Family in concert 1972 and 1973 Newcastle Mayfair and Newcastle City Hall
Family were a great favourite with rock fans in the North East of England. They came up here a lot in the late 60s and early 70s, playing Sunderland Bay Hotel, Newcastle Mayfair, Sunderland Locarno and other local venues. As I posted yesterday when writing about Roger Chapman, back in those days, if you asked anyone in the North East their favourite live band, my guess is that they would choose a band like Family who regularly played in local ballrooms and put on a great live show. In Sunderland the answer would have been Free, Family, and possibly Stray or Edgar Broughton. The first time I got to see Family was at Newcastle Mayfair in June 1972. I have very vague memories of them playing a gig at Silksworth Youth club in the late 60s, and standing outside listening, as I was too young to get in. The gig definitely happened, but my standing outside may well be a figment of my imagination. Thanks to Barry for his memories of the Silksworth Youth Club gig: “A couple of vague memories. Roger Chapman was wearing bright red trousers. When the group had a break a girl asked Chapman if they did any “Soul” music. No, was Rogers brusque reply. If I remember correctly the leader of the new youth club was a guy called Clive. He wanted to put Silksworth Youth Club on the map as music venue. Happy days..”. Back to that gig in 1973. I queued outside the Mayfair to get in early and get a good spot in front of the stage. Support came from Audience, featuring Howard Werth who, like Roger Chapman, has his own vocal and musical style. Their album, “House on the Hill” is a classic of the period. Listen to the track “You’re Not Smiling” and you’ll see what I mean. Family were great that night. Roger Chapman sang in his usual unique style, with lots of vocal and mike stand gymnastics; but what really struck my was the way that he engaged, and interacted with the audience. It was like he was meeting a group of old mates. Most of the crowd had clearly seen the band before, and there seemed to be some private joke between Roger and some of the crowd, starting with the crowd asking “What about the workers, Roger?”. The other thing, that sticks in my memory is Poli Palmer’s vibraphone; I hadn’t seen or heard anything like it before. 
By the following year Family had sadly decided to call it a day, and the next time I saw them was during their farewell tour, at Newcastle City Hall. The line up had changed (again) by the time of that gig, and the atmosphere in the City Hall was great, but tinged with sadness. Support came from Phillip Goodhand-Tait. Chapman was once again the focal point of the evening. I recall sensing as we walked out of the hall, that everyone was upset that they would not see this great band again. Family’s music was a strange and unique mix of rock, psychedelia and r&b. Singles such as The Weaver’s Answer, In My Own Time, and Burlesque were great favourites in the ballrooms of the time, the dancefloor always filling with lots of hippy dancers. Unlike many bands of that era, Family have never reformed; however Chappo continues to play (he has just announced a Christmas gig at the Y theatre is his hometown Leicester) and his set often includes several Family songs. Its a few year since I’ve seen Roger in concert (will blog on recent gigs tomorrow), but recent reports suggest that his voice remains as strong as ever.
Posts Tagged ‘prog rock’
17 Jun
Family in concert 1972 and 1973 Newcastle Mayfair and Newcastle City Hall
16 Jun
Roger Chapman Streetwalkers Newcastle City Hall 1977
Roger Chapman Streetwalkers Newcastle City Hall 1977
Roger Chapman is often forgotten these days. In my eyes he is a major figure in English rock music and has one of the most unique rock voices. Back in the early 70s, if you asked anyone in the North East their favourite live band, my guess is that they would choose a band who regularly played in local ballrooms and put on a great live show. In Sunderland the answer would have been Free, Family, and possibly Stray or Edgar Broughton. I saw Family a couple of times in the early days, and I’ll blog on that in a day or so. By the mid 70s Family were no more, and Roger Chapman was fronting Streetwalkers, along with Family compatriot Charlie Whitney. 
I saw Streetwalkers a few times: once at the very rainy Buxton 74 Festival, again at Reading 74, supporting The Who at Charlton in 1976, and at this gig at the City Hall in 1977. The Buxton gig was particularly memorable for one thing. Rain poured down the whole weekend, but when Chapman and Whitney sang Family’s My Friend the Sun, the sun came peeping out through the clouds, as if by magic, to a great roar from the festival crowd. 
It was a moment that anyone who was there will remember. I was there with my mate Gillie, and John was there with Susan; we were just talking about that special moment the other week. I also went to this Newcastle gig with Marie. I remember the City Hall being about half full; I guess by that point in time Chappo and his Streetwalkers were beginning to go out of fashion, particularly with punk coming along. The Streetwalkers always delivered a great set of rock with Chapman’s voice and stage presence being like no other. He would talk the crowd as if he knew them, and perhaps in some cases, he did. By 1977 the set featured tracks from their 1970s lps, with one or two Family songs thrown in for good measure. There was then a big gap, where I didn’t see Roger Chapman at all, which was a mistake on my part. I’ll report on some more recent gigs, however, in the next day or so.
