Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Edinburgh Usher Hall 1 Nov 2013
Last night Laura and I crossed the border to Scotland, where we took a step over another border into the darker side of rock, for a night in the company of Nick Cave and his compatriots the Bad Seeds. I’ve only ever seen Nick Cave once before, and that was as at a solo concert at the Sage Gateshead some years ago. This was the first time that Laura had seen him, although she is a fan and familiar with much of his music. We had seats in the upper circle looking directly down on the proceedings, with a good view of the stage and the packed stalls where all the seats had been removed, and fans were crammed around the stage, awaiting an audience with Nick. Support came from solo artist Shilpa Ray who played a short set of her own songs, accompanied only by herself on harmonium. Her sound is a sort of bluesy punk with searing, screeching vocals.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds came of stage shortly before 9pm, and were truly amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performance which maintained such passion, power and intensity throughout. Nick was dressed all in black, looking like a cool, young Bela Lugosi, and the songs were all very dark in both mood and lyric. Crazed bearded violinist Warren Ellis tore shreds out of his instrument and was a perfect foil to frontman Cave. Nick prowled around the front of the stage singing and talking directly to the first few rows of fans. The guy seemingly has no fear, and seemed to completely lose himself in the performance. The songs were, at one end of the spectrum, all power chords, manic instrumental breaks, with Cave dancing crazily and haranguing the front rows; to another extreme of dark, sombre, power ballads with Cave at the piano. Highlights for me were Jubilee Street, Tupelo, Red Right, The Mercy Seat, and Stagger Lee. The main set finished with Push the Sky Away, but the band returned for a incredible five song encore including Deanna, the great Breathless (my favourite 🙂 ) and closer Give Us a Kiss. The show finished just before 11pm, and we had an uneventful drive back down the A1; arriving home around 1.45am.
Setlist: We No Who U R; Jubilee Street; Midnight Man; Tupelo; Red Right Hand; Mermaids; From Her to Eternity; Stranger Than Kindness; God Is in the House; He Wants You; Into My Arms; Higgs Boson Blues; Hiding All Away; The Mercy Seat; Stagger Lee; Push the Sky Away. Encore: We Real Cool; Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry; Deanna; Breathless; Give Us a Kiss
Posts Tagged ‘concert’
2 Nov
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Edinburgh Usher Hall 1 Nov 2013
1 Nov
Mötley Crüe Theatre of Pain tour Newcastle City Hall 1986
Mötley Crüe Theatre of Pain tour Newcastle City Hall 1986
Think big, loud, outrageous, OTT, heavy rock. Think glam, pyrotechnics, Kiss meets The Stooges and you are starting to get it. Mötley Crüe brought the “Theatre of Pain” to Newcastle and just blew us all away 🙂 .
Mötley Crüe are an American heavy metal band who formed in California in 1980. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were soon joined by fellow mad compatriots lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe have been described as “the world’s most notorious rock band” (Wikipedia). They are also one of the best-selling groups of all time, having sold 80 million albums (Wow!). I first came across Mötley Crüe when I saw them playing way down the bill at Donington Monsters of Rock in 1984. By 1986 they were touring to support their third album “Theatre of Pain”, and these guys were massive. I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to enjoy their outrageous stage show, but I knew that I just had to go along and see if they were as loud and crazy as I had read. The show was actually great fun, if a little tongue in cheek, and the music wasn’t too bad either.
The stage set was magnificent. Drummer Tommy Lee towered above us all on a drum riser which revolved through 360 degrees (don’t ask me how that worked 🙂 ?!). Guitarist Mick Mars and bassist Nikki Sixx prowled around the stage, both every bit heavy metal rock gods. And singer and total madman Vince Neil sang his heart out. The audience, well Vince told us many times that we were all “MotherF***ers”, and the Newcastle metal crowd didn’t argue with that; they just lapped it up. A night of total over the top madness! Plus these guys did a great version of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter”; check it out on YouTube. I’ve been trying to work out who the support act was that night, and based on what I can find out there, it seems that the great Cheap Trick played on the UK dates. My memory lets me down again, as I have no recollection at all of seeing Cheap Trick that night. I am sure if they had been support I would have gone along early to see them; maybe I did and have forgotten all about it, which is increasingly likely….
