This was a special intimate concert at which local hero James Arthur, from just down the road in Middlesbrough, was presenting his new album which was due to be released two days later. The tickets sold out very quickly and the venue was absolutely crammed. The most full I have ever seen it. The wheelchair ramp was completely full as well and my carer Jackie was relegated to standing in the crowd, in front of me so she could still help me drink my bank of Guinness. I am secretly quite a fan of James Arthur since I first saw him win The X Factor quite a few years ago.
I took my younger daughter to see James at Newcastle City Hall several years ago and was very impressed by him then. However, I can’t say I know a lot of his material but I do remember his big hit “Impossible”. The guy has an interesting soulful voice and is massively popular, having sold out his arena tour and now headlining outdoor shows around the country, including one at the Middlesbrough Riverside Stadium, the massive football ground, for which I have tickets; the concert taking place in June.
The venue was full of young girls who were clearly ecstatic about seeing their hero in such a small setting. It was a short concert starting at 8:30 PM and finishing shortly after 9:30 PM. James was accompanied by two guitarists, a keyboard player and a two singers. Everyone on acoustic guitars including James himself. He came onstage to a massive cheer and screams from the crowd. This made me feel very old. In fact, I was probably the oldest person in the room. But, who cares, it was exciting to be at such an event.
The short set consisted of a mix of new songs from the soon to be released album and old favourites including my own particular favourite “Impossible”. Everyone seemed to know the words to all of the songs including the new ones, yet to be released; but presumably streamed through James Arthur’s site. It was a great party atmosphere and James had plenty of banter with the crowd. “Who’s here from Middlesbrough?” A massive cheer. “Who’s coming to see me at Newcastle Arena?” Another massive cheer. “Who’s coming to Manchester Arena?” Another big cheer. I was clearly surrounded by a group of real fans.
The banter continued “are you going to buy my new album and help it make number 1?” A massive cheer. “Please come along to the Riverside to see me, there are still tickets left” (the venue holds 35,000 people). Another cheer. The songs were catchy, soulful and James was in a great playful mood. And then it was over after what seemed like a few minutes. Roll on the Riverside concert in June. We all trundled out in orderly fashion into the cold Newcastle evening. My taxi was waiting to take me back home. Yes I remain a not so secret James Arthur fan.
Many thanks to Jackie for taking the pictures.
Set List: Bitter Sweet Love; Blindside; Rewrite the Stars; A Year Ago; From the Jump; Certain Things; Safe Inside; Quite Miss Home; Emily; Comeback Kid; Train Wreck; Naked; Impossible; Car’s Outside; Say You Won’t Let Go.
This was a great local event, hosted by 
Friday night was wonderful and eventful in many ways. My carer Jackie and I arrived late afternoon in order to catch Eric Bell, who was playing two sets: one in the early afternoon and one later in the day. We decided to go along for the later set hoping to catch him play some old Thin Lizzy favourites. As we arrived we were welcomed by the guys on the door who pointed us towards the VIP lounge where we were introduced to the man himself, Eric Bell!
We had a pleasant chat with this legend, during which I reminded Eric about meeting him with Phil Lynott in the bar of Sunderland Locarno around 1971 or 1972. Eric asked me if liked old Thin Lizzy, which of course I replied I did, and I also said I liked the later Thin Lizzy which he agreed with. “Do you like the Beatles? And Jimi Hendrix?” Asked Eric. “Yes of course” I replied. “I also love the Rolling Stones” I added. Eric nodded his head. Do you like “Whiskey in the Jar” and “The Rocker” he asked. “Of course,” I replied.
We then entered the main stage room which was situated upstairs. Downstairs there were two further stages: an acoustic stage and a blues stage. This really was a fantastic, well-coordinated event. The organisers had kept a table for us at the back of the room where Jackie and I had a great view of the proceedings. They then very kindly, as a result of our early bird VIP tickets, presented us with a plate of pizza, and another containing garlic bread and nibbles. Lovely. This really was a great event in every way.
After a short while, the Eric Bell Trio took to the stage. The first part of their short set was a series of excellent renditions of traditional blues classics. I was beginning to think that maybe Eric now focuses on the blues and might not play thin Lizzy songs. But then the opening bars to “Whiskey in the Jar” rang around the room and we were off back into many happy memories of the early Lizzy that I saw several times in the first part of the 1970s. After a great rendition of “Whiskey in the Jar”, Eric finished the set with the aforementioned “The Rocker”. Pure magic from a gent and a legend.
