Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Updated for April.

Check out Heritage Blues Orchestra for July; only UK show, so far.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

BansheeUK wrote:

Updated for April.

Check out Heritage Blues Orchestra for July; only UK show, so far.

I saw them earlier in the year, wonderful gig. A double header with Mud Morganfield is a gig not to be missed for any blues fans in the North East of England.

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Mike - Freeway on 17 May. Is this the Free tribute band from Newcastle with a new singer?

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Kenny wrote:

Mike - Freeway on 17 May. Is this the Free tribute band from Newcastle with a new singer?

Yeah - Hookahs' frontman Bob Davison on vocals duty.  Bargain night - £3 on the door.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

23 (edited by Kenny 2013-04-10 02:47:35)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

BansheeUK wrote:
Kenny wrote:

Mike - Freeway on 17 May. Is this the Free tribute band from Newcastle with a new singer?

Yeah - Hookahs' frontman Bob Davison on vocals duty.  Bargain night - £3 on the door.

Have they a new website? Want to find out if they have other gigs lined up. John Buckton is the closest player to Paul Kossoff that I have seen!!!

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Kenny wrote:
BansheeUK wrote:
Kenny wrote:

Mike - Freeway on 17 May. Is this the Free tribute band from Newcastle with a new singer?

Yeah - Hookahs' frontman Bob Davison on vocals duty.  Bargain night - £3 on the door.

Have they a new website? Want to find out if they have other gigs lined up. John Buckton is the closest player to Paul Kossoff that I have seen!!!

Can't say Kenny,  don't know that much about them and they would pick a band name that has a google hit for just about for every county. I'll ask round and get back to you.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Sad news - Hartlepool Cameron's club closed it's doors for good at the week-end.

Tommy is working like mad, but all bar one or two gigs are CANCELLED. Notable exception is the Ryan McGarvey & Federal Charm whaich has been moved to an alternate venue in the town:-

Belle Vue Way Social Club
Kendall Road
Hartlepool
TS25 1QU

I'll amend the guide once I get more time, and as I hear anything more, I'll pass word on.

Mike

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

26 (edited by BansheeUK 2013-05-13 09:10:10)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Tommy @ Hartlepool has managed to save some gigs that he had scheduled for Cameron's Club: Saturday night's Ryan McGarvey was a triumph and really showed what Bellvue in town could do. This is one of a few venues Tommy will be trying, until he's back up and running, so keep posted.

I've taken off the list, all the gigs Tommy hasn't been able to re-home, up to June 14th where he has managed to get Sinnerboy in at Belle Vue. I'll pass on others as soon as I get word.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Unfortunately the Billy Walton Band/Virgil gig was one of the cancelled shows in Hartelpool.  Good luck to Tommy trying to get things going. He's been good to us, and many other bands, so we wish him the best.  We (BWB) were able to move our show to Carlisle so our only gig in the area will be at the Cluny on Friday May 17th.  Here's our schedule. 

MAY
16  Chiselhurst
17  Newcastle
18  Carlisle
19  Bedford
20  Grimsby
21  Matlock Bath
22  Beeston
23  Eastney/Portsmouth
24  Norfolk
25  Bristol
26  Barnet (N London)
27  Broadstairs
30  Derby
31  Barrow In Furness
Jun 1  Sutton

all info at www.billywaltonband.com

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Cheers guys - I bet Tommy appreciates that. As I say, once he can get a regular venue sorted he'll no doubt have you back in town in a shot.

Have a great tour & I'll catch up with you at The Cluny.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

29 (edited by BansheeUK 2013-05-24 08:21:49)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Don't believe it - first gig in for 2014!

Going to be a blatant nostalgia trip, but great to see a 3rd Ray Jacka Lindisfrane night in December.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

30 (edited by BansheeUK 2013-06-19 05:41:57)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Saltburn, Ripley & Redcar Blues clubs (North Yorks) have posted their Autumn 2013 schedules - some tasty dates between them.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

31 (edited by Kenny 2013-08-09 09:18:01)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

The annual Free Convention is usually a highlight for me no matter how many bands I see in a year. I couldn't manage this year and given that Andy Fraser was performing, it was a major bummer to say the least!!

Here's a review from the night of 2 August. Wish you were there too Mike?

