University students and staff were stunned when Paul McCartney and Wings rolled up on the doorstep. The impromptu debut gig – in the Portland Ballroom at midday on Wednesday 9 February 1972 – is etched on the minds of many, including the great man himself.

Why did you end up at Nottingham?
We decided we’d just go on the road with no plans; no hotels booked, no gigs booked a complete blank canvas. So we set off with the band, the family, the dogs, the babies – up the motorway. We headed north and saw a sign that said Ashby de la Zouch so we got off the motorway there and asked where the nearest uni was. This became the idea that the only place we could maybe find a captive audience would be somewhere like a uni, so we were directed to Nottingham Uni and that’s how we found it.

It was the first time we had tried that idea. I’m really glad we did. It’s a completely off-the-wall idea for someone who had been in The Beatles, to go and completely start from scratch again and, you know, looking back at it I was like, why did we do it? And it’s still like that, but it was great and it was a great memory. We had some laughs – you can imagine some of the hotels we managed to scrape into! We would literally get there about 7pm at night, and there wasn’t the greatest selection left by that time of night! But
it was really fun and great bonding experience for the band.

Wings

What do you remember about the gig?

I remember having 11 numbers to play and having to repeat a few, pretending they were special requests from the students.

What would you say to all those fans that packed in to watch the gig and still treasure the memories of that very special lunchtime?
It was really great they were there to share it with us – we were extremely thankful that anyone showed up for us. It’s a great memory so it’s nice they can share that very nice off-the-wall experience with us. It must have been good fun. I can imagine it would have been great if I’d been at uni and a band like us showed up. It must have also been nice to see Wings in their infancy!  I think it was the first time we’d publicly played.

Have you still got the van?
The van is long since gone.

When do you plan on returning?
A good question and I’ll give it  considerable thought.

Someone else who remembers the gig clearly is Elaine Woodhams (née Smith) was the Students’ Union social secretary at the time. She was in her final year studying Social Administration and was responsible – along with the committee – for booking the entertainment for the Portland Building.

“That night, I was in the bar when I was approached by a guy,” she remembers.

“He said ‘we’re with Paul McCartney’s new band, Wings, and we’re on the road looking for places to do impromptu gigs. Are you interested?’ First thing I thought was that someone was winding me up, but I said ‘of course we’re interested’.

“He said ‘if you’d like to come outside and meet the boss and talk about the details’. I followed him outside, there was a red minibus parked in front of the Portland Building. He knocked on the window and the door slid back and who should be sitting in the driving seat but Paul McCartney. My first impression was: wow! I’d actually thought that when I got outside the building I might be greeted by lots of people laughing or throwing buckets of cold water at me. Then I think I did the goldfish impression for a bit. Paul said: ‘My man tells me you’re up for it so let’s talk about the details. He said ‘what’s the chance of playing  the next evening’ and I explained that I would have to get permission from the Registrar.”

McCartney told Elaine that the band would stay in Nottingham that night and to organise it and give him a ring. He wanted it to be low-key event, no publicity, just a blackboard up in the bar with the details.

“Word went round like wildfire, just from the blackboard notice in the bar’, said Elaine. “The fire limit on the ballroom was 800 and it was definitely packed.

“It was amazing,” she said.

Another alumni with memories of the gig is Trevor Morkham (BA Law, 1972).

He said: “I’ve dined out on the story ever since. The concert was fantastic, a real rockin’ event. Afterwards, as I was leaving the building, I noticed a van parked in front of the main steps.  A familiar figure was sat in the driving seat so I took the opportunity to ask Paul for his autograph — he obligingly signed ‘Paul and Linda McCartney’ on a scrap of paper I managed to find in my pocket. I still have that autograph, locked away amongst my most prized possessions, a souvenir of a fantastic day that I will never forget.”

Graham Pearson (Chemical Engineering, 1972) said: “The audience was very attentive and far too sophisticated to be screaming and shouting. Because of this, Linda McCartney was less than generous. At one point, she asked us why we hadn’t brought our knitting.”

And Dr Brian Pearson (Metallurgy, 1974) remembers: “The Wings gig was different and special. Even in those days, long before mobile phones and the internet, word had got around the Halls that McCartney had been seen drinking in the Buttery on the evening of the 8th. By the time we got to lectures on the 9th, the rumour had turned into the reality that (the then unknown) Wings would be playing in the Ballroom. What do I recall of the gig? Well, most vividly, Linda playing keyboards and singing surrounded by an entourage of babies and young children…..Stella would have been there, I’m sure, but only just! I recall Denny Laine and Henry McCullough, who I’m sure had both played with Joe Cocker at one stage. I don’t recall the drummer, but I do remember his playing being sufficiently hard to turn a crash cymbal inside out! ”

You can read more memories of the Wings gig online at www.nottingham.ac.uk/alumniexchange and see  guitarist Henry McCullough and Social Secretary Elaine Woodhams share their memories on YouTube at:

Wings take flight at the University