This was a massive undertaking, and some might say a massive risk for James Arthur. Sure, he had just undertaken a sell-out arena tour, but filling a football stadium is something else again. Even if it was his home turf. I just felt duty-bound to go along and support James at this massive homecoming show. After all, I have seen him perform a few times before including an intimate gig at the Boiler Shop earlier this year, which I greatly enjoyed. Plus, I can’t resist stadium concerts.
Middlesbrough Football Club announced the event thus: “Teesside singer-songwriter James Arthur has announced a huge homecoming gig. The Middlesbrough-born crooner and Brit Billion-certified artist announced on Monday that he would be performing a massive homecoming show at Riverside Stadium in June 2024. It will be his biggest headlining gig to date and will see him joined by special guests McFly as well as Lauran Hibberd.”
“The news comes months after James announced he would be releasing his fifth studio album, Bitter Sweet Love, which is set to be released on January 26 [which I saw him preview at the Boiler Shop at the time of its release] with multiple dates including UK arenas. The 35-year-old Boro fan said playing at his home stadium had always been a ‘pipe dream’ and he was ‘really honoured’ to be playing on home turf.”
On returning to his roots on Teesside, James said: “It’s truly unbelievable. I don’t think that I can put it into words. As someone who came to the Riverside as a young lad with a season ticket and walked through the turnstiles, it’s just crazy to think that people are going to be walking through the turnstiles to watch me perform. It’s very much like the end of a movie, a full circle moment. It has been a bit of a pipe dream of mine to play my team’s ground; I’m really honoured.”
On the day of the show, Jan, Harvey, and I ventured south to the ‘Boro to see how James would fare in the stadium concert. Just as we arrived at the ground, we could hear McFly finishing their set. I wrote just yesterday about how I saw many acts perform at the Olympic Torch Concert in The Mall, London during 2008. McFly were one of those performing on the day. So, it has been many years since I saw them perform, and I didn’t really see them this time (although I could hear a couple of familiar hit songs). The crowd gave them a great cheer as they finished their warmup performance.
As we entered the Riverside Stadium it became clear that the place was pretty full. James had succeeded in bringing together his home fan base to support him. The pitch was full, as were most of the stands. We had a splendid view opposite the stage, overlooking the crowd. After a short wait, and just enough time for a drink (expensive, in plastic glasses, you know the score) James took to the stage, opening the proceedings with the title track of his new album “Bitter Sweet Love”. The home crowd knew every song, singing along with every word.
James was clearly moved by the entire event. He said something like: “Thank you for making my dream come true. I was born just down the road in Redcar, and I was a season ticket holder for Middlesbrough, spending many happy Saturday afternoons in this stadium. To return home and play here is beyond my wildest dreams”. The guy was very emotional throughout the whole concert. The audience loved him.
I recognised several of the songs and enjoyed the entire concert. “Impossible” reminded me of taking my daughter, Laura, to see James at Newcastle City Hall just after he had won The X Factor. Soon it was over. The crowd gave him numerous standing ovations. James thanked everyone again. Jan, Harvey, and I made our way out of the stadium, searching for our taxi which we soon found. We all agreed it had been a highly enjoyable affair, and a triumph for James.
Many thanks to Harvey for the photographs and to Jan for helping me navigate the site. Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the image of the Riverside Stadium.
Setlist: Bitter Sweet Love; Blindside; Empty Space; Can I Be Him; Comeback Kid; Sermon / Ready or Not; Rewrite the Stars; A Year Ago; Certain Things / Safe Inside / Quite Miss Home / Emily; Naked; From the Jump; Train Wreck; A Thousand Years; Falling Like the Stars; My Favourite Pill; Car’s Outside ; Young; Impossible; Homecoming; New Generation; Lasting Lover; Say You Won’t Let Go
The Thompson Twins were named after the bumbling detectives in the Adventures of Tintin books, which were also a TV show. The Crab with The Golden 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”. See my images of a Thompson Twin model which Jan kindly bought me and my Tintin book which I bought on eBay.