After another short break, the 
We all left the club in quite an orderly fashion, Jackie and I taking the lift downwards and out onto the cold windy seaside street in Cullercoats. Everyone was waiting outside to be re-admitted to the venue. My friendly taxi driver was waiting around the corner so Jackie and I decided to take a ride home that evening. A very eventful and enjoyable evening at the 
Roll-on to Sunday night and we had a shorter but also eventful visit back to the Cullercoats Crescent Club. The programme told us that Martin Turner was playing two sets: one in the afternoon and one quite early in the evening. Once again, I was really interested in seeing Martin as the headline act so Elaine my carer for the evening and I turned up just in time to see him play. On arrival we were told “Martin Turner has already been on. Because of the weather he decided to play a longer set in the afternoon”.
I was a little disappointed, however the organiser was very kind and apologetic, explaining the circumstances which were, on reflection, very understandable. The weather last Sunday evening was terrible with gale force winds and we were situated right on the coast. I would imagine that Martin Turner had to travel quite a distance to home or his next gig so I can understand why he needed to leave early. Never mind I have tickets to see him perform at Newcastle Cluny later in the year. Elaine and I decided to join in with the full festival experience and after a pint of Guinness and a great set by the 
Two interesting acts at a local venue. It has been many years since I have seen both of these. I last saw 
The last time I saw 
We had a great vantage point on the wheelchair platform. First up were The Primitives who played a great selection of jangly pop tunes including, of course, “Crash” which sounded as fresh and singalong today as it did all those years ago. During Hugh Cornwell’s set Tracy was down in front of the merchandise stand and we caught her and she kindly signed my ticket (see image).
Soon Hugh took to the stage with his three-piece band. Himself on vocals and guitar, a bass player who pounded away on his bass guitar in a similar way to that of Stranglers bass player Jean-Jacques Burnel and mid-stage a drummer also pounding away at his kit. The set was once again a mixture of solo material and a few Stranglers gems thrown in here and there.
In total he played around 9 Stranglers tracks, some of which I recognised including “Always the Sun”, “Strange Little Girl” and the closing track which took me right back to the early days “Hanging Around”. A two hour set which didn’t drag at all. The crowd loved it and Hugh seemed to enjoy himself. At the end a guy dressed as a chicken arrived on stage to play maracas. Bizarre.
Setlist: I Wannahideinsideaya; Too Much Trash; Skin Deep (Stranglers); Wrong Side of the Tracks; Delightful Nightmare; Strange Little Girl (Stranglers); Totem and Taboo; Bad Vibrations; Who Wants the World? (Stranglers); Moments of Madness; When I Was a Young Man; Tramp (Stranglers); Pure Evel; Mr. Leather; Always the Sun (Stranglers); Duce Coochie Man; Goodbye Toulouse (Stranglers); Another Kind of Love; Out of My Mind (Stranglers); Live it and Breathe it; Leave Me Alone; Thrown Away (Stranglers); Lasagna; Hanging Around (Stranglers).
Along the way I saw Lindisfarne many times. The Lincoln Festival where they triumphed with the whole crowd singing along to songs from Nicely Out Of Tune and the Fog On The Tyne albums. The Grangemouth festival 1972 in Scotland where they again got the crowd singing along. Seeing them at Sunderland Top Rank around 1972 and headlining the City Hall two nights in a row, one with Genesis support and the other with Stackridge support on the Dingley Dell tour (a much underrated album). Then the split and witnessing Lindisfarne 2 and the other offshoot Jack The Lad at festivals. The reforming of the band with a magical comeback concert at the City Hall and then back at the top with “Run for Home” and attending a sold-out concert at Redcar Coatham bowl during which we all danced on the tables and the aforementioned single was high in the charts.
The Alan Hull solo concert at the City Hall. Then all the Christmas concerts which I attended during the 1980s at the Newcastle City Hall. Travelling to Carlisle Sands Centre to see their farewell concert. I even took a copy of that evening’s Newcastle evening Chronicle trusted Carlisle; they were fully pictured on the cover and I got them to sign the newspaper. They were surprised as they did not know that they featured in it! Attending a ceremony outside the City Hall when a blue plaque was placed there to celebrate the life of Alan Hull. Ray Jackson’s Lindisfarne played outside at the ceremony.
