Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
24
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Wishbone Ash. Tagged: blues, classic rock, concert, concerts, festival, gig, gigs, R&B, rock, rock n roll. 3 comments
Wishbone Ash Reading Festival 24th August 1975
The Reading Festival hit its peak of success in the mid 1970s, and the 1975 festival sold out in advance, largely due to the appearances of headliners Yes (Saturday) and Wishbone Ash (Sunday) who were both massive bands at the time. DJs for the weekend were John Peel and Jerry Floyd. The weather was cold, with some rain, and beer can fights became constant throughout the weekend.
Following their experience of recording in the USA, Wishbone Ash decided to make the country their base, and all four members moved to Connecticut in early 1975. In April and May 1975 they undertook a US tour with Aerosmith, and then in July and August they went out on a major festival tour of Europe as part of manager Miles Copeland’s “Startrucking” package tour. The “Startrucking” tour featured Wishbone Ash, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lou Reed, Soft Machine, Caravan, Climax Blues Band and Rory Gallagher and played major festivals in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, and Reading in the UK. The tour ran into problems when headliner Lou Reed pulled out at the last moment, and became a financial disaster which resulted in Copeland having to liquidate his management company. At Reading the line-up featured “Startruckers” Wishbone Ash, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soft Machine, Caravan, and Climax Blues Band. Lou Reed was billed to appear but did not. Wishbone Ash took out full page adverts in the UK music press saying “Welcome back to Britain. Steve – Andy – Laurie – Martin. Wishbone Ash. See them at the Reading festival”. We were all looking forward to it.
It was a cold and dark as Wishbone Ash took to the stage to close the festival. A capacity crowd gave them a welcome befitting returning heroes. Their visits back home were becoming less frequent and the fans had really missed seeing them. Wishbone Ash’s set was, as always, musical perfection and included tracks from current album “There’s the Rub” alongside old favourites like “Time Was” and “Blowin’ Free”. They started with the introduction to Pheonix, and the set closed by returning to the ending sequence of that epic song. Hearing the opening riff of “The King Will Come” cut through the air and drift across the packed field was pure magic. A great way to end the weekend, with the twin guitars of Andy Powell and Laurie Wisefield soaring through the late Sunday evening. Then it was back to our tents and a last night under the stars to the shouts of “Wally”, which continued until the early hours.
Setlist: Phoenix (intro), Rest in Peace, The King Will Come, Warrior, Persephone, Half Past Lovin’, Trust In You, Time Was, Blowin’ Free, Bad Weather Blues, Phoenix (closing section)
Thanks to David Major for allowing use of his picture of the Reading “Village Stores” through the Wikimedia commons licence. I remember the “Village Stores” very well. I can still feel the cold and the dew now. I would rise early at dawn; I could never sleep well in a tent, and the ground was so hard. At perhaps 5 or 6am I would leave my tent and walk around the site until the stores opened. I would then buy some fresh bread and milk. Luxury 🙂 It all seems so long ago now; a different age, a different place and almost a different world. Happy happy days.
23
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Bullfrog, Wishbone Ash. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, rock, rock n roll. 8 comments
Wishbone Ash Newcastle Odeon 10th October 1974
Ted Turner was replaced by Laurie Wisefield, who had been in Home. Andy Powell had seen Home in New York and was impressed by Laurie’s guitar work, so when Ted Turner announced his departure he seemed the obvious replacement. Laurie was to stayed with Wishbone Ash for 12 years. I’d seen Laurie in Home, and knew that he was an excellent guitarist. I could also some similarities between the melodic rock music of Home and Wishbone Ash, so I thought that he would fit well with the band. With Laurie fully onboard, Wishbone ash decamped to America and recorded “There’s the Rub”, which was their fifth studio album, the title coming from Shakespeare’s Hamlet; “To sleep—perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub.” The album contains a number of tracks which would become live favourites including “F.U.B.B.” (which caused controversy because of the acronym’s meaning: “F***ed Up Beyond Belief”), the haunting ballad “Persephone”, and “Lady Jay” which was based on the Dartmoor folk legend of “Kitty Jay”.
