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For evil to
flourish it just takes good men to do
nothing
----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Think I may well adopt something like this for Riffs.................. --------------------------------------------------------------------
A great night's
entertainment was in store for all who
ventured to the Market
Taven in Chester-le-Street on a
recent Friday night (29th July) where Far Cry strutted their
stuff quite admirably Riffs understands. Chris
from the band pointed Riffs to a clip on their
Facebook page - HERE
- with the band playing some Fleetwood Mac. If
you like what you hear then catch the band
live at Victors in
Sunderland on Saturday Aug 13.
---------------------------------------------------------------
 --------------------------------------------------------------
  Couple of
gigs came in for this
weekend for a new band (well,
to Riffs anyway) - FAR CRY. I have no idea
what sort of music they
play, whether covers or
originals, or if they are a
group of
young lads new to the
music scene,
so gave Chris a shout and he
got back to Riffs straight
away with some info. This 'new'
band have been around
since 2000;
although as Chris
points out
there have been
line-up changes
along the way. But
why 'Far Cry'? "We chose our name
after a racehorse, picked at random from the
racing page, that won the
Newcastle Plate in 2000." And to think
some bands ruminate long and hard over what
they should be called!Are the band members all from the North-East then? "Not by any means," Chris explains: "We are a five piece coming from different places including Kent, Liverpool and Hungary (Nelli our lead singer hails from there) as well as the North East." But I think what most people want to know: what will they expect to hear when the band hits the stage? "We like to play to a variety of sounds from Classic Rock to pop - and even disco, and think there’s something for everyone in our set." Don't think there's much chance of Motorhead or Priest within their set (but hey, they're there to please the audience), but if that's not your scene then Chris can promise a good evening's entertainment. "If you like to dance and sing then you’re guaranteed a good night!" Far Cry
at the Market Tavern, Chester-le-Street
Friday 29th
Far Cry
at the Top House, Blyth on Sunday 31st July at
4:30pm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ----------------------------------------------------------------
 What's with this British
weather? When GODZZ OF WOR played at
the Misfits
MCC Fest it was
freezing, and then when
they played the Daisy
Hill they were
roasting in full sun
streaming on to the
stage. No
stopping
these hardened
souls though, as
their August
gigs have just
been added to
the Listings
page. So
whether it's
colder than a
body on ice,
or hotter than
a rolling
dice, these
guys won't let
you down. "Playing
live - ya just
can't beat it!"
exclaims
Baz.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 By
all accounts (well,
one account, but let's not be
pedantic) we have the
emergence of a U2 tribute who, after
two successful gigs at The
Venue Cramlington and The
Crook Hotel, are now ready
to take on festivals and
events in the UK this year
and next.Made up of members of the Ritchie Bee Band, it has taken the lads four whole years to get to this stage - thanks to that pesky Covid getting them stuck in a moment they can't get out of, but now UTOO reckon they are ready to find what they are looking for.... UTOO are : Ritchie Bee - Vox, Jem Caisley - Bass, Jack Murphy - Guitar, Tom Kershaw - Drums. Any venues interested contact 07802 570326. For a taster video click . . .here (hey, spot the song titles neatly hidd . . . oh, you have........) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ---------------------------------------------------
 The Alcatraz House Band - June 2022 and April 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------
 Great bit of
news concerning those Classic Clapton guys (if
you admire Eric
Clapton you will
be suitably
impressed by the
tribute these guys pay to him) as they
have been booked to play
in Ireland on 2nd of
September at Barberstown
Castle Hotel in Straffan,
Co. Kildare.
It was a former home of Eric Clapton from 1979 - 1987. The Castle is now privately owned & managed and has been carefully upgraded from a 10 bedroom property to a 55 Bedroom 4-star Hotel. https://www.barberstowncastle.ie -------------------------------------------------------------
 Riffs reckons that if living legend Russ Tippins allows you to share the stage with him, you must be doing something right.... Mr Gorman is the lucky guy. ----------------------------------------------------
BAND WANTED FOR TONIGHT!!!! VACANCY NOW FILLED Saturday 11th June band needed pelaw inn, Gateshead 9pm [no duo ] contact gemma 07913350537 --------------------------------------------------------------
(updated - Thurs 9am)
FOR
FUCK'S SAKE NORMAN - NOT NOW!
 Well, I'm not
sure if it's just me [it's
always just you Nige] but when
I see a band's name for the
first time I can't help but
think 'I
don't know anything about
these guys - never heard
of them before and don't
know if they're Rock, Metal or even
Country & Western
[hey,
now hold on a
minute],
maybe
even a
Folk
band.' And
unless you have a
tab at the venue -
or a promise -
then why would
you go? You'd
think that Riffs would be inundated with bands pestering
us to shout
about them
but, alas, that
is not the
case. So it
was nice for
Michelle
from
The Star Inn in Newcastle to let Riffs
know of what
she considers
a kick-ass
band that she
has on
Saturday
the 18th June.
But most
venues
consider they
have on a
kick-ass band,
so Riffs did
some
'due-diligence'
and checked up
on aforesaid
band and -
guess what?
The Star has
on a kick-ass
band!The loud, raw, over-the-top, microphone swinging, axe-grinding guitar bands of the past are, I'm afraid, just that - the past. So we take what we can get - and NOT NOW NORMAN are edging (or could edge) in that direction. Their records are . . . okay . . . but live they have a Rock edginess that could see them go down a storm at a Bikers' do as well as at your local. This is the band's publicity blurb: "Delivering Hard Rock with a strong message in every track. Taylor-Grace commands the front, belting her lungs out to Zander Brown's relentless riffs, Caitlin Gibsons' bass groove and Duncan Brown hitting the metal. Having disabilities since childhood, Taylor-Grace took the decision to turn her pain into power and to the stage." Not sure what her 'disability' is but she has charisma (not to mention balls) that most frontmen (or whatever!) would give their right microphone-gripping arm for. Michelle Star was mega impressed with their live antics; "Now that’s a band!" Had to press her: "I’ve had them twice in the last couple of weeks and bloody 'Wow!' Female singer that even the FM guys said vocals are outstanding and I agree, she is mind blowingly brilliant!" Well, that's one helluva delcaration. Are Not Now Norman really that good live? "Played a festival in their hometown on Sunday, then packed up to come to The Star and do a set in the middle of FM’s - and they blew the crowd away. They definitely Rock and even their own material the crowd loved. Says something when T-shirts get bought in a pub. Venues are missing a trick with these guys." Well, I think Michelle has done our job for us. Riffs did ask the band's management for some input (admittedly at short notice - but hey, emails are nigh on instantaneous) but got no input. But after the initial article went live, we did hear from guitarist Zander who commented: "Hopefully the review will be a great stepping stone to get more gigs (it’s not easy just now because venues for obvious reasons want to play it safe until things turn round) so for that we are really grateful." Oh, and Not Now Norman are on the night before at Tynemouth Social Club - Cat from Snow Moon (the group putting on the bands) did favour Riffs with some input: "Not Now Norman look and sound amazing and we cannot wait for them to rock Snow Moon (support from Manfrog). Fingers crossed everyone will turn up in full-on Taylor style make-up too – I’ve offered to help the guys on the TSC committee with theirs so they will fit in perfectly!" Here are just a few of Not Now Norman's acolades: 🌑 Won second place in NE Volume Battle of the Bands 2022 🌑 They have already headlined several Rock Gigs around the UK in the short time since lockdown ended and have many more booked through the rest of this year. 🌑 In 2021 they were named one of the 'TOP TEN LIVE ACTS TO SEE' by NE Volume Magazine 🌑 In 2020, they were nominated for several awards including 'Band of the Year' and 'EP of the Year' by Nova Radio, as well as 'Best Alt Act' by Radio Wigwam. So you can see that going to see these guys is not a shot in the dark - you could just be at the blossoming of a mega band. Let's hope so cos how much do we need some real, raw, gutsy live talent in the North-East right now? https://www.notnownorman.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------
 Well Terry, when you
rub shoulders with a
North-East living
legend then you will always
get your
fizzog on Riffs....
Pic shows Russ Tippins, Terry Gorman and Bobby Proctor frighteningly recently. ---------------------------------------------------------
 The founding
bassist and songwriter for the
legendary New York punk band
the Ramones, Douglas Glenn
Colvin (a.k.a. Dee Dee Ramone)
died June 5, 2002 of a heroin
overdose. He was 50.
Dee Dee’s wife Barbara found her husband unconscious on a couch in their Los Angeles apartment surrounded by drug paraphernalia, including a used syringe. Paramedics confirmed that Dee Dee Ramone was dead at 8:40pm. Toxicology results determined that he died from a lethal heroin overdose. In his late '90s autobiography, 'Lobotomy: Surviving the Ramones', Dee Dee wrote about his on-and-off struggle with drugs and alcohol. He died 14 months after vocalist Joey Ramone succumbed to cancer at age 49. Guitarist John William Cummings (a.k.a. Johnny Ramone, who died in 2004) had been friends with Dee Dee since 1969. They met at a building in New York where Dee Dee worked in the mail room and Johnny did construction. One day they both decided to cash their paychecks and buy guitars; Johnny got a Mosrite, Dee Dee purchased a Danelectro. After fumbling around the band with different members in different positions -- Dee Dee was originally the vocalist and Jeffrey Ross Hyman (Joey Ramone) played drums -- they officially became the Ramones in 1973. Dee Dee, who had a reputation of being the wildest member, came up with the name after learning that Paul McCartney often used the alias Paul Ramon when he checked into hotels. The band changed the spelling to “Ramone” and every member used the title as their surname to demonstrate their solidarity. The Ramones debuted live on March 30, 1974 and soon became an in-demand club act. Using just three and four chords, the Ramones mixed their love for bubblegum girl pop with the hard rock of the Who and the MC5 and the proto-punk of The Stooges, then put the blender on full-speed, creating a wall of primal, melodic, abrasive and bouncy sound that was both visceral and infectious. The Ramones quickly became leaders of the New York punk rock scene and in 1976 released their seminal self-titled debut which included “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Beat on the Brat,” “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.” While the Ramones endured numerous lineup changes, Dee Dee remained with the band until 1990 playing on 11 records. After leaving the Ramones he had a short, unsuccessful career as rapper Dee Dee King, recorded a few solo albums and appeared on various collaborations. Despite serious substance abuse problems he remained musically active until his death. In the intro to Dee Dee Ramone’s book 'Lobotomy', Legs McNeil wrote “Dee Dee was the archetypical f--k-up whose life was a living disaster. He was a male prostitute, a would-be mugger, a heroin user and dealer, an accomplice to armed robbery -- and a genius poet who was headed for an early grave, but was sidetracked by rock ‘n’ roll.” Without him, the Ramones likely would never have existed and the history of punk music as we know it would not have been the same. ---------------------------------------------------------------
 A massive 'thank you'
to all who organised and supported
the Magnesia
Bank's Ukraine appeal over a recent
weekend - a total of £1671.82 was raised. A massive
pat on the back for Malcolm for
all his hard work.---------------------------------------------------------
PHILLY'S
SADISTIC BEER WEEKEND PACKS SOME PUNCH
Long time coming
round but it's Beer Festival time
again at Philadelphia
Cricket
Club
in Houghton-le-Spring. It's over two
days/nights and starts Friday
24th June with a Charity
Punk Night in aid of Hillside
Animal Sanctuary &
Philadelphia Junior
Academy.
