Deep Purple Manchester Apollo Oct 12th 2013
I decided at the last minute to go and see Deep Purple at Manchester Apollo last night. Its a couple of years since I’ve seen them and the nearest calling point of this year’s tour was Manchester. The concert wasn’t sold out, so I bought myself a standing ticket, printed it off on my computer. I was soon on my way down the A1 and across the M62 to Manchester, listening to “In Rock” as I drove down. I arrived just as support band Rockbox took to the stage. The Apollo seemed pretty full, with the stalls packed, and looking upstairs I could see very few empty seats. Rockbox were quite bizarre. They are a five piece; the singer used a loud hailer rather than a mike, and the four other guys were wearing red velvet school uniforms ala Angus Young, complete with devil horns and short trousers. The guitarist wore his amp in a satchel and had a speaker strapped to his belt. Two guys had drums hanging around their necks; one with a bass drum and the other with a snare and a couple of cymbals. And oh, there was also a guy with a huge horn, draped around him; I think it was a sousaphone. A pretty strange line-up and very different from the norm. Their set was all covers including Won’t get fooled again, Sgt Peppers, and Don’t stop me now. They went down well with the crowd, who found it good fun, and knew all the songs. 
I found a spot quite close to the stage, and Deep Purple came on bang at 9pm. They have just released a new CD “Now What?!” which is their 19th album, and their first for 8 years, and the set featured a few tracks from it. In fact, they started with a new song, which surprised me (and disappointed me a little as I was expecting usual opener Highway Star). Not to worry, however, as there were plenty of old classics for me. Each member took a solo during the set, which I usually find tiring, but last night the balance was OK, with each members instrumental piece working well, and not being over long. Favourites for me were (of course) all of the old ones: Strange Kind of Woman, Lazy, Into the Fire, Space Trucking, Smoke on the Water, and the encores Hush and Black Night. Ian Gillan’s voice was quite strong, with the usual screams intact. He is now in the habit of disappearing off stage between verses, presumably to take a rest, and a drink for his throat. They dedicated one of the new songs, Above and Beyond, to Jon Lord. Black Night closed the show at 10.45pm, and was just great. It took me a good 30 mins to get out of the car park; they pack the cars in nose to tail, so you are blocked in and can’t get out until everyone around you arrives at their car. I then got stuck in traffic driving through the city centre. I was home around 1.45am. It was good to see Deep Purple again, particularly in a relatively intimate venue. Just classic. The old ones are still the best. Setlist: Après vous; Into the Fire; Hard Lovin’ Man; Vincent Price; Strange Kind of Woman; Contact Lost (guitar Solo by Steve Morse); Uncommon Man; The Well-Dressed Guitar; The Mule (drum Solo by Ian Paice); Above and Beyond; Lazy; Hell to Pay (keyboard Solo Don Airey); Perfect Strangers; Space Truckin’; Smoke on the Water. Encore: Green Onions (Booker T. & The MG’s); Hush; (bass Solo by Roger Glover); Black Night
Posts Tagged ‘concert’
12 Oct
Steve Marriott Sunderland Kazbah Club 22nd January 1989
Steve Marriott Sunderland Kazbah Club 22nd January 1989
Reflecting back on the gigs I have attended over the years gives me the opportunity to think about the performers that I really rate. One of them has to be Steve Marriott. For me, Steve is simply the best performer and the best white soul and R’n’B singer that I have ever seen. Period. I’ve already written about the Humble Pie concerts I attended in the early 70s. I was also lucky enough to see Steve in the reformed Small Faces, who I caught a couple of times in the late 70s; I’ll write about those shows on another day.
