American Blues Legends Barnes Hotel Sunderland 1975
I’m going to have a couple of days break from covering acts beginning with the letter “D”, before I embark upon the task of covering the Bob Dylan concerts that I have attended; which will be a considerable task. So I’m going to reminisce on the time a group of American blues legends came to town. I, along with many friends, was heavily into the blues in the early 70s, so when this tour came to the Barnes Hotel in Sunderland lots of people I knew went along. I didn’t buy a ticket in advance for the gig, and went along expecting to pay at the door, only to find that the place sold out. However, that wasn’t going to deter me too much from getting in. A group of us were in the same predicament. We had some mates who did have tickets and they agreed to throw a ticket out of the window, which we used in turn to gain entry. 
It worked a treat and several of us got in for nothing. The place was packed and we were treated to a night of great blues from some true masters of the art. Lots of mouth harp playing, by the acts, and by some members of the crowd, who always seemed to have an Echo Super Vamper in their pocket, which they would bring out at any opportunity to do some serious note bending. This was the 3rd UK tour of American Blues Legends, and the only one that I saw. The bill for the 1975 tour featured Billy Boy Arnold; Lonesome Jimmy Lee Robinson; Little Joe Blue; Homesick James; Tommy Tucker; Eddie Guitar Burns; with Pete York on drums. It was a great fun night, although I remember spending much of in the bar with a group of mates. Think I walked home after the show. The tour was promoted by Big Bear records, who subsequently released an album of the tour. My programme contains a “Bank of Big Bear” voucher with a £4 note which could be cut up into 8 50p vouchers to get a reduction on albums from the Big Bear catalogue. I wonder if it is still valid?
Posts Tagged ‘music’
5 Oct
American Blues Legends Barnes Hotel Sunderland 1975
4 Oct
Def Leppard Newcastle City Hall 1980
Def Leppard Newcastle City Hall 1980
I first saw Def Leppard at Middlesbrough Rock Garden, in their very early days. They were a new, young New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band from Sheffield, who I’d read about in Sounds. On the strength of a good write-up in Sounds, probably by Geof Barton, I decided to go along and see them, dragging along a reluctant Marie. The gig was not that full, but there was a sprinkling of bikers in there, who gave the band a good reception. The gig was in July 1979, and at that time Def Leppard were playing a mixture of covers and some of their own material. I remember them playing the single (Getcha) Rocks Off, and several Thin Lizzy covers including Jailbreak and The Boys Are Back In Town. I think they also played Bowie’s Suffragette City and UFO’s Doctor, Doctor. Good choices. I was quite impressed, particularly by the enthusiasm of singer Joe Elliot. One year on, and Def Leppard were headlining at Newcastle City Hall. I can’t be certain who the two supports were, but I think they may have been Magnum and Colossus. I had it in my mind that the support was Iron Maiden, but I think that may be my memory playing tricks with me. This was the start of a meteoric rise to mega success for Def Leppard. I can’t pretend to be a massive fan but did enjoy seeing those early gigs. This was at the time of their first album, On Trough the Night, and the set was drawn largely from that lp. Setlist from 1980: When the Walls Came Tumbling Down; It Could Be You; Rock Brigade; Satellite; Medicine Man; Let It Go; Answer to the Master; Sorrow Is a Woman; Good Morning Freedom; It Don’t Matter; Lady Strange; Overture; Rocks Off. Encore: Hello America; Wasted
3 Oct
Ray Davies Sage Gateshead 2 Oct 2012
Ray Davies Sage Gateshead 2 Oct 2012
Went along to see Ray Davies, who was back at the Sage Gateshead last night. I arrive late, missing the support, and just before Ray took to the stage. The set contained a mix of well know Kinks classics, and some lesser know songs including Misfits, Muswell Hillbilly, Oklahoma USA and Full Moon, which were a change from Ray’s usual form and a nice surprise. The format of the show was similar to last time I saw Ray. He started with himself and a guitarist, bit on acoustic guitars, and then after several songs, his band joined him. All the well known songs were played: Where Have All The Good Times Gone; Dedicated Follower Of Fashion; Sunny Afternoon (which he told us he first performed in Sunderland!); See My Friends (still my favourite Kinks song); I’m Not Like Everybody Else; Autumn Almanac; Waterloo Sunset; Victoria; All Day & All Of The Night; Lola. Seeing Ray is always great. I’ve seen him quite a few times over recently, and still enjoyed it. In fact the change in setlist made last night even more enjoyable. But I still feel a little sadness that there is no sign of a Kinks reunion. Seeing Ray reminds me how great the Kinks were, and how wonderful it would be to see Dave and Mick up there beside him.