The Annual Free Convention
Reviewed by award-winning journalist and TV presenter Bill Bradshaw

Free, that beautifully balanced rock-blues-soul band who produced some of the finest music of the post-blues boom that rocked Britain from the Sixties into the Seventies were spirited back to us on a balmy August night in Tynemouth.
This was the Free Convention but not as we know it. The Convention is an annual gathering of the Free faithful, often held in the North East, the band's first trusty stronghold. It usually boasts a lineup of two or three decent tribute acts and offers memorabilia; decent auction prizes often donated from surviving band members.
But this was very different. Here we had Free's original bass player Andy Fraser, playing in the region for the first time since 1975 and incorporating the Convention into his UK summer tour schedule. Fraser playing the UK?  Rare. And playing his Free back catalogue? Hen's teeth!
What made this even more of a curiosity, given that Fraser has largely given the cold-shoulder to his Free output during the last four decades, is that he also agreed to play with Freeway, arguably Britain's finest Free tribute band. This was the equivalent of a monk not only renouncing celibacy but then scoring on his first date!
And the packed crowd in the sea-front Park Hotel were grateful voyeurs to Fraser's rekindling of old passions. We all wanted to join in - and we did.
The setting was perfect, Fraser going full circle from the early 1969 promotions at the Bay Hotel in Seaburn just 10 miles down the coast. That ballroom was where Free forged a love affair with the region that helped propel them to fame and fortune and the Park is cut from the same architectural cloth.

The old art deco seafront hotel was packed to the rafters for Fraser's return. These gatherings of the Free clans normally attract 250 or so on a good night. This time it was more than double that.
Jack Bruce's son Malcolm opened proceedings with a nicely-pitched acoustic set of mostly original songs but he wisely tried to get the crowd on his side by opening with Free’s “Soon I Will Be Gone” and “Love You So”. He did just enough to ensure Fraser's introduction by hard-working Convention promoter Bill Flynn was met with rapturous applause.
And there he was, the little fellow all tightly-cropped hair, sinewy body and flashing teeth: "You're looking good!" he shouted to the pension-planners. Not as good as you, most of us mused.  And he was away, straight into a re-working of Free's mega-hit "All Right Now" which removed the familiar lyrics and allowed Andy to sing an introduction to this 21st Century incarnation of the Andy Fraser Band. Step forward, in particular, lead guitarist Chris Spedding, a 70s hitmaker himself, and rising talent Tobi Earnshaw whose songs were showcased throughout an entertaining set.
Tobi does not have the strongest voice but he is a talent, no question, with good songs and nicely wielded guitar in the right places. Fraser obviously believes in him and, as a kid who hit the big time at 16 himself, why not?
Tobi's highlights came on the aptly titled "I Will Be Free", "Nothing Gonna Stop Us" and the John Mayer cover "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" while Spedding, apart from "Motorbikin'" chipped in with the splendid swamp rock of  "Louisiana".
There was plenty of room for Fraser to raid the vaults. Out came "The Stealer" and "Little Bit of Love", both of which got a massive reaction from the fans - the latter featuring the vocals of Bob Davidson from Freeway, caught so short before his call into the spotlight that he dropped his drink!
Back they came for a genuinely-demanded encore. "Mr Big" is arguably Fraser's standout track with Free - has there ever been a better bass solo on a rock track than this?
He rolled back the years with a silky, liquid, fluid run through of the classic and the roars he acknowledged as they closed the set said it all. He was back.

And that was not all. Oh no, no, no. Very far from it.
Although the headliners closed at 10-ish there was no rush for the bars or public transport. The audience knew Fraser had agreed to reappear with concert-closers Freeway and the hall was still packed when Davidson reappeared with drummer Rob Dunn, bassist Rick Hunt and guitarist John Buckton.
They are not known as Britain’s top Free tribute act for nothing. They have already had the honour of Free and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke join them in the past and here you sensed they were ready to raise their game to welcome Fraser on board.
They kicked off with "I'll be Creepin'" which has always sounded to me like a wonderful take on a film-noir soundtrack. Then into "Woman" and it was clear Buckton, possessor of wonderful Kossoff-esque tones and vibrato, was on form.
And he needed to be because Fraser wasn't messing about. He'd barely had time to rehydrate - this room was hot in every respect - before he joined Freeway in time for their third song, the beautifully restrained "Be My Friend". Davidson's vocals achingly hit the spot with man of the moment Fraser re-winding the decades and finding all the right fretwork moves, laying down the platform he’d first constructed all those years ago.
It allowed Buckton the freedom to fly into the haunting solo and it was as if there was a little of Kossoff in the room - and indeed there was. For Buckton's interpretation apart, he had in his hands Kossoff's very own Les Paul. This is the one owned by Koss' old friend Arthur Ramm and the basis for Gibson's recently recreated Kossoff models.
Ramm occasionally passes it over to Buckton and you would want it to be in good hands. It was.
Next up, "Songs of Yesterday" featured a wonderful bass line and change of tempo and Fraser and Buckton could be seen exchanging words and nods across the stage. It turned out that Fraser may have co-written it but he was not quite sure of the key! He dismissed it as a "senior moment" but they busked it beautifully. Great work from Buckton, Davidson and Dunn, too.
And then another classic: "Fire and Water", tapping into Free's richest vein. Fraser genuinely looked to be loving it. Where have you been Andy? Don't dare stay away another 38 years!
The original featured a fine Kossoff solo, replicated on the band's live recordings so the bar was set high for Buckton. He did not disappoint, but how could he with Fraser majestic at stage right, nodding, as he fairly throbbed through the song.
And then he was gone. The ceiling almost fractured such was his ovation as he passed his bass lead back to Rick Hunt. The crowd loved everything Fraser gave them.
What followed was, in essence, Freeway's own tribute to Fraser and a thank you for his time with them. A tribute act in the very best sense of the word.
"Ride on Pony" always rocks and "Walk In My Shadow" took us back to Fraser at 15 - the song Free played that very first night they formed in Battersea's Nags Head pub. This was the slow tempo version with Buckton ablaze.

