Another great concert at the Fire Station which is proving to be an excellent hometown venue. And with two of my favourite 1980s bands.
Support came from the semi psychedelic music of the Icicle Works. Now, I was a big fan of the Icicle Works during the 1980s and saw them perform several times in that period. Ian McNabb has kept The Icicle Works flag flying in recent years performing their material as a solo artist. However, this was the first time in 25 years that he and original bassist Chris Layhe have played together.
So, the lineup I saw was this duo of McNabb and Layhe and it was great to see them together again. My favourite song is “Love Is a Wonderful Colour” which closed the set. A great support act, worthy of headline status in their own right.
Bought myself a lovely lyric sheet for “Love Is a Wonderful Colour” which Ian and Chris kindly signed for me. Setlist: Hollow Horse; Little Girl Lost; Evangeline; Out of Season; Starry Blue Eyed Wonder; Understanding (Country) Jane; Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream); Love Is a Wonderful Colour
Big Country formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The band’s music incorporates Scottish folk music, their guitar-driven sound resembling the Celtic tones of bagpipes and fiddles. The band’s classic lineup between 1982 and 2000 consisted of Stuart Adamson (vocals, guitar) Bruce Watson (guitar) Tony Butler (bass guitar) and Mark Brzezicki (drums).
Following Adamson’s death in 2001, Big Country reformed in 2007, with the surviving members. Between 2010 and 2013, they also reformed with Mike Peters of The Alarm on lead vocals. Since then Big Country has continued with two of the original members (Watson and Brzezicki) and Simon Hough on vocals.
Steeltown was the second studio album by Big Country, recorded at ABBA’s Polar Studios in Stockholm. Released in 1984 Bruce Watson remembers: “We started work on Steeltown back in June 1984 at Abba’s studio. My Dad was a miner, so what we did was knuckle down to hard work for six weeks”. The album was based around the steel industry in Corby, Northamptonshire which was mainly populated by Scottish workers. The album went straight to number 1 in the UK album charts.
They have recruited an excellent new guitarist whose playing gives homage to the late, great Stuart Adamson. To my shame I am not familiar with Steeltown (although I probably saw them on the tour to promote the album). It was great to hear their music again. Particularly as they also performed great personal favourites such as: “Look Away” And “In a Big Country”. They concluded their set with “Fields of Fire” incorporating another great Celtic song “Whiskey in the Jar”. An excellent end to an excellent evening.
Many thanks to Elaine for the photos and Chris for manipulating the site.
Setlist: Flame Of The West; East Of Eden; Steeltown; Where The Rose Is Sown; Come Back To Me; Tall Ships Go; Winter Sky; Rain Dance; The Great Divide; Just A Shadow; Look Away; Chance; In A Big Country; Wonderland; Fields Of Fire / Whiskey In The Jar
Encore: Restless Natives
I am entering this report for completeness really. I went to see Barbara Dickson recently and she played quite a few Beatles songs, mentioning that the Beatles have been an important part of her career, starting with her rendition of Beatles tracks for the musical John Paul George Ringo & Bert which I saw at Sunderland Empire sometime around 1974. So I searched on my blog for the musical and to my shame discovered that I had not done an entry for this. So here I am today rectifying this error.
From the 
It has been many years since I last saw 
So, it was about time I saw Kiki again. Especially as she was playing in a local venue 1719, named so because of the date it opened : “Holy Trinity Church (sometimes Church of the Holy Trinity or Sunderland Parish Church) is an Anglican church building in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear formerly the area’s parish church. It was opened in 1719 as the church for the newly created Parish of Sunderland, and served the local community until dwindling numbers forced its closure in 1988. It has since been in the ownership of the Churches Conservation Trust who have preserved the space and converted it into a community cultural hub.” (Wikipedia). It is now a lovely venue for many events including concerts such as this.
Kiki Dee is now performing with Carmelo Luggeri and has been doing so for several years. She has performed quite a few times in the region and I have been meaning to go and see her. Well tonight I finally did and I am glad I did so.
“A large and influential TV audience was delighted to see Kiki not only looking superbly fit, but her unique voice even better than they remembered. Both performers enjoy a heritage which stretches back through decades of fine musicianship, yet in all that time Kiki Carmelo concerts never became a museum piece, a go through-the-motions tribute act.”
