All About Eve Newcastle City Hall 1988
Its taking me longer than I thought to work through my concert recollections. So far this year I’ve been blogging every day, jumping around concerts a little, but also working through the letter A, which I am almost (but not quite) through. I’ve left some bands that I’ve only seen once or twice to last…All About Eve makes me think of Martha’s Harbour and that fateful performance on Top of the Pops when the tape played away while the band sat motionless. That song, which was their biggest hit was in the charts when I saw them at the City Hall in 1988. I’d seen them a year or so before supporting The Mission at the same venue. I remember them as more melodic folk rock than being part of the goth genre, which is how they are often classified. Martha’s Harbour remains a classic beautiful song. I’m going to see UFO in Newcastle tonight, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Posts Tagged ‘concerts’
17 Mar
All About Eve Newcastle City Hall 1988
16 Mar
Soft Cell Kirklevington 1982 Marc Almond Newcastle Mayfair 1985
Soft Cell Kirklevington Country Club 1982 and Marc Almond Newcastle Mayfair 1985
The Kirk was a legendary venue on North Yorkshire which played host to Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, Joe Cocker and many other bands in the late 60s. By the early 80s it was a very trendy night club. I went a couple of times, once to see Soft Cell and another to see Geno Washington. 
The Soft Cell gig was great, coming not long after their number one hit with Tainted Love. The gig was sold out, but I went down with a couple of mates, and managed to blag our way in, can’t quite remember how. The place was ram packed and Soft Cell were great. They had just released Say Hello Wave Goodbye. Their set was short, but spot on, great atmosphere, and Marc Almond was every bit a star. I remember manager Stevo standing in the crowd, watching his proteges from the dancefloor. A very special night. The next time I saw Marc was at Newcastle Mayfair. By now he had gone solo, was dressed heavily in leather and very much the melodramatic torch singer. Impressive stuff.
15 Mar
UFO live Redcar Coatham Bowl 1984 and Newcastle Academy 2006
UFO live Redcar Coatham Bowl 1984 and Newcastle Academy 2006
UFO reformed in 1984 after a short break. The new band consisted of Phil Mogg on vocals, Paul Gray (ex Hot Rods and Damned) on bass, and the wonderfully named Atomic Tommy M on guitar. Davey and I went to see them at their Redcar Coatham Bowl gig in December 1984. I remember being intrigued by Atomic Tommy who was a manic Japanese guitarist. Actually they were pretty good, played the usual favourites and we all went home smiling. 
Then followed a long gap before I saw the band again. I’d all but forgotten how great UFO were, apart from times when now and then I would put Phenomenon on the turntable and play Doctor Doctor; which would remind me of a misspent youth and happy nights of a long long time ago.
So……roll on over 20 years and I’m back in Newcastle, this time the Mayfair has closed and the equivalent (if there ever could be one) is the Academy, and I’m seeing UFO again. And it was great. The power, the rock n roll, the melodies were all there. Doctor Doctor, Lights Out, Only You Can Rock Me, Love to Love. You can’t get much better for a night out. Roll on Saturday. UFO here I come. Is it really 6 years since last time? The years are catching up with me…Doctor Doctor please….
14 Mar
UFO Newcastle City Hall 1980s
UFO were touring constantly throughout the early 1980s, coming to Newcastle City Hall once or twice a year. The band released a number of albums throughout the period, several of which scored in the UK charts. However, the band had already recorded their best tracks in the 70s, including Doctor Doctor, Lights Out, Love to Love, Only You Can Rock Me, and Rock Bottom. 
The live double album Strangers in the Night captured UFO at their live best, and is often rated as one of the best live albums of all time. The shows at the City Hall were always great nights. Phil Mogg is a great show man; 
I can picture him now singing “Lights Out in Newcastle” and “Misty green and blue, love to love to love you”; the entire City Hall singing along with him. The UFO line up changed quite a lot during this period, with a couple of key members leaving the fold. First keyboard player Paul Raymond left, to be replaced by Neil Carter. Then original bass player Pete Way left to form Fastway with Motorhead’s Fast Eddie and then Waysted. At the time, I remember thinking that Pete Way’s departure marked the beginning of the end. 
Pete was so central to the band’s sound and their stage show, prowling around the stage with his bass slung low around his knees; it just wasn’t the same without him there. But continue they did recruiting Paul Gray from the Hot Rods and the Damned to take the bass slot. 
I also saw UFO headline the Reading Festival in 1980, topping the bill over Iron Maiden. 1980 was very much a New Wave of British Heavy Metal year for Reading, and UFO pulled their weight alongside the newer heavy metal bands, playing a great set on the Saturday night. My tickets and programmes tell me that I saw UFO at least a dozen times in the 70s and 80s, and I honestly can’t recall any of those gigs being anything but great. They always delivered. 
By 1983, UFO had decided to disband and the 1983 tour became a farewell event. So came the end of a great run of concerts by a great band. I went along to that last City Hall gig thinking I would never again see UFO play Doctor Doctor. 
