Judas Priest Newcastle City Hall October 1978
In many ways Judas Priest as the ultimate heavy metal band. When they returned to the City Hall in October 1978, their image had developed from the standard heavy rock band with flowery shirts and flares, and they we starting to become heavy metal gods. Rob Halford in particular was starting to wear more studded leather gear, with undertones of S&M, and he was using his incredible vocal range to greater effect on songs like The Ripper in which he would scream the vocals in his high pitched operatic style. I don’t remember at which point, or on which tour, Rob started to ride a motorbike on stage, but it wasn’t that long after this. 
A couple of years later Priest released British Steel, an album which in many ways defines the heavy metal genre. More than any other band I saw in concert, Priest developed from what I would class a solid rock band like many others in the mid 70s, to a top rate metal band, pushing at the boundaries and setting a standard that many others would attempt to match over the years, and to this day. This change was very evident in their live performances, which saw them graduate from clubs, through ballrooms to concert halls (and soon onward to arenas). Along the way I witnessed them deliver an excellent, and well received, performance at the Reading festival in 1975. Support for the late 1978 tour came from the multi talented Lea Hart who has been a producer, singer, songwriter, and (currently) manager (of Maiden’s Paul Di’Anno). Hart had been in Slowbone, and went on to join Fastway in the 80s.
Posts Tagged ‘gigs’
12 Jun
Judas Priest mid 70s – 1978
Judas Priest mid 70s – 1978
Judas Priest toured a lot in the early days of their career, and played several times as Sunderland Locarno and Newcastle Mayfair. I saw some of those gigs and remember them as a pretty solid rock band. I think I saw them supporting Budgie once. This was the classic line-up of Rob Halford – vocals; K. K. Downing – guitar; Glenn Tipton – guitar; Ian Hill – bass guitar; the drummer changed a few times. Over the years you could see how these guys were developing as performers and song writers. Metal classics like The Ripper, Victim of Changes, and Sinner started to appear in the set. Rob Halford got crazier each time I saw them, and K K Downing and Glen Tipton started to perfect their guitar duels. I must mention Glen Tipton and his previous band, the Flying Hat Band. I saw that group on two occasions at Sunderland Locarno and they were simply stunning; one of the best live acts I ever saw. Tipton’s guitar playing was unbelievable; I remember standing at the front watching their entire set and being just blown away. 
By the time I saw Priest at Newcastle City Hall in February 1978, they were the quintessential pure metal band they we have all grown to love. Lots of leather and Rob was so over the top, whipping the audience, throwing bottles of beer into the crowd. I remember one night the crowd caught hold of his whip and pulled him off stage by it. I saw quite a few times over the next few years, mostly at the City Hall, and also at the Mayfair. I’ll spend a few days reflecting on the Priest. I found a track listing from a live recording of the Feb 1978 City Hall show which shows the set as: Exciter; White Heat, Red Hot; The Ripper; Savage; Sinner; Beyond The Realms Of Death; Victim Of Changes; Better By You, Better Than Me; Diamonds And Rust; Starbreaker; Tyrant
11 Jun
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Newcastle Arena 10 June 2013
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Newcastle Arena 10 June 2013 The Alchemy tour
Support: Les Lobos
Went to see Neil Young last night at Newcastle Arena. This was the first time I have seen him with Crazy Horse in 40 years, which was also the last time he played in Newcastle (at the City Hall; with the Eagles support). The place was packed, and Neil played for over two hours. Great power, passion and his voice is in excellent shape. The guy doesn’t rest on his laurels. The set was drawn from across his career, with a few old favourites, but this time there was heavy emphasis on heavy, grungie riffs with lots of jamming and drawn out solos and endings. The first four songs took up over an hour, with one song ending with what seemed like ages of feedback, and doomy dark noise. A short acoustic set featured Comes a Time and a version of Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind. Then it was back to the heaviest, darkest, most lumbering garage psych that Neil and the Crazy Horse guys could squeeze and wrestle from their axes. 
