Arthur Brown @ Toad Hall

[CR77]

Was surprised to suddenly see Arthur Brown on the line-up as I was scrolling through it yesterday... Just sharing as some may have missed this, with it being a smaller stage! 

 

It's the Saturday night 00:30 - 01:30 - I'll most likely be at Alex James' DJ set at Bimble Inn, but will head to Toad Hall if the Alex James thing is too rammed!

[alanr]

Always some surprises in the Green Fields.

Saw them in 2011 on Spirit of '71 ( Glade rebranded for a few years ), a great performer.

I'll almost certainly be there

[kerplunk]

Seen him many times at various festivals and always a good  show

 

This pic from Butlins 2016 😎

 

 

 

 

 

[AlanFish23]

Cheers! I totally missed that yesterday.

[Quark]

I spotted that! Got him marked down as a maybe, the mad old bastard

[balti-pie]

18 minutes ago, Quark said:

I spotted that! Got him marked down as a maybe, the mad old bastard

He lives in Lewes, I wouldn’t say I’m on nodding terms with him but I have said hello a couple of times - he’s Arthur Brown ffs, of course I have! 

[cheesey_toastie]

Do they have to ensure there's a bucket or water or two on hand? 

[SamJ]

Thank you so much for pointing this out! I saw him last year and he’s still got it.  

[CR77]

Does anyone know what the Toad Hall capacity is?  I'm think about 300 max, right?

 

At the risk of sounding utterly ludicrous... there's a TBA at 11pm, before Arthur Brown, and I'm wondering if it could be Kula Shaker, given that Arthur Brown has collaborated with Kula Shaker in the past, and Kula Shaker have a new album out soon.

Toad Hall just seems way too small for Kula Shaker though, even for a secret set, yeah?
 

[rawrsomesauce]

On 04/06/2025 at 17:29, cheesey_toastie said:

Do they have to ensure there's a bucket or water or two on hand? 

 

I used to work at the Borderline (RIP) many years ago, and the night he played the fire alarm went off rather appropriately just before Fire

[cheesey_toastie]

3 minutes ago, rawrsomesauce said:

 

I used to work at the Borderline (RIP) many years ago, and the night he played the fire alarm went off rather appropriately just before Fire

Mates mum says she saw him in the 60s. Curtains went on fire and the venue had to be evacuated. 

[balti-pie]

My mate has a shift finishing at midnight and we were planning a meetup with cocktails at Elvana/sensation seekers stage - however Arthur Brown at Toad hall doesnt half sound tempting 

[Quark]

44 minutes ago, CR77 said:

Does anyone know what the Toad Hall capacity is?  I'm think about 300 max, right?

 

At the risk of sounding utterly ludicrous... there's a TBA at 11pm, before Arthur Brown, and I'm wondering if it could be Kula Shaker, given that Arthur Brown has collaborated with Kula Shaker in the past, and Kula Shaker have a new album out soon.

Toad Hall just seems way too small for Kula Shaker though, even for a secret set, yeah?
 

Yeah, Toad Hall is really small. Lovely little place, but I suspect too small for KS

[gizmoman]

Saw him at a festival last year and he was fantastic, seen him a few times over the years notably with Hawkwind on one tour, best singer they ever had. (Though that's not saying much to be fair!).

[Quark]

7 minutes ago, cheesey_toastie said:

Mates mum says she saw him in the 60s. Curtains went on fire and the venue had to be evacuated. 

 

Fun story (possibly apocryphal but from the man himself).  In the early days of his career when he was trying new things out, the first incarnation of his fire hat was a colander with candles stuck in it.  He had to abandon that because the melting wax kept running through the holes and gluing it to his hair.

[Quark]

11 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

My mate has a shift finishing at midnight and we were planning a meetup with cocktails at Elvana/sensation seekers stage - however Arthur Brown at Toad hall doesnt half sound tempting 

 

I've currently got him on my list, then over to Croissant Neuf for K.O.G.

 

Having said that, I've never seen Elvana. Decisions!

Edited June 6, 2025 by Quark

[Mark E. Spliff]

39 minutes ago, CR77 said:

Does anyone know what the Toad Hall capacity is?  I'm think about 300 max, right?

 

At the risk of sounding utterly ludicrous... there's a TBA at 11pm, before Arthur Brown, and I'm wondering if it could be Kula Shaker, given that Arthur Brown has collaborated with Kula Shaker in the past, and Kula Shaker have a new album out soon.

