I never expected to be at a Corrs concert in 2024, but when I saw, they were heading to Newcastle Arena, it felt like a chance to revisit a piece of the 1990s soundtrack that once filled my house. Back when Talk on Corners was first released, my daughter Laura had the album, and I became familiar with many of their songs just through hearing them played endlessly at home.
Though I never actively followed their music, it’s funny how some songs embed themselves in your memory, tied to a specific time and place. Going in, I had certain expectations—the smooth, radio-friendly blend of Irish folk and pop that had made them famous. What I didn’t expect was the slightly darker edge that some of the material had when played live.
At times, it was very dramatic, with theatrical lighting, layered harmonies, and the weight of their folk influences coming through more strongly than I remembered. From the moment they opened with “Only When I Sleep”, there was a moody intensity that took me by surprise.
Andrea Corr’s voice remains as striking as ever—clear, emotive, and rich with an timeless quality that set the tone for the night. With this being the Talk on Corners Tour, it was no surprise that many tracks from that album made their way into the setlist. “Give Me a Reason” and “What Can I Do” were early crowd favourites, sounding every bit as polished and heartfelt as they did in the late ‘90s. There was also a deep respect for traditional Irish music, something I hadn’t appreciated as much when they first emerged.
Their rendition of “Lough Erin Shore” was stunning, and later in the set, we were treated to an exquisite version of “Spancil Hill,” its haunting melody filling the arena with an almost spiritual atmosphere. “Joy of Life” and “Ellis Island” brought a lively folk energy, showcasing the band’s incredible musicality—Sharon’s violin and Caroline’s percussion work being particularly impressive. A couple of covers were highlights for me. Their take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” was unexpected, drenched in atmosphere and melancholy.
“Old Town,” a cover of the Phil Lynott classic, was another standout, and it was clear the audience loved every second of it. Then, of course, came the biggest hits. “Dreams” (their Fleetwood Mac cover) had the whole arena singing along, while “So Young” and “I Never Loved You Anyway” lifted the energy further still.
The encore was perfectly chosen. “My Lagan Love” showcased their deep connection to Irish folk music before they launched into “Breathless”, perhaps their most famous pop anthem, and one that had everyone singing along. Finally, “Toss the Feathers” brought the night to a thunderous close, a full-throttle instrumental piece that reminded everyone just how talented they are as musicians.
For a band I’d never seen before, and hadn’t really followed closely, The Corrs delivered a fantastic show, far more musically rich, dramatic, and powerful than I’d expected. The folk influences, the haunting harmonies, and the more atmospheric side of their sound really stood out in a live setting. Looking around at the audience, it was clear that for many this was a nostalgic night, but for me, it was a genuine discovery, a reminder that even bands you think you know can surprise you in the best possible way. Bought myself a programme.
Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Laura and Chris for helping me construct the blog entry.
Setlist: Only When I Sleep; Give Me a Reason; Lough Erin Shore; Forgiven, Not Forgotten; Summer Sunshine; What Can I Do; White Light; Closer; Don’t Say You Love Me; Little Wing; Joy of Life; Ellis Island; Spancil Hill; Old Town; Radio; Queen of Hollywood; Dreams; So Young; I Never Loved You Anyway; Runaway. Encore: My Lagan Love; Breathless; Toss the Feathers.
Not for the first time I had a dilemma. 
Sometimes this has worked, such as when I went to see Rush at the City Hall, came out early and went down to the Mayfair just as the Clash came onstage. On another occasion I saw Culture Club at the City Hall at the time of Karma Chameleon, went down to the Mayfair and saw Marillion on an early tour. However, with a bit searching of the Internet I discovered that Richard Thompson was playing in York a couple of days before his Gateshead Glasshouse appearance. So, I decided to see Richard in York on Tuesday and Robin on Thursday in Gateshead. Problem solved!
So, a trip to York it was, along with carers Jackie and Elaine. Our friendly taxi driver took us to Durham station and shortly afterwards, we arrived by train at York. An equally friendly taxi driver then transported us all to the Barbican Theatre. He promised to pick us up at the end of the show. So far, all was well.
Now, I first encountered Richard Thompson when I saw him perform as part of a duo with his then wife Linda, supporting Traffic at Newcastle City Hall in the early 1970s. I then lost touch with Richard and his music until relatively recently. In the last few years, I have seen him perform at Newcastle Tyne Theatre in the aforementioned Glasshouse. I soon realised what I had been missing. The man is an incredible musician, singer, guitarist, and storyteller. He can switch from intricate fingerpicking on an acoustic guitar to beautiful electric guitar. He has a large back catalogue of songs starting with his time as a member of Fairport Convention in the late 1960s through his work with Linda and then his solo career.
