Posts Tagged ‘music’

2 Nov

The Last Shadow Puppets Newcastle City Hall

Posted by vintagerock in Last Shadow Puppets, The Last Shadow Puppets. Tagged: , , , , .

The Last Shadow Puppets Newcastle City Hall October 27 2008

Laura and I have both been listening to the Last Shadow Puppets album since it was released. The blend of 60s type pop songs, with Dick Dale type surf guitar, and orchestral arrangements makes it pretty special.  So went along with Laura and her friend Alex to see how it came over live.

Support were Ipso Facto, an all-girl group whose members include the daughter of the Animals Hilton Valentine, so I guess this was a sort of home-coming for her. The hall was pretty empty at this stage; they were OK; reminiscent of Siouxsie; I thought. They are the support for the Magazine dates in February so we will see them again there.

The place filled up for the arrival of the Last Shadow Puppets, who didn’t disappoint. They were accompanied by a full orchestra and the sound was spot-on. Started with the great In my room, and played pretty much all of the album. The set also included some interesting covers: I want you (shes so heavy) (the Beatles); Paris summer (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra) where they were joined by the singer from Ipso Facto who took the Nancy vocal part; In the Heat of the morning (David Bowie) and Memories (Leonard Cohen).

The crowd gave Alex Turner, Miles Kane and the band a great and well deserved reception for this last gig on the UK tour. A great show; will be interesting to see what (if anythingf?) they do next.

Set list : In my room; the age of the understatement; calm like you; black plant; gas dance; only the truth; seoarate and ever deadly; hang the cyst; I want you (shes so heavy); my mistakes were made for you; Paris summer; in the heat of the morning; I don’t like you anymore; the chamber; the time has come again; the meeting place; encores: memories; standing next to me

Website: http://thelastshadowpuppets.com/

26 Oct

Elbow The Sage Gateshead

Posted by vintagerock in Elbow. Tagged: , , , , .

Elbow The Sage Gateshead Oct 20 2008

Laura and I went along to see Elbow at the Sage on Monday, largely as a result of Laura’s interest in them. She had listened to most of the albums and had been telling me how good they were. We bought the tickets before they had won the Mercury Music prize, and were both looking forward to seeing what they were like. The gig had been sold out for some weeks (since they won the Mercury prize).

Laura was going to a fancy dress party straight after the gig, so was dressed as Snow White under her coat;  and sporting a lovely bright red Snow White headband, which the girl at the merchandise stand complimented her on. The support act (who we missed) was Jesca Hoop.

I was actually pleasantly surprised as to how good Elbow were. The music was quite different to what I had expected; pretty difficult to categorize. They were accompanied by a string section and various other instruments. The crowd came from a mixed age range, and seemed to know all of the songs (unlike me!).  They even managed to get people on their feet, which is quite difficult in the Sage!

Set list was something like :
Starlings
Bones
Leaders Of The Free World
Mirror Ball
Grounds For Divorce
Mexican Standoff
Towercrane
New Born
Great
Weather To Fly
One Day Like This

Encores:
Puncture Repair
Station Approach
Scattered Black And Whites

my ticket

my ticket

26 Oct

Classic Legends of Rock Harrogate

Posted by vintagerock in Focus, Groundhogs, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash, Wishbone Ash. Tagged: , , , , , .

Classic Legends of Rock Harrogate Royal Hall October 24 2008

This triple bill of classic rock bands (Groundhogs, Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash and Focus) has been playing halls around the country for the past few weeks. The nearest date to us was Harrogate so went along with my friends Norm and Will to see three bands who we all had fond memories of.

The drive to Harrogate was straightforward and we quickly found the Royal Hall which lies in the centre of town. We went straight into the venue as we wanted to be sure to catch the Groundhogs who were first up. The Royal Hall has been recently refurbished and is a lovely old theatre, where greats such as the Beatles have played over the years. After a drink in the (quite expensive) bar we took our seats for the show. I bought a poster (a bargain at £2) and we had a chat with Joanna, who admired my Split t-shirt.

