Posts Tagged ‘folk’
24
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in John Cooper Clarke. Tagged: comedy, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, Poetry, pop, punk, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
John Cooper Clarke Whitley Bay Playhouse 22 Oct 2010
So the Manchester punk bard comes to Whitley Bay (and he thought it was Whitby!).
Laura has been listening to quite a lot of John’s material and has wanted to see him for some time. For me it must be 30+ years since I saw him, probably supporting the Buzzcocks or Penetration or some other punk band of the late 70s. The Whitley Bay Playhouse has recently been renovated and this was our fist visit to this particular venue. We arrived while the support act was on stage, and decided to partake in ice cream (Laura decreed the honey flavour glorious).
John took to the stage around 8.45pm and treated us to some jolly good banter, lots of dry humour peppered with expletives, and northern observations that only John can create. The poems came thick and fast, and included old favourites such as Beasley Street which was given a revamp to bring it up to date with contemporary society (Beasley Boulevard), Twat, and Evidently Chicken Town. All of these were delivered at break neck speed in his monitone Mancunian manner. John looks pretty much as he did in the 70s in a tight black suit and wearing some great chelsea boots.
Laura said it was great, which I had to agree with.
Setlist (something like): Hire Care, Adverts; Limerick; The List; Beasley Street; Beasley Boulevard; Twat; Crossing the Line; Things are Gonna Get Worse; Evidently Chicken Town.
i hate printed tickets
flyer
24
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant. Tagged: concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, punk, R&B, rock, The Kaiser Chiefs. 1 comment
Robert Plant Sage Gateshead 20 Oct 2010
This gig came on a hectic day for me. I had a meeting all day up in Dundee and wondered if I would make it back in time. I needn’t have worried; the meeting was over by 3pm, I got a train pretty sharpish, a quick change of trains in Edinburgh. and I had time to go home and get changed before going along to the Sage.
Robert Plant took to the stage around 8.45, accompanied by his all American Band of Joy. The music is a mix of deep south country rock, blues and gospel with some pretty wild guitar and exquisite steel guitar. I bought the Band of Joy album a few weeks ago, so most of the tracks were familiar to me. Robert seemed very relaxed and was obviously really enjoying himself with the band, who are great musicians in their own right. Highlights for me were Monkey, a great moody track from the recent album and Tangerine, which was kept pretty true to the original.. The Led Zep numbers were given remodels into the vibe of the new band, which worked pretty well.
A great concert from a hero who never ceases to amaze and please.
Website: http://www.robertplant.com
Setlist (something like): Tall Cool One; Angel Dance; House Of Cards; Please Read The Letter; Misty Mountain Hop; Rich Woman; Twelve Gates To The City (including sections of In My Time Of Dying); Tangerine; Somewhere Trouble Dont Go; A Satisfied Mind; Move Up; Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down; Monkey; Central 209; Houses Of The Holy; You Cant Buy My Love; Down To The Sea; Gallows Pole
Encore: Another Tribe; Rock and Roll; Goodnight acapella
ticket
24
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in Joe Bonamassa. Tagged: blues, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, punk, R&B, rock, rock n roll. 1 comment
Joe Bonamassa Newcastle City Hall 17 Oct 2010
Will and I decided to go along to sample the mighty Joe Bonamassa who seems to have gone from playing small blues clubs to massive headline status in a very short space of time. Neither of us were familiar with Joe’s material but had heard great things about the man and we were thus looking forward to this. We were seated a little from the front (the front block seats were £50 ouch! is this what stardom means Joe?) but with a good view. There was no support and Joe was on stage shortly after 8pm. The stage set and lighting was impressive, but its Joe’s playing that everyone was there to see. The Hall was full of 50+ something men and you just know that everyone in there played guitar and was hanging on Joe’s every lick. And there were plenty of licks to hang on to. The set was pretty standard blues with some rock numbers thrown in, all showcasing Joe’s impeccable technique. Joe has lots of guitars and at one point he straps on a Les Paul which he tells us used to belong to his hero Paul Kossoff and throws himself into Free’s Mr Big. Its sort of weird to think that the last time I saw that guitar it was Paul who was playing it. There is an acoustic set where he shows us just how great (and fast) he can play and he finishes with some rockier numbers which include riffs borrowed from Led Zeppelin 2. Will and I both think he was great, although we agreed that some of the blues numbers were rather samey. So we are off for some chips and then home.