Wishbone Ash toured the UK in Autumn 1974, calling at Newcastle Odeon on 10th October to play to a sold out theatre. I went with my mate Norm. We had bought tickets late, perhaps even on the night outside and ended up with single seats upstairs in the circle. We watched the support act, local band Bullfrog, in our separate seats a few rows aoart. There was an empty seat next to me, so for Wishbone Ash’s set Norm sat in it, only to be challenged by an usherette shining her torch at him, when a guy arrived late to claim the seat, and he had to move swiftly.
Setlist (thanks Mitch): Don’t Come Back, Silver Shoes, Lady Jay, The King Will Come, Warrior, Throw Down The Sword, Persephone, FUBB, Blowin’ Free, Time Was.
Encores: Home Town, No Easy Road, Where Were You Tomorrow.
Local blues rock band Bullfrog gigged a lot around that time, and were very popular in the north east. They featured Pete MacDonald on vocals who would go on to have chart success in the band Goldie with the hit single “Making Up Again”. Bass player Steve Thompson explains on his web site how they got the call for this gig: “On October 10th 1974 I got a call from our manager to say there was a gig going that very night supporting Wishbone Ash could I contact everyone and get the band together for the show. I rang round everyone including the roadies and we were ready to rock. When the call came in I had been dying my platform boots (well it was the 70’s) I fancied green but because of that call I had to turn out that night with one green boot and the other still the original cream colour. The show was at Newcastles Odeon Cinema, the one and only time we ever played there. This was before they split it up into smaller cinemas and was a huge venue.”
The next time I saw Wishbone Ash was headlining the Reading Festival in 1975. I’ll write about that tomorrow.
22
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Wishbone Ash. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, prog rock, rock, rock n roll. 4 comments
Wishbone Ash Newcastle City Hall 24 June 1973 “Live Dates”
Wishbone Ash released their fourth album “Wishbone Four” in early 1973. It represented a departure from the sound of their first three albums and their most successful release “Argus”; there was less evidence of their trademark twin guitars, and more of a focus on harmonies and songs. A group of school mates were absolutely massive Wishbone Ash fans, and went straight out and bought it, but we all felt that it didn’t quite reach the standard which had been set by “Argus”. The music on “Four” had more of a folk-rock sound, although the album did contain a couple of rockers more typical of their earlier music, notably “No Easy Road” which had been a single in 1972, and which I’d seen them perform at Sunderland Mecca, and “Rock ‘n Roll Widow”. A few of the songs from the album were played live at the time, including “So Many Things to Say”, “Ballad of the Beacon” and “Everybody Needs a Friend”.
Wishbone Ash were back touring the UK in June 1973, and recorded a double live album at concerts in Croydon Fairfield Halls, Reading University, Portsmouth Guildhall and Newcastle City Hall, using The Rolling Stones Mobile Recording Studio. 
I attended the Newcastle gig, during which three tracks: “Warrior”, “Blowingg Free” and “Throw Down the Sword” were recorded for the album. We didn’t know about the recording until we got into the City Hall. We could see a couple of mikes hanging from the ceiling (aah, such was the technology in those days 🙂 ). Then it was announced over the PA, to a big crowd cheer, that they were going to be recording the show for a future live album. The place was packed and the capacity crowd gave Wishbone Ash a tremendous reception, cheering before and after each song, all of us hoping that our voices might be heard on the lp.
Set list (thanks Mitch): The King Will Come, Warrior, Throw Down The Sword, Ballad Of The Beacon, Rock N Roll Widow, Everybody Needs A Friend, The Pilgrim, Blowin’ Free, Jail Bait, Doctor, So Many Things To Say, Baby What You Want Me To Do, Phoenix.
