Posts Tagged ‘classic rock’
9
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Amazing Blondel, Steeleye Span. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, folk, folk-rock, gig, gigs, music, rock, rock n roll. 2 comments
Steeleye Span & Amazing Blondel Newcastle City Hall 26th October 1972
Steeleye Span, along with Fairport Convention, are pioneers of British folk rock. Their music successfully marries traditional English folk music with a harder, electric sound. In their early days, Steeleye Span played almost exclusively traditional folk songs. I first saw them as the support act for the mighty Jethro Tull on their spring 1971 tour when it called at Sunderland Empire. Steeleye Span’s line-up was, at that time, Tim Hart (guitars, vocals), Maddy Prior (vocals and twirling skirt dancing), Ashley Hutchings (bass), Martin Carthy (guitars, vocals) and Peter Knight (strings, keyboards, guitars, vocals). Note, the band had no drummer, which made the line-up seem somewhat different.
By the time of this 1972 headlining concert at Newcastle City Hall, Ashley Hutchings and Martin Carthy had both departed and had been replaced by Bob Johnson (guitars, vocals) and Rick Kemp (bass, drums, vocals).
This was a strong double bill, and I remember that my reason for going along to the concert was partly to see support act Amazing Blondel. Some of my friends had seen Amazing Blondel supporting Free, and came back gushing with glowing reports of these three crazy guys with amazingly long hair who played strange quaint medieval instruments. Amazing Blondel were indeed “amazing”. They were reportedly influenced by their childhood memories of the Robin Hood TV series, and its mediaeval soundtrack. Indeed, they named their band after Blondel de Nesle, a musician in the court of Richard the First. Their Medieval brand of folk rock was, in fact, an authentic attempt to recreate Renaissance music, using genuine period instruments such as lutes and recorders, and interlacing their songs with old English banter and bawdy jokes. Great stuff!
Steeleye Span were starting to gain their own following, and their version of the 16th Century Christmas carol “Gaudete” was becoming a big live concert favourite. The City Hall was full and both bands went down well. Steeleye Span’s set also featured some quite dark folk songs which told stories of medieval goings on, murders, affairs, etc. and a great version of “John Barleycorn”.
I had a double dose of Steeleye Span, having seen them just a month or so before when they featured on the bill at the Grangemouth pop festival. Happy days.
“Gaudete, gaudete
Christus est natus
Ex Maria Virgine
Gaudete”
7
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in China Crisis, Icehouse, Simple Minds. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Simple Minds Live in Newcastle 1979 – 1982
I first saw Simple Minds when they supported Magazine at Newcastle City Hall on April 25th, 1979. There was already a buzz about the band; I’d seen them perform on the Whistle Test, and was looking forward to seeing them live: “”Having appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test quite recently, Simple Minds show style and panache. Their perception is discerning, composed stealthfully of a balanced power and access ability. Musically they don’t have limits set by social statements, but rather produce songs to last any test of time whatever the current vogue. Jim Kerr, the articulate lyricist shines on Chelsea Girl one of the strongest compositions.” (Peter Escrett, NME). So this was one of those gigs where we got to our seats early to watch the support act, and they were just great. Their set on the tour consisted of early songs: Hell; Take Me To The Angels; Life In A Day; Destiny; Chelsea Girl; Special View; Garden Of Hate; Pleasantly Disturbed; Murder Story. “Chelsea Girl” and “Life in Day” were my early live favourites.
Jim Kerr: “And then we went straight into the Magazine tour, and we were already getting the Magazine soundalike tags, even though we’d got our sound before we’d even heard ‘Real Life’. And we went on this tour with no LP and no single… and we got out there and really there seemed to be no pressure on us and we just went out to enjoy ourselves.”
The next time I saw Simple Minds was at a gig at Newcastle University on November 24th, 1979. There was trouble at the gig and the band left the stage at one point. “The gig was unique in as much as that half way through Wasteland (about the 4th track) the band have a fight with a few members of the audience and walk off for about 15 minutes. They do return but only to play another five or so songs.” (from http://www.simpleminds.org/sm/tours/t1979-2/index.htm ).
