The Reading Festival 1972
I first went to the Reading Festival in 1972 (is it really over 41 years ago 🙂 ?), and continued to go every year until 1980. I missed 1981 as it clashed with a local “Rock on the Tyne” Festival, and have never returned, although I did think of doing so on several occasions. I’m aiming to reflect on one year each week for the next few weeks, starting today with my first Reading experience.
I’d already been to the Lincoln Festival in May 1972 so I felt, as a 15 year old, I was already a hardened festival goer. I didn’t know anyone who wanted to go to Reading, so decided to go along myself. My parents weren’t keen on my idea of hitching so I agreed to go by train. The festival took place over the weekend of August 11th to 13th, 1972 starting on Friday afternoon. For some reason I decided to get the train down to London early on the Thursday night, arriving around midnight. Having nowhere to spend the night I took a tube to Piccadilly Circus and found an all-night cinema. It was showing Elvis films all night; I paid my money and sat close to the front. The cinema was quite empty, the audience was a few couples, some Elvis fans and several people alone like me, and just looking for somewhere to spend the night. I don’t recall which films were shown, I think there were six, and I’m pretty sure one was “Kid Galahad” (which, by the way, is a good movie), and I think another may have been “Fun in Acapulco” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” (not so good). I emerged, very tired, from the cinema in the early hours of the morning, and went across London to get the train to Reading. I didn’t have a ticket for the festival, so when I arrived I joined the queue and bought a weekend ticket. In those days it was all about seeing the bands, so I stayed in the queue to get a good spot in front of the stage. All I had taken was a sleeping bag; no tent; no change of clothes (I told you that I thought myself a hardened festival goer).
The Friday line-up was: Good Habit, Nazareth, Cottonwood, Steamhammer, Jackson Heights, Genesis, Mungo Jerry, Curved Air. The music started at 4pm and there were two stages set alongside each other to make for quick changeovers. I positioned myself close to the front somewhere between the two stages so I had a good view of both. There was a press enclosure right down front, and an area where the Hells Angels would encamp, so you couldn’t get that close to the stage. I got talking to a guy next to me; he was also alone, still at school and a similar age. We stuck together throughout the weekend, keeping each others place in the crowd, and sleeping there on a night in our sleeping bags. This seems crazy now, but hey I was young and just so excited about seeing the bands. You could sleep in the main enclosure in those days; you had to leave in the early morning so that they could clear up and get ready for the next day. Some clearing happened during the night; this didn’t make for a good night sleep as there was a danger that someone stood on you (this happened to me several times). The organisers stopped letting people sleep in the main enclosure a few years later; a punter was run over by a vehicle that was driving around collecting litter….The bands I recall on Friday were: Good Habit (saw them a few times, they used to were monks habits on stage), Nazareth (this was before “Broken Down Angel”; they played a great version of “Morning Dew”); Genesis (Simply amazing. I was a big fan at the time and have written separately about their set which included The Knife, Twilight Alehouse, Watcher Of The Skies, The Musical box, and The Return Of The Giant Hogweed. Classic); Mungo Jerry (got the crowd rocking), and Curved Air (also amazing; It happened today, Backstreet Luv, Sonja Kristina).
The Saturday line-up was: Jonathan Kelly, Solid Gold Cadillac, Man, Linda Lewis, Focus, Edgar Broughton, Jericho, If, Johnny Otis Show, Electric Light Orchestra, The Faces. I watched all of the bands, and also took some time to have a look around the stalls in the arena. I didn’t see any need to venture into town (that would come in later years) and spent the entire weekend within the confines of the festival. The weather was quite warm, sunny with a little drizzle now and then but nothing major, and certainly nothing compared to the rain I experienced at the Lincoln festival earlier in the year. Highlights I can dimly recall now are: Jonathan Kelly (Ballad of Cursed Anna simply wonderful), Solid Gold Cadillac (very jazzy), Man (very long guitar solos; Spunk Rock; great!), Linda Lewis (she looked so tiny on that stage and admitted to being scared), Focus (went down well with the crowd and were one of the successes of the weekend), Edgar Broughton (amazing, I was already a fan. Edgar very unspoken as always. Out Demons Out!!), If (jazzy, great guitarist), Johnny Otis Show (just blogged on them), Electric Light Orchestra (this was a very early performance and one of their first since Roy Wood’s departure. Wasn’t sure what to expect; they were good), The Faces (Rod and the guys on great form, lots of footballs kicked into the crowd, Twisting the Night Away and I’m Losing You were big live favourites of mine at the time).
