Original tapes featuring Blur, Kirsty MacColl and Glastonbury's Reef uncovered in Bath attic
Watch Lucy McDaid's report above
A radio presenter from Bath has uncovered dozens of rare recordings with music legends while clearing out his attic during lockdown.
Broadcaster and journalist Dave Mason was tidying his loft and found a stack of old tapes featuring rock and pop performances from some of the biggest stars of the 1980s and 90s.
The reel to reel tapes are labelled with some of music's most unforgettable names - including Noel Gallagher, Robbie Williams, Blur, Kirsty MacColl and The Corrs.
"My wife said to me, you've got to tidy some of these areas out - the attic and the shed- and in so doing I knew I had some stuff up there, and I knew I had some session tapes from previous careers in radio, but what I didn't realise was how many and exactly who I had," Dave told ITV News West Country.
Before moving back to Bath, Dave presented on radio stations in the North of England and interviewed celebrities who would sing acoustically on his show.
On finding the forgotten-about recordings, he said: "It really is a treasure trove of material,some from artists who are no longer with us.”
"Kirsty MacColl for one is a very special recording. In her interview with me, she describes how she got involved with The Pogues for that incredible song 'Fairytale of New York' which we all hear at Christmas, and how she nearly didn't do it," Dave said.
More than 30 of the precious analogue tapes were found, most of them in the loft, while some were tucked away in the back of Dave’s shed.
The majority were in poor condition and re-mastered at a tape transfer studio in Weston-super-Mare for Dave to play in a special series on Radio Bath.
"Other bands like Reef, who are from Glastonbury, did a session for my show and they loved the whole feel and the vibe, and the fact we were talking about Somerton and where we grew up, and Street, and Glastonbury, and all those areas."
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Dave also commented on artists that were not so keen on the idea of performing acoustically for their fans.
He said: "Back when I was recording a lot of these artists 25 years ago, trying to get them to perform acoustically, in some cases, artists were quite nervous about it and didn't want to do it.
"I remember I was offered the Spice Girls for an interview and I said to Virgin Records, 'Yes! Yes! The Spice Girls can come in if you'll get them to sing, because my show is all about the live and stripped back performance.'
"No was the answer. So I said, 'Then they're not coming on.' So I'm the guy that turned down the Spice Girls."
The attic discovery has come at a much-needed time for music lovers when the coronavirus pandemic continues to dash hopes of a return to live music any time soon.
Michael and Emily Eavis recently confirmed they have had to cancel Glastonbury Festival for a second time as a result of the ongoing health crisis.
Dave's original tunes can now be heard on a weekly show that airs on Radio Bath every Friday from 2pm.
"Hearing that voice in its purest form, stripped back, when we can't go to festivals at the moment and we can't go to live gigs - I think it's very much that shot in the arm that people need," he said.
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