Simple Minds next returned to Newcastle to headline at the City Hall on September 21st, 1981. Support was provided by Australian band Icehouse. I am pretty sure I was at this gig, but can’t find my ticket stub, so maybe my memory is playing tricks again.
I was, however, definitely at the City Hall to see Simple Minds when they played on November 20th, 1982, and I have my ticket and programme from the gig (pictured here). Support this time was the excellent China Crisis. By this point Simple Minds had found their own style, having moved from a sparse, rhythmic, electronica band to a much more pop sound, and they were starting to hit the charts with their singles “Promised You a Miracle” and “Glittering Prize”. One of my favourites from this early period was “The American”. This was the band at their peak, and a powerful live act.
Setlist: In Trance As Mission; Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel; Hunter And The Hunted; Glittering Prize; Someone Somewhere (In Summertime); Sweat In Bullet; Promised You A Miracle; King Is White And In The Crowd; I Travel; Celebrate; The American; Big Sleep
Encore: New Gold Dream; Love Song; Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
I saw Simple Minds once more, in 1984 as they began to achieve mega status. I’ll reflect on that gig tomorrow.
4
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Kate Bush. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock. 8 comments
Kate Bush Hammersmith Apollo London 3rd September 2014
I never believed in my wildest dreams that I would ever see Kate Bush live in concert again. I felt lucky to have seen her during her one and only tour when it called at Sunderland Empire, and I was totally amazed when she announced her return, which seemed to come completely out of the blue a few months ago. Marie (like me an old trooper from the Empire concert) came along with Laura, David, Shauna and me to last nights concert.
From the moment Kate walked barefoot onto the stage last night, the crowd showed how much she has been missed. Fans have travelled from every corner of the globe to witness and be part of this second coming, “Before the Dawn”, and they made sure that Kate knew how much they love her, giving her standing ovations at the end of each of the first few songs. The first thing you notice is how strong her voice is, how well she looks, how confident, and how much she smiles. She seemed genuinely pleased to be there performing, and to see everyone.
The first set of six songs was the closest that the concert got to a “gig” with Kate performing a selection of songs from her career, including “Hounds of Love”; “Running Up That Hill”; and her more recent single “King of the Mountain”. Before the next segment we we given an unexpected interval, while a technical fault was sorted out, which added to the drama of the evening. 
By 9pm, fault rectified, we were all back in our seats to witness “The Ninth Wave”, which tells the story of a lady (Kate) lost at sea after her ship crashes. She fades in and out of life, fighting with the waves and evil skeleton fish, who fight to drag her under. She has an out of body experience as, ghost-like, she returns home to observe her husband and son (played by Kate’s real son Bertie) in their living room watching TV and having supper (toad in the hol, good choice 🙂 ). The coast guard drag her from the sea, only to lose her to the fish skeletons again. A helicopter hovers above us all, lights shining and swirling around the venue. The evil fish hold Kate aloft and carry her through the aisle and out a side entrance.
Ultimately she is dragged out alive, and the evil fish lose her, back to the earth and her life. All of this was staged in the most professional, artist and engaging way that you could imagine. Simply breathtaking.
After another interval we were treated to a performance of “A Sky of Honey”, from Aerial. This sequence also has strong links to earth and the environment. Kate plays the part of a bird-like woman who observes the actions of a 19th-century painter (played by Bertie) who is painting a scene of the sky and a strange quirky mannequin who follows her around throughout the piece (the mannequin also features on the cover of the programme; which you can see above). The performance features several birds; a white dove, a rooster, a seagull, and an evil black raven who attacks Kate, transforming her arm into a black wing. The story climaxes with Kate duelling with her guitarists who wear evil beak masks. Dark, moody, scary. The place went crazy, everyone on their feet. Kate was beaming.
For the encore she returned to sit alone at her grand piano and sing Among Angels. The band then returned for a joyous “Cloudbusting” with everyone singing along.
We left the Apollo at 11.20pm. The girl sitting to my right looked at me and simply said “Wow!”. Laura says it is the best concert she has ever seen. A very emotional experience in so many ways, lots of tears in the eyes moments.
Kate Bush might just be the greatest creative rock artist that we have.
Apologies for any typos, I have been typing this on the train home.
