Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen's Newcastle debut, 11th May 1981.

by Bill Norman

I write this not long after the 32nd anniversary of what is often regarded as one of the great gigs of all time and certainly the best gig I have ever been to.

Bruce was well known but not the muscle-bound thug rock superstar of 'Born in the USA' three years later. Indeed he was still the wiry kid with something to prove in many ways.  His 5th album 'The River'  had been released some six months earlier to rave reviews.  Most Brucophiles reckoned it would have made a stunning single album.  It had quite a bit of filler, but hell, we would have accepted him singing Phil Collins songs at that point in time …

This was the first proper tour in the UK since 1975 - Newcastle upon Tyne was the opening gig.  Originally scheduled for 31st March it was rescheduled through illness for 11th May which, as it turned out , was significant for music in another way, being the day Bob Marley died.

Ticket scan from Jules Boynton

I thought "palpable sense of expectation” was just a phrase used by rock journalists when they ran out of inspiration but I really could feel the magic in the air as I entered Newcastle City Hall.





Highlights of the four hour show:

• 11th May was almost the 25th anniversary of 'Heartbreak Hotel' entering the UK charts (12th May 1956) which is appropriate as Bruce opened solo with an Elvis cover - 'Follow That Dream'.
• Two John Fogerty covers 'Who'll Stop the Rain?' and finishing with the audience singing along with the house lights up to, 'Rocking All Over the World'.
• Changing “lately there ain't been much work" to “no work on account of the economy" in 'The River' as a reaction to the deepening unemployment in the UK and in the North East in particular.
• The cover version of Ennio Morricone’s 'Once Upon a Time in The West' as a prelude to "Badlands" – he didn’t officially record it till nearly 30 years later and then won a Grammy.
• Electrifying silences for all the ballads and for which he thanked us at least three times!
• Bruce going out into the audience to sing – something I had never seen anyone do up that point.
• The audience singalong of 'Hungry Heart' and Bruce responding, “You're Hired!” 
• Turning average songs into something great live - especially 'Point Blank'.
• Finishing off part one with Thunder Road - singing the “maybe we ain’t that young anymore" line for the first time and starting part two with an astounding 'Cadillac Ranch'.
• The simply heartbreakingly beautiful, 'Racing in The Street' and 'Independence Day'.  There was a lot of throat swallowing for those two and that was just the blokes…
• A tremendous version of Woody Guthrie’s 'This Land Is Your Land' with an improvised new verse.
• The wonderful stories with Clarence - laughing and joking - especially the climbing the wall into Gracelands tale - how different to the perfunctory grunts of acknowledgement between them in later years as Bruce tried to outdo the Ramones for continuous music.  No , this was this was a show with pace.
• Doing the Mitch Ryder Detroit medley as heard on the 'No Nukes' album 

Photo by Colin Richardson

Photo by Colin Richardson

There were some omissions – 'She’s the One' and 'Jungleland' being the obvious two, but even their absence could not dim the glory of that night.

But you know, the other main star that night was Newcastle City Hall itself - a simply perfect find your feet gig for Springsteen - magnificent acoustics, a common sense approach to curfews.  The management let people enjoy themselves and at that time we still had audiences who knew how to sing and shout: "Brooooooooce!"

As a post script, 20 years later I found out that a work colleague I didn’t know at the time had been at the gig – I brought in some photos a friend had taken and lo and behold my colleague was on one …

"We're a Poob Rock Band" - Sonic Youth and Mudhoney in Newcastle and Glasgow

by Hazel Plater

The following is a transcript of an NME review from Sonic Youth and Mudhoney's 1989 UK tour, written by David Quantick and photographed by Jayne Houghton, from the 1st April 1989 issue.  No copyright infringement is intended.

The shows took place on Friday 17th March 1989 at Riverside Newcastle and Saturday 18th March 1989 at Glasgow Strathclyde University.  While we recognise that Glasgow is a little out of the catchment area of this North East Music History blog, it seemed wrong to omit the last section of the article.

