Michael Schenker Newcastle City Hall 30th November 1982
I get the impression that the mad axe man was probably not the easiest guy to work with. Come 1982 and vocalist Gary Barden was out of the MSG, to be replaced by ex Marbles and Rainbow front man Graham Bonnet, he of the powerful voice with an amazing range. On top of that drummer Cozy Powell and Schenker’s UFO mate Paul Raymond were also off. A new album “Assault Attack” was recorded and released and a tour followed soon after. However by the time the tour started Graham Bonnet was gone, and the vocal spot was refilled by Gary Barden. What was happening! I was looking forward to seeing Schenker and Bonnet together; now that would have been some gig. The rest of the line-up was Chriss Glenn on bass (aha someone stayed constant) and his SAHB pal Ted McKenna on drums.
The tour called at Newcastle City Hall on 30th November 1982, and it was another good concert, even if we didn’t get the chance to see Graham Bonnet. Less UFO songs this time around, but we still got “Doctor Doctor” 🙂
An audience recording exists; I found this comment about the gig on the Live Rock Avenue blog spot: “Assault Attack tour but no Graham bonnet, unfortunately. Assault attack was a masterpiece, on the same level of the first two studio album but rawer,harder, heavier, bluesier…Barden’s abilities weren’t the same as Bonnet’s. Assault attack, Dancer, Samurai, Broken promises were left out of the set list due to Barden’s inabilities. However a great concert. Also Looking for love was played!”
Setlist: Ulcer; Cry for the nations; Attack of the mad axeman; Rock you to the ground; Bijou Pleasurette; Victim of illusion; Into the arena; Desert song; Curvoisier Concerto; Lost horizon; Let sleeping dogs lie; We are looking for love;,Armed and ready; Doctor doctor; Ready to rock; Rock Bottom
This was the last time I saw Michael Schenker, which is a mistake on my part. Another one to add to my list of people to see again. I see he is touring again in December….
Posts Tagged ‘gig’
20 Jun
Michael Schenker Newcastle City Hall 2nd Oct 1980 and 4th Sep 1981
Michael Schenker Newcastle City Hall 1980 and 1981
Michael Schenker was (and still is) a true guitar legend. Back in the mid 70s, Shenker was the man. Great rock attitude, a reputation for being a pretty wild guy, great screeching riffs, fast fingers up and down the neck of his Flying V, a little bit flashy, so skinny, and amazing long blonde hair. I saw him many times with UFO right back from the early days when they used to play quite regularly at Sunderland Mecca. I would stand on the dance floor transfixed by Schenker’s playing, and had a few mates who swore down that he was the best guitarist at the time. “Doctor Doctor” was of course a big favourite of all of us, and the dance floor would always fill when it was played. Then around 1978, shock horror, Schenker announced that he was leaving UFO. He was becoming known for drug and drink excess, for being unreliable, disappearing for spells. The usual tale of a young guy (he was only 17 when he joined UFO) and too much too soon. However it seemed that he soon got his act together and that by 1980 he was of sufficient stature to lead his own band, and to go out and headline his own tour. Schenker set about assembling a band of top rate musicians. By 1981 his band included Schenker on his signature Gibson Flying V lead guitar, newcomer and Schenker discovery Gary Barden on vocals, ex SAHB Chris Glen on bass, his old UFO pall Paul Raymond on keyboards and rhythm guitar, and powerhouse drum supremo Cozy Powell.
I saw Schenker on his 1980 tour, in support of his first solo album “The Michael Schenker Group, when he called at Newcastle City Hall on 2nd October 1980 and at the same venue again on 4th September 1981 when he played in support of his second solo lp “MSG”. Both shows were opportunities for Schenker to show us what virtuoso rock guitar playing is all about. The set featured a mix of his new solo stuff and UFO favourites like “Rock Bottom”, “Shoot Shoot”, “Lights Out” and of course “Doctor Doctor”, which, for me, is one of the great classic rock songs, and a track that I play to this day.
