Shakin’ Stevens Newcastle City Hall 30th May 1981
Lots of jiving in the aisles. Screaming girls, teds, me and my mate and Shaky on stage. “Marie, Marie”, “This Ole House” and “Green Door”. Guilty pleasure or what? OK maybe it wasn’t cool, but hey it was fun, believe me, and for that one night, for us, Shaky was the man 🙂
I first saw Shaky when he was a serious rock n roll revival contender, playing with his band the Sunsets. It was February 1972. My mate and I had been to Sunderland Locarno to see Mott the Hoople with Genesis support: heavy hippy trippy stuff, we sat cross legged on the floor for Genesis, then Mott came on, and the place went wild, ‘Unter was on top form. Anyway after the gig we were walking home from the Mecca (Locarno) and passed by Sunderland Poly’s Wearmouth Hall, which was the Students Union building. We could hear music, so we sneaked into the packed hall where a student dance was in full throw. 
Shakin’ Stevens and the Sunsets were on stage playing. Shaky was wearing a great silver lamé jacket; jiving, hips swaying, very much the authentic rock n roller. There was a massive fight at the front of the hall; glasses flying, pretty nasty, one guy got seriously hurt…the police arrived…we sneaked back out and continued our walk home, quite shaken.
A few years later and Shaky was a massive chart star and we were sitting down at the front at the City Hall. Support for the City Hall concert came from rockabilly band The Jets.
Shakin’ Stevens setlist from 1981: I Need Your Love Tonight; I’m Knockin’; Hot Dog; Mona Lisa; Let Me Show You How; I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter; Shotgun Boogie; Marie, Marie; It’s Raining; You Drive Me Crazy; Green Door; This Ole House
I only saw Shaky on these two occasions.
Posts Tagged ‘pop’
2 Sep
Shakin’ Stevens Newcastle City Hall 30th May 1981
1 Sep
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th September 1988
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th September 1988
In 1987 Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover album “Through the Looking Glass” which included great versions of “This Wheel’s on Fire” which made the UK singles chart, Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”. The following year they changed guitarists again, recruiting Jon Klein and keyboard player Martin McCarrick and recorded a new album “Peepshow” which featured new instrumentation including cello, accordion and horns, and were back in the charts with “Peek-a-Boo”, which was to be their last Top 20 hit in the UK. The “Peepshow” tour called at Newcastle City Hall; this was the last time that I saw the Banshees live. I don’t recall who the support act was; I know Suicide supported later in the year. It was a big production this time; Sioux: “the theme of the album and stage show had been influenced by my interest in a late ’20s/’30s vibe – Marlene Dietrich…it was a very black and white theme, and much more theatrical…I wanted to move away from rock’n’roll lighting and make more use of the stage.” Severin: “The stage set was really elaborate. We’d start the show off right at the front of the stage, and then a series of curtains would drop to the floor to reveal each band member”. Both quotes are from “Siouxsie and the Banshees: the authorised biography, by Mark Paytress (2003), which I found in a charity shop for £1.99 last week. Result 🙂 ! After the Peepshow tour the Banshees decided to take a break, with Siouxsie and Budgie going off to record a new Creatures album.
Setlist: The Last Beat of my heart; Turn to Stone; The Killing Jar; I Promise; Ornaments of Gold; Christine; This Wheel’s On Fire; Something Blue; Scarecro; Rawhead and Bloodybones; Carousel; Nightshift; Red Light; Peek-A-Boo; Rhapsody; Cities in Dust; Skin; Burn Up; Spellbound; Hong Kong Garden
Siouxsie is yet another artist who I haven’t seen for many years, and who I would love to see again. I had a ticket to see her at the Roundhouse 5 or more years ago, but couldn’t make it because of work. Big mistake.
That concludes my reflections on the Banshees. Still a few more “S”s to go yet….
31 Aug
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th October 1985
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 12th October 1985
Siouxsie and the Banshees returned to Newcastle City Hall one year after their previous performance in 1985. This time they were previewing songs from the yet-to-be-released 7th studio album Tinderbox, their first to feature new guitarist John Valentine Carruthers. Tinderbox was to reach number 13 in the UK albums chart in 1986. Support for the UK tour was Fur Bible, the excellent dark, pysch, goth band fronted by ex-Gun Cub member Patricia Morrison who would go on to join Sisters of Mercy, and more recently, The Damned. Siouxsie had one UK chart hit in 1985, “Cities in Dust”, which would often close the set during the tour. This was the Banshees biggest and longest UK tour to date, taking them back to many places they hadn’t played in since those very early punkier days.