Setlist: Looks That Kill; Use It or Lose It; Shout at the Devil; Fight for Your Rights; Home Sweet Home; Red Hot; Keep Your Eye on the Money; Louder Than Hell; Too Young to Fall in Love; Knock ’em Dead, Kid; Live Wire; Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room (Brownsville Station. Great choice for a cover!); Helter Skelter (The Beatles! Another great choice); Jailhouse Rock (Elvis!)
31 Oct
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra 1974 & 1975
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra 1974 & 1975. 
I was lucky enough to see the second Mahavishnu Orchestra three times. The first time was at the Knebworth Bucolic Frolic concert in 1974 where they shared the bill with The Allman Brothers, the Doobies, Van Morrison, SAHB and Tim Buckley. The setlist from Knebworth was: Wings of Karma,Sanctuary, Vision is a Naked Sword, Hymn to Him. This was a big band and the line up was: John McLaughlin – lead guitar, Jean-Luc Ponty – electric violin, Gayle Moran – keyboards, Michael Walden – drums, Carole Shive – drums, Marsha Westbrook – viola, Phillip Hirschi – cello, Steve Frankewicz and Bob Knapp – trumpet, fluegelhorn, flute, and Steve Kindler – violin. I remember that the band were all dressed in white and that McLaughlin started the set with a short reading, or it could even have been a prayer. 
My next Mahavishnu experience was at Newcastle City Hall in 1975, and the programme comes from that gig. I looked up the meaning of Mahavishnu out of interest, and found this on Wikipedia: “Mahavishnu (Devanāgarī: महाविष्णु) is an aspect of Vishnu, the Absolute which is beyond human comprehension and is beyond all attributes. The term Mahavishnu is similar to Brahman and Almighty Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead”. Pretty deep mystic stuff; eh?! And that about sums up their music; heavy, deep, with superb musicianship, jazz-rock, fusion, challenging, enjoyable, frustrating, exciting, boring; all of those things in part. Like nothing I have seen before or since. The last time I saw John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orhestra was at the Reading Festival in 1975, where they shared a bill with Soft Machine, Robin Trower and headliners Wishbone Ash. McLaughlin is an intriguing character, and undoubtedly a musical genius. He still plays today, and I have just added him to the list of people I intend to try and see again in the next few years.
30 Oct
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra 1973
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra 1973. 
I first saw John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra at a concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1973. This was the original line-up of the band and featured leader “Mahavishnu” John McLaughlin on virtuoso guitar, Jan Hammer on keyboards, Jerry Goodman (from The Flock) on electric violin, Rick Laird on bass guitar, and Billy Cobham (from Miles Davis’ band) on drums. These guys were pioneers in so many ways; in McLaughlin’s use of the twin neck guitar which enabled him to switch from 6 to 12 strings, in Jan Hammer’s use of the mini-moog and in their unique fusion of rock, jazz, funk, classical and Indian influences. This was the band which recorded the seminal albums The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973). Their music was like nothing else I had experienced at the time; experimental yet at the same time heavily orchestrated. Pioneering and fascinating stuff; I was deeply impressed by the musicianship and virtuosity on show. The set is likely to have been drawn from the first two albums and will probably have included tracks like Birds of Fire, Meeting of the Spirits, You Know, You Know, The Dance of Maya, Open Country Joy, Dream, Sanctuary, One Word, Hope, Awakening. All pretty mystical and deep heavy stuff for a young teenager, and quite different from seeing Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin! This was a brave booking for local promoter Geoff Docherty and his Fillmore North (note the misspelling of “North” as “Worth” 🙂 ). This line-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra split later that year, and McLaughlin reformed the band with a completely new membership in 1974. I saw the new version of the Orchestra on three occasions, and I will write about that tomorrow.
