April 9, 1976: Marc Is Top Again

Lyceum Ballroom February 18, 1976 Bravo Magazine (Germany) Translated

"Love Marc" is written on the empty champagne bottle that is swept out of a dressing room at London's Lyceum Ballroom late one evening. And while Marc Bolan drives to the hospital with blue lights flashing to have the laceration stitched up that an enthusiastic fan accidentally inflicted with the bottle, the thousands who experienced that evening are in complete agreement: Marc Bolan is king again! Even today, he masterfully knows how to stoke the fans' fire. For two and a half years, he was hardly heard from. No concerts, no hits, no scandals. Apart from his son Rolan (born on September 26, 1975) and the row with Mickey Finn, there was hardly any Bolan news. Nevertheless, on the very first night of his English tour, he filled one of London's most important venues to the last standing room.

It's like the old days: You see the Afro look that Marc was the first to create, satin jackets in all colors, colorfully decorated top hats, and the whole gamut of crazy Bolan junk from the last ten years. On stage, a giant cardboard dragon spits fire and rolls its glowing red eyes. The atmosphere is tense as the "pop dwarf," as Marc is called in England, jumps onto the stage in his bright red suit with leopard print. It doesn't take long for him to get going. By the second song, "Jeepster," the fans are already going wild. It's as if there had never been a slump in his amazing career...

"Booolaaan" echoes through the hall as the magician in red reels off his hits. Although his LP "Futuristic Dragon" has just been released in England, Marc only sings his great oldies, apart from his new single "London Boys": "Get it on," "Telegram Sam," "Metal Guru," "Children of the Revolution," "Teenage Dream," "Solid Gold Easy Action," and of course, "Hot Love."

"We love you, Marc," scream the fans as he sways his hips, writhes on the floor to the beat, and waves his guitar above his head. Kneeling, he shakes hands goodbye with the many enthusiastic fans who have stormed the stage.

"Today I don't need to write a hit every three months like I used to," he says in his dressing room after the concert. And: "I'm a star. My place in pop history is assured."

Photos: D. Zill

Margit Rietti

In London, Marc Bolan celebrated a celebrated comeback with his new T. Rex