You are not the only one with Big John's disease...
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Robert Wiggin wrote on 21 Oct 2021:
It doesn't appear on your tour pages, but Martyn played a show at a hotel, the Eagle Mountain House in Jackson, New Hampshire. All these years later I'm not sure of the exact date, but I'm guessing it has to be in 1985 when he was doing a small number of shows in New York, Boston and Montreal. Sometime in between those shows he must have made the detour to New Hampshsire.
No idea how or why he played there, other than what I heard at the time, that the hotel owner at the time was a huge fan, he had some connections in the industry as he had managed one or two folk-ish musicians for a time, and somehow booked John to play the show.
I was a latecomer as a fan, my introduction being Glorious Fool, but I wasn't gonna miss this show. He played as a trio, Alan Thomson and I assume Spencer Cozens, and a drum machine. I have no memory of what songs he played, but remember him as being very funny and outgoing, with that sort of dry English humor. There were maybe about 100 people who showed up for the show in the hotel's ballroom.
David Davis wrote on 18 Apr 2021:
Had the good fortune to see John pretty much every time he played the Baltimore/Washington corridor. My first time was seeing him blow away Traffic at the Baltimore Civic center. Lots of feedback and he got frustrated and went to echoplex for much of the night, wonderful. Favorite show June 8, 1977 at The Cellar Door. Stayed for both sets and had a drink and sort of conversation (couldn't understand him at all) with John during the break.
Webmaster wrote on 30 Apr 2021:
Did not know about the Cellar Door show! But the Washington Post ran a review I discovered.
Simon Meredith wrote on 03 Apr 2021:
Canterbury concert, University of Kent.
I remember John Martyn performing solo at Keynes College dining room. We sat on the floor and I was amazed. I think it was my first year which was 1972-73? I don’t see it listed on your concert tally..
William Ellis wrote on 17 Mar 2021:
Hi - I was at this gig and photographed John and the support - one Tracy Chapman. She played her debut album basically form what I can remember.
Keep up the great work,
Best, Will
Frances Matthews wrote on 15 Feb 2021:
Regarding the 30 November 1977 Newcastle Polytechnic show: This was a tiny, totally informal gig. John Martyn sat on the floor and we sat around him in a circle. There was almost no light at all except from the city behind through the huge glass panes. He seemed very relaxed and the first thing he said was "Anybody got a spliff?" - to which request we (the small audience) rapidly responded with conspiratorial laughter. It was just like being in a front room or a bar, with friends, but with the most enthralling and original music, ever.
Thanks for your site and all the interesting information and for reminding me of the date.
Michael Garner wrote on 31 Oct 2020:
I definitely remember seeing the man perform (solo) at The New University of Ulster (Coleraine) in the early 1970s in one of the lecture halls. Given that he played in November of 1971 at Queen's University in Belfast, it was quite probably a day or so either side of that date. Great gig, great memories: does anyone else remember it? It was the first but not the last time I saw him live.
Webmaster wrote on 16 Jan 2021:
Christy Moore also has a recollection of this concert in Phase 1 (the Students Union Building) at what was then the NEW University Of Ulster in Coleraine in the early seventies:
"I recall that gig in Coleraine, either ’72 or ’73... Planxty played that night with a youthful John Martyn who mesmerised us with his beautiful music... Later we were stopped at a road block manned by the Ulster Defence Regiment (1970-1992). At least one of them was a drunken uniformed lout who was most unhappy at the sight of our 'fenian' licence plates... We were very relieved to get through... John was very unsettled by the experience as were the rest of us..."
George Burt wrote on 12 Oct 2020:
About Neil Ardley's Harmony of the Spheres. I'm surprised and disappointed that JM's contribution to this gets so overlooked. Neither John Neil Munro nor Graeme Thomson give it much attention. The music sounds very challenging to play and the band are all top-notch Brit-Jazz players, none of them with a reputation for putting up with time-wasters.
JM must have made a significant effort to do it. I can't think of another guitar-player with John's background who would even think of attempting it. Richard Thompson maybe. According to Graeme Thomson, JM was in one of his booze and drug binges at this time, wandering around in a dressing gown, with a walkman strapped to his head. Doesn't sound like it to me! Another small point. Pepi Lemer was singer on the jazz scene back in the 70's. I saw her perform a couple of times, a very clear pure voice I remember... No human being in the history of humanity has ever been called "Pepsi Iemer". Keep up the good work! Cheers! George
Webmaster wrote on 13 Oct 2020:
Must have been a typo.. I stand corrected :o)
Chuck Chiavarini wrote on 03 Sep 2020:
I was looking at your list of 1973 shows and noticed that May 3, 1974 is missing. That was John and Danny at London Polytechnic with a band called Unicorn as support. Lovely evening. I can send you a picture of the ticket if you like.
