Rock on the Tyne Gateshead Stadium 29th/30th August 1981
In 1981 the north east for its own rock festival in the shape of Rock on the Tyne, a two day event which took place at Gateshead Stadium over the August bank holiday weekend. So we decided to forego our usual annual trek to Reading and sample the delights of this new event. That seemed a big choice, and a bit of a dilemma for me at the time, as I had been going to Reading for 9 consecutive years. As it happened, having made the break from going to Reading I never returned, which in hindsight was a mistake….
The line-up for Rock on the Tyne was (according to my tickets) as below.
Saturday. Huang Chung, Doll by Doll, The Polecats, Pauline Murray, U2, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Elvis Costello. [note the programme doesn’t list Pauline Murray, and does list Beckett. I can’t remember seeing Pauline play, and suspect the programme may be correct.]
Sunday. Fist, Diamond Head, Trimmer & Jenkins, Dr Feelgood, Ginger Baker’s Nutters, Lindisfarne, Rory Gallagher.
One of my main reasons for attending was to see up and coming new wave Irish band U2; this was their first appearance in the north east. I remember getting to the festival just in time to see their set late on Saturday afternoon. U2 were amazing at this point in their career. Bono was passionate, full of energy and you could just feel how hungry he and the rest of the band were for the massive success which was soon to follow. Stand-out songs were 11 O’Clock Tick Tock; I Will Follow (which they performed twice, once during the main set and again as part of the encore) and Fire. I remember Bono climbing up the lighting rig during (I think) Fire. Or perhaps that was the following year when they supported the Police at the same venue, or maybe it was on both occasions (actually I think it was both times ?) The memories are fading now, but what I do remember is that U2 were the highlight of the festival, and they were the band that everyone was talking about.
My other memory of the weekend was Rory Gallagher. Rory was never less than excellent, and this performance was no exception. He’d put on a little weight and added a brass section, and played the festival out with all those blues rock classics…Well did out ever get up with them bullfrogs on our mind?! Pure class 🙂
Ian Dury was good, Elvis was moving into his country period, Ginger Baker had a massive drum kit (of course). The festival wasn’t that well attended and wasn’t repeated although Gateshead Stadium has been used for concerts since then, including the aforementioned Police and U2 gig which took place the following year.
U2 setlist: With A Shout; 11 O’Clock Tick Tock; I Will Follow; An Cat Dubh; Into The Heart; Another Time, Another Place; The Cry; The Electric Co.; I Threw A Brick Through A Window; Stories For Boys; Out Of Control.
Encores: I Will Follow; Fire.
Rory Gallagher setlist: The Devil Made Me Do It; Bad Penny; Nadine; I Wonder Who; Moonchild; Double Vision; Wayward Child; Bourbon; Brute Force and Ignorance; Ride on Red, Ride On; Western Plain (When I Was a Cowboy); Tattoo’d Lady; Leavin’ Blues; Philby; Shadow Play; Bullfrog Blues
This post takes me up to the letter “U”. I will continue with “U” tomorrow, by writing about U2 in concert.
Posts Tagged ‘new wave’
20 Nov
Rock on the Tyne Gateshead Stadium 29th/30th August 1981
16 Nov
Thompson Twins Dunelm Ballroom, Durham University 9th March 1982 & Newcastle City Hall 6th May 1983
Thompson Twins Dunelm Ballroom, Durham University 9th March 1982 & Newcastle City Hall 6th May 1983
The Thompson Twins were named after the bumbling detectives in the Adventures of Tintin. The Crab With The Gold Claws was my favourite 🙂 I would run in from playing in the street to watch it. I can still hear the intro: “Hergé’s Adventures of Tintin: The Crab With The Golden Claws”.
But these Thompson Twins were very different. These started as a new wave outfit, formed in a squat with full on left wing anarchic values. In my mind I have them bracketed with the Raincoats and the Mekons. They were a large band comprising seven members, fronted by Tom Bailey on vocals and synth, which he was apparently just learning to play, Alannah Currie on vocals and percussion and Joe Leeway on vocals, percussion, synths and guitars. 
