Posts Tagged ‘Psychedelic Rock’

Hawkwind & Son of Man Newcastle City Hall 5 April 2024

hawk240The evening started with a massive and welcome surprise. Jackie, my carer for the evening, enquired of the steward “what time does the concert finish and is there a support act?” I was so pleased and surprised when she returned and said “there is a support act and they are called Son of Man”. Well, the reason I was so pleased was this. Many moons ago I was a massive fan of the band Man who were a Welsh band often compared to the Grateful Dead. I saw Man many times over the years including concert appearances at the City Hall in the early to mid 1970s. Indeed they were one of the first bands I saw at the City Hall in early 1971, supporting the Flaming Groovies. I also saw them perform at several festivals.

hawk242Man continued through various line – up changes, the one constant being the excellent guitarist Micky Jones. When Micky sadly passed away, his son George took on the mantle of lead guitarist and the band continued with original bass player Martin Ace and long-time keyboard player Phil Ryan. I saw this version of the band at the New Roscoe pub in Leeds and they were excellent.

hawk244Somewhere along the road, there was a split in the band. Bass player Martin Ace continued his version of the band, inheriting the name Man while Micky Jones’ son George Jones formed his own version of the band Son of Man. Confusing or what! And it was this band, the one and only Son of Man, who were supporting Hawkwind. Fantastic! Particularly as they normally play around Wales and this was my first chance to experience them. A blast from the past.

hawk243George has assembled a great band around his fantastic guitar playing, including an excellent vocalist. They played music from their latest album and also some Man favourites including “Spunk Rock” and “Bananas” which has the amazing lyric: “I like bananas, because they’ve got no bones; I like marijuana, because it gets me stoned”. He even mentioned that the last time one of the songs was played in the City Hall was when Man performed there alongside John Cipollina from the legendary Quicksilver Messenger Service. I remember that particular concert well! And you can probably find a review on my blog somewhere. A great start to the evening.

hawk245Could things get better? Yes of course they could. Hawkwind were also one of my favourite bands in the early 70s. I have seen them many times over the years from the days, before they hit the charts with “Silver Machine”, and Stacia danced naked with them on stage. The current tour publicity material guides us through the complex history of Hawkwind: “One of England’s most enduring hard rock bands, Hawkwind were formed in London during the late ’60s, just as art rock was coming into its own. Though lesser known than contemporaries like Pink Floyd, the band is widely hailed as one of space rock’s early pioneers, thanks to seminal albums like 1973’s live opus Space Ritual, and its 1974 studio follow-up In the Hall of the Mountain Grill.

hawk247Their potent mix of psychedelia, prog, straight-ahead hard rock, and lyrics steeped in science fiction — particularly the themes and imagery of author Michael Moorcock, who also became a member at various points — and drug effects helped define Hawkwind and separate them from the competition. The group’s history has been marked by a series of confusing lineup changes, as members began an almost revolving-door relationship with the band virtually from the outset. Throughout their many decades and incarnations, founding guitarist Dave Brock has remained Hawkwind’s chief steward, while notable players like Lemmy and Ginger Baker have also enjoyed stints with the band.”

hawk246As you will have gathered from the above, the line-up has changed many, many times over the years, the one constant being bandleader Dave Brock. Well, Captain Brock led his family through a selection of Hawkwind tracks old and new including favourites: “The Psychedelic Warlords Disappear in Smoke”, “Spirit of the Age” and “Brainstorm”. No “silver machine” and Dave Brock took a backseat in some of the songs and was not present for the encore (I believe it was said that he was backstage having a cup of tea) but, hey, who cares, this was still Hawkwind at their best.

hawk248A marvellous evening spent with two fantastic hippie/psychedelic bands. It doesn’t get much better than this. Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site.

Setlist: Brainbox Pollution; Arrival in Utopia; Till I Found You; The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke); Lost Chances; Underwater City; Assault and Battery; Golden Void; Psi Power; The Beginning; Spirit of the Age; Frozen in Time; Brainstorm. Encore: You’d Better Believe It

Big Country & The Icicle Works The Fire Station Sunderland 29 March 2024

BIG0Another great concert at the Fire Station which is proving to be an excellent hometown venue. And with two of my favourite 1980s bands.

BIG10Support 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.

BIG8So, 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.

BIG1Bought 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

BIG5Big 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).

BIG4Following 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.

BIG3Steeltown 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.

BIG2They 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.