First up was the Groundhogs. We are all long standing fans of Tony McPhee and the band and have seen them many many times over the years. The set was (from memory) : Eccentric Man, Garden, Split 1, Split 2, Split 4, Natchez Burning and Cherry Red. Tony’s guitar playing was pretty on form tonight, but his singing wasn’t so hot to be honest. The drummer looks new, and is adding some backing vocals. It was nice to see them again, and a good start to the show. We then went over the road to the local Wetherspoons for a quick drink between the sets. Norm and Will had a word with Tony; shook his hand and congratulated him on a good gig.

Next up was Martin Turner’s version of Wishbone Ash. This was the first time that we had seen this band, although Will and I had seen Andy Powell’s Wishbone Ash a couple of times lately and we all three had fond memories of seeing the original band in their 70s heyday. The band played a set of classic Ash songs; and did them spot on. Martin looked great; it made us all think how great it would be if the original band were to regroup (probably not likely). The set was : The King Will Come, Warrior, Throw Down the Sword, Phoenix, Living Proof, Blowing Free, Jailbait. Back to Wetherspoons.

Focus closed the show. We all knew less Focus tracks than the other bands, but we were looking forward to hearing Hocus Pocus, Sylvia etc. Thijs Van Leer is a great showman, and a pretty crazy guy; the young guitarist is great and played Jan Akkerman’s guitar part perfectly.
A pretty good set which sent everyone home happy.

After some chips at the local chippy we made the drive up the A1 which was pretty clear all the way. A good gig; all enjoyed it.

Websites
Groundhogs : http://www.thegroundhogs.co.uk/
Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash : http://www.wishboneash.co.uk/
Focus : http://www.focustheband.com/english.html

my ticket

my ticket

18 Oct

Stephen Stills Newcastle October 16

Posted by vintagerock in Stephen Stills. Tagged: , , , .

Stephen Stills Newcastle City Hall October 16 2008

The members of CSN&Y have made quite a few visits to the UK in the past few years including tours by CSN, Crosby and Nash and Neil Young. This time its the turn of Stephen Stills to come over and play for us.

The City Hall was around 3/4 full for this show, but that didn’t detract from the atmosphere. Everyone was here to see someone who has written some of the greatest songs of our lives, and played some great guitar along the way too. The set was split into two halves; the first half was largely acoustic and the second a full electric set.  Stills came on and opened with Helplessly Hoping; his voice was strong, if admittedly not the same as it was 30 years ago! And he looks good. Much much better than last time I saw him with CSN at Manchester a few years ago.  He covers Dylan’s Girl from the North Country , does 4+20 from Deja Vu (joking that he is now 3+60 rather than 4+20) and closes the set with a beautiful version of Suite Judy Blue Eyes.

The second set features his band (who are great) and some wonderful guitar playing from Stills. I’d forgotten just how great his guitar playing is. He ends with For What its Worth and the encore is the inevitable Love the One your With. Manage to score one of Stills plectrums from a roadie at the end. I have a chat with a few friends after the show and get mixed views (from “excellent” to “shocking: his voice is gone”) ; but overall I think we all felt this was pretty good, and a rare opportunity to see a real legend.

Set list :

Helplessly Hoping; Treetop Flyer; North Country Girl; Change Partners; 4+20; Ballad of the Blind Fiddler; Johnny’s Garden; Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom; Suite Judy Blue Eyes 

Isn’t It About Time; Rock & Roll Woman; Wrong Thing To Do; Rocky Mountain Way; I Want To Make Love To You; Bluebird; For What It’s Worth; Love The One Your With; Dark Star

my ticket

my ticket

Stills plectrum

Stills plectrum

website : http://stephenstills.com

12 Oct

Oasis Sheffield Arena 10 October

Posted by vintagerock in Oasis. Tagged: , , , , , .

Oasis Sheffield Hallam Arena Friday 10 October 2008

Oasis are back and on top form. A new album, and a new tour which sold out in the first hour. To the fans who have followed them over the years, Oasis are THE band. So there is an air of heavy anticipation around in the cavernous Sheffield Hallam arena on Friday night.

