After untold earlier attempts, the line-up that was to define the shape of things to come finally gelled at the WATCHFIELD FREE FESTIVAL in 1975.

HERE & NOW went their own way from there on out - their fiercely independent attitude reinforced when DAEVID ALLEN had to pull out on the eve of the projected follow-up tour in spring '78 with a collapsed l. It was a deadly combination, and was - not unnaturally - massively successful, leaving behind a 250,000 selling album - 'LIVE FLOATING ANARCHY '77' - and a legend which lives on to this day. Thus was the legendary 'PLANET GONG' formed - a combination of DAEVID ALLEN and GILLI SMYTHS' subtle and mystical subversion and HERE & NOWS' in-your-face anarchism. Mike Howlett - then bassist with GONG - spotted them at a typically anarchic gig in Notting Hill's 'Tabernacle' venue and recommended them to DAEVID ALLEN, erstwhile GONG leader, who was looking for just such an outfit to help him out with a 'Space-Punk' project he had in mind. The tour finished up with a 5-night stint at the 'CLUB GIBBOUS' in Paris and a live nationwide broadcast for 'RADIO FRANCE' - which, to those who've heard it, offers some indication of the wild and unpredictable musical anarchy which was to become their hallmark.īy this time, they'd evolved a uniquely tight yet shambolically loose - but above all very powerful - style.

Their first show was in a circus tent near Versailles, after which they travelled south to pick grapes and play 'anywhere that would take us'. In 1976 the band undertook their first tour - 'electrically busking' their merry way around France, and riding a crazy roller coaster that took them from extreme poverty to comparative affluence every couple of days - stopping at all points in between - and which lasted 3 months. Amongst the musical luminaries who joined them that night were ARTHUR BROWN (as in: 'THE CRAZY WORLD OF.') and REEBOP KWAAKU BAH, the percussionist from TRAFFIC - whose bandleader, STEVIE WINWOOD, was watching avidly from backstage, along with VIV STANSHALL (of the infamous 'BONZO DOG DOODAH BAND'), who would have joined in but was too paralytically drunk to climb the steps onto the stage - a star-crossed meeting indeed! Their first ever show was in the form of a free-floating, anarchical 6-hour jam in front of 15,000 people. The line-up featured Steffe Sharpstrings (gtr) Twink (aka Paul Noble) (synthis), Keith tha Missile (bass) and Kif Kif le Batteur (drums)

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