6pm doors and features: 6.45
The
Remains.
7.30 UK
Dissent.
8.30 The
Sadistic Slobs.
9.30 Slalom
D.
£10 door.  Headliners
Slalom D
describe
themselves (and
I quote) "an
incendiary mix
of explosive
guitars,
juggernaut
drums and
politically-fuelled
lyrics. A
relentless
onslaught of
controlled
chaos and
sinew-stretching
harmonies,
Slalom D
capture the
essence of 77,
chew it up and
spit it out in
the face of
complacency,
bigotry and
intolerance."
Well, that's
the exact
description  of
what I
consider a
good punk band
should sound
like, but hmmm.
Well, video
attached to
the pic -
make up your
own mind.BUT, we do have the Sadistic Slobs showing the attitude and aggressiveness that Punk is all about. The previous band's description would be much more apt here, but The Sadistic Slobs' publicity is a little bit more laid back: "4 piece punk rock band from Tyne and Wear area, who formed in the early 80s, recently reformed in 2017 and are back doing their own style of punk rock, playing old and new self penned songs". Obviously letting the music do the talking. Riffs has checked 'em out on Youtube and that aggressive chainsaw style and freneticism of the lead guitar always works for me. Headliners better watch your back. The following day Saturday 25th June features:. 2.30 Jack Bowater. 4.30 Diamond Dogs. 6.30 Monkey Punch. 8.30 We Are Champion. Doors noon. £10 tickets on sale at club.  Well
at least with Queen
tribute We
Are Champion you
know exactly
what you are going
to get. Any
Queen
fan would be
proud to be at
this gig and kudos
to band
member Paul who
still
managed to
give Riffs
a quote while
sunning himself
in Crete:
"We
have been
loving playing
the festivals
this year,
audiences seem
to be
embracing
being allowed
to mix
properly and
let their hair
down after the
last couple of
years!
So looking
forward to
continuing
that trend at
Philadelphia
CC, we promise
to Rock You /
Blow Your Mind
/ provide A
Kind Of
Magic..." And directly below them on the bill we have Monkey Punch who, I must admit, might well have fitted into the previous night's mayhem. They seem to easily blur the lines between Mod, Ska, Punk - versatility is good. I'm not personally into ska but on the odd occasion I've found myself at a ska gig (forcibly dragged  there
by Val) I've thoroughly enjoyed it!
Their facebook blurb: "Monkey
Punch offer outstanding
entertainment value with a broad
range of hits with a ska theme.
Expect a bit of Northern Soul in
there too! A fine selection of top
hits from the best musicians on
the circuit. Songs from The
Specials, Madness, Bad Manners,
The Jam, Toto, Amy Winehouse and
many more."And a big plus, they did go out of their way to give Riffs some info about themselves: "Monkey Punch had humble beginnings over 12 years ago as a mod band doing Weller and the Jam. Our previous vocalist joined us some 9 years ago and the set list was developed to incorporate ska. We then lost some band members but the current line up has our previous drummer, guitarist, a top keys player who recently moved up here from London, and now a female vocalist. She is at the top of her game and worked with top artistes such as Lorraine Crosby and Alannis Morrisette. The band continues with a ska theme with some Northern soul. However, there is even more variety in the set to cater for a wider audience. All of the material is upbeat and performed to a top level." Their facebook tribute to the NHS is much appreciated and gained them a far longer mensh here! Plus, having a woman front'man' gives them that extra 'edge'. And especially one who moves well and is obviously enjoying herself. Personally I've always loved bands who have fun on stage - you can drop a guitar, get a frog in your throat - but if you're laughing at yourself and having a good time, you can bet your bottom dollar the audience is too! https://www.facebook.com/monkeypunchmusic/ ---------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE CHECK YOUR
LISTINGS
I think Riffs has
made it abundantly clear on the
Listings page that suppliers of band's
gigs
should check that
their gigs have
been input correctly
on the aforementioned
page -
but it is becoming
increasingly
obvious
that many just
do not check.
If it's
found
that gigs
are not being
checked then
there's no
point in them
being listed.
98%
of people are
supportive
and
appreciative -
but as we all
know, there is
always
that annoying
minority that
spoil it for
others. If you
are in that
minority
then you
are part of
the problem
- and no
one wants
problems.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Due to work and personal
commitments, The
Test Pilots will be taking
a break for at least the next few months.
This means we've taken the difficult
decision to cancel all our gigs for the
rest of 2022. All venues who've booked us
will be contacted to confirm the
cancellation of our
gigs."
https://youtu.be/RxvxTTKoT8A
------------------------------------------------------
Okay, so
it might have started out as "an intimate
night in" for Mr Gorman at the Juke Shed
on Saturday, but when you have a great
audience, anything can happen . . .
https://www.facebook.com/1608032464/videos/1020563158584953
-----------------------------------------------------------
 [photo taken by Riffs at Newcastle Riverside 2016] ANVIL - Trillians Rock Bar, Newcastle, Sunday, October 2, 2022. Tickets £16.50 https://trillians.nuwebgroup.com/events/9694 ------------------------------------------------
SHOWCASING REAL NORTH-EAST TALENT   I've always tried to give
a big shout out to any venue hosting live
bands - admittedly Rock and Metal take
precedence (and defo no Country and Western)
- and an email which arrived at Riffs main
computer (that's the eighth one up, on the
right bank of three, just next to the JD
machine [which reminds me I must get it
fixed cos it's giving out triple shots -
which does explain quite a lot]) piqued my
interest.I'm rather long in the tooth - so I don't get excited very much now. So it was rather an eye-opening email that I got from Snow Moon 'a new type of venue showcasing original talented artists from all genres of music' that listed some gigs for Riffs Listings page. The band names meant very little as I'm presuming they are all new. But a look at Snow Moon's Facebook page gives some great snippets of loads of acts and there is defo some great talent there. Don't get me wrong, covers bands are great, they come into their own when the original artists are well past their best, or are no longer with us, but isn't it great to see just what talent is bubbling under; real talent, as in the real world, not that churned out constructed garbage on our tv screens. Not just that, but I think it's rather important that these new bands are shown that all their hard work and dedication is not going unnoticed. Tynemouth Social Club (see poster) £2 door for nearly always two bands - and now and then, three! It's every Friday night (I'm sure I typed in a gig for Saturday - that bloody JD machine again). Have asked Snow Moon for some input for this blurb so if I get it I will add it............ And they did get back to me and so here it is: The North East is full of original artists with very few places to showcase their music. Snow Moon was set up to provide a great venue for these people to play. We’re located at Tynemouth Social Club in Front Street, Tynemouth using their excellent function room with its great sized stage and own bar. You can find out more about Snow Moon on our facebook page – if you’re an original artist looking for a great place to play get it touch. https://www.facebook.com/snowmoonclub/ -------------------------------------------------------
Man
Found Dead At Festival Celebrating
Legendary AC/DC Frontman BON SCOTT  The man's body was found on the second day of the 2022 Bonfest, which started on Friday April 29 and ran until Sunday May 1. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 1.10pm on Saturday, 30 April, officers attended a report of the death of a 53-year-old man at the Bonfest Festival Site near Kirriemuir. "The death is not being treated as suspicious and, as with all sudden deaths, a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal." The Bonfest organizers issued a separate statement saying they were "greatly saddened" by the tragedy. "The Bonfest Committee is greatly saddened to announce that a man in his fifties, a UK resident, sadly died on Saturday 30 April while attending Bonfest," the statement read. "The next of kin have been informed and there are no suspicious circumstances. "Our thoughts go out to his family and friends at this sad time." Bonfest, which took a two-year hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic, sees AC/DC fans from around the world coming together for three days of the best in rock music, including the greatest AC/DC tribute bands from around the world and also some very special guests. Kirriemuir was home to a young Ronald Bedford Scott until the age of six, when his family left Scotland for Fremantle, Western Australia. Scott was invited to join the band by Glasgow-born brothers and founding members Malcolm and Angus Young in 1974, and achieved international stardom before his death at the age of 33 in 1980. The singer died from alcohol poisoning. He sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums, including "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell". AC/DC guitarist Angus Young told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band almost didn't get past Scott's death. "Bon was big… He was a full-on frontman, plus he had this great character, you know," he said. "I mean, he just lived that rock 'n' roll life. With Bon, what you saw was what you got, and, yeah, it was pretty, pretty tough." -------------------------------------------------
Band -
any genre considered (even duo or solo) -
for The Bird Inn, High Hold,
Beamish DH2 1Q
for 4pm TODAY 1st May . 07793007350
NOT FILLED
----------------------------------------------------------
CLASSIC
CLAPTON
The Customs House, South Shields - Saturday 25 June CLASSIC CLAPTON - the
Eric Clapton Tribute Band featuring
Mike Hall will be playing their
second show in Tyne & Wear
in June.
The
band will be performing at the following
venue:-
The Customs House, Mill
Dam, South Shields on Saturday 25
June at 7.30pm. Tickets are
available from the box office 0191 454
1234 and at
www.customshouse.co.uk
Ticket price £20.50 incl booking fee.
You are advised to book early!
They
will perform all of EC's classic songs
including Wonderful Tonight, Tears in
Heaven, Crossroads, I Shot The Sheriff,
Lay Down Sally, Cocaine and of course
Layla!
There will even be an “UNPLUGGED” segment.