Laura and I drove down to Sheffield on Friday night; traffic wasn’t too bad given it was a Friday. In fact we arrived there with plenty of time to spare. Laura bought her customary t-shirt and I bought my programme. Then, after a couple of pretty mega size hot dogs, we took our seats which were at the back of the arena, opposite the stage. The support act was a band called Twisted Wheel, who niether of us had heard of before. They were OK I suppose, pretty average actually, sounded like a cross between old school punk (doesn’t everyone nowadays?) and the Arctic Monkeys. After they have finished there’s a short wait before Oasis take the stage to a might roar from the Yorkshire crowd.

The sound is pretty clear from where we are; maybe could be a little louder. Liam’s voice is really strong, and he looks pretty cool on stage. The set is a mixture of old and new. The songs from the new album are very strong, and the old favourites go down well with the crowd. Lots of singing along. Lots of beer flying aroundon the floor and on the lower terraces. Luckily we mostly escape this.

In the encore we get Don’t Look Back in Anger sung largely acoustic by Noel, and a great version of Champagne Supernova. The last song is I am the Walrus which nearly takes the roof off. And then its over, seemed like they had only been on stage 5 minutes, although it had been almost 2 hours in reality.  The drive back to Newcastle is straight forward; road is clear.

So the lads didn’t let us down. They follow in a great line of British rock bands. Just like seeing the Who, the Faces or the Kinks on a good night. Roll on next Summer (now where will the mega gig in Manchester be?) ; can’t wait.  

 

  Set list:  Rock N Roll Star ; Lyla ; The Shock Of The Lightning ;Cigarettes And Alcohol; Meaning Of Soul ;To Be  Where There’s Life;  Waiting For The Rapture; The Masterplan; Songbird; Slide Away; Morning Glory; Ain’t Got Nothing; The Importance Of Being Idle; To Be Where There’s Life; Wonderwall; Supersonic

 

 Encores: Don’t Look Back In Anger (Acoustic); Falling Down; Champagne Supernova; I Am The Walrus

website: www.oasisinet.com

28 Sep

The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall 2008

Posted by vintagerock in Moody Blues, The Moody Blues. Tagged: , , , , , , .

The Moody Blues Newcastle City Hall September 23 2008

The Moody Blues just keep going. On Tuesday night they were at Newcastle City Hall, where they come every couple of years or so now. No big surprises in the set list; all the favourites were played : Tuesday Afternoon, Nights in White Satin, Voices in the Sky, Question, I’m Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band, The Voice. The set is in two halves with the well known songs spread pretty evenly throughout. My seat was 4 rows from the front to the left of the stage, and the sound from there was pretty mirky. I couldn’t hear the vocals very well at all, so for the second half I went upstairs and sat in a empty seat about half way back. My view wasn’t as good but the sound was crystal clear from there.

The band played, as always, pretty faultlessly. Justin Haywood and John Lodge both look great, and Justin’s voice is still pretty strong. The only other long time member is Graeme Edge the drummer (who is actually the only original member from the Go Know days).  The backdrop showed lots of pictures of the band in the late 60s and early 70s. The encore was, as usual, Ride my SeeSaw. All great songs and well played.  

 

website : http://www.moodyblues.co.uk/index_main.html

14 Sep

Stevie Wonder Manchester Arena Sept 9 2008

Posted by vintagerock in Stevie Wonder. Tagged: , , , , , .

Stevie Wonder Manchester Arena September 9 2008

Its been 28 years since I last saw Stevie Wonder at Wembley Arena, and I was really looking forward to seeing him again. Laura and I took the train to Manchester to see the great man in concert at the vast Manchester Evening News Arena. We arrived at the arena in time to have a good look at the merchandise. Laura was delighted to discover that the t-shirts had braille on them and she bought a “Isn’t She Lovely” t-shirt and a key-ring which also had braille on it. I was a little disappointed that there were no programmes (apparently they hadn’t been printed in time for the early dates and will be joining the tour later).