Encores: No Easy Road, Where Were You Tomorrow, Lady Whiskey.
I’ve just listened to my copy, but couldn’t pick out my own cheering 🙂 This was the last time that I would see the classic Wishbone Ash line-up of Ted Turner (guitar, vocals), Andy Powell (guitar, vocals), Martin Turner (bass, vocals) and Steve Upton (drums) (at least for many years, until later reunions). Ted Turner left the band later in 1973, and Wishbone Ash decamped to the USA to record their fifth album. They returned to the UK with some new songs and a new guitarist in late 1974. I’ll write about that tour tomorrow.
20
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in BB, KIm Wilde. Tagged: concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Kim Wilde Newcastle City Hall 9th October 1982
Another (semi) guilty pleasure today? Kim Wilde burst onto the music scene in 1981 with her debut single “Kids in America”, which reached number two in the UK charts. Kim is, of course, the daughter of 1950s rock ‘n’ roller Marty Wilde. The single was a great catchy pop song with a new wave / rock’n’roll edge, and was promoted by a wonderful video of a pouting dancing Kim, accompanied by her brother Ricky and band. I went to see Kim in concert at Newcastle City Hall on her first UK tour, which took place in 1982. Support for the tour came from BB featuring Stevie B and Jo Burt, who had both been members of Tom Robinson’s Sector 27. By the time of this concert Kim had been in the singles chart on five occasions with, in addition to “Kids”, “Chequered Love”, “Water on Glass”, Cambodia” and “View from a Bridge”. All classic pop singles. The songs on Kim’s debut album were all written by Marty Wilde and her younger brother Ricky and most of the music was played (rather surreally 🙂 ) by The Enid! However, by the time she went out on tour, Kim had her own backing band, which wasn’t The Enid and featured her brother Ricky. 
The concert was great fun, and featured all of her hits. I found this short review on the Wilde Life site: “Her music is catchy, pleasant but not very memorable, and Kim Wilde’s first visit to Newcastle was much the same. But that is not to detract from Miss Wilde for at least she knows her limitations. She will never be Chrissie Hynde, for example. She has waited a long time before touring which is a measure of the concern she has to give of her best. And for her devoted fans the wait was worth it. The quality of sound was first class, and for a new band, the musicians knitted together extremely well. The highlights for me were “Water on glass”, “26580” and the encore number “Kids in America” – MR”.
I saw Kim once more, when she supported Michael Jackson at a massive concert at Leeds Roundhay Park, shortly after she had a UK No. 2 hit with her great version of the Supremes’ song “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”.
Setlist: Water on glass; Tuning in tuning on; Our town; Everything we know; Take me tonight; Words fell down; When the boy’s happy (the girl’s happy too); View from a bridge; Child come away; Watching for shapes; You’ll never be so wrong; Boys; 26580; Falling out; Cambodia.
Encore: Kids in America.
19
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Showbiz Kids, Wreckless Eric. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, rock, rock n roll. 4 comments
Wreckless Eric Ashington Regal 16th April 1978
Support from The Showbiz Kids
Back in the 1970s there were still some lovely old cinemas around, and many of them were being used as venues for concerts. In the North East, I attended gigs in Newcastle Odeon, Jesmond Cinema, Gosforth Royalty and this concert which was in Ashington Regal. These were all beautiful theatres, very ornate, with plush comfortable seats, and sculptures of cherubs looking down at the audience. They brought back memories of going to the pictures in the ’60s and the Saturday morning picture clubs that we would all troop off to, such as the ABC Minors. The whole street would meet at the bus stop and get the bus down to the down to watch old Laurel and Hardy, Flash Gordon and Perils of Pauline films. Sadly all of the cinemas I have mentioned here are now no more.
