Procession were one of the most musically ambitious groups to emerge on the Australian rock scene during the late 1960s and were the original architects of the classic single “Anthem (One Day in Every Week)”, later a UK top 20 hit for The New Seekers. An early vehicle for future Manfred Mann’s Earth Band guitarist/singer Mick Rogers, Procession recorded some exceptional material in Australia (and later the UK), but never achieved the commercial breakthrough that their initial creative surge promised.
It had all started so well. Barely two months after forming, Procession became a weekly feature on the nationally televised rock show Uptight, appearing in a special segment thanks to the show’s producer, David Joseph, who also happened to be the band’s manager. Procession enjoyed further exposure from writers Ian Meldrum and Lily Brett, who frequently praised them for their musical innovations in the popular Melbourne-based Go-Set teen magazine.
From the start, Procession set out to be different. According to writer Ian McFarlane in his excellent encyclopedia of Australian rock music, the band’s game plan was to make everything they did an Australian first. In this respect, Procession recorded their debut single, “Anthem”, a cappella; a 40-piece choir backed them for their debut television appearance; follow up single, “Listen”, was the first to be recorded on freshly installed eight-track equipment; and Procession Live at Sebastians was the first live LP in the country.
Yet, despite all of these innovations and the attention afforded the band, none of Procession’s Australian records were major chart successes and in July 1968 the group relocated to London in a bid to crack the UK market. After hooking up with Manfred Mann drummer Mike Hugg as producer, Procession recorded a second (studio) album later that year but chart success continued to elude them and by September 1969 it was all over.
Read Nick Warburton’s full profile at Procession
