T. Rex (August 22, 1971) – Trentham Gardens Concert Review - Evening Sentinel (August 23, 1971)
This enthusiastic Evening Sentinel review captures T. Rex at the height of their 1971 breakthrough. Reporting on a packed performance at Trentham Gardens, the article describes 2,500 fans leaping to their feet as Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn delivered a set featuring recent hits, previews of material from Electric Warrior and a defence of the group's increasingly successful electric direction.
Publication: Evening Sentinel
Date: August 23, 1971
Concert Date: August 22, 1971
Country: United Kingdom
Published under the headline “2,500 Fans Go Wild As T. Rex ‘Explode’”, the report describes an ecstatic audience response at Trentham Gardens.
According to the article, around 2,500 music fans rose to their feet, clapped, danced and cheered as soon as T. Rex launched into their set. The reviewer notes that one of the key moments came when Marc Bolan encouraged the audience with the simple instruction:
“Come on, get on your feet.”
The article states that T. Rex demonstrated exactly why they had risen to the top of both the British and international charts.
Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn are reported to have performed major hits including “Ride A White Swan”, “Hot Love” and “Get It On”. The reviewer also highlights the group's powerful rendition of “Summertime Blues.”
Backed by Steve Currie and Bill Legend, Bolan and Finn also gave the audience a preview of material from their forthcoming album Electric Warrior, which the article notes was due for release in two weeks.
During the eighty-minute performance, Bolan is praised for demonstrating his skill on both acoustic and electric guitars. The report describes moments where he silenced the hall during an acoustic section before immediately winning cheers and applause with fast lead guitar passages in the heavier rock numbers.
The article also recounts comments Bolan made before the concert. Speaking in the dressing room, he rejected suggestions that T. Rex had abandoned their earlier musical identity in search of commercial success.
Bolan stated:
“We grew musically, but we never changed. We got played more and people took to our sound.”
The review closes by placing the successful T. Rex performance among a series of major concerts staged at Trentham Gardens during the year.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
Published the day after the performance, the article captures T. Rex at a crucial point in their career. Electric Warrior had not yet been released, but “Get It On” was already helping to push the group towards a new level of popularity.
The report is particularly valuable because it documents T. Rex performing material from the forthcoming album before its release. It also records Bolan's defence against criticism that the group had become commercial following their move towards an electric rock sound.
The article presents the concert as a major success and provides further evidence of the rapidly growing phenomenon that would soon become known as Bolanmania.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: T. Rex live at Trentham Gardens
Concert Date: August 22, 1971
Publication Date: August 23, 1971
Era: Electric Warrior era
Tone: Enthusiastic concert review
Attendance: Approximately 2,500 fans
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• Review of T. Rex's Trentham Gardens concert
• Audience of approximately 2,500 fans
• Performances of “Ride A White Swan”, “Hot Love” and “Get It On”
• Preview of material from Electric Warrior
• Marc Bolan playing both acoustic and electric guitars
• Bolan rejecting claims that T. Rex had “gone commercial”
• Contemporary praise for the group's live performanc
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