The Ashington Regal Theatre was built on the site of the Miners’ Theatre. It opened in 1939, and had a 39 feet wide proscenium, an orchestra pit that could hold 15 musicians, and a cinema organ. It was taken over by the Noble Organisation in 1972, and closed in November 1979, just over a year after this concert. The building then lay derelict for several years until it was eventually demolished, and a nursing home was built on the site.
In 1978, in what I would imagine was a last chance saloon move to keep the cinema open, a series of Sunday concerts were put on at the Regal. I think this Wreckless Eric gig was the only one I attended, although I may also have seen Slade there, but can’t be sure. I know Whitesnake also played the Regal as part of the series, and I think Squeeze may also have featured at one of the shows.
We knew Wreckless Eric from seeing him on the Stiff tour and for his classic Stiff single “(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World”. Eric had just released his first album, and gave a typical shambolic, yet enjoyable performance. I saw him once more a couple of years later supporting Squeeze at the Mayfair. The Regal concert was quite poorly attended; Wreckless Eric was not such a big name at the time, and headlining a cinema of this size was probably quite an optimistic move. Support came from local band The Showbiz Kids, who were managed by local promoter Geof Docherty (who I think also promoted this gig) and featured Olga (later of the Toy Dolls) and Rob Kane (now of Dr Feelgood).
“We are the boys and girls well known as Minors of the ABC. And every Saturday we all line up, to see the films we like and shout aloud with glee. We like to laugh and have a singsong, such a happy crowd are we. We’re all pals together, we’re minors of the ABC.” Happy days 🙂
18
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Jimmy Webb. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop, rock, rock n roll, singer songwriter. Leave a comment
Jimmy Webb Lyric Theatre Hammersmith London 21st May 2005
I’d fancied seeing Jimmy Webb for many years. “MacArthur Park” is one of my favourite songs. There is something about it that sets it apart from all of the other songs of the late ’60s; it has an epic, timeless nature. The twists and turns of the enigmatic storyline, the dramatic melody changes, the lush orchestration, the hints of psychedelia, the pathos of Harris’ vocal, all add up to a masterpiece. I still play my old scratched vinyl 45. In fact, I subscribe to the view that Webb is a genius, and that as a young man he created some of the best pop songs ever written. For example, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” is the third most performed song in the past 50 years. Until recently his visits to the UK were few and far between, so when we saw concert advertised at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, Marie and I decided to go. The Lyric is a tiny theatre and was full of Webb fans from all over Europe. Jimmy sat alone with a grand piano, telling great stories and playing highlights from his back catalogue and tracks from his (then) latest album “Twilight of the Renegades”.
“Webb’s music has never fitted into a single category: it somehow spans pop, country, musical theatre and vaudeville. Here, he linked his pieces together with some well-polished yarn-spinning, like the one about driving around Ireland [on a big drinking spree] with the actor Richard Harris (who recorded Webb’s “MacArthur Park” and “Didn’t We”), or [in introducing “Highwayman”] the time he ended up on stage at Farm Aid, impersonating Johnny Cash alongside Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. “I wish they hadn’t invented computers,” said Webb “They’re puttin’ us out of business.” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” was an odyssey of heartache, with Webb’s repeated right-hand trill mimicking the ringing of an unanswered phone. “Wichita Lineman” evoked the endless horizons of the American midwest. For an encore, Webb attempted the epic folly that is MacArthur Park – “Believe me, it’s an adventure” – and made an astonishingly good job of it. He could have played for twice as long and nobody would have left.” (extract taken form The Guardian review of the time, 2005).
Webb’s singing was interesting to say the least. He put his own interpretation on the songs, periodically throwing his head back as if to somehow squeeze out the high notes. His piano playing was exquisite and added a further dimension to “MacArthur Park”. We had seats in the front row of the balcony, looking down on the stage. The guy next to us had travelled from Ireland for the show, and was shouting requests to Jimmy, talking to him as if he knew him. It was that sort of concert, a gathering of fans and friends who had come to savour the delights of a clutch of songs that a young guy wrote in the ’60s and ’70s, and that told us stories and painted pictures the like of which we had never seen before.