Additional colour photos included here were taken at the Riverside Newcastle show by promoter Babs Johnston, used with kind permission.

WE'RE A POOB ROCK BAND

SONIC YOUTH

MUDHONEY

NEWCASTLE RIVERSIDE CLUB

GLASGOW STRATHCLYDE UNIVERSITY

"Banned from the poobs! Banned from the poobs!" Thurston Moore sings this happy song in the dressing-room as he fiddles with his guitar.  Lee Ranaldo's child plays with some fruit, Kim Gordon sits quietly, a monument to fun fur, and Steve Shelley lurks in his duffelcoat; Steve is probably the only duffelcoat-owning drummer in the history of American rock.

Mudhoney are soundchecking, their insidious blare almost drowned by bloody Thurston singing "Banned from the poobs!" in his weird New York/Albert Tatlock voice.

Sonic Youth and Mudhoney's tour is an infinite round of vans, signings, food, and concerts.  I am lucky enough to join them at dinner in The Naked Lunch restaurant.  Naturally, they go mental when they find out the name of the eatery.  Thurston keeps shouting "Dharma!"

During the meal they shout at Mudhoney and ask each other and ask each other about 'Shipbuilding' as it trips from the cassette player.  "Did Elvis Costello do this before the Robert Wyatt version?" asks Lee worriedly.  "Or did he do it after?"

Kim belches.  "That'll go in the article," predicts Thurston with some accuracy.  "The bass player belched," sighs Kim.

Finally, Mudhoney have enough of being shouted at and go onstage.  The audience correctly interpret this decision as a signal to shout and swear and try to get onstage too.  At one point singing Mudhoney Marc (sic) reverses the process and leaps into the audience for a tumultuous few minutes.

Mudhoney are astonishing.  From the dirty corners of the '70s, where the crap guitar solos live and the wah wah pedal still walks the earth, Mudhoney have extracted the essence of what was good about that music and rammed it like French fries up the scabby nostrils of hardcore.

They stand in a shaking row onstage and rock obscenely; on another planet in another galaxy, moss creatures tried to copy the Quo and Mudhoney were the result.  They are dead funny and proper rock music too.  The audience senses this. They shout "Ya fookun wunkahs!" and wave their fists appreciatively.

"I love those baby blue guitars," sighs Kim as Mudhoney leave the stage.  In the toilet is a piece of graffiti by one of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.  Fiver or we print it!

Sonic Youth begin to look edgy.  Steve Shelley becomes lost in his duffelcoat.  Thurston has forgotten the words to 'Teenage Riot'.  "Da da da da," he sings to himself, then discovers he has forgotten the words to the others songs too.  "I love it when you make the words up," says Steve.  "It really gives me faith in the band."

 Onstage and rocking, Sonic Youth become even stranger.  Guitars racing in and out of spaces in the songs, shouted lines of tackiness and urgency, a version of rock music tunes by moss creatures and played by people who shout, "Banned from the poobs!" at the audience, who seem puzzled.

Sonic Youth, Riverside Newcastle - photo - Babs Johnston

Sonic Youth, Riverside Newcastle - photo - Babs Johnston

Sonic Youth, Riverside Newcastle - photo - Babs Johnston

'Teenage Riot', wrong words or not, wins on audience recognition; much Sonic past is not present and we have no opportunity to observe the bare bones of Sonic interplay, the rush of parts of songs as they collide and leap off again.  Sonic Youth can now mimic conventional rock music like those weird flies that look like wasps; they're completely alien to rock but they just sound that way sometimes.

Now Thurston is talking to the audience, except he can't understand them. "Ya fookun wankah" roars a cack-faced youth.  "Schizophrenia? Right!" agrees Thurston inaccurately.  Kim lies on her back and plays the bass guitar.  Finally it all ends with a version of 'Rocket' with Marc (sic) holding a guitar as Thurston "shows him the chords".  Our ears are ringing but there's no one home to answer them.

Thurston Moore's Mark Arm guitar arm.