The publicity for his 2024 tour read: “Ivor Novello Award-winning and GRAMMY® Award-nominated legend Richard Thompson returns to York with a full band. ‘The finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix’ – Los Angeles Times” Influential. Pioneering. A British folk-rock cornerstone. He’s famed for turning emotions into the lightning-speed fretwork, poetic songwriting and impassioned picking that have filled nineteen solo albums to-date. Thompson has had an illustrious career and it’s still going strong. He holds a coveted spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” He’s even picked up Lifetime Achievement Awards from the BBC and Americana Music Association in Nashville and was awarded an OBE in 2011.”
We arrived at the Barbican with plenty of time for a drink and to catch the support act, solo singer/guitarist 
Richard Thompson was accompanied by full electric band this tour; I am more used to seeing him play solo. This was a pleasant change, the full band added a harder, more electric sound to Richard’s own excellent vocals and guitar playing. The band comprised Richard’s wife on vocals and tambourine, his son (I think) on guitar and long-time Fairport member Dave Mattocks on drums. The set included an acoustic part in the middle.
We managed to catch the entire set (we have often needed to leave early on previous trips to York) which was great. As we left the venue, we rang our (new) friendly York taxi driver and he arrived a few minutes later to take the three of us back to the station in plenty of time to catch our train. No worrying rush on this occasion! Phew. After the usual short ride back to Durham our local friendly taxi driver transported us back home and I was soon comfortable in my bed again.
Setlist was something like this: Freeze; Hard on Me; Withered and Died; The Old Pack Mule; Turning of the Tide; John the Gun; Al Bowlly’s in Heaven; The Day That I Give In; A Man in Need; Take Care the Road You Choose; Singapore Sadie; What’s Left To Lose; Guns Are The Tongues; Tear Stained Letter
And so, the 
Jethro Tull and I have a long history together and a long-standing friendship. I recall my school days when I was in my early teens. The sixth formers would carry LPs under their arms to school. They played them in a little room upstairs in the dining hall at lunchtime. Sometimes, if I was lucky, they allowed me upstairs to their elite “Record Club” to listen to their new, magical, psychedelic sounds. The records they carried were badges of honour and included Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown album, Cream’s Wheels of Fire, Tyrannosaurus Rex’s My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair, But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, and Jethro Tull’s This Was. This Was included a mix of blues, rock and strange flute playing. A year or two later, I remember sitting in my mate’s house and playing Jethro Tull’s second album Stand Up, with its great sleeve which opened out to a set of pop-ups of the band. How cool we felt. Then, in 1971, we all went to see Jethro Tull at Sunderland Empire. Happy days and magical memories. The die was cast. We were all Jethro Tull fans for life.
Roll-on 50+ years. The Seven Decades Tour. Wonderful. What is not to like. Why not go along and reminisce with old friends, listen to some old sounds, because let us face it, we all like “Living in the Past”. And plenty of old friends were there. It was great to meet up and say hello to fellow Tull aficionados.
With Ian Anderson as ever central to the performance, this tour will encapsulate the seven decades in which Jethro Tull have written and performed music. Through their 23 studio albums, they have continued to push the boundaries of their music. With Ian’s unique and iconic flute playing paired with his distinct vocal, they are one of the most important and distinctive bands the UK have ever produced and Ian’s desire to continually innovate has ensured they remain as relevant around the world today as they did in the seventies.
And so, to the performance. Sure, Ian’s voice is not what it was, and the old coat is gone, but the flute playing remains great and the songs are as soulful, passionate, poignant, and intriguing as they ever were. We start at the very beginning (a very good place to start) with “My Sunday Feeling”; Track 1 Side 1 of This Was. This is followed by a selection of songs from throughout the band’s seven decade spanning career. Pure magic. The years disappear and the old songs flow over us all. These include other classics from the first couple of albums. My favourites are “We Used to Know” and the magical flute solo which is “Bouree”.
We were informed at the very start of the performance by Ian himself that we were not allowed any photography until the encore. Hence lots of pictures of trains on the track as the encore was, of course, as always “Locomotive Breath”. It was a shame that we could not take pictures throughout as the images shown on the backdrop were pretty fantastic.
