Great British R&B Festival Colne August 26th 2013. Chris Farlowe, Climax Blues Band, The Pretty Things, and Wilko Johnson
Marie and I spent the bank holiday Monday afternoon at the Great British R&B Festival, which is held each year in Colne, Lancashire. Yesterday afternoon’s line-up was particularly strong, featuring Chris Farlowe, Climax Blues Band, The Pretty Things, and Wilko Johnson on the International Stage which is in the Municipal Hall on the main street.
The Norman Beaker Band opened the proceedings at 2pm. Or rather the proceedings were actually opened by the crazy compare, wearing a fluorescent suit and hat. The guy did a great job on introducing the bands, changing his suit and hat throughout the day, getting more and emore outrageous as the day went on. Norman and the guys played a couple of songs before they were joined by Chris Farlowe. It’s a few years since I saw Chris. His voice was as soulful as ever, and the years haven’t diminished his energy or style. They played a set of favourites including Stormy Monday Blues; Tough on you, Tough on me; The Small Faces’ hit All or Nothing, and Handbags and Gladrags. They closed with (of course) his big hit Out of Time. The guy remains a master of R&B. Pure class and a great way to start the day.
Next up was The Climax Blues Band. Now if its a few years since I saw Chris, it’s even longer since I saw these guys in concert. In fact I think the last time I saw them was probably I the mid 70s. The line-up has changed many times over the years, with no-one remaining from the early days of the band. The current band continues the Climax traditional of recreating an authentic Chicago blues sound. We slipped out for something to eat,but got back in time to catch the end of their set, including their hit single Couldn’t Get It Right. 
The Pretty Things are a big favourite of mine, and they never let me down. The current line-up of the band features originals Phil May on vocals, tambourine and maracas, and Dick Taylor on guitar, along with long standing Pretty Frank Holland on guitar and mouth organ. They started the set with a couple of old R&B tunes, and the classic Cries From the Midnight Circus. Phil then explained that, although it was a blues festival, they had to play something from their classic album S F Sorrow. So next up was S F Sorrow is Born and She Says Good Morning. The three front men then switched to acoustic mode to sing a couple of old blues: Come on in my Kitchen, and Little Red Rooster, featuring some excellent slide guitar from Dick, growling vocals from Phil and great blues harp courtesy of Frank. These guy know how to sing the blues, and they just held the place spellbound. Then it was back to their old rock roots for Mona, and Midnight to Six Man. Great stuff. The Pretty Things were swiftly followed by the great Wilko Johnson. Wilko’s situation has been well documented, and his recent appearances have apparently all been joyous celebrations of his music and legend. Thankfully Wilko is still able to play and, in his own words: ‘It seems that I am still being spared the final onslaught of my terminal cancer. As the memory of the Farewell Tour recedes I am feeling again the desire to get up on stage and do my thing while health allows – so it is that I have decided to make some festival appearances during during the summer’. 
He had asked specially to play at the festival, having done so several times in the past, and everyone present yesterday was delighted to see him. First Wilko was presented with an award for British Blues legend, he then started his set with the Feelgood’s song All Through the City, and also included the Feelgood classics Going Back Home, Roxette, Back in the Night and She Does It Right. The crowd clearly love the guy, and it was a very emotional show, with Wilko strutting his stuff back and forth across the stage, chopping away at his telecaster with those familiar riffs. Its many years since I’ve seen Wilko in concert and I felt privileged to have the opportunity to do so once more. I must also mention Norman Watt-Roy whose bass playing was simply stunning. Again, its many years since I’ve seen Norman perform, probably since I he was with Ian Drury and the Blockheads. The encore was a very emotional Bye Bye Johnny, with everyone waving Bye Bye to Wilko. The crowd were on their feet for a full 5 or 10 minutes after he finished, giving him a real standing ovation. Strong stuff.
We left after Wilko’s set, and drove back up north to pick Laura up and then return home.
