The Stiff Tour 1977 Middlesbrough Town Hall and Newcastle Poly
The Stiff tours were a highlight of the late 70s rock calendar. These amazing events featured a selection of artists from Stiff records, travelling up and down the UK dropping into concert halls, university student unions and your local theatre. The first tour was known as the Live Stiffs Tour or 5 Live Stiffs, and took place in late 1977. My ticket stub from the gig at Middlesbrough Town Hall is here on the right, I’ve been trying to work out what the title for that concert was! Perhaps it was “The First Stiffs’ Tour” ?? Who knows 🙂 This first extravaganza boasted a stellar line-up of the new wave aristocracy with a young Elvis Costello with his fine Attractions, Ian Dury and the magnificent Blockheads, the crazy, wild and 100% authentic Wreckless Eric, The Jesus of Cool Nick Lowe (featuring rocker supremo Dave Edmunds) and ex Pink Fairies, Motorhead (and great Lewis leather jacket) Larry Wallis. A bunch of mates and I caught the tour at this Middlesbrough Town Hall gig. At the time punk was really taking off around the UK, and the old town hall was packed. I remember seeing Elvis Costello outside talking to a group of kids; my mate Norm recalls him giving them a penny for the guy. We witnessed some great music with wonderful performances from Elvis and Ian Dury that night. Ian stole the show; he was at his height at the time, performing material from New Boots and Panties!!: “Sweet Gene Vincent”, “Billericay Dickie”, and “Clever Trevor”. The gig ended with everyone on stage performing Dury’s “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll”. Amazing!!
The tour called at Newcastle Polytechnic a couple of weeks later. I enjoyed the show so much, I went along again, this time with Marie. Marie has a better memory than me on this gig, and can recall us chatting to Elvis Costello in the union bar. She swears that Captain Sensible was with him, holding court to a few of us, in a typical mad mood, and show off that he is, he ate an entire packet of crisps, including the bag, all in one go in front of us. I do have a vague memory of meeting the Captain, but couldn’t be certain that it was the same night as the Stiffs tour. I wish I had kept a diary…
A bargain at £1.50
Posts Tagged ‘folk’
17 Jun
The Stiff Tour 1977 Middlesbrough Town Hall
15 Jun
Magna Carta Burnsall Village Hall 14th June 2014
Magna Carta Burnsall Village Hall 14th June 2014 The Grassington Festival 
Magna Carta one of a few bands that I’d promised myself I would try and see again if I ever gotthe chance. I think (but I can never be certain these days) that I saw Magna Carta somewhere sometime in the early 70s. One thing I am certain of was that I first saw them on TV in 1970 or 1971, playing on the Old Grey Whistle Test, or it may have been its predecessor Disco 2. They played a simply stunning version of “Airport Song” with spellbinding vocals from Glen Stuart. I remember talking about it with mates at school the next day, and we were all impressed by them. Three things stuck out which marked that performance for me. The first was the amazing bush of hair which circled Glen’s face. The second was the purity, clarity and high pitch of his vocals (he apparently had a five octave range). And the third was the perfect harmonies between Glen and Chris. Actually, thinking about it, there was a fourth aspect of the performance that I must mention; the exquisite guitar work of Davey Johnstone (he would shortly leave to join Elton John’s band). Today Magna Carta are (as they always were) led by founder and main songwriter, and great dalesman, Chris Simpson. From Chris’ bio on the Magna Carta site: “Chris grew up in the Yorkshire Dales, in a 16th century stone house lit by candles where, in the words of his song Wild Horses: “No T.V. or electric light And the darkness fell like a Winter’s night Silence was a friend you did not question…” He is a true Dalesman. His influences are an eclectic mix of Steinbeck, Dickens, Buchan and Hemingway together with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee and Chuck Berry.” The current Magna Carta band also features Laurens Joensen (an excellent guitarist, mandolinist and multi-instrumentalist from Amsterdam), John Shepard (drums), Wendy Ross (classically trained award-winning violinist), Will Stockbridge, the 17 year old son of Chris’ friend Nigel the guitar technician from Richmond on bass (Nigel restored an old bass for me some years ago), and Chris’ old friend and great joker Doug Morter (who was originally in Magna Carta in the ’80s). This concert was both a reunion and (another) farewell, and was part of the annual Grassington festival. Magna Carta and Chris Simpson have a long standing connection with the Grassington festival. Chris used to live in Grassington and he has played the festival on a number of occasions, and Magna Carta recorded an album there. Burnsall is a tiny village in the Dales. To get there I had a pleasant drive across North Yorshire, passing through Ripon and Pately Bridge on the way, and then negotiating some single track roads as I got closer to the village.
