Prince (June 2, 1981) Lyceum Ballroom, London – First UK Concert

Prince’s historic debut performance in the United Kingdom at the Lyceum Ballroom on June 2, 1981 — a pivotal, under-attended but legendary show during the Dirty Mind era that marked his first breakthrough with British audiences and the music industry.

EVENT DETAILS:

Date: Tuesday, June 2, 1981 Venue: Lyceum Ballroom, The Strand, London

Promoter: Alec Leslie Presents Ticket Price: £3.00

Attendance: Sparse (mostly music industry professionals – a few hundred people)

Tour: Dirty Mind European Mini-Tour (First & Only UK Date)

THE STORY

To promote the show, Warner Bros. released the UK-exclusive single “Uptown” b/w “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (with “Head” on the 12" version) on May 29. The official press release described Prince as “the natural successor to Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger,” highlighting his multi-instrumental abilities and outrageous stage persona.

Prince delivered a raw, high-energy performance with his classic Dirty Mind band. Eyewitness Martin Colyer (who attended with colleagues from Radio Times) described the show as “spectacular,” noting Prince’s outstanding guitar playing. He was close enough at the front to catch Prince’s plectrum. However, Prince appeared frustrated with the low turnout and reportedly left the stage in a petulant mood.

SETLIST

1. Do It All Night

2. Gotta Broken Heart Again

3. When You Were Mine

4. Jack U Off

5. Sexy Dancer

6. I Wanna Be Your Lover

7. Head

8. Dirty Mind

9. Uptown

BAND LINEUP

• Prince – vocals, guitar, piano

• Dez Dickerson – guitar

• André Cymone – bass

• Lisa Coleman – keyboards

• Matt Fink (“Doctor Fink”) – keyboards

• Bobby Z. – drums

New Musical Express (UK)

 Sounds (UK)

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS Era: Dirty Mind (1981)

Tone: Raw, sexy, high-energy funk-rock Stage Style: Band in underwear/trench coats with theatrical elements; Prince in bikini briefs and boots

Significance: First UK show + UK-exclusive single release

RELATED MATERIAL

• Prince (June 2, 1981) Original UK Concert Advert & Press Release

• Prince (June 6, 1981) “Half a million dirty minds can’t be wrong about this man” – NME Cover Story

• Prince (June 6, 1981) “Digging the dirt with Prince” – Black Echoes Cover Story

• Prince (June 6, 1981) “Some day your Prince will come” – Melody Maker Feature

• Prince (May–June 1981) Dirty Mind European Mini-Tour

Also see tabs at the foot of this post.

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