Posts Tagged ‘classic rock’
27 Aug
Great British R&B Festival Colne August 26th 2013. Chris Farlowe, Climax Blues Band, The Pretty Things, and Wilko Johnson
18 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1981
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1981
The Kinks returned to a more familiar rock and pop format with the album Sleepwalker in 1977, ending their string of concept albums and accompanying tours. This album was followed Misfits (1978), Low Budget (1979) and Give the People What They Want (1981). One further Kinks hit single was yet to come in the form of Come Dancing, which reached No 12 in the charts in 1982. The line-up of the band also changed, with John Gosling and John Dalton leaving. The core of Ray and Dave Davies, and Mick Avory on drums continued; Jim Romford (from Argent) joined on bass, and he was to stay with the band for the remainder of their career. I saw The Kinks twice during that period, at gigs at Newcastle City Hall in 1979 and 1981. Both concerts were glorious affairs, with Ray, Dave and the guys returning to playing the hits. 
By the late 70s The Kinks were starting to get the respect they deserve, with new wave bands like The Jam covering David Watts, The Pretenders singing Stop Your Sobbing, and rock band Van Halen including You Really Got Me in their live set. But nothing beats seeing The Kinks themselves play You Really Got Me, Lola or Waterloo Sunset. The latter song has always been my favourite, but didn’t always figure in their live set, although I did see them play it a couple of times. 
The Kinks continued to play until 1996. Their last years were spent largely in the USA, where they continued to have success. The 1981 gig was that last time I saw them, which is of some regret for me. I remember they played a concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall in the mid-80s, which I sadly missed. I would love Ray and Dave to make things up sufficiently to play together again. Seeing The Kinks just one more time would be wonderful. I’ve seen Ray solo many times in recent years, and I see Dave has been touring in the USA (how about some UK dates please Dave?), but nothing is like seeing the two brothers together, playing those classic tunes. Come on guys, one more time please.
17 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1976 Schoolboys in Disgrace
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1976 Schoolboys in Disgrace
In 1976 The Kinks toured to present another concept album “Schoolboys in Disgrace”. This was another in a series of concept albums which started with Village Green Preservation Society in the late 60s and continued through the mid 70s. The line-up of the Kinks at the time was the same as I had seen in 1975, and they were again augmented by a brass section, and backing vocalists. The story of “Schoolboys in Disgrace” is as follows: “Once upon a time there was a naughty little schoolboy. He and his gang were always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school. One day he got himself into very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and he was sent to the Headmaster who decided to disgrace the naughty boy and his gang in front of the whole school. After this punishment the boy turned into a hard and bitter character. Perhaps it was not the punishment that changed him but the fact that he realised people in authority would always be there to kick him down and the Establishment would always put him in his place. He knew that he could not change the past but he vowed that in the future he would always get what he wanted. The naughty little boy grew up… into Mr Flash.” (Ray Davies, 1975). 
Mr Flash had appeared before in the Kinks stories, as the villain from The Kinks’ rock opera Preservation. The front cover of the album, and hence of my copy of the programme shown here, was illustrated by Colin ‘Mickey’ Finn, a London illustrator, who also created the two delivery men characters used in the dire Straits video ‘ Money for Nothing’. The tour presented the album in its entirety, with use of visuals and props, and was great fun. The song that sticks out for me is “Jack the Idiot Dunce”, which I thought was great fun at the time. I’m not sure who portrayed the idiot dunce on the tour; possibly Dave. In 1978 the Finnish band Kontra had a number one hit in Finland with the a cover of the song. As with the 1975 tour, I don’t recall them playing any old favourites. I managed to find one setlist which suggests that they played the whole album, with “Money Talks” from Preservation 2 (which also features Flash) as an encore. Setlist: Schooldays Overture; Jack the Idiot Dunce; Education; The First Time We Fall in Love; I’m in Disgrace; Headmaster; Hard Way; The Last Assembly; No More Looking Back; Schoolboys Finale. Encore: Money Talks.