Today, I’m thinking about the last time I saw Steve Marriott in concert which was in 1989, a couple of years before his sad and untimely death. The Kazbah club was a small, short-lived, club which operated in Sunderland in the late 80s. I saw a few bands perform there; Chicken Shack, The Groundhogs and Steve Gibbons come to mind. Going to this gig was a last minute decision; I just decided to go along on the night and entered the club late, right before Steve took to the stage. It was great to see him again, after a gap of 10 years or so. To be honest he looked a little weary, and worse for wear, but the passion remained in his performance. The voice was a little raw, and more rusty, but at times he sang with the power of the old days. The set contained quite a few unfamiliar songs, but I remember him performing “All or Nothing” which remains one of my favourites and went down well with the sparse crowd. He also played a few “standards”; I recall “High Heal Sneakers” being performed that night. It was great to watch Steve in such a small and intimate venue, but for me the evening was also tinged with sadness, seeing him play in front of a few people, and not in great shape. The line-up at the time was probably Steve Marriott and The DT’s. The DT’s were an existing band from Birmingham who Steve admired and eventually hooked up with. Their line-up included Steve Walwyn, Greg Rhynd, Simon Hickling and Ches Chaplin. Typical Steve Marriott setlist from early 1989 (from humble-pie.net) : Watch Your Step; Let’s Work Together; Everything’s Gonna Be Alright; Don’t You Lie to Me; My Babe; World in a Jug; Before You Accuse Me; Big Train Stops at Memphis; I Don’t Know Where I’ve Been; Five Long Years; All or Nothing; Promised Land; Just Your Fool; High Heeled Sneakers; This Old Fool. Two years later Steve Marriott sadly died when a fire, thought to have been caused by a cigarette, swept through his home in Essex.
PS. Just noticed that Steve’s surname is spelt incorrectly on the ticket.
11 Oct
Mud Sunderland Locarno 1974
Mud Sunderland Locarno 1974
My entry today is a very guilty pleasure, so please accept my apologies up front. My excuse is that, at the time, I was in the habit of going to the local Mecca every Friday night, and one Friday Mud were playing. To be honest, I am not even sure it was a pleasure :), but I have to admit it was a bit of fun. Mud were on the crest of a wave of success at the time having just hit No 1 in the UK charts with “Tiger Feet”. Their new release was “The Cat Crept In”. They were to hit the top spot again later that year with “Lonely This Christmas”. To be honest my only memory of the evening was them playing “Tiger Feet”, and everyone doing the crazy dance that they used to do. The line-up of Mud was Les Gray on vocals, Rob Davis on guitar and big crazy earrings, Ray Stiles on bass, and Dave Mount on drums. Les Gray and Dave Mount are both sadly no longer with us. I have seen Ray Stiles several times since, as he has for many years now been the bass player in the Hollies. Rob Davis has gone on to be a very successful song writer, writing dance tunes for Kylie and others. The tour was entitled “Mud on the Road”! and, according to the programme, support came from Sweet Sensation and Ferret. Sweet Sensation went on to have their own Uk No 1 “Sad Sweet Dreamer”, which also topped the charts in 1974.
10 Oct
The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall 1997 to 2006
The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall 1997 to 2006
I went to four Moody Blues concerts at Newcastle City Hall between 1997 to 2006: in 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006. I saw them more recently at the same venue in 2008, and have already written about that concert. The line-up changed over the years, with Patrick Moraz leaving in 1991, and Ray Thomas retiring in 2002. The band continues with the trio of “original” members Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge. Of course the only member who has been with the band from the very start in drummer Graeme. Ray is a miss in the live shows, I found his songs quite different in style to those of Justin and John. Legend of a Mind (which I always thought was called “Timothy Leary’s Dead” 🙂 was a favourite of mine, even if does sound a little dated. I greatly enjoyed all of their gigs, even though the set was becoming predictable.
Typical setlist: The Voice; Tuesday Afternoon; For My Lady; English Sunset; Words You Say; Strange Times; Steppin’ in a Slide Zone; Haunted; I Know You’re Out There; Story in Your Eyes. Intermission. Your Wildest Dreams; Isn’t Life Strange; The Other Side of Life; Nothing Changes; I’m Just a Singer; Nights in White Satin; Legend of a Mind; Question. Encore: Ride My See-Saw.
