Billy Fury, Marty Wilde and others. Sunderland Empire.
The 1974 Rock n Roll show, featuring The New Tornadoes; Heinz; Tommy Bruce; Marty Wilde; then the interval (according to the programme) then Carl Simmons; Billy Fury. 
This was an early 70s package tour featuring some UK rock n roll greats. I went along with my mates Will and Norm, and we bought cheap 30p seats right up in the gallery of Sunderland Empire. We were on our way after this gig to see, on the same night, The (mighty) Groundhogs at Newcastle Mayfair (I’ll blog on The Groundhogs in concert on another day) so we had to leave early, to ensure that we got through to Newcastle on time to see Tony McPhee and the guys. First up on this bill was The New Tornadoes, who performed Telstar and the other hits. I’m not sure if there were any original members in the band that night; I suspect that “The New” suggests not, although original Tornado Heinz was on the bill, and may have joined them for their short set. Next up was Heinz, still sporting his trademark peroxide white hair, and singing his hits such as Just Like Eddie. 
Next up was Tommy Bruce. To be honest I had to google Tommy to remind me of him. I found that his cover version of “Ain’t Misbehavin'” made number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1960. Next up Marty Wilde. My stronger memory of this gig is of Marty signing “Teenage in Love” and “Sea of Love”. It is interesting to think that we saw Marty as a veteran in 1974, and yet he is still performing today, almost 40 years later. The programme tells me that there was then an interval, and this is where my memory gets sketchy. I know that we left early to go through to the Mayfair and see The Groundhogs, but can’t recall at which point we left. I think we saw Carl Simmons, and possibly some of Billy Fury, but can’t be certain; which is a shame as I am now a big fan of Billy Fury, and yet I don’t know if I actually saw him in concert! I need to quiz Will and Norm to see if their memory of the evening is any better than mine. Carl Simmons was in the mould of Jerry Lee Lewis and played live a lot at the time, and was well know for his action-packed stage show. I think I may have seen him at another concert at the time, perhaps supporting a visiting American star. By 1974, it was some years since Billy Fury had been in the charts, although he was still releasing singles at the time. This was a fun gig, and The Groundhogs were also good that night. Looking back I wish I had stayed and watched Billy Fury, as I never got the chance to see him again, and didn’t realise at the time just how great he was; but then, as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
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