The tour is probably most remembered for a disaster that took place at the London concert. Towards the end of the concert, while playing Christine, Siouxsie was being her normal swirling goth princess, when she jumped, twisted herself, and fell in agony. She had dislocated her knee, and the concert was abandoned. Siouxsie was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital and her leg was set in a full plaster was applied. Ever the trooper, the show went on and the tour continued a few days later with Siouxsie, complete with cast and perched on a stool. I remember seeing her on TV, on the Whistle Test I think, with the cast singing “Cities In Dust”.
Typical setlist from the 1985 UK tour: Dazzle; Cascade; Pointing Bone; The Sweetest Chill; Cannons; Melt!; Candyman; Bring Me The Head Of Preacher Man; Lands End; Night Shift; 92º; Christine; Pulled To Bits; Switch; Arabian Knights; Painted Bird; Happy House; Cities In Dust
PS just noticed that my ticket lists the support act as being Scientists, rather than Fur Bible. I am pretty sure, however, that it was Fur Bible. But then, my memory is not so good these days and I have been known to be wrong before….
30 Aug
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th June 1984
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th June 1984
The Banshees transformation was complete. They had moved from a quickly assembled, rough, ready, raw punk band who could hardly play their instruments, and debuted with a garbled 20 minute thrash version of “The Lord’s Prayer” to a classic rock band whose repertoire ranged from dark experimental metallic discord, through psychedelia to pure pop classics and amazing hit singles like “Christine” (the strawberry girl, banana split lady 🙂 ), “Arabian Knights”; “Spellbound” and “Israel”. Add to that, by the time of this concert in 1984, a psych-tinged, goth-edged, amazing cover of the Beatles “Dear Prudence”.
Along the way things had changed again on the guitarist front. In 1982 John McGeoch suffered a nervous breakdown due to the stresses of touring and drinking. He collapsed on stage at a concert in Madrid and left the band. McGeogh’s departure left a big void; he was the perfect guitarist for the Banshees crashing, swirling textures. Souxsie paid him tribute when he passed away in 2004: “John McGeoch was my favourite guitarist of all time. He was into sound in an almost abstract way. I loved the fact that I could say, “I want this to sound like a horse falling off a cliff”, and he would know exactly what I meant. He was easily, without a shadow of a doubt, the most creative guitarist the Banshees ever had.”
To fill the void left by McGeoch, old mate Robert Smith returned to the Banshees fold. This lasted for a couple of years, until Smith found the stresses of simultaneously fronting the Cure and being a Banshee just too much. At that point, just after the release of their Hyæna album, ex Clock DVA guitarist John Valentine Carruthers joined the band.
I remember going to this gig wondering how it would work with a new guitarist. Actually it worked well, but a little of the depth and texture was lost.
Support came The Flowerpot Men, a British electronic music group who recorded a version of “Walk on Gilded Splinters”.
Setlist (this is actually the setlist from the previous night’s concert in Edinburgh): Dazzle; Cascade; Running Town; We Hunger; Melt!; Into the Light; Pointing Bone; Red Over White; Switch; Red Light; Christine; Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man; Painted Bird; Arabian Knights; Spellbound; Monitor
Encore: Dear Prudence; Helter Skelter
“Once upon a time, they might’ve burned Siouxsie Sioux at the stake or thrown her in a lake to see if she’d float with rocks tied to her ankles. Today, she’s signed to a recording contract with the hope that she’ll be the most famous witch since mother-in-law Agnes Moorehead made Elizabeth Montgomery’s husband Dick York so miserable in Bewitched.” (Roy Trakin, Creem, November 1984)
“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It’s beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play?”