I’ve foolishly missed the Moody Blues the last couple of times that they have visited Newcastle. I must make the effort to see them next time. Nothing can touch the classic albums that the Moody Blues produced in the late 60s and very early 70s.
“Timothy Leary’s dead. No, no, no, no, He’s outside looking in. Timothy Leary’s dead. No, no, no, no, He’s outside looking in. He’ll fly his astral plane, Takes you trips around the bay, Brings you back the same day, Timothy Leary. Timothy Leary.” (Thomas, 1968).
9 Oct
The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall 1981 and 1984
The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall 1981 and 1984
After not touring for a long time, the Moody Blues began to tour extensively, coming to the UK every couple of years. I saw them at Newcastle City Hall in 1981 and 1984. Their concerts started to take a similar format, which to some extent they still follow to this day, consisting of two sets with an intermission, and no support act. The setlist would consist of the classic tracks, with some new songs (less new songs these days). My favourite “Tuesday Afternoon” would come quite early in the evening, while one of the other songs I would wait to hear, “Nights in White Satin”, would be played towards the end of the show. The hit “Question” would be the last song, and the encore was always “Ride my See-Saw”, which is as much rock’n’roll as you will get in a Moody Blues concert. Predictable, yes, but also always high quality and always a good show. I find it strange how the Moodies have “disowned” their early incarnation, and never ever play Go Now or anything from their first album, “The Magnificent Moodies”. I have a copy of that 1965 debut lp, and its actually pretty good. I understand, of course, that the band changed out of all recognition in terms of membership and style in 1967, but it would still be good to see them play Go Now just once :), and, at least in the 1980s, two members (Ray Thomas and Graeme Edge) remained from that original 1960s line-up.
The 1981 tour was to promote “Long Distance Voyager” and the 1984 tour, which was in aide of NSPCC (the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), promoted new lp (and they were still lps in those days) “The Present”. From the 1981 tour programme: “The Moody Blues blast off into musical orbit for ’81 with their first new album for two years, ‘Long Distance Voyager’ featuring ex-Yes Keyboard ace Patrick Moraz for the first time on record, in company with original members, Justin Hayward (vocals-guitar) Ray Thomas (flute) John Lodge (bass) and Graeme Edge (drums). Although the Voyager album is the group’s first original concept since ‘Octave’ in 1978, the group has been continuously in demand throughout the world and Moraz is already the veteran of several U.S. tours where the group retain legendary proportions.”
From the 1984 tour programme: “The facts are that The Moody Blues have sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide since their inception in 1964, that they have more platinum albums than any other surviving super-group and that their last release “Long Distance Voyager” was number one on the American charts. Their new LP, “The Present,” proves once again that The Moody Blues’ strong melodic structure within a rock framework has enduring appeal.”
Setlist from 1984: Gemini Dream; Sitting At The Wheel; Tuesday Afternoon; The Voice; Steppin’ In A Slide Zone; The Story in Your Eyes; Painted Smile; Reflective Smile; Veteran Cosmic Rocker; Driftwood. Intermission. Talking Out Of Turn; Running Water; Gypsy; Isn’t Life Strange; Blue World; I’m Just a Singer; Nights in White Satin; Legend of a Mind; Question. Encore: Ride My See-Saw
8 Oct
Blue Jays Newcastle City Hall 1975
Blue Jays Newcastle City Hall 1975
While we were waiting for The Moody Blues to return from their hiatus, Justin Hayward and John Lodge called at Newcastle City Hall, as the Blue Jays. Blue Jays is a 1975 album by Hayward and Lodge, which was recorded and released during the Moody Blues’ five-year break from recording, apparently in part for contractual reasons to fill the gap in Moodies output. According to Hayward: “I was under a lot of pressure from Decca to come up with something to release. So I actually went to America to do something with Mike [Pinder], between the two of us. Then Tony Clarke and John [Lodge] turned up at Mike’s house as well. Mike took me in the other room and said, “I don’t want to work with anybody else. I’m out of this project.” So then it became me and John and Tony Clarke, and we made an album called Blue Jays.” The title “Blue Jays” had a couple of meanings; first it is of course the name of a bird; secondly however it refers to the fact that the album was put together by the Moody Blues members whose names began with J; the (Moody) Blue J’s.