Cheers!
Webmaster wrote on 04 Sep 2020:
Wonderful addition after all these years, thank you
Mark Gregory wrote on 24 Aug 2020:
Hi, I am trying to date a gig at St Andrews Hall in Norwich for the Green Deserts Charity. It was either 88, 89 or 90. I have photos of John from the gig which was with just a keyboard player. We were there as a support act and I am trying to date the gig for a project about our band I am doing.
Thanks Mark
Graham Marsden wrote on 10 Aug 2020:
Saw John perform Ophelia with The Band at The Apollo Hammersmith in the 90s..
Webmaster wrote on 24 Aug 2020:
This case is documented in the giglist: 1996-06-20 UK, London, Forum. Guest appearance at The Band concert. "Mysteriously, John Martyn wandered onto the stage and richly intoned the chorus of Ophelia, then just as mysteriously vanished again. [...] Levon Helm from behind the safety of his drumkit called for 'Bobby O' to come back on. Then added 'He's called Bobby O in the States. He's just shy.' That was just the first of the euphemisms that seemed to be circling the stage that night."
John Kovacevich wrote on 29 Jul 2020:
Dear Big Muff, I saw John Martyn many times both in New Zealand and England and interviewed him once for The University of Auckland student newspaper Craccum. The first time I saw him was at The University of Victoria (Wellington, New Zealand) Union Hall, on Friday 26 August 1977. I wish to add some information to your comprehensive gig history and correct elements of the review by Raymond Jones. It was after he had toured Australia and not before. He drank a bottle of Coruba rum (not Bourbon) straight followed by the Coca-Cola. I sent you the review for your pages separately. Thank you for a great website and keeping the spirit of a great musician alive.
Webmaster wrote on 20 Aug 2020:
Thanks for the review and for providing the exact New Zealand gigdate. I made the necessary adjustments. And found three new Australian dates in the process!
Alan wrote on 04 Jul 2020:
Hi. I was intrigued to find your site. The exhaustive list of gigs particularly interested me because as a 19 year old lad living in Leeds, I caught a JM gig in Leeds Town Hall the night before I went to live in Spain for six months. It was in the last few days on January 1985. I remember it clearly because I was nervous about the move to Spain the following day and therefore the gig is clearly fixed in my mind, with JM on stage in front of the iconic Leeds Town Hall organ. So I was perturbed to see no listing in your site. You have him playing dates in Ireland at that time. Am I wrong or are you? Let me know please.
Webmaster wrote on 04 Jul 2020:
The gig list is exhaustive but also not complete. It is quite possible that John played the Leeds Town Hall somewhere between Friday January 25th and Monday January 28th. We'll see what comes up.
Andrew Hoaen wrote on 18 Jun 2020:
I loved seeing John play and saw him several times in the eighties, it's funny I saw him at the gig at Zeffirellis in Ambleside in October 1984. Everyone has different experiences of gigs but I thought it was a fabulous intimate performance, just him hanging really loose and jamming. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste. Great project.
Terry Newton wrote on 18 Apr 2020:
I met John Martyn unintentially on the 11th December 1978. My local pub named The Augustus John, near Liverpool University (popular with students) was often a meeting place for people attending concerts at the university's Mountford Hall venue. I and my friends had seen many concerts there ourselves - Ian Gillan Band, Climax Blues Band, Nutz, Roy Wood (yes!) and many local or lesser known bands. We normally had a few beers and played pool all night, the pub was busy, come 7.30pm it emptied out (people off to the concert nearby no doubt). Around 8pm two guys came in and put money down on the pool table. I was playing against one of these guys (winner stays on pool rules) and I asked him if he knew who was playing at the university? Me! came his reply, and who's me? John Martyn he said, my support act is on first. We were none the wiser, sorry we had never heard of him, I was 21 years old and into rock music at that time. According to your site info his support would have been Steve Tilston.
Anyway just a little story I just had to share with his followers and what better site to post it on.
John Martyn RIP.
Martin Cowan wrote on 12 Apr 2020:
Looking through the gig guide, I note you have Durrutti Column as support act for the October 1982 show at Hammersmith Odeon. However, I was at this show and I believe that Any Trouble were the support. I think DC had been due to support but were unable to due to Vini Reilly’s ill health.
