minns might have thought of this unlikely encounter?

 

The tour, almost certainly the longest ever undertaken by the Third Ear Band, began on January 3, 1970, at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and touched 16 English cities from the south to the north of England, ending on February 27 with an appearance at the Dome in Brighton.

 

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"The Crab & the Crescent Moon" original poster!

With Steve Pank, one of the eyewitnesses to TEB's early years in the role of tour manager, it was always that way. His memories come up a little at a time, over the years I've gotten used to it.

A week ago, totally unexpected, he wrote me an email with a magnificent poster of the band attached, one of the best ever made (Carolyn thinks so too), and told me the anecdote that follows:

"There is a story with this. The Third Ear Band was doing a gig on the evening when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.
I was staying in Richard flat, when we got back, we turned on the TV and watched live footage, of Neil Armstong walking on the moon. A short while later, later Glen said to me that he had had a dream the night before about the Crab and the Crescent Moon. 

I said, 'That would be a great title for a concert!' Dave Loxley agreed to do the poster, and this is the result."

Held on September 20, 1969 at Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), the evening was promoted by Blackhill Enterprises and also featured Bridget St John, Sam Hutt and DJ John Peel. 

About Sam Hutt, Steve writes that "he was a friend of Peter Jenner . He's a qualified doctor, who at time prescribed medical cannabis. Later he became a spoof country singer under the name of Hank Wankford."

 

International Time ad (April 1969)

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Three historical magazine ads of TEB gigs found.

Here's below three historical ads for 1968, 1970 and 1971 TEB gigs, I've recently found in the Web.

TEB-Al Stewart English tour, January 3rd, 1970

November 29th, 1968

March 8th, 1971

 

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