BIG7Setlist: 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

Gong & Ozric Tentacles Newcastle University Student’s Union 21 March 2024

gong0I go back a long way with Gong and have seen them several times over the years since I first saw them at Newcastle City Hall in the early 1970s. That was at the time of the Flying Teapots Trilogy and just after the Camembert Electrique album.

The line – up of the band has changed many times over the years with the one (almost) constant factor being found remember Daevid Allen who sadly passed away in 2015. The last time I saw Daevid Allen in the band was at Allston Town Hall with my daughter Laura in 2012.

gong8“Australian beatnik poet Daevid Allen (ex-Soft Machine) began making music with his partner Gilli Smyth in the late 1960s, along with a constantly evolving community of creative musicians. Albums from this period include Magick Brother, Mystic Sister (1969) and the influential Bananamoon (1971) – one of David Bowie’s favourite 20 albums.” (From Gong website).

gong2The current members of Gong are: Fabio Golfetti – lead guitar, vocals (2007, 2012–present), Dave Sturt – bass (2009–present); Ian East – saxophone, flute (2010–present); Kavus Torabi – vocals, guitar (2014–present) and Cheb Nettles – drums (2014–present).

This tour was a co-headlining outing with Ozric Tentacles with whom I have seen Gong perform on a number of occasions, the last time being at York Crescent. Jackie and I arrived at the student’s union building just in time to catch the first number of Gong’s set, having traversed a series of ramps and lifts, through the supermarket and into the venue. Yes it is quite a complicated route into the concert venue in a wheelchair; but everyone was very helpful.

gong3The venue holds a lot of memories for me having seen many bands there over the years going back to the Clash White Riot tour and early concerts by the Cure, Magazine and others. I think the last time I was here was to see Gong. The current band contains relatively new members, but such is the lineage of Gong. Like Hawkwind it is a family collective within which members come and go. However the spirit and ethos of Gong carries through the band members and this was very evident for this concert. We made our way around the back of the crowd towards the left of the stage. Everyone was very kind and allowed us through, right to the front.

gong4The current front man has a look of Marc Bolan about him with curly hair and heavy eye make-up. He was also joined by a lady singer who transformed from an angel like persona into an Indian/Persian look. Fantastic. The music was, as always, heavily psychedelic, trancelike and absolutely mesmerising. One song seemed to blend into another.

gong01During the interval I managed to catch a pint of Guinness and the band kindly signed my ticket (see image). Next up was Ozric Tentacles whose music is less familiar to me. However, as always they provided us with an excellent set of psychedelic music. We left just as they were finishing.

gong5“A campfire at the Stonehenge free festival in 1983 witnessed the birth of Ozric Tentacles. It was there that composer and band leader Ed Wynne (guitar & keyboards), and brother Roly Wynne (bass), who were performing in a group known at the time as ‘Bolshem People’, along with drummer Nick ‘Tig’ Van Gelder (Jamiroquai), stumbled upon keyboardist Joie Hinton. After a session of warming their bones and discussing imaginary breakfast cereals, the group went to perform an impromptu late jam session. Over the course of what became an epic six hour performance, an audience member inquired as to the name of the band. Randomly thinking back to the group’s former conversation, visions of ridiculous mythical mueslis entered Ed’s mind, and consequently he replied; “Ozric Tentacles”. (…Good job too, since some of the previous alternatives had been “Desmond Whisps”, “Gilbert Chunks” and “Malcolm Segments”).” (From Ozric Tentacles website).

gong7Two fantastic bands who are still quite “out there” flying the hippie flag high. The lady next to me had great dreadlocks and was dressed as an angel complete with wings. That sort of sums up the atmosphere of the evening.

Many thanks to Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site.

Gong Setlist: My Guitar Is a Spaceship; Kapital; All Clocks Reset; My Sawtooth Wake; Through Restless Seas I Come; Lunar Invocation; Choose Your Goddess

Tangerine Dream Boiler Shop Newcastle 12 November 2023

TD0It is almost 50 years since I last saw Tangerine Dream at Newcastle City Hall. I saw them twice during the early to mid 1970s. They had recently released their highly successful Virgin records album Phaedra , which was a seminal record in the history of Psychedelic /Trance /Dance music. I recall those concerts well. The 1st time I saw them with my friend Norman, we were amazed and bemused by strange electronic soundscape that we were presented with. The 2nd time, which came shortly after our 1st experience, the band played from behind a black net curtain appearing only as silhouettes and shadows. Very strange. I have lost touch with them since then.