The Village Hall was easy to find; I saw a string of cars parked and figured that I was getting close. The place was already full when I arrived, the concert had been sold out for weeks. Chris told us that people had travelled from Hull, Canada and Borneo (!) for the concert. A big picture of their bass player Lee Abbott, who sadly passed away in 2012, was displayed on the wall down at the front of the small hall. The concert started at 8pm and Magna Carat played until after 11pm with a short 30 minute break. The set consisted of songs from throughout their career, including a number from “Lord of the Ages”. One of the highlights was the first UK (and home coming) performance of new song “Fields of Eden” which tells the story of the dales and features a great narrative from Andrew Jackson who has a deep rich voice, and came up onto the stage to joined the band for that song. The closing song was, of course, “Airport Song”. A pleasant evening spent with some fine musicians, great songs, deep in the heartland of the place where Chris and the songs grew. It was a privilege to see him play them back where they belong. Bought a great book, “The Complete Works of Magna Carta” at the concert; a bargain at £5 🙂
31 May
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman Lau-Land The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Last week I saw the great guitarist Jeff Beck at Manchester Bridgewater Hall. Last night I witnessed performances by two very different guitarists, Michael Chapman and Fred Frith, in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall of the Sage Gateshead. The concert was part of the Lau-Land festival, an event organised with, and by, the folk group Lau. The Sage announced the festival like this: “Following huge acclaim for their recent ‘Race The Loser’ album and a fifth nomination for Best Group at the BBC Folk Awards, free thinking visionary folk trio Lau curate their own festival at Sage Gateshead. Lau-Land invites you to enter into Lau’s musical world and experience some of the inspiring artists who have influenced Lau’s inventive approach to their own music.” The festival had a few days of concerts, who had influenced Lau. Last night’s gig brought together folk-singer/guitarist Michael Chapman and experimental musician Fred Frith.
The Northern Rock hall is the smallest of the three halls in the Sage, and last night it was quite respectably full. Michael Chapman was on stage when I arrived, shortly after the start time of 8pm. Its been some years (probably almost 40) since I last saw this guy in concert. I saw him a lot during the 70s, either supporting major touring acts like ELP, or once headlining at the Mayfair with his own band. 
Dressed in T shirt, cap, and jeans Michael’s set last night was entirely instrumental, the songs interspersed with the stories that lay behind them, usually about fellow guitarists. Michael is an excllent acoustic guitarist; his songs are very strong on rhythm, and also very melodic, some with an almost hypnotic quality, a fact which he acknowledged when introducing one piece: “this one can get quite hypnotic, wake me up if I fall asleep”. Chapman concentrates much more on his guitar playing these days, back in the 70s, he sang more. Great to see him again, and a nice opening to the evening. The crowd gave him a warm reception.
