Radio Nordring, Helgoland 1970

International Sommerradio August 15th, 1970

"Late summer of 1970, a newborn Slade headed for Germany to play the Pop & Beat Koncert Festival in Nordseehalle, Helgoland on August 15th. Golden Earring, Pan and Made In Sweden were among the many other groups who also played at the festival. Radio Nordring sent in excerpts from the festival the same day on Danemark Radio's P1 as 'Radio Nordring, Helgoland - International Sommerradio'. "

Prior to this occasion, the BBC had always sent a singer to represent Britain. The previous year had seen Clodagh Rogers in the role but Slade were the first British group. The festival of song was apparently broadcast over most of Europe according to the media. Remember that this was the Europe of 1970, somewhat different than today due to politics and a certain wall.

Express & Star: Thursday 20th August 1970

The Nordring, Heligoland (notice how we add an i.) recordings are Dutch, but they were aired on Danish radio. DANSK BEAT was Denmark's most upfront radio show for some time, Showcasing 'so-called' Beat Music, it invited each week, a Danish beat group into the studio with the edict of broadcasting 'the sound of now' (my understanding of their philosophy, not their words). DANSK BEAT (the radio program) began in 1969 on Thursday September 4th and the shows were generally produced and recorded in RADIOHUSET, Studio 11, Copenhagen, by Erik Boseholm and later, by Freddy Hansson and others.

Express & Star: Thursday 20th August 1970

Apart from DANSK BEAT, there were pre-announced recordings by Danish and foreign bands of the time. All shows are documented using Danish National Radio "white programmes" which were forwarded to the press.

The Pop & Beat Koncert Festival was aired live from Radio Nordring on Helgoland in Germany all over Europe including Denmark. The show had to be broadcast from Helgoland as it was the only place from where all the countries could receive a radio signal. The show was billed as a European "event" where rock groups from 7 countries were invited to play. Slade were featured on a BBC radio programme 'Pop Music From Europe' hosted by Chris Grant a month later. It's unsure whether this is a recorded broadcast or a seperate event?

Express & Star: 26th September 1970

Slade represented England at Helgoland but there is no indication as to why they were chosen. They had no hit records at the time and few bookings because of their skinhead image. They had done a lot of Radio One studio sessions though and were very well liked for their professional behaviour. It is possible that they were being helped through their transition. Their hair needed time to grow back and Europe did not have such strong feelings against skinheads. It's possible that Chandler called in a few favours and got them this opportunity.

I think the Danish radio station DR P1* that aired the show in Denmark is the only radio station that has the show on tape as they would have recorded it "What the fuck is wrong with being a skin head?" It was broadcast directly to the entire European continent at that moment. One to search for, a recording of that would be a great find?

while it was being broadcast. The radio station had to include a break in the show between 11 p.m. and 11.10 p.m. in order to make room for the Danish news, so what was aired after 11.10 p.m. was with a 10 minutes delay. The broadcast also included live interviews with the bands and during Slade's chat, the guys got asked about their skinhead looks and Don got himself kicked out of the studio for saying

Featuring a unique version of Hear Me Calling including 'that siren', a splendid rendition of Shape Of Things To Come and an energetic performance of Know Who You Are. this may be a short set but it's essential.

"I first heard the tracks, around '72, there were three that were included on a cassette tape of a show that seemed to only feature three tracks from each band. I remember Golden earring had 5 tracks but they were the head-liners.

Researching decades later, my understanding is that the band never played a full set, just a three track showcase that was broadcast live on air.

There is very little information to be found but I did get in contact with Golden Earring fans and they told me the same thing... my gut feeling is that we have it all."
Dave Graham

"Don Powell told me the band "used to love going to Heligoland because they sold the cheapest booze and fags so they'd stock up".
Stu Rutter

• Hear Me Calling
• Shape Of Things To Come
• Know Who You Are

The Download Link is here: Download
Filename: Slade Archive 02.rar Filesize: 15.01 MB

*DR P1 is currently billed as "thought-provoking radio": factual programming, reports, discussion and debate on public affairs, society and the community, plus in-depth news.

Thanks to Claus Rasmussen, whose documentation supplied the info, and Lise Lyng Falkenberg who supplied the translation and explanation. For her Slade blogposts from her own personal blog, also click on here .

Next Page