Linda Lewis Sunderland Empire 1975
Support from Labi Siffre
Linda Lewis worked incredibly hard in the first half of the 70s. It seemed that everywhere I went, I would saw her perform. One of the first occasions I became aware of her was when this chirpy, cheeky but obviously nervous young lady took to the stage to sing and strum her songs early one day at the 1972 Reading Festival. She then popped up as the opening act on a number of concert tours of major artists of the time. I recall seeing her open for Cat Stevens, and Elton John, and there were certainly others. And she also took to the stage of the 1975 Knebworth Festival, sharing the bill with Pink Floyd, Captain Beefheart, Roy Harper and Steve Miller (and of course DJ John Peel).
Linda always came over as a genuine person. She would chat with the audience, and had an engaging, chirpy and bubbly personality. Her songs were a mix of folk, pop and R&B; as a result she was quite difficult to categorise. As the 1975 tour programme explains: “Tonight, ladies and gentlemen you have the pleasure of viewing one of the great contradictions of our time; Linda Lewis. Sounds like a bit of a cheek? When Linda greets you on stage or in person there is an immediate air of warmth, good will and earthy sensitivity. Between those occaional high pitched giggles, there is an outspoken artist who is very much her own woman.The contradiction lies with us her audience. Look around you tonight and you’ll see the kind of melting pot that Linda attracts as her fans. 
There are those who welcome sweet singing Linda, wrapped in delicate shawls, long skins and singing the misty lyrics of her early days. To the younger ones, Linda is the chirpy voice on the Spangles ad and the crooner of ‘Rock A Doodle Doo’. Late nighters have been swayed by her sensuous jazz influenced sets down at Ronnie Scott’s Club twice this year. And across the ocean, her old tim€e soul singing on ‘It’s In His Kiss’ probably has them envisioning her as the British Gloria Gaynor. Giving credit where it is due for diversity, it’s not everyone who has shared the stage with Elton John and The Staple Singers, Ritchie Havens, Jim Webb, Family plus tackled the Knebworth festival.”
By 1975, Linda was out on her own headline tour. My friends and I caught the tour when it called at Sunderland Empire in October 1975. She was promoting her fourth album “Not a Little Girl Anymore” which featured quite a racy photo of Linda on the cover. She had already hit the UK singles chart in 1973 with “Rock-a-Doodle-Doo” which reached No 15; produced by her husband Jim Cregan, of Family and Cockney Rebel. Linda hit the chart again in 1975 with her cover of “It’s in His Kiss”, which reached No 6 and was later covered by Cher. Her set consisted of some of her own songs, and a few covers, including a great version of John Martyn’s “May You Never”. Support act Labi Siffre had seen chart success himself with “It Must Be Love” (No. 14, 1971, and later covered by Madness) and “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” (No. 11, 1972). This was a pleasant evening with two great, and often under-rated, British singer-songwriters.
I lost touch with Linda Lewis as the 70s came to close. I remember seeing Labi one more time, at a Friday night gig at Newcastle Poly Students Union. Its time for me to look for copies of Linda Lewis’ early lps and catch up with her work again.
Posts Tagged ‘pop’
1 Sep
Linda Lewis Sunderland Empire 1975
28 Aug
King Newcastle City Hall 1985
King Newcastle City Hall 1985
The Steps in Time tour
Big hair, Big colourful boots (and clothes) and a catchy hit song Love and Pride. That about sums up my memories of the band King. This was a band that quickly appeared from nowhere (it seemed), hit major success, and then they seemed to disappear just as quickly. Singer and front man Paul King developed a look which was described by his local newspaper the Coventry Telegraph as “like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But, hell, the girls loved him”. Paul King reappeared as a VJ on MTV and was on the TV quite a bit at the time. I recall the gig being good fun, although I also recall feeling a little out of place among loads of teenage girls screaming at Paul. And I was right down the front in the thick of it. The music was a mix of pop, dance and new wave. The ticket says the show also featured Special Guests, but I don’t recall who they were. 
From promo material of the time: “KING’s music makes use of many diverse and disparate influences – and they’re brought together with a heady power that puts “Love & Pride” right up there among the contenders. It’s not easy to describe their music – except to say that it’s a great danceable track that should work well with practically everybody. It’s got a really good and original feel and some excellent hooks that take no time at all in imprinting themselves on the brain – so provided you give it the plays it deserves – and it deserves a lot – KING could well have a massive debut hit. It’s been a long time since there was a band as original as KING with a song as good as “Love & Pride” – well now they’ve arrived and it could well signal the start of something big (and booted).”
