“Tom A Smith, he’s one of our own” chanted the Sunderland crowd. This was the second night that Tom performed at the Fire Station. The first night sold out in a few days. Such is the popularity of this new face on the Sunderland scene. Tom comes complete with the right credentials having played at Glastonbury this year, at the Radio 1 Big Weekend and having just completed a UK tour taking him from Cornwall through London and up to Glasgow via Manchester and many other parts of the country.
His music is I suppose (and how would I know at my age?) Indie Rock. He has catchy pop songs, a full backing band who gave him a rocky edge and a rapidly growing Sunderland following. He is also very ambitious. “Thank you for having me at the Fire Station for two nights, how about next time I come to Sunderland Empire and we try and sell that out? And how about the Stadium of Light? No I could not sell that out yet but maybe in the future?” Tom says to the audience. He clearly has these venues in his sight. And why not? Newcastle has Sam Fender, Middlesbrough has James Arthur and maybe the time is right for this guy to be the Sunderland equivalent. You get the feeling the crowd is willing this to happen.
From the Fire Station site: “Fresh off the back of a wave of support for his latest single “Little Bits”, which found airtime on BBC Radio 1, Radio X, and Absolute Radio, as well as on air support on Sunday Brunch, MTV Gonzo, and MOTD X, Sunderland’s Tom A. Smith has now returned to announce the details behind his latest collection ‘EP3’, alongside the euphoric new single “Weirdo”.
‘EP3’ will follow an incredible whirlwind of live performances throughout the last year, including being selected by Elton John to join him at his British Summer Time show at Hyde Park, appearances at Glastonbury, Barn On The Farm, F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and opening Leeds Festival to more than 6000 music fans. He was also announced as Apple Music’s Up Next artist for September and Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist of the month. Having already played a ton of gigs throughout the last two years, including supporting Courteeners, Miles Kane, Martha Hill, Vistas, Blondes, The Pale White, Eliza and The Bear, Gang of Youths, whenyoung, Cat Empire, and Sunset Sons, as well as shows at The Great Escape, Stockton Calling, Sound City and Neighbourhood Weekender, Tom A. Smith looks set to continue his busy live schedule throughout 2023 as well.”
“There’s an age-old rule about working for 10,000 hours before you truly master something. Now, we can’t verify if that’s true or not, but prodigal songwriter Tom A. Smith must surely have clocked up 10,000 hours before he was even in his teens.” – CLASH
“A restless rocky anthem to freedom from the Sunderland teenager who penned more than 150 songs during lockdown.” THE TIMES (Best New Tracks, ‘Dragonfly’)
The crowd was a mixture of (mainly) young people, and a smattering of older fans and (I assume) members of his family. I bought his tour T-shirt which was sold to me by a couple of lovely friendly ladies who could be family members? Jan and I both really enjoyed it and we are now official Tom A Smith fans. Thanks to Jan for the photos and to Chris for helping me with the entry. This guy seems to be on an up and coming trajectory. And all credit to him.
Tom A Smith he’s one of our own!
Setlist: Wolves; Toronto; Could I Live With Being Fake?; Man Overboard; Convince Yourself; Little Bits; Weirdo; The Worst Is Still To Come; This Christmas Time; Fading Away; Never Good Enough; Like you do; Dragonfly
These Boyz Make Big Noize! 
Then a concert at Newcastle City Hall around 1974 when they were at the height of their fame, lots of Noddy Holder top hats and screaming girls, followed by a Whatever Happened to Slade concert at the City Hall where shock horror Dave Hill appeared with a bald head and massive earrings. Next an appearance at Middlesbrough Rock Garden, filled with skinhead fans who went crazy and the band were somewhat down on their luck, followed by an iconic appearance at the Reading Festival where they replaced Ozzy Osbourne at short notice and once again triumphed with the rock crowd, resulting in them becoming heavy rock heroes for several years.
And finally some concerts again at the City Hall and Sunderland Polytechnic. Happy days. Throughout these years they were always a fantastic live act, very loud and much more of a rock band than you would expect. You had to see them to believe it. They were literally one of the best live acts I ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
The concert was opened with support act 
After a short interval during which I purchased a lovely red Slade Alive T-shirt which features the logo from the album of the same name which I bought when it was released in 1972 and played it again and again. It contains the live stage show of Slade in 1971/72 which included a lot of covers like opening song Ten Years After’s “I Hear You Calling”, the Loving Spoonful’s “Darling Be Home Soon” and the closer for which they turned the volume up to 11 Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”. Magic. If you haven’t yet heard the album I fully recommend it to you.
