Welcome to my blog. I live, knit, crochet, spin and craft near the Northumbrian Coast (but not too near – the waves won't be splashing my yarn!).There's a story in every stitch, every grain of sand, every blade of grass. I thought I'd blog about it…
Earlier this year I was on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours consumer programme.. There was a feature on live music and how there was a trend towards “residencies”. No tour, several nights at Wembley, maybe a couple more at Manchester arena and somewhere else if you are lucky. If you live in the north east corner of England like me, that involves travelling long distances (don’t get me started about using trains if you are disabled), hotel stays, food, drink (and huge ticket prices: let’s not forget the Oasis dynamic pricing debacle). Coldplay said they were being green and reducing the tour carbon footprint. but I’d really like to know about the the environmental impact of large numbers of fans travelling the length of the country, with associated fossil fuel emissions, junk food consumption etc etc etc. and if this was taken into account. Show me the maths!
I’m used to travelling to Newcastle and, on occasion a bit further, to see the 80’s bands I love (and in my own small way these days, contributing to their pension plans!). What an absolute delight it was to discover that China Crisis were appearing at my local arts venue, just 10 minutes away from where I live. Did I go? Well, it would be rude not to.
Alnwick Playhouse had a major refurbishment a few years ago and it now houses a library, cafe, exhibition space, as well as a nice auditorium. I have very happy memories of drama and musical productions staged there that involved my children when they were in high school. There is parking nearby (behind the Playhouse), ramped access to the front of the building, a lift to other floors and level access to accessible seating, to either wheelchair spaces or seats to transfer into (which would require a walking aid, scooter etc to be left in the corridor immediately outside the hall to avoid blocking access) – staff were really helpful too, both front of house and at the box office. Full details of accessibility can be found here.
So here I was, with the friends who gave me the heads-up about the gig, sat on the front row – basically on the stage. From our vantage point at stage level this was always going to be the most intimate of gigs. It felt like being in someone’s living room – for the band, it was pointed out later, it felt more like a lecture theatre. and (sadly) only around half full.
Back in the eighties when bands like Duran Duran and Culture Club ruled the charts and the headlines, China Crisis were denied the massive success of some of their contemporaries. They wove together complex rhythms and harmonies with often political lyrics: a much softer approach than the aggressive political punk music that was around at the time, but it has given them a timeless quality. No wonder, when they cite the Beatles and Steely Dan as influences from further back, later working in close collaboration with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.
China Crisis original band members Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon are now joined by Jack Hymers on keys and Eric Animan on sax. Daly commands the stage and takes on the role of MC for the evening.
He’s a great raconteur, talking us through the set with anecdotes from childhood days in Kirkby, Merseyside, where he and Eddie grew up, both children of large families, meeting as schoolboys, arriving in London aged 19, and becoming an established part of the music scene. Eddie Lundon’s guitar playing is heartfelt. He inhabits the music and shares vocals with Daly .
Together they bring beautiful harmonies, wistful chords that would stand alone but with Hymers adding the layers of keys and drum tracks they create perfect pop songs, embellished with Animan’s sax solos “that would get a standing ovation at Ronnie Scott’s”.
The new boys have some cool kit too. Jack Hymer’s expanding rack of keyboards and electronic wizardry includes what looks to be a bit of a balancing act – but it’s kept together with velcro. Jack knows his stuff.
As well as that gorgeous saxophone, Eric Animan plays what appears to be entire woodwind and brass sections combined in a single instrument that resembles a giant silver banana. It even has a bagpipes setting .(more of that later). I’m fascinated.
They open with The Souls Awakening and Here Comes A Raincloud. “What were we thinking? It’s Friday night!” quips Daly (not the cheeriest of songs) . We are reassured that the hits will be played, that there will be an interval to recharge our glasses and even a chance to get up and dance for two or even three songs if we have the energy for that.
Daly is hilariously funny – it’s not just a monologue of name-dropping (ok there’s some of that). There’s some great banter with the audience too. He requests the house light to be turned up a bit so he can see us. It turns out that he’s brought the family to Alnwick on holiday in the past and knows and loves the area, but hates the pronunciation – the silent “L” in Alnwick (which always catches visitors out. To be fair that’s one of easier ones. I wonder if he’s been to nearby Eshottheugh – that’s more tricky!)
The second half opens with African and White, their breakthrough track, followed by Arizona Sky. (a favourite of mine – we get to join in with that one). Best Kept Secret, Black Man Ray, the beautiful Wishful Thinking, King in a Catholic Style (I think we are up and dancing at this point).
The banter with the audience continues. Daly spots a man in the audience with a passing resemblance to Midge Ure. (turning red with embarrassment as the audience peers to see if it’s really him). It’s all good natured though. Daly wonders if China Crisis could have had a Christmas No 1 if they’d added bagpipes and a marching band to one of their songs. It this point Eric finds the bagpipe setting on the orchestral banana – and yes, it really does sound like bagpipes! (NB Midge -the real one, and his band Ultravox were responsible for iconic 80’s song Vienna, denied the coveted Christmas No 1 spot by Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre – with bagpipes a plenty. It was considered a travesty at the time)
The audience may not be huge, but it’s appreciative… and we are all invited to join the band in the pub over the road, where coincidentally it’s karaoke night. Also to say hello if seen in Barter Books the following morning (for a planned bacon butty before travelling). The set finishes with Tragedy and Mystery, then the ethereal Christian.
