ANYONE who may have seen legendary rock band The Who play in Swindon in the mid 1960s is being asked to share their memories with an author who is writing a 'people's history' of the group.

The Who – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon – were famed for smashing guitars and drum kits and for headline grabbing off stage antics that including wrecking hotel rooms and crashing a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool.

Now Richard Houghton, from Manchester, is trying to trace fans that may have witnessed one of the earliest performances of the group in the town to help with his research.

Richard said: "The Who have been performing for over 50 years and lots of books have been written about them. But I want to tell their story in the words of the people who saw The Who when they were starting out and use those teenage memories to help me capture a little piece of music history."

Already the author of books about The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Richard said: "The Who played Swindon twice in 1965, including McIlroy’s Ballroom in May 1965, which was just as they were becoming recognised as a chart act, with their first hit I Can’t Explain having made the charts.

"The group was attracting a Mod following and already earning themselves a reputation as live performers, as they were renowned for smashing their instruments and playing extremely loudly."

Five months later The Who was back in Swindon playing the Locarno Ballroom in October 1965, by which time they had a second hit single under their belts.

Richard said: "By the time of their Locarno appearance, The Who had recorded their teenage anthem My Generation, with its infamous refrain ‘hope I die before I get old.’ Of course, The Who is still performing, and it is the legacy of those early performances that has given them such a loyal audience to this day.’ "

Starting out as a gritty R&B band from London, the band has evolved into one of the most enduring live acts in the world thanks to the famed rock opera Tommy, about a deaf, dumb and blind boy who is cured of his ailments by playing pinball, and hits such as Pinball Wizard,My Generation and Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Richard said: "I’m hoping some of your readers may have witnessed one of their early shows and, if they did, I’m really interested to hear from them. People who were teenagers in the 60s will have some great memories of these evenings which I’d like to capture in order to preserve the history of a golden age of pop."

Share your memories of The Who at thewhointhe60s@gmail.com or by writing to Richard at 1 Totnes Road, Manchester, M21 8XF.