Tuesday, 30 July 2024

T in the Park 1994

 


30-years ago, T in the Park launched at Strathclyde Park in glorious sunshine. For a young 18-year old music fan from Carluke (10-miles down the road), it really seemed too good to be true. This was like the pages of the NME and the Melody Maker coming alive in front of my eyes!

Back in 1994, many fans of independent and alternative music in Carluke would take a short train ride to Wishaw and decamp to the pub Girdwoods next to the station. There was a DJ who played a mix of stuff that was veering towards indie. That exploded over the next year or so as Britpop bloomed.

Now, many of the Girdwoods crowd were getting to see loads of bands that were played in the pub on a Friday/Saturday for real. Just a couple of train stops on!

The T In The Park line-up was pretty incredible! The ambition of the promoters to bring all these bands to Lanarkshire has to be applauded. This was a major step for live music in Scotland. From memory, I think they had previously looked at the Isle of Arran for the festival. A beautiful setting, but a logistical nightmare.

Here are a few videos and bootlegs from 1994 to check out when you have time;

My memories are pretty hazy, but here are a few;

Saturday

  • Transport and jibbing- my brother and I went with my friend Craig Richardson who kindly drove. We met loads of others from Carluke, including a few who managed to jib in by saying that their Mum had ordered tickets and paid by credit card. The ticket office wasn't quite as high tech as it is now. There really was no way of checking, so they got in! There was a meeting point in the middle of the site, so if you wanted to go and see a different band from your mates, you arranged to meet there. This was pre mobiles remember!
  • Crash Test Dummies - had a massive HIT around this time with Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm and they drew a huge crowd to the main stage in the sunshine, with everyone singing along.
  • Manics - I vaguely remember the Manics playing the tent with balaclavas on? They must have been roasting! I don't remember seeing Elastica, Blur or Pulp! Surely I saw a bit of them though!
  • S*M*A*S*H - were a band the NME were giving a lot of column inches too as they talked of the New Wave of New Wave - bands inspired by punk. I don't think any of them really did anything of note and they quickly disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. Britpop took over! But my brother and I went to the tent to see them and were jumping about at the front when there was a bit of a pile up and Ross was somehow at the bottom. Some big guy next to me grabbed his hand and yanked him out! Thanks mate! 
  • The Levellers - there were loads of Levellers fans kicking around. There Levelling The Land album had been huge, with songs like One Way and 15 Years I ended up pulling (a very 90's term!) a lovely girl from Manchester later on at night. 
  • Rage Against The Machine and Cypress Hill - the big rumour sweeping round the site was that these bands wouldn't make it. They were stuck in London or something. Did a helicopter bring them in? Or am I imagining that? Anyway, they kind of played a joint set with Killing In The Name Of being incredible. We ran to get as close to the front as possible and I remember literally running over a couple of people who were lying on the ground chilling out!

Sunday

  • Oasis - I caught Oasis for the 3rd time in 4-months. I was so lucky to get into them right from the start. This was a blistering set. There is a very raw (audio) bootleg available on YouTube, but I'd love to see a video. They played football on stage, engaged in crowd banter, looked cool and sounded incredible. The tent was rammed for the hottest band around.
  • One Dove - Played a blissful set and I was mesmerised by the beauty and coolness of Dot Allison! they may or may not have been on directly before Oasis.
  • Teenage Fanclub - On the main stage and practically a hometown gig with Bellshill being just up the road. Memories are not so clear for this. I was probably bouncing about as close to the front as possible.
  • Crowded House - Probably my clearest memory of the festival is fans making a human pyramid and following instructions from Neil Finn on the stage! Their songs seemed so perfect in the sunshine. Weather With You - what a song!
  • Primal Scream - It had started to rain and Primal Scream just came on a blitzed things. I couldn't take my eyes of Bobby Gillespie. He looked and acted like a total star. The first of many times catching the band. 
I think I attended the first 7-9 T in the Parks and then gradually went more sporadically, maybe for a day rather than the weekend. I was at the last one (for the day), up on the new Perthshire site at Strathallan Castle for the Stone Roses. Review T in the Park had to move from their long term Ballado site due to a pipeline issue. 

T in the Park was an absolute blast - I camped out, stayed in a hotel (once), got a media pass one time, I volunteered with Oxfam, I organized a tent with Maggie's, I kissed girls, danced with friends, drank loads of beer, misbehaved and saw countless bands. Some breaking, some absolute superstars. 

30-years. How time flies!

On the shoulders of my friend Gordon at the last T in the Park

Flares for the Roses - the last T in the Park


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