The Sixties Explosion
The Edgar Broughton Band exploded to prominence on the UK rock scene at the end of the Sixties, a three-man power band who made their name playing a series of free concerts that culminated in a performance in front of a crowd of 120,000 at Hyde Park London in the summer of 1969. Always uncompromisingly political, their music spanned the spectrum from shamanic agit-rock, electric blues and proto-punk to some of the most haunting songs of the era. Prized by those who knew, they faded from view as tastes changed. Edgar Broughton himself has continued to write, record and perform and he issued a new album, Break the Dark, last year.
During his visit to the Institute, where he gave a solo concert, Edgar Broughton sat down with Mark Mazower to discuss the Sixties. In this Library Chat, they explore the socio-cultural background to one of the most creative epochs in modern history, drawing connections between the rise of rock, the Second World War and the class politics of the era, with some good stories thrown in along the way.
Mark Mazower has written several books, including Dark Continent: Europe’s Twentieth Century (1998), Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews, 1430–1950 (2004) and Governing the World: The History of an Idea (2012). What You Did Not Tell: A Russian Past and the Journey Home (2017), explores his father’s family and its revolutionary past. His most recent book is The Greek Revolution: 1821 and the Making of Modern Europe (2021). He is an historian of modern Europe and has a particular interest in modern Greece. His reviews and commentaries on current affairs appear in the Financial Times and elsewhere.
Mark is responsible for the Institute’s overall cultural and intellectual direction.
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist, co-founder of the Edgar Broughton Band. The Edgar Broughton Band were a British blues rock band founded in Warwick in 1968. They played a key role in the free concert scene and were a significant influence on the emerging politically conscious proto-punk scene of the 1970s. With some changes of personnel, they continued playing into the 21st century. Edgar Broughton continues to perform and his most recent album, Break the Dark, was released in 2023.
