This was a massive deal for the Playhouse and for Whitley Bay. The Playhouse proudly announced the gig: “The Tygers of Pan Tang return to play their first home gig in 45 years at Playhouse Whitley Bay, on the Saturday 9th of November – in what will be an emotional, nostalgic and over all outstanding night for fans.”
But before I write about this concert, let me reminisce a little, back to the early 1980s when I first saw the Tygers perform. From my blog entries of the time: “Tygers of Pan Tang Newcastle City Hall 13th May 1981 & Newcastle Mayfair 3rd Sep 1982. The Tygers of Pan Tang were formed in Whitley Bay. For readers who are not from the north-east UK, Whitley Bay is a seaside town. close to Newcastle upon Tyne. The original Tygers line-up was Robb Weir (guitar), Rocky (bass), Jess Cox (vocals) and Brian Dick (drums). They released the single “Don’t Touch Me There” in 1979 and the album Wild Cat in 1980.
I saw the original band several times at gigs in the northeast; in particular, I recall gigs in their old stomping ground The Rex Hotel in Whitley Bay, and at the Old 29 in Sunderland [a much-missed public house which hosted many great gigs during the 1970s and 1980s before closure]. I also saw them supporting Magnum at Redcar Coatham Bowl and The Scorpions at Newcastle City Hall. [Sadly recently passed] John Sykes (later of Thin Lizzy) joined the band during 1980; soon afterwards Jess Cox left and was replaced by Jon Deverill.
The new line-up recorded their second album Spellbound and went out on a headline tour to promote it. I won a competition in a local paper and as my prize received a clutch (I think it was 6 or 8!) tickets (note the ticket stamped “COMPLIMENTARY”). for the City Hall gig, a sweatshirt, a copy of the new Spellbound album and some badges. Result ! So I played my prize to get to know the songs ready for the gig.
A group of us met in Steels club [referring to the social club for Sunderland steelworkers, who were employed in steelworks such as that which is shown in the picture, I believe] on the night of the concert and drove through to the City Hall in a couple of cars, clutching our free tickets. Support came from Magnum (a bit of an about turn, as the Tygers had supported them just a year earlier) and Alcatraz, who I can only assume were a NWOBHM [New Wave Of British Heavy Metal] band.
The City Hall wasn’t full for the gig, but the Tygers performed a set of class metal, fronted by the powerful front trio of Jon Deverill who stood stage front open shirted, mane of long hair, confidently and powerfully screaming the vocals, John Sykes who was already a rock star in his head and you just knew it to watch him, and founder and guitar anchor Robb Weir.
They released a great version of “Love Potion No 9″ around the same time. John Sykes left shortly afterwards the tour to join Thin Lizzy, and was replaced by Fred Purser from Penetration, which is the line-up I saw at the Mayfair in 1982. The Tygers were one of the better bands to emerge from the NWOBHM genre. Robb Weir now fronts a reformed Tygers.”
Move forward 30 years or so and I am about to witness the Tygers in concert again. Yet this is quite a new band than that I saw in the Rex Hotel all those years ago. In 2000, Robb Weir reformed the band as the only original member. The other musicians are Tony Liddell (vocals), Dean Robertson (lead guitar), Brian West (bass), and Craig Ellis (drums).
Support came from the Shannon Pearl Quartet, whose ethereal sound filled the hall. Quite a contrast to the heavy rock sound of the Tygers, Shannon is a self-proclaimed White Witch who has established her own self – styled “Witch Pop”. From the Sunderland Echo: “The neo-folk artist performs both solo, using only her voice, sparse percussion and a loop station, as well as with her live band to transport audiences to another world with her spiritual sound. Last year, to coincide with the summer solstice, she released her debut album, Kiss the Ground, which earnt her praise for its “hauntingly enchanting” music.”
I really enjoyed her set. It was a refreshing change from the type of music I am used to seeing. Quite spooky, a strange mix of folk-rock, mystical sounds and theatrics with Shannon wearing a strange White Witch outfit complete with tiara. Spooky music, spooky sounds, and spooky clothing. Shannon is a true witch who entranced us with her “Witch Pop”.
The Tygers exploded onto the Playhouse stage. The lineup may be very different to that which started as a new up-and-coming band in Whitley Bay during the late 1970s, but the ethos and soul remains the same. Loud, heavy, classic rock. Lengthy guitar solos, screeching and screaming vocals, proudly making it clear that they owned that stage and were delighted to return to their homeland.
The songs were new to me, but the sound remained the same. The Tyger growled at us all. Songs which presented a soundscape painted by their very titles: “Edge of The World”, “Only The Brave”, “Fire On The Horizon” and “Hellbound”. Robb Weir was on fire and must have been so excited about returning home and playing to a home crowd who didn’t care about the lineup. For one evening this was our band returning home to play to us. They were proud and do you know what, so were we.
Finally, the very last song was the Tygers blistering version of “Love Potion Number 9”, which brought back great memories: “Love Potion No. 9” is a song written in 1959 by the greatly renowned Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by the Clovers in the USA, and in the UK The Searchers recorded it in 1964. I have a copy of the song on a Searchers EP from back in the day.
