“Clapton is God” was an oft quoted saying in the 1970s. Painted on doors across London and around the country, it proclaimed Eric Clapton as the supremo guitarist of his generation. And I believed it. Until I saw Clapton live I could not believe just how good he was. But the man is also an enigma. Over the years he has continued to amaze and surprise me. I first saw Clapton live in 1974 at Hammersmith Odeon.
I went down on the train to London by myself, a fresh 16 year old who was desperate to see this guitar hero who had only recently returned to the stage earlier in the 1970s, following a terrible bout of addiction. I bought a ticket at Hammersmith Odeon, paying a tout £10 for a £1 ticket outside the venue. I was seated halfway back in the stalls waiting for my hero to take the stage and knock me out with his guitar prowess.
Surprise number one. A guy wandered out up front and said “Well here it is, the last night of the world tour; will you please welcome onto the stage Mr Eric Clapton and his band”. Eric sauntered on to the stage complete with band and current singer (and, I believe, girlfriend of the time) Yvonne Elliman. He walked up to the mike, acoustic guitar in hand, and started to strum a song quietly. He opened “Smile, though your heart is aching, smile, even though it’s breaking, when there are clouds in the sky, you’ll get by” (Charlie Chaplin). It was soothing, melodic, haunting and not what I was expecting. The night continued with classic Clapton including “Layla”, “Sunshine of Your Love” and many other great tunes that rattled round my head. I ran up to Hammersmith Tube station to get across to King’s Cross and catch the last train home which I believe was, in those days, 12:10 a.m. The show was fantastic and those songs continued to rattle around my head all night on the train back home.
I have seen Clapton many times over the years witnessing often fantastic sets of blistering classics and sometimes more surprises. Always a world-class performance. At Newcastle City Hall many times. London Crystal Palace Bowl. The Cream reunion concert at the Albert Hall. Manchester Arena, Newcastle Arena and Sheffield Arena. The Royal Albert Hall 70th birthday concert and the Jeff Beck Tribute concert at the same venue. Other highlights included him playing alongside Bob Dylan at Blackbushe Aerodrome, with The Who, Bob Dylan and others in Hyde Park, with Steve Winwood in Wembley Arena and with Jeff Beck at the O2 London. Another couple of surprises at that concert: “Moon River” with Beck delivering his usual fantastic, unique guitar sounds and Clapton singing the lyrics followed by the only time I saw Jeff Beck play “Hi Ho Silver Lining” (“Eric made me play it” Jeff told us all). I sang my heart out that night along with a packed O2 Arena, tears running down my face. Others I may well have forgotten. Yes, Eric has given me so many great memories over the years. To me he remains “God”. Yes, in these later years he has become quieter – more blues, less rock, more acoustic – yet still he commands any stage in the world.
“Eric Clapton launched his 2024 concerts on May 9 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. It was his first show in the city in 20 years.” proclaimed Clapton’s own website.
Eric is now 79 years old. Yet he still looks and sounds great. And no one can play a bluesy guitar like him. He is surrounded by his usual excellent band including Doyle Bramhall II, who plays absolutely perfect second lead guitar, Chris Stainton on keyboards (who famously was a member of Joe Cocker’s Grease Band and played on “With a Little Help From My Friends”; I first saw Chris with Joe Cocker in 1972 headlining the Lincoln pop festival) and female singers including Katie Kissoon (of Mac and Katie Kissoon and “Sugar Candy Kisses” fame).
The support act was Andy Fairweather Low and the Low Riders. Norm and I arrived late halfway through Andy’s set, as a result of chatting with friends in the bar. It was also great to run into an old friend from my blog. However, it was a shame that we arrived a little late as Andy apparently started with “(If paradise Is) Half As Nice” one of my favourite songs from the Saturday morning Disco at Sunderland Top Rank in 1968.
I was 12 then, a young mod and my heroes were Barry Ryan, Steve Marriott and Steve Ellis. But that is a reminiscence I have written about many times before. Anyway we did catch Andy playing “Wide-Eyed and Legless”. Magic.
My friend, Gilly, was a young singer at the time. He would often grace the stage of the aforementioned Top Rank (or The Rink as we knew it) and sing “(If Paradise Was) Half As Nice” accompanied by the local house band. Happy memories of happy days.