Jimmy Webb has toured the UK more regularly in recent years, playing concerts locally. I greatly enjoyed the concert at the Lyric, yet for some reason, I haven’t thus far felt the need to go and see him again. Rather, I have wished to keep my memories of that night in London, and of watching and hearing him sing “MacArthur Park” in particular.
Setlist: Crying in My Sleep; Highwayman; Galveston; Spanish Radio; No Signs of Age; Belmont Avenue; P.F. Sloan; How Quickly; By the Time I Get to Phoenix; Didn’t We; Wichita Lineman; Golden Girl
Encore: MacArthur Park; Adios
17
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Pete Wylie, The Set, Wah!. Tagged: classic rock, concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, new wave, pop, rock, rock n roll. Leave a comment
Wah! Newcastle University Students Union 28th Nov 1981
Support from The Set
Pete Wylie was born in Liverpool and began his career in 1977 forming a band “Crucial Three” with future Bunnyman Ian McCulloch and future Teardrop Exloder and druid poet Julian Cope. Wylie then went on to be in a stream of short-lived bands, sometimes with Cope, including the Mystery Girls (also featuring future Dead or Aliver Pete Burns), the Spitfire Boys (pretty sure I saw them as a support act), the Nova Mob, the Opium Eaters (also featuring future Banshee Budgie, future Frankie Goes to Hollywooder Paul Rutherford and future Lightning Seeder Ian Broudie), and Crash Course. So, as you can see, he was very much part of the Loverpool and Manchester Rock new wave scene.
In 1980 he then formed Wah! Heat, who received critical acclaim, became a John Peel favourite, and released two singles “Better Scream” and “7 Minutes to Midnight” Their biggest hit single was of course the great “The Story of the Blues”, which was released in late 1982, and reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.
I saw Wah! once, at a Saturday night gig at Newcastle University students union. In was in late 1981, before Wah! had released The Story of the Blues. I’d read of Wylie and the band in the music papers, and heard Peel championing then and went along to see what Wah! were like. I’d heard the Wah! Heat singles, and remembering enjoying the gig. The music was a mix of new wave and electronica as I recall.
Based on a published set list of the time it is likely that they played the following songs: The Wind Up; Better Scream; Some Say; Forget the Down; Don’t Step on the Cracks; 7 Minutes To Midnight; Hey Joe.
“Here in my pocket I’ve got the story of the blues,
Try to believe me cos’ it could be front page news,
I said I live it like it hasn’t happened yet
I keep thinking of everyone how I’m the one, the one they’re trying to get.
To tell…The Story of the Blues…..
First they take your pride, then turn it all inside,
And then you realise, you got nothing left to lose.
So you try to stop,try to get back up,
And then you realise you’re telling The Story of the Blues.”
(Pete Wylie / The Mighty Wah!, The Story of the Blues, 1982)
16
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Gary Glitter, Nick Heyward, Wham!. Tagged: concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop. 5 comments
Wham! The Final Wembley Stadium 28th June 1986
Support from Gary Glitter and Nick Heyward.
Im May 1986 Wham! announced that they were to split and that they would play one final concert at Wembley Stadium. My mate Dave and I decided to go and see Wham! for one last time. I remember the journey to London well, as we decided that, instead of using the train as we often did when going to concerts in the capital, this time we would try out the North East’s new(ish) Non-stop Clipper bus service. The service was advertised quite heavily on TV at the time with a cheesy tune: “From Newcastle to London, from London back home….Non-stop Clipper, here it comes!” The Non-stop Clipper was a double decker bus, converted for longer journeys with a toilet and somewhere to sell stotties 🙂 but it was basically still a standard double decker bus. We decided to sit right up front on the top deck, to get the most out of our Non-stop Clipper experience. Now, I can tell you, it’s quite a strange, disconcerting experience, sitting up there on the top deck, overlooking the motorway, cruising for a few hours. Nonetheless it got us to London safe and on time and also at a fraction of the price of the train. I think we took a bus very early in the morning, which got us down to London early afternoon. Then we made our way across London to join 72,000 eager Wham! fans.