The visuals were pretty fun; the stage was set with a group of mega towering Fender stacks, and a massive mike. A group of mad scientists (or were they alchemists?) took to the stage in white lab coats at various points in the set. At the start Neil and Co came on stage, saluting to the National Anthem and a large Union Jack; very patriotic! And at one point we were transported back to Woodstock, complete with rain and clips from the soundtrack “get down from the towers”. By the end Neil relented and gave the crowd a few favourites: Hey Hey My My, Cinnamon Girl, and Rockin’ in the Free World. I went with Marie, Laura and David and we all had quite different views of the show. David and his mates lapped it up and thought it was great; Laura was less sure, and Marie (who was a big Neil fan years ago, but has never seen him in concert before) was a little disappointed that he didn’t play all of After the Goldrush and Harvest! Me; I’m not sure. I certainly enjoyed it. And I guess I knew he wasn’t really going to play Southern Man and Alabama. You have to admire the guy; there aren’t many from his generation who can still deliver a set so uncompromising and powerful. Setlist: Love and Only Love; Powderfinger; Psychedelic Pill; Walk Like a Giant; Hole in the Sky; Comes a Time; Blowin’ in the Wind; Singer Without a Song; Ramada Inn; Cinnamon Girl; Fuckin’ Up; Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze; Mr. Soul; Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). Encore: Rockin’ in the Free World
10 Jun
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1984
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1984
The last time I saw Iron Maiden was at Newcastle City Hall in 1984. This time they played two sold out shows at the City Hall. Support came from Waysted, who were fronted by the great Pete Way, bassist and crazy guy from UFO. The tour was entitled the World Slavery Tour, and was in support their album Powerslave. As always, Maiden put on a great show, to a massive reception from the Newcastle crowd. I was right down the front, and was just blown away by the power, energy and volume of the show. 
Setlist: Intro (Winston Churchill Speech); Aces High; 2 Minutes to Midnight; The Trooper; Revelations; Flight of Icarus; Rime of the Ancient Mariner; Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra); Powerslave; The Number of the Beast; Hallowed Be Thy Name; 22 Acacia Avenue; Iron Maiden. Encore: Run to the Hills; Running Free; Sanctuary. I was surprised to learn that this was the last time I saw Maiden in concert. I could have sworn that I had seen them more recently than 29 years ago; its just frightening how time passes. It’s something that I definitely need to put right! Another one for my ever growing list of bands who I intend to see again. I had some great times at Maiden gigs, and I’d almost forgotten just how great they are.
9 Jun
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1983
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall World Piece Tour 1983 
1983 and Iron Maiden were now a well established and mega-successful rock band. They went out on tour again, in support of their new lp “Piece of Mind”. This was the first tour to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who came from Trust (they had supported Maiden a couple of years before) to replace Clive Burr and has been Iron Maiden’s drummer ever since. Clive Burr left the band due to ill health and the pressure of relentless touring. Support came from Grand Prix. The tour called at Newcastle City Hall on 17th May 1983. This was another great gig with Maiden again delivering a top metal performance. 
Setlist (a bootleg exists): Where Eagles Dare; Wrathchild; The Trooper; Revelations; Flight of Icarus; Die with Your Boots On; 22 Acacia Avenue; The Number of the Beast; Still Life; To Tame a Land; Phantom of the Opera; Hallowed Be Thy Name; Iron Maiden; Run to the Hills; Sanctuary; Drifter; Prowler. Eddie told us (from the programme): “To all ‘eadbangers, hell rats, rivet heads and earthdogs,….Welcome to the shattering World Piece Tour ’83….Maiden and me hope you enjoy the gig….Keep rockin’ and have fun.” By now Run to the Hills had replaced Runnin’ Free as my favourite Maiden song. Bruce’s soaring vocals were always exceptional on that song.
8 Jun
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1982 The Beast on the Road
Iron Maiden Newcastle City Hall 1982
Support came from the Rods, an American heavy rock band.
So it was farewell to Paul Di’Anno and welcome to Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Iron Maiden released their third album “Number of the Beast” and went out on another world tour. I went along to the City Hall wondering what the new singer would be like, and how he would match up. On the night, I was totally blown away. The place was packed and the Newcastle metal hordes went crazy and just lapped it all up. Maiden burst onto that stage with renewed energy and passion, a great set of new songs, and Bruce was simply a revelation. I’d seen him before with Samson, and hadn’t been over impressed to be honest. What I saw that night was a different guy, and a truly world class heavy rock singer. With Maiden he upped his game, to reveal an amazingly strong, operatic rock voice with tremendous depth and range. And great long hair. Put this together with a class performance by the whole band, a great stage set (complete with, of course, Eddie), lots and lots of VOLUME, and songs like “Number of the Beast”, and the single “Run to the Hills”, and what I saw that night was THE best hard rock band around at the time. Maiden had everything going for them, and they knew it and were enjoying it. In 1982 the Iron Maiden line-up was Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Steve Harris (bass), and Clive Burr (drums). These were to be Clive Burr’s last appearances with the band. The tour took them to all the major concert halls in the UK. They recorded their show at the Hammersmith Odeon, and it was eventually released as Beast over Hammersmith in 2002. 
