The mountain-bike accident that cancelled The Stone Roses’ 1995 Glastonbury appearance
While later eclipsed by the anthem-churning Britpop sensation that was Oasis, the rise of the Madchester movement was undoubtedly attributable to The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. From their “loose fit” garb to the rave scene flirtation, these two bands set the tone for the musical landscape of the 1990s.
The Stone Roses formed in 1983 and traversed the ’80s with a series of name and lineup changes before settling with Ian Brown front and centre, John Squire on guitar and Mani and Reni on bass and drums, respectively.
It wasn’t until the close of the decade, in May 1989, that the group released their eponymous debut album. The album saw the band rise from the obscurity of a swell of aspiring Manchester rock bands to become the cream of British rock music heading into the 1990s.
While The Stone Roses wasn’t an immediate worldwide success, by the early ’90s, after a successful touring campaign, it received due reverence, both commercially and critically. Famously, the album also gave Oasis a pair of shoes to fill as the decade progressed. Noel Gallagher once said of The Stone Roses: “Without that band, there would not have been an Oasis”.
Just as The Stone Roses were becoming a major player in the UK rock scene, large hurdles began to present themselves. Following the success of the debut album, the band decided to capitalise by signing to a major label. Their current label, Silvertone, wouldn’t allow the band to bail out of their contract, leading to an arduous legal battle that saw simmering tension within the band.
By 1991, legal differences had been settled, and The Stone Roses signed a new deal with US label Geffen Records. Following the court case, the band became increasingly withdrawn from the Manchester rave scene and decided to spend some time in Europe between 1992-93. When they returned in mid-’93, they finally got to work on their highly anticipated follow-up album.
The album, titled Second Coming, arrived in 1994 and was met with mixed reviews and underwhelming commercial interaction. Stylistically, chief songwriter Squire had decided to move from the band’s indie roots towards a guitar-heavy, blues sound. The album was by no means an uncomfortable listen, but it resembled a loss of identity and, ultimately, a lack of judgement.
Where cracks had shown before, the band were beginning to split. In March 1995, just before the Second Coming tour was due to kick off, Reni decided to quit following a disagreement with Brown. Recruiting Robbie Maddix as a replacement, the band were back on track for their summer tour.
However, once again, fate had a different plan for them. In the early stages of the 1995 tour, which was to be highlighted by a headline appearance at Glastonbury Festival, Squire suffered a mountain biking accident in Marin County, California. The accident left the guitarist with a broken shoulder blade and collarbone.
As returning to the UK in early June 1995, Squire was seen by various doctors, including Manchester United Football Club’s former physician, Dr. Jim McGregor. The collective prognosis advised Squire to rest for at least four to six weeks to recover from his operation, which involved the re-breaking of his shoulder blade to allow it to be re-set properly.
When it was finally announced that The Stone Roses would be pulling out of the Glastonbury headline set in mid-June, Mani addressed their fans: “Glastonbury is something that we’ve been looking forward to all year. It’s absolutely devastating to have to pull out, but shit happens. Our prime aim is to get John fit and well and working for later in the summer.”
Replacing The Stone Roses on a Saturday night at Glastonbury 1995 was Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp, who were sandwiched by headline shows from Oasis and The Cure on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Squire made a full recovery, and The Stone Roses’ outstanding touring commitments were fulfilled over the final two months of 1995.
In April 1996, Squire finally left The Stone Roses, stating that it was “the inevitable conclusion to the gradual social and musical separation that we have undergone in the past few years.”
Brown and Mani continued to perform with last-minute replacements for a scattering of shows over the summer of 1996, but in October, they decided to call it a day and headed separate ways. Brown embarked on a successful solo career while Mani joined Primal Scream and Squire formed The Seahorses.
Watch footage of The Stone Roses performing ‘Made of Stone’ live at Brixton Academy in December 1995 below.