Setlist
Lily; Hounds of Love; Joanni; Top of the City; Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God); King of the Mountain
The Ninth Wave: And Dream of Sheep; Under Ice; Waking the Witch; Watching You Without Me; Jig of Life; Hello Earth; The Morning Fog
A Sky of Honey: Prelude; Prologue; An Architect’s Dream; The Painter’s Link; Sunset; Aerial Tal; Somewhere in Between; Tawny Moon; Nocturn; Aerial
Encore: Among Angels; Cloudbusting
The yellow slip of flimsy tissue paper is a piece of confetti; these were thrown over the audience early in the show. The confetti features an extract from “The Coming of Arthur” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, which is said to have inspired Kate Bush to write the Ninth Wave.
“Wave after wave, each mightier than the last,
Till last, a ninth one, gathering half the deep
And full of voices, slowly rose and plunged
Roaring, and all the wave was in a flame”
3
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Dave Stewart, Feargal Sharkey, Fruits of Passion. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Feargal Sharkey Newcastle City Hall 9th February 1986
In 1982 Feargal was becoming tired of fronting Irish new wave post-punk posters The Undertones. So it was no more boy next door image, off with the pullover and jeans, and on with a trendy Armani suit, a Swatch watch (see later) and styled quiffed hair. Ad hey presto young Feargal was a fledgling pop star. And pop star indeed he was. Feargal’s debut single was “Listen to Your Father” which reached No. 23 in the UK chart in 1984. The track was a collaboration with members of Madness and he performed it on Top of the Pops with members of the nutty boy band. But his biggest hit came the following year when “A Good Heart” went to No. 1 in several countries including the UK. He also had a UK Top 5 hit in 1986 with “You Little Thief”, which was out at the time I saw him on tour. His debut album reached No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart.
I saw Feargal Sharkey at Newcastle City Hall in 1986. This was his Swatch tour, and an early example of tour branding and marketing tie-ins. The back cover of the programme declares “Feargal Sharkey Swatch tour. Music by Feargal. Time by Swatch”, alongside a picture of our cool hero sporting trendy shades and, of course, a neat black Swatch.
From the programme: “At first I didn’t feel it. I just sang. The difference later on was that I learned more about life. I now plough past experiences for songs, especially on my album where the songs are all bitter sweet. I’m now more of a manic singer than ever before. ……Feargal belongs on stage in front of an audience…..Ladies and gentlemen, Feargal Sharkey. The waiting is over”
The concert was good fun and focused on Feargal’s hits and debut solo album, along with some great covers including “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “It’s all Over Now”. He had quite a large band with a couple of backing singers and a small brass section. His mate and local north east hero Dave Stewart came on for the encore, very much the swaggering rock star. Support came from Fruits of Passion, a Scottish indie band.
The next time I saw Feargal Sharkey he walked past me, as he was wandering around the area in front of the stage at Live 8 in Hyde Park. By then he was very much the suited business man, and chair of the UK Government task force the ‘Live Music Forum’. In 2009 he was placed No. 56 in The Guardian’s MediaGuardian 100, which is an annual guide to the “most powerful people in television, radio, newspapers, magazines, digital media, media business, advertising, marketing and PR”. The boy from Derry has travelled a long way.
2
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Shakin' Stevens. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock n roll. 2 comments
Shakin’ Stevens Newcastle City Hall 30th May 1981
Lots of jiving in the aisles. Screaming girls, teds, me and my mate and Shaky on stage. “Marie, Marie”, “This Ole House” and “Green Door”. Guilty pleasure or what? OK maybe it wasn’t cool, but hey it was fun, believe me, and for that one night, for us, Shaky was the man 🙂
I first saw Shaky when he was a serious rock n roll revival contender, playing with his band the Sunsets. It was February 1972. My mate and I had been to Sunderland Locarno to see Mott the Hoople with Genesis support: heavy hippy trippy stuff, we sat cross legged on the floor for Genesis, then Mott came on, and the place went wild, ‘Unter was on top form. Anyway after the gig we were walking home from the Mecca (Locarno) and passed by Sunderland Poly’s Wearmouth Hall, which was the Students Union building. We could hear music, so we sneaked into the packed hall where a student dance was in full throw. 