But these Thompson Twins were very different. These started as a new wave outfit, formed in a squat full on left wing anarchic values. In my mind I have them bracketed with the Raincoats and the Mekons, who were similar new wave acts of the time. They were a large band comprising seven members, fronted by 
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 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; I often wonder if this was a further reference to Tintin and his sidekicks the detectives The Thompson Twins), “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.
Roll-on 40 years and the Thompson Twins are back (well one of them anyway). Lead singer and front man Tom Bailey announced his new tour thus: “Thompson Twins Tom Bailey has today announced a major headline UK tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic eighties’ album ‘Into the Gap‘. The Thompson Twins are widely regarded as one of the most iconic bands of the 1980s and provided the soundtrack to many people’s lives during that incredible era of music.
On the seven date UK tour in May 2024, Tom will perform Into the Gap the 1984 lauded number 1 album in full. The album which has sold over five million copies worldwide spawned the distinctive new wave singles ‘Hold Me Now’, ‘Doctor Doctor’, ‘You Take Me Up’, ‘Sister of Mercy’ and ‘The Gap’.”
“Along with the album Tom will also perform Thompson Twin favourites including ‘If You Were Here’, ‘Lies’, ‘Lay Your Hands on Me’, ‘In the Name of Love’ and many more. Of the new tour Tom said: “Unbelievably, it’s the 40th anniversary of ‘Into the Gap’ next year, so I’m especially looking forward to touring the UK and playing all those songs along with some other favourites. Hope to see you there!” Tom’s Into the Gap 40th anniversary tour follows major festivals appearances around the world and is his first major UK headline tour since 2018.”
And so it was that Jan, and I were in The Glasshouse to witness Tom Bailey and all-female band perform those classic hits. Support came from 
Tom performed the concert in two sets, each one containing a group of great hits. He was visibly proud and obviously enjoying returning to the limelight. Hit after hit followed. Tom started the proceedings straight into those classic songs with “In the Name of Love”, “Lay Your Hands on Me” and some which were less familiar to me. He concluded the first set with a song which was by “One of my favourite bands”, Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” bringing back memories of seeing Talking Heads “back in the day” at Newcastle Polytechnic (with, I think, Dire Straits as support, no less) and later at Newcastle City Hall, when they became more mainstream.
The second set contained more hits: “Sister of Mercy”, “You Take Me Up”, “Doctor! Doctor!”, closing with “Hold Me Now”. Fantastic. It really took me back. The encore included the aforementioned “We Are Detective” and “Love on Your Side”. I really enjoyed it, even though the electronic 80s is not my favourite era/genre. Tom, you did credit to those old hits. Many thanks to Jan for the photos and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
Set One: In the Name of Love; Science Fiction; Lies; Lay Your Hands on Me; Runaway; If You Were Here; Shooting Star; Psycho Killer.
Dionne Warwick
Anyway, enough reminiscing and back to the beautiful, soulful voice of Dionne Warwick who sang so many Bacharach and David classics. The show was entitled Don’t Make Me Over, after the famous song. The Glasshouse website proclaimed her arrival:
Iconic singer Dionne Warwick brings her captivating life story and legendary catalogue to the stage for an intimate evening of conversation and song. Join the chart-topping vocalist behind classics like “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “That’s What Friends Are For” as she takes audiences through her groundbreaking 60+ year career. Warwick will share personal anecdotes and career milestones interwoven with live renditions of her hits, supported by archival footage and testimonials from figures like Elton John and President Clinton.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. Dionne took to the stage with “don’t make me over” emblazoned on the screen above her. She started by singing that classic song. Sure, her voice may not quite as strong as it used to be, but it was tremendous to hear her sing the song again, accompanied by a small band who appeared left off stage. A large, very comfy -looking, sofa was to the right of the stage and Dionne took her place there alongside long-time collaborator Dave Wooley who was shortly to interview her.
A short excerpt from the recent documentary also entitled Don’t Make Me Over, directed by Dave Wooley was shown at the start of the performance. Publicity for the documentary explains that it “Reveals the intimate stories behind a pioneering artist who took charge of her own career and smashed through cultural, racial and gender barriers to become the soundtrack for generations.”