Also, I saw JM at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry in June 1985 but this is missing from your list. I was hoping to find out the date but it seems to be a ghost gig as unable to find it listed on the internet so far!
Best wishes, Martin
Webmaster wrote on 14 Apr 2020:
Tim Hyder produced an advert of the Coventry Festival 1985: John Martyn performed the Belgrade Theatre on Saturday the 10th August..
Iain Thow wrote on 30 Mar 2020:
The Leeds festival JM played at in 1983 was over the weekend of 9, 10 & 11 September. I think John was on Saturday's programme (so the 10th). John did indeed play a superb solo set, one of the best I ever saw him do. Despite it pissing down all weekend and the site becoming a swamp, it was a great festival. Runrig headlined on the Friday night (and were ace) and Stockton's Wing and (if I recall correctly through a haze of Guinness and snakebite) Moving Hearts were the other two headliners. There were also excellent sets from Dick Gaughan (another highlight), Martin Simpson and the Battlefield Band. The latter had to play an extra long stint because the electrics failed due to the deluge and they could carry on acoustically, which whoever was supposed to follow them couldn't. A fantastic weekend.
Webmaster wrote on 30 Mar 2020:
Great, I edited the giglist accordingly.
John Shakeshaft wrote on 28 Jan 2020:
12 Feb 1975 - I attended this Liverpool University gig also and Paul Kossoff was supposed to play there too but was 'ill' supposedly. We only went to see Paul Kossoff being mad Free fans, but John Martyn was so good that we all became fans. Also I was at Zeffirellis Ambleside and my wife and had a pizza on the table next to John and the boss of Zeffirellis I presume. The gig was good but yes he was pretty drunk!
John Burns wrote on 28 Dec 2019:
On the Live In Milan 1979 page, the word 'stronzo' is translated as bullshit! Not quite, it is one of the worst Italian insults going, meaning tiny little piece of shit. Much worse than va f'anciulo (go fuck yourself) which is said in a playful way by comparison, see Lenny Bruce on the same subject. You'll soon get an Italian's attention using stronzo/stronzi!!
Webmaster wrote on 31 Dec 2019:
I corrected the note.
Bob Meyrick wrote on 19 Dec 2019:
I can confirm the Nottingham University gig was on the 11th of February [1975], not the 18th - I still have my diary from that year and (how sad is this) the student newspapers... John was joined by Danny Thompson on bass and John Stevens on drums. Apparently Paul Kossoff was supposed to be there, but was apparently chemically inconvenienced. Cheers, Bob Meyrick
Rab Zappa wrote on 28 Oct 2019:
I saw John play live about six times, some good, some not so. Our local venue Alnwick Playhouse were casting around for suggestions of who to put on in the late 90's? I said try JM. They booked him but made the mistake of paying him before he played. Town painted tartan… He only just made the stage an hour late. Amazingly he could still stand and make beautiful music but only for about half an hour. We'll never see his like again, songwriting of a god…
Andrew Dellow wrote on 14 Oct 2019:
Hi. I have been looking on your site to check some dates of old concerts I went to see John Martyn - Leeds University and Putney Half Moon. I found them which was great.
I thought you may want to include another performance that is missing from the list. I went to Cecil Sharp House in Camden to see something called 'Concert for Perform' on Saturday 28 February 1981. To be honest I don’t remember what the 'Perform' bit referred to - I imagine it was a musicians charity but don’t know. Anyhow, Cecil Sharp House is -as I’m sure you know- the HQ of the English Folk Song and Dance Society. I remember a small hall with a number of bands/ musicians through the day. I know this as I recorded bits of it on my old portable Philips cassette recorder on a TDK C90 which I came across the other day. I wrote on it the name of the groups performing as well as the date and I would have done that on the day pretty much. Other bands I recorded were in order - The Arizona Smoke Revue, John Martyn, The English Country Blues Band, The Watersons, Martin Simpson and June Tabor, Happy Traum. I can’t remember who else if any were there. It was a one day thing and a good real ale bar is all I remember.
The recording of John Martyn has Jelly Roll Baker and May You Never as well as a typical bit of JM comedy in between. I remember he wasn’t on long but don’t remember if he played anything else.
Cheers, Andrew
Barronell Bayley wrote on 15 Aug 2019:
I remember being at a John Martyn concert [unaccompanied, no backing musicians/ singers]. Think it was at the university but possibly the NOTTINGHAM Polytech. He was a bit nervy but in between drinking his beer, breaking a guitar string and talking in a nervously fidgety manner, he played and sang quite beautifully. I remember everyone was sat on the wooden floor, in not a very big venue/ room. Do you have anything on this gig at all?
