The Exploited Middlesbrough Town Hall 1981
This gig was in Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt, which is a small hall underneath the main hall. The Exploited came out of Scotland, enthused by the music of the Sex Pistols and The Clash, and developed their own style of hardcore, fast punk rock, with highly political lyrics. This gig was in their early days, at the time of their Punks Not Dead album. It was a strange gig, as singer Watty was not well so guitarist Big John asked if any of us could sing and knew the lyrics. A member of the crowd got up on stage, and he and Big John shared vocals for the show. The Exploited released a live album around this time, I’ve included the track list here to show their setlist of the period: Cop Cars; Crashed Out; Dole Q; Dogs Of War; Army Life; Out Of Control; Ripper; F*** The Mods; Exploited Barmy Army; Royalty; S.P.G.; Sex And Violence; Punks Not Dead; I Believe In Anarchy.
Posts Tagged ‘gig’
30 Oct
The Exploited Middlesbrough Town Hall 1981
29 Oct
Echo and the Bunnymen in concert 1981 – 1984
Echo and the Bunnymen in concert 1981 – 1984
The Bunnymen crept up on me in the late 70s and early 80s. There seemed a refreshing change from punk, providing a more melodic alternative to the fast trash of many other bands of the period. I saw them a few times in concert in the early 80s, each time at Newcastle City Hall. All of those gigs were enjoyable experiences, and by 1984 they had some really great songs. I especially liked The Cutter in concert, and The Killing Moon and Seven Seas (Kissing the tortoise!) are also favourites. Ian McCulloch was super cool on stage; I’ve just been looking at some early videos on youtube which remind me just how great this band were. 
The Bunnymen blended punk and new wave with shades of psychedelia; they were very clearly fans of The Doors and would sometimes play Light My Fire or People Are Strange in concert. The last time I saw Echo and the Bunnymen was when they played a few songs at the opening concert for the Capital of Culture event at Liverpool Arena a few years ago. I really must make a point of going to see them again soon. 
Looking at the ticket stub for the 1982 gig, it seems that the show must have been postponed until 1983, although I don’t recall why. I can’t be sure which tour the programme pictured below comes from; it consists of a series of quite arty black and white photographs of the band, with no text at all; very cool! 
Setlist from 1983: Going Up; With a Hip; Gods Will be Gods; All That Jazz; The Cutter; Porcupine; In Bluer Skies; All My Colours (Zimbo); Rescue; Heaven up Here; Heads Will Roll; Crocodiles; Over the Wall; Do It Clean
28 Oct
David Essex in concert 1976 and 1977
David Essex in concert 1976 and 1977
I guess its not cool to admit a liking for David Essex on a blog named vintagerock, so this should probably rate as a guilty pleasure.
I first went to see David Essex at Newcastle City Hall in 1976 along with one of my mates. But before I write about David Essex I will set out my memories of the rest of that day, which relates to another teen idol of the 70s. I spent most of that day queueing outside the City Hall for Rod Stewart tickets, The queue was massive and Marie and I stood for hours, only to be turned away when the shows sold out. That was some feat, as Rod was booked for four nights at the venue, which shows just how popular he was at that time. This was his first solo tour, around the time that Sailing was a massive hit. My mate also fancied seeing Rod and he had also queued unsuccessfully. 
So we both arrived at the City Hall somewhat disappointed that we hadn’t scored tickets. Still we were looking forward to seeing David Essex. I don’t give up easily where tickets are concerned, so as soon as I arrived at the City Hall I went straight to the box office, just on the off chance, and enquired about Rod Stewart tickets. To our surprise and delight, the lady in the box office told me that a couple of single tickets had been left unsold by mistake. They were for different nights, and not particularly good seats, but we took them anyway. This cheered us up a lot for the David Essex show.
I recall us feeling a bit awkward at the David Essex gig, as the place was packed with screaming girls, and we were definitely in the minority. We went to the early 6pm show, and had seats up in the balcony. David had hit the charts several times by this time, including two number ones: Hold Me Close, and I’m Going to Make You a Star. I had also seen him in the movies That’ll Be The Day and Stardust, in which he gave two great performances. The concert was a fun experience, with lots of hits, a great atmosphere and some great pop songs. 
