letters.html

Riffs will not publish any 'anonymous' letters unless there is a valid reason!!!
If we do not believe that the letters sent to us are completely legitimate we will NOT use them.

Please note that Riffs Letters Page is NOT for self publicity or announcing upcoming gigs - letters may be edited accordingly.

JULY

Hello riffs,
     We (OLD CODGER) did the Steels WMC on sat and would just like to give a few accolades out.
   First .Dave who did our sound, Brilliant from front to back of the room (takes some doing in the Steels) well done Dave.
    Second .Arthur was so hospitable (as usual ) this lad does a great job . See You soon Arthur
Steve OLD CODGER

JUNE

Just wanted to say thank you to Paul and the rest of the lads from the Paul Rodgers Story for taking time out to write to Riffs and to namecheck me for helping them out with a light show at the Office last Saturday. It's always nice to be thanked for any work put in, and not to be taken for granted, so thank you very much indeed to the band for appreciating my efforts.
But also while on the same subject of the Office lights, this is a good opportunity to publicly ask 'ALL' bands that are due to play at the pub in the future, that if they have their own lighting rig then please bring it along for the gig! This is because only a minimal amount of the cans in the in-house system are currently working, and in all honesty there's not enough to give a decent light show for that size stage. However the Office does have some in-house scanners & lazers and a smoke machine, which are marvellous effect lights for occasional use, but not really for putting on full-time throughout the entire duration of a show.
I will continue to badger the Office management in an attempt to get the rest of the in-house lights repaired & fully functional once again, but in the meantime it's in the best interests of all bands due to play there to bring their own!
And if any bands don't have their own lights, then unfortunately they'll just have to make do with the few lights that are presently working at the pub.
Thanks once more to Paul and the P.R.S. They put on a great show, and the audience quite happily would have had them play all night long.
Cheers, ... Colin Smoult.

THE BOARD INN STELLA BLAYDON SATURDAY 27th JUNE
WE HAD THE ROOSTERS I DIDNT KNOW QUITE WHAT TO EXPECT BUT AGAIN A BIG THANKS TO JEFF AND THE LADS FROM THE ROOSTERS WE HAD A BRILL NIGHT EVERY ONE ENJOYED THEM GOOD VERIED SET LIST WITH GOOD TUNES. ILL BE INTOUCH TO HAVE THES LADS BACK ONCE AGAIN THANKS LADS.
REGARDS DECKA

Hi ,
SPARTAN would just like to thank Mad-Dog Mick and all the crew at Wardley Legion Rock Nite for making us feel so welcome, we had a great night and are looking forward to being back there in October.It was our first gig at the Legion and even though we had a bit of a delay getting our gear to the venue, we had a blast.
We would also like to thank Gaz and all the staff and customers @ The Old Tannery, Hexham who made Saturday another night to remember, we can't thank you enough for the support at both venues and you made us feel right at home.
Cheers to you both...
Gazza , Kev, Mick & Phil ( SPARTAN )

Just like to give Col a big THANKS for the light show on Friday night at the Office. I normally take a set of cans to gigs but as we were playing The Office I took it for granted that the rig there would be okay. Not the case, too many lamps out of action, so Col offered to put on a show for us. Superb light show Col it made us put on a better show and the lasers were an extra bonus. Hope you made it to your taxi mate. Thanks again.
Paul S, Paul Rodgers Story.

Hi Val,
My name is Jo, I take care of the bands for The Rose and Crown in winlaton,
I thought you might like to know about a band we had here recently, The Arrivals, when they walked in they looked like a bunch of frightened school kids, well they are school kids, but when they played WOW they were fantastic, we have rebooked them to play on the 16th August if you want to pop along and see them in action.
The drummer is a little, erm?, hyper to say the least as when he was playing he leaped up from his stool and ran around the pub, sat back down and never once missed a beat.
I think they are the one's to watch.
Hope to see you at our venue but if not please go and see one of their gigs, it'll be worth it.

Morning folks,
just thought I'd drop a line to say how much The Rivals enjoyed their gig at Chinos in North Shields on Saturday. To be quite honest we'd heard there had been some teething problems when they started putting live music on, but these all seem to have been sorted now and for a venue such as this, which is situated halfway on the road between two of North Shields' more famous music pubs, we were happy to see that there wasn't an empty seat in the house when we started.
The manager was friendly, helpful and accommodating all night. Although he had his own preferences for start times, he was happy to go with the flow and we pretty much judged the crowd to work out when to start and end our two halves. The venue does have a bit of a 'corridor pub' feel after 10:00 where a small handful of people do leave to go elsewhere regardless of what happens, but there is another side to that as apparently while we were on stage, a few of our friends had noticed people walking past, looking through the window, realising there was something on, and turning around to come in and check it out.
Chinos will only really be putting on smaller, quieter acts, and so the manager is really hoping to establish the place as an alternative for anyone who has visited either of the bigger local venues only to find the band was too loud or the bar was too busy - and from the looks of it, he might be onto something.
Cheers,
Den (The Rivals).

THE BOARD INN
STELLA BLAYDON
SATURDAY 20TH JUNE WE HAD VOODO SKY
JUST TO SAY A BIG THANKS TO MALLA AND THE LADS FROM THE BAND VOODO SKY I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR ALL BY SAYING IT WAS A GREAT NIGHT. THIS BAND HAS A WIDE AND VERRIED SET LIST WICH PLEASED EVERY ONE I THINK ANY ONE WHO HASNT SEEN THIS BAND SHOULD GET THEM BOOKED AS I WILL DEFNATLY HAVE THEM BACK. THEY HAVE A GOOD FOLLOWING ONCE AGAIN LADS THANKS FOR A GOOD NIGHT
REGARDS DECKA

HI LADS,
JUST TO SAY REALLY ENJOYED YOUR GIG ON FRIDAY AT THE LORD CLYDE...LOVE THE NEIL YOUNG STUFF ,ESP CINNAMON GIRL ITS THE BEST IVE HEARD IT PLAYED APART FROM THE GUY HIMSELF,REALLY LIKE ALL THE STUFF YOU PLAY AND THE GUITAR PLAY EXCELLENT. HARMONYS TOO, HOPE TO GET TO MORE OF YOUR GIGS SOON..............KEEP ROCKING LADS . BRILL.
CHRIS.

Dear all,
Just like to thank all those people who shared a kind word with me following the recent loss of my Mother. Mam was cremated yesterday (Tues 16th) at Birtley where there was a considerable turnout of friends and family to see her off. "When I see the angel shining in the sun, I know that I am home". R.I.P. Ellen Ann Sinclair. 14th Nov 1926 / 8th June 2009.

Alreet,
A bit confused about Laura's second letter about The Factory. Surely when you start a letter with "A warning to ALL bands, stay away from Factory" It is pretty to the point and cut and dried within that statement.
As I said to Riffs at the time, cheap drink, lasses in fancy dress, and loud music, sounded like my sort of night out! Also commenting on the fact that there was bouncers on the door? You may find that when you venture into city centre licensed premises of a weekend, you do encounter "door ambassadors". I prefer this, as if there are people making it uncomfortable for others who are trying to enjoy a well earned evenings entertainment, they can be ejected with the minimum of fuss.
Granted a lot of venues do come and go as many are just not suited to hosting live music, but to warn ALL bands to stay away from a new venue because of an acoustic folk night that went wrong is a tad extreme.
We neither fall into the Rock or Pop categories, but I'm sure that when we play there in October we will enjoy another good night out with the good citizens of Sunderland.
Keep on Keeping on,
Alan Source

Buckets Blowing (Away) Bubbles, Thurs 11th June
As I'm sure most of you lot know by now, things have been a little subdued here on Mucky Udder Farm due to our recent bereavement, so when an invitation from Bran to come up to Bubbles to see the Buckets arrived in my message folder, I'm thinking "Maybe that's just what I need to blow away the blues?"
So, setting the controls for the heart of the sun, I pointed moo mobile MK3 Northwards to wards Ashington - and nearly ended up in Morpeth at which point it finally occurred to me I had missed my turn some time ago! This wouldn't be funny except that I own a Sat Nav that has yet to see the light of day...
Finally arriving at destination Bubbles, I find a small crowd but warm welcome from several friendly faces and spend a good half hour chewing the cud with Kev bucket, Jason Scoobysnaps and Bran among others before the show.
Kicking off the night with some 'Jump Jiving' it looks like we are in for a relatively quiet if entertaining night - how wrong can a man be! From the opening song there were a couple dancing, soon to be joined by others and as the band hit full pace I looked around to see Bubbles had filled up nicely with eager punters in search of a party. They had come to the right place!
Putting the 'rock' back into rock N roll is something of a Buckets specialty and never one to be caught out, Kev gamely took on all requests, touching base with just about anything you can think of from rock to pop to metal and back to psychobilly via a decent wedge of improv stand up.
Jamming along with Bessie And The Zinc Buckets on stage tonight were Ian (Bran) Bucket, Marky (Stickies) Bucket and Jason (Scooby Snaps) Bucket - a party on the stage that spread good vibes right throughout the venue and delighted the crowd.
In order to carry off such flexibility requires musicians who are both ontop of their game and totally without fear, and that's exactly why Bessie and the Zinc Buckets are the legends they have become, their showmanship obvious as the band change places and swap instruments for the final jam of the night.
Having seen the Buckets a few times now, it's apparent that what at first sight looks like total chaos is infact organized chaos, albeit loosely within the 'piss up in a brewery' category - but that's the whole point isn't it? Buckets plus beer equals party. Make sure you're at the next one.
MOO! pmsbull :-)

Hi
Apparently my letter about The Factory in Sunderland was misconstrued by several people. Just to reiterate, the venue is suitable for rock and pop bands, but in my opinion nothing else. I am happy to be proven wrong as I think Sunderland needs a decent venue for live music that stretches the boundaries a bit, but if you fall into this category (ie NOT a rock or pop band) I only urge you to contact the venue and make sure you want to play there as we were sorely disappointed. My comments about the bouncers and the wallpaper were purely to illustrate that the venue booked us on a completely unsuitable night.
To clarify further, although I signed the letter 'Laura (Ask Ruby)', it was not Ask Ruby that were booked to play there, it was Matt Stalker and Fables, whom I occasionally sing with.
If anyone has been badly offended, I apologise.
Laura

I’d just like to write in to say a big thanks to everyone at the Newfield Inn at Newfield, near Chester-le-Street, for another great night on Saturday. It’s the second time we’ve played there and both times we’ve had a noisy and appreciative crowd. It’s a cracking pub and even does free bait at half time – we had to drag our bass player Andy away from his chicken curry to get him to do the second set! It also has a good-sized stage area and nice easy load-in from the car park at the side. Thanks a lot to all the staff and punters - we’re looking forward to playing there again later in the year.
Cheers,
Pete – The Whodlums

Hi,
Spartan would just like to thank everyone who came out on friday at the Wheatsheaf and sunday at the star, you made us feel so welcome and it was great to be back at both venues.We would also like to thank all the staff at both locations for their help and support during our gigs.And we hope to be back real soon............if you'll have us
Gazza, Kev, Mick & Phil

Steven Christie Photography, professional images at amateur prices! I specialise in promotional shoots and live work and can work with your band to capture the image you want to project. No up-front fees for local work (Newcastle / North Tyneside) you only pay for the images you like.
My work and portfollio is shown at www.myspace.com/stevenchristiephotography
I can be contacted by email at s.christie1@talktalk.net or you can ring me on 07796680031 (evenings or weekends).

MAY

This is a warning for all bands: STAY AWAY FROM ‘FACTORY’ IN SUNDERLAND.
My other half’s band, Matt Stalker and Fables (www.myspace.com/mattjstalker - I also sing for them) was booked to play there on Friday night, alongside Nell Bryden; one of America’s hottest new young artists, recently introduced on the Late show and currently on her first UK tour. After arriving and sound checking, we went to get a bite to eat, only to find out upon our return to the venue that Nell and the other 3 bands due to play that night had nicked off…..the sound man was wrapping up cables. Now, before you blame the bands, listen to this:
Factory opened about 2 months ago stating it is ‘run by people who love music just as much as you’ and ‘giving you the chance to catch the best bands around in a warm, friendly and exciting environment’. They also claim to ‘provide you with a wide and varied music policy’. Factory does not live up to any of these statements. It is decorated like a bowling alley crossed with a Yates’ wine lodge, with shots at £1 each served by girls in fancy dress. It pumps out chart music at a million decibels and draws in exactly the sort of crowd that enjoys binge drinking and fighting. There are bouncers on the door, for christsake!! How the hell did they expect to draw in the type of crowd that would appreciate Nell’s country/roots style music or Matt’s acoustic folk? WHY did they book us? WHAT did they expect when the bands turned round and buggered off?
If you are booked to play there and fall under any of the categories that Factory claim to be ‘devoted to’ (“we intend to bring you nights devoted to dubstep, indie, punk, metal, electro, folk, alt-rock and a shedload more!”) PLEASE RECONSIDER. Visit the venue on a Friday night. Talk to the organisers (the words ‘piss up’ and ‘brewery’ spring to mind) and think about what you’re getting yourself into.
Thanks very much!
Laura (Ask Ruby)

Slip Of The Tongue - Trillians, Friday 29th May 2009
In these hard and troubled times we live in, more and more music fans are finding it hard to afford the over inflated prices that venues like the Newcastle Arena are charging to see bands that are on some occasions, frankly, shadows of their former selves.
Following recent reports of lackluster performances and David Coverdale breaking the eleventh commandment (thou shall not get caught) while using backing tracks to shore up his rapidly disappearing voice, who would risk paying £30 to £40 to see Whitesnake? That is, if you can still legitimately call it that anymore.
Step forward "Slip Of The Tongue", tribute band extraordinare and one of the cream of the local crop of hardworking bar based rock groups that make the North East scene such a pleasure to be a part of. After not catching them for around six months, it was time to see how much they had progressed and this already superb band have come on leaps and bounds in that time. Finally booked into Trillians, the lads were determined to show just what they were made of...
On a hot night in Newcastle, the band's regular opening double whammy of Burn & Stormbringer couldn't have been more appropriate - or met with any bigger response from a room that was literally jam packed. In fact I have since found out that Trillians had to close their doors, such was the turnout to see these guys in action. Those lucky enough to get in saw a show to remember.
As at home on stage as in his own back yard, frontman Bill Hornsby's rapport with the audience is effortless, while the sheer power of his delivery is anything but. Bill gives everything he has on almost every note, only once or twice sounding a little dry on such a swelteringly hot night. Delivering songs like Blindman with enough soul to convince you they were his own, I defy you to find me a better Coverdale replacement. Should the man drop dead tomorrow, his legacy would be in fine hands.
They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and likewise, behind every great singer there needs to be a great band - and this one is outstanding.
Ainsley Wills and Paul (Hook) Richardson are Bill's wingmen, bringing a frontline wall of dueling guitar that when on top form sends every run, hook and solo screaming from their strings with a quality few can muster. Both lads played a blinder tonight, and if Hook's smile got any broader it would have needed a stage all to itself.
Every good rock band needs a solid foundation to build upon, and Ian (Brick) Thompson is as solid a drummer as the name suggests. At times tonight his playing was simply awesome and it would seam that he and smooth sounding new bass man Paul Allen lock together like the tightest of nut and bolt. Even with only five gigs under his belt as a member, Paul slots in like a custom made jigsaw piece.
Keyboards are an integral part of the Whitesnake sound, and Jon Winship brings a wealth of experience to his role. It's a common feature that all artistic people are their own worst critics and despite Jon being unhappy with his own performance tonight, personally I could find no fault. Jon is IMO an excellent musician who adds just the right amount of flair to the Slip Of The tongue sound.
After not seeing the band for so long, it was nice to hear a few new additions to the set list and the early section where Child Of Babylon and Mistreated lead into the afore mentioned Blindman lifted the hairs on the back of my neck as I sang along. A good selection of classic Whitesnake followed with bigger numbers like Crying In The Rain and Judgment Day sounding stadium large thanks to a good mix from soundman 'Gamb' and subtler, bluesy material given just the right touch of restraint.
Highlight of the evening was the huge audience sing-along of Ain't No Love (In The Heart Of The City) and when the band finally left the stage after a bombastic encore of Still Of The Night, a by now soaked crowd would have gladly suffered the heat for another hour and a half.
As tribute bands go, this is far and away the best Whitesnake / Coverdale homage I have ever seen, and based on tonight's performance - which was every bit the equal to their much lauded Tyne Journal Theatre appearance - it's high time Slip Of The Tongue moved into the realms of pay to view, because seeing this for nothing is frankly criminal. I don't get better than this. AN ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL LIVE EXPERIENCE.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Hi Riffs Readers,
There is a new large venue in Bishop Auckland seeking good covers bands. We need a variety of bands and would like to start up and running in about 5-6 weeks. These are PAID gigs. If you're band would be interested get in touch with me sending a list of available Saturday dates you have for the next 3 months, and a contact number, and a link to your website. Email me at- paulrobinson283@btinternet.com
Cheers
Scooby (The Mystery Machine)

Hello
Andy Hislop once of FM is doing the North East a big favour and moving to Ireland !! He will be joined by friends at the Barking Dog Wallsend on Saturday 6/6/09 to say farewell. There will be a special guest appearance by the increasingly popular Beth Hopper and Andy will perform some old favourites. A small charge of £2 will be made to cover expenses and tickets will be on sale from Saturday. ALL are welcome
Bill Bruce

Hello everyone, Seen Heavy load at the Lord Clyde a couple of weeks ago, they have a new young guitarist and he's very good. He's only 17 yrs old but he makes the guitar sing, he has the kossof sound and looks like he's going to be a star. Hope they can keep hold of him.
Can anyone confirm Blue Diamond are back. I've seen their name on the gig listings. Hope it's not a misprint.
Keep on CLASSIC rocking.
Hansom Les.