1719 is a lovely venue with a great view of the stage. I would estimate that it holds around 100 or so people. Everyone was looking forward to seeing Kiki and Carmelo perform a wonderful set of Kiki hits and covers. They started off with a song that I was not familiar with, followed swiftly by a slowed down version of Kiki singing “Don’t Go Breaking my Heart”. This took me back to when I saw Kiki supporting Queen at the legendary band’s free concert in Hyde Park. Aha so Middlesbrough Town Hall was not actually the last time I saw her. My memory plays tricks on me again. There were lots of rumours flying around Hyde Park that day that Elton would join her on stage to duet with Kiki. However it was not to be. We had to remain satisfied with a cardboard cutout of Elton John (I kid you not).
A few songs on and the duo performed an excellent cover of Kate Bush’s “Running up that Hill”,” Every Kinda People” and a beautiful version of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon”. A short interval followed before the duo returned to perform a lovely rendition of my favourite Kiki Dee song “Amoureuse”. But this is very much a duo. Carmelo is a very accomplished acoustic and electric guitarist and also adds a second vocal to the songs. Next a little surprise. Kiki performs a poignant version of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To the End of Love” during which she comes down into the audience and waltzes with a lucky guy from the front of the audience. A few songs further on and the audience singalong to “Forward Motion” a tune which is less familiar to me. They conclude the evening with “I’ve Got the Music in Me”. No “Star”. A great performance by two great artists.
I bought a lovely print of the venue. I have also been listening a lot to Kiki Dee’s early material on Fontana records, particularly “Why Don’t I Run Away from You”. There is a wonderful video on YouTube of her performing it in 1965. Please do have a look at it. The lady has been performing since the 1960s and is now 77 years old. She still looks and sounds wonderful. I treated myself to a copy of her early album courtesy of eBay.
Setlist: What You Wish For; Don’t Go Breaking My Heart; Small Mercies; Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God); Every Kinda People; Harvest Moon; The Long Ride Home; interval (30 minutes); Amoureuse; Dance Me to the End of Love; Amen and Goodbye / She’s Smiling Now (A Mother’s Song) ; Until We Meet Again; Forward Motion; I’ve Got the Music in Me
One year on and much has changed. Last year when I saw the band in the same venue they were at the point of retiring, as a result of the sad passing of original member and fantastic keyboards player Dave Greenfield. His Doors tinged keyboard mastery formed the backdrop and rhythm to many of their classic songs. Remaining founder member Jean Jaques Burnell felt strongly that it was time to call it a day and close 
The other big change was the layout of the City Hall. Last time it was all standing downstairs with the wheelchair area on a raised platform to the rear of the hall, with a great view of the stage. This time it was all seated with wheelchair customers right at the front of the hall. The view was equally good. However it was surprising that the hall was seated rather than standing. Most energetic bands including heavy rock and new wave/punk usually warrant a standing setup. I was surprised at this and the band also seemed somewhat surprised. Nevertheless everything worked well.
Finally the stage setup was amazing with raised platforms for the drummer and keyboard player who sat behind an amazing keyboard arrangement. Everything was set out in grey. It looked wonderful.
The other noticeable change is that Jean Jacques Burnell has taken more of a leading role. It seemed to me that he sang a lot more of the songs and has to some extent reclaimed the legacy of the Stranglers. I could almost hear him saying “this is my band and I am proud to lead it”. And so he should be. Alongside him local lad Sunderland’ s Baz Warne has taken over the space fronting the band which was left by Hugh Cornwell many years ago. And a great job he does of it.
As we got to the end and the encores, Jean Jacques announced “We started in 1974. There are few bands that have been around that long and kept going throughout. We came from the pub rock movement. Some bands seem ashamed of that but we are proud to have been born as a pub rock band. So let us go right back to the start and our first single “Go Buddy Go”. Fantastic. The Stranglers are back and proud to be filling venues like the City Hall again where I saw them over 40 years ago.
Setlist: Set 1: Just Like Nothing on Earth; Hallow to Our Men; The Raven; Baroque Bordello; North Winds; Genetix; Princess of the Streets; Breathe; Hanging Around; Down in the Sewer.
As the title suggests, this was a greatest hits tour. I have seen 
That was, of course, the original lineup of Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. I then saw the later lineup during the period that they hit the chart with “Dreadlock Holiday”. I have not seen them since. So this was me reuniting myself with my old memories of excellent past concerts and the new version of the band fronted by Graham Gouldman.