Shakin’ Stevens and the Sunsets were on stage playing. Shaky was wearing a great silver lamé jacket; jiving, hips swaying, very much the authentic rock n roller. There was a massive fight at the front of the hall; glasses flying, pretty nasty, one guy got seriously hurt…the police arrived…we sneaked back out and continued our walk home, quite shaken.
A few years later and Shaky was a massive chart star and we were sitting down at the front at the City Hall. Support for the City Hall concert came from rockabilly band The Jets.
Shakin’ Stevens setlist from 1981: I Need Your Love Tonight; I’m Knockin’; Hot Dog; Mona Lisa; Let Me Show You How; I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter; Shotgun Boogie; Marie, Marie; It’s Raining; You Drive Me Crazy; Green Door; This Ole House
I only saw Shaky on these two occasions.
1
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Siouxsie and the Banshees, Suicide. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th September 1988
In 1987 Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover album “Through the Looking Glass” which included great versions of “This Wheel’s on Fire” which made the UK singles chart, Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”. The following year they changed guitarists again, recruiting Jon Klein and keyboard player Martin McCarrick and recorded a new album “Peepshow” which featured new instrumentation including cello, accordion and horns, and were back in the charts with “Peek-a-Boo”, which was to be their last Top 20 hit in the UK. The “Peepshow” tour called at Newcastle City Hall; this was the last time that I saw the Banshees live. I don’t recall who the support act was; I know Suicide supported later in the year. It was a big production this time; Sioux: “the theme of the album and stage show had been influenced by my interest in a late ’20s/’30s vibe – Marlene Dietrich…it was a very black and white theme, and much more theatrical…I wanted to move away from rock’n’roll lighting and make more use of the stage.” Severin: “The stage set was really elaborate. We’d start the show off right at the front of the stage, and then a series of curtains would drop to the floor to reveal each band member”. Both quotes are from “Siouxsie and the Banshees: the authorised biography, by Mark Paytress (2003), which I found in a charity shop for £1.99 last week. Result 🙂 ! After the Peepshow tour the Banshees decided to take a break, with Siouxsie and Budgie going off to record a new Creatures album.
Setlist: The Last Beat of my heart; Turn to Stone; The Killing Jar; I Promise; Ornaments of Gold; Christine; This Wheel’s On Fire; Something Blue; Scarecro; Rawhead and Bloodybones; Carousel; Nightshift; Red Light; Peek-A-Boo; Rhapsody; Cities in Dust; Skin; Burn Up; Spellbound; Hong Kong Garden
Siouxsie is yet another artist who I haven’t seen for many years, and who I would love to see again. I had a ticket to see her at the Roundhouse 5 or more years ago, but couldn’t make it because of work. Big mistake.
That concludes my reflections on the Banshees. Still a few more “S”s to go yet….
31
Aug
Posted by vintagerock in Fur Bible, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. 2 comments
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th October 1985
Siouxsie and the Banshees returned to Newcastle City Hall one year after their previous performance in 1985. This time they were previewing songs from the yet-to-be-released 7th studio album Tinderbox, their first to feature new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers. Tinderbox was to reach number 13 in the UK albums chart in 1986. Support for the UK tour was Fur Bible, the excellent dark, pysch, goth band fronted by ex-Gun Cub member Patricia Morrison who would go on to join Sisters of Mercy, and more recently, The Damned. Siouxsie had one UK chart hit in 1985, “Cities in Dust”, which would often close the set during the tour. This was the Banshees biggest and longest UK tour to date, taking them back to many places they hadn’t played in since those very early punkier days.
The tour is probably most remembered for a disaster that took place at the London concert. Towards the end of the concert, while playing Christine, Siouxsie was being her normal swirling goth princess, when she jumped, twisted herself, and fell in agony. She had dislocated her knee, and the concert was abandoned. Siouxsie was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital and her leg was set in a full plaster was applied. Ever the trooper, the show went on and the tour continued a few days later with Siouxsie, complete with cast and perched on a stool. I remember seeing her on TV, on the Whistle Test I think, with the cast singing “Cities In Dust”.
