On this day in 1965 the beards and sandals brigade at the Newport Folk Festival were very upset when Bob Dylan turned up backed by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band with his new electric sound. He was heckled and booed, eventually leaving the stage. Later he returned to the stage to play a couple of songs acoustically, ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’.

One of the reasons that I positively hate the folk scene in the area of Northern England where I live is this holier than thou attitude that the beards and sandals have. The songs have to be treated as if they are national icons they can not be changed or played with. Given that they play in pubs and bars they have the nerve to come in start playing and then to ‘sush’ the paying punters who were there before they arrived!

I also have a problem with middle class English school teachers singing songs about working down the mine with all the passion of a vicar singing about fornication.