Posts Tagged ‘pub rock’

22 Mar

The Stranglers Newcastle City Hall 14 March 2024

Posted by vintagerock in Stranglers. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

STRANG0One year on and much has changed. Last year when I saw the band in the same venue they were at the point of retiring, as a result of the sad passing of original member and fantastic keyboards player Dave Greenfield. His Doors tinged keyboard mastery formed the backdrop and rhythm to many of their classic songs. Remaining founder member Jean Jaques Burnell felt strongly that it was time to call it a day and close The Stranglers. However after a strong cry from the fan community he decided it best to continue. And thus it was.

stran3The other big change was the layout of the City Hall. Last time it was all standing downstairs with the wheelchair area on a raised platform to the rear of the hall, with a great view of the stage. This time it was all seated with wheelchair customers right at the front of the hall. The view was equally good. However it was surprising that the hall was seated rather than standing. Most energetic bands including heavy rock and new wave/punk usually warrant a standing setup. I was surprised at this and the band also seemed somewhat surprised. Nevertheless everything worked well.

strang2Finally the stage setup was amazing with raised platforms for the drummer and keyboard player who sat behind an amazing keyboard arrangement. Everything was set out in grey. It looked wonderful.

The Strangler’ s latest nationwide tour marks their 50th anniversary in the music business. It seems hard to believe that they have been around so long. The show was in two parts with a short interval. The Stranglers took us right back to the start playing their greatest hits such as “Golden Brown”, ”No More Heroes” and “Peaches”.

stran5The other noticeable change is that Jean Jacques Burnell has taken more of a leading role. It seemed to me that he sang a lot more of the songs and has to some extent reclaimed the legacy of the Stranglers. I could almost hear him saying “this is my band and I am proud to lead it”. And so he should be. Alongside him local lad Sunderland’ s Baz Warne has taken over the space fronting the band which was left by Hugh Cornwell many years ago. And a great job he does of it.

stran6As we got to the end and the encores, Jean Jacques announced “We started in 1974. There are few bands that have been around that long and kept going throughout. We came from the pub rock movement. Some bands seem ashamed of that but we are proud to have been born as a pub rock band. So let us go right back to the start and our first single “Go Buddy Go”. Fantastic. The Stranglers are back and proud to be filling venues like the City Hall again where I saw them over 40 years ago.

Bought myself a lovely signed album. Many thanks to Jackie for taking the photographs and to Harvey for helping me navigate the site. 

strang1Setlist: Set 1: Just Like Nothing on Earth; Hallow to Our Men; The Raven; Baroque Bordello; North Winds; Genetix; Princess of the Streets; Breathe; Hanging Around; Down in the Sewer.

 Set 2: Waltzinblack; Who Wants the World?; Dagenham Dave; Duchess; Time to Die; Ships That Pass in the Night; Peaches; Threatened; Skin Deep; Always the Sun; Golden Brown; Relentless; 5 Minutes;     Lost Control; White Stallion; Something Better Change; Tank.

 

Encore: Go Buddy Go; No More Heroes.stran7

It was great to see a classic pub rock/new wave/punk/pop band play their greatest hits in a classic venue. And the way which the band is almost reborn after a difficult period with their original bass player taking on the mantle, which he always held anyway, of front man. It was very clear whose band this was and so it should be. A great evening. A great concert. A great band. What could be better?

28 Jun

Ducks Deluxe Marquee club London 20 June 1975

Posted by vintagerock in Ducks Deluxe. Tagged: , , , , , , .

ducks marqueeI am now at the point of adding entries to my blog, when I suddenly remember a concert from many years ago that I have yet to write about. This comes about for two reasons. Firstly, I created the blog by working systematically through my tickets and programmes. Secondly, however, this means that I missed concerts along the way if I did not have a ticket or a programme or a strong memory of the gig. So every now and then one pops into my mind. This gig, is one such example. Some of these are already listed briefly in a post entitled “Other Memories”. But now is the time to write about those other memories!

This gig was the night before a group of us went to see Elton John (with strong support from the Beach Boys and Eagles, among others) at Wembley Stadium. I drove down to London early with a friend in my small red MG Midget sports car and we were staying at a friend’s flat in Acton. He had just moved to London and we were keen to go down and see how he was getting on in the big city. He would regularly go to the Marquee Club, which made us very jealous, as it was a legendary venue from the 1960s onward. The image above, courtesy of Picachord via Wikimedia Commons, shows the site of the original club in Wardour Street. 