The Sunday line-up was: Sutherland Brothers, Gillian McPherson, String Driven Thing, Matching Mole, Stackridge, Vinegar Joe, Status Quo, Stray, Roy Wood’s Wizzard, Mahatma Kane Jeeves, Ten Years After, Quintessence. John Peel and Jerry Floyd were comperes for the weekend. Jerry was the regular DJ at the Marquee Club, who organised the festival at the time. I spend much of the weekend chatting about music to the guy that I met on the first day and we struck up quite a friendship. I made a few friend at festivals in those days and would see some people every year but I never ran into this guy again. Wonder where he is now. Highlights of the day were: Matching Mole (featuring Robert Wyatt), Stackridge (“Slark” was a favourite of mine at the time), Vinegar Joe (Elkie just stunning), Status Quo (this was one of the shows that helped them break back. Peel was a big champion of theirs at the time; I think he introduced them as the “Finest rock’n’roll band in the world”, or something like that. They were playing amazing boogie at the time, with Francis giving it some cheeky banter. Someones Learning was a favourite), Stray (excellent, Del in mirror suit), Roy Wood’s Wizzard (pretty good, very retro rock’n’roll. Ballpark Incident had just been released), and Ten Years After (Alvin’s guitar playing was stunning, I’d just seen “Woodstock” and was a big fan). I left as Quintessence’s took to the stage as did many others (TYA were official headliners) to catch the last train to London. The tubes had stopped so I walked across London. I’d missed the midnight train so I spent the night in Kings Cross station.
Monday morning: I was stiff, tired, and scruffy. I got the first train home and went straight to bed 🙂
Wow! that took longer than I thought it would! The scans come from the newspaper style programme which was produced by the Reading Evening Post. The poster (it looks like a cartoon of Leo Lyons from TYA to me?) is from the middle of the programme. Oh and I forgot to mention the “Wally!” chants, which seemed to go on all night.
Posts Tagged ‘concerts’
12 Jan
The Reading Festival 11th – 13th August 1972
11 Jan
The Johnny Otis Show featuring Shuggie Otis @ Reading Festival 12th August 1972
The Johnny Otis Show featuring The Three Tons of Joy and Shuggie Otis, Reading 12th August 1972
One of my most enduring memories of the 1972 Reading Festival is seeing the Johnny Otis show. The late Johnny Otis (1921 – 2012) was one of the originators of rock’n’roll, and is often referred to as the “Godfather of Rhythm and Blues”. Otis was a band leader, musician, singer, composer, radio and TV host, author and artist; he was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1994. He started forming bands after World War II, blending swing with the blues. Otis opened the first nightclub in the world devoted solely to rhythm and blues, discovered many artists including Etta James, and Jackie Wilson, wrote and recorded “Willie and the Hand Jive,” and played drums on Big Mama Thornton’s original recording of “Hound Dog”. Brian Wilson, Frank Zappa, Bob Dylan are all on record as saying that they were influenced by Otis. In the UK he hit the UK charts with “Ma He’s Making Eyes At Me” featuring singer Marie Adams and The Three Tons of Joy, which reached number 2 in 1957.
Johnny Otis is also the father of child prodigy guitarist Shuggie Otis, who joined the Otis Show at a young age. Shuggie was heavily influenced by blues-rock, funk and the music of Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and Love. In 1969, at the age of 15 he featured on Al Kooper’s Super Sessions; he then released his first solo album “Here Comes Shuggie Otis”and played bass on “Peaches en Regalia” on Zappa’s Hot Rats. In 1971 he wrote “Strawberry Letter 23” which was later covered by the Brothers Johnson.