After a short interval Ian and the band return and play a strange mix of old and new. Intriguing, enjoyable yet missing some vintage tracks which are usually performed. No “Living in the Past”. No “The Witches Promise”. Nonetheless an enjoyable selection of songs from some lesser-well known albums. The band continues to surprise the audience.
Set 2 closes with a tale of that seedy tramp “Aqualung”. The encore is, as usual these days, “Locomotive Breath”. And then it is over. I quickly chat with old friends again and then go our separate ways. Our collective verdict is a great show, but a strange collection of songs and missing some classics. I am off home in my taxi. Ian Anderson did the Tull legacy proud and gave us all another night to remember. Happy days. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
Another chance to see a band that is now becoming one of my regular concert experiences. I have seen 
The Fire Station website announced the concert thus: “Fairport Convention have been entertaining music lovers for over half a century, having formed in 1967. During that time, the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes, but one thing has remained the same – Fairport’s passion for performance. This year’s Winter Tour will present a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and some surprises from albums old and new. Fairport Convention have won a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and Radio 2 listeners voted their ground-breaking album Liege & Lief ‘The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’. Their story has been celebrated with television documentaries on BBC Four and Sky Arts. Featuring founding member Simon Nicol on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg on bass guitar, Ric Sanders on violin, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin and vocals. Fairport will be joined on stage by former member Dave Mattacks on drums.”
Support came from the brilliant 
As we entered the venue I was pleased to meet up with several old friends who I have not seen for some time: three friends all called Ian who had come along together; Mike and Maureen; and Doug all said hello and we had a nice chat about old times. Jackie, Jan and I then headed for the merchandise stand where we were greeted by Dave Pegg who kindly signed programmes for me. Dave is, of course, the longest serving member of Fairport Convention having joined the band in 1970.
After buying drinks (mine was a Guinness) we entered the hall to watch aforementioned support act PlumHall who come with much critical acclaim and were introduced by Fairport violinist Ric Sanders. The plaudits include: 
As is usual for a Fairport concert, the support duo performed for around 30 minutes and then were joined by the main act who performed a song with PlumHall, who then left the stage and Fairport opened their first set with the familiar old to “Walk Awhile”. Next up was a song which I have not seen the band perform for some time, the excellent “Genesis Hall”. The first set concluded with another familiar favourite, “Sloth”.
During the interval I decided to partake in my current favourite tipple; a double espresso with a Jack Daniels shot. A lovely hit which kicked me into the second half of the show. As usual, the band told many comical stories to introduce their familiar, and some not so familiar, folkrock classics, closing with the traditional folk tale of the young “Matty Groves”. But we knew this would not be the end. Fairport returned, accompanied by PlumHall to perform the timeless singalong “Meet on the Ledge”. The female vocals provided by Michelle added to the authenticity of the song. Still magical after all these years.
Another great performance by the true purveyors of folkrock. Thanks to Jackie for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site.
Set Two: Don’t Reveal My Name; The Happy Man; Crazy Man Michael; The Year of Fifty Nine; I’m Already There; Polly on the Shore; Steampunkery; The Hiring Fair; Matty Groves.
This is a new band who I have never seen before. Indeed, I had never heard of them until Chris suggested them to me, comparing their music with that of Fairport Convention. Intrigued I decided to go along and find out myself. Chris and Elaine both accompanied me to the concert.
I have heard of Martin Simpson and Nancy Kerr but I have never seen them before. 1 of my friends, who loves acoustic guitar music, tells me that Martin Simpson is an excellent guitarist. So that further intrigues me and led me to attend the performance.
The Fire Station website continues: “Formed from the idea of bringing together a group of established folk musicians who would mix their song-writing styles and musicianship in a full-on electric band to create exciting new music and update the classic 60’s and 70’s British folk/rock sound, the possibilities of The Magpie Arc being something special and unique on today’s folk scene became obvious very quickly. Having three strong writers the focus has naturally been on new material, however they’ve also tackled some great covers plus their own re-workings of traditional songs. There’s folk and rock, some country and even blues, but whatever the genre the band are already proving to be a musical mix of everything you could expect from such a line-up, with excellent songs, lush harmonies, powerful electric guitars, gorgeous fiddle lines and rock solid bass and drums.”
The concert was excellent with a mixture of traditional folk songs song performed by individuals and others by the entire band. Martin Simpson is an excellent electric guitarist, Findlay Napier provided some great songs, several with a country influence and Nancy Kerr sang lovely traditional folk music accompanying herself on violin.