“I took my troubles down to Madame Rue, You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth. She’s got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine, Sellin’ little bottles of Love Potion No. 9” (Leiber and Stoller, 1959). Great songs stand the test of time. Magical memories and happy days return. Thank you Tygers.
Many thanks also to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site. And, of course, to Wikimedia Commons for the pictures of the Rex Hotel in Whitley Bay, Southwick steelworks, and John Sykes during his time with Thin Lizzy; the remaining images are from my own collection.
Setlist: Euthanasia; Keeping Me Alive; Love Don’t Stay; Gangland; Edge of the World; Back for Good; Paris by Air; Only the Brave; Do It Good; Slave to Freedom; Fire on the Horizon; Suzie Smiled.
Encore: Don’t Stop By; A New Heartbeat.
Encore 2: Hellbound; Love Potion No. 9.
A bit of an adventure in Leeds. I will explain more below.
Next up on this multi-band line–up was 
They had numerous singles in the UK Singles Chart and chart success all over Europe and Japan, as well as success in the United States. During the 1980s, Saxon established themselves among Europe’s most successful metal acts. The band tour regularly and have sold more than 13 million albums worldwide. The band was formed in Barnsley in 1977 by Peter “Biff” Byford on vocals, Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver on guitars, Steve “Dobby” Dawson on bass, Pete Gill on drums and were originally named “Son of a Bitch”. In 1979, the band changed their name to Saxon and signed to French record label Carrere who then released their eponymous debut album.”
It was when they were called “Son of a Bitch” that I first saw the band. They used to play Sunderland Boilermakers club on a Saturday afternoon just before the football match. I would regularly go and see them (but never went to the match). I also recall seeing them at West Cornforth “Doggy” club (don’t ask me why West Cornforth was known locally as “Doggy”: the answer is lost in my memory somewhere). Anyway “Son of a Bitch” were a class act. I then saw them transform into Saxon and gain fame as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
“‘Wheels of Steel’, released in 1980, charted at #5 in the UK and stayed in those charts for six months. It resulted in two hit songs: the title track and the crowd favourite “747 (Strangers in the Night)”. As a result, Saxon began a series of long UK tours. On 16 August, they earned a positive reception at the first Monsters of Rock festival, commemorated by the following year’s “And the Bands Played On”. Their set was recorded, but not officially released until 2000. In April of that year, Saxon made the first of many appearances on Top of the Pops, performing the hit “Wheels of Steel”.”
Anyway, they were absolutely great and warranted their position as second on the bill. I recognised many of the songs including “Dallas 1 PM” (about the assassination of JFK), “747 (strangers in the night)” and “wheels of steel”. Biff may have white hair these days but he still has a very powerful voice and looks fantastic. Towards the end of the set he brought onto the stage the original (now retired) guitarist. As I recall in the early days, he would have his guitar strapped to his belt and spin it around. It looked pretty impressed back in the day.
Setlist: The Prophecy; Hell, Fire and Damnation; Motorcycle Man; Sacrifice; There’s Something in Roswell; And the Bands Played On; Madame Guillotine; Power and the Glory; Fire and Steel; Dallas 1 PM; 747 (Strangers in the Night); Wheels of Steel; Denim and Leather; Princess of the Night.
After a short interval 
Like Saxon, I go back a long way with Judas Priest. I used to see them play regularly at Sunderland Locarno ballroom. I seem to recall seeing them in the very early days with another singer, before Rob Halford joined the band (or did I dream that?). Then I saw them many times at Newcastle Mayfair and Newcastle City Hall. I recall Rob whipping the audience at one concert: someone caught hold of the whip and almost pulled him into the crowd. They were always extreme loud metal, as they are today. Fantastic. They remain the epitome of heavy metal.
From the arena website: “There are few heavy metal bands that have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their nearly 50-year career. Their presence and influence remains at an all-time high as evidenced by 2018’s ‘Firepower’ being the highest charting album of their career, a 2010 Grammy Award win for ‘Best Metal Performance’, plus being a 2006 VH1 Rock Honors recipient and a 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination.
Judas Priest originally formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England (an area that many feel birthed heavy metal). Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing and Ian Hill would be the nucleus of musicians (along with several different drummers over the years) that would go on to change the face of heavy metal. After a ‘feeling out’ period of a couple of albums, 1974’s ‘Rocka Rolla’ and 1976’s ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ this line-up truly hit their stride. The result was a quartet of albums that separated Priest from the rest of the hard rock pack - 1977’s ‘Sin After Sin’, 1978’s ‘Stained Class’ and ‘Hell Bent for Leather’, and 1979’s ‘Unleashed in the East’, which spawned such metal anthems as ‘Sinner’, ‘Diamonds and Rust’, ‘Hell Bent for Leather’, and ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)’. Also, Priest were one of the first metal bands to exclusively wear leather and studs – a look that began during this era and would eventually be embraced by metal heads throughout the world. “
Setlist: War Pigs (intro, by Black Sabbath); Invincible Shield Tour Anthem; Panic Attackl; You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’; Breaking the Law; Rapid Fire; Lightning Strike; Love Bites; Saints in Hell; Trial by Fire; Turbo Lover; Invincible Shield; Victim of Changes; Metal Gods; The Green Manalishi; Painkiller.
