Queen, Blondie, Tina Turner, The Smiths: Music event to celebrate man who brought legends to the North West in 70s and 80s

From Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd to Joy Division and Tina Turner, Lancaster University’s rich musical history is to be celebrated in a major event next month.

To mark the rock and pop legacy of the University’s Great Hall, there will be an in-conversation with Barry Lucas – responsible for turning Lancaster University into one of the great gig venues of the 1970s and 1980s – followed by performances by five contemporary rock and pop artists.

North West rock and pop culture

Andrew Barker, director of Library Services and Learning Development, said: “Lancaster University played an enormous part in the rock and pop culture of the north-west throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Talk to anyone who was a student at that time or grew up in the area and within minutes they’ll be telling you who they saw play the Great Hall.

These are the 80s and 90s stars performing in Leyland this spring

“This event pays tribute to those days and how important they were to the cultural development and vibrancy of our university campus. Although the big groups are no longer playing, there remains a vibrant music scene in Lancaster to be celebrated and at this event we will hear from four artists who represent the present and the future.

“My hopes are that people who spent so much time seeing the classic acts of the 1970s and 1980s come back to remember and hear about those days from Barry Lucas, the man who started it all – and that they and many others too young to have been at the Great hall then stay to enjoy a new generation of Lancaster-based musicians as we celebrate the past and reignite the possibilities of the future.”

When's the event?

A Night at the Great Hall: A Celebration of the Lancaster music scene in words and music, will be held on Saturday 16th March. Barry Lucas – who was a Lancaster student and then member of the Students Union – will be in conversation with Andrew Barker, talking about what happened, who happened, and how it happened. From Queen and Blondie to The Smiths and U2, they all played Lancaster University.

Who's playing and how do I get tickets?

Afterwards, there will be a line-up of rock, pop, electronic and jazz acts, curated by Lancaster Music Co-operative, playing the venue to celebrate a vibrant and contemporary Lancaster music scene. This will feature Field Lines Cartographer; Hawkmen Dive; Maja Bugge and Dave Shooter; and Good Boy Nikko. Tickets can be booked in advance on Eventbrite: A Night at the Great Hall: A Celebration of the Lancaster Music Scene Tickets, Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 5:30 PM