So these guys brought some pedigree to the Reading festival stage in 1972. They appeared on the early Saturday evening coming before ELO and The Faces. The Reading festival originates from the National Jazz Festival and in the early ’70s jazz artists still featured as part of the line-up. For example I remember seeing Chris Barber and George Melly play there in 1973. So Johnny Otis fitted well into that context.
To me, a young kid at the time, The Johnny Otis Show live seemed to come from another age and another world. This was the full US show, featuring Johnny on piano, a big band, Shuggie, and the return of Marie Adams and The Three Tons of Joy. There must have been 20 people on stage at one point. The show took the form of a R&B revue with guest performances by Shuggie, who played a lengthy and amazing guitar solo on “Shuggie’s Boogie”, and Marie Adams and The Three Tons of Joy who sang “Ma He’s Making Eyes At Me” and were simply sensational; the crowd just loved them. They also played “Willie and the Hand Jive”. It was a hot sunny day and The Johnny Otis show matched the mood of the day, and fitted in well with the rest of the heavy and prog-rock line-up, which featured Ten Years After, Curved Air, Status Quo, Genesis, Stray and Edgar Broughton. Johnny Otis must have been in his early 50s at the time, which seemed like he was an “old” guy; its interesting how my concept of “old” has changed as I have become “old” myself 🙂 . Shuggie was of course a young guy; around 18 years old at the time. Shuggie continues to play to this day, and retains a cult following; he returned to the UK a year or so ago and played at Manchester’s Band on the Wall, and the Jazz Cafe in London. His influence is felt through the music of Prince and Lenny Kravitz. These guys are legends, and the Johnny Otis show stays in my mind as something pretty special, the like of which I’ll probably never see again.
PS. I added some photos of a page from the 1972 Reading programme showing Johnny Otis and the Three Tons of Joy.
10 Jan
Sinead O’Connor The Sage Gateshead 22nd July 2008
Sinead O’Connor The Sage Gateshead 22nd July 2008
Dressed simply in jeans and a shirt, Sinead O’Connor walked on to the stage of the Sage Gateshead to deliver an acoustic performance. She was joined on stage by guitarist Steve Cooney, who played on, and co-produced, the Dublin Sessions of her two disc ‘Theology’ album; and multi-instrumentalist Kieran Kiely from her touring band on keyboards, accordion, and whistles. “Theology”, which was Sinead’s 8th album, was released one year earlier. As the name suggests, Siobhan was heavily into religion at the time and the songs on the album reflect this. The concert drew heavily from “Theology” and a selection of older numbers, including of course “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which sounded good in this stripped-down form. The acoustic setting demonstrated the incredible range of Sinead’s voice; she sang with great passion and intensity. The concert was part of the 2007 SummerTyne festival. At the time the Sage had a practice of offering discounted £7 seats for certain performances. The seats were in the upper level, above the stage, almost looking down on the top of the performers heads. This gave the opportunity to catch performances by world class acts at a bargain price; I was seated in one of these seats for Sinead’s concert.
Sinead is a difficult artist to categorise, and often gains headlines for the more controversial aspects of her life rather than for her music. This concert at the Sage showed just how powerful her voice and her performance can be, and how talented Sinead is. I can’t pretend to be a big fan, and I’m not familiar with much of her music, but I really admire her voice, passion, attitude and the authentic and honest manner in which she seems to approach life and her art.