13 Jun
Curved Air 70s gigs and great memories of Sonja Kristina in concert
Curved Air 70s gigs
I believe that the bands that you see when you are young shape your musical tastes for the rest of life. Curved Air are one of those bands for me. I first saw them at Newcastle City Hall in 1971, and was mesmerised by them in many different ways. Their mix of classical music, folk and electronic sounds was quite unique, Sonja Kristina was just stunning on stage, and the musicianship of Darryl Way on violin and Francis Monkman on moog synthesiser was outstanding. And they had great songs: the hit single “Back Street Luv”, “Marie Antoinette”, the beautiful and haunting “Melinda (More or Less)”, their first single “It Happened Today”, and the set closer “Vivaldi” during which Daryl Way went wild with his electric violin. 
Support at that 1971 gig came from Irish band Skid Row, not to be confused with the American heavy rock band of the 80s. I’d seen the bluesy Skid Row a few months before in Sunderland Locarno, with the young Gary Moore on guitar (he just blew me away: I went home and practised and practised). However, by the time of this gig Gary had been replaced by Paul Chapman. Brush Sheils was the bass player and front man of Skid Row; his name coming from his big brush of hair. He sported a persplex bass and was totally crazy on stage: a real wild guy. I then saw Curved Air play a great set on the Friday night of the 1972 Reading Festival where they headlined over Genesis and Mungo Jerry. 
They came onstage late, around midnight by which time we were all sitting on the grass, waiting in the cold night. Their set was just amazing that night. Sonja sang those lovely songs over the evening mist, and brought the first night of the festival to a lovely end. From then on I saw Curved Air almost any and every time that they played in the North East. I remember gigs at Newcastle Mayfair, Newcastle Poly, Sunderland Poly and Durham Students Union. 
I recall Marie and I turning up at a sold out Freshers Ball at Teesside Poly one night and managing somehow to blag our way in to the hall (backhander to the doorman methinks). I saw them again at the City Hall in 1976. I think I may have seen them at Redcar Bowl. There were probably other gigs that I don’t remember; Curved Air played a lot in those days and must have been up and down the motorway playing Student Union dances most weekends. Over the years the line up changed (a lot). At one point local guy Eddie Jobson joined on violin. Jobson was a young and extremely talented multi-instrumentalist who I’d seen several times at Sunderland Locarno, playing in Hartlepool (or was it Peterlee?) band Fat Grapple. Fat Grapple were great, its a shame no recorded material of the band from that era exists. 
Along the way Stewart Copeland, who was to become Sonja’s husband and later of The Police, joined on drums, and Darryl Way returned to the fold. The one constant factor throughout that period was Sonja Kristina. I can picture her now, commanding the stage, top hat on her head and a cape around her shoulders, belting out Back Street Luv. 
Great nights. Can I go back there please? I’ve seen Curved Air a couple of times in recent years, at Holmfirth Picturedrome and at Glastonbury, and the magic is still there; for me anyway. Thanks to John for finding a signed 1971 programme on ebay for me, and for sending me an image of an early 70s poster (also bought on ebay; see scans).