2
HOURS OF CLASSIC CLAPTON
The
band was formed in Newcastle in 1985 long
before the term “tribute band” was
invented and named themselves ''After
Midnight'' after EC’s first solo hit.In guitar/vocalist Mike Hall, the band possesses a front man who not only looks like Eric, he sings and plays guitar like him too! Mike has met Slowhand twice, and received a message of encouragement from the guitar maestro (written on a Concorde menu). In 2001 they embarked on their first extensive tour of UK Theatres. They called the tribute show "CLASSIC CLAPTON". Since then they have continued to perform throughout the UK & Ireland including concerts at The Royal Festival Hall, London and a triumphant appearance at Glastonbury Festival in 2002. They have performed numerous concerts in Europe including Spain, Estonia, Holland and France. In 2009 they appeared for the first time in Mumbai. They were invited back for 3 more concerts in India in 2016. This included performing in front of 3500 people in an open air arena in Mumbai. In 2017 they appeared in Colombo, Sri Lanka. CLASSIC CLAPTON comprises 4 excellent musicians:- Mike Hall (lead vocals/guitar), Danny Davison (drums) and Dave Robson (bass guitar /backing vocals). Dave is a former member of chart band Geordie. In fact he was with them at the time Brian Johnson left to join AC/DC. Mike, Dave & Danny are all original members of CLASSIC CLAPTON. Steve Hutchinson who originally joined the band in 2003 provides keyboards & backing vocals. He was a member of Animals 2 for 6 years during the 1990s alongside original members Hilton Valentine & John Steel. Classic Clapton have been booked to play in Co Kildare Ireland in September at a Castle which used to belong to Eric Clapton. It was his former home from 1979 - 1987 where his famous friends came to stay. The Castle is now privately owned & managed and has been carefully upgraded from a 10 bedroom property to a 55 Bedroom four star Hotel. Clapton has been a major international star since the mid 1960s, when he revolutionised electric guitar playing, with his virtuoso performances in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He has won an incredible 19 Grammies and is the only triple inductee into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Yardbirds, Cream and as a solo artist). Eric is now in his seventies. His recent tours unfortunately have visited only a limited number of large UK arenas. If fans want to hear all of his hits performed in more intimate surroundings, they really should attend a CLASSIC CLAPTON concert. The whole of Clapton's illustrious career will be covered including Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos and the solo years. Please visit the website:- www.classic-clapton.com https://www.customshouse.co.uk/music/classic-clapton/ (Customs House ticket link) https://www.facebook.com/events/287401486557531 (Customs House Facebook event) -------------------------------------------------------
UP
CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH TERRY GORMAN
 Just
received a handful of gigs from local
musician Terry Gorman and was intrigued
to see "An intimate evening in"
along with said gigs. Now, that took my mind
back to celebrated North-East lad Baz Warne (pre-Strangler days, but only
just).
 His banter was nearly as
big a pull as his guitar playing and each
gig with Baz was so different from the last.
So I wondered if Terry's gigs were in the
same vein. I also ruminated over the fact
that if you are in a band and something goes
wrong, say a guitar string breaks or the
singer forgets his words, you can wing it,
you have other members to take the strain,
you have support - but when you are on your
own, well . . . you're on your own. So I put
this very scenario to Terry in "an intimate"
interview: "Never
think about that Nige, I'm just  so over
the moon that live music is getting back
to normal and that I can look the
audience in the face." But I put it to
Terry that being out there, all alone, must
be a pressure? "Not
at all. I'm just so grateful to be at
venues, playing guitar, singing - and
telling crap jokes 7 nights a
week......and sometimes I even get paid
for it!!" So what about this "banter", is it scripted, do you have a list of things in your mind that you want to include? "You're having a laugh Nige, I just engage with the audience and talk about what I think will interest that particular crowd. People think themselves uninterestingly normal but you'd be surprised what they admit to and actually how fascinating they can be. I love every second talking with them. I remember one evening I mentioned when I played support to The Levellers a couple of times on the big stage in the barn at The Tan  Hill Inn
- I mean, when you get opportunities
like that it feels really great and puts
you on a high .... the next day I played
in the bar and a little dog wandered up
and urinated on my mike stand! That
really brings a singer songwriter right
back down to earth. Well, after I'd told
that story, there were some people in
that audience who'd actually been
there!" Don't use up your
anecdotes Terry, you'll have nothing left
for the gigs. "Don't
you worry Nige, I've lived a bit and
most of what I know I have to keep to
myself. There was this one time though,
me and my mate Chris Gooch were doing a
show with Hawkwind on BBC Radio
Newcastle. Well, the guys from
Hawkwind were smoking dope - but I got
the blame and was blacklisted for quite
a while after that."You can catch Terry Gorman, quite intimately, at one of his upcoming gigs - mentioned above - and of course all of his gigs are on Riffs Gig Listings page. "I think we are a very lucky bunch of people us music guys, long may it continue. I love every second!" --------------------------------------------------------
"We need to get more
heavy metal to Ukraine" Sky
News journalist
I think we can all get behind that . . . ---------------------------------------------------------
BANDS STILL WANTED FOR
SCHOONER FUNDRAISERS
There's
two big fundraisers coming up for The
Schooner in Gateshead and Paul is still
short of a few bands. The gigs are May 14
and May 21 (both Saturdays). Contact Paul on
07940715824. Mind you, Paul has omitted to
let Riffs know what he is raising funds for
- so maybe that's your first question. Oh,
and you'll get a fee - so "how
much" may be your second.
------------------------------------------------------------
  After two
postponements due to the pandemic Crookfest 10th Anniversary finally goes ahead
on bank holiday sunday May
1st. The one day music festival
first started in 2011 with local bands playing
inside Crook town's football club house known
as The Hut, and also in a marquee on the
pitch. In the beginning the fest was split
into two days: Saturday Dance
featuring mainly top DJs, and the Rock
Jam Sunday with cover/tribute bandsHowever, after three
years the local police decided Rock Music on a
Sunday was fine but that DJ beat on a Saturday
had to go due to the constant and extremely
high number of noise complaints they were
receiving, so Dance Saturday was no more.
However, Rock Jam -
now known as Crookfest - grew, and is
consistently a sell-out event with a loyal
established following that descends annually
on Crook Town May bank holiday Sunday.
Starting the party in the town centre pubs and
eateries with breakfast and a tipple before
heading up the street to the festival ground
which boasts three large marquees on the field
each with its own stage and line-up consisting
of UK touring tribute and local cover bands.
Headlining this
year's festival are local lads We are Champion a
tribute to Queen
with support from Guns
or Roses, The Kill, Kazabian, The
Breakfast Club, Fossil and
many more, plus must mention The Kieran Johnson
Collective - a one-off one day
only collection of Crook musicians you might
recognize from other bands. Kieran himself
being the only musician to have performed at
EVERY Crookfest - he was but a young lad in
his early teens way back in 2011. The
Collective can be seen headlining the Bar
Marquee.
For info about The
Crookfest All-Dayer check out http://www.crookfest.co.uk
 ---------------------------------------------------------
 ------------------------------------------------------------
 As always, a big thanks to
'The Seaham Silverback' for this review.
If he was too hungover to write a
review, I reckon this one picture says
it all . . .
 --------------------------------------------------------
 ALL bands are donating their time FREE OF CHARGE. Now, that's walking the walk. Any band appearing on this three-dayer can have a boxed advert on Riffs gratis. "Cor baby that's really free" ------------------------------------------------------
 ----------------------------------------------------------
Banned And
Censored Songs:
10 Tunes That Shocked The World Were the censors right? These banned songs caused controversy at the time but they ultimately beat the authorities, earning their place in music history. From perceived drug references to assaults on the authorities, sexually explicit content and product placement, the charts have often been a battleground between artists and censors. No shortage of musicians have found themselves with banned or controversial songs to their name, showing not just how far artists will go to in the battle over music censorship, but how far the censors will go to keep them quiet. But were the censors always right in their attacks on controversial records? These ten banned songs have refused to be silenced. Sex Pistols: God Save The Queen (1977)  While
the passing of time does nothing to dull
the impact of say, “Strange Fruit,”
listening to Sex Pistols’ “God Save The
Queen” today, it’s genuinely difficult to
appreciate the furor it caused. The
controversial song remains an utterly
thrilling slice of rebellious rock’n’roll,
but capable of causing the sort of
unspeakable damage to British society that
it was charged with at the time? Surely
not.Back in 1977, however, things were very different, and the band – singer John Lydon in particular – found themselves at the center of a moral panic. With the Queen of England’s Silver Jubilee on the horizon, the Pistols and their manager, Malcolm McLaren, sensed an opportunity to capitalize. On March 10, the group signed a new contract with A&M Records outside Buckingham Palace, and 25,000 copies of their anti-establishment tirade were pressed up. The celebrations, however, got out of hand – so much so that the label wiped its hands of the group just four days later and destroyed most of the singles. Enter Richard Branson and Virgin Records, who signed the Pistols on May 18 and decided to rush-release the song to coincide with the Queen’s anniversary bash. Despite a ban from the BBC, the single flew off the shelves, selling 200,000 in its first week. Yet, somehow, it didn’t hit the No.1 spot. Sensing the industry had cheated them, McLaren and the Pistols organized another stunt: on June 7 they played a wild gig on a boat as it floated down the Thames River, past the Houses Of Parliament, sending the tabloids into meltdown and securing the Pistols’ notoriety. NWA: F__k Tha Police (1988)  For young black men living
in LA in the late 80s, police harassment
was a fact of life. With the
subtlety-named Operation Hammer, launched
in 1987, the LAPD had declared war on gang
violence and, by the following year, had
arrested over 50,000 people. While most
had no way of venting their frustrations
(fewer than one percent of officers
investigated over allegations of extreme
force during the period were prosecuted),
NWA had the power of music at their
disposal. According to Ice Cube, “It was
just too much to bear, to be under that
kind of occupying force [the police], who
was abusive. It’s just, enough is enough.
Our music was our only weapon. Nonviolent
protest.” NWA’s response? The
uncompromising “F__k Tha Police,” a
lyrical tour de force that boldly called
the authorities out, with no scrimping on
the insults.The controversial song helped to cement NWA’s position as “The World’s Most Dangerous Group” and the record was banned from radio play, thus ramping up its notoriety. Infamously, copies of the lyric were faxed by police forces from city to city ahead of the band’s tour dates, increasing hostility and making it difficult for venues to find security. The Kinks: Lola (1971)  Surprisingly, the reason
that the BBC banned singer Ray Davies’
tale of ambiguous lust wasn’t the subject
matter as such. Despite detailing a
coming-of-age moment in which the narrator
is shocked – then accepting of – the
subject of his boozy affection’s gender,
the song was pulled up because of this
offending lyric: “Where they drink
champagne and it tastes just like
Coca-Cola,” which mentions a specific
product.The BBC’s strict product placement rules meant that “Lola” wasn’t played on the radio, hindering its chances of becoming a hit. It was decided that Davies would replace the name of the offending drink with the more generic “cherry cola.” Unfortunately, The Kinks were on tour in the States at the time and the master tapes were in the UK. Davies boarded a plane back to the UK after a gig in Minnesota, had a go at the overdub, didn’t quite manage it so flew back for a gig in Chicago… after which he returned to London where he finally nailed it. The controversial song ruled the airwaves, The Kinks had their biggest hit for years and, presumably, Ray put his feet up for a bit. Neil Young: This Note’s For You (1988)  Never
one to pander to industry expectations,
Neil Young spent his 80s wrongfooting even
those who expected a certain contrariness
from the singer-songwriter, releasing a
string of albums that confused fans and
led to his label suing him for making
unrepresentative records. It’s
unsurprising, then, that he viewed the
then-fledgling trend for musicians
endorsing brands with some cynicism.The title track of his 1988 album, This Note’s For You, offered no illusions as to how he felt about the growing corporate influence on music, with Young in a defiant mood: “Ain’t singing for Pepsi, ain’t singing for Coke/I don’t sing for nobody, makes me look like a joke.” To accompany the song’s single release, Young made a video that went further still – mocking advertising tropes (the smoky bar, stylized black-and-white perfume ads) and including Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston lookalikes, as a dig at some of the performers who’d taken the advertising dollar. The all-important MTV, however, was not amused, banning the video. Young wrote a fantastically blunt open letter to the TV station, beginning, “MTV, you spineless twerps,” and ending with, “What does the ‘M’ in MTV stand for: music or money? Long live rock and roll.” Still, the controversial song became a hit, MTV eventually caved and, in 1989, “This Note’s For You” won their Video Of The Year award. Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Relax (1983)  It’s
amazing what a bit of good old-fashioned
scandal can do for a controversial song.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s debut single,
“Relax,” had spent a couple of months
ambling up the UK Top 100 singles chart,
in seemingly no particular hurry until it
hit the Top 40, earning itself a spin on
DJ Mike Read’s BBC Radio 1 chart rundown.
