Crossing Rannoch Moor, Scotland. Late May 1969. Our days went walking by with no other souls, just us and the dogs and Bess and the wagon. A barren landscape of heather and moss which for me held nothing but cold dread – all that sky-wide space and featureless misty horizon. Exposure. As we stopped to … Continued
1965 Our old neighbours at Appletree Wick had a party, just before my twentieth birthday. My mother persuaded me to go with her. I sulkily took my guitar and sat down on the edge of a gilt chair in a room full of once–famous actresses, singers, people of the stage. Mink coats, diamonds and pearls, … Continued
1945/1961 My family moved from Newcastle upon Tyne when I was six months old – to Oak House, number 5 Wildwood Rise, London, NW11, just by the extension to Hampstead Heath, and built in about 1907. Dark oak panelling, parquet floors, golden oak staircase surrounding the hall with a window seat half-way, a large grassy … Continued
Catch One Leaf, Lake District, 1968 It was becoming autumnal and wet, cold even by now. No stove in the wagon – nowhere to dry our clothes, shivering dogs. John James and his 1930s Austin 12 – Happiness Runs – were with us. We heard of a caravan park where we might be able to … Continued
Rubbish Tip, July 1968 Approaching the town of Derby with the wagon and Bess, we had a choice to make. It was already getting quite late in the day and we needed somewhere to stop – a verge – a field – anywhere we could find wood, water and grass. Should we carry on through … Continued
July 1968. London Garden Our first stop in London was in Islington where Robert’s one-time tutor and now friend Anthony Benjamin had a large home and studio. We parked the wagon on the side of the street, walked Betsy the horse through to the back garden and let her loose on the grass. Anthony and … Continued
In 1968 Vashti Bunyan set out on a journey that still resonates five decades later. Today we’re publishing the first in a series of regular posts by Vashti at The Social Gathering, beautifully illustrated by the author herself. I needed a way to keep my dog and not lose my mind. I left home – … Continued
A few years back, our friend Kieran Evans made a beautiful and intimate film with legendary singer / songwriter Vashti Bunyan. From Here To Before retraces the steps of her late ’60s journey from London to the Outer Hebrides by horse and cart and spends time with her before her return to the stage in … Continued
We’re honoured to publish an extract from Rob Young’s The Magic Box. Dreamt up as a companion piece to Rob’s peerless 2010 book Electric Eden, The Magic Box does for British television what Electric Eden did for this country’s post-war folk music. In this extract, Rob blows the dust off a dystopian classic broadcast by … Continued
I don’t know what you believe about the nature or existence of luck, but whether you think a person makes their own luck, or it’s just a random thing, the fact remains that I am a lucky, lucky bastard. I haven’t won the lottery or anything but it has to be said, things in my … Continued
A few months back I had an opportunity to premiere my rarely seen feature documentary about Vashti Bunyan on the wonderful AM platform – an innovative online space for Welsh creatives to showcase their work. We were all taken aback by the incredible reception. Since then, I’ve been inundated with requests from people across the … Continued
A few years back, I met Jonny Trunk in a pub in Stoke Newington on a sunny afternoon to talk about The Wicker Man. Jonny is one of the most inspiring men you could hope to waste an afternoon in the pub with – both a font of pop culture knowledge and a great raconteur. … Continued