Bronco: Time Slips Away - A Recording, Concert & Radio / TV Sessions schedule

1969

December
14th – Frank Freeman's Dance Club, Kidderminster – from booking Victor Sylvester, Joe Loss and Edmundo Ross via becoming the local Mod hangout with DJ’s Paul 'Pig' Jennings and Rod Gilchrist, Frank’s earned a reputation as one of the key gigging-spots in the West Midlands. Fleetwood Mac and The Strawbs were regulars and, prior to Bronco forming, Tyrannosaurus Rex played an Easter all-nighter while the final four numbers of a Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band show were recorded on a portable cassette player by John Peel - standing in a doorway since the doorman wouldn’t let him in - and the songs ended up on a five CD retrospective entitled Grow Fins. Indeed, so famed was the club that Kidderminster Library staged an exhibition of photographs taken by Colin Hill showing bands who played at Frank Freeman's Club during 1968/69. Amongst these were a few pictures of The Alan Bown Set, including Jess.
15th - First time ever in the studio for Bronco. Destination, Olympic Studios in Barnes, London with the legendary Guy Stevens producing - initial tracks laid down were So Long Between (later to become Time, So Long etc) and The Good Is Inside - later discarded
??? - Southampton

1970

January
31st – Back to Olympic Studios again - and once more with Guy Stevens at the helm. Two tracks (with provisional titles) that were still very much in their infancy were laid down - My Bawley Friend and High In Sky. Both, over time, would re-emerge.

February
12th – Final session at Olympic with Guy Stevens, more work on High In Sky
20th – The Locarno, Sunderland

March
7th – The Pheasantry, Kings Road, Chelsea, London - as its name suggests, was originally used to raise pheasants for the royal household. In its time, it has played host to many notable residents including Augustus John, the artist Martin Sharp and Eric Clapton; in 1916, Princess Serafima Alexandrovna Astafieva opened her Russian Dancing Academy on the first floor; her most famous pupil was the young Peggy Hookham, better known as Dame Margot Fonteyn; it was also the home of Eleanor Thornton, thought to have been the model for The Spirit of Ecstasy mascots on the bonnets of Rolls Royce cars and Dylan Thomas drank at the club on the same premises during the 1930's while the nightclub was the venue for early UK gigs by Lou Reed, Queen and Hawkwind, among others, besides being where Yvonne Elliman was discovered by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, leading to her role Jesus Christ Superstar. Nowadays, it is a... Pizza Express.
16th – The Pheasantry, Chelsea, London

April
9th - Recording at Basing St - versions of All The Love I Sing (later, of course, to be called simply Love) and Home are laid down. Sessions engineered by Brian Humphries with Richard Digby-Smith (Diga) assisting.
19th - Basing St again and more work on All The Love...
20th – The Roundhouse, Chalk Falm, London (Patto, Traffic, Mott the Hoople, Bronco & If) – originally built in 1846 as an engine shed to turn around steam-trains, the Roundhouse was also a warehouse for Gilbey's Gin before, in 1966, Pink Floyd played at the launch for International Times while, in 1968, it was the scene of The Doors only British concert. It closed in 1983 but has since been re-furbished and re-opened. A 'fan' remembers - I saw Bronco play the Roundhouse. They did a version of Neil Young’s ‘The Loner’. Staggering…
30th - Basing St - and recording Civil Of You Stranger with Diga engineering and Bob Potter (later to work with the likes of Marianne Faithful and Paul Kossof) as tape-op

May
5th - Further sessions at Basing St - working on Home, with Brian Humphries engineering the sessions
8th - Back into Basing St, recording Time (So Long Between)
11th - Friars, Ayelsbury
16th – Van Dike, Plymouth - originally based in the old Exmouth Road Church Hall in Devonport - carved out its own unique niche in British rock history over the years; it was founded by former BBC bass player Greg Van Dike and played host to a veritable who’s who - including David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Roxy Music, Leonard Cohen, Bob Marley, Queen, The Sex Pistols and many more besides. So important as a venue was it that Fairport Convention debuted their groundbreaking Liege & Lief album there 3 months before its official London (Festival Hall) show.
23rd – City Hall, Newcastle

June
1st - Basing St - a session that resulted in a song entitled From A Hillside
2nd - Another day (night) at Basing St - recording Bumpers West with Brian Humphries engineering
3rd – Fox on the Hill, London, Denmark Hill, London (The Fox, which dates from the 18th century, was originally situated further down Demark Hill and was known as Little Denmark Halls. In time it became known as ‘The Fox Under Hill’ but, after being bombed during the Second World War, it was rebuilt further up Denmark Hill itself)
6th – Loughbourgh University
7th – St Georges Hall, Bradford (Free & Bronco)
9th – Town Hall, Watford (Free & Bronco)
11th – Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (Free & Bronco)
12th – Exeter University (Coloseum, Bronco & Blodwyn Pig)
14th – Civic Hall, Guilford (Free, Bronco & Eva Show)
15th - Basing St once more - sessions that saw the recording of Well Anyhow
16th – The Locarno, Hull (Marmalade & Bronco)
? – The Greek Theatre, Bradfield College, Berkshire (Bronco & Gracious!)