The current line – up of Slade is quite different to the last time I saw them. As well as the concerts I have mentioned above, I have also seen the new line – up of Slade a few times, including a show for the fan club at London’s KOKO nightclub. Each time they have been great but tonight was a revelation. This time the frontline consists of Dave Hill centrestage, standing aloft on a speaker cabinet, flanked on either side by bass guitarist/violinist to his left and keyboard player to his right.
All three of them sing together and along with Dave’s guitar cranked right up to as LOUD as possible they recreate the sound of the original band. They were absolutely deafening and delivered many of the hits from throughout the band’s career. They finished of course with “Merry Christmas Everybody” complete with Santa hats. Fantastic. Elaine, Jan and I all really enjoyed it. This was the best time I have seen them for many years. Of course it is not the original line – up, but Dave Hill and the boys do a great job.
Two bands that I have never seen before. However, on checking (on this blog) I discovered that I saw 
From the tour proportion material: “With the force of a Boston wrecking ball, EXTREME swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry. This dynamic affirms the iconic multiplatinum Beantown quartet—Gary Cherone (vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (guitar), Pat Badger (bass), and Kevin Figueiredo (drums) – as one of rock’s most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture.“
“They’re the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la Bill & Ted as well as the Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things.” They’ve sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London, and regularly average over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering, Six.”
Notwithstanding that excellent buildup of Extreme this was very much a double headliner concert. It is one of the very few occasions where I have seen the venue absolutely heaving for the “support act”. 
Extreme. This is exactly the most appropriate name for this band. Everything about them was extreme! Very loud. Hard rock. Amazing vocals. Excellent screaming screeching guitar solos. Again, like Living Colour, Extreme mash up a selection of styles: heavy rock, ballads, rap and funk. Anyone who went along expecting all their music to be in a similar vein to their best known track “More Than Words” would have got a great big shock. For that particular song the singer Gary Cherone and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt sat on small stools centre stage and had all the crowd singing along.
Much crowd cheering, first finger and little finger salutes, singing along and general craziness. This band were much, much better than I expected. I recognised a few songs particularly the aforementioned “More Than Words” and their other well-known track “Get the Funk Out”. This band wear their influences on their sleeve, playing segments of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “Fat Bottomed Girls”. “Cupid’s Dead” was preceded by a short segment of Johnny Nash’s “Cupid”. At the end Gary Cherone clambered up onto the balcony to shake hands with fans upstairs. Marvellous. Great fun.
Elaine really enjoyed it. I think I may be converting her to heavy metal. Jan also enjoyed the show. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs, to Jan for accompanying us and Chris for manoeuvring the blog site.
Setlist: It (‘s a Monster); Decadence Dance; #REBEL; Rest in Peace; Hip Today; Teacher’s Pet / Flesh ‘n’ Blood / Wind Me Up / Kid Ego; We Will Rock You; Play With Me; Other Side of the Rainbow; Tragic Comic; Hole Hearted; Cupid’s Dead; Thicker than Blood; Hurricane; Midnight Express; Am I Ever Gonna Change; More Than Words; Fat Bottomed Girls / Banshee; Take Us Alive / That’s All Right; Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee; Get the Funk Out.
It is some years since I had the pleasure of seeing China Crisis. I recall seeing them in the 1980s supporting simple minds at Newcastle City Hall and (I think, but can’t be certain) at Redcar Coatham Bowl one Sunday night, when I used to go there regularly in the late 1970s and 1980s.
From the fire station website: “A welcome return to The Fire Station for China Crisis [now how did I miss out on that one?] China Crisis were never your run-of-the-mill 80s pop band. Formed in Liverpool by singer Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon, they distilled their love of David Bowie and Steely Dan into an exquisitely melancholy post-punk sound that saw them win their just chart rewards. Has there ever been a more wistful Top 10 hit than the charming Wishful Thinking?”
“Their hero Walter Becker – of Steely Dan fame – was so impressed he even became a band member back in 1985, producing and playing on Top 10 album Flaunt the Imperfection, and returning for 1989’s hugely acclaimed Diary of a Hollow Horse. And, all the while, the hits kept rolling in… Christian, Black Man Ray and King in a Catholic Style all made their way into the UK Top 20.”