After a short interval, Fred Frith took to the stage. I had been looking forward to this, as I knew it was going to be something quite different. The last time I saw this guy he was fronting Henry Cow and they were supporting Captain Beefheart. I found them quite challenging musically at the time, very strange and experimental. I didn’t quite get it. Last night I went with an open mind. Frith continues to play experimental improvisation of a unique nature using the guitar as his instrument. I had read about his concerts which involve him laying “a couple of his homemade guitars flat on a table” and playing them with “a collection of found objects (varying from concert to concert). He would drop objects, like ball bearings, dried beans and rice, on the strings while stroking, scraping and hitting them with whatever was on hand.” (from his Wikipedia page). Frith started by telling us that in 1967 he saw Michael Chapman play at Hull University, and that he was great then, as he was last night. He went on to recall that his first professional, paid, engagement was playing with his band at Jarrow Working Men’s club, and that he played a guitar improvisation that night, which didn’t go down too well at all with the local club men. 
He sat with his guitar laid flat on his lap, a table beside him covered with a variety of objects. Ill try and describe some of Frith’s technique. Tapping the guitar to create rhythm. Sliding his hand up and down the strings. Tapping on the strings rhythmically. Hitting the guitar to get a deep booming sound. Playing the guitar with objects, perhaps a brush (I was sitting at the back, so couldn’t quite make out everything he was using). Drumming the guitar with a paintbrush. Using a couple of drinking straws, placing one between the strings and then using the other to drum on the guitar and the straw. Placing a ribbon between the strings and pulling in back and forth creating a scraping sound. Playing with a violin bow. Heavy use of echo. Detuning his guitar while he played. Clever use of harmonics up and down the neck. Playing the guitar through a tea towel. Lots of effects pedals; fuzz, noise, reverb. Dropping a necklace onto the guitar, then a chain, puling them up and down in turn into a metal bowl laid on the guitar. Two bowls with grains (of rice? sand?) , and pouring the grains from one bowl to the other on top of the guitar. Singing, squealing, whispering strange sounds into the mike; quite creepy. All of this sounds crazy, and it was, but it was also quite musical, hypnotic. Elements of eastern music, heavy rock, all came through. I know I have said this before, but it was truly unlike anything I have seen before. Mind blowing. After almost an hour, the sound slowly went quiet and then stopped. He stood up, bowed and walked off stage. The crowd stood and applauded. Wow.
Thanks to Aaron for releasing the image of Fred Frith for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. The picture is of Frith performing in Wallingford, Seattle, on 25th April 2009.
The Michael Chapman image is from one of my ELP programmes.
13 May
Cat Stevens Newcastle Odeon 21st March 1974
Cat Stevens Newcastle Odeon 21st March 1974
I only saw Cat Stevens once in concert, although Laura and I have seen him more recently, since he has become Yusuf Islam. The concert was in 1974 at the massive Newcastle Odeon. Stevens was promoting his latest album at the time, Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Interestingly, the title of Buddha and the Chocolate Box “came to Stevens when he was travelling to a gig on a plane with a Buddha in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. He pondered that if he were to die in the plane these would be the last objects with him, and he would be caught between the spiritual and the material. The album leans towards the spiritual path, and is an indication of the direction his life would follow” (Wikipedia).
Cat Steven’s band at the time consisted of Jean Roussell on keyboards, Alun Davies on acoustic guitar, Gerry Conway on drums, Bruce Lynch bass and Larry Steele on congas and electric guitar, with Suzanne Lynch and Anna Peacock on backing vocals. Support came from Linda Lewis whose band was Max Middleton on piano, Robert Ahwai on bass and Linda’s husband Jim Cregan on lead guitar.
It was a great concert, with Cat Stevens singing all those sweet songs so beautifully. The set consists of his early 70s classic songs, and new tracks from Buddha and the Chocolate Box. Based on concert recordings from the time the set is likely to have been something like: Wild World; Longer Boats; Oh Very Young; Sitting; Sunny Side; Where Do The Children Play; Moonshadow; How Can I Tell You; Bad Penny; Later; Lady D’Arbanville; Peace Train; Father And Son; Music; 18th Avenue; Bitterblue; Hard Headed Woman; King Of Trees; Sun / C79; Sad Lisa.
I also like Cat Stevens’ 60s songs and would love to see him perform Matthew And Son or Here Comes My Baby. The guy is a genius songwriter.