website: http://www.jbonamassa.com
setlist: Cradle Rock (Rory Gallagher cover); So Many Roads; When the Fire Hits the Sea; So, It’s Like That; If Heartaches Were Nickels; Slow Train; Steal Your Heart Away; Sloe Gin; The Ballad of John Henry; Happier Times; Never Gonna Make You Move Too Soon; The Great Flood; Young Man Blues; Woke Up Dreaming; Mountain Time
Encore: Bird on a Wire (Leonard Cohen); Just Got Paid (Z Z Top)
ticket
24
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in Shift-Static. Tagged: concert, electronica, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, punk, R&B, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Shift-Static The Telegraph Newcastle 16 Oct 2010
This was the first Shift-Static gig that Marie and I had seen for some time. They were playing upstairs in the Telegraph to a home crowd, sandwiched between a few other local music combos. They had played a gig at the Head of Steam and a sold out show at the Cumberland Arms during Freshers week, but we hadn’t made it along to those shows. The band have been using the gap over the Summer to craft some new tunes for us, and had also bought some new sparkly hardware gismos which were on display (and in use!) and which produced some wonderful new sounds for us. The set was short as time was limited; the new songs such as “Get the Echo” blended well with older favourites such as “Haystacks” and the crowd showed their appreciation by giving them a great reception. Next gig up is on the 16 November.
website: http://www.myspace.com/shiftstaticmusic
Setlist: IL1; Get the Echo; Fathers Footsteps Part 1; No Rush; Green Knees; Haystacks
9
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in Ian Hunter, Mott the Hoople. Tagged: blues, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock, rock n roll. 2 comments
Ian Hunter and the Rant Band Newcastle Tyne Theatre 11 Oct 2010
The Tyne Theatre was pretty full downstairs for Ian Hunter, with the circle around half full. Most of the audience seemed long time fans, sporting t-shirts from his many tours, with many Mott the Hoople at Hammersmith shirts on show.
Most of the set was Ian Hunter solo stuff, some of which I sort of recognised. But as we got to the end we got the real favourites: Walking with a Mountain, Sweet Jane, All the Way from Memphis, Roll Away the Stone, Saturday Gigs (we all sang along) and All the Young Dudes.
Setlist (something like): Sea Diver; Life After Death; Cleveland Rocks; Dancing on the Moon; Shallow Crystals; Irene Wilde; Arms and Legs; Flowers; Rain; River of Tears; Man Overboard; Wash Us Away; Walking With a Mountain; Michael Picasso; Sweet Jane
Encore: Somewhere; All the Way From Memphis; Boy
Encore 2: Roll Away the Stone; The Saturday Gigs ; All the Young Dudes
i hate printed tickets
2
Oct
Posted by vintagerock in Santana. Tagged: concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, R&B, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Santana Newcastle Arena 3rd Oct 2010
Santana were a lot lot better than I had expected. I’d seen them a couple of times at the City Hall in the 70s and they also supported Dylan at St James in the early 80s. My recollections of those shows were that they were OK, but some of the songs were drawn out and samey. So I wasn’t certain about going to this, but decided to go along on the night. I managed to score a £63 ticker for £35 outside, so was quite pleased at that. And in the end I was glad I made the effort because it was much better than my memories. The set was a mix of early Woodstock-era Santana, recent latin-based material and some covers from the latest album. Plus some semi-religious words of wisdom from the man himself. All of this made for a great show. Great guitar, great rhythms, great singers, great use of video. For the early songs Carlos played in front of videos of himself at Woodstock-wonderful stuff! I even enjoyed the drum solo(s!)! Highlights for me were Black Magic Woman, Samba Pa Ti and Soul Sacrifice.
1. EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING
2. SINGING WINDS/ CRYING BEAST
3. BLACK MAGIC WOMAN / GYPSY QUEEN
4. OYE COMO VA
5. MARIA MARIA
6. FOO FOO
7. CORAZON ESPINADO
8. JINGO
9. SAMBA PA TI
10. BATUKA/ NO ONE TO DEPEND ON
11. TABOO/ WHOLE LOTTA LOVE
12. GOD IS LOVE/ RIGHT ON
13. EVIL WAYS/ A LOVE SUPREME
14. SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE
15. SMOOTH/ DAME TU AMOR
ENCORE: WOODSTOCK CHANT
16. SOUL SACRIFICE
17. BRIDEGROOM/ INTO THE NIGHT
18. LOVE, PEACE,& HAPPINESS/ FREEDOM
programme
ticket
19
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Joanna Newsom, Roy Harper. Tagged: blues, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, R&B, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Joanna Newsom and Roy Harper The Sage Gateshead Tues 21 Sep 2010
Laura and I are going to see modern psych-folkie Joanne Newsom on Tuesday at the Sage. My knowledge of her is scant; I know she plays a harp and some say that she sounds like Kate Bush. But the real reason that I am going is to see my old hero Roy Harper who has come out of retirement for this. I’ve seen Roy many times over the years. The first gig ever went to was The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band with Roy and Yes support, and the last time I saw him was with David at the 100 Club in London. I thought that might have been my last chance to see him, but here we are with him coming out to support Joanna.
It was great to see Roy again. He came on prompt at 7.30 and played a short set of pretty well known Roy songs. We got the usual chat between songs, which was great to hear again. Seeing Roy is always like seeing an old friend again, and this seemed even more the case than ever. His voice was as strong and passionate as ever. At the end he told us that there would probably me one more time that he’d come and see us. He has apparently been saying the same thing at every night of this tour, so I read into that he is going to do one more final tour. I think he is 70 next year, it would be fitting to have a 70th birthday tour so we could all see him again one more time.
Joanna Newsom was OK, but we didn’t know the material and for me it was always going to be an anti-climax after seeing Roy.
Roy Harper setlist:
Highway Blues,
Don’t you grieve,
Frozen Moment,
Francesca
Green Man
Me and My Woman.
Roy Harper website: http://www.royharper.co.uk/
Joanna Newsom website: http://www.dragcity.com/artists/joanna-newsom
ticket
19
Sep
Posted by vintagerock in Jethro Tull. Tagged: blues, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Jethro Tull South Shields Gypsies Green Stadium 17 Sep 2010
This gig had been set up a special one-off appearance tied in with the preparations for and events around this weekend’s Great North Run. Tull Guitarist Martin Barre was running in the race, and the opportunity must thus have come up for the band to play. The concert was in a large marquee which had been set up within the grounds of Gypsies Green Stadium, which is a sports stadium close to South Shields. Norm and I went along to the gig on Friday, we both recalled previous visits to the stadium in the 70s; one to see Tony McPhee’s Terraplane and the other to see Mohamed Ali on his visit to the region.
We arrived just as the support act Bessie and the Zinc Buckets were finishing their set, and ran into some old friends. Tull came on around 8.15pm; apparently there was a curfew of 10pm, as the venue is within a built-up area. We’d both seen Tull earlier this year, but couldn’t resist the chance to catch them again, in a different setting. The marquee was massive and pretty full, with devotees having travelled from far and wide to see the band. First up was Nothing is Easy, followed by other early Tull classics such as Beggars Farm, Nothing Is Easy, A New Day Yesterday, Songs From The Wood, Bourée, Thick as a Brick, My God. The set centred around the late 60s and 70s classic albums, which was great for us! Aqualung closed the show with the usual Locomotive Breath as the encore. Norm and I agreed that we enjoyed it more that we have in recent times, perhaps because of the different venue.
website: http://www.j-tull.com/
ticket and wrist band
28
Jul
Posted by vintagerock in Booker T, Canned Heat, Maryport Blues Festival. Tagged: blues, concert, festival, folk, gig, music, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Maryport Blues Festival July 24 and 25 2010
This was my fourth, and Marie’s second, visit to Maryport for the Blues festival. This year we decided to visit for the Saturday and the Sunday. We drove across on Saturday afternoon and checked in at the Ship, Allonby which is about 5 miles up the coast from Maryport. Allonby is a lovely town with wonderful views of the sea, and a great coastline and the Ship is a nice pub offering rooms for bed and breakfast. On the Saturday evening we ventured into Maryport centre for the blues trail. The place was packed and there were queues to get into all of the pubs, so we retreated to the rugby club where the main marquee for the festival is situated. The Saturday night was headlined by Mica Paris and Booker T. Booker T was excellent. He still uses his famous Hammond organ and Lesley cabinet, and he treated us to favourites such as Green Onions, Time is Tight and great renditions of Dock of the Bay, Ain’t no Sunshine and Hold On I’m Coming. It was a rare chance to see a true legend (his only UK date in the current European tour) and he didn’t disappoint.
