In the late 1960s and early 70s, Mothers Club of Birmingham was widely recognised as one of the best rock venues in the world. In its short life it played host to some of the greatest names in rock, from The Who to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath to Free, Deep Purple and Fleetwood Mac to Canned Heat and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Pink Floyd recorded part of their live album ‘Ummagummaat’ the club in 1969. Resident DJ John Peel, who attended most of the gigs there called it “the best club in Britain”.
This May, some of the bands that played there in its heyday, plus emerging bands from the current vibrant Birmingham psychedelic and progressive scene are to play in a unique 50thanniversary charity gig.
The concert, on Friday 10 May 2019 in the iconic ballroom of Sutton Coldfield Town Hall will be headlined by Soft Machine, with performances from The Groundhogs, Edgar Broughton, Stan Webb’s Chicken Shack, Steve Gibbons and NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) pioneers, Quartz, plus a second stage of new bands.
Birmingham music scene enthusiast Dave Gordon dreamed up the event, working with sponsors Psychotron Records, a local record shop which specialises in music of the era. Any profits are being donated to Worldwide Cancer Research charity. The event will also feature a wall of memorabilia and photos, including unique posters, which will be sold to raise money for the charity.
The Mothers Club, set above a furniture shop in the city’s suburb of Erdington, attracted the best bands of the era. The club, run by John ‘Spud’ Taylor and promoter Phil Myatt was twice voted the world’s best venue by America’s Billboard magazine. It opened its doors on 9 August 1968, closing less than three years later on 3 January 1971. It represented an incredibly important time in British musical history and has been widely celebrated in media over the years.
Worldwide Cancer Research is a charity that funds research into any type of cancer anywhere in the world. They fund projects in the world’s best research institutions and support diverse and unexpected projects.