Setlist from the Hammersmith Odeon gig of the same tour: Armed and Ready; Cry for the Nations; Victim of Illusion; Natural Thing; Feels Like a Good Thing; Into the Arena; Looking Out from Nowhere; Rock Bottom; Tales of Mystery; Lost Horizons; Shoot Shoot; Doctor Doctor; Lights Out
From the 1981 tour programme:
“The Mad Axe Man is Back.”
“Is it Loud Enough?”
I just have to hear the first few bars of “Doctor Doctor” with that magnificent swirling guitar, and I’m back on that dance floor again – just to the right of the plastic palm tree 🙂
“Doctor doctor, please…..
Oh, the mess I’m in
Doctor doctor, please…oh, the mess I’m in
She walked up to me and really stole my heart
And then she started to take my body apart
Livin’ lovin’ I’m on the run
So far away from you
Livin’ lovin’ I’m on the run
So far away from you”
(Schenker and Mogg, 1974)
Wow is that song really 40 years old ? 🙂
It all seems like yesterday…..so recent, and yet so long ago
19 Jun
Joe Satriani Newcastle City Hall 29th May 1990
Joe Satriani Newcastle City Hall 29th May 1990
Joe Satriani was inspired to pick up the guitar at age 14 when he learnt of the death of Jimi Hendrix and is “one of the most technically accomplished and widely respected guitarists to emerge in recent times.” (Greg Pato, AllMusic bio). A group of us went to see Joe Satriani when he appeared at Newcastle City Hall in 1990, shortly after he had released his highly successful third album “Flying In A Blue Dream”. I recall a set of super ace virtuoso guitar work, largely instrumental, although I believe Joe did sing on a couple of numbers. His work is heavily influenced by themes from science fiction with titles like “Surfing with the Alien” and “The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing”. “When he was just a little-biddy boy, ace widdlist Joe Satriani used to have weird dreams, dreams where he was flying around in “this blue colour” which coulda been “sky or space or water”. Hmmm, weird huh? But wait, it gets weirder… he’s still having them, has a new LP out called Flying In A Blue Dream featuring ‘The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing’ ” (Steffan Chirazi, Kerrang!, 1989)
18 Jun
Skid Row Whitley Bay Ice Rink 15th Nov 1991
Skid Row Whitley Bay Ice Rink 15th Nov 1991
Support from Love / Hate
I often learn something new when I do a blog entry. I already knew, of course, that Skid Row had been an Irish Rick band of the early 70s featuring Gary Moore and Brush Sheils (and later Tonka Chapman). And I also knew that the US Skid Row was a very different, heavy rock, band who were big during the late 80s and early 90s. What I didn’t realise until today (thanks to Wikipedia) is that the latter band had connections with Jon Bon Jovi and that “reportedly, Jon Bon Jovi asked Gary Moore – guitarist with late ’60s Irish rock group Skid Row – to sell the rights to the name for $35,000.”
I took Ashleigh and her friend to see Skid Row at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in 1991. They were big fans while, to be honest, I knew little by the band. I lurked at the back of the hall while Ashleigh and her mate joined the mosh down front. Ths tour was at the time of Skid Row’s second album “Slave to the Grind”, which “marked the band’s move towards a heavier sound. The lyrics were more complex, criticizing modern ways of life, authority, politics, drugs, and organized religion, among other topics.” (Wikipedia). The line-up of the band at the time was Rob Affuso on drums; Sebastian Bach on lead vocals; Rachel Bolan on bass, and guitarists Scotti Hill and Dave “The Snake” Sabo.
Setlist: Slave to the Grind; Big Guns; Here I Am; Makin’ a Mess; 18 and Life; Piece of Me; Sweet Little Sister; Psycho Therapy; Wasted Time; Psycho Love; Mudkicker; Midnight / Tornado; Quicksand Jesus; Get the **** Out; Monkey Business; Riot Act; Train Kept A-Rollin; Youth Gone Wild
17 Jun
The Stiff Tour 1977 Middlesbrough Town Hall
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
16 Jun
Sex Gang Children Dingwalls Newcastle 1983?