And then starting to see the newly reformed band a few times, firstly with Ray Jackson fronting the band and more recently with Rod Clements as front man. I don’t know how many times I must have seen Lindisfarne but it is on many, many occasions. And of course, the Newcastle City Hall was, and remains, my spiritual music home. So, you can see how this was such a memorable event for me.
The City Hall was completely sold out and when Jan, my carer for the evening, and I entered the building we were greeted by a brass band on stage playing Christmas carols. Soon a Geordie Santa arrived to tell us a series of rather rude, but also quite funny, Christmas jokes, in the same way that Mike Elliott would do so at the original Christmas concerts. Then the band took to the stage to a very loud Geordie welcome. The set for the evening was very similar to that I have witnessed a couple of times this year already: once in the Princess Pavilion Yarm and also in the Sunderland Fire Station. But this time things were very different. The atmosphere was very different. This was Lindisfarne, fronted by Rod Clements, returning home to their home crowd in their spiritual home, Newcastle City Hall.
The evening was in two parts with a short interval during which a double Jack Daniels went down well and set me up for the proceedings. Santa returned with more Christmas cracker jokes before the band resumed the concert to another massive cheer. The Newcastle crowd who had travelled from near and far to this special event were really up for a great night. We were treated to all the classic songs: “No Time to Lose”, “We Can Swing Together” and my personal favourite “Winter Song” performed perfectly by David Hull– Denholm, Alan Hull’s son in law.
Soon, we were on the home front and the closing songs were: “Fog on the Tyne”, “Meet Me on the Corner” and “Run for Home”. All massive singalongs with the entire City Hall on its feet. The closer was, as it was in 1971 and has been ever since: “Clear White Light”. There truly was magic in the air last night. We all walked out into the rather mild Christmas evening, Jan and I into our taxi and away home.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.So, that brings me to the end of my 2023 concert adventures. A little rest before I start again in 2024. A Merry Christmas to all of you who read my blogging, and all the best and see you in 2024. Peter
Set 2: No Time to Lose; Passing Ghosts; Sundown Station; Dingley Dell; When The War Is Over; Winter Song; We Can Swing Together; Fog on the Tyne; Meet Me on the Corner; Run for Home; Clear White Light, Part 2.
“Before there was carolling, there was wassailing, where seasonal songs were exchanged for money, food and ale.” Such is the world of 
She is also the daughter of Norma Waterston, of the famous Waterston family, who also pioneered British folk. Like her parents, she is a collector of stories and travels the country singing traditional folk songs and seeking out the original versions, sometimes meeting the descendants of the original songwriters. So, the evening was a beautiful blend of traditional Christmas songs sung by Eliza and Jon, each of them sometimes playing violin and accordion.
The Fire Station was suitably decked out in Christmas lights and nice bright Christmas trees on the stage. This resulted in Eliza and Jon performing in front of a full house and in a wonderful Christmas venue. The songs all blended in, aided by a pint of Guinness before the show and a double Jack Daniels during the interval. I do remember “In The Bleak Midwinter” and the closing song dedicated very appropriately to Shane McGowan “Fairytale of New York”.
A very appropriate and pleasant run-up to Christmas performance by two performers who carry on the great tradition of British folk. Jan and I both enjoyed our pre-Christmas evening and our first experience of Eliza and Jon. Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and to Chris and Elaine for helping us manoeuvre the site.
From The Fire Station site: In November/December 2023, Eliza Carthy and Jon Boden combine their considerable talents and reputations within the UK folk scene, for the first time ever touring as a duo for a nationwide wassail across key venues. Presenting seasonal, traditional material on a stage decorated for the occasion, they will take audiences back to some of the oldest songs in the English canon, telling Christmas tales, spreading good cheer and lighting up the darkest days of the year, ahead of Christmas Day itself.”