TD4Tangerine Dream were the forerunners of many electronic bands who followed: Kraftwerk, Jean Michelle Jarre, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and many many more. The Boiler Shop website described them well: “Some bands pioneer a genre, a few acts transcend codification, and the rarest of groups defy classification altogether. Tangerine Dream managed all three. Founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese in Berlin, the group established themselves with their groundbreaking 1974 album Phaedra which became a milestone in electronic music history. Over the last 53 years, Tangerine Dream released more than one hundred albums. Their early “Pink Years” albums had a pivotal role in the development of Krautrock. Their “Virgin Years” – such as Rubycon and Force Majeure albums helped define what became known as the Berlin School of electronic music.”

Edgar Froese sadly passed away some years ago but the band continues with the same ethos, values and soul. The current members are (from the official Tangerine Dream website):

TD3“Thorsten Quaeschning is a Berlin-based and classically trained musician and composer, has been a longtime member of Tangerine Dream since 2005, which makes him the second longest serving member in the band’s history. In 2013, two years before Edgar Froese’s death, he put him in charge as the Musical Director of the band. Thorsten composed and played on more than 70 Tangerine Dream albums over those years including the successful studio album Quantum Gate on the basis of Edgar Froese’s musical sketches – released in 2017 and nominated for the Progressive Rock Award.”

TD1“Hoshiko Yamane is a Japanese Berlin-based classically trained violinist and composer. She has been a member of Tangerine Dream since 2011. After she graduated with the Master of Fine Arts in Japan, she moved to Berlin. She also graduated with a diploma in violin from the University of Music and Theater in Rostock, Germany. During her study she performed with the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester. Hoshiko already collaborated with many renown international artists like Jane Birkin i.e. In 2013 she started her first electronic solo project (Tukico) and in 2017 she released her first solo album A Story Of A Man.”

TD2“Paul Frick was born in 1979 in Berlin. He took composition classes since the age of twelve with Il-Ryun Chung. Paul Frick joined Tangerine Dream in 2020. From 2000 to 2008 he studied composition with Friedrich Goldmann at Universität der Künste Berlin. Together with Daniel Brandt and Jan Brauer he forms the group Brandt Brauer Frick. In August 2018 Paul Frick’s solo debut album Second Yard Botanicals appeared on Apollo/R&S Records.”

So, it was this new reinvigorated Tangerine Dream that I witnessed at Newcastle boiler shop the other night. The venue was packed with a mixture of fans across many different age ranges. This band obviously commands the respect of many. The stage was set, all in pure white, centre – stage a set of synthesisers complete with flashing lights, wires, volume and other knobs and controls, and a large keyboard out in front. To the left a small table with a computer and room for Hoshiko to play her violin, and to the right another white keyboard at which Paul Frick stood. Thorsten stood centre stage directing the proceedings.

TD6Shortly after 8 PM the music started. The band, no longer pure white, were enveloped in a series of lighting effects; behind them images and Liquid Lens type psychedelic swirling movements on screen. The Boiler Shop is the perfect venue for the band and their soundscapes. It is the original factory/workshop in which George Stephenson built his groundbreaking locomotives (see image). The metallic open space seemed very fitting for the electronic and trance sounds which soon drifted around the room. Each song merged into the next, the lights and imagery were stunning as was the electronic music. I enjoyed it much, much more than I expected. This was Tangerine Dream reborn, reimagined and rejuvenated.

TD5Many thanks to Jan for the photography, Chris for the manipulation of the site and Elaine for accompanying me to the concert. Tangerine Dream continue to explore further into the magic of electronic instruments, augmented by soaring violin and accompanied by the very appropriate 1970s visuals. Magical.

Setlist (something like this!): Dolphin Dance; Continuum; Betrayal; Raum; Love on a Real Train; You’re Always on Time; It Is Time to Leave When Everyone Is Dancing; Portico; Mothers of Rain; Choronzon; Los Santos City Map;     Stranger Things; White Eagle; Phaedra; No Happy Endings.

Encore: Session

Ozrik Tentacles the Crescent York 18 August 2023

ozric0 - CopyAnother trip to the lovely community venue the Crescent, York. I feel alive and alert again after a short period without any concert experiences. Our friendly taxi driver takes us (me, and carers Jan and Joanne) to Durham station, and an equally friendly passenger assistance guy is waiting with the ramp to get me onto the train to York.

ozric1At the other end another passenger assistant is waiting with a ramp and I am quickly on the platform. No sooner said and we are snug in the York Station Tap for a swift drink (mine is a large red, thank you) before the short walk to the Crescent. The venue is already full.