11 May
The Seekers The Sage Gateshead 10th May 2014
The Seekers The Sage Gateshead 10th May 2014
I have already admitted to one guilty pleasure this week. Today, I am afraid, I am writing about yet another. Last night I relived part of my childhood. I went to see The Seekers on their 50th anniversary reunion tour, which called at the Sage Gateshead. Many years ago, when I was young, one of the first records I can remember getting was The Beatles “Help” album. It was Christmas 1965 and I was 9 years old. From then on I started to collect records, and bought lots of pop singles, graduating to more grown up stuff by the late 60s. But in the background to all that was my parent’s record collection and their choice of music. One of the people they played all the time was The Seekers. When the lp “Best of the Seekers” came out in 1968, my dad went out and bought it. He played that lp record again and again. Of course, by then I would scoff at the pure pop and folk harmonies, and I felt I was much too cool to listen to anything as “straight” as The Seekers. But secretly I liked some of those tunes and still do; “Georgy Girl” in particular is one of those songs which sticks in your brain and rumbles around and around, driving you mad. The Seekers split in the late 60s and I never got the chance to see them at the time. They reunited for the first time for their 25th anniversary and toured the UK in 1993 and 1994, calling at Newcastle City Hall. I foolishly missed that concert, and have regretted it ever since. So when it was announced that they were returning to the UK, for what is quite likely to be the last time, I decided to set coolness aside and go along and spend an evening with part of my childhood and those great harmless tunes. The tour had been delayed (The Seekers were originally due to play the Sage last September) because singer Judith Durham suffered a brain hemorrhage last May. The good news is that she is now fully recovered and able to tour again.
The show started with a video montage of The Seekers in the 60s, played to The Seekers’ cover of The Beatles “In My Life”. The four of them then walked onstage, to a loud and warm standing ovation from the audience. The Seekers are, as they were in the 60s, Athol Guy (double bass), Keith Potger (12 string guitar), Bruce Woodley (guitar) and Judith Durham (vocals). The stage set-up was simple with the four of them, their acoustic instruments, a drummer, a couple of keyboard players, and a large video screen. The show was in two parts, and was interspersed with video clips of the band back in their heyday and of the swinging 60s. Athol Guy did many of the introductions, telling little stories of their success. They are clearly very proud of what they achieved in those days, and lots of famous names were mentioned. For me the most impressive clip was taken from the NME Poll Winners concert, which was held at Wembley Empire Pool in 1966. The Seekers shared the bill with, among others, The Beatles; who were shown playing “I Feel Fine”; and the Stones; who were shown playing “The Last Time”. The Seekers were then introduced as “a new act who are playing their brand new single”; cue the group launching into “A World Of Our Own”. Another clip showed the band back in the 60s joking about whether they would still be together in 50 years time and then cutting to a shot of what they might look like if they were; and showing each member with grey hair, an ear trumpet, a bath chair; etc. You get the idea.
I usually learn something new about the band when I go to a concert, and last night was no exception. I’d hadn’t realised how many people The Seekers had worked with; that they had written “Red Rubber Ball” with Paul Simon, and that they were friendly with Tom Paxton (sue “Last Thing on my Mind”). I sort of knew, but had forgotten, that most of their big hits were written by Tom Springfield of the Springfields, and brother of Dusty. And did you know that Tom Springfield wrote “Georgy Girl” with Carry On actor Jim Dale? Or that Bruce Woodley of the band wrote “I am Australian” which has joined “the ranks of other patriotic songs considered as alternatives to the Australian national anthem…is commonly taught in primary schools (Wikipedia)?
They played all the hits, keeping “Georgy Girl” to the end, and encoring with “The Carnival is Over”. I still can’t get away with the happy clappy gospel songs and cringed in my seat during those parts of the show, but I was also swept away with the nostalgia and emotion of hearing them play “I’ll Never Find Another You”, “A World of Our Own” and “Georgy Girl”. Oh and they didn’t play “Island of Dreams” (although the song was played over the PA during the interval (try the ginger ice cream)).