Saw him many years later at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil in May 97. Said he was just getting over a bout of cold/ flu but was absolutely brilliant, vocals wonderful. Anyone else there that night would testify the same. Hope to hear from you.
Gwyn Morris wrote on 02 Aug 2019:
This looks interesting, The John Martyn Project appearing in Exeter, Truro, Shrewsbury, Sheffield, Leicester, London and Bristol in September
https://www.thejohnmartynproject.com/
also in Eindhoven in January
https://www.songkick.com/concerts/38578664-john-martyn-project-at-meneer...
Chris Walters wrote on 30 Jul 2019:
Hi, saw John at 1994-12-02 UK, Ashburton (Devon), Lanterns. Jason Feddy was the support act, and he played a few more gigs on that tour with John. Jason was successful in his own right and is now a Cantor, radio presenter and musician in California.
Webmaster wrote on 30 Jul 2019:
Thanks, I made a note.
Gordon Lees wrote on 17 Jul 2019:
Although my memory of the seventies is patchy (for various reasons!) I remember seeing John at Leeds University in November 1979 - I remember it was snowing and the buses went off! It was a solo performance - and jolly splendid it was too! The Leeds University website has it recorded under Autumn term 1979/80 https://alumni.leeds.ac.uk/Live-at-Leeds
Webmaster wrote on 25 Jul 2019:
Nice tip, this was 21 Nov 1979.. Will make a note and take a closer look at the archive page, too. They made one mistake, 13 Mar 1975 must be February.
[Les Oman] wrote on 06 Mar 2019:
John Martyn and Hamish Imlach both performed in The Glen [Carradale] at The Antares Memorial Concert, an evening that will take quite some beating. [The fishing boat Antares sank in the night of 21 November 1990 after it’s nets came in contact with a nuclear submarine, ed.] Gerry Singal who owned the Glen Bar and Restaurant got Hamish Imlach (a friend of his) and John Martyn to Carradale where they did a fantastic gig in the packed Glen, all in aid of the 'Antares Fund'. John broke off his tour to Spain to do this benefit gig.
Apart from the music, there was a surreal moment where a dead sheep wrapped in binliners was raffled while JM cradled it in his arms. Then Hamish crooned an impromptu blues about the sheep which had a call and response, which John then joined in with!
[Les Oman] wrote on 20 Feb 2019:
Iain McGeachy, alias John Martyn is from Dalintober fishing stock and if I remember correctly there is some background info on this in Angus Martin's book about Kilkerran Graveyard.
Back in the day, he used to come to Carradale for his holidays every year, sometimes with legendary double bassist Danny Thompson who featured on many of his classic albums and live shows. Strangely, they came on the service bus to go fishing, and one time famously, were getting a lift from Lochgilphead as some of the Crofters were up at a Dick Gaughan concert, so they ended up doing a floor-spot in Lochgilphead Folk Club. Apparently Dick was only too glad to lend JM his guitar and the Janny from the school was summoned to get a double bass for DT. When they were announced by the organiser, who still couldn't believe what was happening, Danny got up and said something like "The ******'s away for a fish supper" and proceeded to terrorise the audience with a performance of the legendary Haitian War Dance [Haitian Fight Song by Charles Mingus, ed] he used to perform with the Pentangle!
Anonymous wrote on 15 Jan 2019:
You have missed out a gig at Battersea Town Hall, somewhere in the Summer of 76/77. Definitely around the release of One World. Opening act was Stan Tracey, doing Under Milk Wood. John was doing a benefit for Danny Thompson, who apparently had had a heart attack (although rumour has it he was compering the Cambridge Folk Festival at the time). The concert was called F.M.O.B. Fond Memories of Battersea, where Danny was in a Dr Barnardos Home. John renamed it Fuck My Old Boots.
Now I come to think of it, this was the first time I heard Small Hours and One World and Big Muff, so I guess it must have been before the release. It was the upstairs of Battersea Town Hall. Can't have been more than a hundred people.
Naturally the amplifier screwed up. Is there an engineer in the audience? After much cursing from John, one was found. While John was provided with various 'gifts' from the audience, playing resumed and we were treated to an amazing, chest reverberating, One World.
I think this has to be my fave concert. I reminded John about it when he was over here in New York in 1998. I think he remembered!
Webmaster wrote on 15 Jan 2019:
The concert was 30 July 1977. This comment was e-mailed July 1999 but somehow missed to be included here.