This tour was billed as the 40th anniversary of their album Fire and Steel and the first half of the evening was spent taking this through this LP (or at least they were LPs in my day) track by track with Gary Daly explaining and discussing the history of each song in a quite comical and entertaining manner. The two main members of the band clearly remain very close friends and the banter between them was extremely funny.
After a short break and time for a pint of Guinness in the Engine Room bar next door, we were treated to a set of greatest hits including the aforementioned “King in a Catholic Style” and “Black Man Ray”. By now everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing along, very much under the direction of Gary. The entire concert was accompanied by some stunning visuals on the screen above the band, taken from video of China Crisis in their 1980s prime. It was interesting to compare the young lads in the video images with the more mature guys standing in front, and talking, to us.
Elaine and I both agreed it was an excellent concert and a great night out. I ran into a few old friends which is always nice and it was good to catch up with people. A lovely evening, with a fun band (much underrated) in a great venue. I was back home and in bed within 30 minutes. Magic. A perfect Saturday night out.
Setlist: Set 1. The album Working With Fire and Steel: When the Piper Calls; Hanna Hanna; Animals in Jungles; Here Comes a Raincloud ; Wishful Thinking; Tragedy and Mystery; Papua; The Gates of Door to Door; The Soul Awakening
Down to the Doctors again! It has been a long time since I have witnessed 
I saw them several times after that at the City Hall, and the Reading Festival which they headlined on the Friday night one year. Wilko would soon depart, to be replaced by a succession of guitarists including Gypie Mayo. The last time I saw Dr. Feelgood was probably in the 1980s at Newcastle Mayfair with Lee as the only original member. Following the sad passing of Lee Brilleaux, the band continued with new singer Pete Gage and more recently Rob Kane, who hails from my own hometown, Sunderland.
From the current tour publicity: “Dr. Feelgood formed on Canvey Island in Essex in the early 1970’s and have enjoyed a string of hit singles in many countries including ‘Milk & Alcohol’, ‘Down at the Doctors’, ‘Roxette’, ‘She’s a Wind Up’ and ‘See You Later Alligator’.” “Some places are particularly important and highlights on the tour roster. Newcastle’s Cluny is one of those highlights. We have played the Cluny regularly for well over a decade, fantastic crowd, fantastic beer! The audience are right there in front of you, always up for it and so are we! Importantly it will be a fabulous gig and we can all sample some excellent real ales once again.” (Dr. Feelgood Facebook)
The current membership of Dr. Feelgood is: Phil H. Mitchell – bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, Kevin Morris – drums, percussion, backing vocals, Gordon Russell – lead and slide guitars, backing vocals (all of whom have been with the band, on and off, since 1983) and Robert Kane – lead vocals, harmonica (who joined the band in 1999).
The Cluny was packed and as Jackie, Norm and I made our way into the venue. First led up was a cool blues singer and guitarist, who played a natty cigar box guitar and warmed the audience up for the main act. I warmed myself up with a cool pint of Guinness which set me well into the mood for the great rhythm and blues which was to follow on from the excellent support (pictured right).
Now I mentioned that singer Robert Kane comes from Sunderland and I have seen him in many local bands and venues over the years including an early performance upstairs in the Londonderry, as a member of the Showbiz Kids in Sunderland Locarno, Newcastle Mayfair and various workingmen’s clubs, and more latterly as front man of a later lineup of local heroes The Animals. He was always super energetic, charismatic and would take charge of the stage and captivate the audience with his presence and strong vocals.
The legacy and soul of the Feelgoods remains safe in the hands of the current line – up. They did justice to all the classics including their biggest hit “Milk and Alcohol”, “Roxette”, “Down at the Doctors” and my particular favourite “She Does It Right”. The Cluny crowd lapped it up. They played everything that I expected them to and more. Their set was over in the blink of a choppy guitar riff. Excellent. I had held reservations about going to see this lineup and whether they could live up to the legend that was, and is, Dr. Feelgood. I need not have worried. The original R&B merchants continue.
