Stonehenge Free Festival - Spirit

Spirit

By the 80s, the festival had grown to be a major event, attracting up to 65,000 in 1984, but it was covered by only brief reports in the mainstream press. The festival was perceived as closely allied to Glastonbury. The 1981 festival, with perfect weather and a fantastic lineup of bands, (see below), was listed as the best free festival worldwide of that year (1981). Some of the attending bands (Thompson Twins, Killerhertz, Hawkwind and the Lightning Raiders) took a break from touring to perform at Stonehenge for no fee.

The 1981 list of bands included Red Ice, Selector, Theatre of Hate, Sugar Minott, Doll by Doll, Thompson Twins, Night Doctor, Merger, Androids of Mu, Deaf Aids, Killerhertz, The Raincoats, Thandoy, Foxes and Rats, ICU Lightning Raiders, Psycho Hampster, Misty in Roots, Andy Allens Future, Inner Visions, Red Beat, Man to Man Triumphant, Stolen Pets, Seeds of Creation, Coxone Sound System Black Widow, Here and Now, Hawkwind, Steel and Skin, The Lines, Waiting for Arnold, Play Dead, Cauldron, Lighting by Shoe, Flux of Pink Indians, The Mob, Treatment, Popular History of Signs, The Wystic Mankers, Elsie Steer and Cosmic Dave.