26 Aug
Nik Kershaw Newcastle City Hall 1984
Nik Kershaw Newcastle City Hall 1984
Nik Kershaw was very busy in 1984. He released two albums, Human Racing and The Riddle and had five hit singles: I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Human Racing, Wouldn’t It Be Good, Dancing Girls, and The Riddle. I saw him at the massive Elton John show at Wembley stadium that summer, and on his winter tour, when he called at Newcastle City Hall. His backing band (who even had their own billing on the ticket!) were known as The Krew, and consisted of local lad, and old friend, Keith Airey on guitar, along with Tim Moore, Mark Price, and Dennis Smith. The tour was to promote The Riddle which is quite a strangely structured, but also very catchy song, which was a great favourite of mine at the time, and remains so to this day. 
I remember the place being packed and big singalongs for Wouldn’t it be Good and The Riddle :). Support act for the tour was Scary Thieves. I’m afraid I have no recollection at all of them! Wiki reports: Scary Thieves were a short-lived English 1980s New Wave band, best known for their 1984 hit “Tell Me Girl” and their 1985 hit “The Waiting Game”.
“Near a tree by a river, There’s a hole in the ground, Where an old man of Aran, Goes around and around, And his mind is a beacon, In the veil of the night, For a strange kind of fashion, There’s a wrong and a right, But he’ll never, never fight over you” (The Riddle, Nik Kershaw, 1984).
25 Aug
Kylie The Fever tour Newcastle Arena 2002
Kylie The Fever tour Newcastle Arena 2002
Laura quite fancied seeing Kylie Minogue in concert, and I had “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” running around and around in my head. So off we went to Newcastle Arena for the first of two nights that the Fever tour played there. The Fever tour was Kylie’s biggest production to date, using multiple stage sets and costume changes. The tour programme was a rather plush affair with a glossy cover and it came in its own silver bag (see below), quite similar to the Madonna programme from a year or two earlier. The show was very disco and dance oriented, and was split into seven acts: ‘Silvanemesis’, ‘Droogie Nights’, ‘The Crying Game’, ‘Streetstyle’, ‘Sex In Venice’, ‘Cybertronica’ and ‘Voodoo Inferno’, and an encore, and is recorded for posterity on a DVD, which was filmed at Manchester Arena.
Act 1: Silvanemsis started the show with an excerpt of The Sound of Music. Kyle appeared out of the floor wearing a metallic suit. She then sang Come Into My World, with dancers coming down from the ceiling. Surrounded by the dancers, she sand Shocked, and then Love At First Sight, with the title track Fever ending the first act. Act 2: Droogie Nights was clearly influenced by A Clockwork Orange, starting with Ode to Joy from the film, and Kylie dressed in an outfit clearly inspired by the 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, singing Spinning Around. 
Act 3: The Crying Game used the great Dave Berry hit The Crying Game to sandwich a number of Kylie songs: Where Is The Feeling?, Put Yourself in My Place, Finer Feelings, Dangerous Game and back to The Crying Game. Kylie was wearing a black gown with a long trail. Act 4: Streetstyle started with a dance interlude. Kylie then appeared as a police women to sing Confide In Me, Cowboy Style (including excerpts from The Real Slim Shady, Double Dutch, Double Dutch Bus and Buffalo Gals), and Kids. Act 5: Sex in Venice saw Kylie wearing a frilly mini-skirt to sing On A Night Like This, a swing version of Locomotion, with male dancers in fish-nets and stilettos. The act ended with a medley of In Your Eyes, Please Stay, Rhythm Of The Night in Latin style. Act 6: Cybertronica started with dancers performing a tap dance and batting with light sabres. Kylie then appeared dressed in a tank top and white shorts, and sang Limbo, Light Years, and I Should Be So Lucky. The final act, Act 7: Voodoo Inferno featured lots of fire, dancers with red mohican haircuts and Kylie singing Burning Up, and Better the Devil You Know. The encore was (of course) Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.
A very spectacular show, which Laura and I both enjoyed.
18 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1981
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1979 and 1981
The Kinks returned to a more familiar rock and pop format with the album Sleepwalker in 1977, ending their string of concept albums and accompanying tours. This album was followed Misfits (1978), Low Budget (1979) and Give the People What They Want (1981). One further Kinks hit single was yet to come in the form of Come Dancing, which reached No 12 in the charts in 1982. The line-up of the band also changed, with John Gosling and John Dalton leaving. The core of Ray and Dave Davies, and Mick Avory on drums continued; Jim Romford (from Argent) joined on bass, and he was to stay with the band for the remainder of their career. I saw The Kinks twice during that period, at gigs at Newcastle City Hall in 1979 and 1981. Both concerts were glorious affairs, with Ray, Dave and the guys returning to playing the hits. 