Dressing-room fun.  Mudhoney start talking about Sham 69.  Thurston expresses interest in the idea that punk made crap English towns world-famous.  "Hersham!" he snorts, baffled. 

SonicYouth guitars at Riverside Newcastle - photo - Babs Johnston

People come in and have their photo taken "with the band".  We are invited to a party.  We are so, so rock 'n' roll, that we go home. 
 The Hong Kong rock press are with us.  Kim reveals that she lived in Hong Kong when she was 13.  "Are you an adult band?" the Hong Kong journalist asks.  "I'm 35," says Kim.  "I don't know if I'm an adult or what," ponders Steve, "like I'm 27 now and I feel, er, 27."  Bedtime all round.

AND IT'S tomorrow!  Time to go to Glasgow.  Steve sleeps late, waiting for his breakfast which never comes; even now, it wanders Newcastle, waiting for him.  Thurston has bought a Quiet Sun LP.  Everyone agrees that it is rubbish but it's very rare so Thurston is happy.

A long van journey ensues.  Four hours of hardcore tapes also ensue.  We pass by Lockerbie and Hadrian's Wall as the van fills with wild grunge and bits of music papers.  Refreshed, we "hit Glasgow" and go to a record shop, where pasty-faced youths proffer records and T-shirts to be written on.  Lee goes mad and empties a girl's bag and signs three old bus tickets, her diary and her cigarette lighter.
"Signing records has its own routine," explains Thurston.  "You begin writing different things for each person then you give up being interesting in the middle, and you get enthusiastic again at the end."
More soundchecks, then...curry!  Sonic Youth order the world and leave half of it.  They insist on talking about Australia.  "We like the kangas," explains Kim, and the farms where everything is the biggest.  The Big Pineapple, the Big Lawn-Mower... and we went to Wagga Wagga.  What a great name."
The concert tonight is larger and, being composed of many students, calmer.  Mudhoney burn their way through their tunes, baby blue and hairy.  "Halloween!" burbles a stude.  "We call it Hallowf--ingween!" shouts Marc (sic), with some difficulty.  Mudhoney depart, fame and fortune soon to be theirs.  The famous and fortunate Sonic Youth follow, louder than before and still more awesome.  Unfortunately, Thurston has lost his mind.
"I don't know if I can carry on," he announces to a concerned audience, "I had an onion bhaji and I think it's coming back."  Bravely he soldiers on.  "I'm going to see Scandal tomorrow!" he roars, "who wants to come?"
Finally, Sonic Youth crash through 'Rocket' and Thurston is overcome, his curry coursing through his veins like a drug he races offstage, presumably for a personal function.
The next day, as I leave, the staff of the Glasgow Odeon are startled to see 300 pale students queueing up for cinema tickets at three in the afternoon.  Unfortunately, The Lady and The Tramp is showing instead and Sonic Youth and their fans mutate into adorable chipmunks, Steve Shelley-style.  They swarm the streets of Glasgow, squeaking horribly.  "Banned from the poobs!" they horribly squeak, "banned from the poobs!" 

David Quantick 

 

  

  

Electric Ladyland – Jimi Hendrix in Jesmond

By Ian Currie

I was a 12 year old at the time, as I was born in December 1954. My family had experienced hardship as my father, suddenly and unexpectedly, had left the family home to start a new life in London. I lived with my mother Margaret Currie, my sister Sonia Currie and her young son, Mark, then aged about 2, in the upper flat at 72, Fern Avenue in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne. 

The black door is 72 Fern Avenue, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, photographed by Hazel Plater, April 2012

Determined to survive the shock blow of my father’s departure, my sister was employed at the ‘La Dolce Vita’ as a croupier, and managed to get my mother a job working in the chip exchange there. To assist with childcare, my mother sub-let a room in the flat to my sister’s friend Linda who looked after Mark and I when my mother and sister worked in the evenings. There were many evenings when Sonia and my mum brought back friends to party. These gatherings became well-known locally. Our living room, I remember, was decorated in typical 60s style, but with an amazing wall that had been papered entirely with cooking foil! The 'paper' was not pasted on and I remember when you opened the living room door, the draught would make the entire wall move and rustle – amazing how some things remain in your memory.

