Nuggets II: A Midsummer’s Night Scene by John’s Children

Aphoristical
July 19, 2026
Nuggets II

Every second Nuggets II track from the UK features a future star in an obscure band. This time it’s Marc “Bang a Gong” Bolan.

A Midsummer's Night Scene—John's Chilren

Track 68, disc 3
Year: 1967
From: Leatherhead, United Kingdom.

7/10

More about Nuggets II

Credits

3/14. A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT SCENE – John’s Children
(Marc Bolan)

PERSONNEL/ANDY ELLISON: vocals * MARC BOLAN: guitar, vocals * JOHN HEWLETT: bass * CHRIS TOWNSON: drums
Produced by SIMON NAPIER-BELL
Recorded in London, England
Track single #604-005 (1967)

John’s Children

Drummer Chris Townson and singer Andy Ellison formed the Clockwork Onions. They persuaded the Yardbirds’ manager, Simon Napier-Bell, to manage them. Napier-Bell said they were “positively the worst group I’d ever seen” and made them rebrand as John’s Children, after their bass player.

John Hewlett … was so bad at his instrument that Napier-Bell wanted some way to make sure the others wouldn’t sack him.
John’s Children history

The band quickly became more notable for outrageous antics than for music.

Back in their heyday, John’s Children were better known for their gratuitous publicity stunts than for their music: onstage brawls and fainting spells, feathers exploding from pillows, chains flailing on guitars, nude photo shoots. These served them well as headline grabbers but deflected attention away from their music, which was somehow considered secondary to the overall spectacle.
Mike Stax, Nuggets liner notes

Napier-Bell also managed “a young aspiring Dylan/Donovan influenced guitarist/singer/songwriter whose solo career didn’t seem to be taking off”. He introduced Marc Bolan to John’s Children. Bolan’s songwriting was appreciated – previously, a band member would pretend to faint on stage so the group could leave the stage when they ran out of songs.

A Midsummer’s Night Scene

Bolan was already working on ‘A Midsummer’s Night Scene’ when he joined the group, and Ellison helped finish it. It’s full of ideas, with the psychedelic sounds of 1967 jostling with sounds that presaged Bolan’s 1970s glam rock.

It’s all down to a midsummer night’s scene
It’s all down to a Shakespearian dream
Petals and flowers…
Petals and flowers…

The song deserves its inclusion on Nuggets. It’s unique, and with Bolan’s future fame, it’s historically significant. But it’s one of my least favourite tracks on Nuggets II, feeling a little messy and unfocused.

The Aftermath

The song’s mixing was controversial, and Bolan quit the band in frustration. The single was cancelled, although reportedly 50 copies leaked out and became expensive collector’s items. The band split up by the end of the year.

Ellison and Towson continued in other bands, but Bolan obviously enjoyed the most successful music career. His new band, T. Rex, became one of the flagship bands for 1970s glam rock, with 11 top-ten hits, including four #1s.