Our seats were on the floor; half way back. Two rows in front of us was sat Ian Brown who was looking as cool as ever and sporting a great Motorhead t-shirt. Laura was well chuffed when I spotted Ian! Stevie came on playing some great bluesy harmonica ; first song I recognised was Master Blaster (Jammin).  Everyone was on their feet from the start; lots of shouting; a great roaring reception; a lot of people had waited a long time for this. 

The set was a mixture of hits and less well know songs. I would guess I knew around half of the songs. Lots of singing along, with Stevie getting the men and women to sing different parts a couple of times. Perhaps a little too much singing along; and not enough hits; but actually it was OK; balance was probably about right on reflection. He was backed by a great 14 piece band including his daughter as one of the singers (she also got a solo).

The guy sitting next to Laura was really into in it, dancing and singing all the time (he knew absolutely all of the words from every song).  There were a few occassions where everyone sat down; this guy refused to; even when someone behind him asked him to and then threatened him; thought they were going to fight! The guy behind got a steward who had a word with them both and managed to calm the situation.

As we go towards the end we got more hits: Signed, Sealed, Delivered and Superstition were great. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t do For Once in My Life which is my favourite; but hey you can’t have everything every time. Laura and I agreed that it was a great show from a legend!

Setlist included : Master Blaster All I Do Knocks Me Off My Feet Higher Ground Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing Visions Livin’ for the City Golden Lady Isn’t She Lovely My Cheri Amour Signed, Sealed, Delivered Sir Duke I Wish Do I Do I Just Called to Say I Love You Superstition As 
 

31 Aug

Portishead April 12 Edinburgh

Posted by vintagerock in Portishead. Tagged: , , , , .

Portishead April 12 Edinburgh Corn Exchange

Support : A Hawk and a Hacksaw

I’d seen Portishead on TV and youtube performing Roads with a full orchestra in New York and was very impressed, particularly with Beth’s voice. So what with all the hype of them returning with new material and a tour, I didn’t take much persuading by David and Laura to buy tickets for the nearest date which was a Saturday concert in Edinburgh. David and Mari took the opportunity to go to Scotland a little earlier to explore the sights of the capital. So when the day of the concert came it was Laura and I who took the 2+ hour drive to Edinburgh. I decided to take the route up through Jedburgh, which is a little shorter than via the A1; however, it does involve some quite windy roads which did not impress Laura.  Especially as we saw a car on its side in the grass verge at one point on the journey.

On arriving in Edinburgh we picked up David and Mari in Princes Street, and set off to find somewhere to eat. After some driving around we eventually stopped at a steak restaurant in Gorgie Road. Our steaks and burgers were lovely; straight after finishing we went directly to the Corn Exchange. We caught the tail end of the support act who sounded quite weird, and Laura bought a lovely P t-shirt.

David and Mari made their way to the front of the crowd, while Laura and I took seats in the disabled area which was at the back of the hall, directly in front of the stage. Portishead started with Silence which is the first track on their new album. Although many of the songs were new, they seemed to be familiar to most of the crowd, who greeted each new number with a roar and then fell silent as soon as Beth’s wonderful voice cut through the wall of sound. The light show was pretty impressive, with imaginative use of black and white video alongside some liquid lens effects reminiscent of 60s psychedelia. The well known songs (which were the only ones I knew!) were included; Wandering Star and Glory Box going down particularly well. My favourite, Roads, was one of the encores; Beth’s voice sounding amazing.

After the encores were finished we met up with David and Mari and made our way back home. We all agreed that this had been a great show and well worth the trip north of the border.

set list:

Silence
Hunter
Mysterons
The Rip
Glory Box
Numb
Magic Doors
Wandering Star
Machine Gun
Over
Sour Times
Nylon Smile
Cowboys

Encore:
Threads
Roads
We Carry On

website: http://www.portishead.co.uk/

30 Aug

Kasabian Newcastle Academy Aug 28 2008

Posted by vintagerock in Fratellis, Kasabian. Tagged: , , , , .