Regularly, there would be David Findlay (a doorman at La Dolce Vita); Keith Crombie (doorman at the Club A Go Go) and many other friends of theirs including other croupiers, acquaintances and a sprinkling of celebrities. Often the celebrity would be the current act that was booked at ‘La Dolce Vita’. I would often use the excuse of not being able to sleep to get up and see what was happening.

One such occasion, in February 1967 I believe, I was woken up to hear loud partying going on. I was very interested in music myself, and had been bought my first electric guitar, a Futurama 3 and a Vox Domino amplifier the previous year. Although I hadn’t realised it at the time, this guitar was not particularly easy to play. I investigated the commotion in the living room, full of people laughing and drinking. Sitting in an armchair was Jimi Hendrix who I immediately recognised from the TV! I was very impressed, but a bit overwhelmed, as was he, with the party-goers ‘thrusting’ my Futurama guitar at him requesting, “Play something Jimi, play something.” He was attempting to oblige but although the instrument may have somewhat resembled a Fender Strat, this guitar certainly was NOT that! I have to admit that I was slightly disgruntled to see my prize possession being used without my permission. Bloody cheek! 

Jimi Hendrix was photographed just before going on stage at The Imperial Hotel in Darlington on 2nd February 1967. 


Jimi Hendrix, Darlington, England 1967 | Ian Wright

Jimi seemed very quiet, with a calm aura about him. He was dressed in military attire, but I’m not sure if it was just the jacket or military trousers as well. I went to the bedroom to dig out the latest gadget I’d bought that weekend at the joke shop. It was a particularly nasty joke that consisted of a grey plastic playing card box, with a card glued on the cover with a raunchy looking lady on it, but inside was a coil and battery, which when the trick pack was opened, delivered a nasty shock. I hated it! I returned to the living room to give Jimi a look at it. And duly electrocuted him! He seemed to take the joke quite well, but I can’t believe now that I actually did it! I think the trick then went on to do the rounds at the party. On reflection, did this occurrence influence the title of his 1968 album, ‘Electric Ladyland’?

I heard an additional tale about this night, which is that in my sister’s room upstairs - the front attic, The Moody Blues and a few others had locked themselves in, and were smoking a particular substance. Apparently, and I believe this to be true, Jimi was knocking to be let in and The Moody Blues and several other people were laughing away at the fact they weren’t letting him in!

The Moody Blues had played at La Dolce Vita on 2nd February 1967.  That same night, Jimi Hendrix had played the Imperial Hotel in Darlington

I also heard that a few weeks later, Jimi had returned to Newcastle, and requested another party at our house, however, my sister’s son Mark was very poorly with tonsillitis, so an alternative venue in Jesmond was sorted for the party. 

Even though these parties would often go on until very early in the morning, there was always a pleasant atmosphere, probably because there were a lot of regulars who knew my family quite well. As I was a schoolboy at the time, I frequently managed to ‘duck’ school after getting up to a living room with guests still sitting around, or asleep with all the lights left on!


NEMH notes:


With thanks to Marshall Hall for his post on the North East Music History Facebook group which led to Ian Currie's blog post here.


Prints of Ian Wright's fantastic Jimi Hendrix image above can be ordered at https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/photo/default.aspx?photographID=2414

Rocking the Joint

By Hazel Plater and contributors.


The Cooperage, on the Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne has a long history.  Built in the 14th Century, it was used as a cooper’s workshop (hence the name) in the 18th Century, and only became a public house in the 1970s.  Although reputed to be haunted, this did not put people off and a large number of our North East Music History Facebook group members recall attending, or playing gigs in the upstairs venue.


Robert John Waters: “That's where I played my first gig in Newcastle.  One of my favourite looking buildings anywhere in the world, especially from outside.”