An encore is demanded (we are all having such a great night and want more). It seemed in doubt for a while and the Front of House staff looked confused, But then CC were back on stage to play Sweet Delight. Daly explained how this was a love song he wrote for his wife and he dedicated it to all the women in the audience (because men mess things up with bombs and violence and the world would be a better place if women ran things). It was beautiful and Daly connected with the audience in a way I’d never seen done before. As he sang Sweet Delight, he indicated and acknowledged in turn every woman in the audience. It wasn’t creepy, it was respectful and rather lovely…
I already posted a review of August Bank Holiday Sunday’s 80’s gig here. The music was great (we were treated to The Human League, Bananarama, Tony Hadley, The Christians, The Farm, Toyah, Altered Images and Carol Dekker: a great lineup. It’s so good have an 80’s festival in the here North East, and long may that continue. However there were some issues with the way the event was organised where there was room for improvement, including accessibility for disabled fans. I hope that those concerned get to read this (please share) and take it as the constructive criticism it is intended to be, to learn from and make improvements for future events.
Unless otherwise stated, these are my own opinions and observations.
Ticket Purchase
Disabled fans requiring accessible seating and/or an essential companion ticket were advised to purchase tickets from TicketMaster and I did so – they have a good registration system for disabled customers, so proof of disability is given once and is valid for ticket purchases for 3 years.
Booking a parking space
I would be driving to Darlington (which takes about 1 hour 20 minutes) in my adapted vehicle. I worked out that I would need to park at the stadium, being at the edge of town away from Town Centre Car Parks. The event was on grass so I’d need my `all-terrain” scooter: this can be loaded into my own vehicle using a built in electric winch, but is too large and heavy to go on a shuttle bus or regular taxi..
When pre-event information was released it advised that venue parking had to be booked and paid for in advance, including disabled parking. The charge is not ideal, when disabled people may have no other option but to park on site , but more importantly there was no separate priority route to purchase a disabled parking pass, resulting in what seemed to be a bit of a scramble for all the parking, certainly on the link given on the pre-event info email and this quickly sold out. I couldn’t see another way round this. Had I missed something? It was looking increasingly likely that I would not be able to attend at all. I reached out on social media and discovered that I was not the only disabled customer who had missed out on the parking. Others were going to attempt to manage with sticks, though were concerned about whether they’d be ok. My final thought was to contact the promoter, Liz Hobbs Group via the contact page of their website. Give them their due I was soon sent a link to an alternative ticket vendor website (Eventim) and was able to purchase parking at last. Crisis averted, but not an ideal situation. it would have made more sense (to me) to have event tickets and car parking sold on the same site.
Getting into the car park
The day of the event arrived. I picked up my lovely friend A and the journey passed without incident until we were close to the stadium itself as queues of traffic were starting to form. Following the directions automatically sent to my phone when I purchased parking, I inadvertently drive past the entrance to the stadium where I should have been – the directions sent me towards a locked gateway, so I had to do a U-turn into traffic (fortunately slow moving) and eventually found my way back to the correct entrance – I only knew this because other cars were turning in there. I saw no signage for disabled or reserved parking indicating this way in or any stewards outside directing drivers in.
Inside there seemed to be very few stewards – I did not recognised the logo on their hi-viz gear as belonging to one of the major event security firms that one would normally see at such an event (they may have been employed directly by the Rugby Club but I’m not sure) -the parking e-ticket was scanned but there was some confusion about were we were supposed to park – the stewards didn’t seem well briefed. Eventually we found the designated area earmarked for disabled parking. Fortunately we arrived before this had filled up and I was able to get out the car easily – the individual bays were regular narrow ones, not the wider ones purpose made for disabled drivers/passengers, which are essential when transferring from seat out of a side door into a wheelchair.
Getting into the Stadium
With the scooter out of the car we set off towards the stadium entrances by a convoluted route to use the drop kerbs. There was not signage to a disabled entrance and some of the gates had steps. I asked a female steward where we should go and before she could answer a man in a Rugby club top took us to where we were supposed to go next – I asked him if he worked for the Club and he said he built it! As he took us to the next steward who scanned tickets he also told us that once we were inside, the wheelchair area was to the left of the stage and the steward there would give us yellow wristbands. We got there and were admitted to the area but were not given wristbands. A was given one later to allow her back in after purchasing food and drink. Apparently we were supposed to collect wristbands from the box office – who knew? There were no signs. At no point was there a security check of our bags. Although no food or drink was supposed to be allowed in, I did have a full water bottle with me, and was prepared to pour it away if challenged – I was not. I later discovered that another friend had been at the event, unbeknown to me. She told me that a steward had attempted to confiscate her sunscreen. She wisely refused to let him – this was after all one of the hottest days of the year – not good practice to ban sun protection,
The Viewing Area.
This was nothing more than an area separated off by barriers. Not a proper platform. there were some folding chairs stacked against the front barrier that people could get out and use if needed. The best thing about the “Pen” was that there were accessible portable toilets.
