Saw them at least three times in 1978. Newcastle Mayfair (support from The Slits) in March 1978. The City Hall (support Penetration) in May 1978. The City Hall again (support Subway Sect) in October 1978. And then again in 1979 at the City Hall with Joy Division support. All of these gigs were just great. They was an air of excitement at the time, we all felt that we were part of something new and exciting, and that music (and everything else) was changing, and fast. 
Although I had been brought up music-wise on The Beatles, The Stones, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, The Who, and was also heavily into Yes, Genesis, ELP and Floyd, and took to punk 100% and immersed myself in new wave music. Marie and I went to all the punk gigs in the North East in the early 70s, even though I was often the only person there with long hair. I remember reading about the Buzzcocks in the Sounds and NME, and hearing the Spiral Scratch ep 
but we didn’t get to see them play in the North East until they came to The Mayfair in early 1978, supported by The Slits. By then they had released their first album and the singles “What do I get?” and “I don’t mind”. My recollections of that early gig was of a set of great pure pop songs played in an almost shambolic manner at times. 
The next tour brought the Buzzcocks to the City Hall a couple of months later with support from local heroes Pentration. The ticket for this gig has no seat number, which suggests that seats weren’t allocated and you could sit wherever you wished. I remember sitting upstairs with Marie, and that the sound wasn’t too good up there.
If you look at the songs they had assembled in those early days, there was a stream of classic pop: “I don’t mind”, “Ever fallen in love”, “What do I get?”, “Autonomy”, “Fiction Romance”, “Boredom”, “Love you more”. Their gigs were the same, tune after tune of classic hooks, often not sung or played anywhere near as well as the recorded versions, but Pete Shelley and the rest of the band were so engaging, and the crowd was so into it, that none of that actually mattered. My recollections of the 1979 concert were more of support act Joy Division and of Ian Curtis’ unique, bizarre and compelling performance than of The Buzzcocks. Looking at the ticket stubs, and the single programme that I have from those gigs bringsback such vivid memories: “Nostalgia for a time left to come”. Where did all the time go? Typical setlist from 1978: I Don’t Mind; Fast Cars; Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve); Get on Our Own; Sixteen; Moving Away From the Pulsebeat; Fiction Romance; Love You More; Real World; Breakdown; Noise Annoys; What Do I Get?; Autonomy; Boredom; Oh Shit! Laura and I went to see The Buzzcocks a year or so ago at Newcastle Academy, and they were still great. In fact, if anything the band were more together and the sound clearer than in those early days. I wish I’d gone to the recent reunion show in Manchester with Howard Devoto; I regret not doing so. Hope they do another gig together some day.
Posts Tagged ‘punk’
10 Jun
The Buzzcocks Newcastle gigs 1978 and 1979
6 Jun
Billy Bragg Newcastle City Hall 28 April 1985
Billy Bragg Newcastle City Hall 28 April 1985
The Jobs For Youth Tour. Support Acts: The Three Johns, Porky The Poet (Phil Jupitus)
This was the Jobs For Youth tour, which was sponsored by the Labour party, and was a reaction to Thatcherism. The tour came at the same time as Bragg’s four-track Between the Wars EP which featured the song Between the Wars, an anthem inspired by the UK miners’ strike. The other songs on the record was also inspired by the miners’ dispute: Which Side Are You On? is an American trade union song from the 1930s, and “It Says Here” is critical of the political bias of British newspapers, most of which opposed the strike.
The proceeds from sales of the record were donated to the striking miners’ fund. Billy played all of these tracks and the great New England that night in a rousing set which made his politics very clear. This was the forerunner of the Red Wedge tour which called at the City Hall the following year with a great line up (Billy Bragg, The Smiths, Style Council, Prefab Sprout, The Communards). Setlist (from audience recording): Busy Girl Buys Beauty; Like Soldiers Do; Richard; Myth Of Trust; St. Swithin’s Day; A New England; The Marriage; It Says Here; Island Of No Return; The Saturday Boy; The Man In The Iron Mask; Milkman Of Human Kindness; Which Side Are You On?; World Turned Upside Down; Between The Wars; Days Like These; To Have and To Have Not; Jeanne; A Lover Sings; Lovers Town Revisited; A13
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.
