The latest version of “Becoming Led Zeppelin”, the delayed feature-length documentary about the origins of Led Zeppelin, includes recently surfaced footage of Led Zeppelin performing at Bath Festival on June 28, 1970, LedZepNews has learned.

Multiple sources familiar with an updated cut of the film which has been privately screened during the past year have told LedZepNews that Bath Festival footage has been added into “Becoming Led Zeppelin” following its public premiere in 2021.

Footage of Led Zeppelin performing at Bath Festival in 1970 has now been deleted from YouTube. This follows the removal of three other pieces of rare footage because of their inclusion in the film.

Parts of the Bath Festival footage emerged on YouTube in 2022 after being privately circulated for years. It had previously been thought that the footage was unusable. LedZepNews published this lengthy article exploring the origins of Peter Whitehead’s filming of Led Zeppelin in 1970 last year.

Film licensing business Kinolibrary has made the footage available for licensing and previously uploaded three clips of it to YouTube. However, those videos have now been made private.

The latest cut of “Becoming Led Zeppelin” may even feature scenes towards the end of the film where Jimmy Page is seen watching the Bath Festival footage and reacting to it, LedZepNews has learned.

When “Becoming Led Zeppelin” was publicly shown during its premiere in Venice in September 2021, that version of the film concluded with footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London on January 9, 1970.

LedZepNews understands that the Royal Albert Hall ending to the film remains, but that the Bath Festival footage may have been inserted into the film prior to its original ending.

“Becoming Led Zeppelin” producer Allison McGourty did not respond to an emailed request for comment. LedZepNews has also approached Kinolibrary for comment.

Delays and re-editing

Despite work on “Becoming Led Zeppelin” beginning in 2018 and the film having its premiere in September 2021, no plans to release the film have been announced. It remains listed for sale to distributors through film business Altitude.

Page along with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were filmed for interviews in the documentary, retelling their childhood and the formation of Led Zeppelin.

In 2022, LedZepNews published this history of the film‘s development to mark the one year anniversary of its premiere. It was announced on September 3, 2022 that the film was being re-edited to include “a few new gems.”

LedZepNews revealed in April that a new cut of the film was screened in the US on April 6, 2023.

In May, LedZepNews revealed the story of how the filmmakers tracked down the original recording of a 1972 radio interview with John Bonham so that it could be included in the film. Our research revealed that an agreement to include the audio in the film was briefly scrapped because of a lack of payment, but McGourty confirmed to LedZepNews at the time that the deal was back on.

LedZepNews also revealed in July that there was a plan for Page to attend the film’s September 2021 in Venice along with Plant and Jones to generate excitement about the film’s release. However, only Page ended up attending the film festival.

Footage has been removed from YouTube because it’s in ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’

Videos have been hidden from public view because they are being included in “Becoming Led Zeppelin”, despite the film having no public release date.

A video of Led Zeppelin performing at the Bath Festival on June 28, 1969 was published on YouTube on August 30, 2022 but removed within hours due to a copyright claim by the filmmakers behind “Becoming Led Zeppelin”, LedZepNews can reveal.

Footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Laurel Pop Festival in Maryland on July 11, 1969 had been available to watch on YouTube for more than a year but was removed in 2021 because of “Becoming Led Zeppelin”.

The video clip emerged as part of the 2013 documentary film “Led Zeppelin Played Here” after Tim Pace mentioned that he had shot 16mm footage of Led Zeppelin on stage. A clip of Pace’s footage of the band performing was uploaded to YouTube. Months later, the YouTube video was deleted “due to a copyright claim by Paradise Pictures.” Paradise Pictures is a business run by McGourty, a producer of “Becoming Led Zeppelin”.

Footage of The Yardbirds performing with Jimmy Page at the Village Theater in New York on August 25, 1967 was also deleted from the internet because of “Becoming Led Zeppelin”.

A three-minute colour video of Page performing with The Yardbirds was posted online in 2016 but was deleted in 2020 because of a copyright claim issued by Paradise Entertainment, another business run by McGourty.

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