ozric5I must admit, and to my shame, I am not very familiar with the music of Ozrik Tentacles. But I have read about their connections with Gong, the alternative music scene, the free Stonehenge festivals, Glastonbury and other similar events. Imagine some sort of mash – up of Hawkwind, Gong, Steve Hillage, psychedelic rock, trance, dance and space rock and you are getting there.

ozric7The mainstay of the band is guitarist Ed Wynne who is well practised in Steve Hillage glissando guitar which he plays to great advantage alongside another guitarist, a flute player and a keyboard player. Add throbbing drumbeats, liquid lens 60s/70s light shows and lots of crazy dancing by the crowd and you get the picture.

ozric6I can’t pretend to have known the songs but the music is enticing, enthralling and encapsulating. Magic. And no drugs (they wouldn’t mix well with my medication anyway). Our view is not great as the venue is, quite appropriately admittedly, standing although Jan and Joanne do manage to sneak a couple of chairs in from the bar. We all enjoy the experience and I look forward to seeing the band again, this time with Gong as support in Newcastle next year.

ozric3A short wet walk up to the station and I have a chat with a guy from Newcastle who I last spoke to at the Cluny and another new friend from Northallerton. We all share notes on progressive rock band experiences. Great crack. Hope you both read this blog entry. Soon another friendly face helps me up a ramp onto the train and, as if by magic, the same happens at the other end. Thank you passenger assistance.

ozric2Our friendly taxi chariot awaits and whisks us back home in no time at all. I watch Coronation Street on recording and then drift off to sleep. Another fun time had by all. Many thanks to Jan and Joanne for the pictures and to Ozrik Tentacles for a hippie, trippy evening. It was almost the 1970s all over again 🙂

ozric8Ozric Tentacles are: Ed Wynne: Guitars / Keyboards; Silas Wynne: Keyboards; Brandi Wynne: Bass; Tim Wallander: Drums; Saskia Maxwell: Flutes.

Setlist (based on published previous set lists it could have been something like this; but then maybe not!): Eternal Wheel; Blooperdome; Sliding and Gliding; Kick Muck; Lotus Unfolding; Dub Jam; Sploosh!; Jellylips.

The Ozrik Tentacles logo/image is from my ticket

Love with Johnny Echols the Cluny Newcastle 5 July 2023

LOVE0The Cluny is a lovely little pub venue situated in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle upon Tyne. It often gets great bands on. Over the years I have seen many of my favourite acts perform there including The Groundhogs featuring the sadly recently passed Tony McPhee, Stray, the New York Dolls, Chicken Shack featuring the great Stan Webb, the Pink Fairies, Wishbone Ash and many others.

LOVE7Last Wednesday they hosted the latest incarnation of the legendary American psychedelic pioneers Love. Lead singer and main songwriter from the band, Arthur Lee, is sadly no longer with us. This version of Love features original guitarist Johnny Echols, backed up by Baby Lemonade who were the backing band for Arthur Lee and Love for many years. So there is a line of authenticity taking us back to the original band. And that is good enough for me. It is the closest I am going to get to the real thing.

LOVE6So Jan and I arrive early enough to catch the support act, Scott Hepple and the Sun Band who for some reason remind me of early Status Quo circa 1971/1972. Quite loud and pretty good as well. Clearly a group of young people worth watching out for. After a short while during which I partake in a double Jack Daniels and purchase a Love and a Cluny T-shirt, the main band take to the stage.

LOVE2Now Forever Changes is an absolute classic, often rated as one of the best albums of all time. And I can’t disagree. Neither would the crowd in the Cluny. The place was absolutely packed and almost everyone sang along to every song. To my shame I can’t claim to know every song by Love but many sounded familiar.

Original guitarist Johnny Echols looks so cool, quite the part for an original psychedelic electric guitar hero complete with bandanna, straight out of the late 1960s. He co-founded the band with Arthur Lee back in 1965. Respect.

LOVE5Burt Bacharach’s “Little Red Book” sounded as fresh as ever and “Alone Again or” is undoubtedly one of the best songs of all time.
A great show by the latest version of a classic band. It doesn’t get much better.

LOVE3It was wonderful to say hello to a guy who introduced himself to me as a regular reader of my blog. Thank you so much for your support, my friend.
Thanks to Jan for the photos.