The website of The Glasshouse proclaimed: “50 years on from their debut album, art pop and soft rock legends 10cc are back on tour. Their live shows are a hit Parade of sing-along classics like “I’m Not in Love,” “Rubber Bullets” and “The Things We Do For Love” that capture the band’s witty lyrics and innovative studio wizardry.”
“Having sold over 15 million albums in the UK alone, 10cc have eleven Top 10 hits to their name, including three No 1 singles – Rubber Bullets, Dreadlock Holiday and the ubiquitous I’m Not In Love – along with Donna (No 2), Art For Art’s Sake and Good Morning Judge (both reaching 5), The Things We Do For Love and I’m Mandy Fly Me (6), and The Wall Street Shuffle (10).”
The new band is led by Graham Gouldman, and also features Rick Fenn (lead guitar, bass), Paul Burgess (drums) – both of whom have been with 10cc since the early years; alongside Keith Hayman (keyboards, guitars, bass,) and Iain Hornal (keyboards).
Particular favourite songs were, for me: “Rubber Bullets” (which closed the evening), a wonderful a cappella version of “Donna”, “I’m Mandy Fly Me” and (of course) “I’m Not in love”. All of which took me back many years to many, many happy memories. At one point a wonderful image of Kevin Godley appeared on the screen. Almost spooky! Excellent.
Setlist: The Second Sitting for the Last Supper; Art for Art’s Sake; Life Is a Minestrone; Good Morning Judge; The Dean and I; Old Wild Men; Clockwork Creep; Feel the Benefit; The Wall Street Shuffle; Floating in Heaven; The Things We Do for Love; Say the Word; Silly Love; I’m Mandy Fly Me; I’m Not in Love; Dreadlock Holiday.
Yes you know the song, don’t you?
From Happening Next: “Look at the Guinness Book Of Hit Singles and you could be forgiven for thinking SMOKIE’s success story was a 1970s phenomenon. After all, 11 of their 14 British hits came in that eventful musical decade. However, their massive success story has continued to flourish around the globe including Scandinavia, South Africa, Germany and even China. Smokie are a band which has sold out tours and gained platinum records in four decades – 70s, 80s, 90s and the present day. A quick recap then on past glories. Smokie first got together at school in Yorkshire in the late 60s. After going through various names and styles, they signed with Mickie Most’s then ultra-hot RAK label and found themselves chartbound. Songs like ‘If You Think You Know How To Love Me’, ‘Don’t Play Your Rock’n’Roll To Me’, ‘It’s Your Life’ and ‘Oh Carol’ (all Top 10 entries) became radio staples and gave Smokie their ticket to travel the world.”
“Smokie continue to be one of the most successful bands in the world today. Recent global events, as well as the devastating news of the passing of Terry Uttley have seen the line-up of today having to change and develop with the addition of Pete Lincoln, formerly of The Sweet on lead vocals, and rhythm Guitar and Luke Bullard, son of Martin Bullard stepping into Terry’s shoes on bass and backing vocals, the legacy of Smokie that was founded by Terry will live on and Smokie look forward to seeing you all on their continuing journey.”
Smokie’s current line – up: Steve Pinnell on drums; Mick McConnell on lead guitar; Pete Lincoln on lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Martin Bullard on keyboards and Luke Bullard on bass guitar. Some of the band have been with Smokie from the 1990s, so I guess that means this grouping is pretty authentic. I last saw Pete Lincoln when he was the lead singer in a later version of The Sweet as mentioned above.
But before Smokie we were all treated to a short set by alternative/indie rock band
During the short interval I took the opportunity to purchase a “We sang Who the F**K is Alice with Smokie” T-shirt. Yes they really were selling them.
Setlist: (something like) I’ll Meet You at Midnight; It’s Your Life / Take Good Care of My Baby / Mexican Girl / For a Few Dollars More; (I Just) Died in Your Arms; Wild Wild Angels; Wild Horses; I Don’t Want to Talk About It; Have You Ever Seen the Rain?; Baby It’s You; Boulevard of Broken Dreams; Rose-a-Lee; Needles and Pins; Oh Carol.
