From memory, the last time I saw Dee C Lee was on the Red Wedge tour, when she was part of the Style Council. She also sang her own hit single “See the Day” which was a big favourite of mine. At the time she was the partner of Paul Weiler, who she went on to marry. They parted some time afterwards.
So I could not resist going to see her again at the lovely Wylam Brewery.
The Brewery announced the show: “Dee C Lee brings the Just Something tour to Wylam Brewery this October. Performing her first new record since 1998, this tour will feature a 9-piece live band – promising a captivating performance and unforgettable evening.” The concert featured the following artists: Dee C. Lee, Steve White, and Steve Edwards (the latter two singers were members of Lee’s band and also performed their own set).
This lady comes with some pedigree. She was born Diane Catherine in 1961. She was a backing singer for Wham!, then released her first solo single, “Selina Wow Wow”, in 1984. She started working with the Style Council, while continuing as a solo artist. So, I must have seen her with Wham! who I saw at Newcastle City Hall, Whitley Bay Ice Rink, and their final concert, entitled The Final, at Wembley Stadium. Happy days.
Soon, she worked with the Style Council and appeared on their debut album. Lee then released another solo single; the self-penned ballad “See the Day”. The single became a hit and peaked at No. 2 in the UK chart in December 1985, selling a quarter of a million copies in the UK alone, and earning Lee a silver disc.
And so, Jan and I went along to the lovely Wylam Brewery in Newcastle Exhibition Park. The venue actually is a brewery, and you can drink the ale straight from the barrel.
This included, as I recall, Guinness which tasted great, nice, and cold. We managed to get situated right in front of the stage and were treated to an excellent set of jazz, blues and soul delivered by none other than D C Lee herself, accompanied by an excellent band. Halfway through, the aforementioned singers Steve White and Steve Edwards took centre stage for their own short set.
The lady finished with (of course) “See the Day” which was an excellent finish to a great evening with a very underrated singer. Many thanks to Jan for the photographs and Margy for manipulating the site. I treated myself to a signed LP record (see picture).
Setlist: (something like) Anything; Back In Time; The Paris Match; How To Love; Walk Away
Encore: See the Day; No Time To Play.
Second night of a three night run of concerts. Which is, by the way, quite hectic for me these days! The first night was a concert by Mike and the Mechanics who I have already blogged about and were superb, followed by 
Now imagine a concert where you just go along out of interest to see what someone is like. Of course, I remember Matt Goss as a member of Bros, teenybopper heroes who were not really my cup of tea at the time. My daughter Ashleigh was really into them however. I had read that Matt had rebuilt his career as a big Las Vegas star, singing Rat Pack, crooner type songs. Intriguing. So, I decided to go along just to see what he would be like. I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest. So along I went with carer Jackie and guest sister-in-law Elaine. All of us wondering what Matt would be like.
To say it was a revelation is an understatement. I have never seen anyone who has turned around his career 360° and come out fighting, strong and simply superb. This guy has gone from being right up top as a youngster with his twin brother (who is also making his own success as an actor) to more or less disappearing, certainly from my view point, to rebirth as a new star in America and Vegas in particular. I have never seen anyone connect with the audience in the way that Matt Goss does. To say he reaches out to the audience doesn’t touch it. He literally walked right down into the crowd taking his time to talk to people, ask them where they came from (“Redcar, where is that? Oh, just past Middlesbrough”) and offer them a small glass of tequila to give a toast to the crowd (“keep the glass, it is a gift from me”) accompanied by his bodyguard at all times.
You can just imagine him moving around the tables smoothly in Caesar’s Palace, Vegas. And then he is swiftly back up on stage singing his heart out. His voice is strong and he is accompanied by a full orchestra and excellent backing band and singers. A fantastic show. But I guess what else were we to expect given this guy goes down great in Las Vegas. We were all totally overwhelmed by it. This is a show to top all other shows. I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. No joke, this guy is the business. He has everything, no fear, totally authentic, great voice, looks just great, snazzy suit, great moves on stage and a repertoire of classic songs.
Some of my favourite songs of all time from the Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Cole Porter stable. So, he sang “Luck Be a Lady Tonight”, the fabulous “Nature Boy” (one of my all-time favourite songs), Anthony Newley’s “Feeling Good” (another favourite of mine), “Birds Do It” (you know this one… Let’s Fall in Love), “Fly Me to the Moon” and (“it took me a long time to feel I earned the right to sing this one, but now I feel I can”) “My Way”. The classics keep coming. He throws in some new songs, which I obviously don’t know but sounded good; one is called “Mustang”. And he takes is back to his old band and “When Will I be Famous” and “I owe You Nothing”.
Simply great. Jackie, Elaine and I are all in total agreement. We had all witnessed something special.
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