Welcome to the page for
Goin’ Down De Mont: A People’s History of Rock Concerts at Leicester’s De Montfort Hall
by author and rock historian Bruce Pegg.
*** ORDER INFORMATION ***
Spenwood Books is now taking orders for Goin’ Down De Mont! Order before 28 October 2022 and receive a free hardback copy of Cream – A People’s History (retail price £19.99).
Go to https://spenwoodbooks.com/product/demontforthall/ and get your copy today!
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ABOUT GOIN’ DOWN DE MONT
In 2015, I started to write down my memories of rock concerts I had attended at the De Montfort Hall when I was a teenager growing up in Leicester during the 1970s.
As the project developed, I invited a number of my old friends to contribute, and I eventually published the stories here on brucepegg.com as a series of blog posts under the heading Aya Gooin’ Down De Mont?
Fast forward to 2021. Richard Houghton, my old college friend from Loughborough University and himself an author of numerous people’s histories of well-known rock bands, contacted me and asked if I would like to turn the blog posts into a book to be published by his company, Spenwood Books.
I readily agreed and began work on Goin’ Down De Mont.
The De Montfort Hall has enjoyed an incredibly rich history, playing host to the greatest names in modern popular music. From Buddy Holly’s appearance on 16 March 1958 through to legendary shows by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan in the early sixties; from groundbreaking performances by Pink Floyd and Genesis in the early 70s to cutting-edge appearances by The Clash and Blondie later that decade; and from numerous Marillion shows recorded at the venue to Kasabian’s triumphant homecoming gigs in the 2000s, the Hall’s stage has been graced by the famous and the influential alike.
Goin’ Down De Mont documents that history by collecting hundreds of stories from concert goers who attended rock shows at the Hall from the late 1950s to today. Some of those stories are from rock celebrities including Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Kathy Bushnell (Emily Muff), Baz Warne (The Stranglers) and Leicester’s own Rich Barton (Diesel Park West), Jon Lord (Deep Purple, Whitesnake), Roger ‘Chappo’ Chapman (Family, Streetwalkers), Tony Byker (Gaye Bykers on Acid), Tom Meighan (Kasabian) and Dave Bartram (Showaddywaddy),
In addition to stories, there are never-before-seen pictures of performers during shows at the hall and scans of memorabilia from the shows, including images of ticket stubs, setlists, autographs, and more.
These stories are accompanied by
- An essay documenting the Hall’s history, the ways rock tours in the UK changed from the package shows of the 50s and 60s to the full-blown multimedia productions of the mid 70s, and the Hall’s acoustics and ambience, features that endeared it to generations of concert goers and musicians alike.
- A gigography documenting almost 1,000 rock shows going back to 1957
- A discography of all live songs known to have been recorded at the Hall and released on legitimate labels.
You can access an older version of the gig database here. The version in the book has added over 100 more dates.
You can access an older version of the discography here. Again, the version in the book has numerous additions.
Got questions about Goin’ Down De Mont? Want to contact Bruce? Use the form below!
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