Pop goes to Warwick University

 

Pop goes to Warwick University

by Pete Clemons

The student side of Warwick University has had, for almost 60 years, a positive reputation regarding the entertainments it has put on. Dances, for example, were arranged around term times but also events such as the Presidents Ball, Freshers week and Valentines were also celebrated annually.

But it seems it wasn't quite so easy establishing those entertainments and getting them off the ground. Going by some recent articles I discovered, the mid 1960s appears to be when the university decided to expand its horizons, create an entertainments budget and encourage the growing beat culture to its campus.

The following are extracts of university papers, from 1965, that indicate how Warwick went about creating such an event.

UNIVERSITY DANCES: In order that the students themselves should be able to play an active part in the selection of groups for University dances we include the following selections. Please indicate your preference and return the slip to the entertainments committee office as soon as possible: The Animals, Georgie Fame and. the Blue Flames, Manfred Mann, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, The Hollies, Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers, Moody Blues, Merseybeats, Pretty Things, Yardbirds, Zombies, Spencer Davis Group, Downliners Sect, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond Organisation, Alexis Korner, The Who - suggestions also welcome.

THE DANCE: The First Warwick dance (the advertisers -apparently forgetting there was a dance here) was unfortunately not too well favoured by the University students, however, The Falling Leaves and The Chads gave a very reasonable performance. The vast majority of the people who came along were from other colleges, or were of undetermined origins and it was these who enabled the organisers to make a profit of thirty pounds. After the dance, students from one of the other colleges in town made off with our "university of Warwick" sign, and yesterday, after many enquiries, the union received a message from Lanchester saying that they would return the sign as soon as possible.

The poor representation of Warwick University students at the dance sponsored by the Liberal Society, shows that something is drastically wrong with the social life of the University at weekends. The ratio of students from the neighbouring colleges to Warwick students must have been ten to one. Unless more of our university students take an interest in dances sponsored by the University, and other social functions at weekends, the social life here is going to be abysmally dull from now till the end of the year. If everyone take a negative attitude, this is not going to help matters much. So why not come in future and mix with your fellow students from the University as well as from the other Coventry Colleges.

As well as fascinating I found these notes about the early events to be quite amusing. Interesting to note also that it was Oxford's The Falling Leaves, who had a minor hit with 'She Loves to be Loved', and not one of those suggested groups, who appeared at that early dance. Of course Warwick University dances went on to become bigger and better, ultimately becoming a huge success and attracting some huge names.

A superior Beat/Mod 45 from Oxford's Falling Leaves who made this one single for Parlophone in 1965 before cutting 'Beggar's Parade' on Decca the following year. They were Rod Stephens (vocals),Will Patrick(Guitar),Mal West(bass),Neil Stanley(organ) and Larry Nedel (Drums).