Although situated at the front, the area was so far to the left that only half the stage was visible. If you imagine a diagonal line drawn between the near front corner of the stage and near the opposite back corner. I could only see in front of that line – the back line wasn’t visible at all. The only time I saw a drum kit all day was on the screens! Even band members at the front of the stage were often obscured by the rigging at the side.
The front barrier was pretty solid and not the easiest thing to see over, especially if you were very short in stature and/or requiring a reclined position in wheelchair, making a raised platform even more necessary. All wheelchairs and scooters are not the same height!
At other events I’ve been to the wheelchair area stewards have been a lot more pro-active in ensuring the safety and comfort of disabled customers, for example ensuring that seats were positioned so no-one’s views were obscured. This certainly did not happen here – there was one steward on the entrance to the area who never ventured beyond that – there was a bit of a free-for all for chairs and people just positioned themselves wherever.
Event Information
There was no running order posted up on the screens – we only had the start and finish times given in the pre-event information. On stage times for each act would have been useful for timing trips to food vendors and bars (especially as the queues were long) and to use the toilet, which can take longer if you are disabled. Dynamic running order posts are especially useful later in the event if things are running late and people need to rearrange taxis.
The Smell
I mentioned earlier that this was a particularly hot day. The stadium is situated on the edge of town close to farmland. Later on in the afternoon there was a strong smell of farmyard manure! It was definitely not coming from the toilets. I’m a countryside dweller and I know the difference. I also know that we are entering the muck spreading season to fertilise fields for the next crop. I could be totally wrong here but I did wonder if there had been much liaison with local residents and farms and if a local farmer had been angry enough about the traffic, disruption and noise that they had staged a sort of agricultural dirty protest!
Food and Drink
I’m pretty used to the bans on taking your own food and alcohol into such events. Usually sealed bottles of soft drinks are often allowed though. At least there was free water available which was absolutely essential in view of the hot weather. I don’t think the party crowd or the hot weather had been taken account of though. People do drink more when it’s hot and the lager ran out early in the evening. Not good. There was a good variety of (expensive) food available
Leaving the Stadium
After the last band came off stage at the end of the night, exiting the venue took ages. One would expect all exits to be open to allow free movement off the premises. Only one exit seemed to be open, leading to a potentially dangerous bottleneck. Even when a crowd is moving in a slow orderly fashion,, when it’s packed tight like this it can feel very unsafe in a scooter or wheelchair as you are much lower down and cannot be seen. The stewards appeared to have given up by this point – a few were standing around chatting but seemed to take no part in ensuring the audience’s safe and speedy departure.
Once outside, the car park was chaos. With no stewards to direct traffic everyone was trying to find their own way out. At the same time, taxis and shuttle buses were trying to get in. A chorus of car horns blasted through the night air as drivers got more and more frustrated.
We on the other hand sat tight in the car, with our flask of coffee and picnic, waiting for the traffic to clear before we left, arriving home in the small hours.
This is not a Rugby Match
I did wonder if the organisers had simply applied what they did on a match day to this music event, without much heed to the differences, of which there are many. For example a majority home crowd of regular local supporters who know where they are going, and can use public transport or taxis, need less stewarding and signage. Many of the audience at this event would have come from further afield, probably visiting this venue for the first time with no idea of the layout. It also lasted around 11 hours, considerable longer than the duration of a match and many people were continually drinking – quite a few looked the worse for wear and would be thirsty in that heat, not the case for a winter season sport like rugby! More beer was needed!
A lot of the issues I’ve outlined could have been solved by using professional event stewards, with more experience of this type of event, better briefed and more of them, both inside and outside the premises and on duty from well beforehand until after all cars had gone. The addition of a viewing platform and adequate signage would have solved just about everything else.
As it stands I would hesitate to attend another event here. There would have to be a really good lineup of bands to persuade me. I hope that those concerned can learn from and improve what they do. We need and want 80s music here in the North East. More please but do try harder next time!
(Human League, Bananarama, Tony Hadley, The Christians, The Farm, Toyah, Altered Images, Carol Dekker)
A sweltering August Bank Holiday Sunday saw a cracking array of artists from the 80s and 90s perform at Darlington’s Bowden Park rugby Club, aka Darlington Arena. I approach the summer festival season with a certain amout of trepidation. As soon as you combine open air events with the British weather, access becomes unpredictable. The larger and more established events have got their act together but with new events springing up in sports grounds, parks and stately homes all over, some have not yet got the access for disabled customers fully worked out. But I’m going to save all that for Part 2. This one is all about the music! Today I was accompanied by my lovely friend A, who is great company and great help , which included navigating, doing the bar/food runs and even providing backup photography when my phone failed –
You only had to look at all the mullet wigs and neon ra ra skirts to see that there was going to be a party on the pitch today. We sixty-somethings do love a bit of nostalgia. We can enjoy recreating our mis-spent youth while contributing to the pension plans of our favourite 80s bands and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
Kicking off the afternoon was Carol Dekker, the flame-haired T’Pau front woman. I enjoyed seeing her at Bents Park, South Shields last summer with Haircut 100, and love that her voice is as good as ever.. She belted out songs old and new, including fan favourites Heart and Soul and of course China In Your Hands, which has to one of the greatest. power ballads of the 80s, or even of all time. We also got a surprise cover of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing (with a bit of a disco beat). That’s a guaranteed sing-a-long crowd pleaser (whether you remember it from first time around or were glued to Glee) and it went down a storm.
