Tragic news broke on the morning of 16th September 1977 when it was revealed that glam rock icon Marc Bolan had been killed in a car accident. Bolan had appeared seven years previous at High Wycombe Technical College (4th December 1970) as front man of the soon to be giant T.Rex. He had also appeared a few years earlier at The Nag’s Head in their earlier incarnation – Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Just 29 years old at the time of the his death, Bolan was being driven by common law wife Gloria Jones, when their purple Mini hit a tree in Barnes, London. A 30 year old Jones escaped with a broken jaw and but was initially not told of the heart-breaking news of the death of her partner and father of two year old son Rolan.
This is Bolan in his last TV appearance before his death – an impromptu jam session with David Bowie on the ‘Marc’ TV show broadcast in the UK on ITV during August and September 1977.
The ‘Marc’ TV show also featured several up and coming ‘new wave’ bands, including some who had played live in High Wycombe earlier in 1977.
Here is Generation X performing ‘Your Generation’ – they had performed at The Nag’s Head on four occasions in 1977 before they appeared on the ‘Marc’ show.
I’ve made this post a featured story again to mark the 41st anniversary of the death of Marc Bolan.
Interesting to note that on the 1st anniversary of his death (16th September 1978), Siouxsie and The Banshees played Aylesbury Friars with Spizz Oil and Human League support. The Banshees played ’20th Century Boy’ as an encore in tribute to the great man.
The Banshees had played High Wycombe on three previous occasions (twice in 1977) and then again in April 1978. The latter saw Spizz Oil also in the support role but that was a night remembered more for the crowd problems.
Earlier on the same day as the Banshees gig at Friars, Spizz had played support to The Stranglers at Battersea Park in a line-up that also included Peter Gabriel and The Skids.
What a day!