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed FM at the George Stephenson in West Moor last night. From the opening song where the lead singer proclaimed "Welcome back to the George Stephenson!!!!!!!", you knew you were in for a memorable night.
Unbelievably, this was the first time I've seen the band live but wow did I enjoy it. As some may know, the previous management at the venue had decided this band, and indeed their families were no longer welcome at the pub - but with the news of a long-awaited departure of the management in question, the boys were not the only familiar faces to make a return. Noticeable amongst the sizable crowd were several former staff, a number of former regulars and a few other band players who had all found their way back to the pub in light of the changeover and despite the fact that it was a Thursday night gig.

And speaking of which, to their ultimate credit, the boys superbly managed to take a dull and rainy Thursday night and effortlessly transform it into a crackin', Saturday night-type atmosphere, by belting out some classic tracks with the full gusto of a weekend gig, making use of a simple but effective lighting rig and unlike some acts, managing to make intelligent (and not overpowering) use of a smoke machine. This kind of effort in terms of presentation alone should serve as a reminder to a lot of acts that a weeknight gig is a gig nonetheless and the same degree of effort can be made to tremendous effect.
Of course, whereas the above does deserve mention, this is not to say that the music wasn't equally impressive. Although admittedly, a lot of what the boys played was only vaguely familiar to me, the whole show was thoroughly enjoyable and had a nice mix of easily identifiable tracks like Enter Sandman, Highway To Hell, Whisky in The Jar and the even the classic 4 Non-Blondes track.
Then again, with brilliant vocals, classy guitar playing and a tight as &*%£ rhythm section, even the songs I didn't know made me sit up and listen, and there were certainly no arguments from the crowd who were singing along most of the night.
Here's the boys for putting on such a great show on a week night and here's to more excellent nights like this at the GS in the months to come.
Den
(pictures supplied to Riffs)

Church Of Misery, Firebird, Electric Mud Generator - The Three Tuns 17th May 2009
Strange how sometimes the nights you don't plan turn out to be the best, and this was one I didn't even know was happening till someone who reads Komodo Rock sent a message to my myspace page saying "Hello Bully, I think you should check this band out tonight". No sooner had the U-tube video finished than I was up off my seat telling Mrs. Bull that I was going out tonight!
Manager Paul Smith has been scheduling Sundays at the Three Tuns for showcase nights of late, but this wasn't actually his show, being put on by local promotions company "What If I Want Wings?" - an unusual name to say the least that had me sarcastically thinking maybe drink a Red Bull or two... but as it happens they appear to know exactly what they are doing because the three band lineup they put on tonight made for an excellent gig that even with a cover charge of £8 had the place jam packed.
As I only saw the message at 5.30pm and the gig was scheduled to begin at 8pm, by the time I had reshuffled my Sunday night plans I arrived late into the set of opening band "Electric Mud Generator" (great name) but thankfully in time to hear their huge final number "Winter" - way over ten minutes of weird and wonderful that started like strangely spaced out prog and via some very unusual guitar notes built towards a monsterous stomp that really made my ears prick up and take notice. One to investigate further methinks.
"Firebird" brought a more bluesy sound to the table - quite a surprise for a band fronted by Bill Steer of Carcass. Some of the songs played seamed to owe a nod to Pride And Glory in their slightly country rock feel and the closing jam featuring Bill playing a mean blues harp went down an absolute storm. Definitely worth hunting them out.
Having spoke to vocalist Neggi, it was clear that most of "Church Of Misery" posess very limited English. Understanding the 'Geordie' accent wasn't going to be any easier and so I resorted to the one language guaranteed to cross international borders of rock - Jagermesiter! Joining his band mates and throwing down with aplomb, Neggi thanked me with a respectful bow and double thumbs up before jumping head first into "El Padrino" - a set opener that quite simply stunned the senses with the power of it's delivery.
Coming from Japan and originally formed in the mid 90's, the band's first album contained songs written about famous serial killers. Heavily influenced by Black Sabbath and having undergone many lineup changes since, they still retain a very doom laden stoner-groove sound that played with serious volume comes over like a gale force blast of raw adrenalin.
Commanding every inch like his own personal territory, Neggi is an an absolute wildman on stage. Think of a Japanese style early Soundgarden era Chris Cornell stripped to the waist, prowling around and flinging hair before leaning back to yell, then throw in some Dio style hand gestures, add a sprinkling of classic J-rock and visually at least you are somewhere near. Vocally the songs came growling from the gut and intense as hell, sometimes a little hard to understand but that's allowable as this was the first time I had heard these songs, and just like hearing Pantera's "Primal Concrete Sledge" for the first time, you didn't need to understand exactly what was being screamed at you to know that it ruled. Playing a set full of incredible stoned out, doom laden power chords matched to some outrageous guitar licks, "Church Of Misery" grabbed me by the balls and refused to let go - kicked my arse seven ways to Sunday.
Check out their myspace page and listen to "I Mutherkcufer"- not for the faint hearted. This is a totally awesome band that you absolutely must see! Check out their myspace page for more information.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
http://www.myspace.com/whatifiwantwings (Promotions company myspace page)
http://www.myspace.com/churchofserialkiller (Church Of Misery myspace page)
MOO!pmsbull :-)

THE BOARD INN BLAYDON
we had sticky fingers on Saturday 16th may what a night we had was good to see them again. everyone enjoyed them. This is a band that enjoys what they do and they do it really well.
once again lads thanks for a fantastic night ill ring you soon Phil get you's back.
respect Decka

good to hear the news that glaxo social club are starting bands and what a better band to start the band nights than aftershock. I played at this club when i was 15 and it has lovely accoustics. Its also pleasing that barnard castle is getting bands on full stop as the live music scene in this area is practically non existant.
Regards,
Christopher Holmes
Shildon, County Durham

Hi Riffs,
Just read the review about the Hendrix tribute band Sundance on the site. Great review for a deserving band.
I went to see them last week at the Barking dog in Wallsend after I found out Martin Bennet had joined them after leaving Tumblin Dice. I know the Dice lads very well and was sad to hear Martin had moved on. He was a major player in the band and will be a great loss.
I know how good Martin is and he certainly lived up to his reputation at the Dog. At 25 Martin is one of the most talented drummers you will ever see.
Even though the place was quiet we were warmed up with an excellent solo spot from Beth Harper, a very young and talented guitarist / singer who gave a cracking 30 minute set.
After a short break Sundance came on and proceeded to give the audience the full catalogue of the Hendrix collection. Nothing was spared and the band gave it 120 per cent. As the review said this is a band to see and if you love Hendrix you will not be disappointed by these fine musicians.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show and will definitely see them again, sooner rather than later.
I will let you be the judge of how good this Hendrix tribute band are, just get to see them soon before they start doing the big concert halls around the country.
Les
Rock 4 All

The Hybrids live at The Three Tuns, Thursday 8th May 2009
As reported by Paul Smith in his recent "View From The Bridge" page, the Tuns is well on the way to becoming a six nights a week music venue. As such it remains one of the venues every band wants to play and while it is usually the domain of hard rock, metal or punk it was a refreshing change to see a band playing a mixed bag.
Opening up with a respectable Kula Shaker version of "Hush", it was noticeable that singer/guitarist Shaun was shaking his hand in time with the rhythm rather like he'd lost his tambourine, exactly what he brought out for a great cover of the Kaiser Chiefs "Ruby" which led into one of my personal favorite indie numbers by Ocean Colour Scene "The River Boat Song".
So far so good. Nice atmosphere in the room and the lads are going down well with half a bar full of punters when the set list chucks in a spanner by the name of Red Hot Chilli Peppers' "Under The Bridge".
Swapping vocals between Shaun and singer/guitarist Dave was for the most part a smart move and worked well, songs picked to suit the individual style - but this one just didn't work at all. While both Shaun and Dave are competent singers and confident front men, Dave didn't really have the refinement to give this the subtle tones it needs and for me they should drop it from the set. It didn't help any that something seamed to change at this point, almost as if the band had altered a setting or two to give the piece more presence, but what resulted was to hamper the rest of the first half with a noticeable boom to the sound.
By complete contrast, Dave's strong vocal for "Waterloo Sunset" was a good party style sing along and Smith's classic "This Charming Man" was a pure gem, Shaun's mannerisms and vocals fitting the piece perfectly and deservedly met with rapturous applause.
Kicking off round two with "Take Me Out" showed the bands intent to kick things up a gear and a brilliant "Grace" (Supergrass) was every bit as bouncy and fun as the original. Keeping the pace going with "Hate To Say" (Hives), Dave - having shone on guitar most of the night - had a chance to let rip vocally on this which suited him much better.
Not to be outdone, drummer Chris (who along with bass guitarist Ian had weighed in with backing vocals in addition to keeping the rhythm solid) took lead vocal for Steelers Wheel movie soundtrack regular "Stuck In The Middle With You", making a decent fist of it too.
Covers of Stereophonics and Foo Fighters maintained the uptempo feel and while Dave again struggled a little vocally in places he did a respectable job of things during a very well received encore that included The Jam's "Going Underground".
On the whole, it's songs like "Going Underground" and others with an uptempo indie feel where The Hybrids are strongest. While one or two numbers could do with a little vocal polish, musically the band are tight and the lads created a nice laid back party atmosphere that more that satisfied their audience, and there was some good craic to be had after.
If they are gigging near you then The Hybrids are well worth a look.
http://www.myspace.com/thehybridsgigs
MOO pmsbull :-)

Great BH Sunday at Crook FC this weekend gone. 4 acts (with us on last) and the audience were fantastic from the first chord of the first act through to our last. Great venue and setup. Marshall and the crew are second to none. Line up was Steve Muse (young solo acoustic - "you might have noticed I have the voice of a young girl"), The Headhunters (nice bit of gritty bluesy r'n'b stuff - great singer) and The Whole Hog (again, great singer, fantastic stand in bassist and cracking drummer - thinking of changing their name to The Whole Sheep due to current pandemic scares). We may attempt to steal one of these singers to help out The Bandits' delivery at some point ha ha, as I'm getting too old for all this shouting lark. I suspect we'll be turned down mind as both front excellent bands capable of almost as many jazz moments as us.
Still recovering.
All the best.
Bad Bob Bates The Bandits

THE BOARD IN STELLA, BLAYDON UPON TYNE
SATURDAY 2ND OF MAY WE HAD THE RETURN OF THE GEUSTS AND WE WERNT DISAPOINTED ONE AGAIN A FANTASTIC SET HAD THE CROWD JUMPING ITS GOOD TO SEE A BAND ENJOYING WHAT THEY DO RATHER THAN THINK OF IT AS WORK ONCE AGAIN THANKS TO ALAN DAWES AND THE REST OF THE BAND FOR A GOOD NIGHT ILL BE IN TOUCH.
REGARDS DECKA

Alreet,
May be contentious, however I'm getting a little bit confused by bands who state to be "Classic Rock" but we do a bit of " The Killers/Arctics/Snow Patrol/Kings/ Oasis" etc.etc.
Why? Surely the the epoch of music you contend to be playing is one genre enough, without dabbling in waters that you have little or no knowledge of. Personally I have a little chortle every time I see someone playing the "catch all" option.
Stick your neck out man and ignore all the petty naysayers. There's a massive heritage of choons out there without resorting to the tried and tested. Believe me we've tried it every single weekend. Old men in leather?
Mods Rule.
Alan Source

"Mayday Madness" - Akq Stottin at Wardley Legion Club 1st May 2009
What a bloody laugh a minute this was!
Paul Smith once said in his "From The Bridge" page on Riffs that there is some indescribable magic that only happens at an AKQ Stottin gig, and he has never said a truer word as long as I've had the pleasure of knowing him.
The small room in Wardley Club is nothing if not intimate and fittingly there was a small but appreciative turnout which nicely filled the main part of the room for what - due to some equipment failures - tuned into a bit of a shambles, but in all honesty, it didn't matter one little jot.
The problems with the kit merely gave muse for Marti to go off on a couple of walk arounds in the audience, patter set on pure waxa 48 carat Greggs mega wopper, and reassure people that it was all part of the greater AKQ Stottin plan for world domination.
When Reggie and the crew did get their shite together, the band were just getting into the swing of Black Sabbath, extending arms et al... when a certain Bon Scott impersonator decided to heckle with cries of "Wolverine!"
I'm sure most of you have seen the "arms of evil" so you can imagine the piss-yourself-laughing response! Not only did this just sum up the laid back feel of the whole evening, but kicked Marti into high gear heckler handling mode and resulted in an extended giggle fest as he, Shaun O'Brien and others in the audience traded one liners to hilarious effect.
Add to this the fact that the band were being roasted alive by 1000 watt lights (which wouldn't have looked out of place sporting the Bat signal) that many moons ago shone down from the cieling of Tyne Tees TV studios while transmitting legendary music show "The Tube" and you have some indication of the atmosphere on the night!
Yes there were equipment failures, yes Terry missed a cue or two, yes the smoke machine failed to produce more smoke than the Conchie on Guy Fawkes night.... but you know what - I couldn't care less if I tried!
AKQ Stottin are my favorite band for one reason - Entertainment ... and where these lads are concerned, you should always spell it with a capital E .
Hats off to Mad Dog who keeping this venue up and running. Cheap drink, great band, fantastic craic. Two quid for that night? Can I sign up for a dozen please mate?
MOO!pmsbull :-)

APRIL

We in RELOAD would like to thank HOUGHTON BUFFS for a great night last Friday. This has to be one of the best rock venues around.The guys in charge have made a great effort to get the place up and running. The crowd are fantastic. We would like to thank Dave for all his help on the night and the review he has done of the gig on Davys Rockpage. We have been constantly gigging for 4 years and this is our first review!!
So if you want to see a band in a proper rock venue get yourself along to the BUFFS - you won't be disappointed!!

"Straight Shooting Classics" - Mike Estes & Skinny Molly @ The Three Tuns, Gateshead. Tuesday 28th April 2009

Like love and laughter or sunshine and blue skies, some things in life are just meant to go together. Such is true of Skinny Molly and the Three Tuns, although much more in the vein of Jack Daniels and Coke - and a better combination of band and bar you would be hard pressed to find.
Having exchanged a few emails with Mike Estes over the months, he told me just how much Skinny Molly were looking forward to playing the Three Tuns once more. "It's by far our favorite place to play in England. You guys have the loudest crowd I ever heard".
Forget the fact that it was a Tuesday night and pissing with rain, or that it was once again ridiculously humid inside, the concert room was as expected rammed full with eager punters - many of whom had been to every previous show Skinny Molly had played here, such is the measure of this band.
Singing from the heart and the balls Mike has that slow, whiskey drenched southern drawl that only comes from years on the road and all the experiences that go with it - often reflected in music that contains as much southern harmony as Texas hold 'em. Mixing southern classics with their own exceptional material ( 'Straight Shooter' being a personal favorite ) and a nod to the British old school with a wonderful version of The Rolling Stones 'Dead Flowers' made for an evening full of gilt edged rockers.