Postcript. I have added below scans of earlier gigs where we have seen Ray Davies. These include three shows at the The Tyne Theatre and another show at the Sage. All these shows were great fun, with quite similar setlists.
2 Oct
Dr Hook Newcastle City Hall 1974 and 1977
Dr Hook Newcastle City Hall 1974 and 1977
The first time that I saw Dr Hook, they were very different from the AOR band that they became in their later days. My mate Norm and I went to see them at Newcastle City Hall in 1974. We only knew one track Sylvia’s Mother, which is a great song, and were impressed by these crazy guys, who sang a mixture of southern rock and country, with great funny lyrics, many written by poet Shel Siverstein. Those guys had incredibly long hair at the time, were all stoned, crazy hippies, and front men Ray Sawyer and Dennis Locorriere had a great line in on-stage chat. Songs from that period were: Sylvia’s Mother, Cover of the Rolling Stone, Roland The Roadie And Gertrude The Groupie, and Ballad of Lucy Jordan (later covered by Marianne Faithful). They were great fun, and totally crazy. 
By 1977 when I saw them again at the City Hall, Dr Hook were riding on a wave of major success in the UK, having hit the chart with A Little Bit More and If Not You. Support came from Alfalpha. The show seemed a little toned down to me, with less crazy banter, and more straight songs. At this point the band were changing from a rock band to more a middle of the road rock/country act. They had even had their hair cut (which disappointed me)! 
Dr Hook went on to even greater success in the UK with a string of mega-hits. However, the memories I have are of those crazy long haired guys that I saw at the City Hall in 1974. A DVD exists of the band in those early days, when they were known as Dr Hook and the Medicine Show and shows the set as; Sylvia’s Mother; Marie Lavaux; Yodel; Cops ‘N Robbers; Carry Me, Carrie; Penicillin Penny; Roland The Roadie; Freakin’ At The Freaker’s Ball; The Cover Of The Rolling Stone.
1 Oct
Ian Dury & the Blockheads in concert
Ian Dury & the Blockheads
I first saw Ian Dury in Kilburn and the Highroads when they supported The Who at Newcastle Odeon on their 1973 Quadrophenia tour. I can’t pretend to remember much about them, other than they seemed like an ok pub rock band. Interesting to see that the Kilburns also featured Nick Cash who I was to see a few years later in 999, and who were truly a top punk band. The next time I saw Ian Dury was on the Stiff tour at Middlesbrough Town Hall, where he stole the show which closed with everyone on stage and all of us singing along to Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll. Ian was an enigma on stage. 
He was, of course, nothing like a traditional rock star. And he was hardy “punk”. But his onstage patter, his humility, the way that he dealt with his disability, and his crazy dress sense, all gave him a charisma and a connection with the audience that no one else had in the day. We were all with him from the word go, and his stage presence, coupled with the tremendous musicianship of the Blockheads made every Dury gig a unique and fun experience. The thing that I remember most about the 1978 gig at Newcastle City Hall was that I had one of my final Maths exams for my degree the next morning. I figured that there was no point in any further revision at that point, so went along to see Ian and the Blockheads. Glad I made that choice! Support at that gig were Matumbi (a reggae band) and Whirlwind (a rockabilly band). 
For me, the best tracks live were Sweet Gene Vincent, Clever Trevor and Sex and Drugs. To be honest, I was never a great fan of Rhythm Stick or Reasons to be Cheerful, although I have warmed to the latter song recently. 
A setlist from Hammersmith in 1979 shows the songs played as: Clever Trevor; Inbetweenies; Don’t Ask Me; Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3; Sink My Boats; Waiting For Your Taxi; This Is What We Find; Mischief; What A Waste!; Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick; Sweet Gene Vincent. I guess the Newcastle gig will have featured a similar set. I’m surprised Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll doesn’t feature in the list. It was certainly a high point of the early Blockheads gigs I saw. Great memories of a one-off and a great man; sadly missed. Great gigs. Respect.
Note added 20th July 2014. I found the programme below in my collection. It must have come from the December 1980 concert.
