Japan Newcastle City Hall 1978 and 1981
The band Japan first came to my attention when they supported Blue Oyster Cult at Newcastle City Hall in June 1978. There was quite a buzz about this new band at the time, reports portraying them as heavily influenced by Bowie, The Dolls and glam. To be honest, I was somewhat disappointed by their performance that night. They seemed at the time to be all image, with little substance in terms of the music, which was pretty ramshackle punk/new wave. David Sylvian played out his best David Johansen poses, and they did have a quite fun version of “Don’t Rain on my Parade”. But the sound was poor, and they were no match for BOC, who were at the height of their success. I also recently read that Japan supported Jim Capaldi and The Contenders on his UK tour which took place in October 1977. 
Now I saw Jim Capaldi around that time at Newcastle Poly, but I’m afraid that I don’t remember seeing Japan. By the time I saw Japan again, on the “Visions Of China” Tour in 1981, they were a totally different, and very impressive band. They had released their fifth and most successful album Tin Drum, which featured the beautiful and haunting “Ghosts”. Japan were amazing at the 1981 gig at Newcastle City Hall. David Sylvian and Mick Karn were both excellent front men, and I was simply transfixed when they played Ghosts. Supporting Japan that night were Blancmange, who went on to further success themselves. Setlist: Canton, Swing, Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Alien, Talking Drum, Visions Of China, Quiet Life, My New Career, Ghosts, Cantonese Boy, Methods Of Dance, Still Life In Mobile Homes, European Son, The Art Of Parties, Life In Tokyo, Fall In Love With Me, Canton (finale).
Posts Tagged ‘glam’
12 Jul
Japan Newcastle City Hall 1978 and 1981
24 Jun
Culture Club Newcastle City Hall 1983
Culture Club Newcastle City Hall 1983
Dave and I went to see Culture Club at Newcastle City Hall in March 1983. This is the only time that I have seen the band. At this point in their career Culture Club had released their first lp “Kissing to be Clever” and had hit the singles chart twice, with the No 1 single “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and a No 3 hit with “Time (Clock of the Heart)”. This was their first major tour, before they became really mega, with the release of the massive “Colour by Numbers” album and the world wide hit “Karma Charmeleon”. 
Boy George was (and still is) a fascinating character, and it was to see him and to hear the hit singles that drew us to The City Hall that night. Support came from The Swinging Laurels, reportedly at the request of George. The concert was pretty good; George looked great in a multi-coloured suit/dress and had impressive dreadlocks. I remember the music as being a mix of pop and reggae, and the sound much quieter than most rock gigs. The gig was sold out, and had been for some time in advance. I seem to recall that we went on to the Mayfair after the gig that night to see Marillion. 
I haven’t seen Culture Club since that night, although I did sit in the next row to Boy George on a flight to Munich once. A bootleg recording of the Liverpool show of this tour gives the setlist as: Boy Boy (I’m The Boy); I’ll Tumble 4 Ya; Mister Man; Take Control; Black Money; Love Twist; Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?; You Know I’m Not Crazy; I’m Afraid Of Me; White Boys Can’t Control It; It’s A Miracle; Church Of The Poison Mind; White Boy; Time (Clock Of The Heart)
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