The highlights of the night were always going to be the Lynyrd Skynyrd songs, and both 'Simple Kind Of Man' and 'Sweet Home Alabama' were fittingly met with singalongs that raised the roof, only for it to be sent spinning off into the stratosphere by the one thing worthy of ending such a night - a staggeringly performed nigh on fifteen minute version of 'Freebird' that allowed guitarist Chris Walker, bassman Luke Bradshaw and drummer Kurt Pietro to shine even brighter than they had previously - complete with what must be the biggest wind down in history!
As our lenses homed in for a few publicity shots of the band posing and cracking a few jokes along with myself and other Komomdo Rock crew, it was good to catch up once again with one of Southern rocks living legends. For someone with such a musical pedigree, Mike Estes is as laid back and down to earth as anyone I have ever met, tossing his head back with laughter and announcing "Man, I never had so much fun taking photos in my life" - though that may have had something to do with the cuddle my wife was giving him!
Some of my friends drove four hours from Wales just to attend this show, and Skinny Molly went out of their way to make them feel welcome. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that was one of the best nights we have had in a long time, and if the crowd reaction was anything to go by then gigs just don't get better than this.
MOO! pmsbull :-)

Hi nige/val,
we (koncept) would just like to say a big thankyou to the landlady at the moorhouse in seaton burn,we played there for the first time on Saturday night and we were made very welcome from the minute we walked in,free drinks were on offer before we started,at half time and at the end of our second set! The pub was pretty full all night with a very appreciative and knowlegable crowd.we had a top night and look forward to playing at this top venue again later in the year.
cheers, paul (koncept)

BULLET
Saturday 25th April 2009
The Board inn had Bullet those that have seen them know just how good this band is. And Saturday was no exception the crowd loved them to the point when the police came in
to say they had a complaint about the noise level the crowed started to chant f _ _ _K the law we want more witch the band obliged and we had a cracking night thanks again two those ageing mates of mine Mark and Nick and also to Greg and Alan who make this band so special keep in touch lads we will have you's back.
Respect Decka

Alreet,
Alan from The Source here. Just to echo Rab's comments about The Wheatsheaf. We had a great night there last Saturday, cracking crowd, good beer and great hospitality (something Big Davey has always exelled at).
I hope the punters get behind this venue as it has a lot to offer. Davey knows his bands, so you can always be assured no matter when you go the music will be top notch.
It's been said before, "Use it or lose it".
"Remember that you are an Englishman, and have consequently won first place in the lottery of life."
Alan Source.
P.S. When we gonna get a review!!!

We hadn’t been to the Howdon club in ages so went not knowing what was on – as usual!!!
Posters were displaying the Dee Dowling Band who we hadn’t seen before but didn’t advertise what type of music they played. So we settled down for a good drink, the club was full & we watched the band set up in between domino cards, key draw tickets, play your cards right, bingo etc. It was clear at the outset that these were musicians (i.e. they were setting up instruments rather than the many good entertainers/singers/dancers that you get on the club circuit). Also they sounded like good musicians from the sound check but they played the various different sounds/effects that they were going to use in the sets, however the drummer sounded like a good thumper (always a good sign), but we were still in suspense wondering what sort of music they were going to play…..
The first set they kicked off with Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town & we turned to each other & said “This is gonna be a good night”…..
Plenty of diversity in the first set with My Sharona – The Knack not often played, the Stereophonics & a few Police numbers culminating in an incredibly superb acoustic Hotel California & Pink Floyd’s - The Wall. The band consists of 4 guys whose names escape me except for Dee Dowling being the tremendous front man who played bass (some slap bass) & acoustic guitars. All the guys sang which makes for good harmonising & depth to the vocals. Twin lead guitarists who were both excellent, one of which swapped to the bass during the acoustic numbers & a great drummer also proficient at a few stick tricks!
The second set started off with a few Rolling Stones numbers, Amy Winehouse & some cheese for us dancers. Livin on a prayer (which I knew he wasn’t gonna be able to sing – not many people can! So audience participation ensued.) Encoring with a slow starting, Bryan Adams – Summer of 69, very different.
I have to say it’s not often on the club circuit that I come across a rock band that can rival the musicianship of the local pub circuit but this is one such band. Not a weak link among them all marvellous musicians & singers, no gimmicks or over inflated egos, a surprisingly very entertaining night. Go check them out – they are terrific!
JLH.

Slack Rats & The Creepers At The 3 Tuns
Got to this half way through Slack's set and must say what a good night of rockabilly psycho punkyness I and the very small but appreciative audience were treated to.
Any band that does songs about their incontinent uncle who keeps pissing in the bath, falling in love with a girl they saw through a notch hole in their Granny's wooden leg and a song about Luke Skywalker being a redneck have to be worth seeing !
Creepers were great, amped to oblivion and going a million miles an hour. Singer at times reminded me of seminal Debbie Harry band Stillettos. Didn't know most of the material but loved the song "Baby Blue Tattoo".
Get these two bands on followed by The Me Me's and Bessies Buckets and you have a hell of an all dayer to get pissed at !
MOO! PMSbull :-)

With regard to letters about the audience shouting "shite" at bands. Do you not think The Chestwigs should shoulder much of the blame?!! They used to actively encourage it. It was written on the front of their bass drum and half the audience wore t-shirts with it written on them in a variety of well known logos. A section of the crowd at the Archer always used to sing "You're shite and you know you are...." Hell, they even did a version of D.I.S.C.O. called S.H.I.T.E. Their gigs finished with chants of "More Shite" and they looked delighted by it!!!!
Much missed.....prime candidates for a reunion surely
Virgil

Hi there,
Its Ben from the band Outcold,
I would just like to thank The Three Tuns for an excellant Battle of the bands. It was really good to play with and hear such amazing new bands. Every band that played were top notch and it was great to be a part of it and to be suppoting Skinny Molly back at the Three Tuns. Well done to Razor Sharp,The winners, to be that young, that good and to get a pub packed full of people bouncing is something truly special and we would like to wish them and all the other bands all the best in the future.
Thanks again to Paul Tuns.
Outcold.

Three Tuns / Riffs BOTB Final - A Bull's Eye View
Well, after many weeks of being both massively entertained by the sheer quality of the bands that entered this competition - all of whom I take my hat off to for getting up on stage and giving it their all - aswell as serious brain damage suffered trying to split them, it all came down to this.
On a night that was charged with a tangible atmosphere, the Three Tuns famously humid concert room was once again like the seventh layer of hell, but I don't think anyone really gave a shiteeee once the competition gotunder way.
We had all been salivating at the prospect of six - yes, six - excellent bands in one night, and this judge at least was both loving every minute and dreading the moment of truth when he would have to separate such talent. Thank God there were a panel of seven judges tonight, because each and every one of these groups played their respective socks off.
Out Cold : Opened the night with their distinctive brand of stoner rock mixing some seriously dirty riffs with a vocal tone that was right on the gravelly post grunge edge that their sound demands. A brilliant performance of quality original material and by far their best in the competition.
The Great Escape : Playing a brand of highly original cool Britania style indie married to a couple of well chosen covers gave this band a real shot. In a competition that was predominantly rock and metal, there were always going to be a few exceptions and this band shone amongst them.
Losing All : Loud, proud and heavy as a pregnant dinosaur - this was an awesome display of head banging horns high metal at it's best. Piledriver bass riffs and intense guitar solos topped off with a menacing vocal that came from the gut. Metallica-esque, maybe, but make no mistake - this band are the real deal.
Remedy : Never anything less than quality, Remedy were on great form again tonight and showed they are not afraid to push the boundaries of expectation by putting three new songs into their five song set. Brave, ballsy and a performance of real class - even if the new songs could have been tighter.
Under The Gun : Anyone who has seen these guys knows what to expect - excellent guitar work, solid backline, pouting sleazy vocals and stage presence big enough to fill an arena. Another excellent set of in your face rock that had the whole place jumping. Loved it.
Razor Sharp : Jesus Christ once said "From out of the mouths of babes will you hear my Father's word". For anyone who believes rock and roll will save your soul then Razor Sharp are here to do the job! How do kids this young get to be so talented? For a bunch of 14 year olds who get very little time to practice, this mixed set of covers and originals was just jaw droppingly impressive. I have said it many times in the past - when these guys are eighteen they will be scaring the wits out of our more established local bands.
Like the man said, "You can't win them all" and so, after witnessing a night of truly awesome proportions, the judges retired to consider their verdicts. In fact such was the difficulty I was having in picking a winner, I had to go outside and be alone in the quiet of the cool night air to get my head around what I had just saw. It didn't make deciding any easier...
Judges : Simon(Tuns barstaff), Riley(Tuns regular), John(Tuns soundman), Nige & Val (Riffs), Paul Knight(Star Shots photography), PMSbull(Komodo Rock)
Following the submission of all scores, as a control factor to average out scoring, the top and bottom mark for each band was discarded giving the following result :
1 Razor Sharp £600 recording contract for first ep
2 Remedy £150 showcase gig along with Under the Gun May 9th
3 Under the Gun showcase gig with Remedy £150 on May 9th
4 Out Cold £100 and support slot for Skinny Molly on April 28th
5 Losing All £100 cash
6 The Great Escape
Just to give an indication of how close fought this BOTB was, the winning margin was 1 point, and the spread across first place to last was only 11 points - such was the standard each band delivered on the night.
Despite all the controversy and debate that has surrounded it, I for one have found this BOTB to be one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever been involved with. To see so many bands get up on that stage week after week and give it all the heart and balls they could muster was a privilege and an honor.
In summation, a word about our sponsors : Paul Smith has turned the Three Tuns around from being one of the roughest bars in Gateshead to a place with a warm welcome and friendly atmosphere,
regularly packed out by an appreciative and knowledgeable crowd of music lovers. Yes there are the occasional charver, but for the most part they are well behaved. As a venue, this is rightly regarded as one of THE places to play. There is nowhere I would rather see a band, and as long as Paul continues to book such new and exciting acts there will always be a cow in the audience.
Nige and Val at Riffs have for many years preached the gospel of local live music and the North East rock scene would be a much lesser place without their efforts. Sometimes outspoken but always telling it like they see it, and that's good enough for me.
What a night! 8-)
As for this little heffer, I will continue to be as enthusiastic and above all straight as always about the bands that stir my passion. Live music is my drug of choice and as long as this quality is around, I intend to indulge for some time to come.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Chantele McGregor at The 3 Tuns, Friday 27th March 2009
It never ceases to amaze me the depth of talent that lies just beneath the surface of the mainstream music business, especially when it comes to young unsigned guitar players. The good news though is that, for once the powers that be seem to be taking note.
Chantele first picked up a guitar aged seven and was originally targeted by industry big wigs who wanted to sell her as an acoustic playing singer songwriter. Preferring to follow her heart and play the material that moved her - the kind of classic rock and blues her parents played while she grew up - this young lady has matured into one of the most talked about rock and blues guitarists in the country, and justifiably so. Women who play like this are something of a rareity.
For such a shy and unpretentious girl, she has enormous on-stage personality and a gift that any man would scream about. Quietly confident in her own ability, she has a command of her instrument that many will find incredible for one so young - still only 23 - and this reflected itself in her at times almost too reserved stage presence last night.
Chantele has an eye catching smile, especially when she knows the camera is on her - and while some guys pull the most distorted of guitar faces it was a refreshing change to see her at times playing eyes closed, feeling the flow of the music and losing herself in it. To some, her style could be seen as a little self-indulgent, but when you are covering the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower and Joe Bonnamassa (with whom she has jammed live on stage) that's no bad thing!
Highlights were great versions of Trower classic "Daydream" and Bonamassa's "Miss You, Hate You" both of which perfectly suited her voice, and a brilliant rendition of Hendrix's take on "Red House" during which she nailed an extended solo - much to audience approval - showing that along with her genuine feel she can certainly shred.
While the sound could have done with a bit more meat in places, this was on the whole an excellent set. Backed up by a solid rhythm section of drummer Martin Rushworth and bass guitarist Alex Jeffry, I suggest you catch her soon because before too long, this will be the hottest ticket in town.
Official website: http://www.chantelmcgregor.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/chantelmcgregor

MARCH

Hiya Riffs,
A few notes. The Flat tops have'nt had bands on for a while, we phoned the landlord on his mobile and he told us the brewery was not helping with the funding of bands anymore.
Another well know and high profile venue asked us to play there for 50 quid, just to see if we go down. Sorry but no! Were good enough for 200 notes at venues that have'nt seen us,we are one of the most gigged bands on the circuit now so its a bit of an insult.
Finally the guy who shouts 'shite'. We played the venue the other week, its a great place, lovely people who come to see bands, and I'm really looking forward to going back, but I would'nt take my missus out for a night with a 'loon' like that in the pub, he was'nt doing any harm, but there is still no need for it, maybe he should read this and maybe he will sort himslef out as he was canny bloke.
Scooby (The Mystery Machine)

I would like to outline a sorry situation in which our band was left the other night when booked to play at the Flat Tops in Boldon.
Having dropped posters in about two weeks before-hand and not having heard anything to suggest the gig wasn’t going ahead we assumed everything was fine and even turned down another gig on the basis that were already booked.
However, just to confirm, we tried to ring the pub on the number that is displayed on websites and with BT – we were greeted with a message stating that the number doesn’t receive incoming calls?? (A pub that doesn’t receive incoming calls? How do they communicate with the outside world?). Anyway, we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and headed down there at about 8 having packed our cars with gear etc to make sure we were set-up in good time.
On entering the place, the landlady seemed to make a lame attempt to hide from us but when confronted, she told us we were cancelled as we hadn’t supplied any posters and they couldn’t get in touch with us – I would be interested to know if any bands out there consider this to be valid excuse when they gave us no notice what-so-ever and did not contact us on the numbers we gave them. The whole thing was made so much worse by the fact that they had booked a karaoke act instead despite having ‘live music’ emblazoned across the front of the pub.
If you are offered work at the Flattops, I would seriously consider the above before making a decision on whether you want to risk playing there – anywhere that books a karaoke act on a weekend cannot be serious above live music and can’t have any real respect for the musicians on which they cancel who are just trying to make a living.
Mike(band and details supplied to Riffs)

"Codfathers Of Rock"
Fishburn Mafia live at 3 Tuns Friday March 6th 2009
It has been about 3 months now since I received a request from one of the band's long time supporters to come out and do a piece, and for that I apologise, but as I'm sure everyone knows, life in the cowshed has been a little complicated just lately. After hearing some great things about the Mafia, it was too good a chance to miss them play my favorite venue.
Opening up with the Police's Message In A Bottle (on which Micky's guitar sound was strangely Alex Lifeson circa Hemispheres) was a mistake. A band's opener needs to grab the audience and make them hungry for more - and their version of this this just didn't do it. Not to worry though, because from here on in this was one hell of a performance !
Across the night several Hendrix standards were given the blues treatment - Hey Joe perfectly fitting the power trio lineup, and Micky pulled out a superb solo during Red House. Ian has a mature voice that suits their material well, his bass guitar an integral component of the Mafia's subtle class and drummer Ben was at times outstanding. Even more so when you consider this lad was seriously ill in hospital last week.
Bluesy rock numbers are where the Mafia shine best, but the band are not afraid to mix it up a little - as moving from Pink Floyd into Rush via Marvin G@ye proved! Given the way Fishburn Mafia approach their material, they were just animated enough, and while the bouncy pogoing of The Brew would be out of context here, a little more crowd interaction would have been good - not that the audience didn't love them!
After opening the second set with Immigrant Song, we were treated to one of my personal live favorites - The Spirit Of Radio. We all know how technical Neal Peart can be but Ben oozed class throughout this despite his health issues - well done that man! - and the change of pace to a superbly performed Come Together was an excellent run in for another Hendrix tune, Purple Haze.
For me Purple Haze is the song that defined the night. While most play this with fire and flame, the Mafia played it with smoke and bourbon - cool, collected and yet heavy as lead - the same way that Free could be subtle yet still retain the power of a sledgehammer, and a reworking of Walk In My Shadow to a standard blues riff showed just how well the band understand their material.
Having gone down a storm, the second set ended on a bit of an anti-climax. I would have loved Rocking In The Free World to have exploded with Perl Jam like anger - which would have brought the house down - but it didn't, and closer Can't Get Enough Of Your Love was the only song Ian didn't sing well all night.
Despite this, a brilliant encore followed with Micky giving another amazing solo on Foxy Lady and Ben shining once more during Zeppelin favorite Rock & Roll - two songs the guys did completely rock out.
There is no denying the quality of this band. Excellent musicianship throughout and the epitomy of laid back class, The Fishburn Mafia are a band you need to see, and one more wiseguy has just joined the Codfather's rapidly expanding mob of fans.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
www.myspace.com/thefishburnmafia
MOO!pmsbull
Left here around midnight then off to see A Thousand Lies rock the Academy 2