The other members were Chris Bell (drums), Peter Dodd (guitar, synths, percussion), John Roog (guitar) and Matthew Seligman (bass). Thomas Dolby would sometimes accompany them on synth. It was this seven piece Thompson Twins that I saw at Dunelm House in early 1982. I remember the set as being very rhythmic, verging on dance, with lots of drums and percussion, and that there was much running about the stage by everyone. This was at the time of their second album “Set” which featured the single “In the Name of Love”. “In the Name of Love” was a dance hit, particularly in the US, and encouraged the band to follow a dancie/pop direction. Shortly after “Set” the band split and was reduced to the trio of Bailey, Currie and Leeway. Big success was soon to follow. 
In early 1983 the new slimmed down Thompson Twins released their third album “Quick Step and Side Kick”. The album was much more of a slick pop/dance record and reached No 2 in the UK charts. It also gave them four UK singles chart entries with “Love on Your Side” (No. 9), “We Are Detective” (No. 7), “Watching” (No. 33) and “Hold Me Now” (No. 4). The Thompson Twins had made the transition from a new wave act living in a squat to massive international success. Their “Side Kicks” tour sold out everywhere. I saw them when the tour called at Newcastle City Hall. A fun show, all the hits, and very different from the band that I had seen only one year previously.
15 Nov
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 6th April 1985 (and Knebworth 1990)
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 6th April 1985 (and Knebworth 1990)
In 1985 Tears for Fears released “Songs from the Big Chair”, their second album. It was a massive worldwide success, reaching No. 2 in the UK, and staying in the Top 40 album chart for over a year. It also reached No. 1 in the US, and gave them a string of international hit singles: “Mothers Talk”, “Shout”, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Head over Heels”. The album was well received by the music press and fans alike, and saw them move from their previous dark pop synth style to more poppy upbeat music. They toured extensively to promote the album, and called at the City Hall in April 1985 for a concert which sold out well in advance. Support came from Vitamin Z who had a hit with the single “Burning Flame”. My memory of the concert is of a joyous fun night with some serious audience singalongs during “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”. This was definitely the best time I saw Tears for Fears.
1985 Setlist: Mothers Talk; Broken / Head Over Heels / Broken; Start of the Breakdown; The Prisoner; The Working Hour; Pale Shelter; Suffer the Children; Memories Fade; I Believe; Mad World; Shout; Everybody Wants to Rule the World; The Hurting; Change.
The next and final time I saw Tears for Fears was when they appeared low down on a multi-band bill at Knebworth in 1990. The day was headlined by Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney. Tears for Fears opened the day around noon, and we were listening to them as we drove in (it was broadcast live on the radio) and then caught the end of their set as we entered the park. They were having a big success at the time with “Sowing the Seeds of Love”.
Setlist at Knebworth 1990: Women of Ireland;Head Over Heels / Broken Change; Pale Shelter; Sowing the Seeds of Love; All You Need Is Love (The Beatles); Advice for the Young at Heart; I’ve Got To Sing My Song; Badman’s Song; Everybody Wants to Rule the World
14 Nov
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 5th December 1983
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 5th December 1983
Tears for Fears were inescapable during the mid 1980s. Their music was played absolutely everywhere. The band spent most of 1983 out on tour around the world, promoting their debut album “The Hurting”. In November 1983, they released a new single, “The Way You Are”, and finished a successful year with another UK tour to promote it. This was their second UK tour of the year, and they returned to Newcastle City Hall to play another sold out concert. Support came from Bristol band The Escape. This was another great concert. Tears for Fears performed most of the tracks from The Hurting as well as the new single and a few new songs which would eventually end up on their second album, “Songs from the Big Chair”, in 1985.