16 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Soap Opera
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Soap Opera
In 1975 The Kinks toured their concept album “The Soap Opera”. This was one in a series of concept albums which started with Village Green Preservation Society in the late 60s and continued through the mid 70s. The line-up of the Kinks at the time was Ray and Dave Davies on vocals and guitars; John Dalton on bass; John Gosling on keyboards; and Mick Avory on drums. They were also augmented by a brass section, and backing vocalists. This was very much a Ray project, and met with mixed critical reviews. The Soap Opera explores the relationships between stardom and “ordinary life” It (from Wiki) “tells the story of a musician named Starmaker who changes places with an “ordinary man” named Norman in order to better understand life. Starmaker goes to live with Norman’s wife Andrea and then goes to work the next day, getting caught in the rush hour. 
He works 9 to 5, then goes down to the bar for a few drinks before making his way home. He then is greeted by Andrea whom he tells is “making it all worthwhile”. By this point Starmaker has lost his grip on reality, and he doesn’t know who he is anymore. In the end he settles down with Andrea, accepting that he is now just “a face in the crowd”. The album finishes by saying that although rock stars may fade, their music lives on.” It has been suggested that the story of Starmaker and Norman is the story of Ray himself, trying to understand what it means to be “a star”. The tour presented the album in its entirety. I don’t recall whether they played any other Kinks tracks at all. The setlists that I have managed to find suggest not. I went with a group of mates and I do remember that we all enjoyed it and found it quite fun, but also pretty heavy going, quite silly in parts and somewhat confusing. Setlist: Everybody’s a Star (Starmaker); Ordinary People; Rush Hour Blues; Nine to Five; When Work Is Over; Have a Drink; Underneath the Neon Sign; You Make It All Worthwhile; Ducks on the Wall; (A) Face in the Crowd; You Can’t Stop the Music. I’m not sure who the support act was; I saw an advert for another date of the tour which suggested that it may have been Care Society, who were Tom Robinson’s early band, and were on Ray’s Konk label.
15 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1972 and Sunderland Locarno 1973
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1972 and Sunderland Locarno 1973
The first time I saw the Kinks was at a gig at Newcastle City Hall in the early 70s. I think it must have been in 1972, as it was around the time that the single “Supersonic Rocket Ship” was in the charts. I seem to recall that the support act was local band The John Miles Set. The Kinks live at that time were a glorious ramshackle affair. They often arrived a little worse for wear, but it was obvious that they were having great fun on stage. I saw them again shortly after this, at a gig at Sunderland Locarno, where the place was absolutely packed and Ray and Dave were very drunk. The Kinks were playing a selection of their old hits, and some rock n roll classics, at the time. I found a setlist from a BBC in concert show in 1973 . The songs played were: Victoria; Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues; Dedicated Follower Of Fashion; Lola; Holiday; Good Golly Miss Molly; You Really Got Me; All Day And All Of The Night; Waterloo Sunset; Village Green Preservation Society. I would guess that the sets that I witnessed at the City Hall and in Sunderland will have been similar to this. My favourite song was always Waterloo Sunset, and it remains one of my favourites to this day. Sadly I don’t have a ticket stub for either of these gigs as they were both “pay on the door” affairs. I remember that Ray was wearing a silver lame jacket at the City Hall gig, and that he threw it into the crowd at the end of the show. I was sitting upstairs and was so jealous of the people down the front who were fighting over the jacket, which was torn to shreds. Happy days. I didn’t realise at the time just how important and influential a band the KInks were. But then I guess thats often the way. They were certainly a fun band to see; in many ways I would see similarities in their performances to those of the Stones and the Faces during the same time period. I’ll spend the next few days reminiscing about some later Kinks gigs that I attended in the remainder of the 70s and the early 80s, starting with the concept tours “Soap Opera” and “Schoolboys in Disgrace”.
8 Aug
Killing Joke Middlesbrough Gaskins Sat 25th April 1981
Killing Joke Middlesbrough Gaskins Sat 25th April 1981
“Killing Joke lurk in rock and roll’s shadow world where they weave with electronic instruments of mystic fire magical incantations and dark grinding musical shapes that linger in the air like Aleister Crowley’s opium-scented nightsweats” (dangerousminds.net).