Though not on the BBC’s list of banned
songs, midway through the track, Read cut
the song short, having apparently just
realized the Olympian level of innuendo at
play. Frankie’s enterprising manager, Paul
Marley, cannily recognized the value in
making the establishment the enemy and
spread the rumor that the DJ had banned
the song from Radio 1.Read has since insisted that it wasn’t in his power to do so, claiming that the only reason the track was cut was due to time constraints. But the “ban” worked wonders: “Relax” spent five weeks at No.1 in the UK before becoming a worldwide hit, launching Frankie Goes To Hollywood as a pop phenomenon - even though it later transpired that none of the band actually played on their records! Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Spasticus Autisticus (1981)  Having
contracted polio at the age of seven,
leaving him crippled for life and
suffering an adolescence at the hands of
what passed for disabled schools in the
50s, Ian Dury knew the harsh realities of
living with disabilities. When the UN
declared that 1981 would be the
International Year Of Disabled Persons,
Dury felt patronized by the idea that a
disparate group of people were the cause
du jour and penned “Spasticus Autisticus”
in response.The controversial song’s in-your-face tone, its refusal to sugar-coat the disabled experience, and deftly-written remarks as to how truly altruistic charitable giving is (“So place your hard-earned peanuts in my tin, and thank the Creator you’re not in the state I’m in”) were enough for local radio stations and the BBC to deem the lyrics offensive and add “Spasticus Autisticus” to their list of banned songs. But the thing about art this unflinching is that it doesn’t tend to go away. Dury’s war-cry of a song might have somewhat stalled his career (amazingly, it was chosen as his first major-label single), but its power remains undiminished. Movingly, “Spasticus Autisticus” was performed at the opening ceremony for London’s Paralympic Games in 2012 by the Graeae Theatre Company, made up of disabled performers. Loretta Lynn: The Pill (1975)  “I was the first one to
write it like the women lived it,” Loretta
Lynn once said of her straight-talking
songs. They certainly won her a devoted
following, as Lynn became one of the most
successful country acts of all time. But
conservative country radio stations
routinely banned her controversial songs,
including “Fist City,” “Rated X,” “Don’t
Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your
Mind)” and her highest-placing single on
the US chart to date, “The Pill.”Though Lynn wrote and recorded “The Pill” in 1975, her record label, MCA, sat on the song for three years before releasing it, fully aware of the effect that a single seemingly advocating the use of oral contraceptives could have on the country music establishment. There had been plenty of country songs about abortion and birth control, but none in which the singer happily equates it with having more freedom of choice. The tone of Lynn’s performance could well have been the thing that upset the radio stations, and plenty of them banned the song. Even The New York Times took notice, reporting on its success with the headline “Unbuckling The Bible Belt”. The uproar only helped “The Pill” become yet another massive hit for Lynn. Scott Walker: Jackie (1967)  BBC Radio 1 was launched
in September 1967 as the Beeb’s response
to the popularity of the edgy pirate radio
stations that were catering to the
hip’n’happening youth of the day. Still,
despite their attempts to court the cool
crowd, they were a long way from accepting
some of the more risqué releases.On hearing the lyrics to Scott Walker’s cover of Jacques Brel’s “La Chanson De Jacky” – which spoke of “authentic queers and phony virgins”, not to mention “boats of opium” – BBC bosses grew nervous enough to make it the first of what would become many banned songs the station refused to play. A terrific shame, as the airwaves were a duller prospect without it, in all of its galloping, foul-mouthed glory. The Beatles: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds/A Day In The Life (1967)  By
1967, The Beatles were old hands when it
came to controversy. After all, it goes
with the territory when you’re constantly
expanding the parameters of pop. They’d
managed to offend the more fanatical
elements of the US when John Lennon
suggested the band might be more
meaningful to young people than religion,
and they’d put out an album with a cover
that was deemed so controversial it had to
be recalled (the “butcher sleeve” artwork
for the US-only album Yesterday &
Today).But it wasn’t until the release of Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band that they found themselves on the BBC’s list of banned songs: “A Day In The Life” and “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” were both refused airplay thanks to what were perceived as hints of illicit drug use. Despite the group’s insistance over the years that the songs had nothing to do with mind-altering substances, they nevertheless became celebrated among the emerging counterculture. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg : Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus (1969)  In 1967, the French
actress Brigette Bardot was a pin-up the
world over and Serge Gainsbourg was one of
many millions enraptured by her. The
roguish composer’s infatuation was
different, however, in that it resulted in
him signing Bardot to his record label
and, despite her being married, convincing
her to go on a date with him. Exacerbated
by booze, Gainsbourg’s nerves got the
better of him and he blew it. Or so he
thought. The next day, Bardot called,
offering him a chance to redeem himself –
he’d just have to write her “the most
beautiful love song he could imagine”. He
wrote two for good measure: “Bonnie &
Clyde” and the altogether lustier “Je
T’aime… Moi Non Plus.”The pair became lovers and recorded a version of “Je T’aime…” that was steamy enough to cause a scandal in the French press, leading Bardot to plead with Gainsbourg to shelve it. But he knew the song was too good not to return to and, in 1969, he convinced his new girlfriend, the English actress Jane Birkin, to sing Bardot’s parts. The moans, groans, and heavy breathing caused a sensation, leading to a ban from the BBC and even a denouncement from the Vatican. That only added fuel to the fire. In the UK it became the first banned single (and first foreign-language single) to reach the top of the charts, despite its status as one of the most controversial banned songs of the 60s. HONOURABLE MENTIONS The Kingsmen – Louie, Louie No one can ever seem to understand what the lyrics are actually about, which meant that the song was banned from radio in certain areas… and even led to an FBI investigation. Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl The original title for this song was “Brown Skinned Girl,” detailing an interracial relationship. But while Van Morrison was happy to change the lyric to ensure radio play, others still took issue with the lyric “making love in the green grass.” The Rolling Stones – (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction Mick Jagger once complained that critics didn’t even understand the dirtiest line in this song, but it was controversial enough to create outcry at the time of its release. Madonna – Dress You Up Part of the infamous “Filthy Fifteen” that was drawn up by Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center, this controversial Madonna song is one of many risque tunes from the Queen of Pop. It led to Congressional hearings, in which Frank Zappa famously defended artistic expression. Britney Spears – If U Seek Amy Hear the chorus in a particular way, and you’re hearing Britney Spears spell out one of the seven words you’re never supposed to say on the US airwaves. Body Count – Cop Killer Ice-T’s metal project went in with this controversial song fantasizing about killing a cop. Needless to say, there was huge outrage about the lyrics, leading to the group taking it off their debut album. The Everly Brothers – Wake Up Little Susie The Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Boston asked that this song be banned from radio play in the late 1950s, claiming that it was far too ribald. Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight Clear Channel Communications banned this Phil Collins classic after the tragic events of 9/11, worried that any song related to air might remind listeners of the World Trade Center attacks. (It had been previously been banned by the BBC during the Persian Gulf War in the early 90s when tensions were high in the Middle East, for similar reasons.) Beach Boys – God Only Knows In the United States of the 1960s, invoking the name of God in a pop song was regarded as blasphemy, leading to some radio stations banning the Beach Boys classic. 2 Live Crew – Me So Horny The sexual content of the songs from these rap pioneers led to a case that was eventually settled in the US Supreme Court. Billie Holiday – Strange Fruit Blocked from radio over the content of the lyrics, which recount the horrific lynching of two African-American men, Billie Holiday’s unsparing song is still remarkably powerful. --------------------------------------------------  I really can't
imagine many people in the
North-East not knowing the name JON FOOTTIT - indeed,
Riffs has crossed paths with Jon on
several occasions (no doubt some lost in
the hazy memory mist) but at least we
remember him when Val and myself
reviewed RIOT
and more recently the brilliant but
much-underated UFO
tribute - OBSESSION.