Setlist (something like): Start of the Breakdown; Mothers Talk; Pale Shelter; The Working Hour; The Prisoner; Ideas as Opiates; Mad World; We Are Broken; Head over Heels; Suffer the Children; The Hurting; Memories Fade; Change; The Way You Are; The Marauders
The single “The Way You Are” was written while on tour, as a sort of stop gap to keep the band in the public eye while they recorded their second album. It wasn’t a massive hit compared to their previous releases, reaching No. 24 in the UK singles chart. Both Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith later admitted that they didn’t rate the song, Roland stating it was “the point we realized we had to change direction”, while Curt said it was “the worst thing we’ve done”. And change direction they did indeed. The 1983 Tears for Fears sang very dark, depressive songs. A year or so later a new Tears for Fears would emerge with a clutch of joyous pop songs which would take them to massive international success. I saw them perform back at the City Hall in 1985, but that’s a story for tomorrow.
13 Nov
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 22nd March 1983
Tear for Fears Newcastle City Hall 22nd March 1983
Tears for Fears seemed to appear from nowhere and were suddenly massively popular. This concert at the City Hall was completely sold out, and came a couple of weeks after the release of Tears for Fears first album “The Hurting”. The Hurting reached No. 1 on the UK Album Chart, was certified Gold within three weeks of release, and contains Tears for Fears first three hit singles: “Mad World”, “Change”, and “Pale Shelter”, all of which reached the Top 5 in the UK. I remember thinking how young Roland and Curt looked. I only knew the singles, but enjoyed the gig. “Mad World” and “Pale Shelter” are great pop.
From the tour programme: “Mad World was released in September 1982 and while Curt and Roland expected moderate sales, they were staggered when it smashed into the UK charts reaching No. 3 just before Christmas and staying there for three weeks.” Support came from North East band Verba Verba.
Curt Smith said of “Mad World”: “We were sitting in his [Roland’s] flat….and we were looking out of the window at people going to work, and existences we thought were pointless….we thought it was a really great, original track but we also thought there were songs on the album that were far more commercial. So we thought we’d release it first and that it would garner us some critical acclaim because it was interesting and different. None of us – including the record company – thought it would be a hit”.
“All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere”
(Mad World, Tears for Fears, 1982)
11 Nov
Talk Talk Redcar Coatham Bowl 22 April 1984 & Newcastle City Hall 3 May 1986
Talk Talk Redcar Coatham Bowl 22 April 1984 & Newcastle City Hall 3 May 1986
Talk Talk are a massively under-rated, and sadly largely forgotten, band. I saw these guys twice; once at a gig at Redcar Coatham Bowl in 1984 and them again a couple of years later at Newcastle City Hall. Both gigs were excellent, but the Redcar gig particularly sticks in my mind. By the time I went to see them in 1984 with my mate Dave, Talk Talk had been in the lower regions of the charts a few times with some great singles: “Talk Talk”, “It’s My Life”, and the excellent “Dum Dum Girl”. Coming out of the new wave movement, at first they seemed a straight synth pop band. But there was much more to Talk Talk than pop music. They soon moved into more experimental areas. The gig at Redcar was very unlike what I expected. I thought I was going to see a regular new wave / pop act. What we actually witnessed was a much darker, moodier performance by a band pushing at the boundaries. There was something quite strange and almost unnerving about their performance. The singer Mark Hollis stood, hair covering his face, (Dave said he reminded him of Curly Watts from Corrie 🙂 ) hunched over the mike, almost ignoring the audience and sang moody songs, as dark textured synth sounds crept around the venue. Powerful stuff.
I saw Talk Talk once more in 1986. This was in a (sadly) half full City Hall, and at the time of their classic “Life’s What You Make It” which is another great track. The importance of Talk Talk is beginning to be recognised with bands including Radiohead and Portishead declaring them an influence on their music. Talk Talk split in 1992 and Mark Hollis retired from the music business.
Setlist 1986: Talk Talk; Dum Dum Girl; Call in the Night Boy; Tomorrow Started; Life’s What You Make It; Mirror Man; Does Caroline Know?; Chameleon Day; Living in Another World; It’s You; Give It Up; It’s My Life; I Don’t Believe in You; Such A Shame.
