The Pitmen Poets’ performance at my local venue the Fire Station was a celebration of the North East’s rich cultural and mining heritage. The group, comprising of renowned local folk musicians Jez Lowe, Billy Mitchell, Bob Fox, and Benny Graham, delivered a powerful show from the moment they took the stage.
The Pitmen Poets effortlessly weaved tales of mining life through their songs and anecdotes. Their set included a mix of traditional folk songs, contemporary compositions, and spoken word pieces, each carefully chosen to reflect the struggles, resilience, and humor of the mining communities.
Jez Lowe’s songwriting shone brightly, with tracks like “Black Diamonds” reminding the audience of our coal mining roots. Billy Mitchell’s vocals and stage presence (remember this guy used to front Lindisfarne at one stage in his career) reminded me of when I last saw him perform at the Gala Theatre as part of the Lindisfarne Story, while Bob Fox’s excellent guitar work and Benny Graham’s rich, resonant voice completed the Pitmen Poets sounds and stories of times long past yet well remembered and implanted in our local heritage.
One of the evening’s highlights was their rendition of “The Collier’s Rant,” a traditional Geordie folk song that had the entire audience joining in. Even more familiar, and fun, was their performance of “when the boat comes in” which they explained was not about coalmining but nonetheless fitted within the same genre. Another great singalong.
The band explained that none of them had actually worked down the pit, but their close relatives (in most cases their fathers) had been pitmen. They went on to explain how they were of a generation whose parents said “You are not going down the pit like your Da, that life is not for you” (or something like that).
There were also visual elements to the show, including archival footage and photographs projected behind the band, bringing the history and stories of the miners to life. The Pitmen Poets’ performance was a memorable and moving tribute to our region’s mining history.
I bought a signed book by Jez Lowe, his fourth novel. A quote from the rear cover text: “A 19th Century village in County Durham is blighted by an all-too familiar tragedy, an explosion down the mine, but this time with a curious twist that sends waves of surprise and confusion across the region. It is left to a newly arrived young policeman to solve the mystery, in the face of hostility from the mine-owners, suspicion from the miners and their families and an over-arching web of prejudice that reaches out from a distant foreign land.
Only a scattering of odd characters and Tyneside eccentrics reach out to help him, along with a mysterious woman who captivates all those who come in contact with her.” Perfect! The rest of the band were also available to meet after the show.
Many thanks to Jackie for the photos and to Chris for manipulating the site. And many thanks again to the Pitmen Poets for a great evening of Geordie heritage.
The Glasshouse website announced this concert thus:
“And so the stick man poet came to the north-east
Far from Beasley Street
In the cheap seats in the Odeon
Where the action is
From the Fire Station
Setlist (something like this): Questions I Can’t Answer; Hire Car; Get Back on Drugs You Fat F**k; Lydia, Girl With an Itch; Necrophilia; Beasley Street; Beasley Boulevard; Diez Macarenas; Sir Tom Jones; She’s Got a Metal Plate in Her Head; The Marital Miseries of the Modern Misogynist or The Rime of the Ancient Marrier; I’ve Fallen in Love With My Wife; Evidently Chickentown
Went to see an old friend the other night. 
“John Cooper Clarke, also known as the Bard of Salford, is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator – he’s one of Britain’s most beloved and influential writers and performers.” (From the man’s website).
So once again, I ventured into the virtual world of live streaming. This tempting event was to celebrate the 34th birthday of 
“I feel that Tibetan culture with its unique heritage –born of the efforts of many human beings of good spirit, of its contacts with Mongolian, Chinese, Indian, Nepalese and Persian culture, and of its natural environment – has developed a kind of energy which is very helpful for cultivating peace of mind and a joyful life. I feel that there is a potential for Tibet to help humanity, and particularly our Eastern neighbour, where millions of young Chinese have lost their spiritual values. In this way, I feel very strongly that Tibetan culture will have a role to play in the future of humanity.” (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
The show started with a very dark performance by Iggy Pop of the Dylan Thomas poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”. Iggy was staring right at me, his deep rasping voice emanating from his stark, wrinkled face. Quite scary stuff and not what I expected, but a great introduction to the concert.
We were then treated to a video from a previous concert; of Philip Glass accompanying the legendary beat poet 
So I finally entered the live streaming era. I couldn’t resist, of course, “seeing”
daughter Jessie Paris on keyboards and Tony Shanahan or electric piano.
A taxi from Sunderland to Darlington (return) is expensive. But, what the hell, my lovely daughter Laura was singing in the band The Shining Levels at 
and transfixed the audience in their haunting, swirling mix of sounds. The eclectic combination of folk music, book readings and mix of flute, violin, a female trio of vocals and male vocals has to be experienced to understand just how beautiful, yet at the same time dark and powerful, their sounds can be. 
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