Setlist: (something like this) Drives Me Wild; No Mo Do Yakamo; I Can Tell; Mary Ann; All Through the City; She Does It Right; You Don’t Love Me; Damn Right I Do; Milk and Alcohol; Shotgun Blues; Baby Jane; Riot in Cell Block #9; Keep it Undercover; Back in the Night; Roxette; If My Baby Quits Me; See You Later Alligator; Going Back Home; Down at the Doctors; Give Me One More Shot.
The rock legend, rock god, who is Robert Plant continues to follow his muse and play intimate venues such as The Glasshouse when he could be filling arenas or stadiums if he were to sing more Led Zeppelin songs. He has now established himself as part of the band Saving Grace and retains a strong faithful fan base. His fans continue to go to see Robert Plant sing with a relatively unknown female vocalist, Suzi Dian (who has an exquisite voice), and perform a set of quite obscure folk/world/country songs which the majority are not familiar with. I am glad that he does so and I once again came away from the concert feeling so fulfilled, elated and exhilarated.
From The Glasshouse website: “Transcendent. Brooding. May cause swaggering. Robert Plant’s Saving Grace, the co-operative features Suzi Dian (vocals), Oli Jefferson (percussion), Tony Kelsey (mandolin, baritone, acoustic guitar), and Matt Worley (banjo, acoustic, baritone guitars, cuatro). Since forming in 2019, Saving Grace have received numerous acclaims for their live shows with Bob Harris describing it as ‘One of the best gigs I’ve seen in years’ .”
I was due to meet my old friend, John, at the concert. However, a road closure on the A1 resulted in a series of diversions which prevented him from making the journey from North Yorkshire. To my shame, I missed the support act and chose to have a pint of Caffrey’s in the bar prior to Robert Plant and Saving Grace taking the stage at 8:45 PM.
Saving Grace is very much a band. Of course, people had turned out to see the main man, Robert Plant. But Robert is simply a singer in the band along with Suzi. The set comprised songs which Robert, unashamedly, has chosen because they have influenced him and touched him over the years. The set has changed since I last saw this band. There were several more unfamiliar songs, but some have been retained from last time I witnessed them in concert at Middlesbrough Town Hall including the traditional ballad “The Cuckoo” and classic progressive/psychedelic tracks which have influenced Robert including “It’s a Beautiful Day Today” by Moby Grape. This time some Led Zeppelin classics have crept back into the set including “Friends” and “The Rain Song”. And wonderful renditions they were. Lovely.
The stage setup was quite basic with a simple curtain backdrop naming the band and unobtrusive lighting. But the music remains exquisite, challenging, soulful and beautiful. Robert shares the vocals with Suzi and, in many cases, took us through the story of the song and what it meant to him. He recalled old times in Newcastle at the legendary Club a Go Go and an encounter with Graham Bond. It was soon 10:15 PM and the lights went up to signify the end of the show. But the crowd weren’t ready to leave just yet. Everyone stood up and cheered until the band returned.
For the encore we were treated to the Richard Thompson song “House of Cards”, a return to Led Zeppelin and a wonderful rendition of “Gallows Pole”. The final song was performed a cappella with the band all coming together at the front, arms entwined, singing the beautiful “And We Bid You Good Night”. We wandered out into the cool dark Gateshead night, everyone chatting and looking at each other, each of us knowing we had just had the privilege of experiencing something very special and unique. The taxi ride flew over and I was soon safely back home.
During the set Robert made reference to some of his musical influences from the West Coast of the USA including the aforementioned Moby Grape, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. I will use the latter reference to squeeze in a couple of images of items which I have recently acquired, courtesy of my aforementioned good friend John, who now lives in the USA. He was visiting a charity shop over there and came across a collection of items which had been donated by the estate of Marty Balin, original member of Jefferson Airplane.
John very kindly picked up a few items from the collection including, to my delight and fascination, a recent magazine/comic featuring Alice in Wonderland, on which of course the classic “White Rabbit” was based. A beautiful addition to my hoarders collection.
This event has been going for many years, starting off in Leeds and then moving north to satisfy the need for an annual convention for the many fans of the great band Free in the north-east. My friend John, who is a massive Free and Paul Kossoff fan has been wanting to go for many years. However, he now lives in the USA, so arranging things to attend this event has been tricky. Things changed and this year he happened to be over in the north-east at the same time as the aforementioned convention.