July
7th – BBC Radio Sessions (Mike Harding)
22nd - Another session at Basing St , this time with Diga engineering. Tracks worked on included Bumpers West and Love (that had mutated from All The...)
25th – Kidderminster, Town Hall (Bronco & Pure Wings)

August
18th - Basing St once more and the first takes for a new soing take shape - simply entitled Improvisation
21st - Back into Basing St and... Improvisation breathes new life as... Lazy Now. A productive day (or night) because that single's B side was also cut in the same session - A Matter Of Perspective (with the late Clifford T Ward lending a hand)
23rd – The Lyceum, The Strand, London (High Tide, Fotheringay & Bronco)
25th – The Speakeasy, 48 Margaret Street, London W1 (once owned by the Kray twins and one of the most famous London clubs... ever; where members of The Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and Clapton regularly hung out and jammed on stage - it also boasted debut performances from David Bowie to Deep Purple; from Bob Marley to King Crimson, Cockney Rebel to Elton John
31st – Coatham Arms, Redcar (Yes & Bronco)

September
2nd – The Speakeasy, 48 Margaret Street, London - the same night, the band were back in Basing Street, working on Love and Misfit On Your Stair with Paul Samwell Smith producing
18th – The Nags Head, Wollaston - another gig, another long night in the studio - Love, Bumpers West, Misfit and Civil... all being finished off with Paul Samwell Smith producing. Brian Humphries and Diga engineered these sessions
25th – Van Dike, Plymouth
26th – Berkshire College, Reading
30th – The Marquee, London (Mott The Hoople & Bronco)

October
2nd – Hampstead Country Club (Bronco & Heaven)
23rd – Lazy Now / A Matter Of Perspective released
27th - One of the live Bronco stalwarts was cut this night at Basing St - an instrumental entitled Bicester. The same night, the band cut Discernible.

November
6th – Country Home released

December
1st – Resurrection Club, Barnet
11th – University of Bristol, Clifton (Atomic Rooster, Bronco, Idle Race & Dream Police)
13th – The Lyceum, London (Mighty Baby, Bronco, Osibisa & Howl)
17th – The Rainbow, Finsbury Park, London
18th – The Rainbow, Finsbury Park, London
19th - Liverpool Stadium (Cat Stevens, Mott The Hoople, If & Bronco)
21st – Dudley Town Hall (Mott The Hoople & Bronco)
23rd - During a busy gigging (and writing) month, the band cut Sudden Street for their forthcoming Ace Of Sunlight album - Brian Humphries once again engineered with Diga manning the tape machine.
26th – Birmingham Town Hall (Mott The Hoople & Bronco)
29th – BBC Sessions (Mike Harding) - although not accurately documented, it is probable that for this Radio Session, Bronco also played unreleased tracks: Baby When You’re Near (later to become Amber Moon); Old Grey Shadow; Steal That Gold; Strange Awakening; Talking Jack Humphries as well as a version of Woodstock.

November
12th – Lancaster University (Amazing Blondel, Bronco & John Martyn)
13th – Imperial College, London
20th – Wembley Empire Pool, London (Led Zeppelin, Stone The Crows & Bronco)
20th – Rainbow Theatre, London (Bronco, Gypsy, Bridget St John, Mick Greenwood & Formerly Fat Harry - a benefit show to pay off the debts incurred by the Glastonbury Fayre, now of course, better known as... The Glastonbury Festival. It was in 1971 (the second Festival to be held at Worthy Farm) that the first pyramid stage was constructed out of scaffolding and expanded metal covered with plastic sheeting and built on a site above the Glastonbury-Stonehenge ley line. The musicians who performed - including Hawkwind, Traffic, Melanie, David Bowie, Joan Baez and Fairport Convention - were recorded on a now exceedingly rare triple album while the festival was filmed by a crew that included Nick Roeg and David Puttnam. Approximately 12,000 attended - for free... hence the benefit show at The Rainbow.
21st – The Greyhound, Fulham, London
22nd - Back into Basing St with Diga once again but, the sessions produced nothing of worth

December
21st – Friars, Ayelsbury (Bronco & String Driven Thing)

(with grateful thanks to Demitri Robinson whose initial research contributed enormously to the creation of this page)