Kasabian Newcastle Academy August 28 2008

Arrived at the Carling Academy at around 8pm. Lots of people outside wanting tickets; heard a tout selling one for £60.  Get inside and join a very packed and hot crowd; not too good for Laura in the crush; we buy a t-shirt and then try and figure a way to get upstairs where we will have a better and safer view. The guys who guard the doors don’t listen to our pleas that it will be safer for Laura upstairs but we manage to swap tickets with a couple of guys who are trying to blag their way into the downstairs area.

Make our way upstairs and take a couple of seats in the middle of the balcony. There are quite a few empty seats; some people must have sneaked their way into the downstairs area. Don’t have long to wait for Kasabian to take the stage to a mighty roar from the crowd, who go crazy from the word go. Everyone sings along to Shoot the Runner; beer flying around; looks pretty crushed downstairs. The singer is the spitting image of Phil May from the Pretty Things in the early 70s with his long dark hair and shades. Lots of influences here; I can hear T Rex, Mott the Hoople, the Stone Roses, Oasis, the Who. Atmosphere (and volume; which is mega-loud) reminds me of seeing Slade in the early 70s. Can’t me many better bands than this; set is only about an hour and then some encores. I haven’t seen a better crowd reaction for a long time.  Out into the street after the show and into the welcome cool air; everyone still singing along to LSF. Awesome.

This was the second time we had seen Kasabian. The first encounter was at Newcastle Arena a couple of years earlier (see ticket below). On that occasion we went along primarily to see the Fratellis who were the support act, and an obsession at the time. We were both suffering from flu, so to our shame left during Kasabian’s set.

 

Set list:

Shoot The Runner
Sunrise Like Flies
Cutt Off
Processed Beats
By My Side
Fire
Reason Is Treason
Me Plus One
ID
Butcher Blues
Empire
Last Trip
The Doberman
Fast Fuse

Encores:
Club Foot
Stuntman
LSF

website: http://www.kasabian.co.uk/home/

21 Aug

The Cure Wembley Arena

Posted by vintagerock in Cure, The Cure. Tagged: , , , , , .

The Cure Wembley Arena 20 March 2008

Hadn’t seen the Cure for ages. Must have been 20 years; Whitley Bay Ice Rink was the last time I think. Laura had been listening to a lot of their old stuff and I’d been given the best of the Cure as a present, so we were all getting into them again. So Laura, David and I decided to buy tickets for their only UK gig in 2008 at Wembley Arena. We bought the tickets ages before the show and we were all really looking forward to seeing them.

Travelled down to London on the afternoon of the show, went for a pizza and then took the tube to Wembley. Didn’t really watch the support act; spent the time looking at the merchandise stall; Laura bought a great t-shirt with a full size face of Robert Smith, which looks great on her.

This was a long set; with the Cure playing for around 3 hours. Yet we didn’t get bored. I would say that I know less than half of the set ; still enjoyed it though. Great to hear The Forest, Three Imaginary Boys, Love Cats and Arab again. Brings back memories. David and Laura thought they were great (which they were!).

Memories of old Cure shows:

Seeing them at Reading in the late 70s, seeing them at the City Hall in the early 80s; seeing them in Newcastle University Ballrom on a Saturday night in the late 70s or early 80s.

Mainset:

plainsong
prayers for rain
a strange day
alt.end
a night like this
the end of the world
lovesong
to wish impossible things
pictures of you
lullaby
from the edge of the deep green sea
hot hot hot!!!
the only one
the walk
push
friday i’m in love
inbetween days
just like heaven
primary
a boy i never knew
shake dog shake
never enough
wrong number
one hundred years

Encore 1
at night
m
play for today
a forest

Encore 2:
the lovecats
let’s go to bed
freakshow
close to me
why can’t i be you?

Encore 3:
three imaginary boys
fire in cairo
boys don’t cry
jumping someone else’s train
grinding halt
10:15 saturday night
killing an arab

ticket for wembley

ticket for wembley

programme for wembley concert

programme for wembley concert

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