Then after a short break Clapton appeared. The set is in the usual format. A clutch of songs with full band and Clapton on electric guitar. A shorter acoustic set with Clapton and one or two other fellow musicians, and then back to full band and electric guitar to close the proceedings. The choice of songs was a somewhat eclectic mix. Some were rather unexpected: Cream’s “White Room” which was pure nostalgic magic and delivered well; and “Presence of the Lord” the Blind Faith classic which I last saw Clapton perform with Steve Winwood at Wembley Arena. Some were expected classics: “Crossroads” which is always a welcome addition to any Clapton concert and the closer “Cocaine”. The remainder was a mix of blues standards and other lesser-known tunes.
Standout was the touching “Tears in Heaven” which closed the acoustic set. Some obvious songs were strangely missing; no “Layla” or “Wonderful Tonight”. Some members of the audience were clearly disappointed judging by comments I heard whilst coming out of the venue. For me, I will take what I can get. Eric Clapton, not very far away from me, in a local venue, playing great blues guitar. The closer was “Sunshine of Your Love”. It doesn’t get much better.
A shame that he never plays “Stepping Out”. I can wish. Maybe one day. There is still time, Eric, to return to those Blues Breaker days and make an old man happy. Many thanks to Jan for the photos and manipulating the site for me.
Setlist: Electric set: Blue Dust; Key to the Highway; I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man; Presence of the Lord; White Room; Prayer of a Child.
Acoustic set: Kind Hearted Woman Blues; Back Home; Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out; Tears in Heaven.
Back to Electric: Got to Get Better in a Little While; You Were There; Crossroads; Little Queen of Spades; Cocaine.
Encore: Sunshine of Your Love.
This concert by 
The conversation somehow moved on to Brian Downey, original drummer in Thin Lizzy and went something like this: Eric “Have you seen Brian’s new band?”; Me “No, but they are playing at Middlesbrough Town Hall soon and I was considering going along”; Eric “You should go”; Me “Have you seen them”; Eric “No, but he has put together a great band and they play all Lizzy songs”; Me “then I must go and see them”; Eric “Please do and if you get the chance to meet Brian, tell I am asking after him. We remain great friends. Me, Phil, and Brian remained friends even after I left Lizzy.”
Well, I just had to go along after that recommendation from Eric himself. I bought tickets the next day. It was also a chance to review my long-time acquaintance with Middlesbrough Town Hall which is a lovely venue. It comprises two halls, a large hall upstairs with a lovely organ at the back of the stage (see image from my ticket).
I recall seeing Gary Brooker play that organ when I saw Procol Harum at the venue in the mid 70s. I have seen many bands there over the years including AC/DC, Kiki Dee, the Hollies, Van Morrison, and Ian Gillan. The second hall, named the Crypt as it is downstairs below the main hall, also hosted many bands. I recall witnessing great shows by Stretch, Crass, Steel Pulse, the Groundhogs, Wishbone Ash, the Exploited and several others down in the Crypt. Happy days. So, it was great to be visiting the Crypt again to see Brian’s version of Thin Lizzy.
Now, I don’t usually go to see tribute bands, but this group had the authenticity of original Thin Lizzy member Brian Downey sitting in the drum stool. Elaine, Jackie, and I arrived early and had a good look around the venue which remains, as it always was, a lovely, period church – like hall, in the centre of Middlesbrough. The stage was set with a massive drum kit standing proud centre – stage, ready for Brian to lead his new band through a set of Thin Lizzy classics.
The publicity from Brian’s website states: “Brian is delighted to announce the new line-up of Alive and Dangerous and is looking forward to taking the band on the road in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and the rest of Europe. The new line-up features Brian Downey on drums, Matt Wilson on bass and lead vocals and introducing Michal Kulbaka on lead guitar and Joe Merriman also on lead guitar.” So, this was back to the classic twin guitar line – up of Thin Lizzy. Fantastic.