The show was a big celebration of Wham! and featured a career-spanning set of hits, and special guest appearances from Elton John who sang Candle in the Wind with George, and Simon le Bon who joined the duo for the encore. There was also a screening of the new Wham! film, Foreign Skies, which was shot during their tour of China. Support came from now disgraced star Gary Glitter and ex Haircut 100 front man Nick Heyward. There were big video screens and two giant walkways for George and Andrew to get close to the adoring crowd who screamed and screamed. There were also many tears, particularly during the last songs, as the reality hit home that this was the last time we would all see Wham! And then it was over. And this was one final that really was final. No reunion tour (not yet anyway). We made our way out of the packed stadium, wandered down Wembley Way with the crowds, and across to Victoria where we boarded our trusty midnight Non-stop Clipper which took us back up North and home. We arrived back early Sunday morning.
Setlist: Everything She Wants; Club Tropicana; Heartbeat; Battlestations; Bad Boys; If You Were There; The Edge of Heaven; Candle in the Wind (with Elton John); Credit Card Baby; Like a Baby; Love Machine; Where Did Your Heart Go?; Why (Carly Simon cover); Last Christmas; Wham! Rap; A Different Corner; Freedom; Careless Whisper; Young Guns (Go for It!); Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Encore: I’m Your Man (with Simon Le Bon)
That concludes my coverage of Wham! Back to some rock tomorrow 🙂
15
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Wham!. Tagged: concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop. 5 comments
Wham! Whitley Bay Ice Rink 11th Dec 1984 The Big Tour
Support act: Pepsi and Shirley; DJ Gary Crowley.
A year later and Wham! were back. This time, for their visit to the North East, they played three sold out shows at the massive cold, and cavernous, Whitley Bay Ice Rink. I attended the second show. The tour was entitled “The Big Tour” in support of their second album “Make it Big”. By now Wham! weren’t just big; they were a massively successful chart act and a hot concert attraction. They had reached the No. 1 spot in the UK singles charts on three occasions (three No. 1s in a row, in fact) with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Careless Whisper” (George Michael solo) and “Freedom”, and they had just released the Christmas single “Last Christmas” which reached No. 2.
Whitley Bay Ice Rink is situated near Newcastle and is the home of the Whitley Warriors ice hockey team. In the 1980s it was the North East’s main rock concert venue, and remained so until Newcastle Arena opened in 1995. By the 1980s each city wanted its own arena, so venues which were not ideal were used for large concerts as acts outgrew theatres and civic halls. Whitley Bay Ice Rink started hosting concerts with a show by the Jam in 1982 followed by AC/DC, The Cure, Kylie Minogue, Oasis, Take That and others. Standing on top of an ice rink covered in wooden boards was not the best setting for a gig, and it was always very cold, and the sound wasn’t great.
However the kids who poured into the Ice Rink to see Wham! didn’t care how cold it was; they were getting to see their heroes. The gig was a wild affair with lots of screaming girls, and George and Andrew performing all their hits. By now it was very much about George, and the loudest screams were reserved for him, particularly when he sang “Careless Whisper”. The concert was an all standing affair; and I spent the evening wandering around the hall, surrounded by 8,000 screaming girls. The show was great fun, and it was an experience to witness Wham! at the peak of their sucess.
The next time I saw the duo was at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium on 13th July 1985. George Michael sang “Dont let the sun go down on me” with Elton John while Andrew Ridgeley joined Kiki Dee in the row of backing singers. I saw them one further time, at their Final concert, again at Wembley, a year later in 1986. I’ll write about that concert tomorrow to conclude my Wham! series.