And so it was when Dave and I experienced “The Joke” at Middlesbrough Gaskins in 1981. Gaskins was a club in Middlesbrough town centre which played host to a number of punk gigs in the early 80s, frequented by the same crowd that assembled at the Rock Garden, the Town Hall Crypyt and Redcar Coatham Bowl. The first thing I recall about this gig was arriving to an empty ballroom with a large pentagram set out on the dance floor in front of the stage. The gig started to fill up, and the aforementioned pentagram was inhabited by a fire eater, known as “Dave The Wizard” who then proceeded to breath fire at us, while performing a primeval war dance. Dark spooky stuff. This was the world of Killing Joke at the time, very influenced by Mr Crowley, black magic and the dark side. The line-up was Jaz Coleman on vocals and organ, Kevin “Geordie” Walker on guitar, Martin “Youth” Glover on bass, and Paul Ferguson on drums. Jaz had his face painted with black make-up, and Youth looked very like Sid Vicious. And the music was loud, dark, doomy, pounding and relentless. There was something sinister and unnerving about the evening; a power and energy that transcended the music being performed. This was music from the dark side and took punk to another epic level.
From a fanzine site: “NC: Can you tell us about the fire-eater? JAZ: Oh yes, that’s a long time ago. The Wizard, he used to blow fire. He was a real nut case, that guy. He used to blow fire and war dance. He has not done it for a long time. He had some interesting ideas. He blows fire, this is about him not us, but he blows fire, he does not blow it in the sort of conventional theatre-come-cabaret sort of act. He blows it in a very ritualistic sort of way. He takes fire as being your will, your desire, and he uses it in that way, and it was really good at that time, and it just seemed to fit, and that was it” (No Class Fanzine No 1).
7 Aug
King Crimson Newcastle Odeon 8th December 1972
King Crimson Newcastle Odeon 8th December 1972
My memory has been playing tricks with me again. I was convinced that I saw King Crimson in 1974, around the time of the “Red” album. But no, when I checked, I found that I was wrong again, as I often am these days. The concert that I saw took place on Friday 8th December 1972, when Robert Fripp and his mighty band played at Newcastle Odeon, not that long before the release of their fifth album “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic”. This was the one and only time that I saw King Crimson in concert, and I went with my friend John. Support came from Lloyd Watson who I have blogged on separately, as John and I went to see him playing in a pub in Peterborough a few years ago. Lloyd won the solo category of the Melody Maker competition in 1972, appeared on “The Old Grey Whistle Test” and did two British tours, one supporting King Crimson and the other Roxy Music.
I went along to the Odeon that night with tunes from Crimson’s glorious first album running through my head, hoping to hear songs like “In the Court of the Crimson King” and “Epitaph”. Of course, the band didn’t play either of those tunes. I should have expected that, as the line-up of King Crimson had changed completely (apart from main man Robert Fripp) just prior to the tour. The line-up for the late 1972 UK tour was: leader Robert Fripp on guitar; John Wetton, fresh from Family and now coming to the fore on vocals and bass; Bill Bruford, who had just left Yes, on drums, David Cross on violin, flute, and keyboards; and Jamie Muir on percussion. Newcastle Odeon was a massive venue which was far from full for this gig, and John and I claimed some empty seats, which were much closer to the front than the cheap (60p! bargain :)) rear stalls tickets we had bought. The show was not what I expected. It was much more improvisation, and jazz, than rock. 