Sex Gang Children Dingwalls Newcastle 1983?
Sex Gang Children were an early goth, post-punk band that formed in the early 80s, and were one of the more well-known bands of the “Batcave” scene. The “Batcave” was a night club in London at the time, which is often credited with being one of the places out of which “goth” grew. Sex Gang Children were fronted by Andi Sex Gang on vocals. I remember them as a very dark (of course) band, with dramatic songs, heavy bass and tribal drumming. This gig was probably in 1983, around the time that Sex Gang Children released their only studio album “Song and Legend” which made the top of the UK Indie Chart and contained the single “Sebastiane”.
Their setlist of the time was something like this: Cannibal Queen; German Nun; State of Mind; Draconian Dream; Beasts; Kill Machine; Killer ‘K’; Dieche; Oh Funny Man; Sebastiane; Song and Legend. Encore: The Crack Up
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 🙂
14 Jun
Split Enz Redcar Coatham Bowl September 1976
Split Enz Redcar Coatham Bowl September 1976
Split Enz were one of the most successful New Zealand musical acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the forerunner of Crowded House, in that the band featured Tim Finn and later Neil Finn, along with Phil Judd. I saw them only the once, at a gig at Redcar Coatham Bowl which took place in September or October 1976. Split Enz were on tour in the UK as support act for Lindisfarne spin-off Jack The Lad, however for some reason Jack The Lad couldn’t make this gig (I think one of the band was ill) so the gig went ahead with Split Enz headlining. A group of us went down to Redcar for the gig, as e often did on Sunday nights in the mid to late 70s. When we got there we were told that Jack The Lad wouldn’t be appearing but we chose to go into the gig anyway, as we were interested to see what Split Enz were link, having read about them in the music press.
These guys were quite weird with a very theatrical show, and heavy use of make-up. Their music was also quite unique; quite arty with lots of jerky melodies with hints of prog and pop. You could see influences from vaudeville, new wave in their music and the show.
“Split Enz is a strange band. They walk out on stage like a collection of clockwork scarecrows and their music is like a beserk mechanism. There are six musicians, a spoon player cum dancer and a sound effects guy. And everyone of ’em follows their own line of idiosyncratic action. Rhythms and melodies bounce off each other, collide, join hands, change partners – the show just about always teeters on the edge of total anarchy – and sometimes it falls off altogether.” (Anthony O’Grady, Rock Australia, 1975).
Split Enz had just released their second album “Second Thoughts” which was recorded in London with Roxy Music’s guitarist Phil Manzanera as producer. This was a follow up to the album “Mental Notes”, and four of the songs were reworked versions of songs from that debut album. Their set in 1976 will have been drawn from those two early albums. Split Enz hit the UK singles chart a few years later when “I Got You” made No. 12 in 1980.
13 Jun
The Stranglers Sunderland Manor Quay 27th August 2005
The Stranglers Sunderland Manor Quay 27th August 2005
The next time I saw The Stranglers was in 2005 at a gig at Sunderland Manor Quay, which at the time, belonged to the Students’ Union of University of Sunderland, although this was not a student gig. It was 20 years since I had last seen The Stranglers in concert, and 25 years since the band last played in Sunderland. This was quite an event for the city, and a home-coming for local guitarist Baz Warne who joined The Stranglers in 2000, so come the night the venue was packed with punks and rock fans, young and old. The Manor Quay has a long history of music. I first started going to see bands there in the 70s when it was the Boilermakers Workingmen’s Club, and recall seeing Son Of A Bitch there, who became Saxon. The club then became the Barbary Coast nightclub, and in the 80s I saw Screaming Lord Sutch, Bo Diddley and Lords of the New Church play there. Anyway; back to The Stranglers. It was great to see them live again, and the concert brought back loads of memories of happy days. Their set included many of the old classics, lots of which had been dropped from their live show when I last saw them perform back in the 80s. There was, of course, much beer bring thrown around, and lots of pushing and shoving on the dance floor, but all in good spirit. I took David, who also enjoyed it. Support came from local band The Golden Virgins.