Setlist (something like this; based on setlists of the time): Something Beautiful; If You Had a Vineyard; Whomsoever Dwells; Watcher of Men; Dark I Am Yet Lovely; The Healing Room; All Babies; Black Boys on Mopeds; Big Bunch of Junkie Lies; Never Get Old; Nothing Compares 2 U; I Am Stretched on Your Grave; The Last Day of Our Acquaintance; Thank You for Hearing Me; 33; Rivers of Babylon
9 Jan
Osibisa: criss-cross rhythms live in the early to mid 1970s
Osibisa: criss-cross rhythms live in the early to mid 1970s
Osibisa is Ghanian for…’criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness’. Good choice of name. Osibisa were ahead of their time. Formed in 1971 their unique fusion of African, Caribbean, Rock, Jazz, Latin and R‘n’B paved the way for world music, disco, reggae and Bob Marley and the emergence of African music in the 80s. A night in the company of Osibisa was guaranteed to be good fun, high energy, and very different from the progressive rock I was going to see at the time, and the punk music that lay just around the corner for me. David Hughes wrote (Disc and Music Echo, 1971): “….criss-cross rhythms are exploding with happiness right across the country, and if ever you want to get high – but naturally – all you have to do is see them play, hear their music or simply be in their presence!” Osibisa are one of those bands that I saw several times, but can’t recall exactly where or when. It was in the early to mid 70s, and probably at Sunderland Locarno or Newcastle Mayfair. I definitely remember seeing them at Newcastle Poly Students Union one night. Marie and I were in the habit of going along to the Poly dances on Friday nights in the mid 70s. Most of the time we didn’t know who was performing until we arrived, which had to be before 10.30pm (no entry after that point, to dissuade the locals turning up when the pubs closed). Once or twice we got there to find Osibisa playing, which was a great surprise. In his memoirs “Broken Music” Sting refers to his band Last Exit supporting Osibisa at a Poly gig in the mid 70s. Well; I don’t recall seeing Last Exit that night (they had probably finished their set by the time we arrived) but I do recall Osibisa going down a storm. Crazy beats, happy vibes, wonderful Roger Dean graphics on their album covers and the late great founder member Sparticus R (actually he left in the early days of the band). They would explode into the hall; pounding congas, driving bass, chants; the crowd were up and with them from the start, dancing along with the African highlife rhythms. “Sunshine Day” was out at the time; which must place it around 1975. Think I also saw them at Bede College Durham (or that could have been Assagai who were another African rock band of the time) and at Reading festival when they were a special guest band, closing the 1976 festival. Osibisa are still playing today. Robin Denselow reviewed a 2010 gig at the Festival Hall London: “Osibisa have played a unique role in the history of African music. No other band achieved such extraordinary success, in terms of hit singles and albums in the UK and US, and yet no other band fell so dramatically from fashion…….But Osibisa kept going and, 40 years on, they were back in London to show that they have refused to change their approach, and are still populist mavericks” (the Guardian, 3rd March 2010). Time for me to see them again methinks.
Sting (2005), Broken Music: A Memoir, Dial Press.
Osibisa website: http://www.osibisa.co.uk/
8 Jan
Mike Oldfield Newcastle City Hall 22nd May 1980 and 11th September 1982
Mike Oldfield Newcastle City Hall 22nd May 1980 and 11th September 1982
“Tubular Bells” was a massively popular album in the mid 70s, and a big favourite of mine. It is an important and groundbreaking album which broke new ground for progressive/classical rock music, helped to establish Virgins records, and received further recognition when the opening was used in the 1973 film The Exorcist (I still have the nightmares about Regan :)), introducing the work to a broader audience. The nearest I got to seeing a live performance of Oldfield’s magnum opus was a concert at Newcastle City Hall which featured a film of Mike and friends performing “Tubular Bells”, accompanied by live performances by Gong and Hatfield and the North; a concert which I have already blogged on. Mike Oldfield was quite reclusive at the time and didn’t tour until the late 70s. 
By 1980, when his “In Concert” tour called at Newcastle City, Mike was moving to a more pop-oriented style and was including covers and songs on his albums. He had also hit the singles chart with “Portsmouth”. The tour was in promotion of the “Platinum” album, which is the fifth album by Oldfield, and was released in 1979 on Virgin Records. His earlier albums were, of course, “Tubular Bells” (1973), “Hergest Ridge” (1974), “Ommadawn” (1975) and “Incantations” (1978). The tour featured the whole of the “Platinum” album and selections from his previous releases, including “Tubular Bells”, which is what we all wanted to hear.
