Incredible String Band - Coventry Cathedral 1970 (Cancelled)

 

Incredible String Band - Coventry Cathedral 1970 (Cancelled)

By Pete Clemons.

Cathedral intervention. Just as it seemed as though the new Coventry Cathedral was going to relax its policy of holding amplified gigs indoors.

During 1970 Coventry Cathedral authorities clamped down following complaints over The Pentangle concert and subsequently caused the cancellation of the performance in the Cathedral of the Incredible String Band during that years Rag Week.

During July permission to hold concerts in the Cathedral was obtained from the Provost. In October at a discussion with the Musical Director of the Cathedral, Mr. Lepine, the Committee were told to go ahead and book the artistes. He imposed no conditions except for the hiring charge of £25.

Last month Tony Phillips, the Rag Chairman, saw Mr. Lepine again who informed them of the problem with acoustics. Many people had walked out of the Pentangle Concert because they could not hear, and a similar complaint had also been received over the Jacques Loussier Concert last November. He also said that there had been much pressure on the Cathedral both from above and from certain sectors of the public over the Concert.

The indignation seemed to centre on the inappropriateness of a modern pop-folk musical group performing in a church. Though normally he would have been able to give the go-ahead, he felt that the changed situation needed further confirmation from the Provost. The Provost confirmed the bookings but said to contact Mr. Lepine again as time was short. Mr. Lepine then communicated a new rule of the Provost: no amplification equipment of any sort to be allowed in the Cathedral.

This was the Cathedral's solution to the echo problem created by the amplifiers - the sound carried backwards to the Altar and then rebounded, echoing down the length of the nave. The Rag Committee, however, believe it is no solution merely to bar amplifiers, but that experiments should be made with stage and speaker positions.

It would be impossible, said Tony Ward, to have the Incredible String Band and the Modern Jazz Quartet play without amplifiers, because some of their instruments are so quiet that no-one would be able to hear properly. When Tony Phillips, Tony Ward and Pete Herd saw Mr. Lepine to arrange the conducting of such tests, he said they had to use the Cathedral as it was, with no rearrangement of the seats etc. because it was a church.

He also referred them to the Provost for permission to carry out these tests. Here they met a blank wall. An interview arranged for Frank Harris and a Director from Midlands Sound Services to see the Provost was cancelled at the last minute on the grounds of there being nothing to discuss, the decision already being made.

Conversation became quite heated when Frank Harris spoke to the Provost on the phone a week later, but still no luck. Finally the Committee managed to book the Methodist Central Hall (off Hertford Street) for the Modern Jazz Quartet on Friday March 7 but it was booked-up for March 4 so the Incredible String Band had to be cancelled.

The Central Hall holds 1300 as opposed to 1800 in the Cathedral, but acoustics are infinitely much better. The net result will mean an overall profit of only around £200 for the single concert in the smaller hall, losing an extra £700 which would have been gained from the original plan.