LOVE4Setlist: A house is not a motel; Your mind and we belong together; My little red book; Softly to me; Can’t explain;    Live and let live; The red telephone; Andmoreagain; Orange skies; Stephanie who knows; Signed DC; Alone again or;     Maybe the people would be the times or between Clark and Hilldale; You set the scene; August; Your friend and mine  ; Always see your face; Singing cowboy; 7 and 7 is

Steve Hillage Newcastle University 23 March 2023

hillage tix1 is, in his own quiet way, a guitar innovator. His pedigree is strong and impressive and last night, reminded me just what a great guitarist the man is. As usual, and no apologies, the night brought back many memories of the man himself and of the venue. Steve Hillage currently has two identities (in fact, probably more): (1) as a reborn trance hero in the band System 7 and (2) he is now out on the road fronting a new Steve Hillage band, drawing from his classic mid – 1970s albums, such as my favourite L.

hillage adFirstly, memories of the venue came flooding back partly as I tried to work out in my head where Newcastle University Students Union Ballroom (or equivalent) might be these days. The last time I frequented said venue was during the 1980s witnessing great performances by bands such as Rip, Rig and Panic (featuring a fledgling Neneh Cherry, who had just left the Slits, and sometimes her father Don), Haircut 100 and The Cure. All of those concerts took place in the larger upstairs ballroom; a venue where I witnessed some great punk gigs during the 1970s including the Clash White Riot tour. (Tour advert from Steves site)

hillage picSome of the concerts including Sandie Shaw (rejuvenated by a collaboration with Morrissey at the time as I recall), Punishment of Luxury and the Au Pairs took place in a lower, smaller, hall named “The Canteen” (because that is exactly what it was during the day!). I was told that wheelchair access was via a lift through the students union building and the Co-op shop! Actually, those directions worked well and some helpful students directed me and my carer Jackie towards a lift which took us downstairs to the venue; I half recognised the hall, it may have been what I once knew as the Canteen. Anyway, sorry for going around the houses to say that we managed to get to the concert okay. However, by the time we arrived the hall was full and the best vantage point we could find was at the side of the stage. (picture of Steve from my ticket)

hillage 4Secondly, Steve Hillage, psychedelic guitar wizard and inventor of the “glissando guitar” as exemplified by Steve’s wonderful soloing on his reinvention of the Donovan classic “Hurdy-Gurdy Glissando”. I have seen Steve Hillage several times over the years and he always strikes me as a quiet unassuming guy, and yet he has in his own quiet way achieved so much and forged a rich career along the way. I first came across Steve Hillage when he was a member of Khan, an early psychedelic band who I think I saw supporting Caravan in the early 1970s. I then saw him as a member of Gong and as part of Kevin Ayres band.

He soon ventured out on his own and released a clutch of great albums including the aforementioned L. During this period, I saw him headlining Newcastle City Hall on a couple of occasions, supporting Queen at their free concert in Hyde Park and somewhat bizarrely, joining Sham 69 on stage at the Reading Festival, a concert that was marred by fights in the crowd, although Steve’s performance with Jimmy Pursey of Sham was meant to signify that progressive rock and punk/skinhead music can stand together (“If the Kids Are United”).

hillage 3Roll forward to the Steve Hillage band 2023 in concert. Shortly after we arrived the band took to the stage, with lots of colourful lighting, wailing saxophone and electronica/psych keyboard wizardry courtesy of Steve’s long-term partner Miquette Giraudy. I am unsure who the rest of the band were, but I suspect they consisted of some current members of Gong, who continue to perform without any original members but with the blessing of Hillage and founder member, the late great Daevid Allen. After some wonderful twirling, swirling sounds the music soon took shape and morphed into Steve’s cover of the Beatles “It’s All Too Much” from L.

hillage blueAn excellent start to an evening of great music mixing tracks from throughout the band leader’s career. Some I recognised, several not, but they all featured great guitar dexterity from Mr Hillage. One he introduced as a Kevin Ayres song, in tribute to his former band leader. I suspect there was also a Gong track or two in the mix. Steve stood quietly centre stage sporting a short haircut (very unlike the 1970s proto-hippie Hillage we all know and love) and an intriguing looking guitar with no top stock. Soon we were at the end which featured further excellent guitar on “Hurdy-Gurdy Glissando”. The first encore started with some techno psych leading into The Move’s “I Can Hear the Grass Grow”.

hillage 5As we left, the band came back for a second encore (I think from reports of other shows on the tour this may have been Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?”). The lift we came down on didn’t seem to work anymore, however a friendly guy soon took us to another much smaller lift, which we squeezed into, arriving at a different part of the University. We followed a few ramps and soon found our taxi, waiting to take us home.

Support came from Utopia Strong featuring none other than Steve Davis snooker star (thanks to Terriersfan for pointing this out to me: see comment below)

The Residents Newcastle Boiler Shop 2 February 2023

res tixThe Residents are an enigma.

