As legends go, they don’t get much more legendary than John Cale. The man is an enigma and to be admired. Of Welsh origin, Cale studied art at Goldsmiths College London and then, in 1963, relocated to New York where he became part of the alternative music and art scene, meeting the likes of none other than Andy Warhol. In 1968 he hooked up with Lou Reed and formed the Velvet Underground. Respect!
Since then, Cale has collaborated with many great alternative artists including Iggy and the Stooges, Patti Smith and others. His solo work explores dark themes of alienation, pain, fear and the soul. His work is intriguing, sometimes almost impenetrable, but always worthy of exploration and of taking the time to listen to the messages he is giving us.
I last experienced John Cale live at the Sage, Gateshead some years ago with my son, David. It was a concert that was memorable, intriguing and exciting and David and I both enjoyed it. So, I was looking forward to seeing him live again. The concert was part of the annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival, and had been postponed for some time due to Covid.
The Playhouse website announced the arrival of Cale thus: “Legendary musician John Cale is to play a special, intimate show at Playhouse Whitley Bay as part of this year’s Mouth of the Tyne Festival. One of the founder members of The Velvet Underground alongside Lou Reed, he was instrumental in the band’s early years and enjoyed acclaim stateside under the management of Andy Warhol. Cale brings over 6 decades of avant-garde music with him, having released over 30 albums, with his solo record ‘Paris 1919’ perhaps his best-known work. Cllr Sarah Day, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Leisure said, “It’s a real coup to secure a show from one of rock’s most enduring performers. With a music style that’s hard to pinpoint, artists like this are real one-offs and I can’t wait to see him take to the stage at our Playhouse theatre this summer.””
The Playhouse was packed with a crowd who (judging from the eclectic range of T-shirts and dress sense in evidence) obviously enjoyed a mixture of musical genres ranging from punk, new wave aficionados to general classic rock fans. It was great to catch up with old friends Pauline and Rob from local legendary band Penetration in the bar for a chat prior to the show.
We took our seats, carer Jan and I, close to the front. We had missed the performance by the support act (apologies) but were more than ready to see the main man perform. John Cale was backed by an excellent band and stood stage right behind his keyboard, performing a mixture of songs from throughout his career. Sadly, he did not perform any Velvet Underground tracks. On other nights of the tour the crowd were treated to a version of “Waiting for the Man”. The guy is 80 years old, still looks great and is still uncompromising in his music and performance. He did not speak to the audience but then it was enough just to be in the presence of a true legend. He took us through songs of angst, fear and lost love, finishing with a dark take of Elvis’s “Heartbreak Hotel”. And then he was gone. Leaving us with swirling psychedelic wailing tunes in our heads and the knowledge that we had been in the presence of one of the legends of art rock and new wave. And that, for me, was enough.
Cale has just released a new album which is advertised: “MERCY, Cale’s first full album in a decade, moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronic torment toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future with the help of some of music’s most curious young minds. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind.” (Musicdirect.com site).
Setlist: Jumbo in tha Modernworld; The Endless Plain of Fortune; Chinese Envoy; Dirty Ass Rock ‘n’ Roll; Mercy; Ghost Story; Pretty People; Guts; Villa Albani; Half Past France; Hanky Panky Nohow; Moonstruck; Heartbreak Hotel
John Cale strikes me as a pretty cool and sorted guy. Musically he crosses several genres and gives the impression that his music is very much his art. I never saw the original Velvet Underground in concert, which I deeply regret, although I have seen Lou Reed in concert several times. I did go to see a later version of the Velvet Underground at Sunderland Locarno in the early 70s, but I have a feeling the band didn’t turn up that night. This, however, was the first and only time that I have seen John Cale. I went along to this gig with David, and we had standing tickets at the front of the hall. The atmosphere in the small standing section was great, with a small number of die hard fans going totally crazy. The set was quite long, and consisted of a mix of songs from throughout John’s career, including some Velvet Underground classics. I seem to remember that he has a single out at the time which was very punky. A great gig which David and I both enjoyed. I couldn’t find a setlist for the Gateshead gig, but did manage to find one from Glasgow on the same tour: Venus In Furs; Walkin’ The Dog; Evidence; Woman; Helen Of Troy; Dancing Undercover; Femme Fatale > Rosegarden Funeral of Sores;
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