The conversation between Dionne and Dave began with video of her humble beginnings, gospel singing in a New Jersey church. The discussion then moved through her life and career, her first meeting with Bacharach, in the UK where he was touring as pianist and musical director for none other than Marlena Dietrich. Now that is some tour that I wish I had seen! And so, the evening progressed moving through the years, with tributes from many famous people including Smokey Robinson, former President Bill Clinton, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Barry Gibb and many more. Dionne concluded the first set with a lovely rendition of the beautiful “I Say a Little Prayer”.
After a short break the proceedings resumed in a similar manner with Dave and Dionne chatting about her more recent achievements. Dionne talked about her family and her children. She then revealed that her drummer for the evening was none other than her son, who also sang with her. This part of the show included more songs, accompanied by her son: “Walk on By”, “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Heartbreaker. The evening concluded with a lovely rendition of “That’s What Friends Are For.” It doesn’t get much better than this. A lovely evening spent with a true legend and icon of our generation.
I have been meaning to see 
I was surprised just how true to the original Jam ideology and mod culture From The Jam were. They were in fact a revelation to me. Much, much better than I expected. The Boiler Shop was completely sold out, packed full of mods from every era, some wearing sharp suits and others wearing Parka coats. And to my pleasant surprise, the support act was Purple Hearts who I remember well from the late 1970s and early 1980s; I saw them several times during that crazy period.
In The Jam, Bruce and drummer Rick Buckler were the driving force, power and rhythm section behind singer, guitarist, and songwriter Paul Weller. Bruce’s versatility is evident, taking lead vocals on “David Watts” (The Kinks) and writing “News Of The World”, which to this day appears as the theme to the BBC’s Mock the Week show and has introduced his work to a new generation of fans.”
It is nice to know that “Bruce is again friends with Paul Weller which he emphasises is more important than music…… Paul asked Bruce to perform on his Wake Up The Nation album and join him on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on 25th May 2010, to a rapturous standing ovation from the audience. “No one could quite believe what they were seeing, it was history in the making and grown men had tears in their eyes” said one fan.”” (Again from the From the Jam website).
Support band Purple Hearts are: “an English mod revival band, formed in 1977 in Romford, eastern Greater London. They were often considered one of the best English mod revival groups, the NME calling them “one of the few mod bands to actually cut it on rock ‘n’ roll terms. In September 1979, the band scored a minor hit with their debut single, “Millions Like Us” which reached number 57 in the UK Singles Chart. The band then toured the UK with Secret Affair and Back To Zero on ‘the March Of The Mods’ tour in 1979.” I remember the March Of The Mods tour very well and have written about it on this blog. It called at Newcastle Mayfair and there was complete mayhem, involving fights between skinheads (“We hate the mods”) and mods (“We are, we are the mods”) and tables being thrown from the balcony of the ballroom onto the dancefloor below. The bouncers came in, complete with Alsatian dogs and brought some control to the situation. Crazy days.
Jackie and I arrived in time to catch Purple Hearts who were excellent, playing a mix of songs old and new; each track blending punk with 60s mod. A great start to the evening. We went to look for some From the Jam merchandise. The guy at the merchandise stand told us “I am selling Purple Hearts merchandise, the guy selling From the Jam merchandise has not arrived yet but all the merchandise is under the table”. Well, I don’t know what had happened but he never appeared so we were unable to buy any From the Jam gear. Never mind. Perhaps I will be tempted to buy something from their online store.
After a short break the main act took to the stage exploding into “All Mod Cons” followed by a string of Jam hits. Each song sounded true to the original, Russell Hastings performing the front man part extremely well, and the full band accompanying Bruce and Russell were great. Hit after hit followed: “David Watts”, “Billy Hunt”, “A Bomb in Wardour Street”, “Down in the Tube Station At Midnight”, “Pretty Green” (now I realise where Liam Gallagher got the name for his clothing range: I recently bought a shirt from the site and foolishly did not wear it for the occasion), “Town Called Malice”, “That’s Entertainment” and closing song “The Eton Rifles”. The entire crowd sang along; this band is the real thing and, judging by my experience at The Boiler Shop they have a very strong and loyal following.