We had to leave early to catch our train. A quick walk down through the streets of Leeds took us to the station. When we arrived the passenger assistance guy was waiting at the station for us. “Your train is cancelled” he explained. We did not believe him at first, but soon we realised it was true. Apparently and sadly, a train had hit a deer somewhere near Northallerton and the line was blocked. Anyway the passenger assistance people guaranteed that they would get us home somehow. I explained that I needed to get back to take my night time medication. The guy then took us straight to the taxi rank at the front of the station and helped us into a wheelchair cab. Jackie, Elaine and I were then up the road through Wetherby and onward on the A1 towards Sunderland. 90 minutes later, at 1 AM I was back in my bed. The end of a fantastic very memorable adventurous evening.
So, off to Leeds we went to see the mighty 
A short taxi ride took us from the station up to the Arena, in time to catch the support act who were a German heavy metal band called 
I have followed Iron Maiden since the very early days when Paul Di’Anno was the singer and the first single was “Running Free”. I remember seeing them at Sunderland Mecca and at Newcastle City Hall with Def Leppard as support act. I have seen them several times more over the years and always enjoy their concerts. I know what to expect and sure enough Maiden delivered as usual. Lots of guitar solos with mad antics and shape throwing from the three guitarists: original Dave Murray, long-term member Adrian Smith and north-east lad Janick Gers who used to be in a local band White Spirit, and who I saw several times in the early 1980s.
Steve Harris, on bass guitar, founder member and leader commands the stage alongside singer Bruce Dickinson who I first remember as Bruce Bruce in Samson, a New Wave of British Heavy Metal band led by guitarist Paul Samson and with drummer Thunderstick who performed with a leather mask from within a cage; I kid you not. And last but by no means least is long-term drummer Nicko McBrain.
Iron Maiden drew their songs from throughout their extensive catalogue. The recipe remained as always: superb guitar histrionics, Bruce’s soaring operatic vocals and Steve’s thundering bass driving the band forward. Great visuals and backdrops, including some of Patrick McGoohan (“I am not number, I am a person”) for song “The Prisoner”. We manage to catch quite a bit of the show but, as I expected, we need to leave before the end to catch the train back to Durham and then our taxi home.
We all enjoyed the event, with Jackie and even Elaine agreeing that Iron Maiden were superb. Oh, and I must not forget the mascot monster Eddie who appeared as a golden, gun toting, cowboy complete with gold Stetson during the first part of the set. I am sure he must have reappeared after we left.
So, my conclusion about travelling to shows in Leeds is that it is worth doing so for bands I really want to see as long as I am prepared to miss out on the last part of the concert. Such is life these days. I guess I can’t have everything.
Setlist: Caught Somewhere in Time; Stranger in a Strange Land; The Writing on the Wall; Days of Future Past; The Time Machine; The Prisoner; Death of the Celts; Can I Play With Madness; Heaven Can Wait; Alexander the Great; Fear of the Dark; Iron Maiden.
lucky enough to see them at least twice. I remember having no idea who the band were but being extremely impressed by the guitarist who had long hair (that always impressed me, for starters) and played amazing fast guitar solos. I remember standing straight in front of the guitarist, mesmerised by his guitar prowess. They were a trio of the Cream/Jimi Hendrix Experience ilk and, to be honest, I had forgotten about them until I came across something on the Internet which told me that they had links to Judas Priest and hailed from the Midlands.
The album features tracks by the Flying Hat Band and Earth, a predecessor of Black Sabbath. It reveals excellent, early heavy rock/metal/blues songs from many, many years ago when I used to love long guitar solos, particularly when played on a Fender Stratocaster, which was my guitar of choice at the time. I would go home and try (and usually fail) to replicate the guitar playing I had just witnessed. Those were the days. Sadly, I sold my 1964 pre-CBS Stratocaster for £120 to raise the money to buy a new gearbox for my car. Big mistake, the guitar would probably be worth several thousand pounds these days. Never mind. My life is full of regrets. At least I was lucky enough to witness the Flying Hat Band in full flight (I know, cheesy pun) and Glenn Tipton in his early years as a guitarist before he went on to help take Judas Priest into the heavy rock/metal history books. Happy days.
Well it has been more than 30 years since The Maiden and I touched base. Too long. I have many happy memories of 
They enter the stage to the music of UFO’s “Doctor Doctor” (great choice and clearly setting out their influences) and then straight into a set which draws from their entire back catalogue, and heavily from their new album The Book of Souls. There are lots of songs that are new to me, but they all sound great and when they go back to the early days and “Iron Maiden” and the first encore “The Number of the Beast”, I am on familiar territory. I was expecting “Run To the Hills” and they don’t play it, but hey you can’t always have everything. They leave the stage to the music of Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”, which about sums the evening and the whole experience for me. My carer, Alan, was a Maiden virgin but really enjoyed the whole thing. A great night with a great band. It was like meeting old friends again. I was back on the rock ‘n’ roll rollercoaster; in a wheelchair, but still rocking away. Happy days are here again.
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