By the late 70s The Kinks were starting to get the respect they deserve, with new wave bands like The Jam covering David Watts, The Pretenders singing Stop Your Sobbing, and rock band Van Halen including You Really Got Me in their live set. But nothing beats seeing The Kinks themselves play You Really Got Me, Lola or Waterloo Sunset. The latter song has always been my favourite, but didn’t always figure in their live set, although I did see them play it a couple of times. 
The Kinks continued to play until 1996. Their last years were spent largely in the USA, where they continued to have success. The 1981 gig was that last time I saw them, which is of some regret for me. I remember they played a concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall in the mid-80s, which I sadly missed. I would love Ray and Dave to make things up sufficiently to play together again. Seeing The Kinks just one more time would be wonderful. I’ve seen Ray solo many times in recent years, and I see Dave has been touring in the USA (how about some UK dates please Dave?), but nothing is like seeing the two brothers together, playing those classic tunes. Come on guys, one more time please.
17 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1976 Schoolboys in Disgrace
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1976 Schoolboys in Disgrace
In 1976 The Kinks toured to present another concept album “Schoolboys in Disgrace”. This was another in a series of concept albums which started with Village Green Preservation Society in the late 60s and continued through the mid 70s. The line-up of the Kinks at the time was the same as I had seen in 1975, and they were again augmented by a brass section, and backing vocalists. The story of “Schoolboys in Disgrace” is as follows: “Once upon a time there was a naughty little schoolboy. He and his gang were always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school. One day he got himself into very serious trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and he was sent to the Headmaster who decided to disgrace the naughty boy and his gang in front of the whole school. After this punishment the boy turned into a hard and bitter character. Perhaps it was not the punishment that changed him but the fact that he realised people in authority would always be there to kick him down and the Establishment would always put him in his place. He knew that he could not change the past but he vowed that in the future he would always get what he wanted. The naughty little boy grew up… into Mr Flash.” (Ray Davies, 1975). 
Mr Flash had appeared before in the Kinks stories, as the villain from The Kinks’ rock opera Preservation. The front cover of the album, and hence of my copy of the programme shown here, was illustrated by Colin ‘Mickey’ Finn, a London illustrator, who also created the two delivery men characters used in the dire Straits video ‘ Money for Nothing’. The tour presented the album in its entirety, with use of visuals and props, and was great fun. The song that sticks out for me is “Jack the Idiot Dunce”, which I thought was great fun at the time. I’m not sure who portrayed the idiot dunce on the tour; possibly Dave. In 1978 the Finnish band Kontra had a number one hit in Finland with the a cover of the song. As with the 1975 tour, I don’t recall them playing any old favourites. I managed to find one setlist which suggests that they played the whole album, with “Money Talks” from Preservation 2 (which also features Flash) as an encore. Setlist: Schooldays Overture; Jack the Idiot Dunce; Education; The First Time We Fall in Love; I’m in Disgrace; Headmaster; Hard Way; The Last Assembly; No More Looking Back; Schoolboys Finale. Encore: Money Talks.
16 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Soap Opera
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1975 The Soap Opera
In 1975 The Kinks toured their concept album “The Soap Opera”. This was one in a series of concept albums which started with Village Green Preservation Society in the late 60s and continued through the mid 70s. The line-up of the Kinks at the time was Ray and Dave Davies on vocals and guitars; John Dalton on bass; John Gosling on keyboards; and Mick Avory on drums. They were also augmented by a brass section, and backing vocalists. This was very much a Ray project, and met with mixed critical reviews. The Soap Opera explores the relationships between stardom and “ordinary life” It (from Wiki) “tells the story of a musician named Starmaker who changes places with an “ordinary man” named Norman in order to better understand life. Starmaker goes to live with Norman’s wife Andrea and then goes to work the next day, getting caught in the rush hour. 
He works 9 to 5, then goes down to the bar for a few drinks before making his way home. He then is greeted by Andrea whom he tells is “making it all worthwhile”. By this point Starmaker has lost his grip on reality, and he doesn’t know who he is anymore. In the end he settles down with Andrea, accepting that he is now just “a face in the crowd”. The album finishes by saying that although rock stars may fade, their music lives on.” It has been suggested that the story of Starmaker and Norman is the story of Ray himself, trying to understand what it means to be “a star”. The tour presented the album in its entirety. I don’t recall whether they played any other Kinks tracks at all. The setlists that I have managed to find suggest not. I went with a group of mates and I do remember that we all enjoyed it and found it quite fun, but also pretty heavy going, quite silly in parts and somewhat confusing. Setlist: Everybody’s a Star (Starmaker); Ordinary People; Rush Hour Blues; Nine to Five; When Work Is Over; Have a Drink; Underneath the Neon Sign; You Make It All Worthwhile; Ducks on the Wall; (A) Face in the Crowd; You Can’t Stop the Music. I’m not sure who the support act was; I saw an advert for another date of the tour which suggested that it may have been Care Society, who were Tom Robinson’s early band, and were on Ray’s Konk label.