They reminded me of a much more electrified version of Fairport Convention. I once saw Fairport Convention in the early 70s and at the time they were very loud and electric. This was the sort of music that The Magpie Arc reminded me of as characterised by the quotes below:
Many thanks to Chris and Elaine for the photographs. I also purchased an album which Martin and Findlay kindly signed (see image)
Being a massive fan of 
Now Nick Harper comes with some growing credentials including the following:
The extract below from Nick’s own site explains how he blends words, stories with music. He is also an excellent acoustic guitarist, by the way: “As 2020 got about its reckless mischief……Nick retreated to the studio. The resulting album couldn’t have been more of a great escape in every way. Phantastes is an ethereal dream realm of an album that explores the parallels of the seminal fantasy novel of the same name by George MacDonald and the beginnings of Nick’s own love story from 1982. Totally divorced from 2020 in time and space, the album has been enthusiastically received by fans seeking a temporary refuge from the here and now. Continuing his recent predilection for the spoken word, Nick cemented the bond between his music and the aforementioned book by recording an audiobook of Phantastes, with musical interpretations of George MacDonald’s poems and songs contained therein.”
So, on the recommendation of some friends and reading the above testimonies I went along with high expectations. After a short wait Nick took to the stage and it soon became obvious how many fans and friends this guy has. Everyone seemed to know Nick and his songs and there was quite a lot of banter between artist and crowd, no I would call them friends. This is somewhat reminiscent, although quite different, to the way in which his father Roy would interact and chat with his audience.
Each song was preceded by quite a lengthy, yet fascinating, explanation of how the song came together. Nick explained that some came in a matter of minutes and others took many years to gestate. There were references to his father, late mother, late grandfather and his daughter. This is clearly a close family, and that comes through in the stories and the songs. Sometimes I thought I could hear echoes of his father’s voice; only for an instant and then it was gone. Nick is his own man with a set of strong songs, lots of stories, and is an incredible acoustic guitarist to boot.
During the interval he kindly signed a copy of one of his albums which I purchased (see image). The second half continued with more stories and songs. Throughout the evening Nick replenished himself with shots of tequila, several of which he shared with members of the audience. All too soon it was over and Jan and I were out in the cold night air and into our taxi homeward bound (an intentional pointer towards one of Nick’s stated influences, Paul Simon, another being the great folk singer/guitarist Davey Graham, whose music he played before his set and during the interval).
A lovely evening spent with a great guitarist, singer and wordsmith. Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site. Afterwards I went to his website and bought a T-shirt which also tempted me towards Roy Harper’s site where I also purchased a shirt. That’s me done on Harper merchandise for now. I have added an image of a flyer from when I saw Roy in 2019 just to round things off and take me back to my starting point.
Along the way I saw Lindisfarne many times. The Lincoln Festival where they triumphed with the whole crowd singing along to songs from Nicely Out Of Tune and the Fog On The Tyne albums. The Grangemouth festival 1972 in Scotland where they again got the crowd singing along. Seeing them at Sunderland Top Rank around 1972 and headlining the City Hall two nights in a row, one with Genesis support and the other with Stackridge support on the Dingley Dell tour (a much underrated album). Then the split and witnessing Lindisfarne 2 and the other offshoot Jack The Lad at festivals. The reforming of the band with a magical comeback concert at the City Hall and then back at the top with “Run for Home” and attending a sold-out concert at Redcar Coatham bowl during which we all danced on the tables and the aforementioned single was high in the charts.
The Alan Hull solo concert at the City Hall. Then all the Christmas concerts which I attended during the 1980s at the Newcastle City Hall. Travelling to Carlisle Sands Centre to see their farewell concert. I even took a copy of that evening’s Newcastle evening Chronicle trusted Carlisle; they were fully pictured on the cover and I got them to sign the newspaper. They were surprised as they did not know that they featured in it! Attending a ceremony outside the City Hall when a blue plaque was placed there to celebrate the life of Alan Hull. Ray Jackson’s Lindisfarne played outside at the ceremony.
And then starting to see the newly reformed band a few times, firstly with Ray Jackson fronting the band and more recently with Rod Clements as front man. I don’t know how many times I must have seen Lindisfarne but it is on many, many occasions. And of course, the Newcastle City Hall was, and remains, my spiritual music home. So, you can see how this was such a memorable event for me.