29 Oct
The Monochrome Set Durham University 1981
The Monochrome Set Durham University 1981
The Monochrome Set was formed in London in 1978. The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and songwriter Bid, Canadian guitarist Lester Square, drummer John Haney and bass guitarist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years. Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began working with the band in 1979, designing their lighting and stage sets with the use of film projections for their live shows. The band’s early shows were defined by the shadowy, stage images created by his films and he is often described as being their “fifth member”. Today they are spoken of in reverential terms and are thought of as a seminal, legendary new wave / art-rock band. I only recall seeing the Monochrome Set once, at this gig at Durham University Dunelm Ballroom in 1981. By this point the line-up was John, Bid, Lester and Andy Warren on bass. My memories of the band are of a weird, slightly avant-garde arty new wave ensemble, very black and white (hence their name); quite strange.
From their official site: “You can never pin down The Monochrome Set. They’re so difficult in many ways, yet easy to appreciate.
They’ve been together now …. since the dying days of punk, developing a music which oscillates between furtive seriousness and high enjoyment and tries to connect fantasy with the world. Label them and their music at your peril. Because of the Rough Trade alliance, brief enigmatic press coverage, shadowy pictures, the casualness of the group, their seemingly aloof airs and faces, and the apparent strictness of their live performances, the wrong impression of the group is being communicated. I’m not sure they are doing all they can to change this.” Support came from local heroes the Carpettes.
The band have recently reformed and have been playing concerts to renewed acclaim.
28 Oct
Don McLean Newcastle City Hall 1980
Don McLean Newcastle City Hall 1980 
American Pie is an epic song in several senses. The album version runs at an incredible 8 minutes, although it was shortened to four minutes for the single release. Much has been written about the meaning of its cryptic lyrics, with the general consensus seeming to be that the song is about the tragic death of McLean’s hero Buddy Holly in a plane crash. McLean has been reluctant to explain the song’s meaning and is on record as joking: “It means I don’t ever have to work again if I don’t want to.” or more seriously “You will find many interpretations of my lyrics but none of them by me…. Sorry to leave you all on your own like this but long ago I realized that songwriters should make their statements and move on, maintaining a dignified silence.”. 
My enduring memory of the song is seeing Don McLean perform it at the Lincoln Festival in 1972. The weather at the festival was awful, and the heavens opened during Don’s set. However when he sang this song the rain stopped, almost as if by magic, and we all sang along.
I saw Don McLean again in 1980 at a concert at Newcastle City Hall. The tour was to support a “Greatest Hits” compilation and the support act was local folk trio Prelude. As well as “American Pie” you could be sure that Don McLean would sing his other hits “Vincent” and “Crying”, as well as less known, but just as beautiful, songs like “And I Love You So” and “Castles in the Air”. He would also include one or two Buddy Holly songs such as “Everyday”, perhaps some Elvis or Bob Dylan, and some rock’n’roll. 
From the programme: “Don McLean is without doubt one of the most influential singer songwriters in the history of popular music. He has inspired many of his contemporaries and his classic song “American Pie” (released in 1971) has become a perennial on radio all-time Top Ten request lists. Another song “Vincent” – which is played every single day at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Holland – was cited recently by Stevie Wonder as one of his all-time favourites. And another – “And I Love You So” – has become a standard. It is also one of the most sung and recorded songs in history with versions by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Perry Como and Helen Reddy leading the way.”
Thanks to John for the scan of an early tour programme. The lower image is the front cover of the 1980 UK tour programme.
27 Oct
The Mo-dettes Dunelm Ballroom Durham University Students Union 25 October 1980
The Mo-dettes Dunelm Ballroom Durham University Students Union 25 October 1980. 