Martin Craig: “The Sabrejets had a 15-month residency there in the late 70s.  We took over the Monday slot from our Blueport label mates the Young Bucks when they left for London.  The longest running line up was us on Mondays, the Famous Five (AKA The 45s) Tuesdays and The Junco Partners on Wednesdays.  There was a volume point at which the building's timber frame vibrated in sympathy with the music and dancing; literally 'rocking the joint.'  Fabulous venue, should never have closed.” 

The Sabrejets at The Cooperage, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1978.  
L-R: Carlos Magee, Sandie LaRocque, Diesel , Mad Dog Lupé & Antoine Legris. 
Photographed by Rik Walton for Blueport Music

Jude Murphy: “I played in a post-punk band, a jazz-funk band, and a folk duo (not all at once) in there.”


David Mooney: "I saw Otway & Barrett play there in 1980 on their DK50/80 tour; the gig was free but you had to bring along a copy of that single (another Otway idea to get them into the charts). They underestimated the turnout, and there were loads who couldn`t get in, so they put on two performances."

Tim Readman: “Arthur 2 Stroke and the Chart Commandos did Thursday nights there in the early 80s for a couple of years. Packed to the gills every week. the audience were literally in our faces but what a great atmosphere!”

Lucy Falkenau: “I used to dread setting up the gear at the Cooperage - we had a residency with the band Fat Chance in the late 70s.  The stairs were a nightmare to take cabinets and instruments up, and worse to bring back down.   Inside was usually heaving.  It was a great venue with a fantastic atmosphere.   It was possible to generate a lot of feel good music there as the crowd was always very supportive.   Superb nights.  A lot of people met their life partners there.  Happy times.”

The Cooperage, Newcastle upon Tyne, March 2012

The Cooperage did close, but recently reopened.  The picture here was taken in March 2012 and while the bar was closed by day, a poster was in the window for a forthcoming dubstep/drum 'n' bass night.  For many more recollections of The Cooperage and other North East venues, please see the North East Music History Facebook group.

References:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/northeastmusichistory/
http://www.pubsnewcastle.co.uk/TheCooperage.html

Red Wedge at Newcastle City Hall, January 1986

By John Hardy 


"The Red Wedge gig at Newcastle City Hall was one of the best things we ever did.” - Johnny Marr


On a cold Friday night in January 1986, the Red Wedge bandwagon rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne for what was to be the final night of a week long series of concerts aimed at raising political awareness amongst the UK’s young voters.  Also on the agenda was the drumming up of support for Mr Kinnock’s ailing Labour Party: a sort of Band Aid for the proletariat.

Red Wedge ticket - Newcastle City Hall, January 1986 - photo  by John Hardy

Refreshed by The Farmer Rest’s finest and resplendent in our GPO issue overcoats recently purchased from the Army & Navy Store in the Handyside Arcade, my mate and I thought we were the embodiment of disenfranchised working class youth when in fact what we really were was a couple of immature, nerdy sixth formers with big hair, fresh out of the country, little fish in a big pond.  I do believe that we were aware though, that this was to be no ordinary evening at the City Hall.


The 7.30 start caught many of the gig-goers on the hop and Billy Bragg was already partway through his set of firebrand rhetoric as we took our seats in the stalls.  The evening passed by in a bit of a haze, as act after act were wheeled out to do a short two or three song set, such were the time constraints in place.  Chart acts such as Junior, Dee C Lee and The Communards went shoulder to shoulder with up and coming groovers like Lorna Gee, who delivered her memorable tune ‘Three Weeks Gone Mi Giro’ with great aplomb.


The North East was well represented too, particularly by the Kitchenware acts The Kane Gang and Prefab Sprout, whose two song set consisted of ‘Dublin’ and ‘Cruel’.  Paddy gave a little tease of what was to come when he introduced ‘one of the Smiths… Wendy Smith!’