RIFFS ,
when it comes to music there can be very few people as chauvinistic as I am , maybe it was the fact that I first saw DEEP PURPLE way back in 1969 and there were very few females in rock bands or it could be that almost all local live gigs were in Working Men's Clubs . The club ethos in the 60s and 70s was if a female vocalist did not have a great voice all she had to do was lift the hem and lower the
neckline which may have looked good but did nothing for the music . I can list on one hand the number of Rock Women I like and still have fingers to spare so why did my mates and I travel from our comfort zone of Felling and Gateshead to see THE ALCATRAZ HOUSE BAND ? the answer is JENN NORMANDALE ! and yes she is a female vocalist but what a singer she is . My new mate at THE THREE TUNS , none other than the famous scribe MOOpmsBULL has written many a verse about this band and their singer and as usual he is spot on . JENN does not rely on any gimmicks but then she does not have too , her voice is that good . A voice that can create the PLANT shrill or the frantic vocals of AXL and IAN ASTBURY amongst other is good enough but that is not where JENN excels . The alter ego of ALCATRAZ is REMEDY and it is on their own song that JENN'S voice is set apart from any other female on the rock scene . One song PRIESTS AND PREACHERS is good enough to stand alongside anything in my extensive music collection but so are a couple of others on the bands excellent CD , a bargain at only £5 , Like many other bands ALCATRAZ need the covers to get their own music heard in the pubs of our region but the word is spreading and it is the bands own compositions that are catching the audiences attention. I like the bands cd so much that the one I purchased for my son in the South Of France may not reach there until I get one for myself . JENN as the front woman is the obvious attraction as are all great vocalists but ALCATRAZ are an excellent all round band . GRAHAM HASWELL is an superb guitar player and his laid back style complements JENN'S more energetic approach perfectly . The rhythm section really drives this band on and bassist LEE TUCK and drummer MARK DODDS are the band members responsible for this driving beat . To end my epistle I ask the question have my views changed on women in rock and the answer is not a lot but even at this late stage I fully realise it is not the gender it is the QUALITY that counts and JENN and THE ALCATRAZ HOUSE BAND have that in abundance .
Catch this band and buy their CD or miss out on a totally superb night out .

Battle of the Bands Final. Bubbles, Ashington 23/02/2009
There is a school of thought that states the venue you see a band in can seriously alter the quality and passion of their performance, one I agree with entirely, and the reason we should all be supporting live music at venues like Bubbles.
Now as everyone knows I am a passionate supporter of Gateshead's Three Tuns, being on record as saying it is the only place I have been that has the ability to take on the feel of a mini Mayfair - something very special indeed. Well, after this event I can confidently tell you that you can add Bubbles to that list!
The final of Bubbles BOTB produced an atmosphere that simply had to be experienced, something truly euphoric that seemed to infect the whole room at times. As a live event this has to be one of the most enjoyable I have ever attended - not only for the craic but the sheer passion the bands put into each performance.
Such was the standard of tonights finalists that the judging panel (made up of myself and six other wiser if less sexually attractive men) were left with somewhat of a dilemma come results time, not least over the way in which the results should be collated.
Personally I would have liked to see the result decided by adding up of each judges actual score for each band but the final decision was made on the basis of each judge awarding a band points reflecting their position 1 to 4, though I may just be spitting my dummy because my 1st place choice came third!
After some serious debate, the judges decision was as follows :
4th : The Restaurant
Very catchy songs written with more than a nod to Simon & Garfunkel, Gilbert O' Sullivan and 60's Brit pop like Kinks. Including such delights as the lead singer playing a gazoo, these lads gave a great account of themself and were very well received by audience and judges alike.
Already through to the semis in the 3 Tuns BOTB, this group are a breath of fresh air in amongst the regions more common rock/metal and blues acts. Check out their excellent cd "My last attempt to rule the world".
http://www.myspace.com/therestaurant1
3rd : Lazy Baker
Living proof that opportunity knocks when you least expect it, the last time I was invited to Bubbles was to judge the round they won. Not even on the original bill for the night, this band were sitting in the audience and when Bran announced one of the bands were unable to appear asked if they could play instead and duly won the night.
As a three piece you may be wondering where the bass player is but infact they don't have one, not that this detracts from the quality of their sound as they have by far the strongest drummer on the night who played a blinder throughout. Lead singer had a great voice and as guitarists both lads did a fine job. Excellent use of retro keys and the icing on the cake was the extended keyboard solo closing their set. Loved them.
Mixing Artic Monkeys cheek with Blur/Gorillas pop sensibility, a touch of Snow Patrol anthemism and just a smidgen of the Jam's attitude, this band blew me away when I first saw them to the extent that I predicted they would win. Three of the seven Judges agreed with me on the night.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus....iendID=31028153
2nd : The Illustrators
Very popular with the local young ladies! Have to be honest and say that their brand of indie/pop was not to my taste - but then that is the beauty of nights like this, expanding one's horizons beyond what you would normally hear. Decent musicians and a good strong voice, no faulting the quality of their performance and were only narrowly edged into second place. Check out their myspace - you might just love them !
www.myspace.com/illustratorsuk
1st : Be Quiet, Shout Loud!
Visually stunning with an androgynous and wonderfully animated front man somewhere between Morrisey and Fish. Take a blend of 80's new romanticism, some 70's disco breaks, 90's style keyboard rhythms and slam it all down with bass heavy 00's indie/rock beats and you have something very special - but only if you 'get' it. Not everyone will, and therein lies my only criticism.
This is a band you will either love or hate - and those who loved them couldn't fail to be blown away by the infectious nature of their anarchic stage performance. Part avant garde expression part Arcade Fire, this band would be lapped up by the festival crowds and become instant NME darlings. Despite personally scoring them just behind Lazy Baker - based purely on Lazy Baker's sound being more instantly accessible - I thought they were absolutely amazing!
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus....endid=277116945
Well deserved winners, "Be Quiet, Shout Loud!" are :
Jake Radio - lead vox
Big Dave - bass & vox
Macca - guitar & vox
Chris Minnellium - keys & synth
Archy - lead synth & percussion
Mr. Michael - drums & percussion
Catch them live 3rd March at The Keys Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough.
Thanks again to Bran for inviting me to take part in the judging process. My own personal result was 1)Lazy Baker 2)Be Quiet,Shout Loud! 3)The Restaurant 4)The Illustrators.
All the best for the future to all the bands that performed. If the turnout at this event is anything to judge by then live original music is alive and kicking in Ashington and Blyth!
Pix:
http://www.scooby-snaps.co.uk/dispreview.asp?id=00073
http://www.scooby-snaps.co.uk/dispout.asp?id=00073
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Saturday 28th February
we had a new band called the Guests we weren't sure what to expect but took the gamble anyway. the pub was really quiet as there was a charity night up in ryton . however just as the band came on the place filled up and we had one of the best nights ever this band was really good.
a few regulars returned from the charity night and joined in the fun.
we enjoyed them that much we are having them back Saturday 2nd may.
just to let all live music venues know this band The Guests are well worth booking if you want a good night
for contact information call Decka on 07708798923 and I be more than happy to pass a phone number on for this band one again thanks all for a great night.
regards Decka

FEBRUARY

Hi ALL at RIFFS
We had a short notice gig booked (for Black River Band) at the Mallard in Seaham (Fri 27th Feb), and I would like to say what a great welcome we had. Gordon, not sure if he's manager or owner, had set up the house PA (an excellent HK rig) and lights, saving us the trouble of unloading ours, and came over a few times to see if we needed any help. The audience we very enthusiastic and clapped at the end of every song, now that's a nice change from indifference. All in all a very worthwhile gig, even got a return booking. So click on the venues page and give him a call.
Barry the bass, Black River Band.

I read with horror and anger the letter regarding audiences who shouted 'SHITE' in a bid to get a band to play more music at the end of the night. What type of a world are we living in whereby this is the way human beings-allegedly!-behave in order to show their appreciation to a band at the end of the night. Whatever happened to applauding loudly and maybe even shouting the simple word... 'more?!?!' After all-it takes the same effort as shouting the word 'SHITE' and is mono-syllabic. (Psst...For the middle aged idiots who shouted this-that means ONE syllable).
Spare a thought for us live musicians in bands who have worked their little socks off for 2 hours-usually for a paltry fee and whilst obviously having to remain SOBER all night, then getting to the end of the night and being occasionally 'heckled' for not doing more songs! It is quite frustrating to say the least.
Why should bands put up with this moronic and rude behaviour from audiences? Why should we 'take it on the chin' and 'just see it as their immature way of showing their pleasure for a band?' If my band was met with such a response, I am afraid the LAST thing I would be doing is busting a gut to play more songs form them. There is never a cut-off point and if the band are good, then of course, audiences want more. However there has to be a FINAL song and audiences need to realise that bands then have another 1 hour or so to pack up and shift equipment and THEN travel home.
YES we love playing... Yes we want to please our audiences and yes audience feedback is very important to us.
Lastly, I think it is really sad that the author of the letter has to stay anonymous and that he/she feels that the only way forward is to just accept that this will be happening to other unfortunate entertainers in this establishment! He/she is even prepared to take the blame for this horrendous show of immaturity and quite frankly neanderthal behaviour.
I wish I knew which venue it was because my band and I would definitely NOT be turning up for any gig there! If it was me I would simply be saying-behave like that again and there will be NO MORE bands booked!!! Or even better-ban these hooligans from the venue!!
As for the 'middle-aged' perpetrators of all of this nonsense-I have one message-
SHAME ON YOU-SHOW SOME EXAMPLE FOR THE YOUNGER AUDIENCE MEMBERS AND GROW UP!
In connection with my recent 'annoyed' letter above. I didn't want to remain anonymous and therefore my name is Catherine. However-I would love to know which venue this is occuring at-so that I can avoid it like the plague!!

Hi Val,
1st gig for the Marsmen and talk about a night to remember! It was literally out of this world. Hosts Keith & Net and all their regulars at The Thatch totally blew us away. After the first two songs they just sang along, heckled and danced the whole night away. Keith joined us and sang "Bowie's" Starman and the atmosphere was just electric. The result, we are booked there for New Years Eve. What a great start. Thanks for the plug in your news will keep you informed of progress. We are right on The Border so our next gig is this Saturday 6th Sept at The Robin's Nest, Chirnside. Its only 12 miles away but thats Scotland so it cannot go in your gig-guide, boo hoo! Bye for now and thanks again.
(Hey Marsman, I am the master of the listings and if you want that gig in - that gig goes in............- Val xxx)

Hi Val and All at Riffs
Just thought I would share this baser little tale without being discourteous to anyone!
We have been trying to keep music alive at our venue having bands on a weekly basis – the locals, myself and “visitors” love it!
We have some great nights and really do appreciate the live entertainment, hard work the bands put in and dedication they show!
I always tell the Bands the people who are in at 9pm are in to watch them for the night!
However, I had a very embarrassing experience a few weeks ago and it serves me right!
A few months ago we had, as always a great Saturday Night.
However this Saturday Night the place was full to the rafters, people were “buzzing”, the drinks were flowing freely, the band was great as always and the atmosphere was electric.
It got near to the end of the 2nd set when to my “horror” I heard one of the middle aged locals shout “SHITE, SHITE”!
Before I knew it everyone had joined in – at the same time dancing about, singing etc. and “bantering” the band!
The band did several encores then slipped of the stage area a little confused - as I was.
I apologised without an explanation & did I do some grovelling!
Luckily the Band smiled and replied saying they had had a great night as well (re-booked)!!!!!!!!!!
However I was not amused by the antics and the next day confronted the “accused” – “they” explained that the bands don’t /won’t always do an encore, that everyone was having such a good night they did not want it to end, and so they came up with the idea that if they shouted “Shite, Shite” the band would (annoyingly) react to them and play more! Mmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAY, over the next few weeks I though it only fair to “have a word” with the bands in a light-hearted way and explained that if their audience shouted “Shite, Shite” to please not be offended – the bands appreciated it and played up to it well, laughing when they heard the shouting and did their encore to an appreciative audience much to the glee and excitement of their audience!!!!!
Inevitably the week came when there was no shouting, there had been a death in the village and everyone was a bit sad/withdrawn & quiet!
How embarrassed was I when the band asked WHY? there was no shout of “Shite, Shite”!
Needless to say I now keep stum/quiet, don’t interfere and let the Band soak up the atmosphere – I’ve reverted to telling them afterwards!
SO I hope the Bands who entertain their appreciative audience in our venue will appreciate the humour - it has now become a “trademark”!!
They’ll know who we are!
For obvious reasons I hope you keep us ANNONOMOUS!
x

RIFFS ,
Bryan Adams once sang " he played his guitar till his fingers bled " but I never believed this boast , however in the case of Wilko Johnson and Joe Strummer that was certainly true . The all action playing of these Icons of the Tele is carried on in the hands of Bandit chief , Bad Bob Bates and he has been known to sprinkle the stage with the Claret liquid so intense is his playing . The Bandits play with an energy that is frightening for a band that has been around so long , in fact BBB was only Slightly Mean Bob Bates at the time I first caught the band in action.
Never in almost 15 years have I seen The Bandits give less than 100% and Friday at the Tuns was no exception. The Bandits music is driven on by a thundering bass played by Whalebone Pete and he thumps those strings so hard the Great Ox himself must have felt it six feet under in his premature grave. Whalebone also belts out some stirring vocals especially on the Who covers the band play. Right behind Whalebone you have the feral dog himself as Brad Dolphin beats hell out of his skins. Brad usually finishes the first set with a rousing "Wipe Out " , not tonight though , and I prefer it this way . Good though the Surf classic is, Brad , for me , is even better driving the likes of Roxette and I Fought The Law on at a ferocious pace. I make know secret about my love of The Bandits and their music and I will always champion a band that plays my kind of music with the skill , energy and enthusiasm that that is evident at any Bandit gig . Thanks again boys see you , again , very soon !
Terry

Wind of Change have played many venues but none compare to the friendly welcome we received at The Clarendon. Jeff behind the bar supplied the band with complimentary drinks while the crowd just love their rock. Not the biggest venue but huge in respect to atmosphere. We look forward to returning in the not too distant future. Thanks everyone, we had a blast.
Best wishes
John (The Weird Noise Master)

hi
just a line to apologise to anyone who was turning out to see us play at the high house murton fri 22nd feb its with regret that we have had to cancel this gig, not our usual form i must add
thanks paul the whole hog

Hi
A couple of us went to The Daisy Hill Sacriston on Friday (20 Feb) to see the Road Dogs, What a good band and what a good good singer Mick Cantwell is. His delivery and style was spot on and his vocal range for the "Blues" was just great. Not a full house at the Daisy Hill but a very appreciative audience. The Road Dogs, whether they felt on form on the night, were tight and spot on. Definitely worth seeing and we plan to go again ourselves. A good night all round.
Dave S. dave@steelriverblues.co.uk

I would like to take the opportunity to mention the gig we (Requiem) had recently (14th February) at Annie Mcarthys bar in South Shields. It was an absolute cracker and we had an excellent reaction with people dancing and staying to the end of the night etc.
Cheers
Glenn

