29 Oct 2022

The Who acoustic to perform at Peter Blake’s 90th birthday concert

Pete Townshend is to join Roger Daltrey in an acoustic set at the concert celebrating renowned artist Sir Peter Blake’s 90th birthday.

The concert will take place at the Royal Festival Hall, London on Friday 2 December and will include Madness, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Chrissie Hynde and Baxter Dury with compere John Wilson of BBC Radio 4. The concert is being curated by Paul Weller, who said in a statement, “We’re coming to celebrate this brilliant artist who has given us all so much for over 70 years! Thank you Peter!”

Sir Peter Blake, regarded as the Godfather of British Pop Art has had a long association with the world of rock’n’roll. Most of us will know him, of course, for the album cover he created with his then-wife Jann Haworth for The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.

Other notable album covers he has designed are Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da for Madness, Stop The Clocks for Oasis, Stanley Road for Paul Weller, Me and Mr Johnson for Eric Clapton and Getting In Over My Head for Brian Wilson.

Peter Blake designed the cover for The Who’s 1981 album Face Dances and, more recently, their 2019 album, WHO.

All proceeds from the event will be split between the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Graeae Theatre Company of whom Blake is a patron.

Graeae’s artistic director, Jenny Sealey MBE, said: “Peter Blake is a legendary part of Graeae as a patron, an artist and the kindest person ever. He has twinkly eyes but stands for no nonsense, ever the radical maverick we hold close to our hearts. Happy Birthday Peter and so much love from your Graeae family.”

Tickets went on sale on 21 October and were sold out in a matter of days.

Photo: Naomi Clarke