Eric Clapton Crystal Palace Garden Party 31 July 1976
Support acts: Freddie King; The Chieftains; The Jess Roden Band; Barbara Dickson; Dick and the Fireman
I saw Clapton twice during 1976, once at Newcastle City Hall and at this gig at the Crystal Palace in London. A group of us went down to London by train for this gig, and when arrived at the Crystal Palace Bowl we met up with some other friends from Sunderland. It was a very hot day, as were most that summer; just right for spending the day in the park listening to some bands. The Crystal Place Bowl is a grassy picnic area, which used to have a shell-shaped stage situated at the other side of a lake from the grassy area where the audience sat. It was used for several concerts during the 70s, many of which ended with various members of the crowd taking to the water in the lake to get closer to the stage and their heroes. First up at this gig was Dick and The Fireman, who were an occasional “super”group of friends who came together for a fun jam every now and then. For that date the incarnation consisted of Mel Collins, Neil Hubbard, Mike Patto, Alan Spenner, Carol Grimes, Bob Tench, Henry McCulloch, Tim Hinkley, Boz Burrell, Simon Kirke, John Halsey, with Larry Coryell and Ron Wood guesting on some songs. The late, and very very great, Steve Marriott is listed in the programme, but didn’t show on the day. Now Henry McCulloch is one great guitarist and the late great Mike Patto was one cool vocalist, but the set seemed like what it was; a few friends jamming for a bit fun; nothing more, nothing less. Anyway it was ok as an opener. Next up was Barbara Dickson, who had just hit the charts with “Answer Me”, followed by the very under-rated Jess Roden. I saw Jess in Bronco, as support for Free once, and several times with his “Jess Roden Band”; he sang with a lot of soul, and is sadly hardly ever mentioned these days. 
The Chieftains seemed quite a strange choice for the day, and delivered a set of traditional Irish folk, which was quite fun, sitting on the grass on a hot summer afternoon. Next up was the legendary Freddie King. I’d heard quite a bit of Freddie’s material on the radio, including “Have You Ever Loved A Woman”, “Hide Away” and “Tore Down” and, as I recall, he played all of those. Clapton played a relatively short and subdued set on just over an hour, with Larry Coryell and Ron Wood joining for a couple of songs. I remember Larry Coryell being particularly impressive, giving Clapton a good run for his money. By the end of the show, quite a few people were in the water. Have a feeling Jesus Jellet was dancing down the front. This wasn’t one of the best times I’ve seen Clapton, but it was a fun day. After the gig we were all back on the midnight train up north. All in all a pretty good day; three great guitarists, sun, and a day out with friends; all for £4 and a day return which was £2 or £3 at the time. Clapton Setlist: Hello Old Friend – All Our Pastimes – Tell The Truth – I Shot The Sheriff – Double Trouble – Blues Power – Going Down Slow – Stormy Monday – Layla – Further On Up The Road.
Posts Tagged ‘psych’
25 Jun
Eric Clapton Hammersmith Odeon December 5th 1974
Eric Clapton Hammersmith Odeon December 5th 1974
Reflections on my first live connection with God
This was a big gig for me. I was a massive Clapton fan as a teenager. I bought the Goodbye Cream lp, and the Mayall/Clapton Bluesbreakers album, and spent hours learning to copy Clapton’s solos, playing and replaying the vinyl albums until I’d worked out how he played those licks. I sat in awe in front of our new (first) colour TV watching the Cream Farewell at the Albert Hall show. I talked about going to the Rainbow show with my mate Nicky, but was still pretty young and going to a gig in London seemed so unthinkable at the time; it was just talk really at that stage. But when Clapton announced a couple of comeback shows at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1974 I decided that I just had to go. I hadn’t managed to buy a ticket in advance for the Clapton gig, and the shows were sold out, but that didn’t discourage me. I was used to buying tickets for sold out gigs outside the venue on the night in Newcastle, so I planned to do the same at Hammersmith. 
I bought a day return train ticket to London and made my way to Hammersmith. I can still feel the excitement as I got off the tube and made my way to the legendary Hammersmith Odeon. I bought a ticket from a tout outside the venue, paying a little more than face value. I entered the venue and took my seat, which was to the rear of the stalls. I don’t think there was any support act. Clapton and band took to the stage, and started with Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile”, which was a big surprise to me. Why was this guitar god starting with an old song like this? After getting over the initial shock I realised how good the version was, with Clapton and Yvonne Elliman singing together and doing a great job. Real tears in the eyes stuff. Clapton had just released “461 Ocean Boulevard” which focussed much more on Clapton the singer than the guitarist, and “Smile” fitted with the mood of the album. Next up was “Let it Grow” from the album, another classic song. By this point I could hardly believe what I was experiencing; Clapton was there in front of me, and he was singing these great songs. Yvonne Elliman’s role in Clapton’s band at that point shouldn’t be understated. This was no backing vocals role, she was right up front with Eric dueting with him. The rest of the set was a mix of cold and new. Old blues like “The sky is crying” and “Ramblin’ on my mind”, covers such as “I shot the sheriff”, and “Little Wing” and “Badge” from Cream days. “Layla” was the first encore. Ronnie Wood joined in for the encores (Eric introduced him as Peter Townshend for a joke). By then I was getting nervous as I had to make it back for Kings Cross for the midnight train home. I did make the train, and arrived back how at around 7am the next morning having spent the night on the mail train as it wound its way up the country, stopping to pick up and deliver mail bags on the way. I went to college a couple of hours later and told everyone about it. So there it is, my first Clapton experience, and I gig that I’m so pleased I made the effort to get to. Clapton has remained a favourite of mine over the years, although I must admit that I did lose faith in him during the 90s a little. I’m going to spend the rest of the week reflecting on the other Clapton gigs which I have been to. Band: Carl Radle (Bass); George Terry (Guitar); Jamie Oldaker (Drums); Dick Sims (Keyboards); Yvonne Elliman (Vocals); Marcy Levy (Vocals). Setlist: Smile; Let It Grow; Can’t Find My Way Home; Tell the Truth; The Sky Is Crying; Have You Ever Loved a Woman; Ramblin’ on My Mind; Badge; Little Rachel; I Shot the Sheriff; Better Make It Through Today; Blues Power; Key To The Highway; Let It Rain; Little Wing; Singin’ the Blues. Encore: Layla; Steady Rollin’ Man; Little Queenie