29 May
The B-52s Redcar Coatham Bowl July 1979
The B-52s Redcar Coatham Bowl July 1979
I saw The B-52s once. It was 1979 and their first UK tour. My mate Dave and I went to this gig at Redcar Coatham Bowl, having heard their top tune Rock Lobster. I recall the Bowl as being pretty full, and the band delivering a set of quirky, fun, 60s space rock n roll. The dance floor was packed for Rock Lobster. Kate and Cindy sported impressive beehives and the self-styled “World’s Greatest Party Band” offered a fun alternative to the more serious, dark, and harder UK punk bands. Great memories of a tremendous gig. Sunday nights in Redcar were lots of fun in those days. And great value at £1.50! I believe support came from Fashion, but can’t be certain.
25 May
Bow Wow Wow 1981 and 1982
Bow Wow Wow 1981 and 1982
I was quite into Malcolm McLaren’s vision in the late 70s. I’d seen The Sex Pistols a couple of times, and early Adam and the Ants shows. So when I read of Malcolm’s latest idea of a new band concept that blended the Ants with The Pistols with Burundi rhythms and a young girl with squealing vocals, I just had to see them. The first chance to experience this new sensation was at Newcastle University Student Union in 1981.
The programme for the event lists the singers as Annabella and Lieutenant Lush, who later became Boy George. George sang alongside Annabella at some of the early gigs, but I don’t recall him appearing at this show. The gig was pretty strange, almost bizarre as I recall, but I went away impressed and interested. 
Bow Wow Wow were back on Tyneside a year later, at a gig promoted by AntiPop in Newcastle Mayfair Ballroom. Once again, a good fun time was had by all. Bow Wow Wow had some pretty fun tracks; Marie and I used to like Wild in the Country at the time. It all seems a different world and a long long time ago. I see that Bow Wow Wow have reformed, and have played in Newcastle again recently. I chose to keep my memory and didn’t go along to the gig. Perhaps I’ll catch them if they come up here again.
19 May
Blancmange Newcastle City Hall 1984
Blancmange Newcastle City Hall 1984
Guilty pleasure time again. Blancmange came out of the Soft Cell / Depeche Mode stable, and had a few hits in the early 80s, the biggest of which was Living on the Ceiling. The band was a duo of of Neil Arthur (vocals, guitar) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They formed in London in the late ’70s.
This gig at the City Hall was part of their 1984 tour, in support of the Mange Tout album. Their single at the time was a pretty nice cover of Abba’a The day before you came. There was more to Blancmange than simple synth pop in that their music blended middle eastern influences with European electro dance. Like many bands of that era, they disappeared from the scene in the mid-80s, to reform last year, and “emerged into the sunlight with a 21st Century Blancmange LP” –“blanc burn”. Their facebook page describes them as the “maiden aunts of electronic music – the godfathers being Kraftwerk”. The ticket for this gig tells me that I was close to the front, in row F of the stalls. However, I don’t recall a lot about the concert, so I went to youtube and watched videos of Living on the ceiling, and Day before you came. I also found some video of the band live at Hammersmith Palais in 1984, which must have been from the same tour. The show looks very impressive blending synth pop with eastern drummers, singers and costumed dancers. Watching the video brought back memories of how good some of the much maligned 80s bands actually were at the time, and how influential they have been, which is often sadly forgotten. Maybe this isn’t such a guilty pleasure after all!? PS The pink blancmange on the cover of the programme looks tasty.
15 May
Blondie Reunion Newcastle Arena 1999
Blondie Reunion Newcastle Arena 1999
So, some 19 years after I last saw Blondie at the City Hall, Ashleigh and I went to see the reformed band play at the Newcastle Arena. Ashleigh had, in the interim, been to see Debbie Harry when she performed at Sunderland Empire. The band had hit the charts with the single Maria and had released a new album No Exit. 
The concert was pretty good, as I recall, and the magic was still there. However, the sound was lost in the cavernous arena, and the venue was cold. Support came from Squeeze. Blondie have played a few times in the region since then, including a gig at Newcastle Academy which Laura attended. For me they are the perfect pop band, and bring back memories of nights out in the late 70s and early 80s.