I have been aware of the band, their philosophy, and their music for almost 50 years. I remember hearing about the Residents from friends in the late 70s. Now I had never heard of The Residents at that point in time, so I had to go and find out about them. What I found was a unique, crazy art collective who wore bobble head eye masks and never revealed their identity. Their music was also unique and every album very different. At that point my interest was raised and I promised myself if I ever got the chance to see The Residents then I would do so.

resi 5The Residents hail from the USA and never reveal their individual or collective identities. They always wear masks on every appearance, album cover or indeed on their website. So, there is an air of mystery and intrigue about this band. I delved further into this strange collective and found their music interesting, sometimes hard to come to terms with, but ultimately enjoyable. Now every album, and there have been many of them, is different. I have listened to some of their music but I am not familiar with all of it and can’t claim to be a true “fan”.

resi2From their website: “Alternately seen as a rock band, an arts collective, and a spirit, THE RESIDENTS have been regarded as icons in the world of experimental music for almost fifty years. In addition to their ground-breaking work in the areas of trance, world fusion, electronica, punk, industrial and lounge music, the group has also been credited with being among the originators of performance art and music video, with their videos included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Their lengthy career has also taken them into the world of film and television music, having scored numerous films and TV series as well as several projects for MTV. In addition, the group is also thriving in the world of digital media having released ten DVDs, and two internet series. “Wow! Eclectic, super productive and genre crossing or what!

resi bookSo, I was determined, throughout the last 50 or so years, to keep my promise to myself and go and see this band if they ever came to the North-East. Now, to my knowledge, The Residents have never appeared in the North-East of England before. They have played in the UK on a number of occasions, Often at prestigious venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, London and Hammersmith Odeon, London; but have never ventured close by. I guess I have been lazy, and never travelled to see them in the past. More fool me! So, when I saw that they were coming to the Boiler Shop in Newcastle, I just had to go.

resi4Bad timing of the night. I read on the Boiler Shop website that there was a support act so I figured the main act would be on stage around 8:30 PM to 9 PM. So, I asked my taxi driver to arrive at 8 PM to get me there just in time (I thought) to see The Residents. Big mistake. When we arrived at the venue and made our way up onto the wheelchair platform, our USA friends were already on stage. My carer for the evening (and thanks for the photos) Jackie, kindly went and purchased a fine pint of Guinness for me and asked at the bar what time they had taken to the stage. Apparently, they started at 8:15 PM so we had missed around 15 minutes. Anyway, their performance was fantastic in the true sense of the word. They had a great light show and behind them was a screen displaying images which, I assume, related to the songs and the bands mythology. I bought a T-shirt with their signature bubble eye mask displayed on the front, a couple of badges and a book which is an A-Z Encyclopaedia of The Residents (it will take some reading!).

resi 6The singer would do a crazy little dance moving his (?) arms up and down and bobbing up and down at the same time. Difficult to describe. They all had masks over their faces and instead of eyes appeared spooky lights. The crowd was a mixture of ages and different types drawn from their fan base: hippies, punks and those who were probably there out of interest and curiosity like myself. The place was reasonably full but by no means packed. I can’t begin to describe their music. Every song is very different with sometimes shocking and spooky lyrics. “Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English).”(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865).I distinctly remember some of the songs: “Die! Die! Die!”, ” Kill Him!” and “Constantinople”.Definitely leading us further and further down that rabbit hole.

resi 3I was drawn into it. The crazy, spooky, music. Indescribable. New wave? Trance? Psychedelia? Labels don’t work for The Residents. A challenging, strange, difficult to describe yet ultimately enjoyable evening. 50 years too late, but worth the wait.

Setlist (something like, based on other performances): Jambalaya (On the Bayou); Hello Skinny; Cut to the Quick; Laughing Song; Bach Is Dead; Boxes of Armageddon; Would We Be Alive?; Cold as a Corpse; Smelly Tongues; Moisture; Constantinople; The Monkey Man; Semolina; Kill Him!; Blue Rosebuds; The Theme From Buckaroo Blues; The Stampede; Lizard Lady; Cold as a Corpse; Hungry Hound; Die! Die! Die!.

Encore: Diskomo; Nobody Laughs When They Leave.