The line-up of the band at the time was Jean-Jacques Burnel, Jet Black, Dave Greenfield, “new” singer Paul Roberts (who had actually been in the band 15 years by this time) and local lad Baz Warne on guitar. The Stranglers released their 15th studio album, Norfolk Coast, the year before and the set included quite a few songs from that album. Singer Paul Roberts left the band shortly afterwards, and Baz Warne took up vocal duties.
I’ve seen The Stranglers once since then, at Glastonbury a few years ago.
12 Jun
The Stranglers Newcastle City Hall 12th Feb 1983 and 18th Feb 1985
The Stranglers Newcastle City Hall 1983 and 1985
The Stranglers were back at the City Hall again in 1983 for the “Feline” tour and in 1985 for the “Aural Sculpture” tour.
“Feline” was the Sranglers’ seventh album and was released in January 1983. It did better than their previous album, “La Folie”, reaching No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. “Feline” produced three singles, the best known of which is “European Female” which reached No. 9 in the UK singles chart in January 1983.
“Aural Sculpture” was the Stranglers eighth album and reached No. 14 in the UK album chart in November 1984. Three singles were released from the album: “Skin Deep” (No. 15 in the UK Singles Chart), “No Mercy” (No. 37) and “Let Me Down Easy” (No. 48).
Although I still enjoyed both of these gigs, the material that they played live was becoming less and less familiar, and I must admit to finding some of the newer songs quite hard going at times. I particularly remember wondering whether to go to the 1985 concert at all, and deciding to do so at the last minute for “old times sake” and partly out of curiosity. I went along late and paid at the door, and found the City Hall far from full; a very different scenario to Stranglers gigs in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember being quite surprised to find the band accompanied by a brass section (now come on, what’s all about? Punk and brass?!). I was also intrigued by the large ear backdrop hanging behind the band.
Here is one guy’s memory which I found as part of a review of the “Aural Sculpture” album: “I remember going to the “Aural Sculpture” tour at the Preston Guild Hall… What was different was the addition of a brass section in the top left hand corner of the stage. When I bought the “Aural Sculpture” LP it came with a free single it was a long poem which ended with Hugh declaring “now i give you aural sculpture” [the single actually came free with the “Feline” lp. 
It is called the “Aural Sculpture Manifesto” and it was played before The Stranglers appeared on stage during concerts on both the 1983 “Feline” Tour and the 1985 “Aural Sculpture” Tour]…….I remember Hugh was wearing a long black leather coat and shades; all black of course.”
I must admit that I was beginning to lose faith in the band at this time, as I I did with many other bands of the period. Looking back I regret giving up on going to see many of those bands. At the time I was just getting tired of hearing a band play “the new album”; I wanted to hear the old songs…I know, perhaps I should have invested more time in listening to new material from those bands, but the truth was in many cases the new stuff just didn’t cut he mustard compared to the songs which made the band famous in the first place. 
Many of the bands from those days are now back, reformed (or in some cases, including the Stranglers, they never went away), playing again, usually with a slightly different line-up. In all cases they are now returning to their back catalogue and playing the old classic songs again.
For me the Stranglers were at their peak in those early days of punk, playing those classic singles and tracks from their first couple of albums. There was a craziness, an air of danger, and an excitement about those gigs, which can never be recreated. The Stranglers were never the coolest of bands, and they were never fully accepted by the punk community, or the much press, in the same way the Pistols or the Clash were, but they had great tunes, throbbing bass, swirling organ, and an attitude about them that you just couldn’t ignore. And their legacy is an amazing number of excellent songs and many, many hit singles and albums over a long career which is still going continuing.
Happy days.
A few years after the 1985 tour Hugh Cornwell left the band, and it was around 20 years until I went to see them again in concert. I’ll write about that gig tomorrow.
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