If you had asked me in the late 1980s whether I would go and see 
Rick Astley has seen a transformation and rebirth in recent years. The 80s pop star remains but the man has evolved into a much more credible artist, singing in a very soulful manner. A very successful Glastonbury performance also helped catapult him back into the limelight. Rick the teenage heartthrob popstar has become Rick the soul singer. The entire performance was very slick and professional. The stage setup and screens made great use of modern technology and Rick was accompanied by an excellent band containing an array of musicians and singers.
Add to that an excellent supporting show comprising The Lottery Winners (I arrived a little late and missed their performance) a new band each of whom is a real lottery winner, and none other than fellow 80s star, Belinda Carlisle. The arena bars emptied for Belinda Carlisle and the massive hall was full to see the lady perform a great show. I had forgotten just how many hits Belinda has enjoyed. She closed with, of course, her only number 1 single “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” and everyone was singing along. I really enjoyed seeing her. An excellent start to my evening.
After a short interval Rick Astley took to the stage. This was a supremely confident artist, clearly enjoying his recent return to fame. His set was a mix of recent songs, some very soulful, and 80s hits. They all blended together well. “I’m 58” Rick told us all, quite proud of the fact, I think. He certainly looks well for his age and, complete with quiff and snazzy, snappy, colourful suit, he led his band through his songs, with the audience fully behind him. I was surprised just how much I enjoyed the concert and how many of his 80s hits I remembered including songs like “Together Forever”.Another great moment was when, during one song, Rick asked everyone to put on the torch light on their phones. The entire arena was filled with light. It looked amazing.
During the encore Rick explained how he started off his music career as a drummer. He told us that he was quite a quiet boy at school until he got a drum kit. He joined a school band and they played at the Valentine night’s disco. That night he received 4 Valentine cards. That was it! Rick’s future was mapped out and he wished to be a popstar. Hence his transformation from drummer to vocalist. He demonstrated his drumming skills by taking up the drums stool, twirling the drumsticks between his fingers like a “proper” drummer and then launching into the AC/DC classic “Highway to Hell” providing vocals alongside his drumming. Amazing and a big surprise.
He closed with, of course, “Never Gonna Give You Up” with a massive singalong and crazy ovation from the crowd. Great fun and a fitting end to a concert that even 10 years ago I could not have imagined myself attending. It is strange how times, music and trends change and how my musical taste has broadened so much recently. Much to my enjoyment.
During the interval I purchased a couple of programmes and a T-shirt. Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for assisting me in creating this blog entry.
It has been many years since I saw 
Barbara has appeared around the region many times over the years and I have always meant to go and see her but for some reason, I never did. As this was her farewell tour I figured I should go along and see what the lady was like in concert on this last opportunity. The Glasshouse announced the show: “Theatric. Passionate. A triumphant finale. Legendary Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and actress Barbara Dickson has announced her Farewell Tour with her full band. In her own words ‘I played my first headline tour with full band in 1977. Now, in 2024, I’ve decided to make this one my last. A memorable occasion and a suitable celebration is required. Come and join us to make this tour the most special of all.’ Throughout her career Barbara has achieved countless accolades including two Olivier Awards for her role in Blood Brothers and Spend Spend Spend plus she was awarded an OBE from Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.”
The songs she performed were a mixture of her hits and some which harked right back to her folk club roots and were very traditional. A great performance with a wonderful mixture of tunes. Barbara was accompanied by an excellent band of musicians, including a guy who played a beautiful Scottish pipe. No photography was allowed. During the interval I purchased a couple of programmes and a tea towel! I also invested in a double Jack Daniels which always adds to the sense of occasion.
The first, last (and only) time I saw 
For some reason I passed many opportunities to see ABC in the intervening years. Time to make up for this schoolboy error. And this was some great opportunity indeed to catch up with Martin Fry (the only remaining member from the early days of the band), his vision and his extraordinary music. Looking back at his career Martin Fry is responsible for the beautiful, and massively successful, piece of music which lies in the album The Lexicon of Love.
Somewhere from the electronica soundscape of Sheffield which Martin Fry shared with the human league and other bands of the time, came a collection of beautifully crafted songs, many of which focused upon the 3 of Love and passed romances. The Lexicon of Love was, of course, a major album chart hit, and remains an important part of many peoples youth, including my own. Martin is currently touring with the Southbank Sinfonia, and filling venues across the UK. The conductor of the orchestra, Anne Dudley is someone who Martin worked with several years ago along with the legendary Trevor Horn.