The band all hail from Dublin and look quite young and fresh. They are all excellent musicians and did justice to the Lizzy repertoire. The singer/bass guitarist has curly hair and a look of Phil about him. Classic after classic followed: “Jailbreak”, “Emerald” (a favourite of mine), “Rosalie”, “Dancing in the Moonlight”, “Don’t Believe a Word”, the wonderful “Parisienne Walkways” which was Phil solo with Gary Moore on lovely guitar (performed amazingly well by 1 of the lead guitarists).
Next up soon was “Cowboy Song” (another favourite which always went down well when Phil performed it at Newcastle City Hall and which I was lucky enough to witness several times including an amazing performance at the Reading Festival in the 70s), “The Boys Are Back in Town” (and it seemed like they really were for 90 minutes) and closing with back to the beginning and “Whiskey in the Jar”. An encore followed of less familiar material and then it was all over.
Sure, it wasn’t Thin Lizzy, but it was pretty close. Eric, you were right to tell me to go along and see this band. Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to meet Brian and pass your regards to him. Brian, you are to be commended for assembling a great band who live up to their name Live and Dangerous which is, of course, the name of the classic Thin Lizzy live album which is often quoted as being the best live album ever. Happy days were here again.
Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site (and for saving the file for me along the way as I wrote it; last time I failed to do so and my Dragon speech software misheard something I said which resulted in my losing everything I had typed; very frustrating).
Setlist: Are You Ready; Jailbreak; Emerald; Wild One; Rosalie; Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight); Massacre; Still in Love With You; Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed; Warriors; Don’t Believe a Word; Parisienne Walkways; Cold Sweat; Cowboy Song; The Boys Are Back in Town; Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend; Whiskey in the Jar.
Pick up the Pieces! 
I remember them as a tight rock/jazz outfit, who had some great classic singles such as the aforementioned “Pick up the Pieces”. The Average White Band split up in 1982 but regrouped after some years and have finally decided call it a day with: A Funk Finale – Farewell Tour 2024.
The publicity announced this farewell tour: “Average White Band, one of the soul and funk bands of all-time will bring their farewell tour to venues in 2024. The group will perform their biggest hits and fan favourites, such as US No.1 Pick Up the Pieces, Cut The Cake.…….Formed in London in 1972, the band – somewhat incongruously given their Scottish roots – took the influences of their R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, and Jazz greats Cannonball Adderley and The Crusaders, then developed their own authentic sound rapidly adopted by black audiences in the US, UK and worldwide.
The group’s consistently accomplished songwriting helped them to achieve several Gold & Platinum-selling albums and multiple Grammy nominations with Atlantic Records. Having remained a perennial fixture at top venues & festivals across the world for over 50 years, the Average White Band’s farewell tour is the not-to-be-missed last chance for multiple generations of fans to experience the musical energy and trademark sound of one of the world’s truly great soul bands.”
Two guitarists and vocalists Onnie McIntrye and Alan Gorrie remain from the original band, alongside a set of musicians who they have assembled over the years, including a black soul singer who now fronts the band. But Alan Gorrie was very much the bandleader, with his old friend and side kick Onnie McIntyre standing quietly to his left on guitar duties.
The Tyne Theatre was packed ready to say a last goodbye to this band. I can’t say I recognised many of the songs, but I greatly enjoyed the performance, and I was glad I took the opportunity to catch them one last time. Of course, I knew the aforementioned “pick up the pieces” and “cut the cake” but I had forgotten the great singalong “let’s go round again” which had the entire theatre audience up and dancing.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and to Chris for helping me manipulate the site stop
Set 2: When Will You Be Mine; Walk on By; Cut the Cake; A Love of Your Own; Whatcha’ Gonna Do for Me; Atlantic Avenue; Put It Where You Want It.
Dionne Warwick
Anyway, enough reminiscing and back to the beautiful, soulful voice of Dionne Warwick who sang so many Bacharach and David classics. The show was entitled Don’t Make Me Over, after the famous song. The Glasshouse website proclaimed her arrival:
Iconic singer Dionne Warwick brings her captivating life story and legendary catalogue to the stage for an intimate evening of conversation and song. Join the chart-topping vocalist behind classics like “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “That’s What Friends Are For” as she takes audiences through her groundbreaking 60+ year career. Warwick will share personal anecdotes and career milestones interwoven with live renditions of her hits, supported by archival footage and testimonials from figures like Elton John and President Clinton.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. Dionne took to the stage with “don’t make me over” emblazoned on the screen above her. She started by singing that classic song. Sure, her voice may not quite as strong as it used to be, but it was tremendous to hear her sing the song again, accompanied by a small band who appeared left off stage. A large, very comfy -looking, sofa was to the right of the stage and Dionne took her place there alongside long-time collaborator Dave Wooley who was shortly to interview her.