My final mention has to go to Judith Durham. I’ve seen many artists from the 60s in recent years. Some of them are ok, and some are shadows of their past selves. In many cases their voices have mellowed, changed, and they often can’t hit the notes in the same way as they could. Of all of them, this was the strongest vocal performance I have seen. Judith’s voice is as pure and clear as it ever has been.
An enjoyable evening. I thought I would be the youngest person there, but actually I wasn’t; the audience consisted of all ages, from young to old. It was of course very respectable, and I have to say, pretty uncool; I suppose. But then who is to say what is “cool”. My ears aren’t ringing this morning, and I wasn’t in fear of my life in any way last night, so maybe uncoolness is ok in some ways 🙂
Back to some rock bands for my writings for the rest of the week.
Setlist.
Set 1. Come the Day; I’ll Never Find Another You; A World of Our Own; Love Is Kind, Love Is Wine; The Water Is Wide; When Will the Good Apples Fall; Silver Threads And Golden Needles; Colours of My Life; Morningtown Ride; Just a Closer Walk With Thee; Myra; I Am Australian; Medley: This Little Light Of Mine/Open Up Them Pearly Gates/We Shall Not Be Moved.
Set 2. Someday One Day; When the Stars Begin to Fall; The Last Thing on My Mind; You’re My Spirit; Walk With Me; Guardian Angel/Guiding Light (Keith Potger solo); Louisiana Man (Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley & Athol Guy); The Olive Tree (Judith Durham solo); Red Rubber Ball; Georgy Girl; Keep a Dream in Your Pocket.
Encore: The Carnival Is Over.
12 Apr
Gerry Rafferty Newcastle City Hall 9th April 1980
Gerry Rafferty Newcastle City Hall 9th April 1980
Two years and two albums later, Gerry Rafferty was out on tour again in the UK. I saw him when the tour called at Newcastle City Hall. The massive success of Rafferty’s “City to City” album was followed by “Night Owl” in 1979, and “Snakes and Ladders” in 1980. The title track from “Night Owl” made the UK top ten, and the album also include the hit “Get It Right Next Time”. The set consisted of his hits and tracks from his four solo albums, and was another enjoyable evening spent with a musical craftsman. Support came from Richard and Linda Thompson. Richard Thompson had played on the “Night Owl” album, and Rafferty personally financed the husband and wife duo’s next album, and helped look for a record deal for them. This was not successful, although several of the songs were later re-recorded and appeared on the critically acclaimed “Shoot Out The Lights” album. Rafferty was a craftsman and a perfectionist; that can be seen in his recorded output, and was also evident in his live concerts which showcased the unique way in which the singer songwriter successfully blended pop and folk rock. 
However, fame and live performance did not sit well with Gerry Rafferty. He found the linkage between success and celebrity difficult to handle and his live performances were few and far between after his 1980 tour. The appearance of “Stuck in the Middle with You” in Tarantino’s 1992 film Reservoir Dogs brought Rafferty and his music back into the public eye and introduced a new generation of fans to the song.
Gerry Rafferty sadly passed away on 4th January 2011. His passing was marked by tributes from across the music industry, and a re-evaluation of the massive impact of his songs and the richness of his musical legacy.