Toad Hall just seems way too small for Kula Shaker though, even for a secret set, yeah?
 

 

Toad Hall is definitely way too small for the sort of crowd Kula Shaker could reasonably be expected to pull under normal circumstances.  But at 11pm on a Saturday, a rumoured secret appearance by a niche band in the Green Fields could slip under the radar.  I used to watch their original keyboardist, Jay Darlington, appear with his band Magic Bus in pub-type venues, and I expect Kula Shaker and Arthur Brown would be like that, i.e. a small venue well packed with affable old 6 Music dads - not Wet Leg at The Park.  He's back in Kula Shaker now, and a mate of mine is in contact with him, so I could potentially get a definitive answer - but I won't because that's how the whole concept of secret sets has gone down the toilet.

 

I got dragged along to see Arthur Brown playing locally a couple of years ago and, despite only knowing 'fire', I was really impressed.  So I will keep him (and this 11pm TBA) in my back pocket as a possible leftfield alternative to whatever I've currently got on my Saturday night list.

[balti-pie]

42 minutes ago, Quark said:

 

I've currently got him on my list, then over to Croissant Neuf for K.O.G.

 

Having said that, I've never seen Elvana. Decisions!

Elvana are on sensation seekers 3 times i think, and also on greenpeace - they're becoming the new Beans on Toast/house band 😄 theyre such a laugh though, and im not saying that cos i got forcibly hugged by Elvis when i saw em the first time (in fact, i'm in their media bits, it didnt half confuse me the first time it came up!) 

[CR77]

45 minutes ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

 

Toad Hall is definitely way too small for the sort of crowd Kula Shaker could reasonably be expected to pull under normal circumstances.  But at 11pm on a Saturday, a rumoured secret appearance by a niche band in the Green Fields could slip under the radar.  I used to watch their original keyboardist, Jay Darlington, appear with his band Magic Bus in pub-type venues, and I expect Kula Shaker and Arthur Brown would be like that, i.e. a small venue well packed with affable old 6 Music dads - not Wet Leg at The Park.  He's back in Kula Shaker now, and a mate of mine is in contact with him, so I could potentially get a definitive answer - but I won't because that's how the whole concept of secret sets has gone down the toilet.

 

I got dragged along to see Arthur Brown playing locally a couple of years ago and, despite only knowing 'fire', I was really impressed.  So I will keep him (and this 11pm TBA) in my back pocket as a possible leftfield alternative to whatever I've currently got on my Saturday night list.

 

Thanks for your thoughts on this!  And if the TBA was KS, and this info got out, then they'd probably be pulled from that slot anyway!  But I agree... I just think the venue is way too small, even for a secret set.  Seems small for Arthur too though!

As for KS... really thought they might headline the Acoustic this year!

 

[CR77]

51 minutes ago, Quark said:

 

I've currently got him on my list, then over to Croissant Neuf for K.O.G.

 

Having said that, I've never seen Elvana. Decisions!

 

I'm having to choose between Elvana, Arthur Brown and Alex James' Britpop DJ set at Bimble Inn.  Will prob go with Arthur as that's just way more intriguing than a DJ set, and I'll have seen Elvana on the Thursday anyway.

But do go and see Elvana if you can - they are doing two other sets during the festival.

[CR77]

Ok... the TBA thing at Toad Hall is weird, as the line-up page has the TBA starting at 23:00 (which is the time El Tel finishes) and then finishing at 00:00... which is the time they've now got Arthur Brown starting - so no gaps between sets.  Arthur Brown was originally down as starting at 00:30.

[CR77]

Sorry to say this... was just having a looked to see if the TBA at Toad Hall had been announced yet, and it has... but Arthur Brown seems to have been removed at the same time!  He's also disappeared from the Artists List on the line-up section of the Glastonbury web site.  There's no announcement about this on the Toad Hall or Arthur Brown facebook pages.

[kerplunk]

poof -up in smoke! 

 

Lot's of other dates still so at least it's not due to ill health

 

 

Edited June 16, 2025 by kerplunk

[Boris]

Oh pants 😞 also Ruby Throat not being the KJG Ruby Throat I wanted 😞 

[Magic Toaster]

2 hours ago, CR77 said:

Sorry to say this... was just having a looked to see if the TBA at Toad Hall had been announced yet, and it has... but Arthur Brown seems to have been removed at the same time!  He's also disappeared from the Artists List on the line-up section of the Glastonbury web site.  There's no announcement about this on the Toad Hall or Arthur Brown facebook pages.

 

Still there on the app, mind.