John Lees' Barclay James Harvest to play Wolverhampton
Following a year of highly successful high profile concerts in 2011, John Lees' Barclay James Harvest have announced their most extensive series of UK dates in some years with a British tour taking place in October 2012.
Following a year of highly successful high profile concerts in 2011, John Lees' Barclay James Harvest have announced their most extensive series of UK dates in some years with a British tour taking place in October 2012.
It will include a concert Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall on Friday, October 26, 2012. Tickets, priced £22 plus fees, are available from Midland Box Office on 0870 320 7000 or at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
John Lees is a founder member of Barclay James Harvest, the 60s melodic rock band with classical leanings whose hits include Mocking Bird, Galadriel, Child Of The Universe and Hymn.
Barclay James Harvest was formed in Oldham when John Lees and Woolly Wolstenholme teamed up with Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard.
In the summer of 1967 the band turned professional and adopted the name.
Under the patronage of a local businessman who became their first manager, they moved into an 18th Century farmhouse in the Saddleworth area in North West England to write and rehearse.
A one-off single deal with EMI's Parlophone label resulted in the release of the single Early Morning in April 1968, leading in turn to a full contract and the band becoming one of the first signings to the legendary Harvest label.
From the very beginning, BJH had experimented with musical ideas, going beyond the traditional guitar, bass and drums format to utilise a Mellotron to simulate the sound of an orchestra.
Albums such as Barclay James Harvest, the seminal albums Once Again and Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories and ambitious live performances with their own orchestra gained the group a loyal following in Europe.
Signing to Polydor Records in 1974, BJH built on their fan base still further with the albums Everyone Is Everybody Else, Barclay James Harvest Live, a double album which became their first UK chart album, Time Honoured Ghosts in 1975 (recorded in San Francisco by Neil Young producer Elliot Mazer) and Octoberon.
In 2010, songs were being written for a new studio album and the band made a festival appearance in Portugal at the Douro Rock and Blues Festival. It would prove to be Woolly Wolstenholme's final live appearance.
A recurrence of a severe depressive condition meant that he was unable to participate in a series of concerts and a recording for the ITV Legends TV series with John Lees' Barclay James Harvest in November and December 2010, and on December 13, he was tragically found dead at his home.
Woolly's passing greatly affected everyone who knew him. After some deliberation at a sold out tribute concert to Woolly at Buxton Opera House in February 2011, John Lees announced that he intended to continue with the group, in part to keep the musical legacy of Woolly Wolstenholme alive.
The remainder of 2011 saw JLBJH triumph with a series of headline festival appearances in Germany, Switzerland, France (with Status Quo) and the UK, including a headline spot at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London in July on a bill that included fellow rock legends Jethro Tull and Judas Priest.
In 2012 the legacy of Barclay James Harvest is set to continue, with the band's most extensive UK tour in three years and studio recording under way.
Official vebsite: www.barclayjamesharvest.com