This was the closest we were going to get to seeing the Moodies in concert, indeed at that time I feared that they may never tour again, so my friend Ian and I took the opportunity to see two of their front men at our local venue.
The set comprised a mix of songs from the Blue Jays album, including the hit single Blue Guitar and some Moody Blues classics; including Nights in White Satin and Question. It was a great gig, and almost as good as seeing the full band (but not quite :)). Support came from Aj Webber.
From the tour programme: “For Justin Hayward and John Lodge 1975 has been a year of change. At the end of the Moody Blues World Tour which ended in 1974 Justin and John took the first step on a road which has brought them to their current British tour. The step was an album conceived, written and recorded in their own Threshold recording studio. Today, the spirit of this album – which was baptised ‘Blue Jays’ – now begins to grow with Justin and John embarking upon a tour of Great Britain…Justin and John have a few good friends on the road with them. A few years ago during an American tour they met three musicians from Idaho – Jim Cockey, Tim Tompkins and Tom Tompkins. Jim, Tim and Tom have been part of the Threshold family ever since then – firstly through their own album, ‘Ever Sense The Dawn’ when they were a part of a band called Providence, and more recenly working with Justin and John on ‘BlueJays’. Two other old friends from the Threshold family are also with Justin and John on this journey – Mel Galley and Dave Holland from Trapeze.”
Setlist: Saved by the Music; Remember Me, My Friend; The Story in Your Eyes; This Morning; You; You and Me; My Brother; Isn’t Life Strange. Intermission. Who Are You Now; New Horizons; Emily’s Song; I Dreamed Last Night; Nights in White Satin; I’m Just a Singer; Blue Guitar; When You Wake Up. Encore: Question
7 Oct
The Moody Blues Glasgow Apollo 1979
The Moody Blues Glasgow Apollo 1979
My parents got their first stereo system in the late 60s. It consisted of a Garrard turntable, a separate amplifier and a couple of speakers. Around the same time my uncle bought a lovely HMV Stereogram. It was a wonderful piece of equipment, which I now have in my record room upstairs, alongside a modern player and an old Dansette. I would play my records on our stereo system, and also take them down the street to play on my uncle’s Stereogram, to compare the sound and the stereo effects. The albums I had at the time were The Beatles White album, Tommy by the Who, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and Days of Future Passed by the Moody Blues. Days of Future Passed was my favourite. The album had been recorded to demonstrate the New “Deramic Sound System” and had set out to demonstrate the potential of stereo recording. The sound was unlike anything I had heard before. The symphonic arrangements, the blend of classic and rock, the way in which the sound was divided across the two stereo channels; it was like entering a whole new sonic world for the first time. And the songs; “Tuesday Afternoon”, “Dawn is a Feeling”, and “Twilight Time”, were just amazing. But best of all was “Nights in White Satin”. I love the song to this day, but from the moment I first heard it I was fascinated by its unearthly quality. It stood out from the rest of songs on the album.
The Moody Blues early 1970s UK tours missed Newcastle. They played the Odeon in 1969, but didn’t return to the North East until the early 1980s. They did play Leeds University a couple of times in the early 70s, but I was just a little too young to make the trip to Leeds to see them. They then went on a hiatus from 1974 to 1978. So I never got to see the Moody Blues until 1979 when they returned to promote their new album “Octave”. Their 1979 tour was short, only taking in three venues: Glasgow Apollo, Stafford Bingley Hall, and Wembley Arena. I had waited so long to see this band, so decided to make the trip to Glasgow Apollo for the concert.