The following year David Essex toured again, and called at Sunderland Empire. This time I went along to the concert by myself, largely to see the support act the Alessi Brothers (or simply “Alessi”), a duo of American identical twins, who had a UK hit at the time with the single Oh Lori, and which I was quite taken with. I bought a cheap seat up in the gallery, at the top of the theatre, and made sure that I got in early to see Alessi. And pretty good they were too. I will probably have the ticket stub for that concert somewhere, but the Empire didn’t print the name of the act on the tickets in those days, so unless you know the date of the concert, working out which ticket is for which gig is tricky. David Essex was once again fun, and ran through all his hits. 
It was 28 years until I saw David Essex in concert again, on a Once in a Lifetime bill with David Cassidy at Newcastle Arena; a gig which I have already blogged about.
Postcript: I managed to find the ticket for the Empire gig. By process of elimination it has to be this one, which I have just scanned and added to this post.
27 Oct
Electric Light Orchestra gigs 1972 – 1976
Electric Light Orchestra gigs in the 70s
I first saw ELO at the Reading Festival in 1972. This was their first gig after the departure on Roy Wood. Roy was also on the bill with his new band Wizzard. At the time ELO were an intriguing mix of prog/psychedlia, orchestral/classical music and rock n roll. The only song I really knew was 10358 overture, which I loved at the time. I then saw them a few times at gigs in the North East. I remember one gig as part of the Harvestmobile tour, where they shared the bill with Babe Ruth and Spontaneous Combustion at Sunderland Top Rank. I also have a vague memory of seeing them play on the same bill as Status Quo in the same venue, but can’t be certain of that. ELO gigged a lot in the early 70s and started to build up a strong following. 
The set was drawn from their first album with a cover of two included. I recall them playing a great version of The Beatles Day Tripper, Jeff Lynne showing his obvious Beatles influences. I also remember Hall of the Mountain King as a stage favourite at the time. The encore would always be Roll Over Beethoven. I first was ELO at Newcastle City Hall in 1972. The gig was not particularly well attended as I recall, but the band impressed the crowd. By the time I saw them again at the City Hall in 1976, ELO had hit the charts on a few more occasions and were on the verge of greater success. By this time they also had a few albums under their belt, the programme of the time promotes the Face The Music album. 
Support came from fellow Brummies, The Steve Gibbons, who I have blogged on separately. I recall this as being a great gig, by then ELO had built up a strong set. A favourite of mine at the time was Do Ya, partly because I remembered it as the B side of The Move’s California Man. This was the last time I saw ELO; I didn’t go to any of their mega concerts with the spaceship, although one of mates did, and was hugely impressed. Whether we will ever see Jeff Lynne take ELO out on the road again, who knows. I for one would be in the queue to see them, if he ever does. Setlist from 1976: Fire on High; Poker; Nightrider; Ocean Breakup / King of the Universe; Oh No Not Susan; Bluebird Is Dead; New World Rising / Ocean Breakup Reprise; Showdown; Eldorado Overture; Can’t Get It Out of My Head; Poor Boy (The Greenwood); Illusions in G Major; Eldorado; Eldorado Finale; Violin Solo; Strange Magic; 10538 Overture / Do Ya; Evil Woman; Ma-Ma-Ma Belle. Encore: Roll Over Beethoven
25 Oct
Dave Edmunds Redcar Bowl 1977 and Newcastle City Hall 1979
Dave Edmunds Redcar Bowl 1977 and Newcastle City Hall 1979
When I was a young kid, I was just amazed by a version of “Sabre Dance” by a band called Love Sculpture. I tried and tried (and failed) to learn the guitar part, which was super fast and very difficult to copy. I watched the guitarist on Top of the Pops, me eyes glued to his fingers running up and down the fretboard. At the time I didn’t realise that the guitarist was Dave Edmunds. The next time I heard of Dave Edmunds was when I Hear you Knocking was a massive hits and was played at all of the school dances at the time. 