Setlist: Platinum Parts 1 to 4; I Got Rhythm; Punkadiddle; Incantations Parts 1 to 4; Tubular Bells Parts 1 and 2; Guilty; Ommadawn Part 1; Blue Peter; Portsmouth; Polka; Radetzky Marsch; Blaydon Races.
Musicians: Mike Oldfield (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Peter Naphtali Lemer (synths and keyboards), Mike Frye (percussion), Tim Cross (keyboards), Pete “Bimbo” Acock (saxes), Nico Ramsden (guitar), Hansford Rowe (bass), Benoit Moerleb (vibrophone), Wendy Robert (vocals), Pierre Moerlen (drums and percussion).
A couple of years later Mike was back on tour again, this time to promote the “Five Miles Out” album (1982). In the interim he had also released “QE2” (1981).
Setlist: Tubular Bells Part 1; In High Places; Etude/Recuerdos De La Alhambra; Platinum Parts 1 and 2; Conflict; Ommadawn Part 1; Incantations Part 4; Hergest Ridge Part 2; Taurus II; Five Miles Out; Mount Teidi; Orabidoo.
Mike’s band was more compact this time: Mike Oldfield (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Tim Cross (keyboards), Tim Renwick (guitars and bass), Pierre Moerlen (drums and percussion), Maggie Reilly (vocals), Devra Robitaille (keyboards, guitar and vocals).
This was before the release of the great “Moonlight Shadow” which is a classic track. Both concerts were excellent, featuring perfect renditions of Oldfield’s intricate music, much credit for which must go to his backing musicians.
7 Jan
Orange Juice The Soul Kitchen The Bier Kellar Newcastle 22nd Feb 1982
Orange Juice The Soul Kitchen The Bier Kellar Newcastle 22nd Feb 1982
The Soul Kitchen promoted many gigs in the early 80s featuring, among others, Scottish bands from the Postcard label, and upcoming local ats such as Prefab Sprout and Hurrah! Soul Kitchen was a moving night club, with took up residence at various venues around Newcastle. It also spawned Kitchenware records which currently has Editors, Prefab Sprout and others on its rosta. This gig was by Orange Juice, and was held at the Bier Keller, which was, as the name suggests, a German style beer house in the 70s (and the scene of lots of drunken nights). It later became Dingwalls and then Rockshots. Orange Juice came from the Postcard stable, and were on the brink of chart success at the time of this gig. This gig was before they released their second album “Rip It Up”, and the single of the same name, which was a hit in the following year. I’m sure I remember also seeing them at the time of “Rip It Up”; I think I went to see them again in the same venue the following year, by which time the Bier Keller was Dingwalls. What I do recall is a great jangly pop band who moved closer to disco/funk and added deeper bass and synth; particularly on “Rip It Up”. Line-up: Edwyn Collins – guitar, vocals; Malcolm Ross – guitar; keyboards; David McClymont – bass guitar; Zeke Manyika – drums.
4 Jan
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett in concert in the late ’70s and early ’80s
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett in concert in the late ’70s and early ’80s
One of the many good things about the emergence of punk and new wave in the late 70s was that it allowed a series of fresh and, in some cases maverick, artists to break through and kick start their career. Many of the bands and singers who were bracketed in with the scene were not truly punk, but they shared a sense of enthusiasm, passion, energy and craziness with the movement. John Otway, accompanied by his partner in madness, Wild Willy Barrett, was one such act. Otway is one of the most authentic performers I have ever seen. He can’t sing well in any traditional sense of the word, and his stage act was at times, bizarre to say the least. But there was always an honesty about his performance; with Otway what you saw was what you got, and he would always put 110% into a gig. It was a manic performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 which propelled John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett to success. 