A short excerpt from the recent documentary also entitled Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley was shown at the start of the performance. Publicity for the documentary explains that it “Reveals the intimate stories behind a pioneering artist who took charge of her own career and smashed through cultural, racial and gender barriers to become the soundtrack for generations.”
The conversation between Dionne and Dave began with video of her humble beginnings, gospel singing in a New Jersey church. The discussion then moved through her life and career, her first meeting with Bacharach, in the UK where he was touring as pianist and musical director for none other than Marlena Dietrich. Now that is some tour that I wish I had seen! And so, the evening progressed moving through the years, with tributes from many famous people including Smokey Robinson, former President Bill Clinton, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Barry Gibb and many more. Dionne concluded the first set with a lovely rendition of the beautiful “I Say a Little Prayer”.
After a short break the proceedings resumed in a similar manner with Dave and Dionne chatting about her more recent achievements. Dionne talked about her family and her children. She then revealed that her drummer for the evening was none other than her son, who also sang with her. This part of the show included more songs, accompanied by her son: “Walk on By”, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Heartbreaker. The evening concluded with a lovely rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For.” It doesn’t get much better than this. A lovely evening spent with a true legend and icon of our generation.
I have been meaning to see 
I was surprised just how true to the original Jam ideology and mod culture From The Jam were. They were in fact a revelation to me. Much, much better than I expected. The Boiler Shop was completely sold out, packed full of mods from every era, some wearing sharp suits and others wearing Parka coats. And to my pleasant surprise, the support act was Purple Hearts who I remember well from the late 1970s and early 1980s; I saw them several times during that crazy period.
In The Jam, Bruce and drummer Rick Buckler were the driving force, power and rhythm section behind singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller. Bruce’s versatility is evident, taking lead vocals on “David Watts” (The Kinks) and writing “News Of The World”, which to this day appears as the theme to the BBC’s Mock the Week show and has introduced his work to a new generation of fans.”
It is nice to know that “Bruce is again friends with Paul Weller which he emphasises is more important than music…… Paul asked Bruce to perform on his Wake Up The Nation album and join him on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on 25th May 2010, to a rapturous standing ovation from the audience. “No one could quite believe what they were seeing, it was history in the making and grown men had tears in their eyes” said one fan.”” (Again from the From the Jam website).
Support band Purple Hearts are: “an English mod revival band, formed in 1977 in Romford, eastern Greater London. They were often considered one of the best English mod revival groups, the NME calling them “one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock ‘n’ roll terms. In September 1979, the band scored a minor hit with their debut single, “Millions Like Us” which reached number 57 in the UK Singles Chart. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on ‘the March Of The Mods’ tour in 1979.” I remember the March Of The Mods tour very well and have written about it on this blog. It called at Newcastle Mayfair and there was complete mayhem, involving fights between skinheads (“We hate the mods”) and mods (“We are, we are the mods”) and tables being thrown from the balcony of the ballroom onto the dancefloor below. The bouncers came in, complete with Alsatian dogs and brought some control to the situation. Crazy days.
Jackie and I arrived in time to catch Purple Hearts who were excellent, playing a mix of songs old and new; each track blending punk with 60s mod. A great start to the evening. We went to look for some From the Jam merchandise. The guy at the merchandise stand told us “I am selling Purple Hearts merchandise, the guy selling From the Jam merchandise has not arrived yet but all the merchandise is under the table”. Well, I don’t know what had happened but he never appeared so we were unable to buy any From the Jam gear. Never mind. Perhaps I will be tempted to buy something from their online store.