Roll on 7 years or so, and I finally got to see Dave Edmunds in concert, fronting his band Rockpile along with Nick Lowe on bass, Billy Bremner on guitar, and Terry Williams on drums. Dave Edmunds is often called the Welsh Wizard, and he sure is a wizard of rocn ‘n roll, and Rockpile were one great rock band. They had some great songs: Here Comes the Weekend, I knew the Bride, Girls Talk, Queen of Hearts, and they all seemed so cool at the time. I recall the Redcar Coatham Bowl gig well. 
I went with my mate Will and we were standing right at the front, a few feet away from Dave and Nick. I can’t remember much about the City Hall gig, but I’m sure that it was also good fun. I found a weblink which suggests that Lew Lewis was support for that 1979 tour. But my favourite is still I Hear You Knocking, which takes me back to those school dances…..Postcript. I just found a programmme from the City Hall gig, which I’d forgotten I had. It confirms that Lew Lewis was the support act. Lew was a friend of the Feelgoods and a member of Eddie and the Hot Rods in their early days. The programme advertises the latest albums by both Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe.
24 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 12 April 2007
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 12 April 2007
This was the the most recent gig by Bob Dylan at Newcastle Arena, and my last posting on Bob for now. Although I have seen him since 2007 (two gigs; both in Scotland; one in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow) I have already blogged on those concert experiences. David and I went to this gig and had good seats in the fourth row. The big suprise of the evening was an excellent version of House of the Rising Sun, which of course features on Dylan’s first album. He presumably did so in tribute to The Animals, and because he was plaing in their home town. Great stuff, and worth the entrance price for that song alone. 
From The Journal: “Rock legend Bob Dylan is thought to have acknowledged a 40-year-old debt to Tyneside band The Animals when he played in Newcastle this week. The singer-songwriter thrilled thousands of North-East fans when he played a version of House of the Rising Sun at the Metro Radio Arena on Thursday night. Dylan had recorded a version of the traditional folk song for his debut album in 1962, only to see The Animals score a massive hit both in Britain and America when they released a rock ‘n’ roll version of it two years later.” Setlist: Cat´s in the well; House of the rising sun; Watching the river flow; It´s alright, ma (I´m only bleeding); The levee´s gonna break; When deal goes down; I don´t believe you (She acts like we never have met); Masters of war; Rollin´n and tumblin´; Desolation row; Spirit on the water; Highway 61 revisited; Nettie Moore; Summer days; Like a rolling stone. Encore: Thunder on the mountain; All along the watchtower
23 Oct
Bob Dylan Manchester Arena 16 Nov 2005
Bob Dylan Manchester Arena 16 Nov 2005
David and I drove to Manchester and stayed in the Travelodge just up the road from the arena. We had floor seats about half way back the massive MEN, which is a vast venue. The place was packed and there was a definite buzz in the air; the crowd were really up for seeing Dylan, and he didn’t let them down. This was one of the best Dylan concerts that I have attended in recent years. Dylan spent much of the evening from behind the piano, as on the previous couple of times we’d seen him. 
His singing was much stronger and there was less evidence of the strange up-singing that had featured a lot in performances of that time. The whole arena sang along to Like A Rolling Stone. Highlights for me were I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight and Lay Lady Lay. Jack White was in the crowd and walked passed us just before Dylan took to the stage. Setlist: Maggie’s Farm; She Belongs To Me; Cry A While; Lay, Lady, Lay; Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine); Million Miles; Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again; I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight; Man In The Long Black Coat; Down Along The Cove; Girl Of The North Country (acoustic); Highway 61 Revisited; A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall; Summer Days. Encore: Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower.
22 Oct
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 22nd June 2004
Bob Dylan Newcastle Arena 22nd June 2004
I’ve got a couple more Dylan concerts to cover after this, and then I will have blogged on all of my Dylan concert experiences. I figured Dylan is of such legendary stature that I really need to say something about each time I have experienced him in concert, but to be honest I’m finding it difficult, as the concerts have started to blend together in my memory. This is particularly true of the Newcastle Arena gigs, as I’ve seen Bob 5 time at that venue. Anyway here goes: Dylan was back at Newcastle Arena in 2004. David and I had good seats, in the second row, but a little too much to the side. 