And probably he's snuck into other local
bands too as Jon does not thrust himself
on to anyone and, although a mighty
axe-man on stage, offstage he's quiet
and unassuming. Riffs has always rated
Jon's playing immensely highly and not
until now did we realise just how many
great bands he has played in.Brought up on Queen, Zeppelin, Lizzy and the likes, once he'd heard UFO with Michael Schenker he was hooked - he picked up the acoustic guitar his parents had gifted him when he was around 14 years old and practiced fervently. One of his early successes was with Mai Rouge, but the band split after recording just one EP - 'Take It Or Leave It'. Joining Alan Clark, vocalist with Change of Heart, around 1999 he recorded two albums - 'Continuum' and 'Truth Or Dare' and played at the God's AOR Festival in Wigan two years in succession. After a relatively quiet period Jon resurfaced in several local bands including Discovery, Riot, The Rising and Jump The Gun. In 2016 he joined NWOBHM band Chrome Molly and recorded the album 'HooDooVooDoo'. They toured with and supported Gun, Graham Bonnett, Dead Daisies, Dave Bickler (Survivor) and played at the first Stonedead festival in Newark and NWBHM festival in the O2 Sheffield to name just a few.  Nick
Wastell the bass player from Chrome Molly
was asked to join Wayward Sons
with Toby
Jepson and things
went quiet on the Molly
front. Jon then
put together a UFO/Michael
Schenker
tribute band called Obsession,
playing the music of one of
his biggest heros. Jon told me
that although Obsession
went down very well there was
just not enough interest in
what was considered 'not a
mainstream' band. Riffs review
of
Obsession is on
our Archive pages and you will
see we were more than just a
little impressed. A thumbs up
from Colin Smoult and drummer
Geordie and is not to be
sneezed at either!"It made me realise how focused I can be" So we come to present day and his cd - EQUILIBRIUM. "I've had cassettes just brimming with ideas floating around for . . . must be well over 20 years, and it took lockdown to push me into writing a rock instrumental album" explained Jon. "I initially recorded the album on my home recording gear and was really pleased with the feedback I got". Jon continued. "So I went ahead and re-did it in a professional studio with a great engineer." [John Taylor and his studio “Mirage Studios”]. Jon told Riffs exclusively: "It made me realise how focused I can be and how once I started to create it became addictive and sometimes didn’t know when to stop."  "Here
ya go, get a load of this
from a Yorkshireman"I asked Jon what he had learnt from playing support to big name acts: "When I have supported major bands I have gone on stage with the attitude of 'Here ya go, get a load of this from a Yorkshireman'." "Doug Aldrich from The Dead daisies/Whitesnake, complimented me on my playing and shook my hand after a support slot at Leicester O2 academy. It made me realise that all the years of playing and endless hours practicing does pay off." So Equilibrium was born, very much in the style of Schenker, Petrucci, Vai, Rhodes, Satriani but with a big dollop of himself in there. Jon was quite honest: "The album was all self-financed, so if anyone is interested please buy it locally. I get something like a millionth of a penny if downloaded!!" Although on the bright side Jon has been offered a distribution deal and has also had some good airplay on UK Rock radio stations. "Enjoy it and see where it takes you" So what advice would you give someone wanting to join or form a Rock band? "Just enjoy it and see where it takes you. Keep grounded and take in as much as you can. You must enjoy practicing and learning and it’s a lifetime of dedication and hard work. Very frustrating at times. I have never reached the heights of stardom and not many do in the Rock music industry these days but my main objective was to be recognized as a good guitar player. I think I have achieved what I set out to do and with a bit better luck and right time and place I could have gone further." ---------------------------------------------------------------
 Below are three examples that Riffs did for Tommy Steelies: 
 email riffsonline@gmail.com and we can do the same for YOU [Just had an email from Graham asking if we can do a full A4 posta of his next three months gigs so he can print it off at home. Of course. A tenner. Job done!] And also from Tommy Steelies who has asked me to quote him: "I’m highly delighted with the quality and especially the price" --------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLASSIC
CLAPTON
Playhouse, Whitley Bay - Sunday 8 May The Customs House, South Shields - Saturday 25 June  CLASSIC CLAPTON -
the Eric Clapton Tribute Band
featuring Mike Hall will be playing
two shows in Tyne & Wear during
May & June.The band will be performing
at the following venues:-
Playhouse Whitley Bay,
Marine Avenue on Sunday 8 May at
7.30pm. Tickets are £20 (+ booking
fee) from the box office - 0844 248 1588,
online at
www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk
The Customs House, Mill Dam, South Shields on Saturday 25 June at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from the box office 0191 454 1234 and at www.customshouse.co.uk Ticket price £20.50 incl booking fee. You are advised to book early! They will perform all of EC's classic songs including Wonderful Tonight, Tears in Heaven, Crossroads, I Shot The Sheriff, Lay Down Sally, Cocaine and of course Layla! There will even be an “UNPLUGGED” segment. 2 HOURS OF CLASSIC
CLAPTON
The
band was formed in Newcastle in 1985 long
before the term “tribute band” was
invented and named themselves ''After
Midnight'' after EC’s first solo hit.In guitar/vocalist Mike Hall, the band possesses a front man who not only looks like Eric, he sings and plays guitar like him too! Mike has met Slowhand twice, and received a message of encouragement from the guitar maestro (written on a Concorde menu). In 2001 they embarked on their first extensive tour of UK Theatres. They called the tribute show "CLASSIC CLAPTON". Since then, they have continued to perform throughout the UK & Ireland including concerts at The Royal Festival Hall, London and a triumphant appearance at Glastonbury Festival in 2002. They have performed numerous concerts in Europe including Spain, Estonia, Holland and France. In 2009 they appeared for the first time in Mumbai. They were invited back for 3 more concerts in India in 2016. This included performing in front of 3500 people in an open air arena in Mumbai. In 2017 they appeared in Colombo, Sri Lanka. CLASSIC CLAPTON comprises 4 excellent musicians:- Mike Hall (lead vocals/guitar), Danny Davison (drums) and Dave Robson (bass guitar /backing vocals). Dave is a former member of chart band Geordie. In fact he was with them at the time Brian Johnson left to join AC/DC. Mike, Dave & Danny are all original members of CLASSIC CLAPTON. Steve Hutchinson who originally joined the band in 2003 provides keyboards & backing vocals. He was a member of Animals 2 for 6 years during the 1990s alongside original members Hilton Valentine & John Steel. Classic Clapton have been booked to play in Co Kildare Ireland in September at a Castle which used to belong to Eric Clapton. It was his former home from 1979 - 1987 where his famous friends came to stay. The Castle is now privately owned & managed and has been carefully upgraded from a 10 bedroom property to a 55 Bedroom four star Hotel. Clapton has been a major international star since the mid 1960s, when he revolutionised electric guitar playing, with his virtuoso performances in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He has won an incredible 19 Grammies and is the only triple inductee into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Yardbirds, Cream and as a solo artist). Eric is now in his seventies. His recent tours unfortunately have visited only a limited number of large UK arenas. If fans want to hear all of his hits performed in more intimate surroundings, they really should attend a CLASSIC CLAPTON concert. The whole of Clapton's illustrious career will be covered including Cream, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos and the solo years. Please visit the website:- www.classic-clapton.com https://www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk/events/classic-clapton-performed-by-after-midnight-2022/ (Whitley Bay ticket link) https://www.facebook.com/events/587222049284721 (Whitley Bay Facebook event) https://www.customshouse.co.uk/music/classic-clapton/ (Customs House ticket link) https://www.facebook.com/events/287401486557531 (Customs House Facebook event) ------------------------------------------------------
Never
ceases to amaze me just how much time and
trouble a group of men go to to please
others. Now, hold on here, just let me
explain...........I'm talking about
musicians.
These guys have practiced their art on the instrument of their choice and are reasonably confident at what they do. They then get together with other like-minded musicians to form a band, sussing out appropriate equipment. Then arrange rehearsal sessions and hone their skills - sometimes frighteningly good. A gig is sorted and they all get their gear to the venue, set it all up, check the sound and then hopefully play to an enthusiastic audience.  What
sometimes seems to be barely minutes later
they have the unenviable task (sometimes
late at night and after a few drams of the
falling down water) of stripping down all
that gear and transporting it back home
again. "Where have you been all bloody
night? Playing a gig? I should cocoa,
you've been out with your hussy tart from
round the corner again!" Now, if you manage to come home with a few notes in your pocket that's surely some recompense for all your sweat and hard work. Hope you're all still with me here cos I am getting to my point: What if you were to go through all this hassle and then GIVE AWAY any hard-earned that you achieved? Giving it to people who are more deserving than yourself [now hold on Nige. After all this I think we're bloody deserving ourselves don't you think?]. That is why Riffs will always, but always pull out all the stops to give a mensh to those who give to others - even when it's so tempting to shove that wad of cash in your pocket. So a big mega supa dupa shout to those Queen tribute lads........QWEEN UK   They played at the
Mayfair Suite in Hartlepool the
other night to a capacity crowd
and gave a cheque for £630 to
Hartlepool Hospice.
There will always be room on Riffs pages for bands who give selflessly of their time, energy and passion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 CROOKFEST
10th Anniversary
SUNDAY
1st MAY
big tent: WE ARE CHAMPION (Queen trib) / GUNS OR ROSES / KAZABIAN / THE KILL UK / REVOLVER / FOSSIL scooter tent: GIMME A TRIBUTE / THE BREAKFAST CLUB / CAPTAIN ROCK / ARTIFICIAL MONKEYS / LITTLE DEVIL / OASISJAM bar marquee: KIERAN JOHNSON COLLECTIVE / PUNK POP DISASTER / MONKEY PUNCH / OIL CITY SHAKERS / HERETICS / LOCK N LOAD Crook Football Ground DL15 9PW Noon to10.30pm Tickets £15/£20/£25 all info http://www.crookfest.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------
 "Probably one of the most entertaining nights in a long time" ---------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt there's quite a few
people looking forward to Mother's day.
Well, how about forgoing it this year and
making a donation to support Ukraine? You'll
feel so so so much better..........
ROCK FOR UKRAINE
 'On
what’s bound to be a crazy day, Fizzyfish are proud to be headlining
a benefit gig for Ukraine in Hartlepool on
Good Friday atThe Corporation Club, Whitby Street Hartlepool Noon until 2am. All proceeds being split between Oxfam and Unicef. It’s one of many I am sure that are being planned and Colin Barber, the head of the small team that are trying to pull this together, has had to endure his fair share of negative comments. Yes we are aware of Yemen and Syria amongst many of the conflicts around the globe, but you have to act on what has people’s attention at the time. Of the many bands and musicians that are lending their time and effort to this event, none are under any illusions about how small a ripple this will cause, we aren’t going to change the world but ignoring it certainly won’t, we are just putting extra hands on the tiller. What’s on offer is a quality day of mainly original music from a Hartlepool centric roster including members of the much missed Jar Family. Many genres being represented and topped off with a bunch of farts too old and weak to be on the front line singing other people's songs to a hopefully generous audience. If it raises enough money and awareness to help one person, then that has to be a start. The Sound for the day being provided by Soundwaves PA hire, everyone is pulling in the right direction on this. The
lineup and has already caught the
imagination of the local area, we hope for a
sell out with the whole day costing just £10
or half day for £6 available via
https://www.facebook.com/RockForUkraineHartlepool'
Alan
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tommy Steelies
asked Riffs to "knock up a couple of
posters for me
for my website" and, as Tommy is
a regular advertiser with us,
then I have no probs giving some deets in advance
of a couple of
crackin' gigs coming up later in the
year. Just to
clarify
the ticket situation (cos
even I got muddled here)
Tickets are available from
venue at the face price;
available from www.ents24
with fees, and available
on the door for price stated
in advert.
------------------------------------------------------------
A little
taster
for the NE Street Band gig in
April..........
https://www.facebook.com/100049703654939/posts/483302240003227/ ------------------------------------------------------
 It's not often one
gets a chance to see a crackin' Pink Floyd tribute in the
North East, and even more so with this lurgy
still hanging around - although I'm sure it
has got the message that it's just not
welcome around here. So you can imagine
that Easington
Colliery Club is rather over the
moon to have snapped up a rare appearance by
(what their own publicity describes as)
'Pink Floyd's #1 tribute' - SHINE ON. It's on April 29 and
tickets are a very reasonable £10 in advance
and £12 door.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
News coming in of a Rock Tribute
Festival for
Saturday July 23 featuring (in no
particular order) AC/DC/GB,
10cclo, Ultimate Bowie, A Foreigners
Journey and
Van Hailen. Early bird tickets
are available although Riffs does not know
the price yet. It's at the Rose Inn in Wallsend.