From our vantage point in the accessible area we noticed that there was a pretty good view of the area behind the stage and we spied Clare Grogan, looking fabulous, rocking shocking pink sequins and feathers, with some very high heels, arriving for Altered Images’ set. Everyone fell in love with her in the 80s (remember Gregory’s Girl? ) – on stage she’s as engaging as ever, Glasgow’s feisty wee Barbie doll (in pink)!
We got the first bit of on-stage drama of the day when Clare fell off those pesky heels. You could feel the gasps of concern from the audience but she was back on her feet right away, blaming the new shoes. She told us that at least her daughter wasn’t present to see it and complain about how embarrassing it was ~(parents everywhere will empathise with that!) .
All our favourites: Dead Pop Stars (going back to the “Baby Punk” days); Happy Birthday; I Could Be Happy; Don’t Talk To Me About Love – the crowd loved it and sang along enthusiastically! Scotland needs more national treasures ‘like you Clare!
Last April, after K died, I wrote a lot about him and coming to terms with that loss. I was really touched by the response. Live music had been our shared passion and I just had to keep that going. That first gig without him, was hard but I continued, blogging those reviews and access details as much as I could . That first one was Interzone: a big line up of mainly 90s bands, including The Farm. I got a lovely comment back from The Farm guitarist, Steve Grimes aka Sip Advisor, who writes the band’s blog incorporating a photo diary of life on the road with The Farm, taking in the gigs, the journeys in between, pubs visited, beer sampled (with tasting notes) and the people they meet along the : Check it out here.
I messaged Steve to say I was going to the event at Darlington and he came to say hello, along with Carl Hunter (bass). It was great that the guys took the time to meet up with us and we chatted about the blogs and the gig. It’s quite refreshing that in these times of filtered Instagram posts and contrived paid-for Meet-and-Greets there are still musicians who try to keep it real. In the middle of all this, Clare Grogan was spotted again backstage, about to leave the venue and we were briefly left holding the beer, so that Carl could fulfil his ambition to meet his teenage crush…. the coveted Access All Areas wristband has its uses!
Toyah took to the stage next and owned it…I love that she doesn’t take herself too seriously. You only have to watch Robert (Fripp) and Toyah’s Sunday Lunch: the hilarious videos that went viral during COVID lockdown. Mr and Mrs Fripp kept us smiling at a time when we needed it most. This was an energetic performance that had me reaching for my phone to see if there’s a tour this Autumn. We got the hits and more, and just enough talk in between: It’s a Mystery (“Not the best song for a singer with a lisp,” she quips) and I Want to be Free were in there of course and a cracking rendition of Joan Jett’s I Love Rock and Roll…fabulous!
The Farm are on next. The crowd are warmed up and loving it. We are treated to some of the new album : title track Let the Music(Take Control) and Forever and Ever….I’ve been listening to it this week – definitely worth a play. We also get a nice change of pace with The Farm’s take on The Clash’s Bank Robber. It’s all sounding great and Peter Wooton still has the neccessary swagger to front it all.
Of course everyone wants to dance to Groovy Train and sing along to All Together Now and they soon get their wish, A very loud, alcohol-and-sunshine-powered crowd sang their hearts out. There’ll be some sore throats tomorrow!
Didn’t know much about next act, The Christians, though I do love that charity single – their version of Harvest for the World. Lead singer, Garry Christian alluded to recent health problems and seemed hestitant at first. He has every right to be nervous. It’s only weeks since the band’s drummer, Lionel Duke had a cardiac arrest while on stage at another festival. Thankfully he’s now recovering, but that must have been pretty traumatic to all concerned.
Once Christian got into his stride he was in his element, getting down to the front with the crowd, giving us great bluesy soul vocals and harmonies, especially on Harvest. I don’t think he wanted to to end! Did they overrun their allotted slot? Maybe. It was hard to tell with no detailed running order available.
Tony Hadley had the best voice of all back in the 80’s and still sounds sublime. Coming on in a suit (must have been roasting on such a hot day) and perching a stool in the style of a Vegas crooner, singing Feeling Good; then on his feet to sing the Spandau Ballet classics. To Cut a Long Story Short; Gold; True; Highly Strung…and finishing with Queen’s We are the Champions (and the audience knew all the words of every single one. Such a voice!
I’ve never seen Bananarama and wasn’t sure what to expect. These days the band is down to a duo. And poor Keren was suffering from food poisoning (her son’s barbecue was to blame) – you have to admire someone who goes on stage with that to deal with. Sara was obviously concerned and kept asking if she was ok. With two acts declaring health issues and Clare Grogan’s fall, today is certainly presenting an added level of jeopardy….will they or won’t they get to the end of the set!