The City Hall was completely sold out and when Jan, my carer for the evening, and I entered the building we were greeted by a brass band on stage playing Christmas carols. Soon a Geordie Santa arrived to tell us a series of rather rude, but also quite funny, Christmas jokes, in the same way that Mike Elliott would do so at the original Christmas concerts. Then the band took to the stage to a very loud Geordie welcome. The set for the evening was very similar to that I have witnessed a couple of times this year already: once in the Princess Pavilion Yarm and also in the Sunderland Fire Station. But this time things were very different. The atmosphere was very different. This was Lindisfarne, fronted by Rod Clements, returning home to their home crowd in their spiritual home, Newcastle City Hall.
The evening was in two parts with a short interval during which a double Jack Daniels went down well and set me up for the proceedings. Santa returned with more Christmas cracker jokes before the band resumed the concert to another massive cheer. The Newcastle crowd who had travelled from near and far to this special event were really up for a great night. We were treated to all the classic songs: “No Time to Lose”, “We Can Swing Together” and my personal favourite “Winter Song” performed perfectly by David Hull– Denholm, Alan Hull’s son in law.
Soon, we were on the home front and the closing songs were: “Fog on the Tyne”, “Meet Me on the Corner” and “Run for Home”. All massive singalongs with the entire City Hall on its feet. The closer was, as it was in 1971 and has been ever since: “Clear White Light”. There truly was magic in the air last night. We all walked out into the rather mild Christmas evening, Jan and I into our taxi and away home.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.So, that brings me to the end of my 2023 concert adventures. A little rest before I start again in 2024. A Merry Christmas to all of you who read my blogging, and all the best and see you in 2024. Peter
Set 2: No Time to Lose; Passing Ghosts; Sundown Station; Dingley Dell; When The War Is Over; Winter Song; We Can Swing Together; Fog on the Tyne; Meet Me on the Corner; Run for Home; Clear White Light, Part 2.
Every year Ian Anderson (who is now to all effects 
After a short taxi ride to Durham station, Elaine, Jan and I joined a train to York. We then had a short walk over the cobbled streets of this lovely city to arrive at The Minster where an extremely long queue of attendees weaved its way around the historic cathedral. We soon found our way to the accessible entrance and, beating the massive queue, made our way into the building. Jan and I had seats close to the front, while Elaine should have been seated quite a few rows behind us. However, and quite fortuitously, her seat had been removed to allow space for the sound desk. The extremely helpful staff at the Minster quickly located her right next to ourselves. I purchased a Jethro Tull Christmas concerts T-shirt on our way into the venue.
I have seen Jethro Tull many times over the years since 1971 at Sunderland Empire, and they are always fantastic in performance, however these Christmas concerts are very special indeed. The lineup of the band has changed many times and is now essentially Ian Anderson with a group of ever-changing musicians, some of whom have accompanied him for several years, some joining more recently. The current line-up is: Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, acoustic and electric guitar, other instruments (the only original member); bass player David Goodier and keyboard player John O’Hara who have both been with Ian since 2007; drummer Scott Hammond who joined the band in 2017 and recent recruit guitarist Joe Parrish who joined in 2020.
Master of ceremonies for the evening was a clergyman named George who was parading around the building resplendent in top hat, frockcoat, cod – please complete with flashing lights, twirling a lovely silver headed cane. He was happy to pose for a picture. Throughout the performance he was dancing and tripping around the Minster across the stage and into the audience. The concert started with a blessing from the Minster cleric and a very fitting performance of “God bless ye merry gentlemen” performed by Jethro Tull, largely instrumental, with Ian taking the lead on flute.
The first guest was a very welcome surprise, none other than 
The final set concluded with more Christmas songs, Loyd rejoining for a 1977 punk classic (which to my shame I did not recognise) and “I believe in Father Christmas” in memory of the sadly missed Greg Lake who had been a guest at a previous Ian Anderson Christmas concert. A very fitting lovely tribute. Marc rejoined to sing the Soft Cell classic “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” which brought back memories of seeing them in Kirklevington country club (the Kirk) and which was apparently a favourite haunt of his in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marc was also a secret progressive rock fan when at school so he led Jethro Tull in a rocking rendition of their hit single “The Witch’s Promise”. Fantastic
The end was, as expected, “Aqualung”, followed by “Locomotive Breath” with Marc back to assist with the vocals on a great rendition of the latter Jethro Tull song. And then we made our way out of the Minster into the cold York evening, down to the Tap public house in the station. After a swift drink and a sandwich purchased from the Sainsbury’s Direct in the station, we were back on the train to Durham and then in our taxi home. I was in my bed for 1 AM tired but in the knowledge I had experienced something very special.
Many thanks to Jan for the photographs, Elaine for joining us for the evening and Chris for assisting with the post. A good time was had by all. Apologies for any errors which are entirely my own!
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