Hazel O’Connor Newcastle City Hall 1st December 1980 and 17th September 1981
Breaking Glass is a great film, and a pretty gritty, but quite realistic and authentic, reflection of the music business of the late ’70s. I first saw Hazel O’Connor at the Futurama festival which took place at Leeds Queens Hall in September 1980. Breaking Glass had just been released, and Eighth Day was climbing up the charts. Futuruma was an amazing event, which I must blog about one day. 
It featured some great bands, but Hazel was the highlight of the second day of the festival, and her performance prompted me to go and see the movie. A few months later and she was headlining Newcastle City Hall, with support from Duran Duran (I have no recollection of seeing Duran than night; maybe I stayed in the bar 🙂 ). Hazel was one of the best newcomers to emerge from the new wave scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Her music showed much more versatility than most punk acts of the time, ranging from the rockier “Eighth Day” and “Decadent Days” to the beautiful “Will You?”, which remains one of my favourite songs. She was also an energetic and quite “in your face” performer. Hazel was back at the City Hall a year later in 1981, this time with support from (according to internet sources) 21 Guns and Positive Noise (however, my programme shows Bumble and the Beez as support?). 
I found a setlist from a 1981 show: So You’re Born; D-Days; Men Of Good Fortune; Runaway; Hanging Around (yes, the Stranglers song, I’d forgotten that she used to play this; Hugh Cornwell was her boyfriend at the time); Animal Farm; Blackman; Do What You Gotta Do; Hello Old Friend; Cover Plus; Dawn Chorus; Will You?; Sons And Lovers; Eighth Day; That’s Life; I Won’t Give Up; Give Me An Inch. Think its time to dig our my vinyl copy of “Breaking Glass.”
“On the eighth day machine just got upset, A problem man had never seen as yet, No time for flight, a blinding light, And nothing but a void, forever night. He said, “Behold what man has done, There’s not a world for anyone, Nobody laughed, nobody cried, World’s at an end, everyone has died” (O’Connor, 1980).
3 Jan
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by dougy761 on January 16, 2015 at 12:25 am
Saw but the City Hall gigs. I saw DD because I vaguely knew John Taylor or was it Andy from his days in Purvis, Drury and Taylor. Also saw HOC at Mayfair Ballroom a year or two later.
Posted by vintagerock on January 16, 2015 at 7:00 am
Hi Doug. Many thanks. I never saw Purvis, Drury and Taylor. Where did you see them? Cheers Peter
Posted by dougy761 on January 16, 2015 at 7:21 am
Barclays Bank in Forest Hall mainly as that’s where they banked. Did see a couple of gigs but dont remember where.
Posted by vintagerock on January 16, 2015 at 7:39 am
Many thanks Peter