9 Jun
The Groundhogs York Fibbers 8 June 2012
The Groundhogs York Fibbers 8 June 2012
Laura and I decided at the last minute to go and see The Groundhogs in York last night. We arrived in time to catch support act Dan Hudson who was delivering a good solid set of blues. We also found time to pop over the road to the Black Swan where the York fold weekend was in full swing in a marquee in the carpark. The Groundhogs took the stage at 9.30 starting with “No more dogging”. As those of us who follow the band know, Tony had a stroke a couple of years ago which affected his speech, and as a result his wife and singing partner Joanna Deacon had joined the band and taken on the vocal duties. Having said that Tony sang two songs himself last night, the first being “Eccentric man”, with Tony making sterling efforts on the verses, with Joanna coming in the help out with the chorus. A pretty good version. Next the volume and pace were lowered for the beautiful “Garden” from the “Thank Christ for the Bomb” album. Tony started the song which some lovely understated guitar, and Joanna handled the vocals admirably. Tony sang old blues favourite “Still a fool” from “Scratching the Surface” next, including a great guitar solo. Joanna explained how the “cool kids’ at school would walk around with the “Split” lp under their arm, and admitted that she was a Slade fan at the time. This introduced “Split Part 1” which is always one of my favourites, followed by “Split Part 2”, during which Tony made extensive use of the whammy bar, to the extent that his guitar was quite out of tune by the end of the song. Joanna’s dancing became particularly manic and bizarre at this point! Side 1 of the album was (almost) completed by “Split Part 4”. Then it was back to the blues with “Natchez burning”. Next came “Strange town” which was a great surprise; I don’t recall seeing the band play this in recent times. Then, moving towards the end of the set, “Mistreated” from “Blues Obituary” brought back memories of early 70s gigs, where it was often the set opener. The set finished with “Cherry Red”. Encore was “Down in the bottom”. Fibbers club was pretty full, and the crowd gave the band a very warm and friendly reception. Its always good to see the Groundhogs, and everyone last night clearly holds a lot of affection for Tony in particular. Joanna fits well in the band, and whereas a couple of years ago I found the idea of her taking on vocal duties a little surprising, I know think it feels natural. Its great that she has been able to do this and thus help keep the band on the road. Joanna explained that regular bass player Dave Anderson was not well. His place was taken by Steve Cook, who had stepped in at short notice and did a great job. Drummer Carl Stokes sported a massive gong which he used to close the set. A great night, which Laura and I both enjoyed. The Groundhogs, finished at 11pm, and we were home by 12.30am. When we got back David told me that I needed to be up early to take him to Middlesbrough for 9am, as he was picking up a lift there to a school friends wedding in Penrith. So not much sleep for me last night! Oh well, it was worth it to see Tony again.
5 Jun
Black Oak Arkansas Newcastle Mayfair 1975
Black Oak Arkansas Newcastle Mayfair February 28th 1975
Support came from Welsh rockers Sassafras
Jim Dandy to the Rescue!
My mate Norm reminded me to write about seeing Black Oak Arkansas at Newcastle Mayfair in 1975. I’d forgotten all about this gig, until Norm mentioned it last night. The tour advert for the time declared: “They’re hot, they’re nasty, and they’re gonna make you scream for more!” All tickets were £1 at “Black Oak Arkansas special request”. Black Oak were (and still are!) an American southern rock boogie band, and front man Jim Dandy was just crazy on stage. The highlight of the set was “Jim Dandy to the Rescue”, their cover of R&B singer LaVern Baker’s 1956 hit, which had the Mayfair crowd all singing along. I remember Jim Dandy had insanely long hair, jumped around a lot, and played the washboard. I also recall that they did a great version of “Dixie” and had several guitarists. Norm remembers that they had a pretty big stage show, and it being the first time we saw lights with hydraulics at the side of the stage, the lighting rig rising out of a metal case. Black Oak Arkansas are still playing in America, with Jim Dandy the only original member. Jim Dandy is said to have been a big influence on Dave Lee Roth; which I can understand. I was to see Black Oak once more a year later, when they played at the 1976 Reading Festival.
Thanks to John for the following insights, which he recently (Nov 2013) emailed me: “BOA are named after the town of Black Oak (population 272) in Arkansas, released their first major album in 1970 to little success.The band featured three guitarists and the famous Jim Mangrum who was nicknamed Dandy based on how he dressed and behaved, plus Tommy Aldrige on drums. In 1973 the band played 310 concert dates and in 74, 320 dates (all of them one nighters) and also recorded four albums.They were a Top 5 Concert Act in the US in 1974.They played at the California Jam, then the largest one day paying concert in the USA with 250,000 tickets sold (I always thought it was Watkins Glen) headlined by ELP then Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and BOA. A recent TV programme showed concert footage of the band from the Albert Hall in 75 playing a few songs – Hot N Nasty, Hard Ride, Mutants of the Monster and of course Jim Dandy. The song Jim Dandy is an old song and they recorded it based on the singers nickname.The vocals are Jim plus a lady Ruby Star.I heard that song a lot and I am sure that they played on the Old Grey Whistle test (but I could be wrong) and I thought it was good. However, on the footage from the RHA his vocals are just terrible – a bit like a mad version of Ted Nugent but out of tune and with a very heavy accent. David Lee Roth must have been very heavily influenced by his style and look. I have an old rock book from 1976 which says that they supported Black Sabbath on tour in 74 , and I can remember reading a big interview with them in Melody Maker and I think they played Reading one year (76). They have a new album out and are supposed to be touring in the US.All very interesting.”