Demand for tickets for the convention was such that the originally scheduled Saturday night sold out quickly and a second night, on the preceding Friday, was organised. It quickly sold out also. I had got us tickets for the Saturday night and John decided he would also attend the Friday night event. John is based in North Yorkshire when he stays in the UK, but made the journey up to Cullercoats both evenings to attend this convention. True dedication. He reported back to me that it was excellent and we were both looking forward to the Saturday show.
John arrived at my house around teatime and, with my carer Jan, we quickly set off to Cullercoats both excited about the event. In the past, the convention has featured guest performances by Free drummer Simon Kirke, and the late bassist Andy Fraser. This time we were treated to three Free tribute bands, and an excellent raffle and auction event. We arrived at the venue just before the start time of 7 PM and the organiser was very helpful in finding us a vantage point close to the stage. Many thanks indeed.
First up was a band called Stealer who played a great set based around the second Free album (the “Woman” LP). Stealer are a 3-piece rock band based in Lincolnshire play classic rock and blues covers from Free and Bad Company. They have their own following and play all over the UK. A good start and warmup to the evening.
After a short changeover the next band on stage were the Heartbreaker Collective who were absolutely fantastic. They played a set of Free classics and really did justice to the music and soul of Free. All musicians were excellent and the singer looked so cool, with a really great hairdo! See the images.Apparently this band come together once a year for this event. Considering this they were simply awesome. A group of passionate young musicians! The dancefloor soon filled and many people were up and dancing, reliving their youth. A great atmosphere.
Then it was time for the raffle. Seven items were raffled including a first prize of a magnificent Free at the Isle of Wight poster and a second prize of a lovely Paul Kossoff poster. Sadly, we did not score anything in the raffle. Next up was an auction of items signed by Paul Rogers and Simon Kirke. At this point we had to leave to catch our taxi.
A great event, and it is a massive credit to the organiser who is clearly a massive and passionate Free fan. Thank you so much John for recommending we attend. I bought a Bad Company programme from a previous tour, which I do not have in my collection. A great addition.
I am continuing my quest to make up for lost time and see every band that I am interested in, and have not yet seen live. So, 
Of course, I knew “The Final Countdown” and vaguely new “Carrie” but that was about it. Anyway, time to put this right. So, I bought tickets to see Europe at the recently renamed lovely, local venue the 
From the tour information: “Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979, by lead vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson, and drummer Tony Reno. They obtained a major breakthrough in Sweden in 1982 by winning the televised competition “Rock-SM” (Swedish Rock Championships); it was the first time this competition was held, and Europe became a larger success than the competition itself.
Since their formation, Europe has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and twenty-four music videos. Europe have millions of album sales under their belt and a No1 smash in 1986, with the legendary The Final Countdown, which received an award from YouTube in 2022 for the first Swedish band ever to receive a BILLION views for any one song.” Pretty impressive!
The first thing that surprised me was just how popular this band is. The venue was almost sold out very few seats remaining. I looked round at the T-shirts that people were wearing: Journey (yes, I see some similarities, another band I must see again as I have not seen them since they first started and I saw them at Newcastle Mayfair in the late 1970s I think), Def Leopard, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and several other classic, heavyish rock bands.
I only recognised four songs: “Final Countdown”, “Carrie”, “Rock the Night” and pretty great covers of Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” (singer Joey Tempest announced that they were good friends of David Coverdale and that he was a local lad from Redcar, which prompted a loud cheer from the crowd), and David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”. Joey Tempest is a great front man and the band are clearly great friends who have been together with the original lineup still intact, for 40 years. Again, pretty impressive. This is a true classic rock band who deserve their success. A great evening with a great band.
I first encountered 
The next time I witnessed Glenn Hughes was when he performed as part of the Jon Lord Memorial concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Again, he was a human dynamo, commanding the stage with magnificent, searing, soulful vocals. And again, he was a human powerhouse. He deserves the title “The Voice of Rock” which is often quoted about him.
I have been remiss in missing out on the last few times that Glenn played in Newcastle. This time the tour was promoted as a celebration of classic Deep Purple and the album Burn, so I could not resist attending. And I am so glad that I did. Jackie and I arrived in time to catch the last few songs of the support act 
Soon Glenn Hughes exploded onto the stage. This guy is amazing. His voice remains strong and soulful and he has so much energy. Glenn was clearly pleased to be back in the north-east and delivered a set of Deep Purple classics, each song lasting 10 to 15 minutes with extended guitar solos. There was even a drum solo! This was a proper 1970s rock performance. Standout songs were “Mistreated”, “Burn” and a great rendition of “Highway Star”.