Kula Shaker Newcastle Wylam Brewery 23 January 2023

kula tixI have wanted to see Kula Shaker for some time. When they emerged from the indie pop scene some 20 or 30 years ago, I was quite taken by their psychedelic/Indian/transcendental musical style. Imagine late 60s/early 70s Quintessence merged with Deep Purple and remnants of punk, pop and the Beatles, and you start to get the idea of the band. Now, the leader and front man of Kula Shaker is none other than Crispian Mills, son of child star, and a personal hero of mine, Hayley Mills. I still absolutely love the film Whistle down the Wind, where a group of school children find an escaped criminal in hiding and believe him to be Jesus. I still find the film mesmerising, and quite spooky in some ways. Now Crispian must’ve had quite a bizarre upbringing. Imagine having Richard Attenborough and Lawrence Olivia as family friends, coming around regularly for tea. Crazy!

kula1“One of his (Mills) earliest musical memories was “Puff, the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary, which he believes “summed up [his] childhood… However, it was hearing “You Really Got Me” by…The Kinks that inspired him to become a guitarist. “It was like walking into a temple, a moment when my life changed… Chung! This is your destiny! …I was a guitar worshipper.” Through the guitar, Mills also discovered Deep Purple, and has cited their lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore as a major influence on his style. Later, Mills started to delve deeper into psychedelic music, and spent most of his A-Level years taking LSD and listening to The Doors. … but he soon realised that drugs alone would not bring him the enlightenment he sought.“ (From Wikipedia)

So, the scene was set for quite an enlightening and bizarre evening. The venue itself was a revelation. We took a road past the Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary, up into Exhibition Park and around a meandering dark road past a lake complete with swans into an old pavilion, now the Wylam Brewery. My carer Elaine and I were led into the hall, at the back of the crowd, surrounded by a full hall of a younger group (at least compared to what I am used to) of say 30/40-year-olds some clearly off their heads on drink, weed or acid. The kind people let us through down to the front, towards the side of the stage (there are some advantages of being in a wheelchair!) We were just in time to catch the last song of support act.kula wrist

After a short wait, at 9 PM prompt, Kula Shaker took the stage emerging from a mist of dry ice, everyone twirling their hands and fingers to the psychedelic vibe. We were situated towards the left of the stage right behind the keyboard player who had the most wonderful long, perfectly straight, mane of blonde hair, playing (what else but) a 60s Hammond organ. Over to his right we could catch glimpses of Crispian playing a series of Fender Stratocasters, each heavily painted with multicoloured psychedelic swirls, jumping in the air, shaking his head and blonde tassels of hair and waving his hand in suitable twirls. The songs were a mix of acid-tinged music, Indian influenced psychedelia, and heavy rock. Perfect.

kula2I even recognised several songs: the John Lennon classic “Gimme Some Truth” the lyrics spat out by Mills with appropriate venom, the Kula Shaker signature tune, “Tattva” and the Deep Purple (originally Joe South) classic and closer “Hush”. Along the way we were treated to songs with references to the 60s: “Grateful When Your Dead” and “Jerry Was There” (Jerry Garcia?) A compelling and quite bizarre take on “Ginger Bread Man” (yes, the lyrics were actually “Run, Run As Fast As You Can, You Can’t Catch Me, I’m the Ginger Bread Man”: just wonderful). Add some appropriate namedropping. Crispian: “I stole the next riff from George Harrison. I rang George one evening (you would, wouldn’t you, after all your mum is Hayley Mills) “Hey George, I hope you don’t mind I borrowed that riff from you”. George: “of course that’s okay, Crispian, but actually it’s not my riff, it’s Eric’s (Clapton, of course). Surreal., Then they were gone. It was almost 10:30 PM.

kula setThey were soon back for a trio of encores concluded with the wonderful “Govinda”, very similar to a Quintessence song of the same name. I loved every minute of it. Then things started to get crazy. A friendly guy, completely off his head, got me a set list (see image) from the stage. He then went on to offer to steal a guitar pedal for me.” No!” I shouted. He persisted “hey man, it’s cool”. I replied “it’s okay, I’m cool. The set list is just fine for me”. The guy gave me a couple of peace signs and disappeared into the crowd. Elaine and I made a hasty retreat through the crazy throng and got into our taxi, which was there waiting for us. The craziness continued, we drove through a tunnel where groups of young people were congregated making fires and settling themselves down for the evening, a couple of guys entertaining them with fire sticks which they were twirling around their heads.

I got home wondering if this had all really happened or whether I had somehow had acid strategically placed into my medication. But no, it was all real. Elaine and I caught up on Coronation Street and a Vivian Westwood documentary I had recorded. I soon drifted into a psychedelic sleep. “It’s All Too Much” as the Beatles said. “The Walrus was Paul”.