(Dear Prudence, Lennon & McCartney, 1968)
29 Aug
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th August 1981
Siouxsie and the Banshees Newcastle City Hall 18th August 1981
Five months later and the Banshees were back at the City Hall again, this time with a new album “JuJu”. “JuJu” was one of their most successful releases, receiving positive reviews in the music press, and a favourite with fans. Siouxise, interviewed in Sounds magazine at the time: “I rate Aretha Franklin, Nico, really like Yoko Ono’s voice…I have to hark back. Still think Jim Morrison’s got the best ’singing corpse’ voice. I want our gigs, records or whatever – to stand out as an event, to be remembered, talked about – or affect somebody after they’ve heard or seen us…You can’t listen to it as background music…it needs involvement from the listener to work properly, and that involvement sometimes brings out good things in people.” 
1981 was another successful year for the Banshees in terms of singles, with “Spellbound” and “Arabian Knights” both making the UK charts. Siouxsie had transformed from the cold “ice queen of punk” into the “Mother of Goth” and the “The Woman Of A Thousand Costumes” and wild hair.
In concert the band were as impressive and stunning as ever.
I think the support for the City Hall concert may have been Linton Kwesi Johnson?
Setlist: Israel; Halloween; Spellbound; Placebo Effect; Pulled to Bits; Tenant; Night Shift; Sin in My Heart; So Unreal; Voodoo Dolly; Christine; Head Cut; Arabian Knights; Eve White/Eve Black. Encore: Happy House; Monitor
I loved the new material, you could lose yourself in the mad, swirling, trance-like madness of it all. But I also longed to see them play some of the older songs; Metal Postcard, Helter Skelter or Love in a Void; any of them would have made the show just perfect for me.
28 Aug
Siouxsie and the Banshess Newcastle City Hall 3rd March 1981
Siouxsie and the Banshess Newcastle City Hall 3rd March 1981
The Banshees’ released their second album, Join Hands in 1979 and went out on a major UK tour to promote the new album. However, a few dates into the tour drummer Kenny Morris and guitarist John McKay quit the band after an argument. Drummer Budgie was rapidly recruited from The Slits, along with guitarist Robert Smith who was borrowed from tour support band The Cure. I had a ticket for the show at Newcastle Polytechnic but the concert was sadly cancelled as Siouxsie was unwell, and it was another two years before they called at Newcastle again. By the time I saw the Banshees again, at Newcastle City Hall on 3rd March 1981, Smith had returned to the Cure and the late great John McGeoch, from Magazine, had joined on guitar. McGeoch was the perfect choice for the Banshees; he understood how to coax an amazing, innovative noise from his guitar, inventing his own scales and making imaginative use of effects. He has been described as “one of the most influential guitarists of his generation” (Perrone, 2004) and in 1996, he was listed by Mojo in their “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” for his work on the Banshees song “Spellbound”. 
By the time of this gig, the Banshees had released three albums: “The Scream”(1978); “Join Hands” (1979) and “Kaleidoscope” (1980), and had achieved further hit singles with “Happy House” “Christine”, “Spellbound”, and my favourite, the wonderful “Israel”, which was often their opening song. So there was plenty of new material, and the set had changed almost completely since I last saw them in concert. Support came from The Comsat Angels. The Banshees had become a considerable force, transcended the punk genre, and were a major classic rock band, and Siouxsie was elegant, scary, crazy and remained totally engaging. Although I loved the early Banshees, I think that this was their classic period and classic line-up.
Setlist: Israel; Spellbound; Arabian Knights; Christine; Tenant; Halloween; Night Shift; Paradise Place; Switch; But Not Them; Voodoo Dolly
Encore: Eve White/Eve Black; Red Over White; Happy House
25 Aug
Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival Colne 24th August 2014 Eric Burdon, Roy Young & Jim Diamond
Great British Blues Festival Colne 24th August 2014 Eric Burdon, Roy Young & Jim Diamond
This year The Great British Rhythm and Blues Festival celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The festival takes place each year in the village of Colne, Lancashire and this year featured another set of great blues and R&B atcs including Eric Burdon, Lucky Peterson, Eric Sardinas, Otis Grand, Mike Sanchez, Andy Fairweather Low, The Yardbirds and Dr Feelgood. I went over last night to see Eric Burdon, who is a hero of mine and doesn’t play that often in the UK these days.