Encore: Renée
10 Nov
The Toy Dolls 1981
The Toy Dolls 1981
Now and then I come across a ticket in my collection, and I can’t remember the gig at all. This is one such ticket. Now I think I might have read somewhere that this gig didn’t take place, which might explain why I don’t remember it 🙂
The Toy Dolls, of course, emerged from the Sunderland punk and pub/club rock scene in 1979, and quickly built up a reputation as one of the best live bands around. The Toy Dolls were, and are, led by crazy lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter Olga and produced great tongue in cheek ditties which told stories of local people, clubs and events like “Tommy Kowey’s Car”, “She Goes To Finos”, “James Bond Lives Down Our Street”, “Fisticuffs in Frederick Street” and “Geordie’s Gone to Jail”. They hit the charts in 1984 with a zany cover version of “Nellie the Elephant”. Toy Dolls’ music is fast; part punk, part new wave, part Oi with catchy melodies, humour, and lots of energy. Gary Bushell termed it “punk pathetique”; a subgenre of British punk rock which involved humour and working class cultural themes. This ticket shows the support acts for this “festival” as being local bands Dance Class, who released a great album in the early 80s, and New Studeau. Although I don’t recall this gig, I do remember seeing The Toy Dolls play in local pubs and clubs including the sadly missed Old 29 and West Cornforth (Doggy) club.
A quote from Olga: “I became involved in music as soon as I saw a picture of Suzi Quatro in a magazine when I was delivering newspapers in Sunderland, about 12 or 13-years-old. Punk came to me about four years later, changed my life and suddenly all the barriers were broken down and it was possible for me to become a singer too, or at least pretend I was. Getting bullied at school was a big factor, wanting to prove I could do something, and then hearing Sweet, Slade, Suzi Quatro etc, I knew exactly what I would do with my life at that point.”
The Toy Dolls continue to play and remain successful in Japan, and Europe.
8 Nov
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 17th June 1981
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 17th June 1981
Come 1981 and The Tubes were back at the City Hall again. This time they had turned full circle, had become businessmen and were wearing suits. They had just released their 6th album “The Completion Backward Principle”, which was a concept album presented as a motivational business document. The album received good reviews, and featured much more poppy, accessiblem songs than their previous albums. “A favorite of many Tubes fans, this is a unique album in their catalog in that it married their quirky songwriting and stage persona with a commercial appeal. The breakout that the band had been searching for with their backs to the wall had finally arrived” (from Wikipedia). The album was a success and the band went out on a world tour to promote. 
The stage show was based around the album concept, and featured many of the new songs. We were, of course, also treated to old favourites including “Mondo Bondage” and “White Punks on Dope” which was reserved for the encore. This was much more of a straight theatrical show, and although enjoyable, it lacked the amateur crazinesh of their first UK concerts.
Setlist (something like): A Matter Of Pride; Think About Me; Amnesia; Mr. Hate; Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman; Smoke (La Vie En Fumer); Mondo Bondage; Don’t Want to Wait Anymore; Sushi Girl; Talk to Ya Later; Tubes World Tour.
Encore: Let’s Make Some Noise; White Punks on Dope
This was the last time that I saw the Tubes.
7 Nov
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 13th May 1979
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 13th May 1979
Two years on since The Tube blew us all away with a crazy visual onslaught, they were back on tour in the UK again. This time they had a concept album to play and show to us all. “Remote Control” was based around the concept that “TV is King” and was produced by Todd Rundgren. The show featured the new album and old favourites with all the crazy stage antics that we had come to expect from these guys. This time The Tubes played two shows in one night, I went to the late show with a bunch of mates. A fun show, but for me it was beginning to feel more like a musical theatre show than a rock show. Still, it was all worth while just to get the chance to see along with Fee on “White Punks on Dope”.
Support came from the excellent Squeeze.