All details can be had by phoning 07922
379475. As always, more info when we get
it........ and we've just got some: A
Foreigners Journey are headliners.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Hot on
the heels of the new Rock Solid line-up
changes, ex-Solids chanter CJ has teamed up
with the band’s guitarist to form Sceptre, a
softer classic Rock duet. Playing stuff from
70s & 80s such as Whitesnake, Tom
Petty, Toto, Nazareth and Sweet
this promises to be an act that could see
the guys able to move into smaller venues
that couldn’t have coped with a 5 piece band
and all the associated gear. The band are
taking bookings now, contact Paul on: 07855
961 526. Expect the same levels of
virtuosity and professionalism we’ve come to
expect from Paul and CJ over the past
decades.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ROCK N
BLUES EXTRAVAGANZA FOR HARTLEPOOL
Hallelujah
2 update South Durham
Social - Hartlepool Steelies:
November 11, 12 and 13: 17 bands and
one solo artiste
Friday: Greg Brice solo - Ramblin Preachers - Bates Motel - Brave Rival - Redfish - Dom Martin Band Sat: Jack J Hutchison - Cosmic Trip Advisors - Bad Day Blues - The Milk Men - Cinelli Bros - Chris Bevington Organisation Sun: Jo Carly and Dry Skulls - James Oliver Band - Rebecca Downes Band - The Achievers - Hiding Magpies - Howlin Ric and the Rocketeers Starts at 1.30 and finishes at 11.30 each day......tkts are £100 for full weekend 07535 979658 ------------------------------------------------------
Just
now hearing about an upcoming Blues Festival
entitled Hallelujah 2. South Durham Social -
Hartlepool Steelies - had such a success
with last year's event that Tommy is putting
together another Blues extravaganza for this
November. Very early days but these are the
bands that he has arranged so far. We will
post further details of times, prices etc
when it's sorted:
Nov
11 12 and 13 this year, called Hallelujah 2,
bands booked inc
Dom
Martin Band - The Cinelli Brothers - Jo
Carley and the Dry Skulls - Chris Bevington
Organisation - Howlin Ric and the Rocketeers
- The Ramblin Preachers - Redfish - The
Bates Motel - Cosmic Trip Advisors - Brave
Rival - James Oliver Band - Bad Day Blues
Band - Rebecca Downes Band - The Achievers -
The Milk Men - Jack J Hutchison Band - Greg
Brice - The Hiding Magpies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Limited tickets left................. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BAND NEEDED FOR MARCH Band wanted, playing mainly Indie tunes, for 5th March in Hartlepool please ring 07535979658 if interested, thank you MISTEAKS HAPPEN   A
better reason for
checking your gig listings are showing
correctly I cannot think of than
what happened on Riffs Tuesday recently. I
got the list
of gigs
for vibrant rockers STARZ and
duly added them to the Gig Listings
page and informed guitarist Kenny they
were all in. Seemed fine to me
- but after a frantic email from
Kenny, it was obvious
that I had put all their March
gigs in for
February!Had them down for Friday of this week - tonight - for The Penny Gill when in fact it is MIDNITE BLUE who are on. All sorted now, but it just shows you how easy it is for mistakes to happen - so PLEASE always check your listings - there could be an idiot on the keyboard!................ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  I‘m
sorry to have to report that Stan Morson died at 2.30 this
morning (Monday 31) in St Benedict’s Hospice in
Ryhope. Riffs met him a couple of times, the
review Val and Nige did of the Alcatraz Houses
band mentions him as the manager who made them
both welcome and kept them watered during the
night. Stan was known and respected by many bands
and Rock fans across the North East and could
probably be said to be responsible for the buoyant
Rock scene we have in the Houghton-le-Spring area
today.He set up the Buffalos Rock Club in Houghton Buffs and went on to oversee its transfer to Houghton Comms when Wetherspoons bought the original Buffs club. Stan’s day job for many years was the manager of Houghton Kepier Hall and there he set up another well loved venue for live music before his retirement about 5 years ago. Stan joined the army immediately after leaving school and rose to the rank of Major, by the time he retired he was well known and respected in Houghton where he grew up. He was an absolute, old fashioned gentleman whose word was his bond. A more reliable and steadfast friend could not be found. Keep the Faith Stan, Keep the Faith. The Seaham Silverback [pic: Stan Morson on right, at one of the 'less than pc' parties] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The truth is out, the lies are old But you don't want to know  So .
. . Blakk Sabbath. The wife and I walked
down to the Glendale on Friday 28th and got in
about 7.30 and were surprised to see the place was
already getting on for half full. The band’s gear
was unloaded and set up, the backdrop in place and
their lights etc hung up. The instrument level
settings were a little painful at times, but
mercifully short. However, when the levels were
set the sound was excellent and remained so all
evening. As the 9.00pm start time arrived there
wasn’t a seat left - quite literally standing room
only, and there were a significant number of faces
I didn’t recognise, the band had obviously
attracted a new intake of punters. The only
photograph I took all night shows 3 members of the
band who came on stage amid smoke, dressed in
black. At this point I knew we were in for a
performance, rather than just a gig. Then “Ozzy”
appeared complete with wig, eye liner and white
make-up. Yup, this looked the part.Now I’m
something of a heretic where Sabbath are
concerned, I believe Tony Martin and Ronnie James Dio
were far superior singers than the
original Prince of Darkness. This is not
to say though Ozzy hasn’t put out some
stellar songs. Now, as I said,
the place was packed and doubtless the
club will have been over the moon after
some of the poor turn outs in the past few
months and I’m genuinely pleased for them,
they kept faith with putting on live Rock
music even when it was costing them money.
Two of the next 3 gigs involving The Force and Rock Solid should help
reinforce that faith. But back to Friday
night, there were loads of folk in the
audience who were absolutely enraptured by
the performance, singing along and playing
their air guitars and drums so the gig was
a total hit. The sound the band achieved
was superb. It’s not often you single out
the drummer as being something really
special, but the guy on the skins played a
blinder. The guitarist and bassist were on
the money too and the whole show spoke of
endless hours of practice together. As the evening wore on Ozzy’s
voice improved; the first 4 or 5 songs
were pretty grim but the last 2 numbers in
the first set, Snowblind and Sabbath
Bloody Sabbath, were nearer where they
should have been. If you’re a Sabbath fan
you’ll love them and if you run a venue
there’s every chance they’ll fill the
place.
The
Seaham Silverback
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Haven't heard back from Paul
Tuns regarding his venue (The Three Tuns,
Gateshead) looking for a band for tonight
(29) - so if you want that gig then text
him on 07940715824. If, of course, you are
already down for this gig then let Riffs
know and we will add it to our Listings
page..............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The Grammy award winning singer, who sold 100 million albums worldwide and starred in over 65 movies, died on Thursday night. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU PISS OFF THE BAND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS Last Saturday (15th) a band travelled up from Leeds to play at a North-East club, upon entering the rear of the club a committee man took exception to the singer's wife and 16-year-old daughter accompanying them and words were had. The singer was reported to have said "we don't need your money" the band then got back in their van and returned to Leeds. Of course Riffs has more details. What a sad state of affairs. If we were dealing with grown-ups this could all have been avoided. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Think that's everything to do with archives up and linked. It's taken a while and my brain is like porridge at the mo' so please please please if you notice a link or something that isn't right please email me and I will sort it. Just put the finishing touches to the Archives section for Riffs old reviews - well, I think it's finished, who knows. I've just added a Black Rose review at the Three Tuns that Val penned and that I had forgotten. Also her review of The Janitors that I have just added and also one of Whey Aye C/DC. And I think that's the lot, unless someone out there remembers a review that isn't appearing in the archives. Let me know and I'll do my best to find it. Oh, and I'm adding Miscellaneous reviews from Moo!pmsbull and a couple of others in the next few days. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COLLATERAL AND REVIVAL BLACK FOR TRILLIANS Eye-catching doubler we've just become aware of (cheers Gary!) on at Trillians on the 13th featuring COLLATERAL and REVIVAL BLACK. Apparently Gary's wife Angela asked Collateral personally to attend the gig and would be more than happy if loadsa punters would fill the place to please both bands - and no doubt Gary and Angela. Having had a quick peek on Youtube, Riffs is mightily impressed with both bands but rather taken with Revival Black who appear less over-produced and more gritty. A gig, we suspect, that may be very well worth attending.......... Tickets are £11 from Trillians website. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some news now of a local band who have recruited a new singer: ROCK SOLID have now secured the services of Mick Hanby, ex-Witchkraft and more recently Heartbreaker. CJ was a mainstay of the band for many, many years, so filling those shoes will be no mean feat but, according to a Riffs source: "Mick is an all-round good guy, and a canny chanter to boot". Riffs has always had a soft spot for Rock Solid who have always sang dependable no-compromising Rock classics, so we sincerely hope the band will continue in this vein for many years to come. And if the band wish to send in any pics of their new line up we will gladly post........... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holy smoke and sweet desire  And it was ON THIS DAY (December 31) in 1973 that AC/DC had their very first gig - at Chequers Bar in Sydney. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just
had an email asking
for Riffs opening hours over
Christmas (I know, I know).
Well, our London Knightsbridge
offices will be open . . .
. oh, you were serious?
Well, for
those who don't know -
Most of Riffs Towers will
be closed, well, the top
three floors will be, the
ground floor will still be
open
but with only a skeleton
staff (and with the
age
of some of them you
know why
they're
called that).
Any late
additions or
amends will be
catered for as
all incoming
emails will be
bounced from the
nearest
geosychronous
satellite to
our bank of
servers which
if we're
asleep automatically
ignites
a candle that
will
burn through a
string allowing
a heavy weight
to . . . no,
hold on, that
was Wallace
and Gromit.
