Tag: disabled music fan

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Last of the Summer Gigs: Darlington 24 August 2025, Part 1 – The Music

Posted on by Jackie B

(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!

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Gig Round up of 2024: Part 2

Posted on by Jackie B

Haircut One Hundred, Carol Dekker, Sonia

Bents Park, South Shields, 4 August 2024

When you see that there’s a chance to see some of your favourite 80’s music and you are long overdue getting together with a group of friends that might enjoy the event there’s nothing like combining the two. Every summer, South Tyneside Council stage a series of free Sunday afternoon concerts in Bents Park, South Shields. They are promoted as family friendly events, and you can bring your own food and drink, which is a refreshing change when so many open air gigs and festivals and indoor venues don’t allow alcohol in and you are held to ransom by extortionate bar prices. The Bents Park gigs have been going for years now and often host some decent acts of all kinds so there’s something for everyone. Summer ’24 also saw a Jason Donovan gig. I saw Haircut one Hundred, supported by Carol Dekker (ex T’Pau), Sonia (smiley Scouse songstress) and a rather good local 80’s tribute band, who I’m ashamed to say I forget the name of.

Ticketing was so easy. You can pay a small amount to get in 30 minutes earlier and bag a better spot for your deck chair. I think there are better toilets too. I decided to do this and also get a companion ticket. I wanted to make sure I got a spot in the wheelchair/accessible area. I rang up and they didn’t even require proof of disability (obviously this was a free gig and I was just getting the early access).

I managed to park with my blue badge just across the road from the park entrance and scooted across. When I get together with my former work colleagues R, J and A we always have such fun. J brought another friend and a daughter too. A treated us all to flowers garlands to get into the festival vibe and we all brought copious amounts of picnic food and drink. 

The accessible area was just a designated compound with a chain round, chairs, stewarded and with a disabled portal. There was no platform but the stage was high enough to see reasonable well even if people were standing in front of (and there was the obligatory big screen).

First up, Sonia.She was chatty and quite endearing really, with anecdotes in between the Stock, Aitken and Waterman Hit Factory songs, including her greatest hit “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” and UK Eurovision entry “Better the Devil You Know” (not to be confused with Kylies’s song with the same title~~).

I’m not a huge fan of tribute bands to be honest – they are such a mixed bag and often you really don’t know what you are going to get. If the real band is still touring and can bring the goods I’d far rather see them. I have to to say that the band we saw, who played a range of 80’s covers rather than copying one specific band, were excellent.

Carol Dekker was on next. Who could forget her amazing voice when she fronted `T’Pau and belted out “China in Your Hands”and “Heart and Soul”. I’m happy to report that she still sounds great and we got the old hits and new stiff too.

Top of the bill: Haircut One Hundred, fronted by Nick Hayward were the last act of the afternoon. I saw them a couple of years back for the first time in 40 years or so and had forgotten what great musicians they are, with very distinctive rhythm guitar sound, and a driving beat delivering the well-crafted pop songs from their breakout album Pelican West. I still maintain that “Favourite Shirts” is the best dance track of its day. We got all this and new stuff too including the rather nice “The Unloving Plum”.Marvellous.

Bravo to South Tyneside Council for delivering such a quality event – despite the lack of alcohol restrictions the event was virtually devoid of trouble – it really did maintain a happy family-friendly vibe. We did spot one incident that was almost as entertaining as the music. A couple , probably in their 70s had dressed to impress and run with the festival atmosphere. He wore a bejewelled peaked cap and a rainbow feather boa, She was in bright pink sequinned miniskirt and jacket with matching feathered head dress and cowboy boots. They were drinking heavily. After a while they decided to move much nearer the stage. In their drunken state the pair of them could barely stand and tripped over people and flattened deckchairs as they went. A couple of security staff stepped in to stop them and got a load of verbal abuse at which point the colourful couple were escorted from the park. They were spotted by one of our party travelling home on the Metro train, much subdued after their earlier antics!