14
Jan
Posted by vintagerock in Wham!. Tagged: concert, concerts, gig, gigs, music, pop. 3 comments
Wham! Newcastle City Hall 15th Oct 1983
Real guilty pleasure time; this is. I have to admit to secretly liking Wham! in the ’80s, and going to see them not once, not twice, but three times. So, for my sins, over the next three days I am going to reflect on those three experiences, at least two of which were actually pretty great fun. I’ll start today with my Wham! live initiation, which was the “Club Fantastic Tour” when it called at Newcastle City Hall in 1983.
I’d seen George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley on Top of the Pops performing “Young Guns (Go for It!)” and thought they were good fun. They seemed to burst onto the scene as a pure pop alternative to some of the more serious bands of the time. By the end of 1983, Wham! were competing against the Durannies and Boy George and Culture Club as Britain’s biggest new pop act, and their début LP “Fantastic” spent two weeks at No. 1 in the UK album charts in 1983. I’d been to see most of the other top pop acts of the period, so when Wham! announced a tour I decided to go along to the City Hall concert, which quickly sold out. The tour was sponsored by Fila Sportswear, and George and Andrew modelled Fila clothes on stage. They were both dressed all in white, their t-shirts emblazoned with “Wham!” and wearing white shorts, down which they famously placed shuttlecocks (or at least the press claimed so).
They were augmented by a full band (with a rhythm and brass section), and backing vocalists including the two legendary dancers/singers Pepsi and Shirlie (one of their earlier backing singers, Dee (D C Lee) had defected to the Style Council by the time of the tour, and later married Paul Weller). The keyboard player in the band was Tommy Eyre from Joe Cocker’s Grease Band who provided the swirling Hammond sound on the UK chart-topper “With A Little Help From My Friends”.
The concert started with an hour or so of dance records played by the tour resident DJ and compere, Gary Crowley. Wham! played two sets (featuring several costume changes), and between the two spots they showed us home videos of our two heroes. George had a solo spot to sing “Careless Whisper” over a taped backing track, and the show featured all the hits. It was actually great fun (honest 🙂 ) and there was lots of dancing going on, while I stood quietly observing, and yet secretly enjoying the whole thing. Don’t they both look so young on the cover of the programme. And remember at this time, Wham! were truly a duo, with George and Andrew sharing equal billing. The programme presents the band as fun, but serious, white soul / dance act; which to give them credit, I guess they were. I found a flyer in the programme for a concert by K C and the Sunshine band which took place at the City Hall the following week. Now I bet that was a fun night too.
Setlist: Young Guns (Go for It!); Club Tropicana; Blue; Wham! Rap; A Ray of Sunshine; Careless Whisper; Bad Boys; Love Machine; Nothing Looks the Same in the Light; Come On!; Wham! Rap; Good Times.
More guilty pleasures tomorrow, I’m afraid.
The Reading Festival hit its peak of success in the mid 1970s, and the 1975 festival sold out in advance, largely due to the appearances of headliners Yes (Saturday) and Wishbone Ash (Sunday) who were both massive bands at the time. DJs for the weekend were John Peel and Jerry Floyd. The weather was cold, with some rain, and beer can fights became constant throughout the weekend.
It was a cold and dark as Wishbone Ash took to the stage to close the festival. A capacity crowd gave them a welcome befitting returning heroes. Their visits back home were becoming less frequent and the fans had really missed seeing them. Wishbone Ash’s set was, as always, musical perfection and included tracks from current album “There’s the Rub” alongside old favourites like “Time Was” and “Blowin’ Free”. They started with the introduction to Pheonix, and the set closed by returning to the ending sequence of that epic song. Hearing the opening riff of “The King Will Come” cut through the air and drift across the packed field was pure magic. A great way to end the weekend, with the twin guitars of Andy Powell and Laurie Wisefield soaring through the late Sunday evening. Then it was back to our tents and a last night under the stars to the shouts of “Wally”, which continued until the early hours.
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