Gary Lucas posted this on his Facebook page and noted they "got stiffed" for the gig which surprises me as a previous Student Union member and aware of how seriously most took their responsibilities for the pay for artists to appear. I asked Gary if indeed it was the union but I hoped not . . . unless anyone out there knows better or otherwise? see his response below

the original poster looked like this

eBay sourced the poster - there was a really battered one about £70 but . . .

B32398 – Captain Beefheart Loughborough Student Union 1980 Concert Poster (UK)

£295.00 [eBay price currently $325!?!]

An original concert poster for the Captain Beefheart performance at the Loughborough Student Union on the 15th November 1980.
The poster measures 50.5cm x 76.5cm (19.8 inches x 30.1 inches). There are two holes measuring 2.8cm x 1.8cm and 2cm x 1.9cm to the centre of the poster with several tears on each which have been repaired from the reverse with tape. The condition is very good minus.

Line up in Loughborough :

ERIC DREW FELDMAN keyboards * bass guitar ** electric piano ** mandolin
RICHARD SNYDER guitar * slide guitar ** bass guitar
JEFF MORIS TEPPER * guitar * slide guitar
DON VAN VLIET * vocals * tenor sax * soprano sax ** chinese gongs ** mellotron
ROBERT WILLIAMS * drums * percussion

live guest GARY LUCAS ** national steel dualion ** poetry reading ** 141180 bass &out37
live guest 290181 DENNY WALLEY feeler's rebo ** guitar

So Gary got back to me and is so kind to respond

our exchange goes like this:

Andy Swapp

Wouldn’t that have been the Student Union? Seems unlikely to be stiffed by them?! What were the circumstances! Someone else responsible for booking you? I am stunned and terribly disappointed if it was the Union!

Author

Gary Lucas

Andy Swapp yeah. Our guy at Virgin had to write a demand for payment letter.

Andy Swapp

Is that the gig where you gave a reading Gary? I found a YouTube of it earlier. It seems it was a fascinating gig! May I add, I am SO sorry on behalf of all U.K. fans and the N.U.S that Virgin had to chase payments, not my personal experience of the standing of Unions in Oxford, Witney or Leicester where we booked loads of bands way back when! Pretty sure the N.U.S would have come down hard on Loughborough if they hadn’t duly paid what was owed.

Always a fan first GL!