However I should have known that the band wouldn’t stay away for too long, and a year or so later Phil Mogg would be back with yet another UFO line up. I’ll report on that line up in another post. I’m quite getting into UFO again, and I’m looking forward to seeing them later this week. I must look out my copy of Strangers In The Night!
13 Mar
Altered Images Newcastle 1981 and 1982
Bit of a guilty pleasure this. Altered Images emerged as proteges of Siouxsie and the Banshees, having supported them on tour in 1980. Think I saw that tour at Newcastle. Steve Severin from the Banshees produced their first album. By the time Marie and I saw them at Newcastle Tiffanys Happy Birthday was a massive hit, and Altered Images had transcended punkdown to become real life Top of the Pops style pop stars. The place was absolutely jam packed to the walls, the balcony was shaking, the song was in the charts that week (it reached No 2). 
They back in the North East a few months later, this time headlining and selling out the Mayfair. I could be Happy was in the charts, and a packed ballroom sang along with Clare Grogan and band. Their fame didn’t last that long, and they disbanded the following year. 
I think I have a programme upstairs somewhere, pretty sure it is a massive thing, and thus I’ve filed it away somewhere…will try to search it out, scan it in and put it up here in a few days. Note, from a few days later. I found the programme and have added to the post to the right.
12 Mar
UFO in the 1970s
UFO are a much under rated rock band. I spent many nights in the 70s and 80s at UFO gigs. They are appearing at Newcastle Academy next Saturday, and I intend to go along and see them, so I thought I would reminisce on UFO gigs past this week.
I first saw UFO in 1972 at Newcastle City Hall at a free gig which local promoter Geof Docherty put on, as a thank you to fans. Support came from local band Beckett, featuring Terry Slesser, and Melody Maker poll winner Lloyd Watson. At that point in 1972 I think Pink Fairies’ Larry Wallis was playing guitar with UFO. I remember the show being pretty wild with some long guitar solos, and Phil Mogg or Larry Wallis (can’t remember which) climbing up the speaker stack and onto the balcony of the venue. The music at this time would have been drawn from the first couple of lps, and was quite spacey, psychedelic stuff. The next few times I saw UFO was at Sunderland Locarno, Newcastle Mayfair, and at the 1974 reading Festival. 
By then Michael Schenker had joined the band and they had released the classic album Phenomenon, followed by Force It and Lights Out, featuring such great songs as: Only You Can Rock Me, Doctor Doctor, Love to Love, Lights Out, Rock Bottom, and Shoot Shoot. There was nothing better than a Friday night in a packed ballroom watching Schenker, Mogg and Way play Doctor, Doctor. Great guitar intro, and first class melodic heavy rock. By 1979 UFO had graduated to playing Newcastle City Hall, and Michael Schenker had left the band to be replaced by Paul Chapman. I’ll report next on some of those City Hall gigs which took me into the 80s.
11 Mar
Adam and the Ants 1979 – 1985
Adam and the Ants 1979 – 1985
It was interesting to observe the transformation of Adam Ant from punk rocker to pop star as the 70s turned into the 80s. The first time Marie and I saw Adam and the Ants was at the great, sadly missed Middlesbrough Rock Garden, around 1979. This was around the time of thw Dirck Wears White Sox lp. The place was quite full, but not packed as I recall. The Ants played the Rock Garden a few times around that time, and were a favourite there. 
I remember him singing “Lady” which was the B side of the Young Parisians single. I can picture him now singing: “I saw a lady and she was naked; I saw a lady she had no clothes on”. Happy memories. Have a vague memory of Jordan being in the crowd watching him that night. 
The next time I saw Adam and the Ants was with my mate Davey at Durham University Students Union in 1980. This was around the time of Kings of the Wild Frontier; Dog Eat Dog had just been in the charts, and Adam was leading a new version of the Ants, Marco Pirroni having joined on guitar. The place was ram packed and we all sang along to Kings, Antmusic, and others. Great Burundi beats. They were awesome that night and it was clear that we were seeing a band who had arrived and were on their way upward. 
The next time we saw Adam and the Ants was at the Gosforth Royalty, which has now been replaced by a supermarket. By now our daughter was heavily into the band and a few of us went along. Again it was a great night, I recall Kevin Mooney being in a strange mood, smashing his bass into the stack. He left the band shortly afterwards. From there on Adam Ant became a massive star, playing at Newcastle City Hall. We caught the next couple of tours including the Prince Charming Revue. These gigs were OK, but lacked the excitement and energy of early shows. The last time I saw Adam Ant was at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in 1985, where he put on a pretty average show. Adam is playing again at the moment and getting rave reviews. I must take the time to see him again.
Update on 23 December 2021. Many thanks to Jimmy Burns (a.k.a. Punk Hoarder) for the great image of the poster for the Gosforth Royalty concert. My sister-in-law recognised it straightaway as we took her to that very concert when she was a teenager. We both have many happy memories of the old, slightly dilapidated, grandeur of that lovely venue, now long gone. I still haven’t fulfilled my promise to myself to see Adam Ant again. He is playing Newcastle City Hall next year but I can’t make it. Next time I really have to make the effort to do so. I did have tickets to see him at the Sage some years ago but I was in hospital at the time and my son and daughter went along and really enjoyed it. Those early shows, particularly in the Rock Garden, were for me when he was at his best. Happy days.
