THERE had never been a rock festival quite like Deeply Vale and there has never been one remotely like it since.

The surviving photographs might have a familiar feel, with lanky, geeky hairies skulking by the tepees, and semi-naked revellers moshing at stage front, but Deeply Vale was genuinely unique.

By comparison to the vast events of today, it was a small affair though spiced by a mildly anarchic edge and a poetic lack of structure.

Housed in an idyllic setting on the moors above Rochdale, Deeply Vale ran from 1976-79, thereby perfectly encapsulating the transition from progressive rock to post punk.

More importantly, it provided an eccentric stage for all manner of musicians, many of them gaining a foothold in the unfolding Manchester scene.

However, while the significance of rather more insular events such as The Sex Pistols' twin gigs at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976 have been championed on film, in print and on television to a ludicrous history-warping degree, Deeply Vale has failed to enjoy its true status as the most effective catalyst in Manchester music history.

Legacy

Until now! With a Rochdale exhibition opening, a DVD release, a Granada film in pre-production and a book currently being prepared, the legacy of the Deeply Vale Festival is poised to take its rightful place in the scheme of things.

But why was it so special? The answer, I guess, lies partly in its sheer eccentricity. It was a logistic nightmare; it was free; it was one of the few events that acknowledged the bond between the ideals of true hippy and punk rather than exaggerating the divide. This latter fact is certainly reflected in the acts that performed there.

Even the fogged recollections of this writer can recall sets by The Fall, Steve Hillage, Mick Hucknall's Frantic Elevators, Durutti Column, Tractor - who supplied the PA - Fast Cars, The Ruts, The Drones, Here and Now, The Out, Stockport legend Pete Farrow, Distractions, China Street, an early version of OMD and a roster of guest MCs including Trevor Hyett and Tony Wilson of Granada.

Instigated by a rag-taggle huddle of Rochdale-based hippies, who themselves represented the aesthetic eccentricity of the town, Deeply Vale attracted genuine hippy caravanners from across the country as well as the colourful local punks.

Chris Hewitt, one of the originators and owner of Northwich-based Oz It Records, who successfully releases Deeply Vale related CDs and DVDs to this day, explains the festival's enduring appeal.

"It has been Manchester music's best kept secret over the years but, what many people forget is, we attracted 20,000 people to the last one.

"That meant that people like Mick Hucknall, The Fall and Durutti Column were able to play to a really large audience for the first time."


Eccentric

Deeply Vale can perhaps now be seen as the last eccentric outpost of the notion of alternative society. A flailing idealism, certainly, but most people look back on it with a great deal of fondness.

"It's fair to claim that we proved what was possible and many people, whether in bands or in the audience, were truly inspired by it."

But the true magic of Deeply Vale is surely lodged in the fact that it was such an unlikely event and everyone who claims attendance seems to be willing to unleash a suitably bizarre festival anecdote.

Even I recall the time I cadged a lift from TJM Records label boss Tony Davidson on the understanding that I should navigate him, in his gleaming Lotus Europa, to the festival site.

I dutifully guided the car down an increasingly severe lane causing his entire exhaust system to smash into pieces. Naturally, it was the wrong lane.

When we finally did arrive, the Europa had attained the sound of a 747 thereby alerting the entire anti-capitalistic crowd to the fact that we, the apparent enemy, had pulled to such an ostentatious halt in their midst.

Models

Curiously enough, a bearded hippy in white robe and sandals immediately started to chat about the various Lotus models.

Somehow that tale seems to sum up the rather sweet paradoxical nature of a festival that seemed to strangely ascend beyond the rather fierce cultural differences that divided Britain during that tumultuous era.

It was always a great pity that Deeply Vale's legacy couldn't seem to similarly flavour other events of the time.

Perhaps there is still time for that. On Saturday, June 19 the Oz It Records and Ents.tv Deeply Vale Tractor DVD is launched at 1pm at Touchstones/The Arts and Heritage Centre, The Esplanade, Rochdale, with Tractor playing an acoustic set.

This coincides with a Deeply Vale Exhibition, also opening tomorrow in the Caf' Bar at Touchstones, that will run through the summer and is a precursor to a much larger exhibition in Rochdale in autumn 2005.

In addition, the Granada documentary about Deeply Vale is currently being assembled by Manchester rock filmmaker David Nolan, to be screened next November. The aforementioned book is also under preparation.

All these projects are searching for further anecdotal input. Anyone wishing to contribute should contact Deeply Vale Archives, PO Box 116, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 5UG or email ozitrecords@which.net Tweet