The single “Really Free” was popular at the time, and I saw him on several occasions including a gig at Maxwells club in Tynemouth (15th March 1978), Reading Festival (August 1978), The Cooperage Newcastle (16th July 1980) and Sunderland Poly Wearmouth Hall (17th January 1981). I think I may also have seen them asa support act at the City Hall (perhaps for Madness in late 1980?), but can’t be sure. The gig that sticks in my mind most of all is the performance at Maxwells (note miss-spelling of “Barrett” on the ticket). Maxwells was (it doesn’t exist anymore) a club along the coast in Tynemouth and hosted a few gigs at the time, the most notable being this one, and an appearance by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Otway was on top form that night; simply buzzing, manic and crazy. The place was packed; punk was really starting to take off in the North East, and there was lots of beer being thrown about, and some spitting at the stage. John took it all in his stride; winding us all up between songs and at one point he ran around the venue, chasing a guy who had been spitting at him. 
My favourite songs at the time were “Really Free” (of course) and his truly unique and amazing version of Bob Lind’s “Cheryl’s Coming Home”. I must also mention John’s companion, Willy Barrett. He would stand quietly alongside Otway, playing a beat up guitar that looked home-made, a silent foil to John’s madness. The other gig that I’ll mention is the Cooperage concert, which I remember for another reason. By 1980 Otway was looking for another hit record, and devised a cunning plan. At the time only certain selected shops counted towards the charts and although their identity was meant to be kept secret, the record companies worked out where the shops were. Otway decided to do a tour of towns where the shops were, and announced that you were only allowed to come and see the gig (for free) if you bought a copy of the single. It certainly worked; I remember loads of us queuing outside the Cooperage, each of us holding our copy of “DK 50/80”; I still have mine somewhere. 
From the programme: “You may have asked yourself on the way to the gig, if you are in your right mind traipsing down the road clutching a single. That I cannot answer, but what you are doing is taking part in something that is unique and will probably be part of rock history.” Indeed; and well said Otters. Also from the programme: “To cut the costs of touring the Otway/Barrett party will be staying in tents on local camp sits, hiring biy scouts for road crew etc.”
The record managed to reach the lower region of the single charts.
John Otway continues to perform up and down the country and retains a sizable cult following. He has tried a series of stunts over the years; which has seen him hit the charts again with “Bunsen Burner” (he wanted a new hit for his 50th birthday in 2002), play and fill the Albert Hall, and most recently premier “Otway the Movie” at a full red carpet event at the Odeon Leicester Square. The guy’s ingenuity knows no end.
2 Jan
The Only Ones Redcar Coatham Bowl 15th October 1978
The Only Ones Redcar Coatham Bowl 15th October 1978
I’ve just played “Another Girl, Another Planet” to remind myself how great The Only Ones were. The Only Ones were led by singer and guitarist Peter Perrett along with guitarist John Perry, drummer Mike Kellie (ex-Spooky Tooth) and bassist Alan Mair. I saw the band twice, at this great gig at Redcar Coatham Bowl and at Newcastle City Hall, as support for Television. The Only Ones were a strange and unique mix of punk and psych, with Perrett looking (a little) and sounding (a lot) like Syd Barrett. Their best known song “Another Girl, Another Planet” even has the line “I look ill, but I don’t care about it” which just about summed it up. Peter Perrett went on to develop a well-publicised drug habit, and disappeared from the public eye for many years. In recent years The Only Ones have reformed, and have been playing concerts again.
1 Jan
Gilbert O’Sullivan Newcastle City Hall 16th February 1978
Gilbert O’Sullivan Newcastle City Hall 16th February 1978
Moving on to the letter “O”; I guess this concert could be categorised as a guilty pleasure. I’ve seen Gilbert O’Sullivan only once in concert, at Newcastle City Hall in early 1978. By then he had hit the charts several times with songs such as “Nothing Rhymed”, “Alone Again (Naturally)”, (both beautiful, classic pop tunes), “Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day” :), “Clair”, and “Get Down”. The concert featured all of those hits and more, and was an enjoyable evening seeing a true craftsman sing some fine songs. Pop/rock band Wilder were his backing band. Wilder consisted of Bill Cuthbert on guitars, Richard Houghton on bass, Neil Carter on guitar and keyboards (Carter went on to work with UFO and Gary Moore), and Stuart Heeley on drums. Before joining O’Sullivan Wilder had been touring themselves, playing clubs and universities, and supporting various major acts (I’m sure I saw them supporting someone, but can’t remember who). The tour also featured two backing singers who were sisters: Doreen and Irene Chanter 🙂 . During the tour Gilbert also recorded a BBC television special for “Sight & Sound”. I found a flyer in my programme for a band called “Ofanchi” who I suspect were the support act. The programme starts with an alarming honest note, very different from the sort of publicity material that I usually find: “Gilbert O’Sullivan knows that he has to pick himself up off the floor and come out fighting. Every record he has put out these last 18 months has flopped and suddenly the one-time hit-maker is on the defensive.” He had just released an album “Southpaw” in the hope of regaining his (previously mega) success; the programme goes on to say: “Failure could doom him to showbusiness’s vast outer space.” 
