Inner Circle reggae, Rotterdam 1979

Inner Circle reggae, Rotterdam New Pop 1979

This 9 September 1979 photo shows Jamaican band Inner Circle, playing reggae at the Rotterdam, the Netherlands New Pop Festival 1979 in the Zuiderpark.

I took photos there with my Kodak Pocket Instamatic, the cheapest, smallest and simplest camera available. In 2005, photo shops stopped developing and printing Instamatic films. That meant the end of photography forever for me and others for whom expensive cameras for which you needed a Sc.D degree were not an option.

There were many bands on various stages at the New Pop festival. I didn’t know at what time there would be what music on what stage. So, when I read the festival line-up now, to my big shame I missed Public Image Limited. It looks like I also very regrettably missed the punky ska girls the Bodysnatchers from England. However … Wikipedia says that the Bodysnatchers played their first concert in London in November 1979, so after Rotterdam New Pop! Someone made a mistake somewhere.

UPDATE: Rhoda Dakar, Bodysnatchers’ singer, has replied meanwhile. Thank you so much, Rhoda! The Bodysnatchers never played outside the UK. So at Rotterdam New Pop 1979 either no Bodysnatchers, or different snatchers snatching different bodies.

You could only make 12 photos with an Instamatic film. So, I had to be careful not to waste film.

I did hear Roger Chapman and the Shortlist. Roger Chapman was a nice chap, but the music was a bit predictable. I didn’t make photos.

I did make photos of Inner Circle, as also this one shows.

Inner Circle reggae band in Rotterdam September 1979

And I saw and heard the Cure and the Specials. About that, later.

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