4 Jun
Babe Ruth 1973
Babe Ruth 1973
Babe Ruth are often forgotten, memories of them lost over time. I’m getting towards the end of posting on bands beginning with the letter B, and wanted to make sure that I covered every band of note that I have ever seen, and Babe Ruth came to mind. Babe Ruth only existed for a short period between 1972 and 1976, but made a big impression at the time, although their biggest success came in Canada rather than the UK. The original band consisted of Jenny (Janita) Haan on vocals, Alan Shacklock on guitars, and Dave Hewitt on bass. They were a classic rock band; Jenny Haan was a raucous singer in the Janis Joplin mould, and totally wild on stage. Alan Shacklock was a tremendous guitarist and wrote a lot of the material. I recall seeing them performing Wells Fargo from their first album First Base on TV on the Old Grey Whistle Test and then saw them live a few times in local ballrooms. I remember in particular seeing them at Sunderland Top Rank on the Harvestmobile tour (see flyer) which was a package tour featuring bands from the Harvest stable, including Spontaneous Combustion, ELO, Roy Wood’s Wizzard, Kevin Ayres, Roy Harper & The Edgar Broughton Band. The Sunderland gig featured Babe Ruth, ELO, and Spontaneous Combustion. 
Spontaneous Combustion were a largely instrumental power rock trio, with a great guitarist. ELO were just great in those days (will post about them separately one day), but for me the best band that night was Babe Ruth. Their first album (see left) is excellent. Go to Youtube and listen to Wells Fargo, Black Dog” (not the Zepellin track), The Mexican, and Joker. They also did a great version of Zappa’s King Kong which was a favourite of mine at the time. By 1976 Jenny Haan had left the band to form her own band Jenny Haan’s Lion. She was replaced by Ellie Hope, and by this point the band contained no original members. I remember setting off with Marie to see Jenny Haan’s Lion at a college gig somewhere near Darlington one night, driving around and never finding the gig (no satnavs in those days) and giving up in the end. I think I did get to see them in the end, possibly at Bede College in Durham. I also have vague memories of seeing the new line up of Babe Ruth with new vocalist Ellie Hope, and being disappointed as the magic had gone. That final lineup changed their name to Liquid Gold, found Disco and hit the charts in 1980 with Dance Yourself Dizzy. Enough said. I’ve done some searching for Babe Ruth material on the internet, and discovered that they reformed a couple of years ago and played a reunion tour in Canada. More recently, in May 2012, Janita Jenny Haan and Dave Punshon from the original band played “a relaxed evening of musical storytelling and piano jazz like you’ve never heard before’ in Swindon. I’m going to keep an eye on their site (http://www.baberuthband.net/news.html) and watch for further opportunities to see them.
1 Jun
Guns N Roses Gateshead Stadium 1992
Guns N Roses Gateshead Stadium 1992
Seeing Guns N Roses last week has made me cast my mind back to the first and only other time I saw them. This was when they were at the height of their success, on the Use Your Illusion tour. The tour called at Gateshead Stadium in 1992, with support from Soundgarden and Faith No More. This was of course the original classic line up including Axl Rose on lead vocals, Slash on lead guitar, and Duff McKagan on bass. 
I went along to the gig with Ashleigh and her friend, who were raving about the band at the time. It was a good gig, although to be honest I don’t remember being as impressed by them as I was last week (is that heresy?). The Guns N Roses history site notes of the gig: “25,000 people see GN’R at the Gateshead International Stadium in Newcastle (!), England. Duff had a verbal altercation with one fan. After Axl’s words of warning – “I wouldn’t mess with him, he’s not had a drink in two weeks!” – the fan piped down. After the show the band fly back to London to continue their stay at the exclusive Conrad Hotel, where fellow guests included Prince and INXS.” Setlist: It’s So Easy; Mr. Brownstone; Live and Let Die; Bad Obsession; Attitude; My Michelle; Double Talkin’ Jive; Civil War; Patience; Welcome to the Jungle; You Could Be Mine; November Rain; Speak Softly Love; Sweet Child O’ Mine; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; Don’t Cry; Paradise City
31 May
Elkie Brooks Sunderland Empire 1978 & memories of Vinegar Joe
Elkie Brooks Sunderland Empire June 4th 1978 and memories of Vinegar Joe
I have good memories of Elkie Brooks gigs during the period 1971, when I first saw here in DaDa, through Vinegar Joe, to the last time I saw here as a solo artist in 1978. The first time I saw Elkie she was in a band called DaDa, and was first on an Age of Atlantic package tour with Yes and Iron Butterfly. The concert was at Newcastle City Hall, and it was the first time I went to a gig at that venue. DaDa featured her husband Pete Gage, and her singing partner Robert Palmer and were a jazz-rock fusion band with lots of members and a brass section. 