The programme was right in terms of hits; Gilbert featured in the UK top 20 once more when “What’s In A Kiss?” reached No. 19 in 1980. However, he has continued to record and recently started to tour again, and remains popular and successful. He had a well publicised dispute with his manager and record company over royalties. Eventually, in May 1982, the court found in O’Sullivan’s favour, describing him as a “patently honest and decent man”, and awarded him £7 million in damages. The programme shows Gilbert to be a private, shy man who: “does not drink alcohol or smoke…never swears..he walks to church on a Sunday because he has never learned to drive the three cars he owns.” In recent years O’Sullivan has been enjoyed a resurgence in success, and people are starting to reevaluate his songs, and realise how great a writer he is. Morrissey has sung “Nothing Rhymed” in concert, and on a recent visit to Dublin, Gilbert played to sell out crowds for almost a week at the Olympia Theatre. Another artist for me catch again next time he visits (which he has done a couple of times recently). Oh, and tickets for that concert in 1978 cost all of £1 (!). We were sitting at the back in the cheap seats, but nonetheless I am sure prices of concert tickets have risen to silly prices these days, way out of line with inflation. I’m going to do an analysis one day.
31 Dec
Gary Numan Newcastle City Hall 1983, Warriors Tour, and 1984, Berserker tour.
Gary Numan Newcastle City Hall 27th September 1983, Warriors Tour, and
4th December 1984, Berserker tour.
Gary Numan’s retirement from live performance didn’t last and in 1983 he was back on tour, playing again at the City Hall to promote the Warriors album. This saw a departure from his previous style, with the involvement of several other notable musicians, including Bill Nelson, and other influences, including jazz. The album was not as successful as his previous releases, and is recognised as the beginning of a decline, including by Numan himself: “I thought that by getting in some of the best players and singers around I could make the albums more ‘musical,’…..What I actually did was progressively bury the very style that my fans had enjoyed….. I swamped my own performances in huge layers of backing vocals. ….with Warriors I was lighting the fires of what came close to being my funeral…”. The show was still good, and included all ofmthe usual favourites (and a long set), but I must admit that I was beginning to lose faith a little. Support came from Tik and Tok.
Setlist 1983: Sister Surprise; Warriors; Remind Me to Smile; Metal; This Prison Moon; Down in the Park; Films; She’s Got Claws; Love Needs No Disguise; I Die: You Die; Love Is Like Clock Law; The Iceman Comes; The Rhythm of the Evening; This Is My House; I Am Render; War Songs; My Centurion; The Tick Tock Man; We Take Mystery (To Bed);Cars; Are ‘Friends’ Electric?; Tracks; We Are Glass
I saw Gary Numan once more, when he returned to the City Hall in 1984 to promote the Berserker album. The Berserker Tour featured a “high-tech Roman temple” stage set to complement Numan’s white leather jacket/white make-up/blue-hair look. A double-album, White Noise, was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon show in December 1984. Support was from Hohokam, who were on Numan’s own label.
Setlist 1984:Berserker; Metal; Me! I Disconnect From You; Remind Me to Smile; Sister Surprise; Music for Chameleons; The Iceman Comes; Cold Warning; Down in the Park; This Prison Moon; I Die: You Die; My Dying Machine; Cars; We Take Mystery (To Bed); We Are Glass; This Is New Love; My Shadow in Vain; Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
Vintagerock's Weblog. 