Local hero Alan Hull was introduced as ‘probably one of the most political acts on the bill tonight’, since he was at that time standing as a Labour party candidate for Gateshead Council.  The late Lindisfarne leader took us through an acoustic set which featured the topical ‘Cruisin’ to Disaster’.  Another highlight was Tom Robinson performing a couple of his own excellent acoustic numbers.  Red Wedge was the brainchild of Bragg, Jerry Dammers and Paul Weller; another memory that remains was the latter two jamming on a great version of The Style Council’s ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down’.


Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke had played on several of the previous Red Wedge dates and, after encountering what they felt was indifference and hostility from several of the other acts, had returned to Manchester to rally the troops and, with Morrissey and Mike Joyce in tow, headed forth to Newcastle for an unannounced surprise appearance.


“The other bands were a little bit perplexed as to what we were doing there.  We had no instruments, so we borrowed The Style Council's equipment and just tore the roof off the place.  In the middle of the set we just walked on to this announcement and the place went bananas.” - Johnny Marr.


Morrissey and co. delivered a rocking four song set featuring ‘Shakespeare’s Sister’, ‘I Want The One I Can’t Have’, ‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ and ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’.  For once, the ever quotable Morrissey was not exaggerating when, in a 1986 interview with NME, he remembered;


“We made a very brief, but stormy appearance.  When we took to the stage the audience reeled back in horror.  They took their Walkmans off and threw down their cardigans.  Suddenly the place was alight, aflame with passion!"


With the chimes of ‘Bigmouth’ still ringing through the auditorium, the band exited stage left, Morrissey’s shirt, or rather blouse tossed to the baying hordes, leaving my mate and I, the pretend postmen, astonished and open mouthed: did that really just happen?  January 31st 1986 was one of the final Smiths appearances as a classic four piece line-up.  Things were never to be this pure or spontaneous again.


 Anything that was to follow was to be an anti-climax, for myself at any rate, although I do remember a Band Aid style finale of ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ as a fitting end to a wonderful evening.    My mate and I, along with 2,000 fellow Thatcher’s Children, left the City Hall that night uplifted by the thought that we could make a difference, all through the power of rock music… the heady wine of youth.  I wish I knew where I put that postie’s coat… 

Red Wedge Tour Programme, January 1986 - photo by John Hardy

Reference: http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/live/smiths-g860131.htm 

Beach Blonde - Deborah Harry live in South Shields

By David Mooney

I took this photo of Deborah Harry onstage at Temple Park Leisure Centre, South Shields on 1st June 1990.

Deborah Harry at Temple Park Leisure Centre, South Shields 1st June 1990 copyright David Mooney.

The support act were Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, featuring singer Shirley Manson, who would go on to have further success with the band Garbage.  I didn't see them though, as I was in the bar!

I don't remember too much detail about Deborah Harry's set but I do recall her doing a lot of Blondie numbers.  I remember that there was a lot of interplay between Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on the night, and you could tell that they were still pretty close.  He had played a big part in her last album, Def, Dumb & Blonde, which had been released about 8 months previously.



Set list (from http://www.deborah-harry.com/dh/setlists/060190.html)

01. The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game
02. Dreaming
03. Rapture
04. I Want That Man
05. The Tide Is High
06. Bugeye
07. Heart Of Glass
08. End Of The Run
09. Maybe For Sure
10. Kiss It Better
11. Danger
12. Comic Books
13. Detroit 442
14. Bike Boy
15. Cautious Lip
16. Brite Side
17. Hanging On The Telephone
18. Call Me
19. Stroll On
20. In The Flesh
21. One Way Or Another

The Anson = Love Shack

By Hazel Plater




You couldn’t make it up.  In the early 1970s, New Jersey born Kate Pierson, the glamorous, bouffant redhead front woman of band The B-52’s, was a barmaid in working class boozer, The Anson pub and hotel, in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, UK.

The Anson, Wallsend, as it looks today. Image by A McCarron via geograph.com 

Wallsend?  The former shipbuilding town at the end of Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Wall?  Yes, that Wallsend.


