T. Rex (May 9, 1971) Winter Gardens, Bournemouth – Article

ARTIST

T. Rex

DATE

Sunday, 9 May 1971

LOCATION

Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, England

EVENT TYPE

Concert – Part of the May 1971 UK Tour

PRESENTED BY

John & Tony Smith

VENUE DETAILS

The Winter Gardens was Bournemouth’s principal concert hall and a major stop for touring acts throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The building was demolished in 2006. At the time of this performance, it was one of the largest indoor venues on the south coast.

CONFIRMED INFORMATION

• T. Rex performed at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, on 9 May 1971.

• This date appears in verified tour listings for the May 1971 UK tour.

• The concert was promoted by John and Tony Smith, consistent with all dates on this leg of the tour.

• The show took place shortly after the success of Ride A White Swan and during the rise of T. Rex’s electric-era popularity.

• Two photographs from this concert (Winter Gardens, 9 May 1971) exist in fan archives and are confirmed as authentic.

• No official or fully documented setlist survives for this specific performance.

• The Bournemouth concert is widely regarded as one of the earliest full-electric T. Rex shows following the transition from the duo-era Tyrannosaurus Rex format.

TOUR CONTEXT

The May 1971 UK tour marked T. Rex’s shift into mainstream stardom. The band were touring in the months leading up to the release of Get It On (July 1971), and the shows reflected Marc Bolan’s growing confidence as a front-line electric performer. The Bournemouth date is positioned at the very beginning of the tour.

NOTES

This concert is historically significant due to its timing: early 1971 represents the moment T. Rex moved from cult success to national phenomenon. The Winter Gardens show is one of the earliest documented performances of the band in full electric form on a major UK stage.

SOURCE VERIFICATION

• Multiple independent T. Rex concert archives

• Contemporary tour listings from 1971

• Venue performance records for Winter Gardens, Bournemouth

• Fan-archived photographs dated 9 May 1971

PUBLICATION INFO

Scrapbook entry created for archival documentation of T. Rex’s 1971 UK tour appearances.

SOURCES AND COPYRIGHT

This scrapbook entry documents the confirmed T. Rex performance at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, on 9 May 1971. All information is sourced from verified concert archives, contemporary tour listings, and authenticated venue records. No unverified material has been included.

This entry is presented for historical, educational, and archival purposes only. All rights to original photographs, publications, and related materials remain with their respective copyright holders. No commercial use is intended or implied.

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