After a short break the main act took to the stage exploding into “All Mod Cons” followed by a string of Jam hits. Each song sounded true to the original, Russell Hastings performing the front man part extremely well, and the full band accompanying Bruce and Russell were great. Hit after hit followed: “David Watts”, “Billy Hunt”, “A Bomb in Wardour Street”, “Down in the Tube Station At Midnight”, “Pretty Green” (now I realise where Liam Gallagher got the name for his clothing range: I recently bought a shirt from the site and foolishly did not wear it for the occasion), “Town Called Malice”, “That’s Entertainment” and closing song “The Eton Rifles”. The entire crowd sang along; this band is the real thing and, judging by my experience at The Boiler Shop they have a very strong and loyal following.
The encores were “Beat Surrender” (I had forgotten just how good that song is), “Going Underground” and finally, back to the start with “In the City”. Fantastic. I would have liked to have seen them play “The Butterfly Collector” (my favourite Jam song) and close with “The Batman theme” just as they did in the early days. But then you can’t have everything.
Setlist (something like this): All Mod Cons; To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time); Mr. Clean; David Watts; In the Crowd; Billy Hunt; It’s Too Bad; Fly; The Place I Love; English Rose; ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street; Down in the Tube Station at Midnight; Pretty Green; Town Called Malice; That’s Entertainment; Lula; Heat Wave; The Eton Rifles. Encore: Beat Surrender; Going Underground; In the City.
And so, the 
Jethro Tull and I have a long history together and a long-standing friendship. I recall my school days when I was in my early teens. The sixth formers would carry LPs under their arms to school. They played them in a little room upstairs in the dining hall at lunchtime. Sometimes, if I was lucky, they allowed me upstairs to their elite “Record Club” to listen to their new, magical, psychedelic sounds. The records they carried were badges of honour and included Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown album, Cream’s Wheels of Fire, Tyrannosaurus Rex’s My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair, But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, and Jethro Tull’s This Was. This Was included a mix of blues, rock and strange flute playing. A year or two later, I remember sitting in my mate’s house and playing Jethro Tull’s second album Stand Up, with its great sleeve which opened out to a set of pop-ups of the band. How cool we felt. Then, in 1971, we all went to see Jethro Tull at Sunderland Empire. Happy days and magical memories. The die was cast. We were all Jethro Tull fans for life.
Roll-on 50+ years. The Seven Decades Tour. Wonderful. What is not to like. Why not go along and reminisce with old friends, listen to some old sounds, because let us face it, we all like “Living in the Past”. And plenty of old friends were there. It was great to meet up and say hello to fellow Tull aficionados.
With Ian Anderson as ever central to the performance, this tour will encapsulate the seven decades in which Jethro Tull have written and performed music. Through their 23 studio albums, they have continued to push the boundaries of their music. With Ian’s unique and iconic flute playing paired with his distinct vocal, they are one of the most important and distinctive bands the UK have ever produced and Ian’s desire to continually innovate has ensured they remain as relevant around the world today as they did in the seventies.
And so, to the performance. Sure, Ian’s voice is not what it was, and the old coat is gone, but the flute playing remains great and the songs are as soulful, passionate, poignant, and intriguing as they ever were. We start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with “My Sunday Feeling”; Track 1 Side 1 of This Was. This is followed by a selection of songs from throughout the band’s seven decade spanning career. Pure magic. The years disappear and the old songs flow over us all. These include other classics from the first couple of albums. My favourites are “We Used to Know” and the magical flute solo which is “Bouree”.
We were informed at the very start of the performance by Ian himself that we were not allowed any photography until the encore. Hence lots of pictures of trains on the track as the encore was, of course, as always “Locomotive Breath”. It was a shame that we could not take pictures throughout as the images shown on the backdrop were pretty fantastic.
After a short interval Ian and the band return and play a strange mix of old and new. Intriguing, enjoyable yet missing some vintage tracks which are usually performed. No “Living in the Past”. No “The Witches Promise”. Nonetheless an enjoyable selection of songs from some lesser-well known albums. The band continues to surprise the audience.