Setlist (something like): Getoverture; Turn Me On; TV Is King; Be Mine Tonight; Don’t Touch Me There; No Mercy; Only the Strong Survive; I Want It All Now; What Do You Want From Life; No Way Out; Telecide; Love’s a Mystery (I Don’t Understand); Tubes World Tour; Stand Up and Shout; White Punks on Dope (The Who’s Baba O’Riley and The Kids are Alright featured as encores at some shows)
“We’re white punks on dope
Mom & Dad moved to Hollywood
Hang myself when I get enough rope
Can’t clean up, though I know I should
White punks on dope
White punks on dope”
(White Punks on Dope, The Tubes, 1975)
6 Nov
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 6th November 1977
The Tubes Newcastle City Hall 6th November 1977
This was a gig like no other. The Tubes were virtually unknown in the UK, but stories of their crazy OTT stage show were gradually creeping over from the USA. This was the band to out-shock, out-punk, and out-do everyone else, and outrage the general population at the same time. So when “The Toobs” came over for a tour of UK theatres and concert halls we just had to see them. We had tickets for Yes, with Donovan support, at Glasgow Apollo on the same night, but we sold them to friends, as we couldn’t pass on the chance to see this.
Video screens all over the place, dancers, 50ft stacks, lots of props and each song a new concept and the chance for the band to play new roles. So many highlights. You couldn’t take it all in. And just when you thought the Tubes had been as outrageous as they could possibly be, the next song is even crazier, wilder, and more obnoxious.
Alpha male Fee Waybill and the gorgeous Re Styles dueted on’Don’t Touch Me There’ from a motorbike. Fee Way strapped Styles between two video monitors to perform some ‘MondoBondage’. The band become the punk parody “Johnny Bugger and the Dirtboxes”. Waybill threatens us all with a chain saw while singing “I Saw Her Standing There”. For the end of the show Waybill became Quay Lewd, the ultimate glam rock star complete with three feet high platform shoes, and led us all through a crazy rendition of “White Punks on Dope”.
Totally amazing. We were all blown away. 🙂 🙂
Support came from Wire (Dot Dash 🙂 )
Reviews of the time were ecstatic. “The Tubes are a spectacle unlike any other. They present a relentless onslaught of humour, outrage, parody, idiocy, music and costume – a feast for the senses.” (Paul Rambali, NME)
“It’s nothing short of magnificent. The only words you can use are ones like sensory overkill. The act doesn’t leave you alone. One moment it’s the band in white intern coats playing straight techno-rock. Then it’s a dance troupe on the lam from Star Wars, and then there’s the punk pastiche. Except, pastiche or not, The Tubes can cut harder and deeper than 90%s of the new wave.” (Mick Farren, NME).
Set list (based on the live lp recorded during the 1977 London concert run at Hammersmith): Overture; Got Yourself a Deal; Show Me a Reason; What Do You Want from Life; God-Bird-Change; Special Ballet; Don’t Touch Me There; Mondo Bondage; Smoke (La vie en Fumér); Crime Medley (starting with a siren and including themes from Dragnet, Peter Gunn, Perry Mason & Untouchables); I Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk; I Saw Her Standing There; Boy Crazy; You’re No Fun; Stand Up and Shout; White Punks on Dope.
The Tubes were Fee Waybill (front man extraordinaire, crazy guy & vocals), Bill Spooner (guitar), Michael Cotten (synth), Mingo Lewis (percussion), Prairie Prince (massive drum riser and kit), Roger Steen (guitar), Vince Welnick (keyboards), Rick Anderson (bass) and Re Styles (vocals, dance and many unspeakable things with Fee).
I saw the Tubes again in 1978, at the Knebworth Festival sharing a bill with Frank Zappa and Peter Gabriel. I’ll save that one for when I come to write about Zappa. The Tubes were back at the City Hall again in 1979 for the ‘Remote Control’ tour, with support from Squeeze. I’ll write about that gig tomorrow.
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