What a fun afternoon!

Squeeze

City Hall, Newcastle 13 October 2024

I may be writing this from memory, but this was probably my favourite gig of’24.

I love a seated gig at the City Hall. The designated accessible seats are right at the front, so , as long as the PA system isn’t so huge that it will impeded the view at the end of the row, you are in the best place, even better than the viewing platform used at standing only gigs. I phone to order tickets and I’m registered on their system for disability access and entitlement to a companion ticket. The box office staff are always lovely.

Everything went perfectly this evening. I drove in with my lovely friend A and got parked nearby. We walked/scooted towards the City Hall and one of the Show Sec Stewards immediately approached us and directed us to the side entrance, radioing ahead for his colleagues to open the door where we quickly passed through the security and ticket check and were shown to our seats. They also provide a drinks waiter service for this in the accessible seats which is brilliant – essential here when the bar is downstairs but would be a welcome addition in many other venues too.. There’s a radar key controlled accessible toilet in the foyer with a steward nearby to unlock if you don’t have your own radar key. In the past I’ve also got free earplugs from the box office at a painfully loud gig – they really do think of just about everything .

Tonight’s support was Badly Drawn Boy -understated but good .

I’ll reserve most of my praise for Squeeze though. I saw them a couple of years back and they were great then – tonight even better if anything. This was their 50th anniversary tour.

I believe that the difference between a really good pop song and a really great one is the lyrics. Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford deliver both words and music impeccably.

The whole band just look like they are having the best time and they have the audience eating out of their hands, singing every word of every song. Who could forget the wit of “Up the Junction” and its tale of young love, parenthood and breakup. Don’t we all “wish we had a motorboat to pose around the harbour”? Tilbrook’s soulful bluesy vocals on “Coffee in Bed” sound as good as ever.

And yes, I was sat eye contactingly close to the band. I am impressed that my pal, A, knows all the words to the rapid-fire chorus of “Hourglass”. The two women sat next to us politely ask a steward if they can get up and dance. Chris Difford invites everyone to join them. It’s party time at the City Hall . What a night!

Pretenders

The Glasshouse, Gateshead, 17 October 2024

It’s not easy to get to the Glasshouse (formerly the Sage), Gateshead. Current lane closures on the Tyne Bridge slow down the rush hour traffic and the one way system is impossible to navigate- I want to get there early to grab an accessible parking space close to the venue entrance. Tonight I am accompanied by my lovely friend S. There are plenty of food and drink options for early arrivals.

Ticketing is straightforward. I phone the box office to book accessible ticket and companion ticket. I’m registered on their system. Tonight we are in one of the boxes on the next level up from the concourse.

I can’t say I enjoyed the support – some rather indulgent heavy rock with more cliches than Spinal Tap and instantly forgettable.

I find to my annoyance that my phone has run out of battery and not charged up in the car, but it turns out there is a total ban on photos and videos. Stewards with “Strictly no photography ” placards walk around and enforce this, shining a torch on offenders. Annoying as some of the cameras can be (especially when thrust in front of your face) and sad as it is that some prefer to capture a “memory” – never to be watched again, this was positively draconian. So no photos of this gig!

Sad to say that Pretenders were slightly underwhelming. Chrissy Hyde sounds and looks the same as ever and seems to have recovered from the injury that postponed this gig. Her band were slick and polished, but there was something missing. It just seemed a little cold. and I was still a bit baffled by the “no pics” rule. There are other ways of limiting it (with self deprecating humour from Ian Anderson at a Jethro Tull gig this year). Is Ms Hynde developing some diva-ish vanity? She also broke with the tried and tested formula of performing a load of hits and a few tasters from a new album. We got a few of the old favourites but not many – lots of less obvious tracks and new stuff. Not a crowd pleasing set.

Soo….not the best of this year’s gigs to travel south of the river (Tyne) for, but at least I was in the excellent company of S.

