Tag: Sage Gateshead

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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.

Posted in disability access at music venues, gig review

Gig Review: Jethro Tull

Posted on by Jackie B

The Glasshouse, 2 May 2024

The gigs continue. This was one of several pairs of tickets I’d got for Kevin for his Birthday. Of course these are the best gifts because I ‘d get to go too, but I would always look for things that he was into, even if they were’t my thing at all, and I’d always try to keep an open mind.

The Glasshouse, is the former Sage Building, the magnificent curved structure on the South Bank of the River Tyne at Gateshead (known locally as The Slug!) . I understand that the name change is down to a change in sponsorship arrangements as a new arena is being built. It is a light airy place, with two large performance spaces and also assorted practice rooms and studios hidden away in its interior along with bars, a cafe and a brasserie, a shop. A huge range of musical activities take place there from workshops, choirs and musical groups of all kinds as well as an extensive programme of concerts, featuring classical and popular music of every genre.

As you would expect from a modern purpose build music venue, the facilities for customers with disabilities are pretty good. Once your details on their system you don’t need to provide further proof or details of your requirements again (presumably they will check at some point to comply with data protection regulations). Tickets can be booked on line or by phone – I prefer to phone them so I can ask for more detail on the accessibility of the seats available. . They can also issue a free companion ticket if needed and these are all posted out at a small extra charge (or collected before the event from the Box Office).

I was accompanied by my friend Vera for this one. I’m lucky to have lots of lovely friends – of course the more they love the music the better, so when Vera said she liked Jethro Tull she was the perfect person to go with. We went a little early so we could get an accessible car parking space and also allow extra travelling time as the Tyne Bridge is undergoing extensive renovation and the road traffic is restricted. All went well and we had time for something to eat before the performance. We had excellent seats in one of the boxes on Level One. I was able to drive straight in , transfer to a seat and then our lovely steward moved my scooter to a safe place very nearby.

I wasn’t at all sure what to expect here. I’d been listening to Jethro Tull and the only tune I recognised was Living in the Past. I also had vague recollections of an old episode of Top of the Pops, featuring a wild-eyed, wild-haired, bearded man playing a flute, while standing on one leg, pixie style, and just about managing to keep his balance. Not much to go on really.

Shortly before the band came on stage, a disembodied voice, a recording of Ian Anderson, made an announcement that cameras and mobile phones would not be permitted until the encore, and a signal would be given at that point. Reasons for this were, that mobiles are annoying to the audience, distracting to him and the band (especially when he was trying to remember the words) but also that people do not need to watch everything through the screen of their device – its so much better just watching and enjoying without. He has a point – I’m sure I’ve had a moan about this myself on the blog before now. Having said that I always take photos to post on here and occasionally (though sparingly) take an odd video, though only short clips. Anyway I totally respect what he said and as a law-abiding citizen I dutifully put my phone away until after the show.

This was the Seven Decades Tour (because Jethro Tull’s career spans seven decades obviously! This was a carefully curated setlist showcasing the range of music (folk rock, prog rock, metal , blues etc) recorded over the band’s lifetime, not necessarily the greatest hits (no sign of Living in the Past for example). I’ve also heard it said that the setlist was partly chosen to accommodate Anderson’s voice, which is not what it was.

They opened with a track from way back, off the This Was album (My Sunday Feeling) with the first of some amazing videos showing on the backdrop. This one comprised clips of a much younger Anderson performing, meanwhile on stage, the current lineup played the same song live, perfectly synchronised with the visuals. The videos gave a real sense of narrative to the songs, especially Heavy Horses and Aqualung (including some stunning portrait photographs of homeless men).

Seven decades in the business generates lots of anecdotes, so there are stories in between songs like the one about how We Used to Know inspired the Eagles’ Hotel California (as guitar player, Jack Clark demonstrated to perfection as it was played.)

Ian Anderson may be the only original member of Jethro Tull on stage tonight, but his band are all excellent musicians….

  • David Goodier – bass
  • John O’Hara – keyboards
  • Scott Hammond – drums
  • Jack Clark – guitar (and the most recent recruit)

The show was in two acts, with an interval in between. Of course those of us who are permanently wired to our mobile devices would switch on again at this point, but there was a gentle reminder before the music recommenced as the disembodied head of Ian Anderson with a pair of binoculars came up on the screen. We were being watched for unauthorised camera/phone use!

Then it was back to the music. If there’s one unique thing I’ll take away from this gig, something that will stick in my mind as being quintessentially Jethro Tull it would have to be Anderson’s flute playing. It was spectacular, sounded amazing (often played on one leg with no apparent balance issues, in his late 70s – impressive! ) I believe Anderson was self taught, choosing the instrument as it was something different – even more impressive. True, I can’t think of any popular flautists apart from James Galway and Lizzo, but Ian Anderson gets my vote!

I used to listen to a lot of folk music and I love that the Jethro Tull classics tell stories in that tradition, with a lot of social comment that is as valid now as when those songs were written, whether that relates to homelessness, (Aqualung), indifference to the death and destruction of war (Mrs Tibbets) or the mechanisation of agriculture (Heavy Horses).

All too soon the sign flashed up allowing the cameras – it was time for the encore (Locomotive Breath). Of course having been deprived of the opportunity all evening, out came the phones, even though this was an older and very appreciative audience filming their souvenir videos. After seven decades this could be `”last chance to see”, though I hope it’s not. A well deserved standing ovation followed.

Leaving the Glasshouse took a while. My scooter was retrieved quickly but unfortunately there was only one of the two lifts working and the staff were clearing the upper floors before it stopped to let those of us on Level 1 use it. It was all pretty good natured with those who could do so using the stairs to leave the lift clear for those of us who needed it most. After that we were able to leave, load up the scooter and drive off pretty quickly. I think most of the traffic had dispersed by the time I got out the lift, and of course I had Vera’s excellent company on the way home.

So thank you dear Kevin for sharing your birthday present with me. You continue to enrich my musical education and encourage me to open my mind and listen to music outside my usual sphere. It would have been so easy to give those tickets away but I’m so glad I didn’t. Your Legacy Tour continues, with more gigs to come.