Jon Boden: “One half of Spiers & Boden, lead singer of the mighty Bellowhead and with his own successful career as a soloist and with Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings and Jon Boden & The Remnant Strings, Jon has been a major name in English folk music for over twenty years with more BBC Folk Awards than any other artist. Add in a performance in the Hollywood movie About Time, his role singing/playing the theme tunes of both the BBC Radio 2 Folk show and The Archers, and his place as a respected singer songwriter for both theatre and the folk scene, with his soon-to-be-released the third and final album, ‘Last Mile Home’, in his post-apocalyptic trilogy, Jon is a musical force to be reckoned with. Jon, together with John Spiers, also did a stint in The Ratcatchers, the backing band for Eliza Carthy in the mid-noughties, so has a long association and friendship with Eliza that has led naturally to this very special show.”
Eliza Carthy: “Twice nominated for the Mercury Prize and winner of innumerable other accolades over a 20 year career, Eliza has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists including, Paul Weller, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Patrick Wolf and Bob Neuwirth. Eliza grew up immersed in the world of traditional music. She still divides her time between touring and recording with her legendary parents, Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson as well as engaging in numerous pioneering solo and band projects. Eliza has co-presented the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, been a regular guest-presenter on the BBC Radio 2 Mark Radcliffe Show and has made many appearances on BBC TV’s ‘Later…with Jools Holland’.
Every year Ian Anderson (who is now to all effects 
After a short taxi ride to Durham station, Elaine, Jan and I joined a train to York. We then had a short walk over the cobbled streets of this lovely city to arrive at The Minster where an extremely long queue of attendees weaved its way around the historic cathedral. We soon found our way to the accessible entrance and, beating the massive queue, made our way into the building. Jan and I had seats close to the front, while Elaine should have been seated quite a few rows behind us. However, and quite fortuitously, her seat had been removed to allow space for the sound desk. The extremely helpful staff at the Minster quickly located her right next to ourselves. I purchased a Jethro Tull Christmas concerts T-shirt on our way into the venue.
I have seen Jethro Tull many times over the years since 1971 at Sunderland Empire, and they are always fantastic in performance, however these Christmas concerts are very special indeed. The lineup of the band has changed many times and is now essentially Ian Anderson with a group of ever-changing musicians, some of whom have accompanied him for several years, some joining more recently. The current line-up is: Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, acoustic and electric guitar, other instruments (the only original member); bass player David Goodier and keyboard player John O’Hara who have both been with Ian since 2007; drummer Scott Hammond who joined the band in 2017 and recent recruit guitarist Joe Parrish who joined in 2020.
Master of ceremonies for the evening was a clergyman named George who was parading around the building resplendent in top hat, frockcoat, cod – please complete with flashing lights, twirling a lovely silver headed cane. He was happy to pose for a picture. Throughout the performance he was dancing and tripping around the Minster across the stage and into the audience. The concert started with a blessing from the Minster cleric and a very fitting performance of “God bless ye merry gentlemen” performed by Jethro Tull, largely instrumental, with Ian taking the lead on flute.
The first guest was a very welcome surprise, none other than 
The final set concluded with more Christmas songs, Loyd rejoining for a 1977 punk classic (which to my shame I did not recognise) and “I believe in Father Christmas” in memory of the sadly missed Greg Lake who had been a guest at a previous Ian Anderson Christmas concert. A very fitting lovely tribute. Marc rejoined to sing the Soft Cell classic “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” which brought back memories of seeing them in Kirklevington country club (the Kirk) and which was apparently a favourite haunt of his in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marc was also a secret progressive rock fan when at school so he led Jethro Tull in a rocking rendition of their hit single “The Witch’s Promise”. Fantastic
The end was, as expected, “Aqualung”, followed by “Locomotive Breath” with Marc back to assist with the vocals on a great rendition of the latter Jethro Tull song. And then we made our way out of the Minster into the cold York evening, down to the Tap public house in the station. After a swift drink and a sandwich purchased from the Sainsbury’s Direct in the station, we were back on the train to Durham and then in our taxi home. I was in my bed for 1 AM tired but in the knowledge I had experienced something very special.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs, Elaine for joining us for the evening and Chris for assisting with the post. A good time was had by all. Apologies for any errors which are entirely my own!
support to Robin Williamson, formerly of the wonderful Incredible String Band, some time ago. Since then, they have clearly built up their own following and this was clearly evident by the number of people who turned out to see them in the large hall of the Glasshouse. In fact, it was very full for their performance.