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Gig Review: Interzone Event (Peter Hook and the Light, The Wedding Present, The Farm, Theatre of Hate, Tom Hingley)

Posted on by Jackie B

Newcastle City Hall, April 13 2024

Seeing live music has now changed for me. Just a few days after the last gig we went to (Hawkwind) my husband, Kevin died following a massive heart attack. We met through our love of live music over 40 years ago and as my mobility has deteriorated somewhat, he also became my carer/essential companion when we went to see a band. With tickets already booked for the rest of the year, and no doubt, other gigs to be booked along the way, I hope to continue. Kevin would have wanted me to.

We had tickets booked for the Interzone Event , which took place just a few days after Kevin’s death. It was a hard decision, but I ended up going with my daughter. It’s taken a while, but I’m now ready to write about it.

With so many bands on the bill it would have been a long night on top of little sleep so we compromised and arrived later, just as Theatre of Hate’s set was ending.

I’ve spoken of Newcastle City Hall’s facilities for disabled customers at a standing gig previously (Echo and the Bunnymen), and as usual the viewing platform was situated at the back of the stalls, affecting the acoustics slightly but high enough to give a reasonable view and well-stewarded. Sadly, there was no sign of lovely Alec, our designated bar waiter, so it was just as well I had daughter with me for the bar run, especially since I had considered going to this gig alone. The accessible viewing platform was fairly empty, but I hope this doesn’t mean that the additional bar service has stopped for good.

First on for us was The Farm (the evening had kicked off with ex Inspiral Carpets frontman, Tom Hingley and the Kar-pets, before Theatre of Hate). A great set, including a personal favourite Stepping Stone. – I had the 7″ single of The Monkees version of that one back in the day. Then there were the big hits: Groovy Train and of course finishing with All Together Now, such a great anthem.

NERD ALERT: it’s a great anthem that shares its chords with Ralph McTell’s Streets of London and Maroon 5’s Memories, among others, and all owe that chord sequence to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, thought to have been written at the end of the 17th Century. Pete Waterman (who used the same sequence when he co-wrote/co-produced Kylie Minogue’s I Should be so Lucky) once described the Canon in D as “almost the godfather of pop music”.

The anthem played on….The crowd were absolutely loving it and singing their hearts out. Audience participation at its best. You can read about the band’s experience of their trip to play Newcastle on their blog here.

Next up was the Wedding Present. Now I have to confess that I went to this gig knowing absolutely nothing about this band, and I’m not sure why. They were prolific in the number of tracks they released. I really loved their set though. I always think that if a band can make a venue seem smaller, then they have really communicated with their audience and that’s what happened here.

These days only frontman David Gadge remains of the original lineup, but the band around him were great. In a male dominated industry, female musicians are noticeable – they have to be the best to make it and Rachael Wood is a cracking guitarist, playing alongside Paul Blackburn (Bass) and Vincenzo Lammi (drums).

Standouts for me were Kennedy and, as a tribute to the late, great Steve Harley, a cover of Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile).

Then it was time for Peter Hook and the Light. I was really looking forward to this and booked the tickets on the strength of Hooky’s brilliant gig last year at The Boilershop, but I was disappointed.

To be fair, the set was beset with technical problems and during most of it an unfortunate member of the crew was frantically unplugging and replugging in leads trying to rectify the issue. Whereas I loved that last gig, which included all the New Order hits (even more than I remembered), this one omitted all my favourites (I really love Temptation but it was not included)

Obviously distracted by the Gremlins in the equipment, Hooky neither introduced his band or deigned to play an encore. At one point a scuffle broke out near the front. Cue ShowSec staff running to deal with it and a couple of punters being ejected. It was no longer the feel good experience we’d had singing along to The Farm earlier.

With no encore, and a full five minutes before stated finish time, it was over. Hooky removed his t-shirt and threw it into the crowd (some things are better left not done) and that was it. Everyone was left just hanging. As we departed, the atmosphere was not great. There was an uncomfortable edge to it and none of that euphoria I love, when everyone is still singing the encore as they disperse into the night. It was just a disappointed crowd heading home.

