📰T. Rex Are Here! – BRAVO: Feb. 1972
- T.Rex
- Feb 15, 1972
- 5 min read
A BRAVO cover story and two‑page report from London capturing the frenzy of T. Rex’s 1972 tour.
A vivid, immersive BRAVO feature documenting Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn onstage in London — glitter, exhaustion, screaming fans, and the electric intimacy that defined T. Rexmania at its peak.
📰 Key Highlights
• BRAVO cover dated February 15, 1972
• Two‑page feature: “T. Rex sind da! Was Euch bei ihren Konzerten erwartet”
• First‑hand fan‑report from a London concert
• Dramatic performance photography of Marc Bolan & Mickey Finn
• Captures the hysteria, closeness, and physical intensity of early T. Rex shows
• Includes Marc’s reflections on touring, exhaustion, and audience connection
📰 Overview
This BRAVO issue presents T. Rex at the height of their early‑70s stardom. The cover announces their arrival with bold energy, while the inside feature — part reportage, part fan diary — follows Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, Steve Currie, and Bill Legend through a chaotic, euphoric London concert. Written in BRAVO’s signature youth‑press style, the piece blends breathless excitement with intimate detail, offering German fans a window into the raw electricity of T. Rex live.
📰 Source Details
Publication: BRAVO
Date: February 15, 1972
Issue: Cover + Two‑Page Feature
Provenance Notes: BRAVO fan‑report by Felix Unruh with photography by BRAVO staff.
📰 The Story
The feature opens with a burst of energy: “T. Rex sind da!” — a promise that Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn are not just touring, but arriving like an event. The article follows BRAVO’s fan‑reporter into the Sundown Theatre in Brixton, where two thousand fans pack the venue, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder in a crush of anticipation.
Marc and Mickey begin the show with a shout of “Let’s go!”, launching into a set that immediately sweeps the crowd into motion. Confetti falls, lights flash, and Marc — glittering in a silver suit — pauses mid‑song to stare intensely into the audience before breaking into a warm smile. It’s a moment the reporter describes as contagious, the spark that ignites the entire room.
A 14‑year‑old fan named Susan becomes the emotional centre of the story. Too small to see, she tugs the reporter’s arm and asks to climb onto his shoulders. From there, she raises her hand in a peace sign with the rest of the crowd, waving toward Marc as he commands the stage. The article captures the physical closeness of the era — no seats, no barriers, just bodies pressed forward in a wave of devotion.
By 11:15 PM, T. Rex have been playing for hours. Mickey Finn’s hands are “smashed bloody on the congas”, but he keeps going. Fans faint from the heat and excitement, pulled out by helpers. Marc drives through a set that spans “Hot Love,” “Metal Guru,” and more, pushing himself to exhaustion. The show ends in a storm of streamers and confetti — a ritualistic release.
After the concert, Marc speaks softly, drained but glowing:
“I find nothing more beautiful than such concerts.”
He admits he doesn’t want food or drink — just rest before the next two shows the following day. He worries about burning out, but insists he needs the “almost skin‑to‑skin contact” with his audience. Mickey, hands bandaged, simply adds:
“And just as exhausting.”
The feature closes with Marc promising German fans the same intensity, even without the massive illuminated T. REX stage backdrop that couldn’t be transported. His message is simple: the spectacle may shrink, but the energy will not.
📰 Visual Archive
BRAVO cover on T. Rex’s London concerts, February 15, 1972.
📰 Related Material
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📰 Closing Notes
This BRAVO feature captures T. Rex at their most explosive — a band feeding off the fever of their audience, pushing themselves to the edge, and defining the ecstatic, glitter‑drenched spirit of early glam rock.
📰 Sources
• BRAVO magazine, February 15, 1972
• Contemporary T. Rex tour reporting
• BRAVO fan‑report by Felix Unruh
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
Marc and T. Rex are here! What you should know about their concerts expected, tested
BRAVO in London
They give it their all until exhaustion: Marc Bolan (left) and Mickey Finn
"Let's go!" Mare Bolan and Mickey Finn shouted to their friends as they kicked off their latest tour through London's boroughs. Now, half an hour into the concert in Brixton, someone tugs at my arm. I'm standing among two thousand T. Rex fans in the Sundown Theatre of London's Voreris. The girl tugging at me is named Susan. She's 14. We've never met before, but Susan says, "Can I climb onto your shoulders?" "Sure," I say, because Susan is only 1.40 meters tall, and in front of her is a wall of roaring fans; there are no seats. For half an hour, she's only listened to Mare, Mickey, Steve, and Bill. Now she can see the T. Rex better than anyone else Like all the other two thousand fans, Susan raises her right hand in a peace sign and waves towards the front of the stage, where Marc glitters in his silver suit. He stands there motionless, pauses, and stares intently at the audience. Then his features break into a friendly smile. He starts a new song. The fans cheer. The cheering is contagious. For everyone. The crowd surges ever closer to the brightly lit stage.
T. Rex fan Susan (14) on the shoulders of BRAVO reporter Felix Unruh
11:15 PM: T. Rex have been playing for more than hours. The fans' enthusiasm has swept them away. Mickey doesn't even notice that he's smashed his hands bloody on the congas. I don't notice that Susan is still sitting on my shoulders. Many of the young fans can't take it anymore. Helpers pull the fainting ones out of the crowd. Mare is playing everything he's got: from "Hot Love" to "Metal Guru." This show, which Mare is now bringing to us, lasts another full hour. The concert ends in a shower of streamers, paper balls, and confetti. Busan gets off my shoulder, says thank you, and disappears. Outside, it's night. No more buses are running. A T. Rex concert is a
Worth the walk. "I find nothing more beautiful than such concerts," says Mare afterwards. He is exhausted, doesn't want to eat or drink. The next afternoon at five there is another T. Rex concert. At nine o'clock in the evening the second one. Is Mare burning himself out? "I need this almost skin-to-skin contact with my audience. It grabs me when people get into it like today, when they shout, when they try to get really close to me. I hope it will be just as exciting in Germany. We are coming with 15 people, technicians included. It's a shame that we can't bring our large stage backdrop with us, the 5-meter-high name T. Rex in over a hundred flashing light bulbs. Unfortunately, it's too heavy for transport. But I promise it will be just as good as here in London." Mickey ties his hands and just says, "And
just as exhausting." Felix Unruh
BRAVO 15
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