I had seriously forgotten how many hits Bananarama had back then and they came thick and fast.. Really Sayin’ Something; Cruel Summer; Love in the First Degree; Nathan Jones; Venus; Robert De Niro’s waiting….I’m know I’ve missed some. All delivered with the choreographed dance moves – nothing too complicated so everyone could join in with that AND sing along. A real crowd-pleaser of a set!
It was time for the last act of the evening: The Human League. I always say that when I think of my record collection from the 80s, the album that comes into my mind first is Dare. I was a student in Sheffield at the time – they were a local band, so part of my history in a way. These days HL are pure pop pantomime – and I mean that in a good way….over the top and cheesy, but still belting out those hits that were the soundtrack of the 80s.
There’s an obvious effort made with the staging of their set: the choreography consists mainly of lead singer Phil Oakey running from one corner of the stage to another. We have another 80’s staple on stage tonight – keytars (like a keyboard/guitar hybrid)… And the costume changes! Oakey tries on more outfits than Mr Benn in the fancy dress shop. Tonight’s looks included Ming the Merciless Goes Goth ( a military style black jumpsuit with massive shoulder pads ……
…Miami Gangster (pale blue double breasted suit over floral shirt)…
…Choirboy/Pierrot Clown – a white frilled surplus.
While we are on with the fashion notes Singers Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley had some costume changes too (nowhere near as many as Phil ), beginning in pink (Long and sequinned for Joanne and short satin for Susan… ending with red and black feathers and a sort of dark Statue of Liberty vibe respectively. Throughout it all Phil Oakey presides, grinning like an evil puppet master. There’s plenty going on up there as well as the music.
Of course there’s all our favourite tracks from the commercially successful third album Dare (Love Action; Don’t You Want me …and the rest ) and later tracks too: The Lebanon, Mirror Man, Human, Heart Like a Wheel, Fascination. One Man In My Heart (with Susan’s vocals – the only one Phil doesn’t sing). The audience got to do the whole of Don’t You Want Me earlier on, with just the help of the keytars to accompany them. Everybody knows the words to that one (probably a costume change going on. at the time).
As headliners, HL are given the privilege of an encore and I’m delighted that it begins with that first hit, Being Boiled – I love the early stuff from when Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh were mainstays of the band, prior to leaving to form Heaven 17 back in 1980. I do wish they wouldn’t end on Electric Dreams though – not my favourite. It was originally credited to Oakey and Georgio Moroder rather than Human League . For me it just lacks the HL sound. I think Don’t You Want Me would be a better choice in that slot and keep the audience wanting more right until the end.
Despite that it was a fun set and the audience loved it. Keep on doing what you do Human League! We all love a good show and that really kept us entertained!
As the audience left, happy, hoarse and in some cases, more than a bit drunk, you could hear them still singing those songs.
It was just as well they were in good spirits as leaving the stadium was challenging. Regular readers might be wondering why I haven’t written about disability access as I usually do. I’m keeping all that for Part 2 as there’s quite a lot to say!
For now, the music takes priority, along with all those memories of the 80’s. We may all be getting older, and not just the audience – those big screens unforgivingly show every wrinkle and bead of sweat. While we may not be able to party quite as hard as we used to (and even embarrass our children a little bit), this generation is going to proudly carry on and grow old disgracefully!
I’d love to hear your memories and stories of the 80s, music-related and otherwise.
Update: Steve Grimes – guitarist and blogger for The Farm posted his blog about the gig > read it here. Thanks for the mention and the photo credit Steve!
I find myself terribly behind with blogging and haven’t posted since last November. I thought it was time to collect my notes and photos together and and write up the rest of last year’s gigs. To recap, K and I went to see Echo and the Bunnymen and Hawkwind before K’s untimely death in April, then the Interzone Event and Jethro Tull after that. Some I wrote up but never got round to publishing, but I always took photos. This is a LONG post!
The Feeling: The Venue, Newcastle University Students Union, 10th May 2024
I love the Feeling. Beautifully crafted pop songs. Daughter likes them too., and my brother, who got to know them way back when they were the resident band in his favourite French ski resort bar.
Some months ago the venue for this gig changed, moving from NX (formerly the Academy) to The Venue at Newcastle University Students Union. I have been there before, for a very different sort of event. Kevin was a proud graduate of Newcastle University and got involved in lots of extracurricular student activities, including selling the student newspaper: The Courier. We attended a dinner celebrating 75 years of The Courier. Guest speakers included former courier reporters now successful journalists on national papers. It was a lovely event and held in the same Venue. Situated in a student union basement with a low ceiling it does have more of a club feeling that most concert venues (though more spacious than say The Limit in Sheffield, which was one of my favourite student hangouts back in the day)
When I booked my ticket, plus guest list place for companion and accessible viewing space for this it was for NX but the venue for this changed to The Venue (confusingly simple name for the multi-event space at Newcastle University’s Students Union- fortunately I checked because though the ticket was still valid – my access requirements had not been transferred. After a couple of attempts I was able to contact someone at The Venue who confirmed this, and sorted out what I needed once I had sent proof of disability/access number.