30 Sep
Dead or Alive Newcastle Mayfair 1984
Dead or Alive Newcastle Mayfair 1984
Pete Burns is a crazy, wierd guy. In 1984 he and his band Dead or Alive were riding high in the charts with their remake of KC and the Sunshine Band’s 1975 hit, Thats The Way (I Like It). This was a few months before their massive (and great) hit You Spin Me Round (Like a Record). Dead or Alive in concert was a pretty amazing experience, great rhythms and dance music, and totally crazy and compelling performance from Pete Burns, whose outrageousness and bottle impressed me immensely. This gig was before their massive success, and the Mayfair was respectably full, but not packed. The band had just released their debut album Sophisticated Boom Boom, which featured Wayne Hussey as a member of the band. Wayne, however, had left the band by the time of this tour, to join Sisters of Mercy, and then on to form The Mission. I haven’t seen Dead or Alive again since those days, although I did watch Celebrity Big Brother with interest in 2006, to see Pete Burns in the house.
29 Sep
The Damned 80s gigs
The Damned’s line-up changes several times in the late 70s and early 80s, with a few different people filling the guitar spot. I lost track of the different permutations, and I also remember seeing the band billed as The Doomed at a Rock Garden gig at one point. My mate Norm reminded me that we went to see Damned spin-off band Rat Scabies White Cats in 1978 at Whitley Bay Rex Hotel. The White Cats were short lived and Rat soon returned to The Damned fold. The Damned played Newcastle Mayfair a few times in the early 80s, and always attracted a big crowd. By then they had a lot of strong singles, and the set was much longer than in the early days. 
A live album exists of their Mayfair gig from 1982; I gig which I probably attended, and shows the setlist as being: Ignite; Disco Man; Generals; I Just Can’t Be Happy Today; Stranger on the Town; Wait for the Blackout; Bad Time for Bonzo; Curtain Call; Dozen Girls; Limit Club; Melody Lee; Fuse; Love Song; Sensible’s a Wanker; Smash It Up; Looking at You; New Rose; Happy Talk; Noise Noise Noise; Hippy Hippy Shake; Citadel. Favourites for me at that time were Smash It Up and Love Song. 
I also loved their version of Eloise, which is one of my all time favourite songs. I loved the Barry Ryan original, and remember going out and buying the single. I saw The Damned at Newcastle City Hall in 1986, around the time of Eloise, and was still impressed by them. By that time, however, Sensible had left the band, and only Vanian and Rat remained from the original line-up. I think that was the last time that I saw the band in concert. I keep meaning to go and see them again, and would really like to do so, particularly as the latest line-up features Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible. They are playing in Newcastle in December, but I’m pretty sure that I will be working in Ireland that day, so will miss them again. Must put that right sometime soon. I have some great memories of Damned gigs, and always had fun when I saw them.
The Mayfair was a great venue and I remember some crazy nights with The Damned there. Jimmy Burns has kindly sent me an image of a poster from those heady days. Many thanks, Jimmy (a.k.a. Punk Hoarder). I’m pretty sure I will have been at that concert. I have seen The Damned since then, featuring Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible from the original band and they were as crazy as ever. I have tickets for their reunion concert next year at Manchester Apollo and I am really looking forward to it. Maybe happy days can be here again.
28 Sep
The Damned 70s gigs
The Damned 70s gigs
The Damned, like much of punk rock, were a breath of fresh air when they exploded on to the late 70s music scene. Unlike the Pistols, and to some extent The Clash, The Damned were played up and down the country all of the time. I saw them lots and lots of times in the late 70s at Redcar, Middlesbrough Rock Garden, Newcastle Poly and later at gigs at Newcastle City Hall and Mayfair. I first saw The Damned supporting The Flaming Groovies at Redcar Coatham Bowl in 1976. This was at the time of New Rose, and I remember we went into the gig early especially to see The Damned. I recall that, for some reason, Dave Vanium wasn’t wearing his usual gothic styled make up and clothing and appeared wearing a leather jacket and no make up. The Captain was just mad, Brain James was the guitar hero, and Rat was going crazy on the drums. Their set included New Rose, their manic version of the Beatles’ Help and some embryonic versions of songs which would feature on their first album, which came out the following year. 
