Do you remember the time The Who performed in Magilligan's Golden Slipper?

An author has appealed to Co Derry locals for information about a performance by The Who fifty years ago. Richard Houghton, from Manchester, is currently researching a book about the famous rock band and would like for anyone who saw their performance at The Golden Slipper in Magilligan in 1967 to get in touch. The band were already famous in the UK when they played the Golden Slipper, having had several hit singles including My Generation, Substitute and The Kids are Alright. They played two shows in Belfast's Ulster Hall on Thursday June 8 before heading down to Magilligan for a late show on Friday night. The following Sunday, June 18, they played to tens of thousands of people at the Monterey Festival in California, alongside the Greateful Dead and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band's notorious drummer Keith Moon was absent from the Magilligan gig, having being rushed to hospital on May 29 for an emergency hernia operation. Chris Townson stood in on the drums for a fortnight while Moon recovered. Richard said that the group reportedly performed a very short set, perhaps as short as twenty minutes, and were described as “very loud.” He said that The Who played “just about everywhere” in the UK and “would never turn a booking down even when they could have earned more money.” “They would play quite small venues, because they were just really into playing and taking their music out to the audience,” he said. “They had hit singles in 1965 but in early 1966 they got into a legal dispute with a record producer and there was a court action against the band, which meant actually they couldn't put out any records for most of of 1966. “So, going out and playing on stage was the only way they could get their music heard. I think that's when they made a real connection with fans by playing everywhere they could.” Richard said he hoped to hear from people who were at the gig so that he might help to uncover what he described as “secret pop history.” “I'm interested in the memories that people have got that have maybe only told their friends and family, whether it's seeing a band, or chatting to a band backstage or helping a band carry the gear into the gig,” he said. “Whatever it might be, lots of people have these little stories that they've been dying to tell.” Richard asks that anyone who was at the gig contact him via email at [email protected], or by post to 1 Totnes Rd, Manchester, M21 8XF. The Golden Slipper, sometimes known as 'the Golden Gutty,' has since been demolished. Oddly enough, it played host to another big name on the same date four years later – World Heavyweight Champion Smokin' Joe Frazier. Just months after defeating Muhammad Ali in the 'Fight of the Century,' Frazier and his band the Knockouts, played in the Golden Slipper on June 8 1971. Apparently the gig was a flop, with Smokin' Joe entertaining an audience of just 27 people.