Peter Emmens wrote on 03 Jan 2018:
In 1971/ 1972 I was Social Secretary at Brighton Poly. John did a solo gig at the Friday Night Club. If memory serves me it was during February 1972. He was outstanding and everyone had an excellent time.
John Wilde wrote on 13 Sep 2017:
[When Live At Leeds was sold by mailorder] I worked with Beverley. Packaging and mailing records, visits to the post office 3 times a day. For anyone that is interested, I sat in on the Inside Out recordings where I did the album art which was used in the gatefold cover. A real honour and extraordinary pleasure hanging out with such legendary artists.
I was his roadie for those dates and then went to Europe with him. It was an eye opener and great fun. We know what an original John was and to see him recording with Steve Winwood, Chris Wood (Traffic), Bobby Keyes, Remi Kebaka (Traffic) and Danny Thompson was a dream come true to me. I will never forget it.
Marc ter Horst wrote on 23 Jul 2017:
A couple of things are not right, I know because I was present at the gig of 3-11-1991 at Tivoli Utrecht. Support act was Calvin Russell but John didn't want to play after Calvin so John opened first. I was there and there was no pulling the plug. Had a chat with him after the show, his son was also there.
Jon Storey wrote on 21 Jul 2017:
From your concert listing:
1982-10-23 UK, London, Hammersmith Odeon (perhaps Dominion). With band, supporting act Any Trouble. "Extra show by public demand." Tickets £3.50-£4.50.
This gig was at the Dominion, Tottenham Court Road, London - I was there and remember Any Trouble was supporting John and his band. I taped both artists although unfortunately my tapes have since been lost.
Parker Drew wrote on 10 Mar 2017:
I can add one gig to John Martyn's history. While supporting YES on tour in 1974, he played on March 2nd, 1974 at the Louisville Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. It was my first-ever YES concert... and my birthday. That YES concert was a magical night. I doubt anyone in the audience had even heard of John Martyn. He was the perfect opening to the evening.
Joe Quilty wrote on 19 Feb 2017:
He definitely did two gigs in Les Cousins post the Central London Poly gig with Loudon Wainwright III [30 October 1971, ed.]. I know because I was there for both, and the first time I ever saw him was by chance when I went to the Loudon gig. The first one was possibly still in 1971 but more likely in 1972. The second one was on the closing night when Les Cousins closed its doors for the last time [April 1972, ed.]. That night he was in a seriously, in earnest, awesome, riveting mood to play out Les Cousins. That night was simply, amazing... I remember it well. I was 16 years young at the time and I nearly missed the last tube on the nearby Northern Line, the gig ran on so late. Just got there in time, by shear luck - phew! I had no clear idea at what time the last tube left Tottenham Court Road. All I knew was that No Way was I leaving Les Cousins before the end...
Chris Rigby wrote on 12 Feb 2017:
John played at Birmingham University Students Union in the Christmas term 1970. This would therefore be between early October and mid-December. Your gig guide has massive holes for late 1970 - I hope you can find more details about this gig, so you can fill at least one!
Phil May wrote on 31 Oct 2016:
I saw John, with Danny Thompson, at the Woughton Centre, Milton Keynes, in 1986 (it could possibly have been early 1987, but I don't think so). It was a seated gig, with no support, probably a warm-up. The material was very similar to the German concert CD release from that time. Any clues as to the exact date?
Peter Clarke wrote on 12 Sep 2016:
Hi - only just discovered your wonderful site. Brilliant. BUT I have a problem - probably of my memory! I went to see JM and full electric band at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester in the early 80's and take this to be either the 23/10/81 or 20/09/82 gig. I even got back to the after gig 'party' as I was with Susie Stockton from the pro-folk organisation 'Perform', who knew him. It was a bit flat afterwards and he was keen to know if I'd enjoyed the gig. I said I had but it was actually a real disappointment - hardly any of the subtlety and jazzy-folky feel I had loved at previous gigs in the 70's.
My recollection is that his record company (Island? WB?) were trying to break him as a major rock act and it just wasn't happening. The nadir for me was a song with a repeated word ('Brazil'?) as the hook. However -and this is really the point of my query!- I then went a few years later to see him and it remains one of the very best gigs I ever went to - a real return to his very best with all the classics. But as for details, 30 years later I can only assume my memory is lacking as I can't see it on the gig list. I thought it was a trio with Danny Thompson and a black guy on percussion and it was at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and that it was in the middle-ish 1980's. I also thought I'd been told that he was broke and was doing these almost unofficially to get some cash together. Any help? Whatever the actual facts, it was a totally brilliant gig!
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