For some reason I always try and compare bands I witness to other artists. In the case of Lanterns on the Lake I found this quite difficult to do. This band perform exquisite music which crosses many genres: folk rock, progressive rock and indie rock. They are all of these, and more. Do they remind me of Any other bands? Fairport Convention perhaps? Curved Air? Neither of these really. Lanterns on the Lake have their own sound, and have built up a very strong fan base. They are, of course, a local band who hail from Newcastle.
In their own words: ‘Of course we enjoy every gig we play on tour but it always leads up to the most special night of them all – our hometown show. The Glasshouse has been a big part of our journey as a band. We’ll be looking forward to that Friday night in December, playing songs new and old and sharing it with the people who have been on this journey with us since the very beginning’
Lanterns on the Lake have just released a new album Versions of Us. About the album: “The nine songs on Versions of Us are existential meditations examining life’s possibilities, facing the hand we’ve been dealt and the question of whether we can change our individual and collective destinies. Each song’s journey is matched beautifully by the band’s performances. The grumbling, staticky synths of “Rich Girls” cede to an ascending, spine-tingling bridge of sinuous guitar and bass.
“Vatican” pivots on a bluesy, midnight-black riff from ever-inventive Paul Gregory and a muted bassline from Bob Allan on a song about love’s quiet reliability. “Real Life” hares down from the traps, aquaplaning on the surface tension of its fuzzing guitars and chiming central hook – a blast of indie rock on an album full of musical high-watermarks for the band.”
Front person Hazel Wilde is lead singer, guitarist and keyboard player. She provides wonderful meandering vocals soaring upward at times and searing across the loud chords and solos of her electric guitar. For this tour the band feature two drummers, one being none other than Radiohead’s Philip Selway. The remainder of the band are bass player Bob Allen who thrashes and bashes away at his instrument throwing it to the ground at the end of the concert, guitarist Paul Gregory and Angela Chan who plays electric violin reminiscent of Darryl Way from Curved Air (at least in my prog rock mind).
An excellent introduction to a new band that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing. Do check about if you get the chance. Thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site.
It is quite a few years since I last saw the human dynamo that is 
The Glasshouse website proclaimed Suzi thus: “Influential. Unstoppable. Timeless rock legend. A Suzi Quatro concert is a high-octane rock extravaganza; commanding the stage with her signature leather jumpsuit and rockstar attitude. Backed by her band, she rips through beloved retro hits as well as new material with her raspy vocals and searing bass lines. Quatro’s lively performance and rapport with fans create an electrifying experience celebrating one of music’s pioneering female rebels.” Well, I can’t argue with that.
I arrived in little late after a hospital visit to see my mam who is not so well at the moment. This meant I missed some of the first set. Suzi had no support act and performed two sets with a short interval. Sadly, I missed her singing “Stumblin’ In” which is one of my favourite songs. Never mind I saw her close the first set with a lovely quiet song on which she accompanied herself on piano and a great cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”. During the interval a double Jack Daniels went down just nice and relaxed me ready for the second half of the show.
Suzi returned complete with leather catsuit and performed a rocky set of her own hits and some great covers. She explained that she has recently released an EP on which she has covered some of her favourite songs. Up on the screen behind her was a picture of Suzi in the early 1970s just as I remember. Fantastic. So we got “Can the Can”, “Devil Gate Drive”, “If You Can’t Give Me Love” and returning to covers, a great version of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” and the final encore was a beautiful rendition of Eagles “Desperado”. Suzi can still rock out with the best of them. Everyone was up on their feet and enjoying one of the best female rock stars I have ever seen.
Many thanks to Joanne for the photos and Chris for navigating the site for me.
Set Two: Motor City Riders; I Sold My Soul Today; Bad Moon Rising; She’s in Love With You; Overload; Too Big; Glycerine Queen; Can the Can; Devil Gate Drive.
The Fire Station website proudly proclaims: “A National Treasure and Glam Rock Royalty who have taken the world by storm for six decades, Sweet are at their best, performing all their iconic hits to audiences from every continent, all over the world. From the beginning to the end … Full Circle! Guitarist/vocalist Andy Scott, the sole surviving original member at the heart of the band and the golden thread linking Sweet’s proud past to the present, is still fiercely protective of that legacy today as ever. Understandably he knows better than anyone that the long tours can’t carry on indefinitely, with the band now looking to ‘wind down’ some of their live commitments.” The latter statement is surprising news to me. I’ve never imagined that Andy would wish to wind down at all. This means that every chance to see the band is precious.