The Mo-dettes were an all-female punk/new wave band. They were formed in 1979 by guitarist Kate Korris, who had been an original member of The Slits and was also briefly a member of The Raincoats. The other members of the band were Jane Crockford (bass), Ramona Carlier (vocals) and June Miles-Kingston (drums). The Mo-dettes were championed by John Peel and their best known song is “White Mice”, which was self-released as their first single in mid-1979 on Mode records, and spent five weeks at No 1 on the Indie chart. They were a fun live band, dressed in shiny 60s gear, all jerky guitar rhythms. The highlights of their set were “White Mice” and a reggae-tinged version of the Stones “Paint it Black”. I saw them live on at least a couple of occasions; once at this gig at Durham University and again at Darlington Arts Centre. I may also have seen them at Middlesbrough Rock Garden, but can’t be certain. The Mo-dettes only existed for a couple of years, and are largely forgotten now. If you are interested, there is a great video of them playing “White Mice” on YouTube.
26 Oct
Roy Harper Manchester Bridgewater Hall 25th October 2013
Roy Harper Manchester Bridgewater Hall 25th October 2013
It’s interesting seeing how time has affected some of my old heroes, as they reach their later years. In some cases their health has failed, and their performance and voice is a shadow of former glories; while for others, the years have been kinder and maturity and experience of stage and life have added to their concert outings. Roy Harper is in the latter category. He looks well; slim, fit, alert and his wit, sarcasm and performance are as engaging as they ever were. The young angry folk singer that I first saw almost 45 years ago seems a wiser, calmer soul, at peace with himself, his music and the friends who filled Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall to see him perform, chat with him. harangue him, and listen to songs old and new.
I arrived late, just before 8pm and a couple of minutes before Roy joined special guest Jonathan Wilson on stage. The roadworks have returned to the M62, and the pouring rain and spray slowed my journey across the Pennines. As Roy joined us, a lady came down to the front and handed him a couple of roses; he took hold of both her hands and thanked her before he started the first song. A fitting start to the evening. Like all Roy Harper concerts these days, there is a feeling of a coming together of friends, reinforced by the usual Harper banter between the man and his audience. “Show us your bus pas Roy” shouted one guy. “Hold on. I may just have it on me.” replied Roy. He did, and he held it up for all of us to see. Roy has been playing a short tour of three dates to promote his new album “Man & Myth” which has been receiving great reviews from critics and fans alike. 
The tour started at the Festival Hall a few days ago, popped into his hometown of Manchester last night, and rounds off in Bristol tomorrow. Being the only northern date, it attracted fans from all over the north of England and several Scottish hecklers were in attendance. Roy has been accompanied by Jonathan Wilson and a string and brass section for the concerts. He opened with old favourite “Highway Blues”, and his set also featured several songs from the new record: The Enemy, Time Is Temporary, Heaven Is Here, January Man, and The Stranger. This was the first time that I’d heard the new tracks, and they all sounded strong, and quite typical Roy. There was a short interval. Roy also sang old favourites “Girl from the North Country”, “Another Day” and closed with “Me and My Woman”, all of which benefited from the strings and horns. He returned to sing a beautiful version of “When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease”, and thank us all for coming “I’d like to do it again; if the scales come out right and allow me”. He admitted to being quite nervous about playing in his home town. He needn’t have been. This was classic Roy at his best.
The concert finished just after 10.30pm. I was expecting to get home by 1am, but there was an accident on the A1 near the Harrogate turn off, which caused a 10 mile tail back and a 2 hour delay. I finally reached home at 3am.
25 Oct
The Members Dunelm House Durham University 1980
The Members Dunelm House Durham University Sat 16th Feb 1980
I saw quite a few bands at Durham University Students Union, which held student dances in Dunelm House during the 70s. The trouble was I usually paid at the door, and as result I have few ticket stubs to remind me of the bands that I saw there. I recall attending gigs there by Adam and the Ants, Curved Air, Slade, Climax Blues Band, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and probably many more that I have forgotten. This is one of the rare gigs that I do have a ticket stub for. The Members were “formed in Surrey, England, in the summer of 1977, …. and played at the Roxy and all the other Punk clubs on the London circuit. The original band – composed of Nicky Tesco (vocals), Jean-Marie Caroll (guitar), Nigel Bennett (guitar), Adrian Lillywhite (drums), and Chris Payne (bass) – was among the first to successfully blend reggae rhythms with punk’s attitude and aggression.” (from the Members’ official site). I saw these guys at least three times; at this gig, supporting Eddie and the Hot Rods at the City Hall and at the Reading Festival. Nicky Tesco was a great front man, who sang with a passion and really engaged with the crowd. Members’ music was a cross between punk and reggae which worked pretty well, and the hit single “The Sounds of the Suburbs” was played everywhere I went in 1979, when it reached No 12 in the UK charts, which was their biggest hit. The Members were good fun, although the only song that really sticks in my mind is “The Sounds of the Suburbs”, which was a favourite of mine “back in the day”. The Members have recently reformed although I don’t think Nicky Tesco is in the line-up. Still I bet its fun to see them again.