A billingham based band stonedrifters have been very busy since last year and have secured a slot in the next heat of the regional live and unsigned act where over 10,000 bands applied in the uk.After reaching the reginal finals last year the 4 piece have come back stronger with a brand new blend of indie britpop anthems.After a small promotional tour of london in october 2008 the Billingham based lads are now putting there final touches on making a permanent move to the big smoke and bright lights of london to mingle with the music industry itself. Stonedrifters have also secured a gig abroad playing at white trash in berlin on the 3rd of april which will help give them a stepping stone in the right direction.After Releasing there EP knf through itunes last year stonedrifters have been busy recording there debut album Take back the streets which will be released in the summer of this year.A massive prospect for the north east and one to watch out for.
contact gary ferguson 07766912144

AKQ Stottin' - The Luuurrve Sessions Feb14th Duke Cumberland.
When your missus is still recovering from an operation and has turned in for the night, what's a bull to do? Where is one going to "feel the love?"
At an AKQ Stottin' gig, that's where!
Billed by Marti over the course of numerous hilarious pimps as "The Lurve Sessions" then I expected to find the Duke populated by a whole bunch of saddo singletons out on the pull. What I did find was some of the usual suspects, and all out for a laugh - one thing AKQ Stottin' guarantee.
What they haven't been able to guarantee in the past is a decent sound mix, although judging by tonight's efforts that demon may just have been laid to rest.
Thanks to the combination of a nice new PA, a loan of Sean's(Powerage) radio mike, a marathon sound check by Marti's long time partner in crime Reggie and the efforts of a sound guy whose name I am embarrassed to say I forget, AKQ have NEVER sounded better, Terry's guitar especially revealing a whole new dimension of sound.
To finally hear Vic's drums in all their power was fantastic and Geordie's bass has never sounded more solid.
The one draw back was that while the radio mike made Marti sound clearer than ever, it did get one or two whistles of feedback when he ventured front of stage and so didn't completely unchain the monster. Purely from an audio factor, this was as good as AKQ have ever been and they shone for it, despite being a bit disjointed on stage admittedly not having prepared a set list and deciding what they were going to play as the night wore on. The thing about that was, it kind of spoiled the natural flow one expects from a well planned gig - not that this matters when you have such lunacy between numbers!
However, this is AKQ Stottin' we are talking about here - probably the most dangerous band on the planet since the Sex Pistols. Marti nearly collapsing in a quivering heap of laughter when Terry told the audience "Most of the time, we know exactly what we're doing!" kind of sums up the anarchic nature of the night.
Not going on till nearly 10pm had a few of the natives getting a bit restless, not to mention the band wondering what the hell was going on when they were on stage a good five minutes before anything was heard from Marti.
Obviously needing a little time to get himself 'in the zone' master showman that he is, this was overcame by a voice over of pure genius from backstage during which we had a running commentary of being locked in the lav minus bog roll! Truth is, where these guys are concerned, nothing surprises me anymore because just like 30 minutes on Tracy Island - at an AKQ gig, anything can happen, including a guest spot from 'Slack Rat' Graeme to lend additional drums to 'Green Manalishi'. What I absolutely NEVER expected to happen was a young guy running up to Marti and glassing him and then Reggie!
Now as you can imagine, the punters in the Duke didn't take too kindly to this, even to the point that - just as I was about to take my phone out and call the TSG, the lads actually stopped the show revealing they had 'liberated' a box of stunt glasses Reggie found on a film set he'd been working at. This was just as well because I don't think they would ever have found the lad's body!
As the two hour set moved into the final furlong it was a pity to see so many punters leave, but it was quarter to midnight and some people unfortunately have to use some long forgotten, dramatically underfunded and completely unreliable system laughingly called 'public transport'. Fortunately the moo-mobile frees me of such constraints, though I do turn into a pumpkin if I'm not back at the cowshed by 1am.
Having a good natter with Reggie and a few others afterwards put the icing on the cake for me of what was a thoroughly enjoyable night. Performance wise AKQ have been better, but the power and the passion they put into each show means that unless you are a long time devotee like myself, you would never know it. The new PA is a Godsend and with the new dimension this gives to their awesome 'wall of sound' approach to songs like 'Faith Healer' and 'Another Brick In The Wall', this is one band not to be missed.
MOO!pmsbull

DeeExpus Project Live @ The Office, South Shields Friday 13th Feb 2009
As all new bands know, getting the word out can be quite a daunting task, however The DeeExpus Project is one that has succeeded very well in stirring press attention both home and abroad with it's brand of well written and thought provoking prog in the shape of the exceptional debut album "Half Way Home".
Following some excellent reports from their recent show at Hartlepool's Forum, this was one gig I didn't want to miss. The Office is a well known local venue with a decent size stage, which is just as well for a six piece as between members and equipment DeeExpus fill it to bursting. Add some decent lighting and a sizable turnout from an expectant audience and it's time to rock...
Opening album track 'Greed' is also tonight's curtain raiser, very well performed but suffering from a mix that had both lead and backing vocals sounding dry and very quiet. Unfortunately this didn't improve at all during the show, and Tony Wright - whose voice gave me goosebumps in places when reviewing the album - had an off night. Add that to the unsympathetic vocal mix and for a band that has such beautifully written and thought provoking lyrics this was a real shame, and I would have loved to see Tony more animated. While their sophisticated style of prog rock isn't the kind of stuff you can jump around to, a touch of Peter Gabrielle or Fish theatricals might lend itself to great effect especially given the atmospheric nature of DeeExpus Project's material - although this was only the current lineup's second live show so lets not be too critical just yet.
Musically the band are watertight with the quality of musicianship shining across every track. In places the sheer drama of their material is an incredibly moving experience, not least on the album's magnificent title song, a seventeen minute masterpiece of love and loss to rival anything Marillion have produced. As you would expect from a band having only one album release, the set is a little on the short side running at just over an hour and a quarter, with an excellent cover of Porcupine Tree's 'Blackest Eyes' and 'Red' (a song founding member Andy Ditchfield wrote about six years ago about the aftermath of 9\11) fleshing things out and mixing with the album tracks to good effect.
As probably the last chance to see this band at such a small venue, it was certainly worth the drive through terrible conditions to catch what was a thoroughly entertaining and very well presented show - the chance to meet the guys in person and talk to Andy at some length being especially worth the trip. Next stop for the band is Poland and a Feb 17th appearance at the famous Wyspianski Theatre in Katowicean as part of Prog Rock 2009, being filmed for a DVD release later in the year by Metal Mind Productions. One to add to the want list methinks!
The DeeExpus Project are one of the finest products to come out of the North East music scene in a long time. For me it can only be a matter of time before they are a mainstay of modern rock. Catch them if you can.
www.myspace.com/deeexpusmusic
http://www.deeexpus.com/index.aspx
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Riffs,
First of all I would like to take the opportunity to thank you folks at Riffs for supporting local musicians and venus here in the sunny north of England. Springwell Village Hall is also dedicated in supporting local talent and up and coming musicians.
Afterhours is a monthly acoustic music open mic night based in The Lounge at Springwell Village hall and will be hosted by our resident musicians. Local musicians are very welcome to come along and have a play. Or people can just come along and enjoy the music in a relaxed, social atmosphere.
The next Afterhours night is on the Sunday 22nd February from 7.30 – 11.00 and we would be very grateful if you could add our event to your listings page on your website.
Please email me if you have and questions or require further information.
Thanks again,
Craig Foster (Entertainments)
Springwell Village Hall Fell Road Gateshead NE9 7RP

RIFFS ,
just how to you follow PAUL KAPPA'S amazing gig at The Three Tuns on Friday 30/01/09 ? was the question I asked myself all week .
After scouring RIFFS for inspiration I settled on the PISTERLEROS at Maddog Mick's Wardley Rock Night. I do not , usually , like the larger venue's offered on the club scene but Mick works bloody hard to give an extra venue to our local scene and he deserves our support whenever you are available. As I said earlier where do you find a band with such a eclectic mix of music to compare to KAPPA'S set ? And the PISTERLEROS have just the answer .
On arriving at Wardley Club and paying the cover charge (just £1) we settled down to see what the night would bring .The PISTERLEROS line up has changed a few times over the years but the current band have been together for quite some time , so it was a surprise to see the excellent Bass Players and damned nice bloke ANTH DUNN missing .With ANTH away on holiday the stand in (BOB I think, sorry if I am wrong) had a formidable act to follow but he carried it off with aplomb . TED HUNTER is well known on the local circuit and deserves his reputation as one of the best guitarists around. TED can play lead as good as anyone but can also harness the discipline of Rhythm to complement PHIL'S lead work perfectly .One question I would like to ask TED is how does he keep his guitars so clean ? He has the shiniest guitars I have seen since mine were hung up in the shop untouched by human hands. On Drums we have "young" AARON WALTON who often reminds me he is not that young but as I played football with his dad over 40 years ago young he will stay or I will have to admit to being rather old. AARON is a superb drummer and can turn his hand to anything . AARON can be subtle or pounding with the same precision and really drives the band on . Last but not least we have an outstanding front man and guitarist leading the band in PHIL POOLAN who can play and sing so many different types of music it is frightening. From the pomp of BOWIE to the swagger of ZEPPELIN onto the folksy WATERBOYS or blues / jazz feel of VAN MORRISON , PHIL just takes it in his stride .Even better for me is the bands versions of NEIL YOUNG classics where the band can sound as raw as CRAZY HORSE or the rolling sounds of THE BLUE OYSTER CULT , who can fail to be moved to the opening chords of DON’T FEAR THE REAPER ? Was there a downside to tonight's gig ? Well yes as , I am well documented in this , KASMIR is still the closing number of the first set . I know millions like it but it is my letter so please let me have my rant . I am one of the worst snooker players you will ever see but even I could have gone to the games room and finished a game in the time this dirge was playing . Did it spoil the night ? No it never does as the PISTERLEROS play something for all tastes . I have watched the PISTERLEROS as an acoustic duo and trio and they are great but it is as a four piece Rock band that they excel and long may they continue. Great gig lads and thank you for a magnificent nights entertainment . I hope the holidays were good ANTH you missed a blinder !
All the best until the next time
TERRY H

Now then gang, turned upo to do a gig at the golden fleece in Crook with the spacefrogs and the managment have done a runner on New Years eve.
Still got back for a few ales though!!!!!
Cheers
Steve Hoggart

BOTB @ 3 Tuns
Just like to agree with the letter from landlord Paul Smith about the sheer quality of the performances we have been seeing. Judging has been both a privelidge and a pleasure. Encourage everyone to get out and support this aswell as the BOTB at Bubbles where the entrants are also showing some class perfromances.
pmsbull

Riffs/Three Tuns Battle of the Bands Heat 2.
I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this but I'm particularly pleased I'm not one of the Judges. If I had been then Clysis who didn't get through would have, I really thought they were exciting. A tie for second between Razor Sharp (average age 14) and Underline Hero was fair because both of these bands have the potential to be top class. Razor Sharp did mainly covers (not an issue in our competition) but certainly easier to appreciate hence the massive audience support. This heat was won by The Zoo who were extraordinary. I'd been expecting covers to be frank as they're a talented covers band but they produced a set of self penned winners delivered with real panache. They won on all the judges cards and it would be hard to disagree. I can't wait for next week with Remedy up against some very interesting talent including AK7 with a young lady up front who has quite a voice.
Paul

Dear Riffs,
Just to let everyone know that I recently had the great pleasure of reviewing the current album by the DeeExpus Project "Half Way Home".
For anyone who hasn't heard this, it is one of the finest pieces of prog rock I have ever come across.
MOO!pmsbull

Riffs ,
after recently visiting Liverpool in search of the culture that enabled the city to steal away the honour from the Newcastle / Gateshead joint application I was astounded that this great city based all its claim to fame on THE FAB FOUR who's demise was nearly 40 years ago . The question I asked myself was "where is the great talent Liverpool is famous for" ?
I found the answer in the Cavern Club and its name was the AMAZING KAPPA. Chatting with Paul Smith of the THREE TUNS some time ago I mentioned how good KAPPA were and was delighted when Paul booked the band . I was not surprised that Paul booked the band as he is the most proactive manager on the local scene and is always ready to gamble to bring his customers something new and exciting.
Did KAPPA live up to expectations ? you bet they did ! PAUL and his band hit the stage bang on time starting with JIMI'S VOODOO CHILE and he just played and played not even stopping for a mid set break . KAPPA'S set was full of excellent covers and his own songs were superb and they captivated an excellent turnout . PAUL KAPPA'S extended sets are legendary in Liverpool and he is well worth the fee he gets for not only do you get two and a half hours plus but the effort KAPPA put in is phenomenal . Dripping with sweat Kappa blasted through covers of JIMI , THE WHO , and THE BEATLES and also BADFINGERS Without You , but PAUL'S own songs were not out of place in such exalted company.
Did the MERSEY sound die with the Beatles ? No it did not as their legacy is alive and in the good hands of THE AMAZING KAPPA ! If the band come to our area again DO NOT MISS THEM they are superb
Terry

Paul Kappa Band, Live at the Three Tuns 30th Jan 2009
Paul Kappa is something of a legend down on Merseyside, where he regularly plays sell out shows at the Cavern Club in Liverpool's Mathew Street. For those of you that recently arrived from a different planet, the Cavern Club secured it's place in world history at lunchtime on Tuesday 21st February 1961 when a little known band called 'The Beatles' made their first of 292 appearances, their last occurring on 3rd August 1963.
To be the resident house artist of such a famous venue is an achievement of some merit, especially when you consider the wealth of talent that has graced that stage over the years. As such, the reputation this band has built up for themselves is nothing short of legendary, being known locally as "The Amazing Kappa Band" - a title that based on tonight's performance is well and truly deserved.
Opening up with a fast and loose version of Hendrix's monumental 'Voodoo Chile' is both a bold statement of intent and a huge gamble. Perform this badly and you risk being mobbed, perform it superbly and how do you ever follow it? The answer is by playing a three hour set full of live killers that absolutely tore the roof off the place!
Listening to the lovely rich tones being wrung from his Stratocaster, Kappa's playing reminded me of watching the DVD of Stevie Ray Vaughan's classic Mocambo show. Throughout the entire night the standard of this power trio's musicianship was inspirational to say the least, with almost every number being performed in a refreshingly original arrangement that compiled literally dozens of rock and pop classics and blues standards into seemingly never ending blues jam medley workouts that defied you to guess what was coming next. Over the course of the night there must have been over 50 songs woven into three giant webs which ran for around an hour each with the band barely stopping for breath before launching into the next segment.
To be able to perform with such a free rein requires the tightest of musical understanding and Kappa's fellow bandmates both excelled in their ability while never intruding onto the main attraction, bass man Martin Byrne and drummer Tony Smith playing with an astounding level of control as they move effortlessly from 60's psychedelia to delta blues via classic pop and rock. Indeed, the ease with which the band changed genres defied belief.
Playing Ravel's 'Bolero' with guitar held behind head before launching at breakneck speed into Motorhead's 'Ace Of Spades' was nothing short of breathtaking, and if somebody had told me you could go from Led Zeppelin to The Big Bopper in the same moment I would have told them to go screw them self. Just goes to show how wrong a man can be...
As a live experience, "The Amazing Kappa Band" are nothing if not worthy of their name. Tonight forever raised the bar for all who follow on what was unquestionably the best gig I have ever seen - and by a country mile at that!
www.myspace.com/theamazingkappa
MOO!pmsbull

JANUARY

There's a great little pub over in Whitehaven where we played last Saturday.
The Three Tuns is a small pub, but has a little stage area and they have in-house lights. ie they have made an effort to help the bands along. As I say the stage is small, we just about
got everything on there, but being a small venue you get to play to a very enthusiastic crowd. If you fancy it call Shaun on 07832 134334 or look for "Three Tuns Whitehaven" on
MySpace. BTW It's 3 1/2 hours drive to Whitehaven, but Shaun put us up for the night as well.
cheers
Billy Rawmone