King Crimson started with a long instrumental track featuring Cross on violin and Muir on percussion which, based on setlists from the period, must have been “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part 1)”. Fripp remained seated throughout the performance, speaking to the audience only to announce the songs at one point. John Wetton handled the vocals on those songs that had any. But the guy who sticks in my memory from this concert is Jamie Muir. Muir came from a free improvisation background and “contributed an assortment of unusual sounds from a wide variety of percussion instruments, including chimes, bells, thumb piano, mbiras, a musical saw, shakers, rattles, found objects, and miscellaneous drums” (from Wikipedia). His performance that evening was just incredible. The only familiar song was “21st Century Schizoid Man”, which was was the final track and was loud, dark and very heavy. Overall I left the gig unsure as to what I had just witnessed. I found it pretty heavy going at the time. The set consisted of the entire “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic” album (which had not yet been released, so the material was all new and unfamiliar to the audience), closer “Schizoid Man”, and some free improvisation numbers. I’ve just googled and found a live recording on YouTube of a gig at Hull Technical College around the same time. I listened to some of it, and it sounds great! This concert is another one that seems much better on reflection than I probably realised at the time (if that makes any sense :)). And its also another concert which I would love to go back in time to, and experience all over again. Setlist from the Hull Technical College recording: Walk On… No Pussyfooting; Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part I); Book of Saturday; Robert Fripp announces the songs to be played; Improvisation: Vista Training College Under Spot Light; Exiles; Easy Money; Improvisation: Fallen Angel Hullabaloo; The Talking Drum; Larks’ Tongues in Aspic (Part II); 21st Century Schizoid Man. I am pretty sure that the Newcastle performance was a similar set. King Crimson are another band on my ever growing list of bands to see again (if, of course, Fripp ever decides to reform the band).
5 Aug
Jon Anderson Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre August 4th 2013
Jon Anderson Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre August 4th 2013
A special solo performance with the frontman of YES – Jon Anderson
Last night I went to see Jon Anderson in solo concert at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. The show was billed thus: “Frontman of one of the biggest bands of all time, Jon Anderson brings his stunning voice and exquisite songs to Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre for this very special solo performance. Expect a magical night that draws from the YES songbook and includes all-time classics such as Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Wonderous Stories, Long Distance Runaround, and Yours Is no Disgrace.” The venue sounded interesting and lived up to its description on the Royal Exchange site: “The Royal Exchange Theatre is a seven-sided, glass-walled capsule, literally suspended from huge marble pillars situated in The Great Hall of the historic Victorian Cotton Exchange Buildings in Manchester city centre. The unique design means all seats are less than nine metres from the circular stage giving views from all angles.” I arrived around 7pm after a uneventful drive down the A1 and across the M62. I parked the car in the Arndale NCP, and found the venue, which is situated right in the centre of Manchester, just up from Victoria station. I had a look around, and took my seat. Although I was in Row G, which was the back row of the lower level, I was still very close to the performance area. In the centre of the floor a carpet was set out surrounded by candles, and a couple of microphones. Behind the carpet stood two guitars and an electric piano. Shortly after 7.30pm Jon walked into the theatre space unannounced to the sound of bird song, with the light still on. It was clear this was going to be a special evening; the venue was sold out, and the setting was perfect for a low-key, friendly acoustic concert. The lights went down and Jon stood in the centre of the floor, a few feet from all of us. I notice that during the show he took care to turn around so that everyone got a good chance to see him.