We were given directions to go down the ramp at the side of the Students Union to Luthers Bar (named after Martin Luther King, who famously visited the University in 1967 and received an honorary doctorate) . It’s actually run by pub chain Wetherspoons. You need to go down the ramp to the level below the main entrance as Luthers is actually over two levels. Once you work out that you should not be on the terrace at the back of the building and get down to Level -1 it’s a little bit more straightforward as there were event staff who knew what to do, unlike the bar staff. I showed the ticket and gave my name to staff on the door and daughter and I were given wristbands and directions to the area reserved for disabled customers aside of stage, There was a barrier and a steward to restrict access to wristband holders. I have to admit that this had quite a cool VIP access feel to it and the view was ok – obviously the band are going to perform towards front stage , not side, but if you can get past that it was fine. And unrestricted views of some of the technical aspects of the gig, more of which later.
I don’t know why I haven’t heard of Callum Beattie, tonight’s support. His “Boris Song” went viral during/after the COVID epidemic – a scathing comic song about the then UK PM. He’s a Scottish singer songwriter (from Musselburgh, near Edinburgh) and he’s really active on social media.
The songs are great – can’t say I’ve had an ear worm from a support act original song before EVER! What’s not to like? He was even in the bar after the gig meeting fans – I had to go and find out when he’d be playing in Newcastle again. Mission accomplished. – appearing at the Cluny in November 24.
Callum played a great set… he’s even done a charity recording. Great songs. When he said that he didn’t have the physique to take off his t-shirt and throw it into the crowd, I thought Peter Hook should take note – read the review I wrote for that one and you’ll see what I mean.
As we get back to our little private viewing area (I think my brother, who is with his wife and some friends, is a tiny bit jealous) the excitement in the crowd is palpable. There are some real fans at the front of the stage. Then the band come right past us as they go on stage.
This was a greatest hits tour and the set list a real crowd pleaser. All the hits, some of the new album, a cover version (Video Killed the Radio Star – I defy you to NOT sing along to that) . It was all there, AND the side project. Front man Dan Gillespie wrote the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, a hit in the West End and now a movie – who can forget the scene when Jamie’s mother (played by the excellent Sarah Lancashire) sings an ode to her son, My Boy – I cried. It’s just beautiful. So we got the title song from the show too.
I said earlier that the band perform to the front – true, apart from the slow ballad Rosé. The piano was wheeled on sideways – Dan was facing us for that one.
This lot are great musicians – and they sing – the Feeling harmonies are just gorgeous.
In our little side stage enclave we had a perfect view of the fifth band member – the very hard working guitar tech. He had his work cut out for him I counted an obscene number of guitars on the rack and the same number of cases lined up next to the stage – this unsung hero looks like he loves his work, he was moving and singing along all the time.
In summary, a great singalong gig from some fantastic musicians and The Venue (once the access requirement details were supplied) looked after me reasonably well too.
Our journey home involved a detour to find a spot away from light pollution. As The Feeling played, one of the best ever Aurora Borealis displays ever seen in our part of the UK was lighting up the skies. It seemed that everyone else was doing the same – every lay-by , every farm gateway was occupied by vehicles, but eventually we joined another car in a field entrance. and as our eyes accustomed to the dark, faintly glowing bands of green, pink and purple appeared. These looked even more spectacular through the nighttime settings of a phone. What a night
Elbow: Glasgow Hydro, 11 May 2024
This was one that K and I had really been looking forward to. Elbow are so good live. I changed our hotel room booking from a double to a twin and my friend Val joined me. After a leisurely drive to Glasgow via Falkirk, where we stopped for coffee and cake at a delightful Italian coffee shop. we reached the hotel, one of many in that part of Glasgow surrounding the Hydro and Conference Centre.
Access was totally trouble free at this gig. Ticketing for the accessible area, including a companion ticket was all automatically done through the Ticketmaster app – I’m registered with them. This involved sending a copy of my proof of disability. Registration lasts 3 years and is free of charge. The Hydro is a short walk (or in my case scoot) over a footbridge across the river Clyde from our Premier Inn.. Large signs directed us to the entrance for accessible seating area. As you would expect at a large arena that regularly presents massive shows, the whole event was well staffed by professional event stewards who kept everything running smoothly, from bag security checks on arrival to being directed to our seats. We even got some great Thai fast food at one of the concourse concessions – all the restaurants round and about were rammed.
Our places on the viewing platform were great – central with great unimpeded views and next to the mixing desks – K would have loved that – he was always interested in the technical aspects of staging a gig.
This was the first gig of the tour, though that had not been the original plan. The tour was supposed to open at the new Co-op Arena in Manchester, with Elbow to be the first act to appear there , on their own turf. However, technical problems with the building delayed open so Glasgow saw them first!
The support were…forgettable, but Elbow where as good as ever. The indomitable Guy Garvey is one of the best front men in the business and his gravelly heartfelt vocals deliver poetic lyrics like no other, all backed up by great musicians – friends from schooldays, there’s a real bond there.
He belted out songs old and new, including my favourites, Mirrorball (for which a giant mirrorball descended from the ceiling) and Magnificent.
As you’d expect, the light show was great as befits a stadium-sized gig .
Naturally they ended the encore with One Day Like this. Fabulous!
As the happy fans filtered out of the building and dispersed to the surrounding hotels and bars. As we made our way past the Conference Centre, V photographed the coloured building lights and posted the pics on our friends’ Whatsapp Group, captioned “We hit lucky and caught the northern lights on the way to the gig!”
