From Chieveley to Maindenhead.....

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Belshazzar's Feast first met in a field in Oxfordshire near Cumnor. They were recruited by Dave Newson to join the folk-rock band The Life Of Reilly. A storage container in a field was the location for the first rehearsals because yje local landfill site was already full. The intention was to storm the charts aided and abetted by Martin Rushent, producer of Buzzcocks (never mind), The Stanglers and The Human League, with witty song about the controversial Newbury Bypass operation.

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Sadly for all of us the by pass was approved. Sadly for Paul and Paul they started communicating, previously they had only managed one conversation. That was at the end of the band's debut gig at the beautiful Langley Arms at Chieveley. Paul H approached Paul S at the end of the gig to make small talk. The conversation went like this:

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Paul H: "That went well don't you think?"

Pauls S: "If I were you I'd go away"

Paul H: "Why?"

Paul S: "I've just farted"

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If only masks had been obligatory then.

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It should be noted that the pub was condemned as a result, and so were their careers when they left the band to form Belshazzar's Feast. Their festival break through came at Sidmouth Folk Festival where they were required to play for social dancing at St Theresa's Hall. They were at the mercy of callers such as Ian Jones, Paddy O'Neil and Andrew Shaw and had no understanding of dance etiquette. They set about the music with their usual unorthodox style and it was soon clear that they created divisions amongst the dancers, those who loved them and those who thought them weird.

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News Spread and invites to America followed. Andrew Shaw a modern day Dancing Master asked them to record Nathanial Kynsaston dance tunes which he had researched. They (and maybe you) have Tony and Pearl O'Neil of Maindenhead Folk Club to thank for launching their concert career, the rest is history...

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Paul Hutchinson April 2023