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Gig Review: Hawkwind

Posted on by Jackie B

Newcastle City Hall 5 April 2024

We were back to the City Hall last night. This one was for K. Hawkwind aren’t my sort of thing at all, but he’s seen them a number of times over the years.

Unlike the last gig we went to at the venue, this one was seated. I suppose you shouldn’t rub it in, but as Hawkwind have been around since the late 60s, their audience are not exactly in the first flush of youth so it’s debatable whether many of them could comfortably stand through an entire set.

As usual the excellent stewards from ShowSec are well briefed on supporting disabled customers and as soon as I rock up on my scooter we are escorted to the level entrance at the side of the building on College Street, where my name is quickly checked off the list, bag searched and ticket scanned and we are escorted to our seats – the designated area is right at the front left of the stalls – the view is good, but it is very close to the speakers. More on that later.

I opt to transfer to my seat as the scooter is quite high and I don’t want to block the view of anyone behind. As one of the stewards checks over the radio about the best place to park my scooter, he refers to me as a “young lady” – it’s been a while. Maybe that expensive face cream I bought a while back is working better than I thought. Mind you, looking around I could see that for the most part, I’m right about the audience, which is…mature.

As when on the viewing platform for standing gigs, there is a drinks ordering service for disabled customers, operated by the lovely Alec.

Looking up at the stage I can see some weird statue-like figures painted either side of a central screen, that make it look like the set of an Indiana Jones tomb set. There are also banners with representations of some past albums (at least that’s what K told me)

It’s time for the support. I do love it when the first sound hits you straight in the chest and you can feel your sternum and diaphragm vibrating with the bass. After a short while my concerns about seats so near to the speakers had become real. My ears were actually hurting slightly. Now I remember being told many year ago , “If it’s too loud, you’re too old”. Maybe that’s true! As for the band, all except lead guitarist were…vintage.

This is not my sort of stuff at all but I do remember a cracking classic rock drum solo at the end of their set. Oddly, the band didn’t introduce themselves so I’ve still no clue who they were.

In the break, I decided to be kind to my ears – ear protector plugs are available in the box office, so I went and got some.

K went to stretch his legs. I’d reminded him to take some more paracetamol as he’s had a touch of flu and was feeling lousy earlier in the day. ” I don’t want to be seen popping pills here” he said. “Look around,” I replied. “Most of the people here are likely to be taking joint supplements, statins. or other prescription drugs. When he got back he agreed that I had a point as the queue for the toilets was longer than the queue for the bar.

Hawkwind came on to cheers from the fans and on came the lasers , all five of them- a pretty spectacular show really. They’d have looked better with more smoke but the air conditioning limits that – still looked great. And the banners and backdrop sides began to glow as the UV lights came on. Meanwhile a series of animations played on the central screen.

Hawkwind had just released a new album that day (Stories of Time and Space) so this tour was to promote that. Their set was a mixture of tracks from this and old favourites. You won’t hear them playing two of their greatest hits though. Apparently the band hated Silver Machine, and Motorhead became more associated with the band of the same name when it was formed by former Hawkwind bassist, the late Lemmy.

Hawkwind have had numerous changes of personnel throughout their long career and only Dave Brock remains, reading lyrics and poems in between songs (didn’t get that bit at all really) and doing the vocals, though not on all songs – lead guitarist Magnus Martin did a lot of that.

Interestingly they weren’t as loud as the support act, so I didn’t really need those earplugs! And I learnt a new term: space noodling. The weird spaceship sounds from the keyboards that begin some of the tracks.

The obligatory encore and we were done. I couldn’t comment really but K said Hawkwind were as good as they’ve ever been. The playing was tight and he really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the lasers. The things we do for love!

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Gig Review: Echo and the Bunnymen

Posted on by Jackie B

Newcastle City Hall 23 March 2024

It’s been a while since I wrote a review – as usual it’s from my viewpoint as a disabled fan, which is not always the experience you’d like it to be.