The new album was a massive success; their first to reach No. 1 in the UK chart, and the single “Run to the Hills” was the band’s first top-ten UK single. The content of the album was based on some pretty heavy visual and lyrical imagery, drawing from (as usual) horror, darkness and religion. From the title track: “Woe to you oh earth and sea; For the devil sends the beast with wrath; Because he knows that time is short; Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast; For it is a human number; It’s number is six hundred and sixty six”. Pretty heavy stuff. Eddie says (from the tour programme): “If you find me drunk, prop me up: if you find me sober, buy me a drink!…Hope you have a great debauched time at the gig….Keep Rocking” 🙂 Setlist: The Ides of March; Murders in the Rue Morgue; Wrathchild; Run to the Hills; Children of the Damned; The Number of the Beast; Another Life; Killers; 22 Acacia Avenue; Total Eclipse; Transylvania; The Prisoner; Hallowed Be Thy Name; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Drifter; Sanctuary. And so the Maiden campaign for world domination rolled onward, as it has to this day. At the time I defy you to find a better, slicker, LOUDER, more complete rock band. This was probably the best time I saw Maiden; pure class.
7 Jun
Iron Maiden Killers tour Newcastle City Hall 1981
Iron Maiden Killers tour Newcastle City Hall 1981
Iron Maiden were riding the crest of a wave in 1981. They released their second album Killers, and set out on a world tour which started off in the UK and took them across Europe , to Japan and the USA. I saw them when they played at Newcastle City Hall on 7th March 1981. Support came from Trust, a French heavy metal band. By now Maiden were establishing themselves as a rock band in their own right, with an identity of their own outside of the NWOBHM movement. And a pretty impressive rock band they were too. Most of the tracks on the new album already featured in Maiden’s live set, and were already well know to the fans. Themes of horror and darkness ran through it all: Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue, the Phantom of the Opera, The Ides of March. 
Some heavy symbolic stuff which was right up my street, along with mascot Eddie who featured in all their graphics, on album covers, tour programmes, their backdrop, and in person at the end of their set. Great stuff. By the end of the tour Paul Di’Anno was suffering from the pressure and the use of drugs and alcohol and was dismissed by the band. His replacement was Bruce Dickenson, aka Bruce Bruce from Samson. I’d see Bruce with Samson, and rated him OK, but not in the same league as Paul Di’Anno or Maiden. How wrong I was. Bruce rose to the challenge and more. I’ll write about that tomorrow. Setlist: The Ides of March; Wrathchild; Purgatory; Sanctuary; Remember Tomorrow; Another Life; Genghis Khan; Killers; Innocent Exile; Murders in the Rue Morgue; Twilight Zone; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Running Free; Transylvania; Drifter; Prowler
6 Jun
Iron Maiden live 1980
Iron Maiden live 1980
Iron Maiden exploded out of the NWOBHM scene in 1980. I first saw them supporting Judas Priest earlier in the year. It was obvious from the start that two bands were way out in front of the pack of NWOBHM bands: Def Leppard and Iron Maiden. And the Maiden were the rockier of the two, and seemed to blend heavy metal with elements of punk. I saw them at least four times during 1980: at the City Hall with Priest, at Sunderland Locarno with support from Praying Mantis and NWOBHM DJ Neal Kay, at the Reading Festival, and later in the year headlining the City Hall themselves, with support from A II Z. 
Looking back this was a pretty meteoric rise for the band, from support act at the start of 1980, through their own club tour, to second on the bill at Reading, to a major concert tour of the UK by the end of the year. Wow! The line-up of Iron Maiden at the time was Paul Di’Anno on vocals; Dave Murray on guitar; Dennis Stratton on guitar; Steve Harris on bass guitar; and Clive Burr on drums. And of course I musn’t forget their mascot Eddie, who was there from the start, and features on the cover of the tour programme. They had released their first album, and the set drew from that lp and their second, yet to be released, classic “Killers”. Highlights for me at the time were “Running Free”, “Sanctuary” and “Iron Maiden”. The dark image of the band also appealed to me; I always was a sucker for horror movies! 