The Voice of Rock demonstrated how he deserves this title. Great showmanship, much patting of the heart and dedication to his old friend and bandmate the late, great Tommy Bolin. They both shared addictions sadly Tommy did not survive, while Glenn managed to beat his demons. Glenn has lived in the USA for many years, and has put together an excellent band with an exceptional guitarist who did justice to those great Purple rock anthems.
An excellent night with a truly exciting and explosive rock legend. I bought a signed poster. Many thanks to Jackie and Chris for the images.
I always thought that 
Unbeknown to me, during the Covid lock down, Toyah and Robert started their own Sunday lunch video stream, every Sunday, where they would perform a cover version of one of their favourite songs, largely rock classics, in which they had some sort of connection to the artist. They have now started touring the show with a full band. This is another surprise, I always had Robert Fripp down as a very quiet shy individual.
However it seems that I was wrong, and/or Toyah has succeeded in bringing him out of his shell. So Toyah does most of the talking but there is some playful banter between both of them, and Fripp sits on a stool playing absolutely impeccable Les Paul guitar. The rest of the band consists of a couple more guitarists, bass, keyboards and drums.
So, the concert starts 7:30 PM prompt, with a short interval and finishes quite early at 9:45 PM. This allows ample time to cram in a great selection of songs; a mix of covers (as aforementioned, usually with some connection to the artist) and some of Toyah’s own hits. We start with Toyah’s “Thunder In the Mountains”, followed by Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”, Toyah revealing that her husband played guitar on the Parallel Lines album, a fact that I was not aware of. It seems Fripp has many more streams to his bow that I realised.
Toyah is dressed in a lovely red frock and does some wonderful dance moves. Next up is Lenny Kravitz and “Are You Gonna Go my Way”; apparently King Crimson supported Lenny on a US tour and Toyah went along for the ride. Then Martha and the Muffins “Echo Beach” which Toyah covered and had a hit with, another fact that had somehow passed me by. Back to a Toyah favourite and “It’s a Mystery”. Brings back memories of seeing Toyah at Newcastle City Hall several times during the 1980s and even earlier when she first emerged from punk at Newcastle Mayfair. Happy days. I did wonder if she would perform any punk classics such as something by Sex Pistols. But this wasn’t to be. I guess I can’t have everything.
Toyah explained that she went to gigs in Birmingham from an early age and saw Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath: “a concert which changed my life”, leading us into “Paranoid”. Cream’s “Sunshine of your Love” is followed by “Tainted Love” and a story of how Toyah shared the bill on an 80’s tour with Mark Almond. Finally the first set concludes with Led Zeppelin and the sprawling, mystical imagery that is “Kashmir”. Toyah explains that this particular rock god visits them at their home quite often. But does she mean Plant or Page? I suspect Robert Plant?
The 2nd set begins with Metallica and “Enter Sandman”, followed quickly by “Schools Out” Toyah wielding a baseball bat and explaining how the song meant so much to her at the time of its release: “I hated school”. She also explained how Alice Cooper came online and watched her and Robert perform “Poison” from their kitchen! “Sweet Child o’ mine” is followed by “Fashion” and an explanation that Robert had a close collaboration with David Bowie and played guitar on that track. Another fact I was unaware of. The guy is clearly world-class, as of course I always knew. After a couple more great rock songs from ZZ Top and Neil Young Toyah relates another interesting story.
Trevor Horn contacted the pair recently and asked them to rerecord “Relax” and it will be released very soon. She explained how Fripp is 77 and she is 65 and the sentiment and lyrics of the song may seem a little bizarre in that context. Having said that, she sang the song directly to her husband. Billy Idol had invited Toyah to support him on his recent arena tour and hence “Rebel Yell” follows. Back to Toyah and “I Want to Be Free”.
Time for the encore and another surprise. Apparently Bowie and Eno invited Robert to travel to Berlin and play guitar on the next song “Heroes”. Classic. The closing song is the Arrows (does anyone else out there remember the TV show? I used to love it!) and Joan Jett classic “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”. A great show performed by a well-established front person and her enigmatic husband, a true rock god and guitar genius. Thanks to Elaine for the photography for the evening. Bought a signed programme during the interval. Day 3 of 3 concerts. Time for some rest.
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