The “Octave” album featured the classic Moodies line-up of Justin Hayward on guitar and vocals, John Lodge on bass and vocals, Ray Thomas on vocals and flute, Graeme Edge on drums, and Mike Pinder on organ and synthesiser. Mike Pinder decided that he didn’t wish to tour, and was replaced by Patrick Moraz, who had just left Yes.
On the day of the gig, I picked up Marie from work at 4pm and we drove straight up to Glasgow. I got lost somewhere in the city, as I often have to this day, and we arrived late, missing the support act. Support came from the late Jimmie Spheeris who was an American singer-songwriter and released four albums in the 1970s. We had seats upstairs, with a pretty good view of the stage. The Moodies had a big sound system, with massive speakers hanging from the roof. It was the first time I’d seen anything on this scale in a concert hall. The set was a mix of old favourites, and tracks from “Octave”. Although the sound system was huge, I remember thinking that the sound level was quite quiet for a “rock” band. “Nights in White Satin” was my favourite, along with the last song “Question”. The encore was “Ride me See-Saw” which it has been each time I saw them.
It was great to see the Moody Blues after such a long wait, and they didn’t let me down. The Moodies toured a lot since the late 70s, often calling at Newcastle, and I have seen them several times since that night. I’ll reflect on those concerts over the next few days.
From the tour programme: “The legend that never really went away while their music lived on is now back live with Patrick Moraz in the keyboard seat and their first appearances in the U.K. for six years sealed by two capacity appearances at Wembley Arena in 1979…….now at the end of 1979, it’s time for Britain to welcome the Moody Blues back to the live stage. Inevitably, there’ll be people in the audience tonight who have never been fortunate enough to see the Moody Blues playing live, but just as many, and possibly more, will be those who’ve seen the group before and enjoyed their albums since the ’60s. A cause for celebration – the return of the Magnificent Moody Blues”. The programme advertised “Out of this World” which was a compilation album of Moodies classics released on K-Tel records.
Setlist: Steppin’ in a Slide Zone; Tuesday Afternoon; Twilight Time; The Day We Meet Again; The Story in Your Eyes; I’m Your Man; Top Rank Suite; Isn’t Life Strange; Driftwood; I’ll Be Level With You; Gypsy; Survival; The Balance; I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band); Nights in White Satin; Legend of a Mind; Question. Encore: Ride My See-Saw.
6 Oct
Bob Marley and the Wailers Leeds University Refectory June 1976
Bob Marley and the Wailers Leeds University Refectory June 1976
This was the red hot summer of 1976 and Bob Marley was big news. “No Woman, No Cry” had hit the charts, and his legendary 1975 show at the Lyceum was a massive success which received rave reviews in the rock press. Leeds University was the nearest gig to the North East of England on Bob Marley’s 1976 tour, but it had been sold out for weeks in advance, and I didn’t have a ticket. Marie and I decided to drive down to Leeds on the off chance of buying a couple of tickets outside. We arrived early and joined crowds of people sitting on the grass and in the union bar, waiting for the doors to open. I wandered around asking if anyone had any spare tickets and eventually managed to buy a couple of from a guy in a nearby pub (I think it may have been the Packhorse?). I paid a little more than face value. The Union refectory was completely packed to the walls for the gig, and it was so hot and sweaty in that hall that night. I wasn’t that familiar with Bob Marley’s material at the time, but I do remember recognising “I Shot the Sheriff”, “No Woman, No Cry” and “Get Up, Stand Up”. At this time the Wailers featured Family Man, Junior Marvin, and the I-Threes with Rita Marley. I remember finding it a very different sort of concert to the rock gigs that I was used to at the time. In particular, the music was much quieter, and the reggae beats and rhythms were so relentless, and had everyone dancing. The dreadlocks, the rastafarian dress, the I-Threes in their robes; this was all so new to me. A world away from heavy rock, and punk was yet to really emerge. A strong smell of dope hung in the air. Bob Marley seemed so natural and unassuming on stage, yet there was a quiet charisma about him. You just knew that he meant every word he sang. A great gig. Possibly one of the best I have been to, and another that I wish I could live again. Setlist: Trenchtown Rock; Them Belly Full (But We Hungry); Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock); I Shot the Sheriff; Crazy Baldhead; Want More; No Woman, No Cry; Lively Up Yourself; Roots, Rock, Reggae; Positive Vibration; Rat Race; War; No More Trouble; Get Up, Stand Up.