Typical setlist from the 1985 UK tour: Dazzle; Cascade; Pointing Bone; The Sweetest Chill; Cannons; Melt!; Candyman; Bring Me The Head Of Preacher Man; Lands End; Night Shift; 92º; Christine; Pulled To Bits; Switch; Arabian Knights; Painted Bird; Happy House; Cities In Dust
PS just noticed that my ticket lists the support act as being Scientists, rather than Fur Bible. I am pretty sure, however, that it was Fur Bible. But then, my memory is not so good these days and I have been known to be wrong before….
30
Aug
Posted by vintagerock in Siouxsie and the Banshees. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th June 1984
The Banshees transformation was complete. They had moved from a quickly assembled, rough, ready, raw punk band who could hardly play their instruments, and debuted with a garbled 20 minute thrash version of “The Lord’s Prayer” to a classic rock band whose repertoire ranged from dark experimental metallic discord, through psychedelia to pure pop classics and amazing hit singles like “Christine” (the strawberry girl, banana split lady 🙂 ), “Arabian Knights”; “Spellbound” and “Israel”. Add to that, by the time of this concert in 1984, a psych-tinged, goth-edged, amazing cover of the Beatles “Dear Prudence”.
Along the way things had changed again on the guitarist front. In 1982 John McGeoch suffered a nervous breakdown due to the stresses of touring and drinking. He collapsed on stage at a concert in Madrid and left the band. McGeogh’s departure left a big void; he was the perfect guitarist for the Banshees crashing, swirling textures. Souxsie paid him tribute when he passed away in 2004: “John McGeoch was my favourite guitarist of all time. He was into sound in an almost abstract way. I loved the fact that I could say, “I want this to sound like a horse falling off a cliff”, and he would know exactly what I meant. He was easily, without a shadow of a doubt, the most creative guitarist the Banshees ever had.”
To fill the void left by McGeoch, old mate Robert Smith returned to the Banshees fold. This lasted for a couple of years, until Smith found the stresses of simultaneously fronting the Cure and being a Banshee just too much. At that point, just after the release of their Hyæna album, ex Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers joined the band.
I remember going to this gig wondering how it would work with a new guitarist. Actually it worked well, but a little of the depth and texture was lost.
Support came The Flowerpot Men, a British electronic music group who recorded a version of “Walk on Gilded Splinters”.
Setlist (this is actually the setlist from the previous night’s concert in Edinburgh): Dazzle; Cascade; Running Town; We Hunger; Melt!; Into the Light; Pointing Bone; Red Over White; Switch; Red Light; Christine; Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man; Painted Bird; Arabian Knights; Spellbound; Monitor
Encore: Dear Prudence; Helter Skelter
“Once upon a time, they might’ve burned Siouxsie Sioux at the stake or thrown her in a lake to see if she’d float with rocks tied to her ankles. Today, she’s signed to a recording contract with the hope that she’ll be the most famous witch since mother-in-law Agnes Moorehead made Elizabeth Montgomery’s husband Dick York so miserable in Bewitched.” (Roy Trakin, Creem, November 1984)
“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It’s beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?”
(Dear Prudence, Lennon & McCartney, 1968)
29
Aug
Posted by vintagerock in Linton Kwesi Johnson, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. 6 comments
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th August 1981
Five months later and the Banshees were back at the City Hall again, this time with a new album “JuJu”. “JuJu” was one of their most successful releases, receiving positive reviews in the music press, and a favourite with fans. Siouxise, interviewed in Sounds magazine at the time: “I rate Aretha Franklin, Nico, really like Yoko Ono’s voice…I have to hark back. Still think Jim Morrison’s got the best ’singing corpse’ voice. I want our gigs, records or whatever – to stand out as an event, to be remembered, talked about – or affect somebody after they’ve heard or seen us…You can’t listen to it as background music…it needs involvement from the listener to work properly, and that involvement sometimes brings out good things in people.” 
1981 was another successful year for the Banshees in terms of singles, with “Spellbound” and “Arabian Knights” both making the UK charts. Siouxsie had transformed from the cold “ice queen of punk” into the “Mother of Goth” and the “The Woman Of A Thousand Costumes” and wild hair.
In concert the band were as impressive and stunning as ever.
I think the support for the City Hall concert may have been Linton Kwesi Johnson?
