Goldie at Southwick Social Club in 1978 (or was it 1979?)
You may not remember, or have heard of Goldie, but this gig was a pretty impressive homecoming at the time. Goldie hailed from the North East of England, and were fronted by top local vocalist Pete MacDonald, and excellent guitarist Dave Black. I’d seen both of those guys several times in local bands, as they played often at Sunderland Mecca, Newcastle Mayfair, and local Polytechnic and University gigs. Pete MacDonald had fronted the excellent local band Bullfrog, who gigged consistently across the region, and further afield in the early 70s. The great site thebullfrogstory gives the full story of the band. I also saw Pete in an earlier band called, I think, Kip. Dave Black had been in local band Kestrel; again an excellent act of the time. Pete and Dave had also both been in a post-Bowie incarnation of the Spiders From Mars, which I have a vague memory of seeing at Middlesborough Town Hall. Goldie played the workingmens’ clubs, and existed from 1976 to 1980. Along the way they had a hit single with “Making Up Again” which reached number 7 in the UK charts. Goldie appeared on Top of the Pops to promote the single, and were quite the local heroes at the time. This gig at Southwick Working Mens Club in Sunderland was booked before the band hit the big time. To their credit they honoured their bookings, and thus must have found themselves in the strange situation of being on TV one night and playing in the concert room of a local club the next night. Southwick Club is one of the largest clubs in Sunderland, with a big upstairs concert room. I’d bought advance tickets, and was able to do so as I was a member of my local Buffs club, which made me a proud holder of a CIU (Club and Institute Union) card. A CIU card was a pretty essential item to have at the time as it gained the holder entry to all the local clubs, without having to be signed in by a member. The place was packed for the Goldie gig, and pretty good they were too. “Making Up Again” was to be their only hit, and the band split a couple of years later. One note of puzzlement. Everything I can find on the internet tells me that “Making Up Again” hit the charts in July 1978. However, my ticket stub clearly says the concert was in July 1979. All I can think is that there is a misprint on the ticket, as I am pretty sure that I saw them in the same month that they were on Top of the Pops. Or maybe my memory is playing tricks again! I also note that there was a raffle, and almost certainly bingo in the interval, and all for £1 🙂 ! Happy Days! I think Pete MacDonald and Dave Black play the clubs to this day. Pete also released an album, which I have a copy of, and is great stuff. And “Making Up Again” is still a guilty pleasure for me; and a pretty damn good song.
Archive for the ‘Goldie’ Category
9 Jan
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