A HISTORY OF GIGS

Live events are no new phenomenon at Exeter. In fact, University venues are pretty legendary in these parts, when it comes to the history of gigs.

The Great Hall and Lemon Grove (or ‘pit’ as it was known as back in the day), hold a colourful roll call of live music events, kicking off way back in the 1950’s. A long list of industry greats have graced the stages, including both national and international stars such as U2, Bob Marley, Blur and Radiohead. In more recent years, the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Blossoms and Muse have brought their tours to Exeter.

As testament to its star studded past, University’s Alumni have recently taken it upon themselves to share their gig memories and experiences and pull together a list of all those past gigs held in our venues.

“For a lot of people, the music you listen to in your teens and early twenties forms the backdrop of what you were doing and, to an extent, who you were at the time and it sticks with you. That’s certainly the case for me and there are bands that I saw at Exeter – such as Dr Feelgood, Echo and the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Squeeze, The Undertones and U2  – whose songs resonated with me and that I will still listen to or go see play live now some 40 years later. (BTW although my children might say otherwise, I’m not a complete dinosaur and do also listen to music from the 21st century!) – David Hacon (Economic and Social History, 1983)

“In my second year (1980/81) I was part of the team that did the catering for the bands that came to  do gigs at the Great Hall and the Pit. I can remember the U2 concert in the Pit really well, as I was asked to interview the band! I still dine out on that story! – Deborah Castle nee Harris (French and German, 1981)

You’ll find a full roll call and more memories on the University of Exeter alumni pages.

Do you have a story to tell? Make sure you share your memories of past gigs at University of Exeter venues.