The encores were “Beat Surrender” (I had forgotten just how good that song is), “Going Underground” and finally, back to the start with “In the City”. Fantastic. I would have liked to have seen them play “The Butterfly Collector” (my favourite Jam song) and close with “The Batman theme” just as they did in the early days. But then you can’t have everything.
Setlist (something like this): All Mod Cons; To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time); Mr. Clean; David Watts; In the Crowd; Billy Hunt; It’s Too Bad; Fly; The Place I Love; English Rose; ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street; Down in the Tube Station at Midnight; Pretty Green; Town Called Malice; That’s Entertainment; Lula; Heat Wave; The Eton Rifles. Encore: Beat Surrender; Going Underground; In the City.
A bundle of energy. A whirling dervish. A crazy lady. An outspoken liberated woman. A (nearly) middle-aged lady who has rediscovered herself after a painful marriage breakup. 
To say my mind was blown away by the lady herself is an understatement. I bought a T-shirt with the words: “Eat Shit and Die” emblazoned on the front. That sort of sums up the show and the attitude of this explosive performer. I have not dared wear the T-shirt yet!
The tour and new album were announced thus on her official website: “Paloma Faith has announced the details of her sixth studio album, The Glorification of Sadness out on 16th February via RCA Records and a UK Tour in support of her upcoming album.……. Paloma shared the news of her new album release date and inspiration with a personal note to her fans letting them know she was “…Looking forward to sharing this new era.” The Glorification of Sadness is more than an album about relationships. The celebration of finding your way back after leaving a long-term relationship, being empowered even in your failures, and taking responsibility for your own happiness. It is her most personal album to date, drawing on her own experiences with Paloma acting as the anchor to direct a deeply personal narrative and album.”
The show was in two parts with a short interval. No support act. In the first half Paloma was a raving blonde, talking a lot about the breakup of her relationship with her former husband. She went into a lot of detail about how her newly found freedom had liberated her as she entered her early 40s.
The lady has found herself again and is enjoying life and not afraid to tell us all about her experiences, each song relating to the “glorification” of her sadness. Lots of very personal insights into her (not so recent really, 2009) marriage breakup and how through her sadness she has found a new life and empowerment. Loads of swearing, very personal stories, some on the verge of shock. At one point he was even bumping and grinding with one of the male guys in her band. Marvellous!
Also from the same website: “Paloma Faith is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and TV personality, as well as one of the UK’s best-loved musical artists. London-born Paloma has released five critically acclaimed platinum-selling albums since 2009, beginning with her debut, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? As well as collecting dozens of awards in the last decade, including a BRIT Award, Paloma has reached a wider audience as a judge on The Voice UK as well as The Voice Kids, and as an actor in films such as Pennyworth, St Trinian’s and The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus.” A very accomplished lady.
The show intrigued me and tempted me to find out more about the enigma that is Paloma Faith. To the extent that I have ordered myself a signed copy of her yet to be released (semi-) autobiography: MILF: Motherhood, Identity, Love and F*ckery (I told you she is outspoken). Waterstones site announces the publication of the book thus: “The iconic singer and actress delivers her own unique take on motherhood and how it correlates to what it means to be a woman in this fierce, funny and passionate volume.”
“Can women have it all? What does it mean to be a woman and a mother in the modern age? In this passionate, funny, and fierce polemic, Paloma Faith delves deep into the issues that face women today, from puberty and sexual awakenings, to battling through the expectations of patriarchy and the Supermum myth. Infused with Paloma’s characteristic humour and raw honesty about the challenges of IVF and the early years of motherhood, this book is a beautiful celebration of women’s work, and the invisible load women carry.”
Paloma requested staff to put on all of the house lights. And she asked us all to shine the torches on our cell phones. A beautiful image! Returning to the book description: “Moving from questions around identity and how motherhood impacts on that, to what it even means to be a “good mother”, how we need to embrace messiness, imperfection, and the bittersweet pleasures of being “selfish” and putting ourselves first. Paloma invites us into her own coming of age and relationship with her mum, to explore how our bonds with our children evolve into adulthood. We see a glimpse of the complexities and joys of Paloma’s experience of juggling romantic love, heartbreak and dating with the demands of motherhood.”