The upshot
is -
yeah, always
open.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just a quick apology to anyone who saw the Platinum gig in Riffs Listings and decided to go to Hetton Big Club last Friday (26th) and got stung by a £4 cover charge (it's Sat noon and I'm awaiting a review of the gig by the Seaham Silverback, let's just see if they were worth it). This charge was not mentioned on Riffs as we were never informed. We have a policy of "all gigs start around 9 and are free unless otherwise stated". The club has now been added to our Naughty List. (You think we're joking?) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Received this email from VainGlorious and was, to say the least, mightily impressed. None more so because it also has a couple of very good tracks from our very own The Force. I recreate the email in its entirety for your delectation . . . Look What They Dun to Me Song Man VainGloriousUK.com has made available a monster of a music compilation via its Spend One English Penny section. This means that anyone with a PayPal account can download the whole album of 37 bright shiny mp3s for 1p. We have assembled, by way of arm twisting, bribery and inspirational jiggery-pokery, a rich musical tapestry of stupendous and/or eccentric cover versions – A Right Mucky Mixture! Normally VainGloriousUK.com is concerned in seeking out to make available, interesting music associated with the North East which is of the original, self-written variety. We have of course always been aware that most musicians at some time are also inclined to interpret songs that they have a musical/spiritual/sexual affinity with. So we are delighted to be able to present the following artists for your benefit (spot the established artist nestling among them): Art Fixter, The Attention Seekers, Blue Bishops, Brass Alley, Crossroads, Cruise, Dave Ditchburn, Dean Crimdon Dimension, Deep Blues Sea, DisGuise, Flaming Mussolinis, Graeme Wheatley, The Force, Hawking Thompson and Whitaker, Jim Hornsby, Jimmy McKenna’s TVA Combo, Johnny Never is FKD, Holiday Patrons, The Skapones, The Loud Guitars, The MontGolfiers, Spring Usher, Strangers on a Stage, The Switch, Tom Robinson, Trevor Sewell, UnderGroove, Wagga Jawaka, Wendells Parlour, The White Negroes, The Wild Bunch (featuring Mick Whitaker and Phil Caffrey). We nearly made this into volumes 1, 2 and 3 but then thought aah it’s nearly Christmas. Do select the link below to read all about the songs and artists and remember to scroll to the very end (it is an epic) to spend your penny. Regards Chas Groovy http://www.vaingloriousuk.com/album/look-wot-they-dun-to-me-song-man-98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  RESPECT THE BOSSIf you wish to see The Boss's band in action you need to be quick as they have only three gigs left this year: Dec 4th - The Peacock in Sunderland; Dec 11th - The Greenhouse in Tynemouth; Dec 30th - The Voyager in South Shields. Ticket prices and start times vary, but all gigs have a support act. Details, as always, on our Listings page. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CAN YOU HANDLE THE JUICE?  We have no other gigs listed for this band! YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE JUICE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Now, don't click on the pic and try to book her - you're not on your 'special' site now, you are on Riffs. She really is a lead singer. And for all of you who think I'm biased towards Rock and Metal - well, okay, perhaps I am, but this little bit of tottie [er . . . Nige, I 'm not sure if you can say that]. Can't I? okay then, this 'gentleman' sings in a party band - yes a party band. They don't play any Motorhead, nor Purple, nor Priest - although CCR does get an outing [so why are you mentioning them on Riffs?]. Well, despite the fact that I know booker Don of old and has helped top up Riffs' coffers pot by partaking in some boxed ads, bands are struggling and there is a place for ALL types of music on the circuit. Not everyone wants their ears blasted with Ace of Spades or Strange Kind of Woman - heaven knows why though! I may not be a fan, I may not ever turn up at one of their gigs - but a little push now and then I am able to do. The band is SOPHISTICATE and, from what I can see on their Facebook page, they certainly get the crowd up and dancing. And with Christmas coming up, they may just be what your venue needs.............. an email to Don at price_dt@hotmail.com will bestow on you further details.... Until then, pull your eyes away from that gentleman's lips and instead feast them on Sophisticate wowing the punters here. That's done, now need to redress the balance with some metal . . . think this should do the job - play frightening, unbelievably, ear-splittingly live - what's a bit of tinnitus anyway . . .  My neighours love this so much they've actually smashed my windows so they can hear it better............ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROCK 2 RECOVERY GOES TOXIC  Never tire here at Riffs giving publicity to charity gigs. I'm well aware that some people yawn and think "oh, bloody charity again, sick of hearing about charity". Yeah, no doubt they're the ones that have a steady job, lovely friends and don't need to scrimp and save - or suffer from health or mental issues. All well and good for them.  But
some souls put
themselves out
for those that
need it. Get
along to
Angels Place
in Sunderland
last
sat
(20th) where
you missed
TOXIC
playing Pistols, Clash, Ramones, Damned etc all in
aid of
Rock 2
Recovery
for their PEAKY BLINDERS themed charity evening.It's not cheap at £10 a ticket but every penny is going to help those less fortunate. If you're one of the thoughtless many that never put anything in the Aldi Food Bank collection basket then this is your chance to do something. 120 people have bought tickets already but 'Angels' needs filling. Venue opened at 7 and band on at 9 - so be sharp! --------------------------------------------------------------------- An email from Alan updating the details on our Venues page for his Grand Hotel in Bishop Auckland has prompted me to request the same from any and all venues. No point in having your details on that page if they are not up to date - and having correct details can help punters checking on gigs etc., so please have a look and let me know of any updates...... -----------------------------------------------------------------  Looks like
gigs at the Poachers
Pocket in Dunston are off for
the time
being as they had an accident concerning
fireworks and the venue is closed.Thanks to Barry Godzz for the info. ------------------------------------------------------------------  “The finest meshes of soulful Blues and melodic Pop you will hear this year” – The Blues Mag [on Eddy Smith] No matter how meticulous your planning, no matter how much thought and effort you put into organising a long weekend of live music, it would be more surprising than not for something to change. And so it is with Hallelujah, the mega Blues weekend coming up Nov 12, 13 and 14. OUT is Jupiter Blues and Robert J. Hunter, and IN is The Della Grants and Eddy Smith and the 507. I have updated the poster accordingly. It's looking like this could be a very historic weekend. ------------------------------------------  ------------------------------------------------------------------  I must say, it does sometimes
make me wonder why, when publicity is totally
and completely free why bands don't use it more. I
mean, if you have a bad gig then, fair dos,
say nowt, but if you have a corker, then get
someone to take some pics and tell Riffs about
it. Unbiased of course; "we were
absolutely fantastic and the best band the
venue has ever
had" is not going to find its way onto
our pages.But we do like to hear how things went, so it was great to hear from Michael from tight little outfit FOUR LETTER WORD. Now, you may remember they got a Riffs mensh as they were playing at the Bay Horse in Bishop Auckland (October), which just happened to be where Riffs caught them and reviewed the band a couple of years earlier before that nasty plaguey thing took hold. And as I was rather struck by their "raw, cutting sound" and their impressive lead guitarist, I thought it only fair to let local peeps know. Michael reported concerning their recent gig that "we had an absolute belter....extremely lively audience & great fun as always." That is music to my ears, so much better than "thanks for the plug Nige, but nobody turned up". They've also achieved some private bookings for December which they haven't mentioned. What did I say in my review Michael? "If you've got it, flaunt it". Four Letter Word have been "exceptionally active" of late but are managing to have a couple of weeks to themselves just ahead of Christmas. Well deserved I would say. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just found this little gem hidden in Riffs' archives, from 2010 I believe. It was when Paul Tuns wrote articles for Riffs on his pub and the trials and tribulations of booking, supporting and hosting bands.  Got quite a few of these
mini writes ups all by Paul Tuns so, given time,
I may put them all on one page and link them to
the Archives page. At least that way it gives
people something to read if all the world's
radio and tv stations pack up, newspapers and
magazines are not printed and all other websites
eerily stop working...............
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Okay, so nothing is happening, no news, no-one wants publicity........... not a problem: here's some pics from 2009 The Three Tuns' Battle of the Bands final: From left: 27 Club; A Thousand Lies; Bone Idol. Bottom row: The Zoo; Beth Macari; Mojo Hand. (All pics taken by Nige Riffs)       ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anything happening out there boys and ghouls? Surely there's some band or venue not in complete limbo.... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------  Two steps forward and one step
back. Most venues are trying harder than a prostitute with two mattresses to get the North-East music scene back up and rocking. Any venue, I'm sure, would be cock-a-hoop to have a full house - especially in these difficult circumstances - but when they get one and then have it snatched away, how gawling would that be? Well, Tony from Newcastle's St Peter's Social Club can tell you in exquisitely painful detail, as it was a full house for last Saturday (23rd) for St, Peter's Soul Night in Newcastle when those pesky parasites had band members in their sights and the word for the night was isolation. A meticulously planned evening by Tony for the venue to host Soul Street and Mitch was all for nothing. Good news was that most punters got the message (it was highlighted as cancelled on our Gig Listings page) and stayed away, alas a few did not and turned up. However, Tony is not in the least disheartened "Like climbing a greasy pole with oily hands, but onward and upward." On a brighter note though, Tony continues: "I'm at this very moment arranging a Soul Night for December. Will let you know as soon as it's sorted." Is it amiss of me to point out the importance of always, but always, checking Riffs - even an hour before you set off? The minute we get informed, we mark the gig appropriately. And again, always make a quick call to the venue (Tony thoughtfully adds the venue's phone number to all his listings) just to double check. Can save you a world of hassle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IF THE NEED AROSE COULD YOU GO FULL ZZ? The last couple of years has
been a strain on bands, venues and all things
musical - I really don't think anyone remains
untouched by this dreaded lurgy that has
decimated lives and made everyday living fraught
with problems. Many bands have bit the dust and
a brief email from Barry Skeels tells the plight
of just one - Ghostband. Instead of paraphrasing (it looks
good in print, but you can't beat hearing it
from the man himself):
"Long long
time since I've been here. Lockdown took its
toll, with lost work but mainly the demise
of Ghostband. Because of ill health Brian
Vasey has decided to wind the band up and we
were deciding whether to continue, but
concluded it was better to stop now rather
than cancelling gigs. We were using deps for
a while (Jim Clare & Fred Purvis on
various dates) and to this end Chris, drums
& myself have formed a permanent band
with Jim, which we've called Godzz of
Wor." Now, I'm gonna interrupt
young Barry here because some of you may be
thinking 'I've seen that name, but spelt many
different ways' - well, every day's a schoolday here at Riffs,
and how we've spelt it here is the correct way.
You see, it's Godzz because . . . well, I'll let
Barry explain: "We
were going to be a pure ZZ
Top tribute,
but the feedback we got was that
a lot of bars wanted a bit of a
mixture, so for the most part we
now play a scattering of other
rock, rock/blues covers within
the sets of ZZ Top songs but
should the need arise we can go
full ZZ." So there
you go. All sorted - well, not
quite. Barry, like so many of us,
came face to face with the scourge
of the world. "We really only
got going in late April, but
then had to take time out when
we all got Covid, luckily none
of us got it too bad, but it did
put us back for a while and had
to cancel serveral gigs but now
we are rocking at full
strength." And he
wasn't joking, they have practically
taken over the Listings page with so
many gigs booked in. So if you like
ZZ Top and Classic Rock (and
I suspect you do) then you could do
a lot worse than moseying along to
one of their gigs.[top left pic taken at Stanhope Weekend Music Festival, above right taken at Tan Hill last week - and Riffs never took either, but thanks to whoever did] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FM stormin' Stormin'....  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The more astute amongst you (and I know we have very stute readers) will have noticed that our pages have had a bit of a facelift. Thought it was about time we upgraded to the 20th Century. No doubt there will be some links that have been missed so I am inviting any eagle-eyed peeps out there to let me know if they spot any. The Band page has had a clear out and I was shocked by the amount of links that bands had let slip and hadn't bothered to let Riffs know. Well over half have now gone the distance - again, if I've chucked any by mistake just email me your link and I will reinstate it. I'm gonna need some help with the 'Venue' page; if you know of a venue who should be on there let me know, alternatively, if I'm showing a venue who does not now host live music, get in touch. Ta muchly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update on the Grand in Bishop Auckland who have had to do the old switch-around due to that damn Covid stickin' its nose where it isn't wanted: This Friday should have been New Breed Revolution but they have been put back to November, and standing in for them this Friday is Planet Rock. And yes, the Gig Listing page has been updated to show the change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Just had a lovely email from FM
guitarist and Steve's good friend David
Johnstone. One of the things he mentioned
was Steve's love of Zeppelin (such brilliant
taste) and especially 'Good Times, Bad
Times'. We link this track for all the good
times that Steve gave to others . . ."In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man And now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can." R.I.P. STEVE IRELAND 
  What
a come-down, one moment gee-ing up Riffs
readers for a mega three-day Blues n Rock
extravaganza, and now brought slap-bang
down to earth with an
email from Norm Force informing Riffs
that FM's
sensational former frontman has passed away. Steve Ireland. Can't be many
in the North-East who haven't
seen or heard of this
superb lead singer.