11 Apr
Gerry Rafferty Newcastle City Hall 8th June 1978
Gerry Rafferty Newcastle City Hall 8th June 1978
The song “Baker Street” seemed to be playing everywhere I went in early 1978. It certainly propelled Gerry Rafferty from what seemed to be nowhere to massive stardom within the period of a month or so. Now he hadn’t come from nowhere, and I had of course heard of Gerry Rafferty before that. I knew of his collaboration with Billy Connolly in the folk duo Humblembums, and I was familiar with Stealers Wheel through the big hit “Stuck in the Middle with You”. In fact, I once saw Stealers Wheel live. It was around the time that “Stuck in the Middle” was in the charts. This was at a concert at Sunderland Polytechnic Wearmouth Hall. However, I am pretty sure that it was during the period when Gerry Rafferty was not in the band. He left Stealers Wheel during 1973 and was replaced by Luther Grosvenor, after the guitarist left Spooky Tooth and before he became the crazy glam-king Ariel Bender in Mott the Hoople. The thing I remember most about that concert was just how loud the band were. Its hard to imagine it, given the nature of their music, but it was one of the loudest gigs I have ever been too. So loud that you couldn’t hear the music, and that you had to leave the hall to speak to anyone. The place was packed to the walls and Stealers Wheel were good, but it is the sheer volume of the gig which sticks in my mind to this day. Anyway, as I say, Gerry Rafferty wasn’t in the band that night, so apologies for the ramblings and back to the point of this post.
At first Rafferty wasn’t keen to tour off the back of the “City to City” album, but as a result of the massive impact of the single “Baker Street” he agreed to do so, and a touring band, based on the musicians who accompanied him on the album, was put together. The UK tour sold out immediately, although most of the people there will only have been familiar with the hit single. Support came from Scottish folk singer Rab Noakes. The set consisted of the “City to City” album, and a few songs from Gerry’s earlier solo albums. I am pretty sure that he didn’t play “Stuck in the Middle”. The music was perfect with a certain groove that all of Rafferty’s songs seem to have; when you hear Gerry’s soft, calm vocals you just know it is him. I recall going along only really knowing “Baker Street” and coming away converted; quite a fan of his music.
Gerry’s band for the tour were Julian Litman (guitar), Tommy Eyre (keyboards), Jeff Bannister (keyboards), Raphael Ravenscroft (sax and famous “Baker Street” solo), Gary Taylor (bass) and Liam Genockey (drums). Musical production and tour direction was provided by Hugh Murphy who had also worked with Rafferty on “City to City”.
Following the “City to City” theme the programme gave us a short quirky snippet about each city that the tour called at. For Newcastle it says: “…juts outside which there is a village with the charming name of Staindrop, and a rare breeed of wild white cattle – which are not albinos but a pure strain dating back to the Ice Age.”
I saw Gerry Rafferty once more in concert, a couple of years later, and I will write about that tomorrow.
2 Mar
Classic Legends of Rock and Folk Newcastle City Hall 1st March 2014
Classic Legends of Rock and Folk Newcastle City Hall 1st March 2014
Martin Turner plays the music of Wishbone Ash
Curved Air
Strawbs
So the Classic Legends of Rock (and Folk) came to The City Hall, the spiritual home of rock in the North East of England. This was an evening of mixed emotions for me. I’ve seen all of these bands headline the City Hall to packed houses. It was great to see them back on the big City Hall stage again, but also a little sad to see such a small crowd (I would guess there were a few hundred people there) which filled the front part of the stalls (the circle wasn’t open). So I enjoyed seeing the bands perform last night, but the memories of 40 years ago, when I stood in a capacity crowd cheering and singing along to “Blowin’ Free” (or on even earlier tours “Jailbait”), “Back Street Luv” or “Lay Down” are forever etched in my mind, and bring back memories of just how great all these acts were; back in those days which are now beginning to seem such a long time ago (which is because it was a long time ago 🙂 ). Anyway, back to the show.
Strawbs were on stage when I arrived just after the advertised start time of 7.30pm. This was the three piece acoustic version, which features David Cousins, Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk, all of whom have been with the band since 1973, and in Cousins’ case from the very start. Their short 30 minute set featured (among a few others songs) the excellent “Hangman and the Papist” (Cousins commented on the fact that old band-mate Rick Wakeman is coming to the City Hall soon, and recalled how they played this track on Top of the Pops during a period when the show featured a regular “album spot”), “Ghosts” and finished with the hit single “Lay Down”. A few minutes to change the gear and Curved Air appeared on stage. The first track was instrumental, with Sonja Kristina joining the band for “It Happened Today”. The latest version of Curved Air features Sonja (vocals), fellow original member Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drums), Kirby Gregory (guitar), Paul Sax (violin), Chris Harris (bass) and Robert Norton (keyboards). We were treated to the beautiful “Melinda (More or Less)” (a favourite of mine), a couple of new songs, a shortened “Vivaldi” and closer “Back Street Luv”. They were on stage for around an hour.