Paloma confided in us all that her daughter was sometimes in trouble at school for using the F word, which her mother often used in conversation to her. Paloma seemed quite proud of this fact. The first set, having been devoted to the new album and her aforementioned marriage breakup, was followed by a short interval and the second set comprising her better-known songs from her previous repertoire. Just as she completed the first set Paloma told the sell-out crowd that her favourite word was C**T and that the merchandise stall was selling baseball caps with that controversial word emblazoned on the front. During the interval everyone rushed and queued up at the merchandise stand to buy the aforementioned baseball caps. I decided to stick with my T-shirt. Not very brave.
As the second half started, I could see that everyone was wearing their baseball caps. This time Paloma emerged in her more natural dark hair, and a beautiful catsuit. Still very much a raw talent who exploded back, right into our faces with a clutch of chart hits, many of which were still unfamiliar to me. However, I readily embraced her music and her continued manic performance. Elaine, Norman, and I all agreed it was a marvellous introduction to an intriguing, complex and fascinating performer. Thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris Paul once again manipulating the site to enable me to produce this blog. I remain very behind in my blogging activities, but I will slowly catch up. Please bear with me.
Setlist: Set 1: How You Leave a Man; God in a Dress; Bad Woman; Divorce; Say My Name; I Am Enough; Already Broken; Hate When You’re Happy; Enjoy Yourself; Cry on the Dance Floor; Eat Shit and Die; Let It Ride; Sweatpants.
Some time after the show my signed copy of Paloma’s book arrived. I am adding the signature here for completeness. 
It was an exciting day; we all got the bus to the town on our lunch break from School. The Rink was packed and we saw lots of people we knew from the town and from other schools. Dave Lee Travis was the DJ on that particular day, rather than Tony, and he was playing all of the chart hits of the time. “Double Barrel” by Dave and Ansel Collins was No. 1 and the Top Ten also featured T Rex (Hot Love), Dawn (Knock Three Times), Ringo (It Don’t Come Easy) and the Rolling Stones (Brown Sugar). Cool or what?!
I remember being very upset at having to leave to go back to school. Missed most of Paper Lace (who were later to hit the chart with “Billy Don’t be a Hero”) and some of my more fearless school mates decided not to return for the afternoon. Not sure if they received any comeback as a result. Great days. It was with such memories in my head that I went along to the City Hall with carers Jan and Jackie to see Tony Blackburn and the Sounds of the 60s band play the soundtrack of my youth once more. It sounded exciting and I would finally get to see my childhood hero, Tony. It doesn’t get much better.
The publicity for the concert said: “Every week, listeners across the UK tune into BBC Radio 2 to hear DJ Tony Blackburn OBE play the greatest songs of the 60s. Now, the legendary DJ will be bringing the Sounds of the 60s show to Bournemouth and celebrating the music of this much-loved decade. Featuring stories and songs from perhaps the most iconic 10 years in music, fashion and popular culture, the Sounds of the 60s tour will bring to life memories of the era.
The Sounds of the 60s All-Star Band and Singers will perform classic hits from the likes of Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Everly Brothers, Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Drifters, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and many more. With this year marking the 60th anniversary of his first broadcast on pirate radio station Radio Caroline South in 1964, Tony Blackburn is remembered as a defining voice of the 1960’s.
His incredible career has seen him present on BBC Radio 1, Top of the Pops, and since 2017 he has presented Sounds of the 60s on Radio 2, a hugely popular show on BBC Radio. A champion, in particular, of Soul music throughout the 60s, Tony has been recognised with 37 awards to his name including two Gold Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Radio; becoming the first person in history to receive two of these lifetime achievement awards.”
So, the format of the show was Tony Blackburn telling anecdotes about Pirate Radio and the early days of Radio 1 along with the house band, the Sounds of the 60s, playing medleys of, Tony told us, over 100 songs from the 1960s. It was great to see Tony and the house band performed lots of familiar songs from throughout that decade. The Sounds of the 60s feature a full band and are fronted by a male and female singers who do a great job covering all of those classic songs. Lots of fun for a nostalgic night out and it was excellent witnessing Tony Blackburn and listening to his stories of Pirate Radio in the 1960s and the start of Radio 1.