Mugshot - Ox and Plough, Washington. 23rd Jan 2009
Despite still suffering the effects of manflu and a chest like Sigourney Weaver's worst nightmare, I could take the sight of the same four walls no longer. Being without live music so long does strange things to a bloke. Some of the hallucinations I've been having are just plain weird. For a moment there, I even started to think I was a cow, lamo...
The Ox and Plough is a bar I have only ever stepped in once before in my life (and some time ago at that) when it was virtually deserted and so I had absolutely no idea what to expect - certainly not a packed out room full of very appreciative punters well and truly up for a party - but that is exactly what I got.
Every great party needs great tunes, and Mugshot were just what the doctor ordered - even if at first I was a little worried. Starting with U2's Where The Streets Have No Name and Whitesnake's Here I Go Again, I thought the band lacked a little punch, but as they were still rusty from a few weeks off you can easily forgive that - especially when they completely changed pace by dropping in the Black Crowes re-worked Hard To Handle. Being this is one of my favorite songs of all time by my personal favorite band of all time, nothing less than excellence would suffice here - and they rocked, taking on an almost Commitments like sound.
As a band Mugshot try to mix and match their set to please a wide audience - often changing the songs depending on venue and punters - Darren doing a good job of controlling his vocals for a Muse cover rather than trying to replicate the almost imposable tones of Matthew Bellamy proving to be one of the sets highlights.
During the break I had a chance to have a good chat with the lads, especially drummer Trev whom I last spoke to many months ago outside the Star in Newcastle. After leaving the Y&T show at the Academy, I saw him loading up the van and struck up a conversation during which I promised to come out and review the band and I would just like to take this opportunity to apologize for leaving it so long. After all, on tonight's performance it was certainly worth the wait.
Opening up the second set with Number Of The Beast (Maiden) simply didn't work, but that was soon forgotten as a great Kula Shaker driven Hush had the absolutely jam packed room buzzing and combined with a bouncy Keep The Faith (Bon Jovi) soon had quite a few punters dancing, including Kimerasinger Adele shaking her money maker and singing along to an excellently performed Creep (Radiohead), which provided a well timed change of pace within the set.
More bouncyness followed with Everything About You (UKJ) and Be My Girl (Jet), Dani California (RHCP) and You Really Got Me (Van Halen) all going down a storm. Clearly the more uptempo stuff is their forte and the appreciative punters lapped it up too. All in an excellent second half.
An absolutely delighted audience screamed their approval and were duly answered with two encores which included a brilliantly delivered Vertigo(U2) and Billy Idol version of Mony Mony, sending home some very happy heffers who will no doubt return when the band receive a well deserved rebook.
If I had to level a criticism, it would be that Mugshot lack the raw blistering attack needed to truly nail harder tracks like second set closer Teen Spirit (Nirvana), but this is a small drawback when you do so many other things so well. As a return to live music, Mugshot will do me just fine thank you.
A thoroughly entertaining band who were on excellent form. If you need a band that will give you a party then Mugshot more than fit the bill.
MOO!pmsbull

RIFFS ,
yet again Paul at the Three Tuns in Gateshead has come up trumps with the excellent PAUL KAPPA booked for Friday 30/01/09 . I last saw KAPPA in the Cavern Club in Liverpool and witnessed one of my finest gigs ever. KAPPA were sensational and the effort they put in had them dripping with sweat . Check out Kappa's MYSPACE to get a sample off one of their many cd releases but make sure You get along to the TUNS and catch one of the best live artists around. anyone who was lucky enough to catch KAPPA at The Office will surely confirm the talent of PAUL and his band and one thing
for sure you are in for one hell of a ride as along with his own songs KAPPA will play just about anything you ask .It is not unusual for Paul to play 2.5 to 3 hours on his own turf so at £5 (on the door) you will get your money's worth. Kappa are just one of the Top quality bands booked at the Tuns watch out for the return bookings Of THE BREW and EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS too
All the best
Terry

Bullet at Lord Clyde Sat 10.01.09 and at Sleepers Sunday 11.01.09
Feeling the effects of the man-flu pretty badly tonight so not even sure if I was going to go out, but managed to drag my hooves along to see this band on the strength of recommendations from a few guys on Ginger Gits forum and several local band members. Dodgy sound at the start where Mark's guitar was completely swamped by the volume of the sound effects, robbing opener 'Welcome To The Jungle' of any real impact. Strange thing was, a couple of songs in, front man Gregg (who gave an excellent performance full of energy) twiddled with a few knobs and suddenly - it all just worked! The lads played brilliant versions of 'In The End' and 'Alive' and it was like a whole new band were on stage.
Nick is obviously a very talented musician, operating keyboard samples with his feet in addition to his bass duties, and drummer Animal reminds me a bit of GnR's Steven Adler minus the cocaine. Can't really do a full review as I got talking to a couple of people at length during the second half, but what I can tell you is that the small room was packed out and they went down a storm. On this evidence, well worth a trip out IMO.
Still fighting the man-flu, decided to drag myself along to Sleepers the following night and catch an entire show, where along with some familiar faces I was treated to, among other delights, Eruption(VH) and Girls,Girls,Girls (Crue). Gregg is an excellent front man, even if his voice is a bit too metal for the likes of Whitesnake, otherwise he sang really well and once again gave loads of raw energy during the likes of 'In The End' and 'Alive', and the entire band give a brilliant performance of the Scorpions 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' - one song they should add permanently to the set which gave lead guitarist Mark opportunity to show what he can do.
Overall very entertaining and a band I can absolutely recommend you all see.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

The Paul Rodgers Story - Live at the 3 Tuns 2nd Jan 2009
As to be expected first few days after Xmas and new year , nobody to be seen ( about 12 in total ) when the lads went on stage, much to their disappointment.
Thing was, as they started their 3rd song, about 20 people walked in all roughly the same time. Now whether they had been outside having a tab or just sitting in the bar room and thought "Hmm.. sound alright these, let's have a closer look" - I don't know which but the atmosphere picked right up and what I had feared was gonna be a washout turned into a reasonably good first half, even if the guys were IMO only firing at about 70% compared to the twice I had seen them previously when they were absolutely smoking hot.
Second half though was a different matter as the band were much more themself and a by now decent turnout was enjoying the show, quite a few dancing, singing along and getting right into it and the lads were deservedly cheered back on for an encore consisting of the obvious double header of The Hunter and Alright Now, both of which went down a storm.
Personal highlight of the night for me were Shooting Star (complete with audience singalong) and an as always intimate Seagull.
Sound (their own mix) was a little dodgy at first and the new keyboard player way too loud, but this was soon sorted.
A little below par tonight IMO, think they were a bit shocked by the initial small turnout especially after I had told them how good an audience the Tuns usually attracts, but all's well that ends well as they say and once the room filled a bit the atmosphere was well and truly there.
Good to hear that Paul has rebooked them and I whole heartedly encourage everyone to get along when they return because they are a really great band.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Hi,
Just thought I d drop you line to let you know how the charity event went on Halloween.
After much wailing and knashing of teeth I failed to collect all of the money in that was promised by certain people (they won’t be forgotton though) It did surprise me how people promise and then disappeared and others do far more than asked.
I have now decided to draw an end and make restitution with the 3 charities. So I would like to thank all those that got involved and parted with hard earned cash, it was certainly much fun and I really appreciate the extra effort that many people put in. The final total was £7,171.86 less expenses that gives a net payout to be shared by the 3 charities of £6,032.86.
Thanks for helping advertising the event I really do appreciate it.
Might try it again you never Know!
All the bets, steve

HI RIFFS,
STEVE FROM FEED THE BEAR HERE. JUST A NOTE TO ASK THE PERSON OR PEOPLE WHO ARE INFORMING VENUES AND AUDIENCES THAT WE HAVE SPLIT TO PLEASE STOP.WE ARE HAVING ENDLESS E MAILS,PHONE CALLS ETC ASKING WHY WE HAVE SPLIT UP…… WE HAVE NOT!!!!!!.I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS RUMOUR IS SO RIFE BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU ALL THAT FEED THE BEAR ARE STILL VERY MUCH TOGETHER.I WOULD THINK PEOLPLE WOULD HAVE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN TO SPREAD LIES LIKE THESE BUT TO THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE CAN I JUST SAY..GET A LIFE YOU SADDO!!!! SEE YOU ALL IN 2009. CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR BOOKING AND GIG DETAILS.www.feedthebear.org.uk

Atmosfear would just like to say thank you to Phil for making us feel really welcome and putting up with a few technical problems at the end of our gig( blown bass amp) on boxing day , top drinking establishment and gig venue ,looking forward to playing there again .
Cheers agin
Atmosfear John John Bren Mark (although was not there)

Hi Guys,
A Happy New Year to you ,Big River would like to give a very big thank you to the management and staff at the Fellsider in Whickham,on New Years Eve, for making the band very welcome, this was a very late booking (i got the call 3.15pm on the afternoon,)which we played and we are very grateful as we don,t like to let anyone down , this is a great venue and the audience were very appreciative of the night, everyone had a great time. Keep up the great work in live music and support your local venue in these times of struggle for everyone.
On Behalf of Big River ,Alan wishes all on Riffs, a Happy New Year

DECEMBER

Hi Nige et al,
Happy New Year when it comes.
We (The Bandits) recorded our last gig at The Three Tuns at the end of August. Unfortunately due to technical (and beer) hitches most of the material was not usable! However there are some we salvaged (though the audio still sounds a little strange in places) on The Bandits vibes page on the website.
If you fancy a listen, go to http://www.rhythm-bandits.co.uk/vibes.htm and follow the instructions to right click and "save target as" rather than trying to play direct. Apologies for my vocals cos my voice was knacked. I was having trouble around then.
The "new" tracks on there are:
Take a Tip
Are you gonna be my girl?
Roam (very poor vox!)
No Other Baby
Wipe Out
Far from our best but if you've not seen us it gives you a flavour of what we do. All completely live with no real mixing and defo no touch ups (like you can't tell!!).
There are also some older live recordings from The Archer back in 2002 as well. I think we have a slightly harder edge these days, but I like the version of Roxette on that section.
Be happy. All the best.
Bad Bob Bates
The Bandits

Powerage / Remedy @ The Office, South Shields, Sunday 28th December 2008
As the country's leading ACDC tribute band, Powerage have played a regular Xmas show at the Office for the last eight years - and if tonight is anything to go by then next years 10th anniversary will be a riot. It's the first time I have caught a gig in the upstairs room and must say it is a perfect setting for live music. Large square room, long bar across the back, limited seating around the sides, great big stage up front and standing area soon filled up by a sellout crowd of (and I'm guessing) around 350 rock hungry punters all eager for a party - which is exactly what they got!
Bon Scott was the consummate rock and roll animal. I doubt if Bon ever met anyone he couldn't out drink or out rock, but front man Shaun would have given it a dam good go! Let loose on stage, the man is completely transformed - the feckin energizer bunny has less fire in it's belly than this guy. When it comes to belting out the high notes, singing ACDC brings out a part of him that wants to rip your balls off and ram them down your throat - but in a good way. If ever a man was possessed by the spirit of that which he portrays, Shaun is he.
The engine room of Powerage is no less impressive, Rob's drumming effortlessly slotting in along side Micky's rhythm and Gav's bass, and with the beat sorted lead guitarist Terry has all the necessary cheek when it comes to performing Angus (as revealed during the now obligatory striptease) to match up with the crowd pleasing and guitar wrangling.
All the classics you could ever want were given the kind of airing they so richly deserve, vocals screaming and guitars wailing to a crowd that simply lapped up every last sweat soaked moment. Highlight of the set was perhaps expectedly Whole Lotta Rosie, but because friend of the band Suzie made it so. Jumping up on stage to molest Shaun, it's no surprise he completely fluffed the opening lines of the song and barely escaped with his life when Sue fell over at the end, almost wiping out the entire band!
Surviving to perform an encore of Kicked In The Teeth and Rocker, Powerageas always delivered in spades.
The evening began with a support slot from Remedy - better known locally as the Alcatraz House Band but tonight delivering a set mostly comprised of their original material. Anyone who reads my articles on Komodo Rock will know just how highly I rate this young band, but for me, tonight was the stuff of legends...
Their new EP due for general release in early February contains some of the most incredible songs I have ever heard. 'Desire' is capable of reducing me to fits of goosebumps every time I listen to it, amplified by the power of an outstanding live delivery. During this song, Remedy reached heights unattainable by mere youthful exuberance and gave a performance laced with as much passion and belief as anything Heart could ever muster. The sooner record companies wake up to this band the better chance I have of retaining some hair and maintaining my sanity. Compliments also to the sound man who gave them what was (where I was standing) a perfect mix tonight.
With an atmosphere that far surpassed my already high expectations, this double header was as good a show as I have seen all year - and my God there have been some good ones...
Good to catch up with some familiar faces, especially a great laugh with Reg from Powerage's crew who is a complete nutter, and a huge thank you to landlord Paul who was kind enough to sort out my entry for tonight.
MOO!pmsbull

Hi all at riffs,
Firstly a merry Christmas to you all, 2008 has been a very busy year for THE ME ME’S –PUNKSTERS OF POP, the band who give a ”super charged musical assault on pop classics with a solid back beat and punk guitars”, with our fan base ever growing, and having interest from many venues and even a film production company who stated that they’d like to use our versions of the songs we do as a soundtrack to an up and coming film. we’d just like to let everyone know how much we appreciate their ongoing support, both fans and family ,and venues who make such an effort to keep live music ongoing. fans of our music travel far and wide every week not only to support us but to have really good time. people of all ages and musical backgrounds enjoy what we do and it’s been proven at every gig, as we see them all singing along and dancing to those songs that everyone knows and loves,songs that have been injected with passion and grit.
We’ll be finishing 2008 with a Christmas classic gig on boxing day at the Star Inn in Newcastle on …er… 26th dec . 9pm start.
2009 is already very busy, being almost fully booked with gigs for the year,so any venues wanting to book us should contact us asap . We’ll be going back into the studio in January to record another c.d with many more punktastic classics .we have been in touch with the events organisers for south shields amphitheatre etc and are looking at some possible dates for that in 2009. We’re also awaiting confirmation for the “stormin’ of the castle festival. we’ve secured a date at the barnard castle festival in august 2009,all extra to our regular gigs at some of the best venues in the north east.
Many,many thanks from all of the ME ME’S to all of the YOU YOU’S out there,your support is most definitely second to none.
Anyone wishing to contact the ME ME’S for further details, can do so at
www.thememes.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
www.myspace.com/punkstersofpop08
tel: 07799802394 /07525034516

I booked a Robbie Williams tribute (Ultimate Robbie alias Lee Cadman) for both the Fleece and the Ropery. The Ropery had two dates booked and the Fleece 1.
First one up was the Ropery, no show, no answering phone or text a real nightmare. Eventually I got an e-mail saying he had flu after the event.
The Ropery giving him the benefit of the doubt left his booking in for a much bigger party night where loads of tickets were sold, and he gave lots of reassurances that he would turn up.
The night before (last Sunday in fact) he was due on at the Fleece, to whom he rang and asked where had they booked and paid for him to stay!
No show, but he still had the cheek to stay at the Travel Lodge on the night of the supposed gig.
Worried now as to whether he would not turn up at the Ropery, I booked T-Rox at the last minute. Just as well as he did not show up again.
This is a man who took deposits off two venues amounting to £300, plus £56 paid at the hotel.
If anyone on here wants a Robbie tribute stay away from this bastard!
I tried to phone him on Sunday night from a different phone, he answered then when he knew who it was put the phone down.
He has a website ultimaterobbie and it all looks so good, but the fact is he is a con man and everyone should be warned.
Linda Cross

Hi Nige and Val,
Spartan would just like to thank Karen and John at the Travellers Rest for a fantastic night on Saturday, the Spartan christmas party was fantastic.We were totally taken back by all the time and effort that people had put into the event and the wild array of fancy dress outfits that made the night one of the best we have ever done.
Cheers to everyone who came ,and made it a very special night indeed.
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2009 from SPARTAN.