4 Oct
Evidently… John Cooper Clarke Tyneside Cinema 3 Oct 2013
To celebrate National Poetry Day The Tyneside Cinema welcomed punk poet John Cooper Clarke for a one-off live broadcast of the documentary Evidently… John Cooper Clarke. Not only were we treated to a screening of the film, but the great poet was also there himself, and took part in a Q&A session after the film. The proceedings were beamed to a dozen or so cinemas across the UK, and the audience at each event was given the opportunity to tweet questions to John. Laura is a big fan, so along we went.
Evidently… John Cooper Clarke, is a documentary which “records and celebrates the life and works of ‘punk poet’ John Cooper Clarke, looking at his life as a poet, a comedian, a recording artist and revealing how he has remained a significant influence on contemporary culture. With a bevy of household names from stand-up comedy, lyricists, rock stars and cultural commentators paying homage to him, the film reveals Salford-born Cooper Clarke, as a dynamic force who remains as relevant today as ever, as successive generations cite him as an influence on thier lives, careers and styles.
From Bill Bailey to Plan B, Steve Coogan to Kate Nash and Arctic Monkey’s front man, Alex Turner to cultural commentators such as Miranda Sawyer and Paul Moreley, the film exposes the life behind one of Britain’s sharpest and most witty poets – a national treasure.”
Laura and I both enjoyed the film which featured all of John’s best known poems, and the Q & A session gave a fascinating insight into his life and influences. I found out quite a few things that I didn’t know about John. For instance I wasn’t aware that his poems had been placed on the national English syllabus for Schools. He even told us which brand of hairspray he uses to keep his formidable locks in place.
3 Oct
Martha and the Muffins Newcastle Mayfair April 1980
Martha and the Muffins Newcastle Mayfair April 1980
Martha and the Muffins appeared on the UK music scene in the late 70s, and reached the height of their popularity in 1980, with the success of their great fun single “Echo Beach”. The band is from Canada and a version continues to this day. They were considered new wave at the time and you could see that they were influenced by the B52s, and Blondie, among others. The Mayfair was absolutely packed to the walls for this gig, which was surprising given most people, including me, will only have known one song by the band. The band was led by two keyboard player vocalists who both called Marta (confusing or what ! :)); Martha Ladly and Martha Johnson. My memory is of a set of pleasant songs and major craziness, dancing and singing along by everyone for “Echo Beach”. I found a review of their gig at the Marquee, which was printed in Sounds at the time, and was a little luke warm: “Audience reaction throughout was remarkably appreciative considering the newness of band and material, and despite the overly polite, slightly incommunicative stance of the Muffins. You know what they say about art students. ‘Echo Beach’ came across the most confidently. “We don’t know if it really exists,” mused a Muffin, “but maybe it’s on stage tonight.”” (Betty Page, Sounds, 1 March 1980).
“Echo Beach” is one of those catchy songs that you can’t get out of your mind. Haven’t written this, that song is going to be rattling around in my head for the rest of today. “From nine till five I have to spend my time at work, The job is very boring, I’m an office clerk, The only thing that helps pass the time away, Is knowing I’ll be back at Echo Beach some day.
Echo Beach, Far away in time. Echo Beach, Far away in time” (Martha and the Muffins, 1979)
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