I arrived in time to catch Jim Diamond, who played an acoustic set on the international stage, which is in Colne Municipal Hall. Jim was accompanied by guitarist Gareth Mouton, and sang a set of great soul covers, and his own songs including “I Won’t Let You Down” and “Hi Ho Silver”. He went down well with the crowd, and seemed genuinely bowled over by the reception.
The Muni was packed by the time Eric Burdon came on stage. Everyone wanted to see Burdon, and rightly so. There was a short delay while the band sound-checked, and the crowd were starting to get restless, with a few slow hand claps. The sound was soon sorted and Eric took to the stage, looking and sounding great. Burdon has become one of our great legendary bluesmen, still playing some 50 years since he first started singing the blues. His American band are hot and tight and have an excellent ’60s psych/beat feel to them.
And they were very loud; I was standing right next to the speaker stack to the left of the stage, and my ears are still ringing this morning as I write this. Eric’s set was a mix of classics from his times with the Animals, War and solo material. Great versions of “Don’t Bring Me Down”, which was the opener, and “It’s My Life”. They closed with, of course, “House of the Rising Sun” and were called back for one more, which was John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom”.
I stayed to watch some of Roy Young’s set, but left before the end (it was close to midnight when he started his set, and I had a two hour drive home). Roy is a true legend, and has only recently returned to playing UK concerts. He started singing and playing rock’n’roll piano in the late ’50s, and performed in Hamburg with the Beatles in the early ’60s. He then joined Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, formed his own band, and went on to record with David Bowie, playing piano on “Young Americans” and “Low”. I remember seeing the Roy Young Band on the Old Grey Whistle Test in the early ’70s and planned to go and see him at Peterlee Argus Butterfly, but never made it, for some reason. His style is very much in the mould of Jerry Lee Lewis and he plays fine authentic rock’n’roll, they started with “Slow Down” and had the crowd dancing and jiving.
Eric Burdon Setlist: Don’t Bring Me Down: When I Was Young; Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood; Water; Spill the Wine; Black Dog; Before You Accuse Me; I Believe To My Soul; Bo Diddley Special; We Gotta Get Out of This Place / River Is Rising; It’s My Life; House of the Rising Sun
Encore: Boom Boom
23 Aug
The Smiths Newcastle Mayfair 7th March 1984
The Smiths Newcastle Mayfair 7th March 1984
I was late getting into the Smiths. They had been in the charts with “This Charming Man” and “What Difference Does It Make?” and were soon to release “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”. There was a buzz about this band and the press were beginning to hail them as the “band of the moment” (Max Bell, The Times, 24 February 1984 in a review of a Smiths gig at the Lyceum, London). Bell went on to explain: “six months ago this Mancunian four-piece were breaking out of the club circuit. On Sunday they packed the Lyceum Ballroom with an air of reverential expectancy.” Bill Black (Sounds, November, 1983) declared the Smiths “a band verging on greatness”.
By the time I had decided I should go and see the Smiths, their concert at Newcastle Mayfair had been completely sold out for weeks. Still, I thought I’d try and get in, so I wandered along to the Mayfair ballroom on the night of the gig, only to find a massive queue outside the venue, waiting for the doors to open. I wandered up and down the queue shouting “anyone got a spare ticket” and soon scored one for face value. After a short wait the doors opened and we made our way down the stairs into the ballroom. The area on the dance floor around the stage was soon completely packed. I stayed up on the balcony, wandering around. Support came from Red Guitars, who were a left wing indie rock band from Hull. Their first single “Good Technology” was a minor hit.
The Smiths started with “Hand in Glove”, Morrissey sporting hearing aids, and a bunch of gladioli hanging from his back jeans pocket. There was some trouble in the crowd, and a few guys were spitting at Morrissey which caused him to stop singing a couple of times. Overall, however the audience gave the band a great reception, with the Smiths returning for two encores. When they came back on stage for the encores Morrissey was carrying huge armfulls of gladioli which were showered upon the crowd. This was the Smiths at their best, performing songs which have become classics. I remember everyone singing along to “This Charming Man” particularly the line “I would go out tonight, But I haven’t got a stitch to wear”. Happy days.
Setlist: Hand In Glove; Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now; Girl Afraid; This Charming Man; Pretty Girls Make Graves; Still Ill; This Night Has Opened My Eyes; Barbarism Begins At Home; Back To The Old House; What Difference Does It Make?