After a short break, Martin Turner and his band took to the stage. Those of us who follow both Martin’s band and Wishbone Ash (featuring Andy Powell) will know that the outcome of a recent court case means that Martin is no longer allowed to use the name Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash and is hence now touring as Martin Turner plays the music of Wishbone Ash. I’ve seen both bands several times over the past few years; Martin in particular has been touring a lot. Because of this I wasn’t really too bothered about staying for their set; I’d come more to see Curved Air. As it happened, I was really impressed by Martin and his band last night, and staying through to the encore of “Blowin’ Free”. He has assembled a line-up which faithfully recreates the music of classic ’70s Wishbone Ash with himself as front man, vocals and bass; Ray Hatfield and Danny Wilson having the unenviable task of reproducing the twin-guitar sound, which they do amazingly well, and Tim Wilson on drums. The set included well-known Wishbone Ash songs such as “King Will Come”, “Warrior” and “Pheonix” alongside less often played tracks like “Lullaby” from the “Pilgrimage” album and Laurie Wisefield’s “Goodbye Baby Hello Friend”. A great set with a nice mix of songs; Martin and his band deserved headline status last night.
Looking back this morning on the concert last night, I enjoyed seeing all those classic songs performed again, but for me the evening was tinged with a little sadness and a wish that I could turn the clock back and relive the concerts of the early ’70s. Never mind; I’ve just watched “Hangman and the Papist” from Top of the Pops 1971 on YouTube; powerful; amazing stuff; Cousins is wearing a great coat 🙂 .
Is it really 43 years ago..? I couldn’t print my e-ticket at home then.
“Who will be the hangman in the dawn?”
3 Feb
Tom Paxton Newcastle City Hall 5th November 1974
Tom Paxton Newcastle City Hall 5th November 1974
I’ve only seen Tom Paxton once, but really enjoyed it. It was at a concert at Newcastle City Hall in 1974, and (to my shame) the only song which was familiar to me was “Last Thing on my Mind”. Tom held the audience entranced for an hour or two with songs and stories which mixed politics, sadness and humour. Tom continues to perform continuously and visits the region every year or so. His next tour sees him joined by Janis Ian, which should make for a great evening. 
My 1974 tour programme includes some quotes from the UK press about Tom’s visits to this country: “Tom Paxton’s business is communication and he is a master of it. There can be few folk singers or groups who haven’t used some of his songs. His writing is spontaneous but he doesn’t rush it. …I’d wait until morning and it is was still there I’d go to work on it” (New Spotlight)…”A Paxton happening cannot be called a concert. A more apt label would be “An Evening with Tom Paxton” [Note: that’s exactly what my ticket says:) ].. As he sings and strums, more beautifully as the tour rolls by, all aspects of life are reflected and expressed in his lyrics.” (Lancashire Evening Post)…..”Singer, composer, Tom Paxton, perhaps one of the most relaxed of all the Americans who come to these shores” (Evening Times, Glasgow).