In the tour programme, Geoff Barton questions whether the NWOBHM was a “trend” or a “fad”, and “will it last?” and concludes that “we should make it last”. Well we sure did make it last, with both Maiden and Leppard continuing on to greater and greater success. I saw Iron Maiden every year and every tour for the next few years. I’ll reflect on those great tours over the next few days. Setlist from the tour would have been drawn from: The Ides of March (Intro); Sanctuary; Prowler; Wrathchild; Remember Tomorrow; Charlotte the Harlot; Killers; Another Life; Transylvania; Strange World; Innocent Exile; Phantom of the Opera; Iron Maiden; Running Free; Drifter; I’ve Got the Fire
5 Jun
The Sadista Sisters: Punk before punk at the Newcastle Festival 1976
The Sadista Sisters: Punk before punk at the Newcastle Festival 1976
Looking back through the programme for the 1976 Newcastle Festival, the gig that brings back the most vivid memories is the Sadista Sisters, who played a residency at the Centre Hotel. The Sisters were a right-on out-there feminist theatre cum rock cum punk act, with elements of cabaret and performance art, who had been a massive hits at the Edinburgh Festival the previous year. The Sadista sisters were Theresa D’Abreu,
Judith Alderson,
Linda Marlowe, and
Jacky Taylor. They wore outrageous costumes which blended gender, and their songs/performances were crazy and quite unsettling. And the programme says that their performance was sponsored by Pernod, and we all got a free glass! I also saw the Sadista Sisters perform at the Reading Festival that year, and in the same year they released their only album. They folded a few years later, having build up a cult following. They seem largely forgotten now, but at the time their performance was powerful and challenging stuff. Looking through the programme, I also attended Eric Burdon, supported by the Steve Brown Band, at the City Hall. There are a few gigs listed that, in hindsight, I wish I had gone to, including Diana Dors in cabaret, and in conversation at the Centre Hotel, and Larry Adler in concert. Now there are two gigs that I wish I had gone to!
4 Jun
Rock Against Racism Punk gig Newcastle Guildhall 1977
Rock Against Racism Punk gig Newcastle Guildhall 1977
This Rock Against Racism gig featured The Big G (aka Harry Hack and the Big G), Punishment of Luxury, The Press Studs and Speed. I remember The Big G and Punilux well. Both bands gigged regularly around the north east in the late 1970s, and they have both also recently reformed. I am afraid I don’t recall the Press Studs. The excellent bored teenagers site lists them as: “A very short lived Punk 5-Piece from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne who played fairly regularly at “Gatsby’s”. Speed were one of the first Punk bands to form in the North East, and were around in the early days along with Penetration. They were all very young at the time and used to gatecrash other peoples gigs, jump on stage and play! I am sure I saw this happen at a gig at Newcastle Poly one night. Rock Against Racism was a new concept in 1977, which organised quite a few gigs in the north east, including this one at the Guildhall, which I attended, largely to see Punishment of Luxury who were very impressive at the time.
![_DSC3285 [LR]](https://myvintagerock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dsc3285-lr.jpg?w=218&h=218)
Harry Hack and the Big G at the Guildhall
The Big G were: Rob Dixon: Harry Hack. Peter Howard: Walter Hack. Mick Emerson: Red Helmet. Anth Martin: EH Flash. Jane Wade: Kid Mutant. Norman Emerson: Mean Average.
In July 1977, the band were billed third at the Guildhall on Newcastle’s Quayside, supporting County Durham’s Penetration and punk pioneers The Adverts. Sixth on the bill were the little-known band Warsaw, formed the previous year in Salford, Manchester. “They were rubbish,” Peter remembers, but later Warsaw renamed themselves Joy Division and won world-wide fame. (Newcastle Evening Chronicle).
Vocalist Johnny Fusion of Speed moved to London and went on to form Band of Holy Joy“Formed from the ashes of an unrecorded ’77 punk band, Speed, Band Of Holy Joy’s
![_DSC3164 [CROP][LR]](https://myvintagerock.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dsc3164-croplr.jpg?w=265&h=265)
Speed at the Guildhall
Many thanks to Mark for the pictures of The Big G and Speed.
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