Those three soon left DaDa to form Vinegar Joe, who I saw at Sunderland Top Rank (supporting Free; thanks for the reminder John), Sunderland Locarno, Reading Festival, Lincoln Festival and Newcastle Mayfair (on a bill with Chicken Shack if my memory is correct; which it may well not be…). 
Vinegar Joe were a class R&B act, and Elkie was tremendous vocally and in terms of her stage act. She was truly a wild woman of rock in those days, with swirling skirts and crazy dancing. By 1975 Elkiehad had gone solo and soon had chart success with Pearl’s a Singer and other singles. By the time I saw her again at Sunderland Empire, she was selling out concert halls across the country. By this point she was becoming a little middle of the road; however her live show was still great. I haven’t been to an Elkie Brooks concert since those days, and keep meaning to do so. She still tours and has become a national treasure. Writing this convinces me that I need to go and see her again soon. Thanks to John for mailing me the scan of the Vinegar Joe poster, which must have come from a Manchester University gig in the early 70s.
24 May
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
Guns N Roses and Thin Lizzy Newcastle Arena 23 May 2012
My friend John and I saw a marathon, but amazing, gig by Guns N Roses in Newcastle last night. They came on stage around 10.40pm and played until 1.40am. John has been over from his home in the USA, and suggested we go to the gig. We got there quite early, bought our programmes, and John bought a poster, and we took our seats to see support act Thin Lizzy. They came on stage around 8.30pm and delivered a set of all the classic songs, finishing with The Boys are back in Town. The latest line up of Thin Lizzy is pretty true to the original, however the sound wasn’t wonderful in the big area. The venue was around three quarters full, and Lizzy got a warm reception, although everyone was there to see the headline band. We had read report of Axl and crew coming on stage very late on this tour, and Ticketmaster had emailed me to warn that they would be on stage at 10pm. On the night Guns N Roses actually took to the stage at 10.40pm, around an hour after Lizzy had finished their set. This wasn;t as long a wait as we had feared, and the crowd didn’t seem too restless. The band literally exploded onto the stage, with lots of flares and explosions, which continued at various points throughout the gig. Their performance was much much better than I had expected. Axl has assembled a band of excellent musicians, all of whom showed just how good they are. Although the set came in at around 3 hours, it didn’t drag at all. Its a long time since I’ve seen a band play this long, yet I didn’t get bored. The timings were perfect. A great mix of classic GNR tracks, well chosen covers and impressive solos that were just the right length made this a class rock show. 
And Axl still has all the energy that he did when he was a much younger guy; his voice is also as strong as it ever was. All in all John and I both agreed that this was a pretty neat gig. Impressive stuff, even if I am still tired today. Setlist: Chinese Democracy; Welcome to the Jungle; It’s So Easy; Mr. Brownstone; Sorry; Rocket Queen; Estranged; Better; Richard Fortus Guitar Solo; Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings); This I Love; Motivation (Tommy Stinson lead vocals); Instrumental Jam ; Dizzy Reed Piano Solo (based on The Who’s Baba O’ Riley); Street of Dreams; You Could Be Mine; DJ Ashba Guitar Solo; Sweet Child O’ Mine; Instrumental Jam; Another Brick In The Wall (Pink Floyd); Axl Rose Piano Solo; November Rain; Glad to Be Here (Bumblefoot lead vocals); Don’t Cry; Civil War; Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan); Nightrain.
Encore: Madagascar; Whole Lotta Rosie (AC/DC); Patience; Paradise City
17 May
Brand X and Peter Hammill
Brand X and Peter Hammill Newcastle City Hall 1978
This was a somewhat strange pairing, in fact the tour is known as “The Odd Couple Tour” on the Van Der Graaf Generator website. Brand X were a jazz rock fusion band, and were highly respected in the 70s. Phil Collins played with them at one point, although he wasn’t in the drum stool at this gig. I also saw them play at the Reading festival a year or so earlier. I recall the set as being largely (solely?) instrumental, with impressive musicianship. Setlist was apparently (I found this on a website): Access To Data; Black Moon; Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria; The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge; The Poke. 
I went along with some mates for a couple or reasons. Firstly because of the Phil Collins and Genesis connection, and secondly to see Peter Hammill, who had recently left Van Der Graaf Generator to go solo. Peter wass in a pretty crazy phase, and had shaved half his beard (see programme). He was accompanied by violin and sax, and delivered a strange set to a pretty empty hall. 
Peter’s set was straneg, dark, quirky and everything you would expect of him. A review of the time proclaimed him the “Springsteen of Weird”. This was a memorable gig, although it was a shame that the City Hall was pretty empty. The tour was pretty ambitious in booking this pairing into largish concert halls.
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