This part of Glasgow certainly looks wonderful at night.
Back at the hotel we had lots of wine before we finally got some sleep, consequently missing our complimentary breakfast! At least we found somewhere that sold bacon sandwiches on the way home!
Human League, Heaven 17, Peter Hook and the Light, Altered Images: Herrington Park, 12 July 2024
I have A LOT to say about access arrangements for this one. First of all getting a ticket with platform access, forward parking and a companion ticket involved several unanswered emails, downloading a ticketsales app that I’d never heard of before and forking out an additional £15 for a Nimbus Access Card which at the time didn’t operate for any other venue or event type Id ever go to.
There are several similar schemes – in principle they are a good idea – send your proof of disability and access needs once, with payment, and you get a photo id card bearing symbols representing each of your access needs. This would be great if there was one universal scheme, but there are several, with variable costs to join and many venues operate their own.
All this went right down to the wire and I had to collect my tickets at the gate. I was attending with my friend K, who shares my love of 80’s pop. The disabled parking seemed a bit haphazard, but I drove as close to the gate as I could and got the all terrain scooter out – this was an open air gig on a rather rutted field with a central stage and food and drink concessions around the edge. We joined the queue only to find that everything was delayed so we had to wait half an hour or so before things began to move – not great as we were expecting to go straight through – I was fine sat on my scooter but I was concerned for K who was recovering from some very serious health issues.
Finally we were funnelled though various gates and queues with tiny signage, totally unreadable at a distance, ended up in the wrong place and were escorted by a steward to the appropriate place to pick up tickets. I was handed a large envelope which also contained a forward parking pass. A bit late for that!
Finally we got in and found our places on the accessible viewing platform and the field filled up. The people watching at such things is always great – the thing we noticed was how groups of people had acquired matching cowboy hats to keep together and see each other at a glance.
Altered Images came on, with lead singer Clare Grogan in a pink satin ballgown looking great as ever – she must be about my age but looks much better preserved – whatever she’s on I want some! …and she’s such an engaging performer, warm and funny, with the talent to shrink a big venue into something more intimate.
Her vocals are as good as ever and the setlist hasn’t changed much in recent years apart from adding some recent album tracks: all those hits from their heyday are there, Happy Birthday, Dead Pop Stars, I could be Happy and the sublime Don’t Talk to Me About Love. I’ve heard it before but was glad they still included a brilliant cover of the Ting Tings’ That’s not my name. That’s my favourite kind of support act!
Our next act was Peter Hook and the Light. I’m glad to say that he was in much better form than he was in Newcastle earlier this year at the InterZone Event (though not quite as good as a show at BoilerShop a while back). There were all the old New Order songs we know and love.
Next on: Heaven 17. I was curious about them appearing together with Human League. Historically Human League was part of the 80’s Sheffield electro-pop movement . Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh recruited vocalist Phil Oakey – those early hits included Being Boiled and Empire State Human (I am instantly transported to the disco dance floor at Sheffield Student’s Union, c1981). There was a falling out, Ware and Craig Marsh left to form Heaven 17 with Glenn Gregory as lead vocals. Oakey’s Human League went on adding vocals from teenagers Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Tully, spotted by Oakey in a local nightclub. The iconic Dare album was a huge commercial success (when I think of my 80’s music collection I think of that one). Every wannabe popstar loves that story about those two young women getting permission to be out of school for the band’s tv performance on Top of The Pops!
Back to H17. I just love their songs. (We Don’t Need That) Fascist Groove Thing has lyrics as applicable today as they were then, not to mention being a cracking dance track, as are Penthouse and Pavement, Temptation and the rest (…and I’m back on that dance floor in Sheffield again!) .
Glenn Gregory is an excellent front man, funny, charismatic with a great voice – he’s wearing well (sorry to harp on about the age thing but there’s nothing sadder than trying to recapture the gigging experiences of your youth and finding that the artistes are so bad that they really should retire!)
Martin Ware is looking rather older, prompting some “Son” and “Dad” banter between songs. When K went to the bar she overheard a priceless comment from a punter” Isn’t it lovely that he performs with his Dad” . We had a good laugh about that one.
Then on to Human League.
Oakey comes over a bit of a diva – it’s the frequent costume changes…but the songs still sound great and we all know all the words.
And they did Being Boiled, which I’ve previously seen performed by H17. It all seemed very amicable after that schism back in 1980.
I just wish they didn’t do Electric Dreams as their encore. They had so many better songs.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. I’ve been to a few concerts at venues of different sizes over the last few months and I have to say it’s been a pretty good experience, with staff really going out of their way to help. In most cases there has been a designated viewing area with great views of the stage and plenty of space.
My favourite small venue, The Cluny, is not the most accessible but does pretty well considering that it’s on one of the steepest streets in Newcastle! Before I ever bought tickets there I visited to check out the access and was given the full tour by a lovely member of staff. I now have an arrangement to email the manager to make sure a seat is left out for me on the balcony. It does make me feel like a bit of a VIP! He’ll also take me through a different way that involves the fewest stairs. I can park nearby so manage with sticks.
