London Free School
The London Free School ( LFS ) was a loose association founded in March 1966 of well-known artists who organized various cultural activities in the mid-1960s, including the publication of the underground newspaper International Times and events, particularly the forerunners of the Notting Hill Carnival as well some concerts a. a. with the then still unknown band Pink Floyd, for whose rise the LFS and its environment were important.
Driving forces were mainly John "Hoppy" Hopkins and Rhaune Laslett . The LFS was supposed to be an alternative educational institution for adults in the then problematic district of Notting Hill .
Other LFS organizers and employees included local activists and numerous members of London underground culture , including Michael X , Courtney Tulloch ( International Times ), Peter Jenner (who was just starting out as manager of Pink Floyd ), Joe Boyd (later operator of the UFO Clubs ), Michael Horovitz , John Michell , Julie Felix , Jeff Nuttall , Nigel Waymouth (from Granny Takes a Trip ), Alexander Trocchi , RD Laing , Anjelica Huston and Pink Floyd.
The Notting Hill Carnival developed from the LFS and is still held today. The first carnival parade was held on September 19, 1966.
Benefit concerts were held to finance the LFS activities. The first of these concerts took place on September 30, 1966 in the assembly room of All Saints Church; Pink Floyd put on a "Sound and Light" show there, with some tracks appearing on their debut album the following year. The show was repeated multiple times until Pink Floyd became the house band of the UFO Club .
The underground magazine International Times , which was launched on October 14, 1966, also has its roots in the LFS. The UFO Club, opened on December 23, 1966, in turn funded the International Times.
While the Notting Hill Carnival and the International Times developed a life of their own, the “London Free School” project ended after a few years.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e London Free School on the "Syd Barrett Pink Floyd Home Page", March 4, 2011 (English)
- ↑ Mike Phillips: Obituary for Courtney Tulloch . The Guardian , December 13, 2006 (English)
- ↑ Website of the Notting Hill Carnival (English)