We were up early on Sunday morning and had a walk along the beach which blew away the cobwebs and got us ready for the day. We drove into Cockermouth and had a look around Wordsworth’s birthplace before going into the festival later in the day. We passed Paul Jones in the street in Cockermouth; he is in Maryport for the festival and is recording for a three hour special for his Radio 2 Blues show. Headliners were Canned Heat (yes they are still playing) and Robert Cray. It was Canned Heat who I had really come to see. The band consists of the original drummer who has been there throughout since the 60s and the recently returned to the fold Larrie Thompson on bass and Harvey Mandel on guitar. They are billed as the Woodstock lineup as those three guys all played at that famous festival. They open with On the Road Again which sets the pace for a host of blues and boogie tunes, including the other hits Going up the Country and Lets Stick Together. They still sound great; tight as anything, although for me some of the solos go on a little too long.
We return to the Ship on Sunday night and drive home Monday morning. Another great blues festival. The attendance was pretty good (there were rumours that ticket sales were slow and that this may be the last festival due to funding problems); I certainly hope it returns next year and keeps its place as one of the premier blues festivals in the UK.
website: http://www.maryportblues.co.uk/
ticket
programme
28
Jul
Posted by vintagerock in Frank Zappa, Zappa plays Zappa. Tagged: blues, concert, folk, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Zappa plays Zappa Sage Gateshead July 27 2010
It doesn’t seem a year since I saw Dweezil and the band in Edinburgh, but a year it is and here there are back in the UK. And this time they are playing a lot closer to home at the Sage. Laura has heard a lot about Frank Zappa from her Shift-Static band mates so she agreed to accompany me to this latest feast of Frank’s music. In fact Laura tells me that she has listened to 60 (!) of his albums, which is quite frightening, and makes me realise how little of Zappa’s back catalogue I really know.
We arrive at the Sage around 7.15 and the band take the stage at just after the published time of 7.30. Dweezil’s eight piece band seems to be the same as last year; he tells us that it is the last night of the European tour and that they are planning to have fun tonight. The hall is pretty full downstairs with next level also almost full.
The set is a complete mix of Frank Zappa’s music taken from throughout his career. This means that there only a few that I recognise, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the sheer excellence of the musicianship; these guys must really rehearse to be as tight as this and to recreate the original versions so authentically. Dweezil explains to us that he put the band together to give us all the opportunity to experience the variety and diversity of his dad’s music. He tells us that in the USA Frank Zappa is often seen as a novelty act as the public in general have only got to hear the more cookie songs (Yellow Snow, Titties and Beer etc) and he sort of wanted to put that right. Well he is certainly succeeding in doing so. The band gets a great reception; everyone present clearly loves Zappa music (and they all know more of the songs than Laura and I!). Peaches on Regalia is note perfect and brings back memories, as does Little House I Used to Live in, which is used as a vehicle for improvisation for each band member. Five girls are brought on stage to dance to Keep it Greasy and clearly have a great time. For the last encore we are given the choice of three songs and the biggest roar is for Muffin Man, which sends us all happy. The band close at 10pm clocking at 2.5 hours which is a pretty long set by any standards. It seems to be the norm for Dweezil to hang around on the stage after the end of the show signing autographs for those at the front so we make our way down and I manage to get a flyer signed and a plectrum from Dweezil for Laura.
website: http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/
Setlist (something like):
Purple Lagoon ; Stinkfoot; Bamboozled By Love ; Daddy Daddy Daddy; What Kind Of Girl Do You Think We Are?; T’Mershi Duween; Inca Roads; Blessed Relief; Advance Romance ; The Blue Light; Pick Me I’m Clean; The Little House I Used To Live In; Latex Solar Beef; Apostrophe; City Of Tiny Lites; Peaches En Regalia; Echidna’s Arf; Wild Love; Keep it Greasy; Yo Mama
Encore: Muffin Man
ticket
flyer
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