Setlist: Hey Dude; Sound of Drums; I’m Against it; Infinite Sun; Gaslight; Temple of Everlasting Light; Grateful When Your Dead; Jerry Was There; Gimme Some Truth; Ginger Bread Man; Beautiful Dreamer; Into The Deep; Waves; Taxes; Narayana; 302; Tattva; Hush.

Encore: Gokula; Great Hosanna; Govinda

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Whitley Bay Playhouse 26 May 2022

arthur tixWelcome to the Crazy World of Arthur Brown. A rare treat experienced by a group of middle-aged (and older) followers, along with some younger devotees, in the seaside town of Whitley Bay. Even Arthur partook in some fish and chips and found them to be to his liking. This is the show that Arthur always wanted to deliver to us. The vision was always there. Back in the early days where he ascended up on a crane wearing his crown of flames at the Plumpton Jazz Festival or when I was so lucky to experience a performance by his band Kingdom Come in the early 1970s at Wearmouth Hall, Sunderland Polytechnic Students Union and he emerged from a coffin, was tied to a massive cross and was dragged off stage in a straitjacket. I thought it was one of the weirdest and craziest things I had ever witnessed. Now technology has enabled Arthur to deliver the full concept to us in all its splendour.

arthur bdgThe first half consisted of Arthur performing the majority of his first Crazy World of Arthur Brown album, including “Fire Poem” which leads into his anthem “Fire!” Everyone knows this one: “I am the God of hellfire and I bring you – – – Fire! I take you to burn”. The reaction of people when I told them I was going to see Arthur Brown. “Who is he?”, or “is he still around?” When reminded most people did remember “Fire!” He also included some new material and some classic Kingdom Come songs. Lots of costume changes. And, a real crown of fire! That is something I have never seen him wear before. Psychedelic backdrop showing liquid lens videos of Arthur in his prime in the late 1960s. Mannequins wearing spooky masks. The band wearing crazy costumes and headgear with feathers just as I remember Kingdom Come back 50 years ago. Gauze, flimsy, drapes adorning the stage.arthur 4

Arthur creeping about and moving off and on stage during costume changes. A theremin with its own mannequin and spooky, psychedelic sounds. Swirling, 1960s Hammond organ. In other words the full concept. Psychedelic. Fully encaptivating. Crazy. Drawing us into his crazy world. Amazing. Strong screams. Deep, soaring operatic voice.

Arthur reveals he is 80 next month. He is fit, lean and dances like a whirling dervish. His voice is as strong as ever. He finishes the first set with the classic “Time Captives” which I have seen him sing several times with Hawkwind. My friend Norman just reminded me of this and the time we went to see them (Arthur and Hawkwind, that is) at the Magna Centre in Sheffield. Everyone dressed as robots! Now that was a crazy evening as well.arthur 1

“Without Arthur Brown there would be no Alice Cooper”: Alice Cooper. “Arthur Brown has the Voice ofarthur 5 Death”: Bruce Dickinson – Iron Maiden. “Arthur Brown was a man ahead of his time”: Elton John. “Arthur Brown is as much a dancer as he is a singer”: Pete Townshend – The Who. (All quotes from Arthur’s website)

The second half is just as encaptivating. Less costume changes, just as crazy dancing. A medley of Arthur’s roots. “Be Bop a Lula”, “Hey sinner man where you gonna run to?” Some obscure; many crazy. He finishes with “this one you will know”: Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”. I have seen Arthur perform this Dylan classic several times. I remember David and I went to see Arthur at the Compass Club in Whitby (Arthur’s hometown) and he emerged from the back of the hall dressed all in black with a large top hat and banging a long staff on the ground singing this song. His treatment is immaculate. And then he is gone. Leaving us with memories of his crazy world and a night spent in the company of a true artist who has just shared with us his vision of madness, darkness and Fire! The crowd gave him a standing ovation, which is richly deserved. Laura declared it “amazing”. The last time we saw him together was at York Fibbers club more than 10 years ago. But this was the pinnacle. Thank you Arthur for an amazing evening. But then why would I expect anything less?arthur3

Many thanks to Jackie for her exquisite photographs and Chris for helping me back into my bed. A final memory. When I was 12 years old, with my Christmas money I treated myself to two albums. The first was the Who’s Tommy double album rock opera. The second was Tyrannosaurus Rex and their second album Phrophets, Seers and Sages; The Angels of the Agesarthur 2. The third was, of course, Arthur Brown’s first album The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. I loved that album and played it and played it. One omission, Arthur, if I dare to be so greedy: I wish you had played Screaming Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” from that album. But then you can’t always get what you want (now there’s another song!)