In 1990 Herb Garden appeared at the Bristol Community Festival, Ashton Court Estate, Bristol, on Saturday, 28 July 1990. A photo album is available here.
That afternoon the group played a fierce and frantic set, the centre piece being a moment of theatre they’d organised the day before: a birth, of a garden gnome, performed live onstage – naturally. Lead singer Carl was the mother (think pantomime) and the midwifery duties were shared by actor Christopher Brand, together with former rock singer with Psychic Maze, Dan Summerville – both pals of the band.
Bristol’s very own Evening Post (now Bristol Post) had a photographer on hand to capture the action, eventually covering the event in a story a few days later. The story ran because local Festival-goers had been so ‘appalled’, ‘shocked’ and ‘upset’ by the ‘act of gross indecency’ that they wrote to the local paper to complain. The band got their coverage. Enjoy that coverage here soon. Meanwhile check out the pics of that fateful day.
A gnome was born on Saturday, 28 July 1990. In gnome-years I am now in my 60s and proud to record Herb Garden’s history and contribute to their ongoing activities. Keep up with Herb Garden here and at their links.
Herb Garden: Bristol band 