Swansea

This was the tenth performance of Wings’ University Tour and the only one in Wales.

Paul McCartney phoned Swansea University at 5 pm, asking if Wings could play there in the evening – “within an hour there was a queue of a thousand people outside the building” remembers Jeffrey Temple, vice-president of the Students Union:

In February 1972 the country was plunged into darkness several times a week as power cuts became a consequence of the Government’s stand-off with the National Union of Mineworkers. At the same time, former Beatle Paul McCartney had just formed his new band Wings and embarked on a brief, low-key tour of UK universities.

Jeffrey [Temple], then vice-president [of the Students Union], said: “One afternoon – on a day when we did have electricity – we got a call asking if they could come to play at Swansea that night. Just like that! Word spread like wildfire – within an hour there was a queue of a thousand people outside the building. We organised everything and then he arrived and came up and changed in my office. He said ‘Hi man’ and I said ‘Hi Paul’. It was amazing – one of those things. I was just so privileged to be there at that time. It didn’t cost us anything but there they were, doing their show with us in Swansea, it was absolutely fabulous.”

From Protests, strikes and sharing a room with Paul McCartney. . . – Swansea University, September 2020

I was on the Entertainments Committee at Swansea University in 1972. On the afternoon of the 22nd of February 1972 (there was snow on the ground) we got a call from Paul McCartney asking if his band could play that night. He had tried to get a gig in Cardiff but was told their hall was being used for a badminton match.

We obviously agreed but were unable to get the refectory in the college, so arranged it for the much smaller Student Union debates chamber. We managed to cram in around four hundred people. Paul said that we could not let anyone in until they had done a sound-check. We announced the gig on the college Tannoy around tea time, to much amusement – fake announcements in those days were common; Bob Dylan was playing the gents’ toilet, etc.

Queues started to form outside the Students Union in the freezing cold. The band arrived and we carted all the gear in while Paul and the band went off for a pint or two in the Gower pub. He gave us some cash to get beer in for the band and the crew (we didn’t have an alcohol licence in the Students Union). The College Bar was the only licensed area and the porters made sure no alcohol was carried into the Union. We ended up drinking most of the beer while we waited for the band to get back. When the band finally returned, they decided that they didn’t need to soundcheck and we could let the frozen hoards in. From memory, the admission price was fifty pence. In those days, most people sat on the floor and sat huddled in their greatcoats.

I had quite a long chat with Paul as we sat on the front of the stage. I told him I never liked The Beatles as I was a rock and roll fan. We chatted about Chuck Berry and Eddie Cochran. Paul recalled how much they really enjoyed playing rock ‘n’ roll in their Hamburg days.

The band, which I don’t think were called Wings yet, played a set of mostly rock covers which got a few of us up and dancing. He played one or two nevv Paul songs and no Beatles songs. The performance was quite good but the sound was only spoilt by Linda McCartney’s keyboard work – she was quickly turned dovvn by the soundrnan. After this, she moved to tambourine and backing vocals; but her sound was turned down again.

After the show, Paul pocketed the £200 or so door-proceeds and gave us £30 for running the gig.

Tony Tilmanns – member of the Entertainements Committee at Swansea – Quoted from “Wings Live – On tour in the 70s” by Adrian Allan

We then finished up at Swansea. I realized that it wasn’t enough just saying “If anyone feels like having a dance, then have it.” So I said, “These are our last three numbers now, GET UP.” And they all got up. If an audience isn’t behaving the way I think they should, I’ll tell them how to behave. Once they get up they love it; you just have to lead them.

Paul McCartney – From the “Wings Over Europe” tour book

According to Adrian Allan in “Wings Live – On tour in the 70s“, while at Swansea, Wings stopped at a musical instrument shop where they purchased three guitars, a violin and some vinyl albums.

About the setlist

The exact setlist for this concert (and for most of the concerts of the Wings’ university tour) is unknown. Only two audience recordings surfaced on bootlegs (one for the first concert of the tour, in Nottingham, on February 9, 1971; the other one for the concert in Hull, on February 11, 1971), even if all the concerts had been taped by the band.

The gigs were pretty much the same. We taped them all.

Denny Laine

We didn’t have many songs. To be precise, we had eleven, which – at about three minutes a song – is a 33 minute act. They wanted longer so we repeated things. ‘We’ve had a request to do Lucille. We did it earlier but now we’re gonna do it again for Jenny Babford on the science course’. Whatever. We just repeated things, especially our new single Give Ireland Back to the Irish. The gigs went quite well but it’s funny to look back and realise that we had such little material.

Paul McCartney – From “Wingspan: Paul McCartney’s Band on the Run“

The setlists were a mix of new songs, oldies and some blues jams. Paul McCartney made sure to not play any Beatles song. It’s likely the setlist of this concert was similar to this:

• Lucille
• Give Ireland Back To The Irish
• Blue Moon Of Kentucky
• Seaside Woman
• Thank You Darling
• You’ve Got To Help Me Darlin’
• Some People Never Know
• The Mess
• Bip Bop
• Henry’s Blues
• Smile Away
• My Love
• Wild Life
• Long Tall Sally

Swansea University

This was the 1st and only concert played at Swansea University.

Going further

Neil J Senk • 8 months ago

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.