Set 2 closes with a tale of that seedy tramp “Aqualung”. The encore is, as usual these days, “Locomotive Breath”. And then it is over. I quickly chat with old friends again and then go our separate ways. Our collective verdict is a great show, but a strange collection of songs and missing some classics. I am off home in my taxi. Ian Anderson did the Tull legacy proud and gave us all another night to remember. Happy days. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
A bundle of energy. A whirling dervish. A crazy lady. An outspoken liberated woman. A (nearly) middle-aged lady who has rediscovered herself after a painful marriage breakup. 
To say my mind was blown away by the lady herself is an understatement. I bought a T-shirt with the words: “Eat Shit and Die” emblazoned on the front. That sort of sums up the show and the attitude of this explosive performer. I have not dared wear the T-shirt yet!
The tour and new album were announced thus on her official website: “Paloma Faith has announced the details of her sixth studio album, The Glorification of Sadness out on 16th February via RCA Records and a UK Tour in support of her upcoming album.……. Paloma shared the news of her new album release date and inspiration with a personal note to her fans letting them know she was “…Looking forward to sharing this new era.” The Glorification of Sadness is more than an album about relationships. The celebration of finding your way back after leaving a long-term relationship, being empowered even in your failures, and taking responsibility for your own happiness. It is her most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. No support act. In the first half Paloma was a raving blonde, talking a lot about the breakup of her relationship with her former husband. She went into a lot of detail about how her newly found freedom had liberated her as she entered her early 40s.
The lady has found herself again and is enjoying life and not afraid to tell us all about her experiences, each song relating to the “glorification” of her sadness. Lots of very personal insights into her (not so recent really, 2009) marriage breakup and how through her sadness she has found a new life and empowerment. Loads of swearing, very personal stories, some on the verge of shock. At one point he was even bumping and grinding with one of the male guys in her band. Marvellous!
Also from the same website: “Paloma Faith is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and TV personality, as well as one of the UK’s best-loved musical artists. London-born Paloma has released five critically acclaimed platinum-selling albums since 2009, beginning with her debut, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? As well as collecting dozens of awards in the last decade, including a BRIT Award, Paloma has reached a wider audience as a judge on The Voice UK as well as The Voice Kids, and as an actor in films such as Pennyworth, St Trinian’s and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.” A very accomplished lady.
The show intrigued me and tempted me to find out more about the enigma that is Paloma Faith. To the extent that I have ordered myself a signed copy of her yet to be released (semi-) autobiography: MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery (I told you she is outspoken). Waterstones site announces the publication of the book thus: “The iconic singer and actress delivers her own unique take on motherhood and how it correlates to what it means to be a woman in this fierce, funny and passionate volume.”
“Can women have it all? What does it mean to be a woman and a mother in the modern age? In this passionate, funny, and fierce polemic, Paloma Faith delves deep into the issues that face women today, from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth. Infused with Paloma’s characteristic humour and raw honesty about the challenges of IVF and the early years of motherhood, this book is a beautiful celebration of women’s work, and the invisible load women carry.”
Paloma requested staff to put on all of the house lights. And she asked us all to shine the torches on our cell phones. A beautiful image! Returning to the book description: “Moving from questions around identity and how motherhood impacts on that, to what it even means to be a “good mother”, how we need to embrace messiness, imperfection, and the bittersweet pleasures of being “selfish” and putting ourselves first. Paloma invites us into her own coming of age and relationship with her mum, to explore how our bonds with our children evolve into adulthood. We see a glimpse of the complexities and joys of Paloma’s experience of juggling romantic love, heartbreak and dating with the demands of motherhood.”
Paloma confided in us all that her daughter was sometimes in trouble at school for using the F word, which her mother often used in conversation to her. Paloma seemed quite proud of this fact. The first set, having been devoted to the new album and her aforementioned marriage breakup, was followed by a short interval and the second set comprising her better-known songs from her previous repertoire. Just as she completed the first set Paloma told the sell-out crowd that her favourite word was C**T and that the merchandise stall was selling baseball caps with that controversial word emblazoned on the front. During the interval everyone rushed and queued up at the merchandise stand to buy the aforementioned baseball caps. I decided to stick with my T-shirt. Not very brave.
