Live: David Bowie and Hype, The Penthouse, Scarborough

David Bowie and Hype performed at The Penthouse in Scarborough on 21 May 1970.

The show had originally been scheduled for 2 April, but was delayed due to a clash with a recording session.

On March 24 I had sent David the usual memo advising him of engagements that had been confirmed. That particular one reminded him that he and the Hype had been booked at the Penthouse, Scarborough on April 2 and the Poco Club, Stockport on May 4. Such things would also be discussed on the telephone and in the office, but long experience had taught me that they should also be confirmed in writing. The contract for the Scarborough gig was issued on March 9.

A few days later it came to my attention that Tony Visconti had arranged for the first [sic] ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ re-recording sessions to take place on April 2, the day that he and David were due in Scarborough. He had not consulted me in the matter of David’s availability, but had relied on assurances he had been given at Haddon Hall. He should have known better, but Tony was only practical in his world of music, in which he was a commanding figure, and when he stepped outside he became an innocent abroad. I am sure that in making records with David he never quite understood the necessity, or the wisdom, of checking with me, a third party.

When I pointed out to David that he couldn’t be in Scarborough and London at the same time and he was contracted to go to Scarborough he flew into a tantrum. ‘My records are important to me,’ he cried, ‘and I’m not going to cancel that session.’ I agreed with him that his records were important to him, as they were to me, but shouldn’t they be made on those many days he spent in London with nothing to do? Did he have to record on a day when he should be elsewhere? He did not reply. Logic played no part in arguments such as these, except in the role of victim.