Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias were a comedy rock band who seemed to pop up all over the place in the 70s. The ticket stub here is from a gig at Middlesbrough Town Hall, probably in the Crypt, on a Friday. I have vague memories of seeing this band, sometimes as headline, and probably at a festival or two. With shades of the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, they were a guaranteed fun night. Although their songs were largely parodies of other more famous rock bands, they were also pretty serious musicians. Support came from another comedy act of the day; John Dowie. A fun time was had by all.
Posts Tagged ‘folk’
23 Mar
Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias
19 Mar
The Heavy Metal Kids Gigs in the 70s and 2012
The Heavy Metal Kids Gigs in the 70s and 2012
I saw The latest incarnation of The Heavy Metal Kids supporting UFO at Newcastle Academy on Saturday. It made me think about all the times I saw the band in the past during the 70s, with the late great Gary Holton on vocals. One of the first times I saw them must have been supporting Nazareth at Newcastle City Hall in 1973. I know because I’ve just been looking through a Nazareth programme, to get ready for going to see that band on Tuesday in Newcastle. The pages I’ve scanned here come from the back of the Nazareth programme. I remember wondering who the totally mad, cocky, cockney was running around the stage. Looking back their music and their act bridged the worlds of glam and punk. They dressed the part, and were full of arrogance and cheek. They also had some pretty good songs; my favourites were Its The Same from the first lp, and the single She’s No Angel; I remember them playing it on Top of the Pops. For The Cops Are Coming they would stage a scene from a Keystone Cops movie, chasing each other around the stage. 
The Kids supported lots of bands in the 70s; I saw them as support for Uriah Heep, Alice Cooper and possibly a few others. I also saw them a few times on Friday rock nights in Sunderland Locarno and Newcastle Mayfair, and at the Reading Festival. they played a lot; I must have seen them a fair few times. They were always good fun, a good laugh, and some good rock n roll, but they never quite made the step up to major headliners. A much under rated, and almost forgotten band. If you get the chance, listen to their three albums. Rolling forward to 2012, the latest Heavy Metal Kids line-up consists of original members Cosmo on guitar, Ronnie Garrity on bass, Keith Boyce on drums and new guitarist/vocalist Justin McConville. I arrived late, and missed the first few numbers of the set. They put on a pretty good show, with some nifty guitar work from Cosmo, and strong vocals from Justin. Old Kids classics Chelsea Kids, Delirious and She’s No Angel were rolled out, and pretty good versions they were too. Listening to those songs again made me realise how punky they were. Good fun, and brought back memories of Gary Holton on stage. A big character; much missed. Thanks to Sir Bawls for the set list below. The Kids setlist at Newcastle 17th March 2012 was: Hangin’ On; Blow It All Away; Hit The Right Button; Chelsea Kids; A Hundred Skeletons; Whisky; Marseilles; Rock Candy (Montrose cover); She’s No Angel; Delirious. The line-up: Justin McConville – vocals & guitar; Cosmo – lead guitar; Ronnie Garrity – bass; Keith Boyce – drums.
17 Mar
All About Eve Newcastle City Hall 1988
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.
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.
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.
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
7 Mar
Adele Newcastle Tyne Theatre April 2008
Adele Newcastle Tyne Theatre April 2008
This gig doesn’t seem that long ago, but its getting on for four years since Laura and I saw Adele at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle. I recall at the time being surprised how quickly this gig sold out, and that was well before the mega-stardom that she enjoys now. At the time I had only heard “Chasing pavements” but was caught up in the wave of new female singers, such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy. So Laura and I decided to check Adele out. The show was very impressive, particularly considering that Adele was just 20 at the time. She struck me as quite shy, and couldn’t seem to believe it all herself. I remember her singing the Dylan song “Make You Feel My Love”, and realising that it was one Dylan song that I didn’t know. Good to see how her career has gone from strength to strength since then. I wonder if we’ll ever see her back at the Tyne Theatre again? And with a ticket price of £15?
6 Mar
America and Poco Newcastle Odeon 1975
America and Poco Newcastle Odeon 1975
This was a pretty cool line up, and was my fist time seeing both bands. I knew a lot of stuff by America, but nothing by Poco. I went along with my friend Ian, as I recall. America had previously toured as support for Family in 1971, but the gig was the same night as Led Zeppelin played Sunderland Locarno (theres a gig I must report on), so I didn’t go. So when they returned to Newcastle for this gig at the Odeon I made sure that I attended. The Odeon is now sadly closed, but was an important venue for gigs in the North East in the early 70s. It was a little bigger than the City Hall, with a capacity of around 3,000, and I saw a few bands play there: Humble Pie, King Crimson, Black Sabbath, ELP, The Faces and The Who come straight to mind. BY the mid 70s it had sadly been converted to a multi-screen cinema, and the capacity reduced. I am pretty sure that this was the case for this gig. I recall both bands being really good that night. Typical America set list from 1975: Tin Man; Muskrat Love; Baby It’s Up to You; Moon Song; Old Man Took; To Each His Own; Lonely People; I Need You; Don’t Cross The River; Ventura Highway; Only In Your Heart; Woman Tonight; The Story of a Teenager; Half a Man; Company; Hollywood; Sister Golden Hair; Encore: Sandman; A Horse With No Name. I also googled and found a Poco setlist from 1974: Blue Water; Fool’s Gold; Rocky Mt. Breakdown; Bad Weather; Hoedown; Railroad Days; Ride the Country; Faith in the Families; Angel; Drivin’ Wheel; I Guess You Made It; Restrain; A Right Along; C’Mon. My friend John, who was also at this gig, has just emailed me to remind me that America/Poco played “Don’t Cross the River if you can’t swim the tide” with both bands on stage as the final number.
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