I then saw them at a shambolic gig at Newcastle Poly; there was lots of glasses flying, much edginess, fights and the set was cut short as a result. Marie and I talked to The Captain in the bar; he held court to a few of us, telling us how he was an Abba fan, and devouring a packet of crisps, including the packet itself all in one go. I also remember a gig at the Rock Garden. I was one of the few people at the gig with long hair, and Rat came up to me at the bar and said he thought I was Lemmy (! not sure if that was good or bad, but it seemed a fun complement at the time). That particular gig finished with an encore and The Captain coming back on stage stark naked and peeing on the crowd (who very quickly moved back and out of the way; luckily we were standing at the back). The City Hall ticket above was for a 1977 gig, at which they were supported by The Dead Boys, featuring the late great Stiv Bators. The Mayfair ticket is for a later gig (may actually be from the 80s). I also saw them at The City Hall supporting T Rex, which was a strange, but for me successful, pairing. I think I saw them once or twice at Durham University Dunelm Ballroom as well. What I remember of these guys was chaos, madness, great fun, some loud, fast punk rock. Great nights. Can I be young again?
Update 22 December 2021
Many thanks indeed to Jimmy Burns (a.k.a. Punk Hoarder) for sending me this lovely image of the flyer for the concert. It brings back great memories. I’m looking forward to seeing the reunited original line-up of the Damned at Manchester Apollo next year. The concert has just been postponed from February 2022 to November 2022. Something to look forward to. Expecting some mad Damned mayhem! Happy days can be here again. And yes I can be young again (at least in my mind and heart). Roll on 2022 and more concerts.
27 Sep
Neil Diamond Newcastle Arena 2005
Neil Diamond Newcastle Arena 2005
If you’d asked me in 1975 if I would go and see Neil Diamond, I would have said that I would pass. Its strange how my taste has changed over the years. Sure I always liked Sweet Caroline and Crackin’ Rosie, but I had Neil Diamond parked in a box marked “uncool”. Yet over time, I have come to realise just how “cool” and legendary this guy is. The guy has written so many classic songs; songs which I grew up. When I was a kid my parents bought me a guitar music book with all the Monkees’ hits in it. I spent ages learning the chords to I’m a Believer, and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You on my cheap acoustic guitar. I didn’t know at the time that Neil Diamond had written those songs. I picked up on Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon late on, probably through its inclusion in Pulp Fiction. It took me some time to realise that Neil Diamond had also written that song. So by 2005, I had put all prejudices aside, and felt it was time I experienced a Neil Diamond concert. I originally bought tickets to see him at a massive open air concert in Hull football ground, but when he announced a show in Newcastle, I sold the tickets for Hull, and bought tickets for this, much more local, show. Marie was originally going to come along with me, but cried off, and my mate Will kindly agreed to come along and join me in this Diamond experience. 
As expected Neil Diamond in concert was just great. The total professional, the guy commanded the massive sold-out arena crowd from the word go. The set was long, but never flagged, and hit the right balance between rock and middle of the road. I challenge anyone to go along to a Neil Diamond concert and not enjoy it. The guy has so many hits. We had great seats in the front row of a front side block, and a top view of Neil. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t sing Girl You’ll be a Woman Soon, but heyho, you can’t have everything. A good night was had by all. Setlist: Crunchy Granola Suite; Desiree; Remember Me; Beautiful Noise; Cherry, Cherry; You Got To Me; Play Me; Love on the Rocks; America; Forever in Blue Jeans; You Don’t Bring Me Flowers; September Morn; Signs; Be; Lonely Looking Sky; Skybird; Holly Holy; Sweet Caroline; I’m a Believer; Glory Road; And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind; Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow; Shilo; Red Red Wine; Soolaimon; I Am … I Said. Encore: Cracklin’ Rosie; Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show; I’ve Been This Way Before.
26 Sep
Duran Duran Newcastle City Hall 1982 Rio!
Duran Duran Newcastle City Hall 1982
By the time of the Rio album and tour Duran Duran were massive and at the top of their game. They sold out two nights at the City Hall, and I attended the second night. The set included all the hits; their first two albums contain a load of great songs: Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf, Save A Prayer: all good. I was pretty near the front and the crowd was going crazy around me: great stuff! This was the last time I was to see Duran Duran in concert, other than their appearance at Live Aid in 1985, which signalled the end of the band for some 20 years until the recent reunion.
Setlist: Rio; Hungry Like the Wolf; Last Chance on the Stairway; Lonely In Your Nightmare; Sound of Thunder; Night Boat; New Religion; Friends of Mine; Save a Prayer; Planet Earth; Hold Back the Rain; Careless Memories. Encore: Come Up And See Me (Make Me Smile); My Own Way; Girls on Film. Interesting to see that they covered Cockney Rebel’s Make Me Smile as the first encore on this tour. Support came from Bloomsbury Set (thanks Greg!).
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