As the second half started, I could see that everyone was wearing their baseball caps. This time Paloma emerged in her more natural dark hair, and a beautiful catsuit. Still very much a raw talent who exploded back, right into our faces with a clutch of chart hits, many of which were still unfamiliar to me. However, I readily embraced her music and her continued manic performance. Elaine, Norman, and I all agreed it was a marvellous introduction to an intriguing, complex and fascinating performer. Thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris Paul once again manipulating the site to enable me to produce this blog. I remain very behind in my blogging activities, but I will slowly catch up. Please bear with me.
Setlist: Set 1: How You Leave a Man; God in a Dress; Bad Woman; Divorce; Say My Name; I Am Enough; Already Broken; Hate When You’re Happy; Enjoy Yourself; Cry on the Dance Floor; Eat Shit and Die; Let It Ride; Sweatpants.
Some time after the show my signed copy of Paloma’s book arrived. I am adding the signature here for completeness. 
It does not seem a year since I last saw 
The Durham Launderette is a quirky, exquisite venue. It is by day an ordinary launderette, used by the public to bring along their bags of washing. By evening it transforms into an intimate venue, which hosts concerts by folk artists and others. It cannot hold more than 60 or so people.
And so it was that my carer Jan and I joined a packed house of Carthy fans and devotees to see a folk legend in this lovely venue. He has built up a strong following who seem to know all his material and have become good friends of Martin.
Each song comes from a poem, an old folktale, or an ancient ballad. He crafts each one carefully. He includes the traditional “Scarborough fair” which features on his first, early 1960s, album and was since made famous by Simon and Garfunkel.
Many of the songs have become familiar to me from last time I saw Martin perform. I also bought a copy of his first album on eBay, and he kindly signed it for me (see picture). His set included at least two tracks from that album: “High Germany” and the aforementioned “Scarborough fair.” Other songs that I recognised from last year included “Napoleon’s Dream” a traditional song with a long, interesting history which Martin gladly related to us.
On a couple of occasions members of the audience assisted him in remembering the lyrics. This all added to the charm of the evening. It was very much a meeting of friends He continued into the night but sadly, our taxi was awaiting us, so we had to sneak out before the end, which was a shame. A wonderful evening, with the legend, folk singer, storyteller, and lovely gentleman that is Martin Carthy. Many thanks to Jan for the photos and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
It was an exciting day; we all got the bus to the town on our lunch break from School. The Rink was packed and we saw lots of people we knew from the town and from other schools. Dave Lee Travis was the DJ on that particular day, rather than Tony, and he was playing all of the chart hits of the time. “Double Barrel” by Dave and Ansel Collins was No. 1 and the Top Ten also featured T Rex (Hot Love), Dawn (Knock Three Times), Ringo (It Don’t Come Easy) and the Rolling Stones (Brown Sugar). Cool or what?!
I remember being very upset at having to leave to go back to school. Missed most of Paper Lace (who were later to hit the chart with “Billy Don’t be a Hero”) and some of my more fearless school mates decided not to return for the afternoon. Not sure if they received any comeback as a result. Great days. It was with such memories in my head that I went along to the City Hall with carers Jan and Jackie to see Tony Blackburn and the Sounds of the 60s band play the soundtrack of my youth once more. It sounded exciting and I would finally get to see my childhood hero, Tony. It doesn’t get much better.
The publicity for the concert said: “Every week, listeners across the UK tune into BBC Radio 2 to hear DJ Tony Blackburn OBE play the greatest songs of the 60s. Now, the legendary DJ will be bringing the Sounds of the 60s show to Bournemouth and celebrating the music of this much-loved decade. Featuring stories and songs from perhaps the most iconic 10 years in music, fashion and popular culture, the Sounds of the 60s tour will bring to life memories of the era.
The Sounds of the 60s All-Star Band and Singers will perform classic hits from the likes of Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many more. With this year marking the 60th anniversary of his first broadcast on pirate radio station Radio Caroline South in 1964, Tony Blackburn is remembered as a defining voice of the 1960’s.
His incredible career has seen him present on BBC Radio 1, Top of the Pops, and since 2017 he has presented Sounds of the 60s on Radio 2, a hugely popular show on BBC Radio. A champion, in particular, of Soul music throughout the 60s, Tony has been recognised with 37 awards to his name including two Gold Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Radio; becoming the first person in history to receive two of these lifetime achievement awards.”