This was the first standing only concert I’d been to at Newcastle City Hall. There is a registration system for disabled customers – once you have sent them details of your requirements and proof of disability, you can book an accessible seat and a companion ticket, ie two tickets. If it’s a standing gig they send you one ticket – which confused me until I phoned them. The other thing to remember is that if tickets go on sale at 10 am, the box office at City Hall doesn’t open until 12 noon!

The accessible entrance is on College Street (one of the side doors) but it’s not clearly marked – knock hard and they open it for you, check your ticket and stamp your hand, then escort you to your seat – in this case the accessible platform – a good solid structure at the back of the stalls with plenty of very helpful stewards and a reserved spot with your name on. I was able to drive my little folding scooter straight into the space. There was even a member of staff to take your bar orders – all great so far!

The place was filling up fast – looked like a sellout.

Erica Nockalls was the support act. She’s a confident performer with strong, soaring vocals .

It was a bit of a revelation when she brought out the violin – turns out she’s classically trained, has played with the Wonder Stuff, the Proclaimers and more. The set was engaging, but dark….a cut above the average support act.

There’s a great atmosphere on the platform tonight. There’s space enough for three of us on wheels with our companions and seats behind for ambulant disabled. I’m aware that my scooter seat is quite high and I don’t want to block anyone’s view so I give K’s seat to the woman behind- he never sits anyway. I have a long chat about accessibility at concerts with someone else on the platform – he’s a musician, loves going to gigs and has some horror stories about the total lack of thought that has gone into some of the disabled facilities he’s come across in the past – things are getting better, but are still a long way from perfect.

They’ve certainly tried at the City Hall, but there is one flaw: the position of the platform. It’s at the back of the stalls underneath the balcony, so the chatter from the audience is magnified and is very distracting when you just want to listen to the band (I despair at why people do this almost as much as when they watch the gig through their mobiles).

The House Manager comes over to check all is well on the platform – he’s been working there for years – it turns out that several of us on the platform saw our first gig at the City Hall (mine was The Tourists, forerunner of the Eurythmics, back in the 80s). He was telling us that the venue is celebrating its centenary in a couple of years – it’s been through a lot, closed for a while and then underwent a big refurbishment some years back, which has created a flexible space with both seated and standing events possible.

In the interval I went to find the accessible toilet, which is situated in the foyer, Radar Key operated. One of the lovely stewards on the platform helped me as I appeared to have left my own Radar Key in another handbag! It’s not a bad facility, spacious enough, though could do with a mirror. As I was reversing my scooter out, someone held the door open for me – I looked up and it turned out it was Erica, the support act, who was standing there next to the merch stall – so we had a brief chat – she was lovely!

The atmosphere was building. It was time for Echo & The Bunnymen. A projection of bare trees created a sombre look to the stage as the band came on stage, the perfect backdrop to the brooding silhouette of Ian McCulloch, who remained unlit for most of the performance.

We’ve seen a lot of 80s artists over the last couple of years – some have changed a lot over time, but McCulloch’s voice sounds as good as ever (and he still has a full head of hair). There’s something menacing about those songs: the minor chords, the jangling guitar, the dark lyrics, but I love it!

They played two sets. In the interval we are really glad of the platform bar assistant as everyone in the place is replenishing their drinks. The band return to the stage and McCulloch’s control of the crowd is powerful – the smallest gesture sets everyone up to sing or clap along.

He’s a man of few words and the one time he said more than a sentence between songs, it was drowned out by the chatter (damn those platform acoustics). We already heard Bring on the Dancing Horses at the end of set one, but the rest of the hits come thick and fast now. The Cutter, Seven Seas, the hauntingly beautiful Killing Moon, and to end, Lips Like Sugar.

Echo and the Bunnymen never figured heavily in my record collection at the time but those are classics, with a dark edge to most that set them apart. Somehow that has stood the test of time.