Fables Last Stand @ Three Tuns Gateshead, Friday 19th Dec 2008
They say rock 'n roll is dead. Well, if tonight is anything to go by, then reports of it's demise are well and truly premature!
Firstly I must give some kudos to 'Razor Sharp' - the band of very young kids who were given the opportunity to open the show tonight and were tighter than some bands I have heard twice their age. Out of the mouths of babes ...
"Don't believe the hype!" they say, but having already listened to some of their material on numerous web postings, it would seem the current buzz around this band of Geordie rockers may actually be justified - especially based on tonight's performance. As a front man, 'Roachie' has his craft nailed down. Take the bastard child of Steven Tyler and Rod Stewart, give it a crate of Brown Ale and Roachie is the end result. With a voice that's both raw and very expressive, his delivery perfectly fits the band's sleazy rock style. Never still and effortlessly projective, this man has got it in spades.
Phil (drums), Dan (guitar/keys) and Al (bass, also of well respected local act Skinflint) are excellent musicians, laying down the rhythm for lead guitarist Twiggy to groove off. Some of the solos he played were pure perfection and the simple yet infectious hook line from outstanding song 'Japanese Rain' is still in my head now.
One of the worst stormy nights I have seen for a long time combined with both the credit crunch and that fact these boys are the support act on the Quireboys bill at the Carling Academy on Monday along with Remedy (a show not to be missed!) must have had a serious impact on the attendance, which wasn't as good as expected - but at the end of the day that was everyone else's loss, because there won't be many more opportunities to see this band for free, or at such an intimate venue. Fans of Aerosmith, Hanoi Rocks, the Faces and Rolling Stones are going to love this band.
Fables Last Stand are definitely going to be making a big noise on the rock scene real soon. Get along to the Carling Academy on Monday and keep your ears pinned for their debut album due early 2009, but in the mean time check out my review of their EP 'New Breed' over on Komodo Rock http://www.komodorock.com/reviews/cd-reviews/fables-last-stand-%11-new-breed-ep-2008122010787/
MOO!pmsbull :-)

I'd just like to say what a fantastic night we had at Wardley Legion in Gateshead. "Mad Dog" Mick is an excellent host and is doing a superb job of bringing live rock to this club. I wish more people would attend this venue. Its a great room with a big stage and lights and no bingo. Thanks Mick and the organisers.
Paul S, Paul Rodgers Story

Attention metalheads !
Just wanted to give everybody a heads up about my buddy Twan's site BRUTALISM - top site for hardcore/extreme/black/death/brutal metal from around the world.
Here are some links to the site and an interview I did for it with Eric 'E-Force; Forrest (ex-Voivod) about his kick ass new album, "Modified Posion".
BRUATLISM homepage : http://www.brutalism.com/wb/pages/home.php?lang=EN
Eric Frrest interview : http://www.brutalism.com/eforce.html
E-Force band Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/eforceband
MOO!pmsbull :-)

To all at RIFFS, and those that are keeping music alive and well, we wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Fantastic 2009.
All The Best
ANIMATE
http://animate-band.piczo.com

this machine celebrate their first anniversary at The Lord Clyde in South Shields on December 20th.Promises to be a great night....Many thanks to those who have supported us throughout the year and with a busy 2009 look forward to making new friends.......
Normski (this machine)

Played the Kingfisher Spennymoor - this superb new venue last night. Its a big open plan pub and has its own large stage, lights, changing room, and great crowd.
If you're a band like us who can mix it and play to young and old, and couples just out for a drink then you will go down well. The heavy brigade will probably not.
If you're a punter who lives near to Spennymoor you should get down and have a look at what the owners have done, I doubt theres a pub venue with better facilties for bands than this.
Scooby (The Mystery Machine)

I would like to apologise to anyone who may have been going to see The Hybrids at the Moorhouse in Seaton Burn on Sat 13th Dec, it was with regret that we had to cancel this gig on the Staurday morning due to the singer loosing his voice during the gig the previous night, whic was due to a throat infection. I can asure you that this decision was not taken lightly, however we felt that he would not be able to complete even two shorter sets. We did inform the staff at dinner time & I did try numerous other bands to try & get cover but with no luck, I will be contacting the manager personally to apologise & would like to say that we have never had to cancel a gig before.
Cheers Chris, The Hydbrids

"Rock Me Gently"
'Riot' - live at the Three Tuns, Friday 12th Dec 2008
I'm beginning to wonder if there is some strange otherworldly force at work preventing me from seeing a whole gig by certain bands. Despite 3 attempts I have yet to catch an entire show by Stick Fingers or Riot, but tonight I managed to arrive in time to see an entertaining second half by these well known local rockers.
It would appear that Riot are very popular with ladies of a certain age, being that at least half of the very good attendance is made up from women in their mid 30's. Maybe it's the shampoo advert perfection of guitarist Colin's hair, perfect for the old flick back after a gentle head bang to keep time on the more laid back numbers. While still very entertaining, Riot's set list isn't going to challenge his ability anywhere near that of former employer's Black Rose (RIP).
Vocalist Alan is one of the better loved front men among local punters, able to connect naturally with an audience, but strangely lacking any real banter between songs. Despite that, the evening flows well enough with a collection of mostly sing-along friendly rock covers - very well delivered by a group of competent musicians who also provided tight vocal backing harmonies on an eclectic set that touched bases from ACDC and Bon-Jovi to Van-Halen and Whitesnake and everywhere in between.
While there's no doubting the quality of entertainment on offer - I really enjoyed what I saw tonight - for me Riot are a bit of a conundrum. They will never match the likes of Powerage or Slip Of The Tongue when performing Whitesnake or ACDC, yet the band still do a creditable job of rockier numbers. Even if their version of Iron Maiden's 'Run To The Hills' didn't quite work for me, to be able to perform such a spectrum of material is what makes them interesting.
Not many singers can do a truly believable Journey cover, yet on 'Separate Worlds' Alan soared to heights that set his vocals apart from the crowd, and the highlight of the night was an absolutely perfect rendition of Magnum's 'Start Talking Love' - two tracks that lifted themself head and shoulders above the rest of the set list.
While they may not be heavy enough for some tastes, Riot are (on this evidence) a class act, and I will definitely be back to catch set one - life permitting !
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Nige/ Val
Further to letter re Blue Diamond I hear on the grapevine they are reforming minus one of the band with a replacement stepping in – not sure how soon they will be back out on the road though.
Cheers
Don (Ask Ruby band)

Hi .Les from South Shields. If your a Neil Young fan chack out a new band on the scene called Big River, they have only been together a few months and play Neil Young ,Eagles Tom Petty and much more the like, and have good harmonies,you may like them.check there web page for up and coming gigs,they are based in Washington so they will be around your way soon.
Lynn
http://www.myspace.com/bigrivercountryrock

ello everyone,
me and a few of the lads were wondering what has happened to the members of Blue Diamond. Being Neil Young fans we found them a fantastic act and we were devastated they had split up. I left a message on there web site (before it closed) but had no reply. Does anyone have any info about them or any other Neil Young based bands in the north east ?
Cheers, Les from South Shields.

NOVEMBER

Just a note to everyone out there to say that I am no longer booking the bands or solos for the Swan in Billingham due to "internal differences".
The Swan is still ongoing but someone else is doing it now.
I would like to thank all the artists who have played the gigs for me over the last four years or more, I've had a tremendous time.
I may have something else in the pipeline so, please keep in touch
Many thanks also to Riffs for advertising the gigs, you do a fantastic job.
Hope to see you all soon.
Regards, John Leonard.

Hi Nige et al,
Sorry we must have missed tellin you about our last gig until Februay next year (I've checked this time). We're gonna party like it's 2008 at The Egypt Cottage in Newcastle on Saturday night, 13th December. We're expecting a good crowd so people will need to get there early for a seat, but otherwise they can stand and bop and enjoy some proper hard edged rock'n'roll a some decent beer.
We're taking the rest of the month off, along with January and most of February to make space for a range of therapy sessions and another one of Whalebone's increasingly regular "holidays" at Her Majesty's pleasure.
So see you Saturday or the New Year - 16 years and still rockin!. The Bandits send best wishes to Riffs bods and all readers/surfers - have a great Christmas and don't fall down any big holes.
Bad Bob Bates
The Bandits

HI RIFFS,
CONTRARY TO THE RUMOUR GOING ROUND,FEED THE BEAR ARE STILL ALIVE AND KICKING.DONT KNOW WHERE THE RUMOUR STARTED BUT IT IS DEFINITELY NOT TRUE.WE ARE STILL ON THE SCENE WITH A NEW DRUMMER AND A NEW WEBSITE.THE ADDRESS IS www.feedthebear.org.uk. CHECK IT OUT.HERES LOKING FORWARD TO A ROCKING NEW YEAR!!!!!!! CHEERS AND ALL THE BEST TO YOU ALL……
. STEVE FEED THE BEAR.

Black Stone Cherry / Stone Gods / Sevendust
Carling Academy Newcastle, Saturday 6th December 2008
After producing two outstanding albums that have resulted in them being hailed as the best thing to come out of the South since Pride And Glory and totally outplaying the double headliners during their Whitesnake / Def Leppard support slots, the buzz surrounding this gig had been building both locally and in many forums I am a member of for some time.
The show began with Sevendust - a band I hadn't checked out before but certainly will now. Unfortunately a victim of the notoriously bad sound jinx that continues to haunt the Carling, they were still heavy as lead and once Lajon Witherspoon's vocals became understandable he had a great touch of soul to add to the rock. Pretty good set with "Suffocate" being the highlight for me.Couldn't help watching the drummer alot of the time. Between a style of playing that was all flailing arms and the white shirt and black tie the was wearing, he looked almost like a Batman villain. Wierd or what ? Met Lajon after the show and he is a real nice guy.
Stone Gods opened up with "Burn The Witch". Frontman Ritchie Edwards is a complete nutter - imagine a manic Dave Grohl without the screaming. Immediately had the crowd eating from the palm of his hand, singing along to most of the tracks and screaming "Feck you!" were appropriate. Excellent performance all round, especially from Dan Hawkins. Highlight of the set for me was "Night Of The Living Dead".
Black Stone Cherry started as they meant to go on, tearing through "Rain Wizard" and "Backwoods Gold" - my personal favorite song of theirs - crowd responding like nothing I had ever heard at the Carling before. This was shaping up to be one hell of a good night ! Tracks from both albums flowed with ease, Chris Robertson's guitar screaming out the immense solos we have all become hooked on. With incredibly strong vocals, Chris gave a simply monumental performance the entire night - the rest of the band very animated and drummer John Fred Young playing his socks off during a solo which included a Bonham style hands only section.
An inspired change of pace during which Chris and John swapped places (without missing a beat I might add) saw John take center stage for a harmonica solo, and the band collectively used some well timed pauses to great effect, coming back in each time with a vengeance. Way heavier than you would expect, Black Stone Cherry are incredible live performers and were severely pissed off when they fell victim to the Carling's 10pm hard curfew rule - insanity personified - which meant they were unable to play an encore, Chris promising a 2 hour show next time they played Newcastle.
The band had announced a signing session after the gig and so a mad scramble at the merchandise stand followed. The guys all came across as very laid back and down to earth, genuinely taken aback by the enthusiasm shown by everyone on the night and are looking forward to "tearin' the roofs off man!" on the remainder of their tour.
The only damper on the night was that while after the show the guys were all smiles, outside Chris stood by himself behind the tour bus having a smoke, not wanting to talk to anyone, face like a smacked arse, something other than the curfew having pissed him off.
An incredible live experience, anyone who saw tonight's gig will tell you that Black Stone Cherry are one of the bands you simply must see. Their brand of adrenalin soaked southern rock was just what the doctor ordered. Outstanding !
MOO!pmsbull

"A Cold Remedy"
A freezing cold Monday night in Newcastle isn't the best time to stage a gig. However Trillains chose then to put on original band showcases so a small turn out was to be expected, but those that did come saw a show to remember...
Already very well known on the local cover band circuit as the Alcatraz House Band, Remedy have a growing reputation for playing amazing sets both at festivals and in support of established artists, and it's their original material on show tonight. The strength of this can be heard on their recent demo (reviewed on this site) one of the best classic rock albums I have EVER heard and in my personal top 5 releases of this year. Unfortunately, even that outstanding album can't hope to capture the power and majesty of this band live...
Despite suffering a heavy cold, Jen Normandle still sings her ass off. Wasted singing pop covers before she met up with guitarist Graham, the day Jen grew a pair of balls, one of the greatest rock voices in the world was born. With a presence that is impossible to ignore, this young lady owns any stage she walks on. Combining the power of Ann Wilson and the wail of Robert Plant with as much soul as Chris Robinson, Jen gave an outstanding delivery to some of the strongest songwriting I have ever come across.'Priests And Preachers' will leave it's mark on rock music as one of the greatest tracks ever recorded, and judging by the excellent 'Learn To Speak' their new material - slated for release in Feb 2009 - will be just as strong. Even a worldbeating cover of Zeppelin classic 'Whole Lotta Love' didn't overshadow their own work.
As magnificent as Jen is, any great rock band needs great musicians and Remedy has these in spades. Guitarist Graham Haswell plays like a seasoned veteran, perfectly complemented by Lee Tuck's bass and drummer Mark Dodds has the strength and timing to deliver the epic proportions that many Remedy songs require.
'Sacred Deep Inside' both closes their demo album and provided an epic ending to a show that was received with rapturous applause from an audience left begging for more.Without a doubt the best unsigned classic rock act in the country, stand Remedy next to The Answer and I defy you to show me the better artist.
Remedy are absolutely awesome in every respect. See them support the Quireboys at Newcastle Carling Academy on 22nd December - sell your Granny for a ticket!
www.myspace/remedyrocks
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Hello all at Riffs
.Just like to let u know that myself and HEAVYLOAD have parted company leaving each free to pursue other things.Thanx to all the people who took the time to say hello at the gigs-your kind words and support were much appreciated!Hope you enjoyed the ride as much as i did.Will be out & about in the new year with my own band,DIRTYDOGZ,playing classic bluesrock.All the best to Nick and the lads for 2009.
Cheers! Phil

Just for a bit light-heartedness...
Here's a link to my son's myspace page... http://www.myspace.com/danleak Just to prove that theres a bit of talent coming over the horizon in our blessed North East.. I hope you agree and any constructive criticism would be welcome.. Please bare in mind he's only 16 and just thinking of getting a band together..... Offers on a postcard please!

