IMPORTANT DISCOVERY REGARDING EARLY CONCERTS

I am researching Queens early concerts, many of which were in Cornwall, UK where I live.

This is the blog that details some of the research. It includes details of interviews with members of the Reaction.

I have found an advert from the local paper dated 16th April 1970 announcing Smiles demise. I dont think there are any other copies of it on the web so I thought Id share it with you.

Cant see how to edit posts so added link here www.queenincornwall.blogspot.com

Would be grateful for feedback on the advert that also mentions Sour Milk Sea. Does this fit with your understanding of the early history of Queen??

Outstanding detective work and great first post. Thank you.

This, according to Queenpedia, suggests Sour Milk Sea didn't play because Fred had just left to join the newly-formed Queen.

"The only other gig featuring Freddie which the other members of Sour Milk Sea are certain about was a benefit for the homeless charity ‘Shelter’, staged at the Highfield Parish hall in Headington, Oxford, on 20th March 1970 – just weeks before Freddie teamed up with Brian May and Roger Taylor in a new group. 'That was probably the last gig we played with him,' remarks Chris Chesney."

Wow.. who are you and where did you come from, good sir?  Excellent stuff.

Hi y'all

I'm a Queen fan who has the good fortune to live in the fair City of Truro, Cornwall...I ve been visiting some of the locations of the gigs that they played down here and meeting some of the musicians and promoters who knew Roger when he lived down here...

Lovely, thanks !

Wow, wonderful find! Thanks:-)

I've got quite a few interesting bits and pieces that i will be putting on the blog over the next few weeks.

This picture, for instance, is of the walled garden at Tregye (as it looks now) where Queen played on the same bill as Arthur Brown and Hawkwind...

Cool stuff.  Thanks for sharing.  Welcome to QZ!

Now that's a first post! Wonderful stuff! So it appears that, based on that ad, we could speculate that Freddie had left Sour Milk Sea already.

Now, the question this ad poses is which incarnation of Smile does it refer to? "Breaking up" suggests that Freddie hadn't joined yet, or at the very least it wasn't considered a permanent arrangement.

The most likely theory is pretty close to the above statement. Tim Staffell was still a member of Smile at the time of this concert, but he had told Brian and Roger that he was leaving the band after a few more shows. Brian and Roger hadn't yet decided to continue on with Freddie as the lead singer, so, at the time, the plan was for the band to go their separate ways. This was to be their final show in Cornwall as they rounded out a few last gigs.

Now, there's a more fun theory here. What if Tim Staffell had left the band already and Freddie had joined? Not as a permanent member, but as a "fill-in" vocalist to help them finish out the dates they had already contracted for following Staffell's departure while they all decided what the future held? If this is the case, wouldn't it effectively re-write what we know about the June 27 show being Queen's "first"?

I guess the better question here is how much do we know about Smile's May 9, 1970 gig in London? Do we know who the lineup that day consisted of? That's a key piece of any puzzle that exists here.

Exactly what I thought when I saw it...

I think it more likely that Sour Milk Sea were going to play - but when they split up Smile took the gig instead....

But you may be interested to know that I'm meeting the ex-manager of PJs tomorrow so I will ask him and let you know why the ad reads as it does...

I'm guessing you've already read the book 'Queen - The Early Years' (I think it's called that!). It mentions lots of Cornwall type stuff. Hope it's some help.

I have and its pretty good on most stuff but it doesnt mention these PJs gigs which are very close to the moment when Queen formed properly...

Great stuff!

Very cool.