Canterbury Scene

Part of the album cover of Caravan's "In The Land Of Grey And Pink"

Canterbury is the well known medieval city in Kent (UK) famous for it's cathedral. But also the location where an important genre within the progressive rock was born called the Canterbury scene. It's prog rock with influences of psychedelica and jazz. Overall it must be improvised. The genre introduced us to many bands and solo artists.

The Deavid Allen Trio (1963-1965)
First there was a band called the Deavid Allen trio that included of course Deavid Allen, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt. Sometimes live with Mike Ratledge on piano. Only a live performance of 1963 was released in 1993. The band never recorded material. They were the precursors of the Canterbury genre.

The Wilde Flowers

The Wilde Flowers (1964-1967)
The scene started with a band called The Wilde Flowers. The band was formed in 1964 by lead vocalist Kevin Ayers, lead vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Brian Hopper, guitarist/vocalist Richard Sinclair, bassist/saxophonist Hugh Hopper and drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt.

The band started recording an album in 1965 but the band already started to fell apart. First Ayers left to start working again with the Daevid Allen trio ahead of the formation of Soft Machine. He was replaced by Graham Flight as a singer and harmonica player. Then in September both Flight and Sinclair left the band. They were replaced by Richard Couglain on drums and Wyatt took over lead vocals. In 1966 this band with 4 members performed at the Melody Maker Rock/Folk contest. Pye Hastings joined the band but soon Wyatt left to join Ayers in Soft Machine. Also Hugh Hopper then left the band being replaced by Dave Lawrence and also Dave Sinclair (brother of Richard Sinclair) left. But in October 1967 the band completely disbanded.

Hastings, Coughlan and the Sinclair brothers formed Caravan. in January 1968. The Hopper brothers joined Soft Machine. The recordings made by Wilde Flowers have never been officially released until 1994. But the band was highly important for the start of the Canterbury scene since many artists from the scene started as a member of this band.

Soft Machine

The Soft Machine (1966-1984)
Founded by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. They started with a psychedelic sounds and moved on to jazz/progressive rock. The band was making only instrumental pieces since 1971. The band first started as Mister Head before it became The Soft Machine. The name came from William S. Burroughs'1961 novel with the same name. Nowlin already left the band before the band released their first single "Love Makes Sweet Music" in 1967. The single flopped. The band started touring in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany and the France. They became famous in France and performed on television shows. When returning to the UK Deavid Allen was denied re-entry because he was Australian. So the band contined as a trio. Deavid returned to France to form the band Gong.

The band toured through North America in 1968 and recorded their first album to be released at the end of that year. When they returned in the UK guitarist Andy Summers (Yes, the one who later joined The Police) joined the band. They continued touring in the US as a quartet again as a support act for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. At the beginning of the tour Andy Summers was fired at the insistence of Ayers. At the end of the tour Ayers decided to leave the band. The band then disbanded while Wyatt recorded some solo demos with Jimmy Hendrix on base guitar on "Slow Walkin' Talk".

Back in the UK the band reformed due to contractual obligations. The band existed at that time of Wyatt, Ratledge and Hugh Hopper on bass. Their second album became "Volume Two" released in 1969. The album started a transition from psychedelica to Jazz fusion. Their contractual obligations were now fullflilled and signed with CBS for their third album in early 1970. In May 1969 the band already contributed to the first solo album of Pink Floyd's Syd Barret and remained uncredited on that album. Hoppers's brother Brian joined the band on saxophone. But soon after Brian already left and was replaced by a horn section including: Elton Dean, Lyn Dobson, Mark Charig and Nick Evans. Charig and Evans soon left and as a quartet they released the third album "Third" in 1970. The album was instrumental except for Wyatt's "Moon In June". The album "Fourth" from 1971 led to Robert Wyatt leaving the band to form his new band "Mathing Mole". The band continued to create instrumental music for a long period but the heart of the band was already gone.

Debut album of Matching Mole

Matching Mole (1971-1972)
Before the band was formed Robert Wyatt already released his first solo album "The End Of An Ear" (1970). But leaving Soft Machine was the reason he wanted a new band. Wyatt continued to play drum and do vocals. He was joined by David Sinclair (Caravan) on keyboards and piano, Dave McRae (jazz musician) on electric piano, Phil Miller (Delivery) on guitar and Bill MacCormick on bass. The name of the band was based on the french Machine Molle which is a french translation of Wyatt's previous band Soft Machine.

Their debut album was a big success including "O Caroline" a song about Dave Sinclair's ex girlfriend. Dave Sinclair was kicked out of the band before they started to work on their second album "Little Red Record" (1972) produced by Robert Fripp (King Crimson). The band break up at the end of their European tour supporting Soft Machine. The band was almost reformed by Wyatt, McCormick, Francis Monkman (Curved Air) and Gary Windo to record a third album but this was cancelled when Wyatt fell from a window in June 1973, and was paralysed from the waist down, and therefore unable to continue drumming. Since then on Robert Wyatt continued his solo career.

Hatfield And The North with the road sign

Hatfield And The North (1972-1975)
After the break up of Matching Mole Sinclair and Miller going on to form the more successful Hatfield and the North. The line up also included drummer Pip Pyle (ex Gong), Steve Miller (Phil's brother and later Steve Miller Band and Caravan). Steve Miller was replaced by Dave Sinclair and also Dave Sinclair left in 1973 and was replaced by Dave Stewart (Egg) before they started recording their debut album. The name of the band was inspired by the road sign on the main A1 road heading north from London. The debut album was released in 1974. The band aslo released a second album "The Rotter's Club" in 1975. This led to a new band called National Health founded by Dave Stewart with Alan Gowen from Gilgamesh. Phil Miller was a band member also of this new band.

Caravan

Caravan (1968- )
Caravan was formed in 1968 by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan in 1968. They released their debut album that same name with Verve records. They were soon dropped by Verve after one album and they signed a new contract with Decca Records. The title of their second album hints to the switch to a new record company titled "If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You" (1970). The album was released in August, alongside an appearance at the Plumpton Festival with Van der Graaf Generator, Yes and Colosseum. The single "Hello Hello" from this album managed them to appear in BBC's Top Of The Pops to perform the title track of their second album. They started to build a live following by mid-1970, including an appearance at the Kralingen Pop Festival in the Netherlands and the 10th Plumpton Festival (UK). They released their most succesfull album "In the Land of Grey and Pink" in 1971. They released their third album "Waterloo Lily" in 1972 with Steve Miller (Steve Miller band) now in their line-up who left again after the release of the album. But soon after the band split up but the band was already reformed a year later. That situation happened again in 1977. But until now the band still existst and keeps changing the line-up.

Gong

Gong (1968- )
The group was formed in Paris in 1967 by Australian musician Daevid Allen and English vocalist Gilli Smyth. The line-up also included Steve Hillage (Uriel/Egg/Khan). The line-up has changed a lot over all those years and Deavid Allen left the band in 1974 te return in 1992 again. Throughout the years the musical style changed heavily.

Part of the album cover of the debut album of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh (1972-1978)
Gilgamesh was a jazz fusion band. The original Gilgamesh line-up consisted of Alan Gowen, Mike Travis, Rick Morcombe, Jeff Clyne and Alan Wakeman (cousing of Rick Wakeman) on saxophone. The band broke up in 1975 when some band members joined National Health. In 1977 the band was reformed for a short period when National Health broke up.

Solo works from important persons in the Canterbury Scene: