Flash Chronology 1971–72 | Peter Banks archive

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A date-by-date chronology of Flash for September 1971 to December 1972. Entries marked “(canceled)” were booked dates that did not take place. For the band’s history and discography, see the main FLASH page.

September ’71

Early: Peter Banks and Colin Carter, with a demo of “Small Beginnings” and drummer Andrew Steele (formerly of the Herd), present themselves to agents and managers and sign with the new Sovereign Records. Ray Bennett joins the rehearsals to help audition drummers; Mike Hough, then with the Jeff Rowena Band, answers an advertisement and joins after the audition (Derby Evening Telegraph, 11 December 1971; Colin Carter, 2019; Flash In The USA liner notes)
Mid-to-late 1971: A first keyboard player (a Hammond organist named Dave) rehearses with the band but drops out less than two weeks before the De Lane Lea sessions; Tony Kaye is asked in and plays on the album

November ’71

8-21: London, UK, DeLane Lea Studios; Recording debut album, “Flash”

December ’71

11: The Derby Evening Telegraph reports that Flash (Banks, Carter, Bennett, Hough, with Tony Kaye on keyboards for the recording) have an LP ready for release in February and a nationwide tour lined up for the New Year

January ’72

14: High Wycombe, UK – Town Hall (with Stray)
15: Dudley, UK – Technical College
20: Dorchester, UK – Tavern Club
21: Bristol, UK – Polytechnic
22: St. Albans, UK – City Hall (with Stone The Crows)
28: Porthcawl, UK – Manor Suite
29: Watford, UK – Tech College (with Mott The Hoople)
31: Letchworth, UK – Youth Club

February ’72

Album Release [UK]: “Flash”
‘As Flash in its recording form was two fifths of the original Yes, it’s not surprising that the music comes out sounding a little the same.. The music’s very structured and there’s lots of excitement. Lead vocalist Colin Carter comes over well, and Peter Banks’s guitar work is always of a high standard’ – Beat Instrumental, March 1972
‘The first release from EMI’s new label [Sovereign]. Flash – featuring former Yes members Peter Banks and Tony Kaye – is a fairly heavy group getting some attention on the college circuit’ – Record Collector, March 1972
14: Ellesmere Port, UK – Cheshire College (Unconfirmed date)
18: Ipswich, UK – Civic College
19: Leicester, UK – “’72 Rag Dance”, University (with Roy Harper, Roxy Music)
22: London, UK – Marquee Club
25: York, UK – St. Peter’s School
26: Epsom, UK – Baths (with Budgie)
27: Bletchley, UK – Esmeralda’s, Youth Centre (with Gnidrolog, Vinegar Joe)

March ’72

1: Birmingham, UK – “Students’ Carnival” Mayfair Suite, Bull Ring (with Van Der Graaf Generator, Medicine Head)
1: Birmingham, UK – Aston University (with Tony Hazzard)
2: Preston, UK – Amethyst Club
3: Aberdeen, UK – University
4: Whitley Bay, UK – Random Club
9: BBC Radio Broadcast: ‘Sound Of The Seventies’ (with Gnidrolog, Strawbs, Mick Greenwood)
10: Exeter, UK – St George’s Hall
11: Narberth, UK – Queen’s Hall (with the Flying Hat Band)
17: Luton, UK – Tech College (with Slade, Gothic Horizon)
22: Bristol, UK – Boobs Club
23: North Devon, UK – Tech College
23: Penzance, UK – Winter Gardens
24: Guildford, UK – Tech College
25: Bracknell, UK – Bracknell Sports Centre (with Barclay James Harvest, Steve Peregrine Took)
29: Bristol, UK – Tiffany’s

April ’72

1: Plymouth, UK – Van Dike
3: Barnstable, UK – Queens Hall
7: Schiedam, The Netherlands – Sociëteit Arcade/Martin Green Society (with Focus)
8: Dortrecht, The Netherlands – Sprankja Club
9: Assen, The Netherlands – Theater De Nieuwe Kolk
10 Album Release [US]: “Flash”
13: Tournai, Belgium – Town Hall (with John Martyn)
14: Brussels, Belgium – Théâtre 140 (with John Martyn)
15: Antwerp, Belgium – Handelsbeurs (with Irish Coffee)
16: Hasselt, Belgium – Germinal Hall
20: Langen, Germany – Unknown venue
21: Hamburg, Germany – Concert Hall
22: Utrecht, The Netherlands – Glarbuurs Hall/Jaarbeurscongrescentrum
23: Munster, Germany – Buurgstein Furte
24-25: Brussels, Belgium – TV Studio
30: Southampton, UK – Palace
30: London, UK – Chalk Farm Roundhouse (with Wishbone Ash, Hookfoot, Cheech ‘N’ Chong, Linda Lewis)

May ’72

Single Release: Small Beginnings / Morning Haze
1: Birmingham, UK – Kinetic Circus (with Sandy Denny, Nazareth)
4: BBC Radio Broadcast: Sound Of The Seventies (with Bronx Cheer, Gnidrolog, Paul Jones)
5: Newcastle, UK – University (with Lindisfarne)
6: Sheffield, UK – University
6: Oswaldtwistle, UK – Town Hall
9: London, UK – Marquee Club
10: Nottingham, UK – Polytechnic
12: Northampton, UK – Guild Hall
13: London, UK – Imperial College (with Roy Young Band)
20: Bolton, UK – Institute of Technology
21: Croydon, UK – Greyhound
25: St. Annes, UK – Lowther Pavilion
26: Blackburn, UK – King George’s Hall
27: Penarth, UK – Paget Rooms
31: Stockport, UK – Town Hall

June ’72

2: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK – Mayfair Ballroom
3: Hornsea, UK – Floral Hall (with Mike Cooper, Wharfrat Music)
4: Kenilworth, UK – Kinetic Circus
6: London, UK – Marquee Club (with Cat Iron)
8: Guildford, UK – Civic Hall (with Audience)
9: London, UK – Marquee Club
9: Leytonstone, UK – Red Lion
10: Slough, UK – Slough College (with Stackridge)
11-16: London, UK – Recording session
17: Oxford, UK – Jesus College
20-21: London, UK – Rehearsals
22: Staffs, UK – Keele University
23: Workington, UK – West Cumberland College of Science and Technology
24: Leicester, UK – Polytechnic
25: Swansea, UK – Pandora’s Club
28: Watford, UK – Town Hall (with Genesis)

July ’72

Early: London, UK – In The Can LP recorded
Early: Dorset, UK – Weymouth Pier Pavilion
Early: A San Francisco group also named Flash files a $6 million suit against Capitol Records over the British band’s album, claiming name infringement.
14: Band departs to JFK Airport, NYC
15: New York City, NY – Radio press conference
17: Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park (with David Bromberg, Dust); audience recording exists
18: Hempstead, NY – Ultrasonic Recording Studio, WLIR-FM,
18: Band filmed for WCBS TV news broadcast
19: Cherry Hill, NJ – Cherry Hill Arena (with Chamber Brothers, Surprize)
20: Georgetown, MD – My Mother’s Place
21: Washington D.C. – WDCA-TV studios presumably taping for the Barry Richards Show; further details unknown
21: Bowie, MD – Bowie Ice Rink
22: Fairfax, VA – Robinson High School
23: Fort Wayne, ID – Fort Wayne Coliseum (with James Gang)
24: Cleveland, OH – Agora (with Raspberries)
25: Toledo, OH – Agora
26: Cincinnati, OH – Reflections (with Freeport)
27: Columbus, OH – Agora
28-30: East Quogue, NY – The Barge (Advertised appearances, unconfirmed)
29: Charlotte, NC – Fairgrounds (with Poco, Uriah Heep, Long John Baldry, Wishbone Ash)
30: Providence, RI – Rhode Island Auditorium (with Black Sabbath, Black Oak Arkansas)
31: Boston, MA – Sheraton Hotel (Press and radio interviews)
31: Boston, MA – Frolics Ballrooms (with Cricket Hill)
Note: Colin Carter recalls an advertisement billing Flash with Foghat in Salisbury, Mass., as the band’s only Boston-area appearance. The Frolics was a Salisbury Beach venue; the date of that advertisement is unconfirmed.

August ’72

1: Roslyn, NY – My Father’s Place (with James Cotton Blues Band); audience recording exists and released in edited form on “In The USA” (2022).
2: Bronx, NY – Gaelic Park (with Blue Öyster Cult, Beck Bogart and Appice [billed as Jeff Beck Group], Argent)
3: Roslyn, NY – My Father’s Place (with Glass Harp)
5: Long Island, NY – Commack Arena (with Savoy Brown, Rory Gallagher, Tower of Power)
5: Asbury Park, NJ – Sunshine In (with Brownsville Station)
6: Pittsburgh, PA – Pitt Stadium (Afternoon show)
6: Commack, NY – Long Island Arena (with Wishbone Ash, Savoy Brown, Rory Gallagher)
7: Chicago, IL – unknown venue
10: Jersey City, NJ Roosevelt Stadium (with Alice Cooper, The J. Geils Band, Ursa Major)
11: St. Petersburg, FL – Bayfront Center
12: Charleston, SC – County Hall
13: Jacksonville, FL – Memorial Coliseum
15: San Diego, CA – Balboa Park Bowl (with Foghat, Mike Bloomfield, Horsefeathers)
16-19: Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go (with Elijah); Los Angeles Free Press review of the run
20: (canceled) Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go (Fog Hat (Foghat) replaced Flash on the Sunday)
21: Detroit, MI – Roostertail Upper-Deck (with Air Speed)
22: Wichita, KS – Cessna Stadium (with Rod Stewart & The Faces, John Kay)
23: Davison, MI – Sherwood Forest “Wild Wednesday 72” (with Jo Jo Gunne, Catfish, The Counts, Detroit and many others)
25: Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom (with The Kinks, Dr. Hook & His Medicine Show, Foghat)
26: New Orleans, LA – The Warehouse (with Foghat, Captain Beyond)
28: Madison, WI – Mother’s
29: Charlotte, NC – Park Center (with Argent, Foghat, Phlorescent Leech & Eddie)
31: Wingate, NC – Wingate Junior College
Chart note: A Boston radio DJ’s edit of “Small Beginnings” gets heavy airplay, and Sovereign/Capitol release it as a single; it reaches No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album Flash peaks at No. 33 on the Billboard 200

September ’72

1: Travel to Terre Haute, IN
2: Bull Island, IN – Erie Canal Pop Festival (with Birtha, Foghat, Rory Gallagher, Ravi Shankar, Black Sabbath, Joe Cocker, Allman Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Gentle Giant, Amboy Dukes, Canned Heat, Black Oak Arkansas, Eagles, Nazareth, McKendree Spring and many others) exact performance date unknown
4: Oshkosh, WI – University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (with Brian Lee Blues Band, Blue Tale Fly, REO Speedwagon); Oshkosh Northwestern review
5: Long Island, NY, Nassau College
8: Akron, OH – Akron Civic Theatre (with Foghat, Bang)

9: Clermont, IN – Indianapolis Raceway Park, WNAP Indianapolis Raceway Festival (with Chuck Berry, Fleetwood Mac, It’s A Beautiful Day, Argent, Foghat, McKendree Spring and others); Audience recording exists
10: Madison, NJ – Unknown venue
Possibly Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham-Madison campus, per Colin Carter’s recollection that the university repeatedly booked the band; unconfirmed.
11: Kutztown, PA – Keystone Hall (with REO Speedwagon, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks); two readers’ letters in The Morning Call
12: Travel to Erie, PA
13: Erie, PA – Unknown venue
14: Radford, VA – Radford College Preston Hall Auditorium (with The Divots, Blue Oyster Cult)
15: Travel to New York City
16: York, PA – Unknown venue
17: Snippensberg, PA – Unknown venue
18: Travel back to the UK

October ’72

Album Release: “In The Can”
‘Flash stick to their guns in embarking on adventurous, complicated arrangements, with shifts in tempo and key that grip without losing sight of strong, impressive melody lines, which Banks lays down with dexterity and imagination… A standout album of which they can be proud’ – Melody Maker, 10/3/73
‘Virtually every band that has been formed as a result of someone leaving Yes ends up sounding like them. This is Flash’s second album, after 12 months together, and they still seem to be looking for that elusive ingredient – originality. The vocals are overloaded, and instrumentally everybody seems to suffer from trying just that bit too much’ – Record Mirror, 3/3/73 (more newspaper reviews)
8th: Upminster, UK – New Windmill Hall
9-10th: London, UK – DeLane Lea Studios Recording sessions
11th: London, UK – Maximum Sound Studios Recording session
12th: Hornsey, UK – Hornsey College Of Art
13th: London, UK – Thames Polytechnic (with The Pretty Things)
14th: Canterbury, UK – Elliot College University of Kent
15th: Lancing, UK – Lancing College
20th: London, UK – Goldsmiths College (with Colin Blunstone)
21st: Cardiff, UK – University (with Glencoe)
23rd: London, UK – Recording of “Watch Your Step” and/or “Never Stand”
24th: London, UK – Marquee Club
29th: Gravesend, UK – Civic Hall (with Mick Abrahams’ Band)
Of interest: US newspapers reported in September 1970 that Peter Banks, then recently out of Yes, had joined Blodwyn Pig after Mick Abrahams left the group.

November ’72

12: London, UK – Recording sessions commenced
13: London, UK – Banks collaborated with Jan Akkerman to record the track “Stop That.”
15: London, UK – Finished recording tracks
16: London, UK – A notable session at Advision Studios took place, featuring an ensemble of Peter Banks, Phil Collins, Ray Bennett, and Jan Akkerman.
17: London, UK – Kings Cross Cinema
18: Manchester, UK – Manchester University
18: (canceled) Rutherford, NJ – Fairleigh Dickenson College Advertised but presumably their US tour was postponed.
25: London, UK – Isleworth Polytechnic Unconfirmed date (with Sam Apple Pie)
26: Cleveland, OH – Unknown venue Misreported as Philadelphia in Creem magazine; another gig postponed

December ’72

Single Release: “Lifetime / Children Of The Universe”
2: Teaneck, NJ – Fairleigh Dickinson University Two headlining shows (with Blue Oyster Cult)
5-7: Roslyn, NY – My Father’s Place
8: Milton, MA – Curry College, South Campus Auditorium Headlining show (with The World of Lenny Bruce)
9: Chattanooga, TN – Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium (with Humble Pie, Roxy Music)
10: Charleston, WV – Charleston Civic Center (with Humble Pie, Roxy Music)
11: Fort Wayne, IN – Embassy Theatre (with Mott The Hoople, Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids)
12: Warren, OH – Packard Music Hall
13: Lexington, KY – The Warehouse (with Ethos)
15: Newark, NJ – Newark State College; two shows
16: Passaic, NJ – Capitol Theatre; two shows (with Chuck Berry, Phlorescent Leech & Eddie); Audience recording exists and excerpts released on 2022’s “In The USA” set Rolling Stone (20 January 1973) said of Flash: “The guitar of Peter Banks, core of the English foursome, provided finesse, but the Jaggerish posturing of lead vocalist Colin Carter appeared a trifle dated although his vocals were adroit.” – Phil Gelormine
17: Ramapo, NJ – Ramapo High School Auditorium; two shows
22: Detroit, MI – Ford Auditorium Headlining show (with Mom’s Apple Pie, Blue Öyster Cult)
27: Indianapolis, IN – Indianapolis Convention Center (with Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, McKendree Spring [George and Sue Mizer got married at the concert]); audience recording excerpts available on “In The USA” (2022).
28: Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota National Guard Armory (with Raspberries, Bang)
29: St Louis, MO – Keil Auditorium (with Steve Miller Band)
30: Rockford, IL – National Guard Armory
31: Providence, RI Palace Theatre (with Al Kooper)

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