Setlist: Israel; Halloween; Spellbound; Placebo Effect; Pulled to Bits; Tenant; Night Shift; Sin in My Heart; So Unreal; Voodoo Dolly; Christine; Head Cut; Arabian Knights; Eve White/Eve Black. Encore: Happy House; Monitor
I loved the new material, you could lose yourself in the mad, swirling, trance-like madness of it all. But I also longed to see them play some of the older songs; Metal Postcard, Helter Skelter or Love in a Void; any of them would have made the show just perfect for me.
28
Aug
Posted by vintagerock in Comsat Angels, Siouxsie and the Banshees. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. 7 comments
Siouxsie and the Banshess Newcastle City Hall 3rd March 1981
The Banshees’ released their second album, Join Hands in 1979 and went out on a major UK tour to promote the new album. However, a few dates into the tour drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay quit the band after an argument. Drummer Budgie was rapidly recruited from The Slits, along with guitarist Robert Smith who was borrowed from tour support band The Cure. I had a ticket for the show at Newcastle Polytechnic but the concert was sadly cancelled as Siouxsie was unwell, and it was another two years before they called at Newcastle again. By the time I saw the Banshees again, at Newcastle City Hall on 3rd March 1981, Smith had returned to the Cure and the late great John McGeoch, from Magazine, had joined on guitar. McGeoch was the perfect choice for the Banshees; he understood how to coax an amazing, innovative noise from his guitar, inventing his own scales and making imaginative use of effects. He has been described as “one of the most influential guitarists of his generation” (Perrone, 2004) and in 1996, he was listed by Mojo in their “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” for his work on the Banshees song “Spellbound”. 
By the time of this gig, the Banshees had released three albums: “The Scream”(1978); “Join Hands” (1979) and “Kaleidoscope” (1980), and had achieved further hit singles with “Happy House” “Christine”, “Spellbound”, and my favourite, the wonderful “Israel”, which was often their opening song. So there was plenty of new material, and the set had changed almost completely since I last saw them in concert. Support came from The Comsat Angels. The Banshees had become a considerable force, transcended the punk genre, and were a major classic rock band, and Siouxsie was elegant, scary, crazy and remained totally engaging. Although I loved the early Banshees, I think that this was their classic period and classic line-up.
Setlist: Israel; Spellbound; Arabian Knights; Christine; Tenant; Halloween; Night Shift; Paradise Place; Switch; But Not Them; Voodoo Dolly
Encore: Eve White/Eve Black; Red Over White; Happy House
Steeleye Span, along with Fairport Convention, are pioneers of British folk rock. Their music successfully marries traditional English folk music with a harder, electric sound. In their early days, Steeleye Span played almost exclusively traditional folk songs. I first saw them as the support act for the mighty Jethro Tull on their spring 1971 tour when it called at Sunderland Empire. Steeleye Span’s line-up was, at that time, Tim Hart (guitars, vocals), Maddy Prior (vocals and twirling skirt dancing), Ashley Hutchings (bass), Martin Carthy (guitars, vocals) and Peter Knight (strings, keyboards, guitars, vocals). Note, the band had no drummer, which made the line-up seem somewhat different.
This was a strong double bill, and I remember that my reason for going along to the concert was partly to see support act Amazing Blondel. Some of my friends had seen Amazing Blondel supporting Free, and came back gushing with glowing reports of these three crazy guys with amazingly long hair who played strange quaint medieval instruments. Amazing Blondel were indeed “amazing”. They were reportedly influenced by their childhood memories of the Robin Hood TV series, and its mediaeval soundtrack. Indeed, they named their band after Blondel de Nesle, a musician in the court of Richard the First. Their Medieval brand of folk rock was, in fact, an authentic attempt to recreate Renaissance music, using genuine period instruments such as lutes and recorders, and interlacing their songs with old English banter and bawdy jokes. Great stuff!
Steeleye Span were starting to gain their own following, and their version of the 16th Century Christmas carol “Gaudete” was becoming a big live concert favourite. The City Hall was full and both bands went down well. Steeleye Span’s set also featured some quite dark folk songs which told stories of medieval goings on, murders, affairs, etc. and a great version of “John Barleycorn”.
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