Tony told how his favourite DJ of the time was Kenny Everett, and how he (Tony) was now 81 years old! He still looks great. He also mentioned Tom Jones and how he was still performing and that Tom was older than Tony. This was followed by a medley of Tom Jones’ classics. Tony took us right back to the start of the 60s when he played in a band in Bournemouth. This was followed by early 60s hits such as Cliff Richard and “The Young Ones ”, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes and other artists of the period. We were treated to a Motown section featuring classic soul tracks, and so on.
It has been a long time since I last saw 
The Forum website told me: “He’s been a major star for four decades. Paul Young broke into the big time 40 years ago when No Parlez went to number one and spawned iconic hits like Wherever I Lay led to My Hat (That’s My Home). More success followed with the number one album The Secret Of Association and the worldwide hit Everytime You Go Away, not forgetting an appearance at Live Aid and more.
Paul sustained that success – while having fun in his tex-mex band, Los Pacaminos. Now, on the 40th anniversary of No Parlez, he’s releasing a remarkable new record and publishing his extraordinary memoir; both called Behind The Lens. He’s touring the UK, too, where he’ll meet fans, sing songs and tell stories about his incredible career. It’s time to revel in the classic hits and learn the stories behind them as Paul steps out from Behind The Lens.”
As the above description explains this was very much a speaking tour, with Paul reminiscing about many career highlights, interspersed with excerpts from his back catalogue, for which he accompanied himself on acoustic guitar. He was also accompanied by one of his long-time collaborators, who also acted as the interviewer during the Q&A session. The stage was set out with a couple of seats for Paul and his friend as shown in the image. However, photography was not allowed so as not to detract from this intimate show; hence the lack of any pictures within my blog entry this time.
Paul started with tales of his youth and how he first got into music. He moved on to his early soul review band which comprised up to nine members at one-time, namely the Q-Tips, who I saw on two occasions, the first at Middlesbrough Rock Garden and then at Redcar Coatham Bowl. They were excellent on both occasions, Paul very much the front man, leading a band including vocalists and a brass section.
After Q-Tips followed The Street Band and chart success with the quirky hit record “Toast” from which he showed a short video snippet. I had forgotten this particular part of his career. Next Paul proceeded to discuss his massively successful LP record No Parlez which included the hit “Wherever I Lay my Hat” and my particular favourite “Love of the Common People” a reworking of the reggae song originally released by Nicky Thomas in 1970.
Paul then moved to his second, equally successful album, The Secret of Association, and another massive chart hit “Every Time You Go Away”. He then showed a short clip of his appearance at Live Aid, which I attended in Wembley Stadium in 1985. A fantastic memory of momentous day. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of all of the crowd walking out of the stadium singing “Feed the World” after witnessing Bob Geldof leading the entire cast of the day through the song.
The second half of the show brought us up-to-date with Paul discussing his latest band Los Pacaminos and his latest album and book Take a Piece Of Me with You. I bought a copy of the lovely book which contained an autographed card (see images). The other images of the Q-Tips ticket, the Live Aid programme and the No Parlez LP are of items from my own collection. Many thanks to Jan and Chris for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site. A greatly enjoyable evening with a hugely talented and successful guy.
Much respect to 
The Glasshouse website promoted the show thus: “The tour will get under way in Lulu’s hometown of Glasgow on April 9 and The Glasshouse – which changed its name from Sage Gateshead in September – is to be her third port of call. The tour will wrap up at The London Palladium on April 17 which was the anniversary of the day in 1964 that she first stormed into the UK charts , at the age of just 15, with the iconic Shout. The six dates are set to be a real celebration of a career that has turned Lulu into a national treasure and which has seen her become a Eurovision winner, a Bond theme singer and star of the biggest-selling record in the US – To Sir With Love in 1967. She is one of the first pop artists to have performed behind the Iron Curtain in Poland; has had a number one with Take That and has just this summer performed two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. And now the tour promises to show off Lulu “as you’ve never seen her”.”
The concert was in two parts with a short interval. Lulu focused on the many highlights of her career. The first part covered the 60s and 70s. The second part covered later years including the famous collaboration with Take That. She started with the 1960s “Shout”, and images of her with the Beatles and other stars from the era. And that was how the show progressed.