2 Feb
The Reading Festival 23rd – 25th August 1974
The Reading Festival 23rd – 25th August 1974
This was my third visit to the Reading Festival; I felt I was a seasoned festival goer 🙂 . By now a large crew of local people were going to the festival, so there were lots of mates there, and we spent much of the weekend in the pubs in town, and down near the Caversham Bridge; particularly The Griffin. We would nip back to the festival site to catch the bands we wanted to see. The line-up in 1974 wasn’t particularly strong in comparison to the previous couple of years, and quite a few bands who had been advertised didn’t show (notably Eric Burdon, Ronnie Lane and Blodwyn Pig, all of whom I was looking forward to seeing). The Friday line-up was : Nutz, Johnny Mars, Hustler, Beckett, Camel, 10c, Fumble, Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
The first night of the festival saw the triumphant headlining return of the Alex Harvey band, who lived up to their name and were truly sensational. SAHB had appeared low down on the bill the previous year; there will have been many in the crowd who saw that performance, and knew how good they were. Johnny Mars and his Sunflower Blues Band gigged a lot in the early 70s; they played traditional blues; I remember seeing them at Sunderland Poly a few times; pretty good too. Fumble were a rock’roll revival band who also gigged a lot. Beckett were local North East heroes, featuring singer Terry Slesser. The SAHB setlist was something like this: Faith Healer; Midnight Moses; Can’t Get Enough; Give My Regards To Sergeant Fury; The Return of Vambo; The Man in the Jar; Money Honey; The Impossible Dream; Schools Out; Framed.
Saturday line-up: Jack the Lad, G T Moore and the Reggae Guitars, Trapeze, Sutherland Brothers, JSD Band, Procol Harum, Thin Lizzy, Long John Baldry, Heavy Metal Kids, Greenslade, Georgie Fame, Traffic.
Two bands stick in my mind from Saturday: Thin Lizzy who were excellent, and about to break through a year or so later, and Traffic. This was the classic Lizzy line-up featuring front-man Phil Lynott, the twin guitars of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, and Brian Downey on drums; at the time of the Nightlife album; they were at the top of their game. Traffic were excellent. They had just released their album When the Eagle Flies, and their set at Reading featured a few songs from that album, plus some old classics. The line-up at the time was Steve Winwood (guitar, vocals, keyboards); Chris Wood (flute, sax); Jim Capaldi (drums, vocals); Rosko Gee (bass); Rebop (percussion). Stand-outs were Steve singing John Barleycorn, simple and beautiful with acoustic guitar, and Rebop’s congas and percussion throughout. I found a published setlist for Traffic, which shows they played: Empty Pages; Graveyard People; Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring; John Barleycorn; 40,000 Headmen; Love; When the Eagle Flies; Walking in the Wind; Dream Gerrard. I also have it in my mind that they performed Feelin’ Alright, but maybe that’s my memory playing tricks again. Also worthy of mention are Procol Harum (great version of Whiter Shade of Pale and a big success during the late afternoon), the late great Long John Baldry (excellent voice and a hero of mine), Heavy Metal Kids (the late Gary Holton as crazy and manic as ever), and Georgie Fame who seemed a bit out of place as part of the Saturday night line-up, but carried on the jazz and R’n’B tradition of the festival and went down pretty well.
Sunday Line-up: Gary Farr, Chilli Willi and the Red Hod Peppers, Esparanto, Strider, Barclay James Harvest, Chapman & Whitney Streetwalkers, Kevin Coyne, George Melly, Winkies, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Harvey Andrews, Focus.
My main memories of the final day are of Steve Harley. Cockney Rebel had split a few months before the festival, and this one of Steve’s first appearances with his new band. They stole the show; appearing just as it was getting dark; the audience was with Steve from the start, and the performance was a triumph. Tumbling Down closed the set with a mass crowd singalong of “Oh dear, look what they’ve done to the blues, blues, blues”. It was clear that Steve was back, as cocky as ever; 1975 would bring him massive success with Make Me Smile.
I also remember watching Kevin Coyne (Marjory Razorblade), George Melly (a return after his success the previous year) and Focus who closed the show, and were also great, but seemed a little of anti-climax after Steve Harley’s performance.
DJs for the weekend were John Peel and Jerry Floyd. Oh and there were lots of cheers of “Wally”, “John Peels a c**t” (not sure how that one started), and a revolt at the prices of food in the arena, which resulted in a fish and chip van being trashed. Crazy, happy days.
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