This was a classic Dylan concert, one of the best times I’ve seen him. He was singing great, and the sound was really clear. I remember that the highlight for me was This Wheels on Fire, which I hadn’t seen him sing before, and it was a truly great rendition of the song. Setlist: Seeing The Real You At Last; Tell Me That It Isn’t True; Lonesome Day Blues; Under The Red Sky; Cold Irons Bound; Ring Them Bells; Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum; This Wheel’s On Fire; Highway 61 Revisited; The Lonesome; Death Of Hattie Carroll; Bye And Bye; Honest With Me; Masters Of War; Summer Days; If Not For You; Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower
21 Oct
Bob Dylan Sheffield Arena 20 November 2003
Bob Dylan Sheffield Arena 20 November 2003
David and I drove down to Sheffield to see Dylan on this cold autumn evening in 2003. David was studying in Leeds at the time so I picked him up first. We got stuck in a massive traffic jam between Leeds and Sheffield and arrived at the venue just a few minutes before Dylan came on stage. We were meeting David’s friend Joel at the venue, as he was studying in the city; we quickly met up and then took our seats. We were sitting in the upper tier to the side, quite far away from the stage, so Bob was a small dot so far away from us. 
Dylan was playing a lot of piano during that period, and spend most of the show behind the keyboards. This was an ok performance by Bob, but his voice wasn’t strong and the sound mix was pretty murky. Dylan was still suffering from a throat infection, which has forced him to cancel a gig in Ireland a few days earlier. However we all enjoyed the event and seeing Dylan. David and I spent the night in a Travelodge near the venue and drove back the next morning. Setlist: Maggie’s Farm; It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue; Cry A While; Desolation Row; It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding); Girl Of The North Country; Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum; Man In The Long Black Coat; Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again; Highway 61 Revisited; Every Grain Of Sand; Honest With Me; The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll; Summer Days. Encore: Cat’s In The Well; Like A Rolling Stone; All Along The Watchtower
20 Oct
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Fibbers York 19 Oct 2012
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Fibbers York 19 Oct 2012
Laura had expressed interest in seeing veteran psych crazy guy Arthur Brown, so last night we took a trip to York to see our hero perform in all his splendour at Fibbers Club. The current Arthur Brown show returns to the “Crazy World of” moniker and concept, and thus focusses on his early material, drawing heavily from the 1968 album of the same name. Arthur has put together a band of young musicians who authentically replicate the 60s sound, with swirling keyboards reminiscent of the late great Vincent Crane (courtesy of Lucyy Rejchrtova), and lots of fuzz and wahwah guitar (from Nona Gromniak). Jim Mortimer is on bass, and was also introduced as the musical director of Arthur’s latest project, and on drums is Samuel Walker. Arthur was accompanied at the front of stage by dancer Angel Fallon, who wore a series of bright different costumes throughout the show. We arrived around 8pm and said hello to Charlie who was doing the sound. The set was a mix of covers (Kites, Green Manalishi) and tracks from the early days (Devils Grip, Spontaneous Apple Creation, I Put a Spell on You). Quite a few of the other songs in the set sounded familiar to me, but I’m not able to put a name to them. Arthur was as manic as ever and in good spirits, having a bit chat to us all, and indulging in some crazy, silly dancing. The new show is very theatrical and Arthur and the band have obviously put a lot into creating it. It features lots of costume changes, and great dance routines between Arthur and Angel. The band took to the stage wearing quite spooky bird masks with massive beaks, which set the tone for a quite dark night. The set ended with Fire with Arthur going mad, and Angel in a splendid costume with a massive silver cape and a large crown-like hat. Arthur’s voice is really strong, with screaming very much in evidence; not bad for a guy who entered his 7oth year in 2012. The encore was a super version of The Animals’ Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. The crowd loved it, as did Laura and I. Support act The Moulettes are worth a special mention. They were very different and quite unexpected, playing acoustic instruments: violin, cello, autoharp, bassoon; their music being a blend of folk and elizabethan. They reminded me a little of Blackmore’s night, and are certainly worth watching out for. Apologies for the grainy photo, I am really going to have to practice using my iphone camera.
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