“The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed when at 105 Charing Cross Road in 1996, though the name has been revived unsuccessfully three times in the 21st century. It was always a small and relatively cheap club, located in the heart of the music industry in London’s West End, and used to launch the careers of generations of rock acts. It was a key venue for early performances by bands who were to achieve worldwide fame in the 1960s and remained a venue for young bands in the following decades. It was the location of the first-ever live performance by the Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962.” (Wikipedia, accessed 28 June 2021)

ducks1And so it was that I, and two friends (who shall remain nameless for reasons which will become obvious); one from Sunderland who had come down to London with me, and another who had recently moved to Acton, went along to savour the delights of the Marquee Club and the pub rock band Ducks Deluxe. I had heard of Ducks Deluxe, although I had never seen them before and I had also heard of the developing pub rock scene, which saw new rock, blues and country based bands playing small clubs and pubs across the capital. This was offering a welcome alternative to seeing our heroes and idols in massive arenas, such as Earls Court (where I had recently seen Led Zeppelin) and Wembley Stadium (where I was about to see Elton John, the following day). The pub rock genre took music back to the basics, back into the pubs and clubs, and back to the people.

I was quite surprised how small the Marquee Club was and how ordinary the entrance appeared. It was a small door and frontage in Wardour Street, Soho. Nevertheless, it was exciting to become part of the London scene, even if only, for one night. I was also surprised that the venue was far from packed. We arrived early to catch the support band and waited for Ducks Deluxe to take the stage. 

“One of the first pub rock bands, the Ducks played basic American-style blues and boogie with remarkable panache and thorough disregard for convention. They were hugely popular but their records sales did not compare with their live success. Nevertheless, they had a heavy influence on the English punk scene that was right around the corner before their members went on to found other far more prominent bands like Graham Parker & the Rumour, the Motors and the Tyla Gang.” (Ducks Deluxe site, accessed 28 June 2021)

I recall Ducks Deluxe performance as being a mix of country rock and rock ‘n’ roll, led by the guitarist Martin Belmont, who had been a roadie for Brinsley Schwarz. This was at the time of their second album Taxi To The Terminal Zone. However, I was not to see the full performance by Ducks Deluxe that evening. As the evening progressed, my friend who had come down to London with me, disappeared into the toilets. He was later to reappear, telling us that he was not feeling well and that he had taken a tablet which later, he admitted, was probably some (presumably bad) acid (that is, LSD). He soon became very unwell to the extent that we were concerned enough to call for an ambulance. The ambulance soon arrived and we were taken to a nearby hospital (I don’t recall which one). The doctors soon recognised the problem, and told us not to worry and that he would soon be okay. However, we spent the whole night in the hospital while he shouted for me, asking for help. By the time the morning came he was okay, discharged from hospital, and we made our way back to Acton for a few hours sleep before leaving for Wembley ducks2Stadium and the Elton John concert (a story which I have already blogged on).

And so, that was my introduction to the Marquee Club, pub rock and London nightlife. Quite fun looking back, although quite worrying at the time. Ducks Deluxe were, from what I saw, excellent. This was, in a way, the start of things to come for me. The following year I would see the Sex Pistols for the first time and my eyes would be opened to a new form of rock music, born out of the likes of Ducks Deluxe and the pub rock scene. “Nostalgia for an age yet to come” (Buzzcocks, 1978). Happy days.

15 Oct

The Motors Newcastle Mayfair 1978

Posted by vintagerock in The Motors. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

The Motors Newcastle Mayfair 1978
motorsAirport! The Motors were a British pub rock band who got swept up in the punk scene and hit the charts with “Airport”, which was a number 4 UK hit single in 1978. They were formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster together with guitarist and front man Bram Tchaikovsky, and drummer Ricky Slaughter. I saw them a few times around this period, notably at the Reading Festival and at Newcastle Mayfair. “Airport” was rising up the charts at the time of the Mayfair gig and the place was packed. These guys had learned their craft in the pub rock scene of London, and it showed. They were a slick and professional live rock band, with some catchy tunes. As well as “Airport”, their earlier single “Dancing the Night Away” was also pretty good. Bram left the band shortly after this, and went on to lead his own band. The Motors continued for a few more years until they folded in 1982. My poster programme (pictured) tells me that support for the Mayfair gig came from heavy rock band “Marseille” and young Glasgow band “The Jolt”.
“Airport, airport, You’ve got a smiling face, You took the one I love so far away, Flying away, flying away, Airport, airport, You’ve got a smiling face, You took my lady to another place, Flying away, flying away” (The Motors, 1978).