So, the format of the show was Tony Blackburn telling anecdotes about Pirate Radio and the early days of Radio 1 along with the house band, the Sounds of the 60s, playing medleys of, Tony told us, over 100 songs from the 1960s. It was great to see Tony and the house band performed lots of familiar songs from throughout that decade. The Sounds of the 60s feature a full band and are fronted by a male and female singers who do a great job covering all of those classic songs. Lots of fun for a nostalgic night out and it was excellent witnessing Tony Blackburn and listening to his stories of Pirate Radio in the 1960s and the start of Radio 1.
Tony told how his favourite DJ of the time was Kenny Everett, and how he (Tony) was now 81 years old! He still looks great. He also mentioned Tom Jones and how he was still performing and that Tom was older than Tony. This was followed by a medley of Tom Jones’ classics. Tony took us right back to the start of the 60s when he played in a band in Bournemouth. This was followed by early 60s hits such as Cliff Richard and “The Young Ones ”, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and other artists of the period. We were treated to a Motown section featuring classic soul tracks, and so on.
This was a curious afternoon spent in the company of the 
Firstly, a short explanation about the brass band: “The NASUWT Riverside band was founded in 1877 and was formerly known as the Newcastle Brown Ale Band. The band rehearses in Pelton Fell, Chester-le-Street and has an active diary of concerts and contests. This includes recently placing 4th out of 18 bands in the Senior Cup competition in Blackpool, a result which sees their promotion to the Grand Shield for 2017.
The band also competes regularly in the Scottish Open Contest as well as the North of England Regional contest in which they frequently place in the top of the table and result in trips to the National Finals at the Albert Hall.” (From Northern Regional Brass Band Trust site). Just like the band in the film Brassed Off (a great film about a local band who reach the finals of a national brass band competition and go to perform at the Albert Hall; you must see it if you have not already done so).
As an aside, I have very pleasant memories of going birdwatching at Pelton Fell as a child with my parents in the 1960s. They had a lot of crows, hawks, magpies and jackdaws nesting in the area and it was fascinating to go and photograph the birds on my Box Brownie camera. I must try and find the photographs. I am sure I will have them stored away somewhere. Anyway enough of my reminiscences, let’s get back to music. (Lovely picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
I said above I have been meaning to go to see Field Music for some time. They are a local band from Sunderland that formed in 2004. They have been described as “indie rock” and “art rock”: an interesting mix. The band’s core consists of brothers David Brewis and Peter Brewis. I met David and Peter some years ago at another local venue The Bunker and we chatted about our experiences of music in Sunderland. The collaboration with the Riverside Band is very recent and has resulted in the release of an album, of which I have purchased a copy (pictured).
“For this year’s Record Store Day, we’re releasing a brand new LP, Binding Time – 10 songs written and arranged for a 7-piece brass section from the NASUWT Riverside Band. The songs were originally written as part of Durham Brass festival, and inspired by Redhills, the home of the Durham Miners Association. So, if you’re keen to hear some songs about murder, methodism and running away from home to get rat-arsed with Oliver Reed, bedecked in cornets and euphoniums, get yourself along to your favourite record shop on 20th April.” (From Field Music site)
Chris and I turned up just before the start time of 3 PM so that I could get a swift drink and then we took our seats close to the stage. The first half of the performance was a selection of brass band “classics” some of which were familiar to us and others less so. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this music. It is the first time that I have actually sat down and focused on listening to a brass band. Towards the end of the section, the Brewis brothers joined the band, one playing guitar and singing and the other playing a lovely double bass and also adding vocals. They played two songs from the (then) upcoming album, which were also a pleasant surprise.
After a short break, the second half of the performance focused upon more brass band music including renditions of well-known tunes such as “76 Trombones”. I found it good fun actually. Not quite rock music, but nonetheless equally enjoyable. I also enjoyed seeing Field Music and I must catch up with them again and witness a full performance of their music. So, both Chris and I agreed that this was an enjoyable Sunday afternoon experience. We walked home from The Fire Station, cutting through The Bridges shopping centre. Many thanks to Chris the photographer and Jan the site navigator.
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