She had mentioned this little gem of pop trivia to the music press in the late 70s and early 80s.  Smash Hits magazine, on 6th September 1979 revealed: “Kate Pierson, petite keyboard player and vocalist, had also travelled in Europe.  She once worked as a barmaid in Wallsend in North East England.  "I just wound up there with no money and that was the only job I could get," she recalls.  After six months pulling pints in a foreign land, she returned to America and ended up in Athens”.


In a Rolling Stone interview in 1980 the tale appears again.  Kate is quoted as saying, "I was a barmaid in Newcastle."  Newcastle upon Tyne is the nearest city to lowly Wallsend town.


I knew nothing of these articles however.  I was told this story by my co-author, Carl Taylor, as we drove to an event, promoting our book about Newcastle’s historic Riverside music venue, which was being held in Wallsend library.  I grew up in Wallsend and my grandfather was a regular in The Anson so I was intrigued.  Carl, my senior by several years, used to work in Wallsend in the 1980s.  He remembers that a friend, who he is sadly no longer in touch with, told him Kate Pierson, of The B-52’s had worked as a barmaid in The Anson.  Even then it sounded far-fetched but he remembers going into the pub back then and discovering that the management kept a photo of Kate behind the bar.  They were aware that their former barmaid had gone on to bigger things!


January 2012 and I can’t get this story out of my head.  I urge Carl to try to get back in touch with his friend for more info.  I go for lunch at The Anson and find that the current management have no idea about any now-famous former staff member.  In fact, I get some very strange looks.  I tell Carl this and he looks to investigate further, having not managed to hook up with the friend.  He finds the Rolling Stone article online and then Kate Pierson’s Facebook.  He posts on her wall:


“Hi Kate Did you work in a bar here in Newcastle before the B52's formed? Can you remember which one?”


And just over a week later, we’re into February now, she replies (it appears her ‘n’ key isn’t working):


“The a son hotel a d pub in wallsend on Tyne”.


So, from the horse’s mouth, so to speak!  I ring the The Anson pub and tell them.  They are amazed.  I post this lovely little tale on in the ‘North East Music History’ Facebook group, on my own Facebook timeline and on Twitter.  The crowd goes wild.  This then leads to me tweeting Kate, @THEKATEPIERSON.  Her ‘n’ key is working again, or she’s on a different device:


Me:  "What do you remember about The Anson pub in Wallsend? Did you actually live there? Thanks x"

A: "yes! First I lived with “ old Mary” -she was a real character -then had “bedsitter” apt"

Me: "What year was this? I'm from Wallsend and my grandfather drank in The Anson in the 70s!"

A: "it was 1971 or 1972? Was his name Gus? There was a Gus -t"

Me: "No, he was Dick Bowden. I was born in 73 so I just missed you! Thanks for the info - North East Music History!"

Kate Pierson, of the B52’s. Image by aresauburn via Flickr

I didn’t hear back if she remembered my grandfather, so I guess not. 

So there you go Wallsend. Some much needed glamour for you.  And a lost snippet of pop trivia rediscovered.

The North East Music History Facebook group is at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/northeastmusichistory/

References:

Smash Hits : http://www.archive.org/stream/smash-hits-1979-09-06/smash-hits-1979-09-06_djvu.txt
Rolling Stone:  http://www.btinternet.com/~roc.lobsta/rstone2.html
Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/katepiersonfanface/posts/300513613329703

What We're About

Welcome to this brand new blog!  We are North East Music History - a group of people who are interested in preserving the history of music in the North East of England, UK.  We share our knowledge and information informally via our North East Music History Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/northeastmusichistory/  .


We seek to improve knowledge and understanding of North East music history, educating local residents and other interested parties about North East music venues, the bands that played, the record stores and other hangouts and the culture associated with them, across all musical genres and eras.  


Blog posts covering some of the fascinating stories brought to light in our Facebook group will follow here soon. 


I, Hazel Plater, admin of this blog, don't intend to write all the posts myself.  See, it says 'we' up above!  Please send your well written and fully researched blog posts (please see my first posting for a style guide) via Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/hazel.plater   and you will be given full credit for your contribution. Look forward to reading your submissions!