ASGARD - & a Tribute to Drummer Terry Westwood

 NEW - LIVE AUDIO OF ASGARD ADDED FROM A GIG IN LONDON in the early 70's - added 5th Feb 2009

AND SOME NEW MATERIAL TO BE ADDED TO THIS FROM RICHARD KILBRIDE'S COLLECTION.

ASGARD (whose name was inspired by Norse mythology, land of the gods). were one of Coventry's top progressive bands in a Pink Floyd vain c 1969 - 70. Neol Davis (later of Two Tone band Selecter) sometimes guested on Sitar, John Peel took the band under his wing for a while and the band began to play more widely around the country.

This post expands on our previous post about Asgard with some addtional material supplied by the band and the promise of some live audio to come to this post. It also forms a tribute to their drummer Terry Westwood whom we have just been informed has terminal cancer and to Bill Walker - their musical genius / organist Bill Walker who sadly passed away in the mid 70's, still a young man.

 

This post therefore is mostly in the words of their bassist Richard Kilbride and their Roadie - Bob Mansfield with some additional information from some of their friends and associates. The former post about Asgard can be found here - http://coventrymusichistory.vox.com/library/post/asgard-cov-band.html

 

Asgard are now on My Space Here  And also visit their REVERBNATION site - http://www.reverbnation.com/asgardcoventry 

"I have also got an original acetate (demo disc) that the band did in London which is still playable although a bit battered and scratchy." Bob Mansfield. The audio added here Track 2 is the only one with vocals - and a great track too. 

was digitised and cleaned up a 40 year cassette tape from the 70's as best as can be expected for us by Roger Lomas. Thanks Roger.

Click the Reverbnation widget below to hear Asgards music -

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASGARD - by Richard Kilbride

"The band was formed as a school pal band in 1966. We were then called Union Jack and were a modish four piece Guitar, bass, farfiza and drums. They performed Who type material (hence the awful name). The three of us that became Asgard all lived within 200 yds of each other at Eastern Green and as Bill had a good shed behind his Garage that became our rehearsal studio, (every night). We soon started writing our own New wave or Psychedelic type music and did cover Nice and Floyd. We played a lot at the Umbrella Arts Club and the International Centre under the Cathedral as well as all the usual haunts that all the bands played in. We played the Warwick University Arts Festival with Pink Faries, Whistler, Sorrows etc. and Peter Waterman's progressive music venue at The Walsgrave and the Coventry police social club on a 'Penny Tour' with Comus (fantastic!) and Demon Fuzz..We were taken under the wing of John Peel for some time, through the efforts of Paul Padun our manager, We played with him on his new band spot at Mothers Erdington and also appeared at Torquay Town hall with him at a Blues festival there as support to Blodwyn Pig who failed to turn up. So we improvised a set to fill their spot. He also put us on a C.N.D festival in Victoria park (with a huge audience), headlined by The Crazy world of Arthur Brown and The Liverpool Scene. We also did many Gigs with Principal Edwards Magic Theatre in St. Ives, who were also his protogies.
 
The band moved to Devon to re write and re format the band, but doing so in a cottage we rented that had no electric defeated the project and Bill went off to Uni, Terry went back with Bob to Coventry and myself and Adrian Watton the bands light show and effects member stayed, seduced by the area.
 
I later formed a 6 piece band called Bo-Speak that had a good run of support playing throughout Devon, This band was a fusion band playing self written sets in the Talking heads, Brian Eno type stuff."

"We gigged at Mothers on our own accord not long after the Victoria Park gig (At which we replaced the then relatively unknown Black sabbath) as we impressed John Peel and he invited us to perform at his regular Friday night radio slot live from Mothers. Just as an aside Paul (our manager) went to live with John Peel in his mews appartment in Upper Harley street whilst working for bands such as Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Principal Edwards Magic Theatre and Chicargo Blus Band (as did Terry when the band (Asgard) split up)"

 

 

From Asgard Roadie - Bob Mansfield - A bio of drummer Terry Westwood

"When the band went their merry ways Terry toured with Climax Blues Band along with Paul Padum for a short while after leaving Tialta Cottage in Westwood Ho, Devon. He then married Janet and lived with me in Coventry for a while until he got himself a house in Coventry. They have two sons, Neil and Lee, both of whom live near to him now in Kings Lynn. (Which is a great help at this present time). He left the heating industry (we originally both met as apprentice gas fitters in 1967) and became a lecturer in welding at Lloyds training school and got into education (technical). He joined CITB and moved back down to Westwood Ho to become regional manager for the local CITB moving finally to their head office in Kings Lynn to write their quality control system and become their health & safety director (I think). He was made redundant a number of years ago but remained on the payroll as an independent consultant, setting up his own business in the process. In between all of that he took an open university Masters Degree."

"Terry Westwood was the drummer (very much on the Nick Mason vogue) and whom the band met on the road actually jamming with them one wet wednesday night at Mothers in Erdington."

 

" unfortunately Bill Walker had a fatal heart atack weeks after he married circa 1975/8 ish, as did their manager Paul Padum (Coventry lad, lived in Foleshill of Ukrain family) and knew Neol Davis (Black Cat Bones) who actually never really played with Asgard as a member, more of a guest line up when he was into the Sitar"

"Paul Padun died in Bahrain whilst working with Charles Aznavour circa 1980"

Below are -

"some photos of the band in action at the Jag Sports & Social Club from a

guy called Terry Turner who was a sort of booking agent back then and organised gigs at the Jag, The Police Club and others."