Myself and Val have had the pleasure
of attending an FM
gig
on numerous occasions where
I have been able to
get some great pics of
the band in action. No
airs or
graces, no
over-inflated ego,
just a solid, friendly
down-to-earth guy.
Steve's
son, Finlay Ireland,
said
some very fine
words concerning
his father and I
hope he won't mind
if I recreate
just a snippet
here:
"He taught me
the beauty of
entertainment.
The value in
making people
happy. The
responsibility
you have to
take care of
your fellow
man."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three days of the finest Blues and Rock music . . . 
 Friday headliners: Kyla Brox Band Saturday: The Revolutionaires Sunday: The Lucky 13s ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  We
give a shout out to NEW
BREED REVOLUTION.
And I can quote
our
source as it
doesn't give
him away: "The
guitarist, one
Micky Crystal,
whose career
I’ve followed
since he was
in the
Fishburn Mafia
aged 17 years
old, is an
outstanding
talent and who
I last saw
when he was
playing in the
Tygers
of Pan Tang
at
the Cluny,
some years
ago. Their
singer is ex Deep Purple in Rock chanter who has an amazing
voice and the
bassist is
multi-talented too.
A show not to
be missed." According
to their
Facebook page
they are made
up of ex
members of Blitzkrieg, Tygers of Pan Tang
and Acid
Reign and
"play
classic rock
with
authority
and
authenticity". They
are playing
next Friday
at The Grand
in Bishop
Auckland. Let's
see if they
live up to the
hype.........--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIFE'S A GAS (But it really doesn't matter at all)  Bit
of bad
news for Balls of
Steel fans (gotta be some) as next
week's gig at The Rose Inn,
Wallsend has had to be cancelled as
there is some major disruption right
outside the venue due to serious
roadworks concerning gas pipes.But, on the bright side, it gives Heavy Metal fans a whole fortnight to build up to Friday 29th which by all accounts should be a stunning gig by Sabbath tribute - BLAKK SABBATH. Any ch-ch-changes and we will let you know............. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  In these uncertain times it's certainly heartening to hear of a venue opening its doors to live bands and so we must give a mensh to The Mill Inn, Houghton le Spring who are dipping their toes in the pool of live music. This is the Seaham Silverback's territory and he was not backward in forwarding Riffs some info on the Inn. The Mill’s full address is: Durham Rd, Houghton le Spring, DH5 8NG phone 0191 584 3211. It’s less than 100 yards off the A690 and has plenty of free, off-road parking and there’s a bus every 10 minutes from Sunderland and Durham that stops right outside. Here's their upcoming gigs: 23rd Oct Black Cadillac, 20th Nov Small Wonder. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bit of sad news just hit Riffs' news desk: Tumblin' Dice are no more. Vocalist Mike thoughtfully contacted Riffs to let us know of the band's demise. They will be sorely missed by their fans and music lovers of the North-East. If any of the band members join or form another band then Riffs is always here for publicity. ---------------------------------------------------- GIVE IT AWAY NOW, GIVE IT AWAY Cos, like everyone else, Riffs has bills to pay (the ever-increasing webspace charge, the exorbitant domain name costs etc.) I have added a little sweetener to the already steal of a price for boxed adverts - not only just 15 smackers for a fully designed advert for one whole month on the Listings Page (only a tenner on the Home page!) NOW that price includes a highlighted gig listing so your gig stands out from the crowd. A better deal I don't think you could find. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A little birdy has just let on to Riffs that the Sunday lunches at the Rose Inn in Wallsend are to die for. I've also just learnt that the venue is a victim of its own success as they are working flat out to keep up with demand. Check 'em out on Trustpilot. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  What a weekend Queen
UK have had with two
cracking sell out shows at the Mayfair suites
recently.If there's only one person who was wowed with one of those performances it was Little Max - Billy West's no.1 fan. Billy told Riffs: "A big thank you to all our loyal fans they really made our day(s)". And if you were looking forward to their next gig - at Dougies Tavern in Hebburn - then I'm afraid if you don't hold a ticket then you're out of luck as it is old out. They went down so well at the Mayfair Suites that they have been re-booked for next March. Billy went on: "The weekend gigs have really lifted the band - great to see packed houses really enjoying the Qween UK experience." -----------------------------------------------------------------------------   Just
typed in the gig listing for the Bay Horse in Bishop
Auckland, and noticed that FOUR LETTER WORD are
back there on the 8th of this month. I
remember reviewing the band there a few
moons ago (before
the plague hit) so I host it here once more
for no less
of a flagrant reason than
to give the lads a boost to
their upcoming gig and hopefully get
a few more locals back into the
habit of getting out to see some
quality live bands............. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMING ON LIKE A HURRICANE  Just received a tasty little morsel from local futhamuckers FM, captured during their recent gig at The Star Inn, Newcastle. To play this well with nuclear fallout bathing the stage is to be respected. Thankfully their equipment was not affected and they managed to please the punters with some stunning AC/DC. Band member Dave told Riffs "It's really great to be out gigging again." And we can also report that Tony Liddle has settled in "really well". Riffs is proud ('n' almost certainly loud) to host FM's rendition of HELL'S BELLS. (for those of you who have just landed from Mars (or wherever) you need to click the pic) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WOW - WHAT A RUSH  It's amazing how some people expect you to make something out of nothing. I mean, I'm always here to plug a good band, but it would be nice to have something to work with. When you have nothing to say it really is difficult to make a news item. But I remember what good ol' Tommy Vance said many rockin' moons ago - "I just let the music do the talkin'". (I think Aerosmith had a similar idea). And no amount of chat is gonna make a bad band sound good. But if you have a good band booked, and punters are few on the ground, it does make good sense to at least shout about it. Then, if the punters don't turn up and it was a crackin' gig; you may be out of pocket but you can get a massive banner printed reading "TOLD YOU SO". [For fuck's sake, Nige, get to the bloody point]. Well it's at The Three Tuns in Gateshead - yes, that hot, sweaty but oh so atmospheric venue, hosting a brilliant RUSH Tribute - RUSHED. Rushed had the honour of headling the Rush Eucon 2020 which took place over two days in October 2020 at Langtry’s – The Royal Hotel, Crewe. [So how much to get in then Nige?] I hear you all say (I've got really good ears). As if you don't know Paul Tuns by now - it's TOTALLY FREE. Let's make this a gig that Paul doesn't lose money on....... so get along and have a few drinks. It's .... OVER That okay for you Paul? Did me best mate, no pics, no blurb - just "give us a push for Rushed this Saturday". I mean, c'mon... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As only one (that's just one!) band has asked for their video to be added to our "LOCAL ROCK BAND VIDEOS" then I have the option of either leaving the UK/DC video filmed at Trillians linked for ever - or scrapping the idea completely and going back to various videos under the title "CELEBRATING ROCK AND METAL". er . . . wonder what I should do. I'm quite happy to help bands who want to help themselves..... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday morning shout goes out to 'Brummy' for pointing out that the ticket prices shown for Trillians ticketed gigs on our (normally trustworthy) Gig Listings page do not show the full price. So I have painstakingly checked every price and added the fees so what is shown is exactly what you pay. Cheers Brummy. A full 20/20 for you then. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know it has been only a few days but I was beginning to think our local bands just didn't want any publicity. The new 'LOCAL ROCK BAND VIDEOS' link [over to the right] garnered absolutely no attention. I thought it would be a good place for local Rock bands to show off what they can do - and was just about to admit the idea was another turkey; then just last night (Wed) Bon from UK/DC sent in a link to a live video taken at their recent Trillians gig. Also won't do any harm to build up some more interest for The Tynedale Beer Festival where they are headlining. So (and I'm sure Bon and the lads will be pleased to hear) it will stay there until some other bunch of publicity-seeking Rockers take the opportunity to showcase their wares. So c'mon guys, I'm trying me best to help out 'ere ............................. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tynedale Beer Festival gig with headliners UK/DC and hard on their heels Deep Purple In Rock doesn't look like there will be door entry. Tickets are still available - but only for the next 24 hours. And the time now . . . beep beep beep . . . is 12.33pm on Thursday 2nd. And if you're interested in watching the progress being made at the festival site then click here. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's always sad when a quality local rockin' band decides to call it a day. Even more so when it seems there are not many (if any, dare we say?) bands able or willing to step into those aforementioned shoes. But on a totally unrelated note: make the most of ROCK SOLID in the next few months.............. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  The advert says it all but . . . well, you'd be surprised, so we repeat the deets here: Blackhall Community Centre Hesleden Road TS27 4LG Saturday 13th November 2021 Doors 6-45 curfew 11-30 Tickets £10 from Centre or £11 online from Ents24.. And please note that this is a ticketed event only - there will be NO walk ups for this gig. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday Sep 5 - £14.45 https://www.tynedalebeerfestival.org.uk/tickets 1.45pm Blues Jam
3.15pm Ma Kelly's Boys
5.30pm Deep Purple in Rock
7.45pm UK/DC
Tynedale Beer Festival, Tynedale Park,
Corbridge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------UPDATE ON THE UPDATE: All positions now filled [8.58pm] UPDATE: The Crook Hotel for Sunday has just been sorted. [5.40] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GIGS HERE IF YOU WANT 'EM Didn't realise that all the North-East bands had all the bookings they need! There are three pubs that are still wanting bands for this weekend - one for tonight, one for tomorrow and one for Monday. Keep checking our Stop Press page for gigs......... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FREE CONVENTION FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19  This year's event
will see all three very
fine bands covering FREE's
material in depth. WALK
IN MY SHADOW is
dedicating their whole set to
tracks from the 'Fire & water'
and 'Highway' albums as a belated
50th Anniversary tribute. The
night should make for a very fine
fitting tribute to our favourite
band: Free. This year the event is taking place at The Cullercoats Club; this is a smaller venue than both the Park Hotel and The Wallsend Memorial Hall, but it was decided to change venues this year to create a more intimate atm |