The Glasshouse website announced the event: “Unique. Lavish. A masterpiece returns. ABC performs The Lexicon Of Love in its entirety, plus their other greatest hits with Southbank Sinfonia Conducted by Anne Dudley. The Lexicon Of Love was first released in 1982 and went straight to number one. Fusing dance floor finesse with a post-punk attitude, the album spawned timeless tracks such ‘Poison Arrow’, ‘The Look Of Love’ , Tears Are Not Enough’ and ‘All Of My Heart’. The album saw ABC enchant the world with their own unique brand of pop. The Lexicon Of Love Orchestra tour first came to fruition in 2009 with countless 5 star reviews from a one off show At The Royal Albert Hall with Martin donning his iconic gold lame suit.”
“It sees Martin joined by Southbank Sinfonia and long time collaborator Anne Dudley as conductor for a truly magical evening celebrating this pop masterpiece. Next year will be 15 years since that first partnership that sees audiences returning again and again. ABC fronted by Martin Fry were formed in Sheffield in the 1980’s when they decided they wanted to fuse the world of disco funk with their own unique post punk vision. ABC’s debut album The Lexicon Of Love sold over a million records.”
The Glasshouse was completely packed with an audience who have loved this album from the day they first heard it some 40 years ago. Everyone was singing along and dancing to great tracks such as “The Look of Love” and “All of My Heart”. The sound was exquisite and Martin looked fantastic in sharp suits (although no gold lame suit this evening); just the same as he did when I watched him perform those tracks on Top of the Pops.
The concert was in two parts with a short interval. I started the evening by investing in a T-shirt, two programmes (one for me and one for my friend John in the USA), a vinyl copy of the Lexicon of Love Live signed by Martin Fry and a double Jack Daniels. A lovely concoction of mementos and a nice drink to start the evening. The first set comprised a number of hits and more recent ABC songs including the great “When Smokey Sings”.
During the short interval I decided to pass on another alcoholic beverage and instead had a lovely small tub of chocolate ice cream. For the second set we were treated to Martin Fry in a lovely pink suit, the orchestra and band performing the Lexicon of Love in its entirety. This is what everyone had come to hear. There was mucho dancing in the aisles and in seats and lots of singing along. The encore was a reprise of “The Look of Love”. A great evening with an artist whose work has lived on through the years and was greatly enhanced by the addition of the orchestra. Elaine and I both really enjoyed it all.
Setlist: Set 1: Overture; When Smokey Sings; Viva Love; The Night You Murdered Love; (How to Be a) Millionaire; The Flames of Desire; The Love Inside the Love; Ten Below Zero; One Better World; Ocean Blue; Be Near Me.
I recall going to see many movies: all of the Disney cartoons,The Man from Uncle films, Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday, Born Free, Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu, the Beatles in Hard Days Night and Help and, of course, all of the James Bond films from Doctor No onwards through From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, the spoof Casino Royale and You Only Live Twice.
I was a massive fan of the Sean Connery Bond films and the theme tunes: the James Bond theme by the 
So I was looking forward to this performance of the James Bond theme songs and music, by no less than the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor 
The concert itself was excellent with great deliveries of the songs going from the early Sean Connery days up to the present day and epics such as “Skyfall” originally performed by Adele and “A View to a Kill” originally performed by Duran Duran. The vocalists delivered the songs excellently and the entire concert was just fine. I even decided to buy some of my old favourites on eBay (see images) and I purchased a natty little programme at the concert.
Many thanks to Chris for the images and navigating the site again. By the way, Sean Connery was still the best Bond. I still live back in the 1960s and my happy memories of the cinema with my dad. This concert took me back some 60 years. Happy days.
Setlist: Dr No – Theme; You Only Live Twice – Title Song; GoldenEye – Title Song; Live and Let Die – Title Theme; From Russia With Love – Title Song; Quantum of Solace – Another Way to Die; The World is Not Enough – Title Song; Goldfinger – Title Song; A View to a Kill – Title Song;
Thunderball -Title Song; Skyfall – Title Song; For Your Eyes Only – Title Song; The Spy Who Loved Me – Nobody Does It Better; Moonraker – Title Theme; No Time to Die – Title Song; On Her Majestys Secret Service – We Have All the Time in the World; Casino Royale – You Know My Name; Diamonds Are Forever – Title Song; Spectre – The Writings on the wall; Licence to Kill – Title Song
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