23 Jun
The Cramps Newcastle Mayfair March 1986
The Cramps Newcastle Mayfair March 1986
When I was very young, around 10 years old, I discovered horror movies and a magazine called Famous Monsters of Filmland. I loved the classic 30s horror movies: Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, and was fascinated by zombies, ghouls, the creature from the black lagoon. Through my teens I bought Famous Monsters from Filmland regularly, and saw as many 30s, 40s, and 50s horror and scifi films as I could on TV or at the cinema (which was sometimes difficult as many were X rated, which meant that you had to be 16 to see them). Why I am telling you this in a post about The Cramps? Simple. The Cramps blended together several of my favourite things: a love of gothic horror, the bizarre, scifi, surf music, garage, and rockabilly. They came out of the New York punk scene, and are often credited with starting the psychobilly genre. Looking through the pages of the programme from this gig reminds me how great this band were. The programme is crammed with images taken from B movies and features the 1985 movie Return of the Living Dead, for which The Cramps wrote a song “Surfing Dead”. 
The Cramps were at their peak of popularity on this, their 1986 world tour. The tour took in several nights at Hammersmith Palais and a few nights at Hammersmith Odeon, as well as gigs around the country, including this North East gig at Newcastle Mayfair. They were fronted by singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy. I went to the gig with my mate Dave, and it was a load of fun. The show was totally wild and wacky, quite similar in many ways to The B-52s, but much crazier. Lux Interior was totally wild on stage; I can picture him now, crawling all over the top of the speaker cabs, stripping off at the same time. The guy had no fear; think of Iggy Pop at his wildest times 10. The place was packed, and the crowd lapped it up. The Cramps continued throughout the 90s, and split only when Luz Interior passed away in 2009.
21 Jun
Can Newcastle City Hall 1974 and Redcar 1977
Can Newcastle City Hall 1974 and Redcar 1977
I went along to this gig out of curiosity as much as anything else. I’d read a lot about Can in the music press, and heard a few tracks, although I didn’t own any of their albums. It seemed a cool and trendy sort of gig to go to, so off I went to the City Hall, by myself as I often was. By 1974 Can had released 5 albums, and vocalist Damo Suzuki had just left the band. The set was largely instrumental, heavy on the bass courtesy of Holger Czukay, with lots of free form improvisation, very avant-garde and quite challenging. 
The songs were quite drawn out, some lasting up to 20 minutes. I enjoyed the gig, and am pleased that I went to see them. Support came from Crow, who became the Buster James Band a few years later, and are not to be confused with an American band of the same name. I got to see Can again a few years later, this time with a group of mates, at Redcar Coatham Bowl. That gig was in March 1977, I have a stub from a gig that year, but the name of the band has been torn off (which suggests it was a short name, like Can).
18 Jun
Roger Chapman recent gigs at Newcastle Tyne Theatre
Roger Chapman Newcastle Tyne Theatre
Marie and I have been to see Roger Chapman a couple of times over the past ten years. Both gigs were in the beautiful setting of the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle. Chappo is in a great shape, and his voice is as strong as ever, which is pretty amazing, given his throaty warbling style. The set was a mix of solo stuff and Family favourites, the latter going down well with the local crowd, who were all 40 to 50 somethings, steeped in Family music and looking for memories and a night of great rock; both of which were delivered in ample helpings. A CD exists of a 2002 gig at the Tyne Theatre, the ste being: Kiss My Soul; Down Bound Train; Habits Of A Lifetime; Midnite Child; Blind Willie McTell; Wheels & A Crowbar; X Town; Weavers Answer; My Friend The Sun; Holding The Compass; Shank (Shadow On The Wall); Toe Nail Draggin’; Short List; Burlesque; Jesus & The Devil; In My Own Time
17 Jun
Family in concert 1972 and 1973 Newcastle Mayfair and Newcastle City Hall
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.
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.
3 Jun
Ian Brown Newcastle Academy 27 Sep 2007
Ian Brown Newcastle Academy 27 Sep 2007
To my deep regret I never got to see The Stone Roses. I somehow missed out on them altogether. They were around at a time when I was heavily into work and family things, and I wasn’t going to quite as many gigs as usual. The first time I saw Ian Brown was at Newcastle Academy with Laura and David in 2007. The place was packed and I was knocked out by the show and the crowd reaction. I hadn’t realised what a great performer Ian is, and how many people regard him as a legend and hero. Laura was particularly excited to see Andy Rourke from the Smiths in the band. Setlist (from Ian Brown forum): Corpses; Dolphins; Golden Gaze; TIME; Lovebug; Sweet Fantastic; Destiny; On Track; Goodbye To The Broken; Sister Rose; Longsight; KWYG; My Star; Resurrection; Baby Free; World is Yours (With Fools Gold intro); FEAR; Sister Rose. Laura and I have seen Ian at Newcastle City Hall since this gig, and were once again impressed by his performance. We are finally getting to see the Stones Roses when they play at Heaton Park on July 1st. We are both really excited and looking forward to it.
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