Those wonderful songs kept coming and the highlight for me, and noted by several website posters later, was "Moonshine" which - if neglected - can be a graveyard dirge. Not tonight, no sir. Thank you Mr John Buckton and your Paul Kossoff  Gibson Les Paul. A virtuoso performance of Koss' lengthy solo had the room on its feet as his wailing notes ebbed away.
"The Stealer" was a match for the Fraser Band's earlier version and they closed where Andy had started, with "All Right Now" as the audience roared not just the chorus but both verses too. Davidson loved that. Then followed those three-syllable chants that ensured they had to return: "The Hun-ter!".  And so we got it. In all its crowd-pleasing majesty. Davidson echoing Paul Rodgers' vocals with Hunt (no pressure on your bass playing, surely) and Dunn sketching the perfect rhythm blanket for Buckton to pierce with his searing licks.
What a night. What a gig.
We have now had 40 years without Free. That aches. It hurts like many of the lines in their songs.
But if there is ever to be a belated Free project; if Rodgers and Fraser can ever set aside past insults and fall-outs, then we will all be overjoyed.
Andy looked like he enjoyed this so much…a part of his life he has chosen to put to one side until so very recently. Welcome back.
And if Fraser and Rodgers can work again, we all know a guitarist who might just bounce off them rather well.

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Cheers Kenny - sounds like a good night was had by all. However, I wasn't one of them - I'd chosen earlier to catch Stevie Nimmo solo at The Cluny on the same night.

Main page has been dusted off for another month, nice to see we're getting an appearance from Deborah Bonham next Spring

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Mike - if you have the new Classic Rock Mag Blues 8, check out track 11 on the sampler. Band called Spectrum who feature Paul Smith on vocals. He used to sing with Freeway.

They play The Angel in Durham, this Friday.

34 (edited by BansheeUK 2013-08-20 07:44:08)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Kenny wrote:

Mike - if you have the new Classic Rock Mag Blues 8, check out track 11 on the sampler. Band called Spectrum who feature Paul Smith on vocals. He used to sing with Freeway.

They play The Angel in Durham, this Friday.

Know them well Kenny, spring up on the local circuit almost as often as Russ Tippins. Would be good to see them get some exposure further afield. The other year, we pushed for them to open for VATA at Mainsforth, but didn't work out; maybe another time.

Know The Angel well also - Durham's "Rock pub" up behind North Rd. bus station; though most "of a certain age" now go across the road to The Elm Tree.

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Thanks for that Mike. Seen Paul a few times with Freeway. He sounds even more like Mr. Rodgers on "Hope You Know".

I would travel down if Freeway and Spectrum were playing on consecutive nights.

36 (edited by BansheeUK 2013-08-21 06:04:10)

Re: The Tyne - Tees Gig Guide.

Just heard last night that King King have been booked for Mainsforth (Ferryhill) for 15th Nov, so that could be a good support opening for Spectrum, then with Ryan McGarvey + The Mentulls down the road at Hartlepool the night after; has the makings of a very good week-end.


Here's a link to Spectrum Soundcloud page for anyone curious:-

https://soundcloud.com/spectrumband

When life gives you lemons; don't make lemonade.
Give back the lemons.  Why were the lemons free?  What's wrong with the lemons?
Do Not trust the lemons...