14 May
Blondie Newcastle City Hall 1977, 1978, 1980
Blondie Newcastle City Hall 1977, 1978, 1980
I first saw Blondie when they appeared as support on the 1977 Television UK tour. They were the highlight of the evening; having just released their first album and the single X Offender. Debbie and the band were simply stunning, and quite a contrast to Television, who were also good, but much more serious. By the time they returned in 1978 they had hit the charts with Denis and Touched by your Presence Dear. That year saw the release of Plastic Letters and Parallel Lines, both excellent pop albums, and the hit singles just seemed to come again and again. 
Blondie were just untouchable as a live band and as a chart act in the late 70s and early 80s. The band were tight as anything, Debbie always looked stunning and sang great, and the set was crammed with catchy pop tunes. Their shows at the City Hall in 1978 and 1980 were both sell outs and great gigs. 
I also had tickets for a 1982 gig by Blondie at the City Hall. However the tour was cancelled as a result of Chris Stein’s ill health, and the band split shortly afterwards. 
Bootlegs exist of some of those early shows; one from 1978 shows the setlist as being the following: X Offender; Detroit 442; A Shark in Jet’s Clothing; In The Sun; Little girls lies; Denis; (I’m Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear; Fan Mail; Look Good in Blue; Rifle Rangle; In the flesh; Cautious Lip; Contact In Red Square; My Possession; I didn’t have the nerve to say no; Bermuda Triangle Blues (Flight 45); Kidnapper – Rip Her To Shreds; Kung Fu girls; Funtime ( Iggy pop cover)
12 May
Blue Oyster Cult Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
Blue Oyster Cult Newcastle Tyne Theatre 2002
I lost touch with Blue Oyster Cult for some time, after seeing them several times in the 70s and 80s. There was a 17 year period between my BOC experiences, between seeing them in 1985 at Newcastle City Hall and a gig at Newcastle Tyne Theatre in 2002. I went along with my mate Norm who is a big Blue Oyster Cult fan. The Tyne Theatre is a Grade 1 listed building, which opened in 1867 as the Tyne Theatre and Opera House. Its a lovely venue, and I have fond memories of going there in the 60s with my dad to see King Kong, which seemed a marvel to me at the time. The Tyne Theatre wasn’t full that night, but a respectable crowd had gathered to see BOC. The line up at that time featured old timers Eric Bloom, Buck Dharma, and Allen Lanier and the set contained a healthy mix of old favourites. It was great to see the band again, and the performance was as good as the old days, bringing back memories of those nights in the City Hall. BOC have been back once or twice since then, although I missed those gigs. Its about time I caught up with them again. Setlist: Burnin’ For You; OD’d On Life Itself; ETI; Pocket; Harvester Of Eyes; Teen Archer; Quicklime Girl; Perfect Water; Cities On Flame; Golden Age of Leather; See You in Black; Last Days Of May; Godzilla; (Don’t Fear) The Reaper; Dominance & Submission. It was great to hear Last Days of May again; it remains one of my favourites songs.
11 May
The Bureau Information Tour 1981
The Bureau Information Tour 1981
I’ve been reflecting on Dexy’s this week and renewed by acquaintance with the band on Monday when I saw them play in Whitley Bay. That also made me think to this gig, by the Bureau, which I attended in 1981. The Bureau were a Dexy’s spin off band, and consisted of most of the members, apart from Kevin Rowland. “We split from Dexy’s Midnight Runners because the musical ideas we always stood for just turned into posturing”. They also featured Archie Brown on vocals (from the Upset who had supported Dexy’s on an early tour) and Mick Talbot (who is now in Dexy’s; this is confusing) or organ. I recall little of this gig; in fact I can’t even recall where it was. I suspect it was at Newcastle Mayfair (although it could have been at the Poly or University?). I do remember them as a brass driven soul band. I’ve just checked and see that they have recently reformed and that Mick Talbot is with them again (as well as being a member of Dexy’s; this is just getting confusing for me).
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