Reading Festival exhibition to open at town's museum
Exhibition will open shortly before this year's festival at the end of the month
The 50th anniversary of the first Reading Festival will be marked with a special exhibition at Reading museum.
‘The 1971 READING FESTIVAL: For the First Time’ will open just before this year's festival and tells the story of the very first festival through rare and unseen photographs, posters, ephemera, and unique items of rock memorabilia.
Reading Museum has enlisted legendary rock photographer Jill Furmanovsky to curate the story.
The show will include previously unseen work by some of the most renowned exponents of the art of music photography, including Michael Putland and Ray Stevenson.
The exhibition is narrated by Record Collector magazine’s Ian Shirley. With his specialist knowledge of the history of pop music, Ian has delved into the archives and tracked down musicians and fans to share an enlivening account of the first festival.
Ian has also curated the music played in the Sir John Madejski gallery to evoke the sounds of the first festival.
Melvin Benn, Director of Festival Republic who has been organising Reading Festival for over 30 years recalls his first visit in 1972 and the headline act The Faces, fronted Rod Stewart:
“As a young lad, I was passionate about my music. I still am, but I could never have imagined that one day I would be responsible for staging the Reading Festival and its sister Leeds Festival which we’ve been running since 1989.
“Over the decades I have developed a great feeling for the memories and sense of togetherness that music brings to people’s lives. This continues to inspire me to constantly be in search for new artists and acts to bring to the stage.
“It is lovely to look back on our history and see how we stay true to be a Festival all about presenting the very best music of today, alongside the top breakthrough acts for the future. This is not something that’s going to change.
“I look back on these decades at the helm of Reading Festival with a sense of pride and of responsibility. Festival Republic has been at the forefront of the work to help the UK’s multi-billion-pound festival industry to recover from this wretched virus, that has disrupted our plans and caused pain in our lives.
“I am sure that, with Reading Museum, Jill Furmanovsky and Ian Shirley working together, this will be a wonderful exhibition to put a smile on visitor’s faces and be a brilliant showcase of our shared history. Reading will always be the home and birthplace of this legendary festival and this exhibition will do nothing but renew the determination to make it a smash hit every August bank holiday.”
Cllr David Stevens, Mayor of Reading, said:
“It is fascinating to see Reading Festival’s real history within Reading, with intrinsic links to our deeper past. It came to be in Reading as a result of the desire to celebrate the 850th anniversary of Reading Abbey, and as we reflect this year upon the legacy of 900 years of the abbey in our town, we have great pleasure and interest in looking back on fifty years of this incredible cultural and musical jamboree staged on our riverbanks.
“I am sure the exhibition will be of great interest to music fans of all ages. By giving a broader understanding of the social and historical context of Reading Festival, it will be of great appeal to the Museum’s wider audience too. As we emerge from the difficult challenges that the last 18 months has presented for Reading’s cultural life, we are sure this exhibition will be a great celebration of the festival, one of our town’s treasured cultural assets.”
‘The 1971 READING FESTIVAL: For the First Time’ is free to view and runs from Thursday 26 August 2021 – Saturday 29 January 2022 in the Sir John Madejski Gallery, Reading Museum.