Encore: Reel Around The Fountain
Encore 2: You’ve Got Everything Now; Handsome Devil
18 Aug
S Club Newcastle Arena 5th April 2003
S Club Newcastle Arena 5th April 2003
Today I am going to slip in another guilty pleasure before I move back to some proper rock tomorrow. Laura was a big fan of S Club 7 from their early days, she and David would always watch their television series, Miami 7. S Club 7 were created by Spice Girls manager Simon in 1998 and were massively successful over their 5 year career, scoring four UK No.1 singles, one UK No.1 album, and a top-ten single in the USA. They sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
By the time Laura and I went to see them in 2003 Paul Cattermole had left and S Club 7 had become simply “S Club”, the remaining members being Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Tina Barrett, Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee and Rachel Stevens. The tour was entitled “S Club United” and also featured S Club Juniors. S Club Juniors were a pre and young teen spin-off from the main band. The show was, as I recall, good teen pop fun, heavily choreographed, and with S Club Juniors almost outshining S Club.
But of course the big news of the moment is that S Club 7 may be reforming!
From the Guardian: “Once upon a time, S Club 7 ruled the world. They had hit singles. They had a TV show. They had a film…They had a weird gang of less successful infant Mini-Me Minipops in the form of the S Club Juniors. There was nothing that S Club 7 couldn’t accomplish, or so it seemed, because they were there for each other. And then it all went wrong…..But now they’re back. It’s been reported that S Club 7 are close to signing up for one of those reunion TV series that everyone likes so much now. …Here’s a prediction: if they pull it off, the S Club 7 reunion TV series will be the definitive pop reunion TV series of our times.”
Laura is already making plans to go to the reunion tour. However, it seems I may be spared the delights of S Club 2014/15 as she tells me that one of her friends is a serious fan. Phew 🙂
I’ll return to some real rock’n’roll tomorrow. Scorpions are next on my list, I think.
17 Aug
Slade Newcastle City Hall 18th December 1981
Slade Newcastle City Hall 18th December 1981
The last time I saw the original Slade line-up live in concert was at Newcastle City Hall on 18th December 1981. Slade were where they should be, performing to sold out concert halls up and down the country. It was great to see them back at the City Hall, Slade were very clearly enjoying themselves, and it being close to Christmas festivities, of course they played that song. We were a few rows from the front, and my ears were ringing for days afterwards.
Slade played a couple of more times in the north east, at Newcastle University in 1982, and on 17th December 1983 at Durham University. It is possible that I was at the Durham gig, but without a ticket or programme I can’t be sure. I do have vague memories of seeing Slade there, but I think it may have been in the 1970s. On 18th December 1983, the night after playing in Durham Slade played the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, which was to be the original band’s last ever full UK show. A UK tour was scheduled for 1985, but was cancelled.
The front cover of the tour programme shows Slade on stage at Reading in 1980. The concert was recorded and released as the live album “Slade on Stage”. Reviewing the album, Kerrang said: “Watching Slade live is one of the most exhilarating experiences known to mankind. 
Its a completely over the top manic and raucous package, delivered at a pace that makes even Kiss seem like old men. So pin back your ears, reinforce your walls and listen to Noddy Holder bellowing through 10 gems including ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’ and ‘We’ll Bring The House Down’. Some light relief is supplied by ‘Everyday’. What are you waiting for? Go Out and buy it now.”
Setlist: Rock and Roll Preacher; When I’m Dancin’ I Ain’t Fightin’; Take Me Bak ‘Ome; Till Deaf Do Us Part; M’Hat, M’Coat; Everyday; A Night to Remember; Lock Up Your Daughters; Gudbuy T’Jane; We’ll Bring the House Down; Get Down and Get With It
Encore: Mama Weer All Crazee Now; Cum on Feel the Noize; Merry Xmas Everybody; Born to Be Wild
That concludes my Slade memories, which I’ve enjoyed writing. Looking back makes me realise just how great a rock band Slade were, and how important they were to me.
I’ve seen the “new” Slade a couple of times recently, and may go to see them again one day. They put on a fun show, but it just isn’t the same without Noddy and Jim (sorry Dave and Don). Now a reunion of the original band would be something to see 🙂 but I guess that’s not going to happen.
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