The format was Lulu talking about her life and her music, interspersing her story with images and the great songs which made her famous. She was accompanied by an excellent band and singers. She focused upon the highlights of her career, which are many and very impressive. After “Shout” Lulu talked about singing a Neil Diamond song: “The Boat That I Row” and showed a picture of her with Neil Diamond, whilst performing the song. Next was my favourite Lulu song “To Sir With Love” which she explained was never a hit in the UK, as it was released as a B-side in this country, but was a massive number 1 in America. She performed the song to a backdrop of clips from the film and many images of herself with Sidney Poitier.
She then went on to talk about her marriage to Maurice Gibb, “I married a Bee Gee”. Which led into showing a video of Lulu duetting with Maurice some years later on the Bee Gees’ track (and my favourite song of theirs) “First of May”. She explained how, long after they had been divorced, she was recording a duets album and someone suggested that she ask Maurice to do a duet with her. She was a little nervous of doing so, but when she did ask him he accepted immediately. Hence the video, during which Lulu sat down and watched the screen. Very touching.
The 1970s saw Lulu representing the UK in the Eurovision Song contest, so she sang “Boom Bang a Bang”. She went on to win the contest. As she sang images from the Eurovision Song contest were displayed on the screen behind her. Fantastic nostalgia. Then she talked about her collaboration with David Bowie, treating us to “The Man Who Sold the World”. Next we moved to the James Bond film theme “The Man with the Golden Gun” which was accompanied by video clips from James Bond films. This lady really was busy in the 1970s!
The second set followed a similar format moving into collaborations with Take That and Tina Turner. Again, some fabulous music and video to support the songs. However, I must admit to preferring the 60s and 70s material. Overall, an absolutely excellent showcase of Lulu’s many career highlights and a fantastic mind-boggling career.
Setlist: Set 1: Shout; Heat Wave; The Boat That I Row; To Sir With Love; Boom Bang-A-Bang; First of May; Oh, Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby); The Man Who Sold the World; The Man With the Golden Gun; I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do); Scotland is a Place Called Home.
Back in the City Hall with carers Jackie & Jan, along with my daughter Laura who is a fan of the Smiths, Morrisey and 
The crowd, by the way, was absolutely massive: it looked like you could hardly move down there. It was the biggest crowd I have ever seen standing in the City Hall. We were all set for a fantastic evening with tremendous atmosphere.
Gaz Coombes got the proceedings off to a great start. He has a new band and played a clutch of solo material. As far as I am aware, no Supergrass material at all (as for I am aware). Very entertaining. But everyone was there to see the main man Johnny Marr. He came on stage to a massive roar from the crowd.
The publicity for the tour described him thus: “Founding member and songwriting genius of The Smiths, superstar collaborator and sensational solo artist, Johnny Marr is rightly regarded as a bona fide British music icon. He has just released Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr, a collection of songs curated from the last 10 years of his sublime solo output, together with a pair of new tracks, Somewhere and The Answer. The album, which debuted in the UK Top 10, came hot on the heels of Marr’s last studio album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4and 2023 photography book Marr’s Guitars.”
Johnny took to the stage and truly commanded it. He waved his guitar about and played a selection of songs from his back catalogue including several Smiths songs (Laura counted seven, more than we have ever seen him play before) including “Panic”, “This Charming Man”, “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and “How Soon Is Now?” Great stuff! He closes with the Electronic song “getting away with it”. I am even getting quite familiar with his solo material. An excellent selection of songs drawn from throughout his career.
The encore included an excellent stomping version of Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger”. For the very last song we were once again taken back to the Smiths and “There Is a Light That Never Goes out”. We all agreed that the entire concert was very enjoyable indeed. A great night with a modern icon who is a true hero to Laura and me.
Johnny Marr Setlist: Sensory Street; Generate! Generate!; Panic; New Town Velocity; Spirit Power and Soul; This Charming Man; Somewhere; Walk Into the Sea; The Answer; Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want; Get the Message; Bigmouth Strikes Again; Hi Hello; How Soon Is Now?; Easy Money; Getting Away With It.
Vintagerock's Weblog. 