The set was a mix of Jon Anderson’s back catalogue; mostly Yes, but also some from his time with Vangelis and from his solo career. I recognised most of the songs, but a few were unfamiliar to me, so apologies if I haven’t got the setlist quite right. Jon seemed very relaxed, and pleased to be with us. The format of the show was Jon accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for most of the evening, with a short spell on a dulcimer, a ukelele and piano. Some of the songs were performed in full, while others were snippets of the Yes originals. Between the songs Jon told some stories drawn from his past experiences, and told some (not particularly good :)) jokes. The set went something like this (I am sure that I have missed some): Yours is no Disgrace; Sweet dreams; America (Jon told us how he recently met Paul Simon while he was in Australia); Time and a Word (a reggae treatment); One Love (the Bob Marley song). The next few songs were performed on a dulcimer; Under heavens door; Flight of the Moorglade (? I think). Jon was then back to acoustic guitar; he talked about his first meeting with Vangelis, and how he had originally attempted to line him up as a replacement for Rick Wakeman in Yes. That didn’t work out, so he decided to record with Vangelis himself. This led into Jon singing Find my way Home, and recalling an interesting memory of how he had to persuade Vangelis to play on Top of the Pops (“I am a serious musician”). Then it was back to Yes songs: Starship Trooper; Give Love each Day; Long Distance Runaround; and Owner of the Lonely Heart, brought the first half of the concert to close. After a short interval, Jon resumed the show sitting at the electric piano for a medley of Close to the Edge; Heart of the Sunrise; Marry Me Again; and The Revealing Science of God. He then picked up a ukelele for You Got the Light. It was back to guitar for And You and I; and Ritual (Nous Sommes du Soliel). For the next song “Tony and Me”, Jon took us back to 1963, when he was a young guy playing in a Beatles-influenced band, along with his brother Tony. He told a story of seeing the Beatles at Southport Floral Hall; of playing with Joe Cocker in Sheffield; of smoking a joint with Robert Plant up in a club in Newcastle when Plant was in Listen, and of a Liverpool band called the Undertakers whose singer (I think it was Jackie Lomax?) came on stage in a coffin and how one night he was trapped in the coffin. A couple of more songs led into John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance; and then he closed the show with Yes favourites I’ve Seen All Good People and Roundabout, with everyone standing and singing along for the last song. He couldn’t leave without an encore, and sang a few more songs: A Day in the Life (back to the uke for a cover of the Beatles song); Sun is Calling; State of Independence; Wonderous Stories; and Soon. The show finished around 10pm, and I was home around 12.15am.
A great evening. Of course if was very different from seeing Yes, but the personal and intimate approach worked well. Jon’s voice was fine, much much stronger than I expected, and he was in good spirits, very chatty with the home crowd. My next Yes event will be seeing the latest version of that band up in Newcastle early next year, a concert which I am looking forward to. I also notice that Rick Wakeman is going out on tour next year with his Journey to the Centre of the Earth album. Now I wasn’t a big fan of the album when it came out, but I must admit I am tempted to go and see the show. The comings and goings of Yes band members remains as complex and confusing as ever, but I guess it was ever so.
4 Aug
Howard Jones Newcastle City Hall March 1984
Howard Jones Newcastle City Hall 1984
Howard Jones first single “New Song” was released in September 1983 and rose to No 3 in the UK charts. His second single “What is Love?” was released a couple of months later and made No 2 in the charts. In March 1984, Howard Jones’ released his fist album “Human’s Lib”, which was a massive success in the UK, Japan and the USA. The album entered the UK album chart at the No. 1 spot, spending a total of 57 weeks in the chart, and reaching double platinum status. 
So Howard Jones was pretty big news when he toured the UK in March 1984 in support of the “Human’s Lib” album. “New Song” and “What is Love” are joyful songs, and Howard in concert was an enjoyable electropop experience. I read a review of a concert on the tour which mentions a revolving stage; which I don’t recall. Support for the tour was Scottish band Endgames. Howard’s single “Like to Get to Know You Well” was also a big hit later in 1984. I saw Howard Jones live once more, at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985, where he played “Hide and Seek”. He is touring quite regularly again at the moment.
1 Aug
Jethro Tull Acoustic Middlesbrough Town Hall 2007
Jethro Tull Acoustic Middlesbrough Town Hall 2007
In 2007 Jethro Tull released “The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull” which included some of the band’s best known acoustic tracks from 1969 onward. To promote the album the band toured an acoustic show, which called at Middlesbrough Town Hall. 
The line-up of Tull for this tour was Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, David Goodier, John O’Hara and James Duncan Anderson. They were accompanied by special guest Violinist Anna Phoebe. Setlist: Some Day The Sun Wont Shine For You; Living In The Past; The Water Carrier; Gypsy; Katerina’s Theme; Jack In The Green; The Donkey And The Drum; Thick As A Brick; Birnam Wood To Dunsinane; Fat Man; Bouree. INTERVAL. 99 Lives; Dun Ringill; Pastime With Good Company; Steal; Aqualung; America; My God; Beside Myself / Rocks On The Road / Budapest; Locomotive Breath. The folkier side of Tull was never my favourite in the late 70s and early 80s, but I grew to like it as time passed. I certainly enjoyed this gig, which presented the softer, acoustic side of the band.
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