15 Aug
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1972 and Sunderland Locarno 1973
The Kinks Newcastle City Hall 1972 and Sunderland Locarno 1973
The first time I saw the Kinks was at a gig at Newcastle City Hall in the early 70s. I think it must have been in 1972, as it was around the time that the single “Supersonic Rocket Ship” was in the charts. I seem to recall that the support act was local band The John Miles Set. The Kinks live at that time were a glorious ramshackle affair. They often arrived a little worse for wear, but it was obvious that they were having great fun on stage. I saw them again shortly after this, at a gig at Sunderland Locarno, where the place was absolutely packed and Ray and Dave were very drunk. The Kinks were playing a selection of their old hits, and some rock n roll classics, at the time. I found a setlist from a BBC in concert show in 1973 . The songs played were: Victoria; Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues; Dedicated Follower Of Fashion; Lola; Holiday; Good Golly Miss Molly; You Really Got Me; All Day And All Of The Night; Waterloo Sunset; Village Green Preservation Society. I would guess that the sets that I witnessed at the City Hall and in Sunderland will have been similar to this. My favourite song was always Waterloo Sunset, and it remains one of my favourites to this day. Sadly I don’t have a ticket stub for either of these gigs as they were both “pay on the door” affairs. I remember that Ray was wearing a silver lame jacket at the City Hall gig, and that he threw it into the crowd at the end of the show. I was sitting upstairs and was so jealous of the people down the front who were fighting over the jacket, which was torn to shreds. Happy days. I didn’t realise at the time just how important and influential a band the KInks were. But then I guess thats often the way. They were certainly a fun band to see; in many ways I would see similarities in their performances to those of the Stones and the Faces during the same time period. I’ll spend the next few days reminiscing about some later Kinks gigs that I attended in the remainder of the 70s and the early 80s, starting with the concept tours “Soap Opera” and “Schoolboys in Disgrace”.
13 Aug
Kaiser Chiefs Leeds Millennium Square 29th April 2006
Kaiser Chiefs Leeds Millennium Square 29th April 2006
I went to this gig with David and Laura. We had listened to the Kaiser’s album a lot, and when they announced a concert in Millennium Square in their home town of Leeds, we decided to buy tickets. The gig sold out straight away, and a second night was added. Support came from ex-Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon and a curious Japanese band, Polysics. The Kaisers burst onto the stage from behind a massive red velvet curtain and kept the energy levels high throughout their performance. 
They started with ‘Everyday I love you less and less’ and the crowd just went crazy. Front man Ricky Wilson, was on top form, working the crowd and generally going crazy. David stayed on in Leeds, met up with some old mates and went to see the Kaisers again at their second night in the Square. I picked up a copy of FanNaNaNaNaa, the official Kaiser Chiefs fanzine (From the House of Kaiser: I Predict a Riot) (see scan to left). Setlist: Everyday I Love You Less and Less; Highroyds; I Predict a Riot; Sink That Ship; Modern Way; Born to Be a Dancer; You Can Have It All; Learnt My Lesson Well; Put Me on the Cover of Your Magazine; Na Na Na Na Naa; Saturday Night; Heat Dies Down; Caroline, Yes. Encore: Take My Temperature; Not Surprised; Oh My God
12 Aug
Kissing the Pink Redcar Coatham Bowl 1983?
Kissing the Pink Redcar Coatham Bowl 1983?
I saw quite a few bands at Redcar Coatham Bowl in the late 70s and early 80s, usually on a Sunday night. I’m afraid I have no recollection at all of attending this gig, but I have a ticket stub, so I must have been there! Kissing the Pink were a new wave band on the early 80s, and I would guess that this gig will have been around 1983, when they released the album “Naked”. From wikipedia: “Kissing the Pink are a British new wave, dance and synthpop group from London. Their first single was “Don’t Hide in the Shadows”, made with Martin Hannett. After a series of near-misses, their single “The Last Film” reached the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Their album, Naked, reached No. 54 in the UK Albums Chart.” And the ticket is a nice shade of pink to match the band’s name 🙂
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