“Same old boring Sunday morning old mans out washing the car, Mums in the kitchen cooking Sunday dinner her best meal moaning while it lasts. Johnnys upstairs in his bedroom sitting in the dark, Annoying the neighbours with his punk rock electric guitar.
This is the Sound, This is the Sound of the Suburbs, This is the Sound, This is the Sound of the Suburbs !!!! 🙂 (The Members, 1979).
24 Oct
Medicine Head live in the early to mid 70s
Medicine Head live in the early to mid 70s. 
Medicine Head were one of several hippie/underground bands who played their own unique blend of the blues and broke through to the mainstream, hitting the charts in the early 70s. Championed by John Peel, they featured on his Dandelion record label and would often pop up at festivals “back in the day”. The core of Medicine Head were John Fiddler (guitar and vocals) and Peter Hope-Evans (mouth harp, jaw harp, and crazy bushy hair). In the early days they played as a duo, although they were augmented by additional musicians in some later incarnations. I saw them at least four times: at the Buxton 1973 festival (which was the duo), at Sunderland Locarno (during a period where ex Yardbird front man Keith Relf was singing and playing bass with them, and Peter Hope-Evans had left the band for a spell), at a great gig at Spennymoor Top Hat Club (back to the duo), and at a gig at Newcastle City Hall (where they were joined by a full band). The City Hall seemed a big venue for Medicine Head to play, and the venue was pretty sparsely attended, even though they had hit the charts with their single “One and One is One”, which reached No 3 in 1973. My ticket is pictured here, and tells me that the support act was local band Beckett, featuring singer Terry Wilson Slesser who went on to play in Back Street Crawler with Paul Kossoff. The Medicine Head band for the City Hall show featured Rob Townsend (ex Family) on drums, and possibly Tony Ashton (Ashton, Gardner and Dyke) on keyboards.
The gig I have the strongest memories of is when I saw Medicine Head at Spennymoor Top Hat Club. The Top Hat was a great little club in a village near Durham. It seemed very modern at the time, with golden cages where dancing girls would entertain the crowd. The Top Hat played host to many rock concerts in the early 70s. I remember seeing Stray, the Groundhogs, and the Edgar Broughton Band play there. Marie and I went to the Medicine Head gig. It must have been in 1976, as I remember it being on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest, and that we kept popping downstairs to the bar to watch the TV and see how we were doing. We won that year, of course, with Brotherhood of Man and “Save your kisses for me” 🙂 Anyway enough of my guilty past, and back to Medicine Head. They were back to the duo format, and were just great fun. John Fiddler would sit playing guitar and singing, and banging a bass drum with a foot pedal. But the star of the show for me that night was mouth harp player Peter Hope-Evans. He is quite a little guy, and I’ve never seen anyone put so much power and passion into playing a mouth organ. He would blow it as if his life depended upon it; I was almost expecting his head to explode. Peter had a massive round ball of curly hair which would fly about as he played, and he would run around the crowd at the same time. At the Top Hat gig, Peter ventured into the audience as was his style, running up and down the stairs, around the tables, and squeezing unbelievable bluesy howls out of his instrument. Marie and I were just amazed by his performance. Unforgettable.
That gig at the Top Hat was the last time I saw Medicine Head. They split shortly afterwards, and are largely forgotten. John Fiddler has been promising a reunion on his website, and a couple of dates were set up, but never took place for some reason. It would be good to see them again.
Thanks to John for the scan of the amazing poster from the City Hall gig.
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