10 Mar
Mick Taylor Buck Hotel Reeth 9 March 2012
Mick Taylor Buck Hotel Reeth 9 March 2012
Reeth is a lovely village situated deep in the Yorkshire dales. It took Marie and I just over an hour to drive there, down the A1M to Scotch Corner and across through Richmond. The Buck Hotel stands tall at one end of the village green. Last night there was a Sold Out sign at the door, and the small room to the side was packed with rock fans of the older variety, who had all come to see a legend play some blues. The venue is a lovely old village inn, and the concert room holds around 100 people; this was like seeing Mick Taylor play to you in a friends house. Mick and band took to the stage just before 9pm, and started with Secret Affair. It was obvious from the word go that Mick has put together one hell of a tight band, with the great Zoot Money on keyboards, Ronnie Johnson on second guitar, Michael Bailey on bass, and Jeff Allen drums. The pace was set for the evening, with some rocking, shuffling blues and Mick singing and taking the lead with lots of use of slide. Mick’s playing was at times exceptional, very reminiscent of Peter Green at his best, very fluid with great use of tone; and yet sometimes he didn’t quite make it. His vocals were pretty strong, much better than I expected. It was great to see him, and his playing was much better than I expected, and he was generally on better form than previous times I’ve seen him. Mick looked well last night, and seemed in good spirits. But this was a band show as much as Mick’s. Second guitarist Ronnie Johnson took a couple of solos and gave Mick a run for his money. Ronnie seemed familiar to me; I see he has played with Manfred Mann and Van Morrison among others, so I guess I must have seen him somewhere before. Zoot Money took the vocals for a few songs, notably It never rains but it pours, which he wrote for Jimmy Witherspoon, and Will the Circle be Unbroken, which he dedicated to those no longer with us, including the names of sadly departed friends: Tony Ashton, Robert Palmer and others. Zoot’s singing was pretty incredible and he almost stole the show with his jazzy R&B. There was a short break half way through the set, during which everyone took advantage of the fine real ales on offer. Dylan’s Blind Willie McTell moved into All Along The Watchtower, with a Hendrix style solo. The band finished with an excellent version of the Stones’ song No Expectations, which was a fitting end to a great gig. The drive around the winding Yorkshire roads was fine and we were back home by 12.30. Set included: Secret Affair; Twisted Sister; Fed Up With The Blues; It never rains but it pours (Zoot vocal); Tore Down; Will the Circle be Unrboken (Zoot vocal); Blind Willie McTell / All Along The Watchtower; No Expectations. I’ve listed the songs I recognised and have definitely missed quite a few.
9 Mar
Aha Newcastle City Hall 1986
Aha Newcastle City Hall 1986
Aha were big news in 1986. They’d had big hits with Take on Me and Hunting High and Low, and the video for Take on Me was very distinctive, using a mix of pencil drawings, animation and live action. Ashleigh was very into them, and we went along to their show at the City Hall. This was their first tour and the gig sold out very quickly. I remember the show as being very slick, great vocals, good light show and wonderful pop. I’ve never felt the need to see Aha again, but pleased that I did. Ashleigh really enjoyed seeing them and still talks about it to this day. 
I had a conversation with a taxi driver in Dublin a few years ago, after a gig at the Point (think it was Status Quo). He’d seen Aha at the same venue a few days earlier and said they were absolutely first class. Setlist for 1986 tour: Train Of Thought; Love Is Reason; Living A Boy’s Adventure Tale; Cry Wolf; The Blue Sky; The Sun Always Shines on T.V.; Driftwood; Here I Stand And Face The Rain; We’re Looking for the Whales; And You Tell Me; Hunting High and Low; I’ve Been Losing You; Scoundrel Days; Take On Me
8 Mar
The Alarm live in Newcastle 1983 to 1988
On a good night in the 80s The Alarm were untouchable. Full of righteous passion, great stirring singalongs and celtic rock. Occupying a territory somewhere between The Clash, U2 and Dylan, this band could really cut the mustard. My first Alarm experience was at Newcastle Tiffanys club. I may have seen them before that as a support act, but can’t be sure. This gig was just as 68 Guns had been released. 
I can picture my mate Davey and me, on the balcony in Tiffanys looking down on the stage with the whole place singing along and the whole balcony shaking. Happy days. The next couple of times I saw The Alarm they were at the City Hall. I remember those gigs as being good, but its that night at Tiffanys that sticks in my mind. 
They had quite a few hits, but none of them matched the power of 68 Guns, and the passion that Mike Peters sang it with. Mike Peters has not been well, but has kept playing, and The Alarm play on to this day. The last time I saw Mike Peters was in the bar at a Springsteen gig at the O2 in London. The guy has good taste.
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