Sweet had 15 top-40 hits in the 70s, including their classic 1973 UK No.1 “Blockbuster”. Andy current bandmates are Paul Manzi (lead vocals), Bruce Bisland (drums, vocals), Lee Small (bass guitar, vocals) and Tom Cory (guitar, keyboards). Sweet always blended pop with heavy rock and this line-up is no different. Andy has assembled a class band which is as heavy as ever. I mentioned a surprise earlier on in my entry. The surprise was that the set included, at around the halfway point, a medley of the very early hits “Co – Co”, “Funny Funny” and “Poppa Joe”. I don’t think I have seen them play these songs before. Andy stood back and let his bandmates play these songs.
The rest of the set was as always. Opening with the classic glam metal hit “Action”, moving into newer tracks interspersed with “Hellraiser”, my favourite “The Six Teens”, “Teenage Rampage”, “Wig Wam Bam”, “Little Willy”, “Love is Like Oxygen” and closing with “Fox on the Run”. The Fire Station was packed and everyone was singing and dancing along. Jan and Elaine accompanied me and they both thought Sweet were great.
The encores were “Blockbuster” (I used to always sing the line “you better watch out if you have long black hair” with my friends at Sunderland Mecca because I had exactly that, long black hair, at the time). Another excellent performance by a classic pop rock band. I was back in the 70s and it was wonderful to be there again. Thanks to Jan for the photos and to Joanne for helping me create this post.
Setlist: Action; New York Groove; Empire State Of Mind; Hell Raiser; Burn on the Flame; The Six Teens; Don’t Bring Me Water; Changes; Co-Co / Funny Funny / Poppa Joe; Everything; Circus; Set Me Free; Teenage Rampage; Wig-Wam Bam; Little Willy; Love Is Like Oxygen; Fox on the Run. Encores: Blockbuster; The Ballroom Blitz.
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His music is I suppose (and how would I know at my age?) Indie Rock. He has catchy pop songs, a full backing band who gave him a rocky edge and a rapidly growing Sunderland following. He is also very ambitious. “Thank you for having me at the Fire Station for two nights, how about next time I come to Sunderland Empire and we try and sell that out? And how about the Stadium of Light? No I could not sell that out yet but maybe in the future?” Tom says to the audience. He clearly has these venues in his sight. And why not? Newcastle has Sam Fender, Middlesbrough has James Arthur and maybe the time is right for this guy to be the Sunderland equivalent. You get the feeling the crowd is willing this to happen.
From the Fire Station site: “Fresh off the back of a wave of support for his latest single “Little Bits”, which found airtime on BBC Radio 1, Radio X, and Absolute Radio, as well as on air support on Sunday Brunch, MTV Gonzo, and MOTD X, Sunderland’s Tom A. Smith has now returned to announce the details behind his latest collection ‘EP3’, alongside the euphoric new single “Weirdo”.
‘EP3’ will follow an incredible whirlwind of live performances throughout the last year, including being selected by Elton John to join him at his British Summer Time show at Hyde Park, appearances at Glastonbury, Barn On The Farm, F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and opening Leeds Festival to more than 6000 music fans. He was also announced as Apple Music’s Up Next artist for September and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist of the month. Having already played a ton of gigs throughout the last two years, including supporting Courteeners, Miles Kane, Martha Hill, Vistas, Blondes, The Pale White, Eliza and The Bear, Gang of Youths, whenyoung, Cat Empire, and Sunset Sons, as well as shows at The Great Escape, Stockton Calling, Sound City and Neighbourhood Weekender, Tom A. Smith looks set to continue his busy live schedule throughout 2023 as well.”
“There’s an age-old rule about working for 10,000 hours before you truly master something. Now, we can’t verify if that’s true or not, but prodigal songwriter Tom A. Smith must surely have clocked up 10,000 hours before he was even in his teens.” – CLASH
The crowd was a mixture of (mainly) young people, and a smattering of older fans and (I assume) members of his family. I bought his tour T-shirt which was sold to me by a couple of lovely friendly ladies who could be family members? Jan and I both really enjoyed it and we are now official Tom A Smith fans. Thanks to Jan for the photos and to Chris for helping me with the entry. This guy seems to be on an up and coming trajectory. And all credit to him.
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