One thing I have noticed is that once you are sat down in a standing only venue you become invisible to other people. If I had to rely on my scooter or a wheelchair and take my chances on the floor in front of the stage I’m not sure whether my experience would be as positive. Even in my reserved position I’ve seen people hanging over the balcony impeding my view or even thrusting their mobile phone in front of my face to take a photo.
Most people are lovely though. At one gig recently two men who were standing next to me on the balcony asked if I could see ok. I said I could and thanked them but pointed out that there was another reserved seat so they might be in the way of whoever was going to be there. The concert was just beginning when this person arrived and the two men hadn’t noticed. She leaned across to me and commented about us living in an “Ableist Society”. I have to say this annoyed me a bit as she was pointing at the two guys I’d spoken to earlier. She seemed reluctant to ask them to move, even when I said they’d be perfectly fine about it – as soon as I attracted their attention they stood aside and even helped her move her seat to a better position. Then, she thanked me, not them! It almost seemed like she was making herself into a victim unnecessarily.
It made me think. In my experience, if you ask people for help they are generally delighted to do so. In most cases, problems are down to lack of awareness and if you point out what’s wrong it can be put right. When people see me struggling and offer to help, whether I accept their help or not I’ll always thank them – being gracious costs nothing. But I won’t just wait for someone to offer the help I need either. How can anyone help you if they don’t realise there’s an issue? Rant over!
Back to access. We were at a completely different venue last week (Newcastle Utilita Arena) ,huge by comparison and with a much bigger budget, more staff and extensive ramped accessible platform areas.
It’s quite a walk (even from the disabled parking area) so I used my scooter and drove it straight to my seat: perfect! And there was plenty of space with no-one to block my view. I’d been able to book accessible seats online and there is plenty of information about accessibility online.
I’ve learnt that if you do your research and check out online info or better still speak to venue staff and visit beforehand you’ll get a much better idea of the space and facilities, so there’ll be no nasty surprises when you get there. Information is power!
We were back to our usual weekly scone-tasting today and decided to try the new cafe in the recently-refurbished Alnwick Playhouse. This was a great opportunity to check out what’s new in this popular local venue.
We got one of the last tables available in the bistro section (it was the busy lunchtime period)- there are additional tables in the foyer but it all seems to fit together well. It was good to see the place full of people again after such a lengthy closure for the renovations. The staff were helpful and our coffee and scones arrived quickly. The drinks were served in generously large cups with saucers and the scones were just warm and served with foil wraps of nicely soft butter. I wasn’t sure why the scones were sliced. I prefer to pull them apart to see the texture. They may have been a little under-baked for my taste, possibly bought in rather than made on the premises, but quite acceptable. There were some very scrumptious-looking cakes in the counter cabinet.
I do like the lunch menu, which had a good varied selection of classic sandwiches, including the local ham and pease pudding stotty, salads, soup and some with a Moroccan flavour (using ingredients like chickpeas, falafel, halloumi), It all looked very appetising and portions look generous, The staff were attentive and cleared tables quickly: it always looked tidy during our visit. It did seem a on the expensive side, but not excessively so. It’s a welcome addition to that part of the town, open to the public whether or not you are at a theatre performance.
The town has eagerly awaited completion of this multimillion pound refurbishment, following a massive fundraising effort. Alnwick Playhouse has always served its community well, with an impressive programme of theatre, music, comedy, dance and film, including live broadcast West End theatre productions, opera and ballet.
Many local people have been on both sides of the footlights at the Playhouse as amateur and school shows are given a high profile too…. and rightly so. Their standard is very high (and that merits professional performance space which brings out the best in our performers and musicians. I once spoke to some holidaymakers in the interval at a junior amateur production. They were staying nearby so thought they’d spend an evening at the theatre. Initially they been disappointed, thinking that the show that night was “just a school play” but soon changed their minds and were so impressed they wanted to come back again.
Now it’s re-opened! I’m impressed with what they’ve done to the place – thoughtful consideration of how to improve facilities AND retain the unique character and features of the building. That’s never easy but I think they’ve done a pretty amazing job. They’ve opened up areas of the building I didn’t know existed, to integrate a re-sited public library/information centre (and the cafe) alongside the theatre and gallery. It isn’t at all cramped though – it actually looks and feels more spacious. It’s a really clever use of space
There are some good improvements to accessibility too and I had a brief look at some of these. The entrance ramp has been resurfaced and the metal railings replaced by toughened glass, which doesn’t block the cafe’s view of the street. The handrails on the steps seem better too. The reception/box office counter is lower. The lift to the upper floor is easier to use as it’s not tucked into an awkward corner like before, but the beautiful spiral staircase has been retained. The gallery space looks more spacious, making use of previously dead space and flexible seating. Only the bar is still not fully accessible. It never has been so I won’t miss it! I hope to go to a show soon and try out the auditorium for accessibility – reports are good so I’m confident it will be a good experience. The young woman at reception/box office was really helpful and knowledgeable about the building’s accessibility.
Enough! I’m sounding like the brochure. I need to stop (and knit). I’m sure there’s scope to do that in the Playhouse too.
Do you have a local community theatre? What makes it special to you?
Stitches by the Sea 