HI GUYS
ITS JOHN AT THE TRAVELLERS REST IN BURNOPFIELD I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANKS FOR THE HELP IN GETTING OUR PUB INTO THE WORLD OF PUB BANDS AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE WE WORK FOR A HOLDING COMPANY AND FUNDS FOR BANDS ARE RASIED BY MYSELF AND MY PARTNER KAREN WE LOVE THE BANDS WE HAVE HAD BUT WE ARE STRUGGLING FOR A BAND FOR NEW YEARS EVE - WE NEED A GOOD CLASSIC ROCK COVERS BAND COULD YOU HELP US AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE WE HAVE TO RAISE FUNDS OURSELFS YOU CAN CONTACT US ON 07975636116 THANKS FOR YOUR HELP

One of the most popular DIABLO songs on stage is "Runaway" from the second album, Davy's "Quietly In The Background".
But it has not been available in the 'live' version until now. When the original album track was recorded, there was no plan to put on a lead guitar part, but when we came to perform it in our shows, Paul went out and bought a new classical / acoustic guitar and added what many people have said is a Spanish feel to the song.
So we went into the studio again last week and overdubbed Paul's guitar and added further vocals from Davy.
It is now available to listen to - or to download for just 89p - on Overplay's website:
http://www.overplay.co.uk/band.asp?band_id=1006195
Hope you like it, let us know what you think.
Dave Drums DIABLO x

"Whiplash Smile"
Damaged Inc. The Office, South Shields. Friday 28th November 2008
Strange things are afoot in tribute land. Whispered rumors of a metallic monster stalking unsuspecting music fans abound, and on a crisply frost bitten night people shall flock to bow before the beast. Thus spoke the bard of legends made, and what Damaged Inc are to become...
Arriving at the Office for once bang on time, we find the expectant crowd have filled the room like disciples waiting for their saviour to preach the word of metal - and oh what a sermon they received from a set list guaranteed to satisfy any fan. Thrashing into 'Blackened' and 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' sounded the war cry for this young four piece of dedicated Metallica fans. If raw attacking energy is what you need, then front man Martin Doyle had just enough to satisfy, calling out the hook line vocals and throwing all the right shapes. A mini-me Hetfield and a voice close enough to convince.
Lighting up the stage with youthful boldness and no small amount of balls, Martin had the front of the crowd eating from the palm of his hand, not needing to sing the chorus of 'Whiplash' and instead just reveling in the joy of it all as the twenty or so Metallimainacs went apeshit and screamed every line for him. Seeing the smile broaden across his face as the true metalheads sang at the top of their voices is an image that will stay with me for a long time to come. The fake American accent and copied banter won't be to some people's taste, but after all - this IS supposed to be a tribute!
Martin plays well, but the real soloing is Ewan Metcalf's domain. Able but obviously nervous, I think the occasion got to Ewan and it would have been great to see him more animated. As it is, he played competently and I'm sure the confidence will grow with each performance - just as long as the sound mix doesn't try to bugger it all. To be perfectly honest the sound could have killed this show and according to drummer Kevin Alderson many of the people who left at half time told him that was why they were leaving.
Asked what I thought of the sound I told him "Yeah it sucks, but to hell with that, just play for the real fans" - and that's exactly what they did.
'Ride The Lightning' into the second set and the band still has plenty to give, despite the mix completely drowning one guitar with the other and almost obliterating Mark Brimacombe's bass at times. For his first gig with the band, this young lad showed no hint of nerves and just got on and played his part. Experience will no doubt result in him becoming an asset to the lineup, but it's the drummer that is Damaged Inc's real ace in the hole.
If anyone wants to do the human race a favor and assassinate Lars Ulrich when Metallica play Newcastle Arena in March, the world has a more than ready replacement in Kev. This young man is an absolutely astounding talent - even if the mix drowned him.
'Creeping Death' and 'Seek And Destroy' surpassed any expectations I had and resulted in more crowd adulation, and I even found myself screaming along to 'Master Of Puppets' before rejoicing in the sheer aggression of 'Battery'. The obligatory 'Enter Sandman' got an encore outing, but got it's arse well and truly kicked by 'So What!' to cap what had been a very good comeback gig by this amazing young tribute band.
Yes there were points to pick up on - some tuning issues, a little more life from Ewan and Mark would have been nice and I would have loved to hear this at room shaking volumes - but nothing really mattered on a night when the strength of connection between band and parts of the audience rivaled the real item.
Pretty darn good for a first gig. Given time and experience to polish their art, there is a legend in the making. Damaged Inc are hopefully here to stay for a very long time, because I loved every minute of it.. One band that demands your attention. "Metal Up Yer Ass" indeed !
MOO!pmsbull

Hi All
I just wanted to drop a line re our gig cancellation at the George Stephenson 6th Dec to apologise to Jan and Les and a number of folks that were coming along to this gig for leaving this to 10 days before we would have played there.
This is the first gig we have had to cancel and I hope it’s the last, its not a planned thing to pull out of gigs these things just happen - I want to underline to all – we are not playing anywhere else, a member of the band is not able to play for very personal reasons on the 6th and we have to honour that – we really enjoyed our last gig at the pub and look forward to playing there again next year - I personally intend to go to the pub on the night of the 6th to add support to the night whoever plays.
PS Thankyou for putting our recording on Riffs site for the last few weeks its created a lot of interest in the band
Best Regards
Don (Ask Ruby Band)

Reload are playing at the Duke of Wellington on Kenton Lane this SUNDAY (30th Nov) night. This is a new venue as far as bands go and the landlord is trying it out hoping that it will prove to be a success. It is a nice friendly pub with plenty of parking so if you are in the area or fancy seeing a band you maybe haven't seen before why not drop in on Sunday. You can check out the band on www.reloadonline.co.uk.
Neil

Hi there
its Si from Roadstunner here...wondering if you have a contact number that works for the Victoria in Saltburn. We were booked months ago to play this thursday 27th Nov and another band are down in our place so I reckon they've buggered up and double booked us!
I need to find out before travelling down from Scotland!
Any help is much appreciated 07883300381
[I am sure Riffs readers will be able to help him out...........]

Hi Nige & Val,
I would just like to say WOW what a turnout for the Air Ambulance charity do at the Barking Dog on Saturday – standing room only from 7:30 on a freezing cold night! Featuring Creature, Lady Anne, Remedy & Heavy Load. Lots of noise & support from the audience & fabulous performances from all the bands & guest singer Andy the MC for the night. I’m sure you must’ve raised a crackin amount for the charity. Well done to the organisers of the event & everyone who contributed!
JLH.

Hiya Riffs.
We are doing a gig at Quakers ,in Darlington on Wednesday 26th Nov,The B.B.C are coming to film some of the gig for some kind of documentary about the pub scene in the north east.Its usually a really good night down there so if people want to come, and be really in the party mood and show everyone how good the local scene is ,that would be greatly appreciated by us.Please keep up the good work with Riffs, thanks,
Dave F.M.

Hi Nige,
The good people of Newcastle raised a fantastic £4,442.72 at Kingston Park last Friday, going to the Royal Victoria Infirmary and The Children's Society. (Alan the bass player put the 72p in!!)
All down to the efforts of Amanda Tait, who deserves a medal for the work she put in.
Cheers,
Tony, Skint

Hi Val
Sharon here Just Braggins wife. I saw a letter yesterday
about a band looking for a backdrop. That is what I do for a living,
canvas`s and backdrops. I would be greatful if you could either let the
lads know my number(07999580604) or put something in your letters for
them. I charge £80.00 for them, they are 8 and a half foot squared, and
they are eyeletted along the top for putting up the backdrop.
Thanks and see you soon....Sharon

"Good Golly Skinny Molly"
Mike Estes & Skinny Molly, Three Tuns, Friday 7th November 2008
Mike Estes became friends with the guys in the Rossington Collins Band (founded by Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash survivors) and had written songs for Lynyrd Skynyrd before being asked to join in the 90's, eventually performing on such notable releases as the 'Hundred Minutes Of Skynyrd' award wining DVD. With messy hair and black hat, he looks a bit like a cross between Alice Cooper and Slash, the years on the road etched across his face not unlike the marks on the battered old Les Paul he plays with such skill. If only that guitar could talk...
It may not talk but it certainly does sing, and the ease with which it cast a spell over tonight's audience had to be experienced to be fully understood. Southern rock has a place near to many people's hearts, a fact backed up by the healthy attendance despite other much more high profile shows on Tyneside this week. The thing is, I doubt if any of them could have provided the sheer quality of entertainment or anything like the atmosphere of this!
For a guy that has been around a long time, Estes still has "it" in spades, the quality of the original compositions on offer tonight reflecting the experience that only a man good enough to be inducted into the Hollywood Hall Of Fame can draw upon. 'Straight Shooter' is as good as anything you will hear on any Bad Company album, while being much more Blackfoot in style. Delivered with real gusto, this blazed a trail for a gig full of Americana that flowed with the kind of old cowboy soul John Bon Jovi can only dream about. 'Whiskey Cocaine And Blues' is a low down dirty mean and moody strut, 'Too Much' is so catchy you will already be singing along with the chorus the second time you hear it, and 'Gimme Back My Bullets' needed no introduction - every round hitting the bullseye and energizing a crowd that was making more noise than I thought was humanly possible.
Telling stories between songs with as much wit as any stand up comedian, the stage is clearly Mike's home. "We played Scotland yesterday and after the show I said to the barmaid; "I do believe you guys are famous for something called Scotch"...Well I had me fourteen shots of Scotch last night and let me tell y'all - that bitch does hurt some next morning!" at which point everyone in the room both laughed their arse off and raised their glass. Not one to see a man go thirsty, I decided to plant a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale in front of him which he duly swigged from, both raising it in thanks and giving me a nod of approval.
As a band Skinny Molly are waterproof tight, Luke Bradshaw's bass driving the rhythm along and Chris Walker's guitar both perfectly complementing Mike and taking the lead where appropriate. Notable mention has to go to drummer Kurt Pietro who gave a faultless performance and excelled on many occasions, not least the monumental version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and blazing performance of 'Crossroads' that together both rounded off the evening and received earth shattering levels of applause.
Personal highlights of the evening were a cover of Rolling Stones 'Dead Flowers' and a righteous performed of Skynyrd classic 'Simple Man'. Even better was the amount of time Mike took to talk to me, which was very much appreciated. He really is an amazingly cool guy.
"I think you're gonna need a new roof mate" was the last thing I said to manager Paul Smith as I left the Three Tuns. The tenna it cost for the album "No Good Deed" was money well spent as was a meager £5 to see this show - a real bargain. Never before has anyone received such a reaction at any gig I have ever seen, and my God did they deserve it. Standing behind Steve and Brad from The Dirty South was the perfect spot to enjoy this from, one of the best nights I have had for many a year and it easily takes the prize for gig of the year - squeezing it's way into my top ten of all time.
No doubt Paul will have booked a return for next year and my strong advice to everyone reading this is to get a ticket as soon as they go on sale because Skinny Molly are one band you simply must not miss!
MOOpmsbull

Hi,
Just a note to say, on a rare night off for Graham we went to see the Tony Liddle band at Lemmington labour club. What a great night, Tony was on top form, and a great sound from the band, they have had recent changes to the line up, and have got it together very quickly. As usual Tony's voice is the best, with a brilliant rendition of Boston More that a feeling and Aerosmith's dont wanna miss a thing, both extremely difficult vocal tracks to cover well, and both performed to exceed the vocal range of the original tracks with Tony's own unique style and flair, which I am pleased to say brought the house down from an appreciative audience. With other tracks from Bon Jovi/Journey/Anastasia and Black Dog by Zepplin all performed to the same high standard. Anyone looking for a great night out should definitely go see the band. Talking with the Chairman of the club, he said he had been trying to book the band for over a year.
Trish and Graham Russell

In praise of Martha's Vineyard, Hebburn.
Cover to Cover were contacted by Danny from Martha's who is valiantly trying to establish the pub as on of the region's top venues.
He offered us a Saturday night gig (1st November....) and being naturally flattered, we accepted. In the run up to the gig, one of our Band unearthed some bad press about Martha's on the Internet - apparently it all happened more than a year ago but it still made us apprehensive. Little did we know......
Turned up on the night to find a superbly decorated pub, tastefully done, more than enough room for the 7 of us to set up without sitting in each others laps........ and, a ready made audience in the shape of a 50th birthday celebration. No pressure then......
The Bar Team made us very welcome, and gave us half time refreshments and food to boot. Lovely touch Martha's.
Because it was our first gig there, and most of our supporter's live north of the Tyne, we were grateful to the party goers for supplying the dancers and great atmosphere.
Confident advice to any Band courted by Martha's - go and try it - you won't be disappointed. Rock on Martha's - Cover to Cover look forward to returning in 2009

Hi
Long time avid fan of the site -really good source of info for local music fans! I saw on the news section from months ago that The Angel, Durham was not booking gigs - it may be worth bands who are interested checking again, as I have seen two fantastic bands there in the past few weeks, Minnikin - who rocked the house down a couple of weeks ago, and The Fishburn Mafia, a seriously good three-piece band who are building a great following. The Angel really is a great venue - yes, it's a little on the "bijou" side, but has a very knowledgeable and appreciative crowd, and a PROPER juke box, with good staff and a well stocked, inexpensive bar. Kind of a local haunt for me, and they have some great bands lined up over the coming months. Minnikin are playing the Angel again on 3rd December, to celebrate the landlord's 1st birthday at the pub - well work a look if you are in the area, come and rock out!
Charl :)

BACKDROP WANTED FOR BAND
Hi there,
Firstly I would like to congratulate you on a well run website – which I have regularly used over the past 2 years for general band info, reviews, and gig dates.
Secondly I would like to introduce myself – I am Martyn and I play bass in a 5 piece covers band from Stockton, we play quite a wide range of music covering bands such as Kasier chiefs, razorlight, The Jam, Rolling Stones, The Killers and Stereophonics. (We are registered with North East Entertainment music agency, but most of our gigs are in Teesside, and are usually word of mouth / friend of a friend).
I am writing to ask if you can recommend anywhere where we might be able to get a backdrop / banner made for our band?? We have played quite a number of venues now – both private parties and pubs open to the public and we feel as though a banner / backdrop would help people remember our name, but we are not really sure where to go.

Spartan - would just like to thank everyone who made it to the Fat Ox in Whitley Bay on Saturday, we had a FANTASTIC night, great venue, great staff and as usual a GREAT CROWD you really made us feel welcome.We tried a new first set and it seemed to go down well, but we could n't change much of the second set as we love playing those songs so much.Many Thanks to all who came to see us.
Gazza, Kev, Mick and Phil ( SPARTAN )

Hello Guys
Just to keep you update with the Steamboat in Blyth.
Unfortunately due to no fault of Hocus Pocus who put on a very good show last night.
It has been decided for the moment that the Steamboat will only be able to have bands who want a free venue for their first gig at no cost to the Steamboat but want the chances to play in front a crowd of people albeit we can not state a large crowd, depending on the good people of Blyth on a Sunday night.
Also if bands want to play for beer money than please get in touch if they just fancy a laugh
contact me on paulmurdy@aol.com
The bands that have been in contact with me for next year, the ones I have personally spoken to and agreed dates will still stand as will diablo`s gig on the 28th December.
We also have Adam Bomb confirmed for Thursday the 27th November with Stolen Tom supporting them. I must thank Adam for agreeing to come to the Steamboat as he and his band are very busy for a min fee and also for Stolen Tom for supporting them.
It would be good if people came out on the 27th November as I believe the Steamboat is a good venue for bands , its just a shame that the credit crunch has got its hold on the place at the moment.
Lets keep the Rock alive
Paul Murdy
Steamboat

HI RIFFS,
THE STROBES HAD A GREAT GIG AT THE CLARENDON IN SUNDERLAND ON SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER
WE JUST WANT TO SAY WHAT A CRACKING LITTLE PUB WITH A GREAT ATMOSPHERE. THE CLARENDON IS ONE OF THE OLDEST PUBS IN SUNDERLAND WITH THE LONGEST UNBROKEN DRINKING LICENCE, THIS PUB GOES BACK TO 1753 AND IT STILL HAS THAT GREAT OLD FEEL WITH A FANTASTIC VIEW. ANDY THE NEW OWNER IS BRINGING THIS PUB BACK TO LIFE WITH LIVE MUSIC AND WE KNOW THIS WILL BE A GREAT SUCCESS, WE ALSO NEED TO MENTION THE BARMAN GEOFF WHAT A CHARACTER HE HAD US ALL AMUSED WITH HIS PUT ON IRISH ACCENT.
WHAT A GREAT GIG WE HAD AND LOOK FORWARD TO PLAYING THERE AGAIN
CHEERS

The Poor Boys Nikh's Bar, Blyth on 08/11/2008
Bob Davidson (Vocals/Guitar) Graham Kelly (Lead Guitar/Vocals) Paul Mander (Bass) Nigel Stawart (Keyboards) George Waters (Drums) Trevor Wharton (Sound Engineer)
The Poor Boys are the epitomy of what a Regional Successful Band can achieve, in a long running growing phenomenon. Embellishing all the prime ingredients of true ability, they seem to have an ever changing 5 Star menu which caters for all appetites. Here at Scooby Snaps we are always preaching about promoting 'North East Talent' and The Poor Boys provide a great mentor- ship to the new fraternity of bands, having achieved there dominance in the pecking order of deserved notaritory, through years of consistency, determination and hard labour. When conversing with the band at protracted lengths, it is obvious they have firmly got their feet below sea-level and do not allow there regional success alienate there presence from there loyal followers.
When changing my direction of careers, The Poor Boys were the first act I absorbed and instrumental in my decision to create Scooby Snaps. I must public-ally apologise at this the earliest opportunity, as although I have attended many of their concerts in semblance; I have not felt the self-confidence until now, to make sincere quantified commentary on their current journey. It is satirical that 'Bob Davison' was the last performer I witnessed prior to my 18 years of government institutional-ism and fortuitously the first on my new found emancipation.
Looking forward to attending a local venue, namely; Nick's Bar, Blyth to capture the poor boys, I am currently impressed with the owner 'Nicky' and entertainments manager 'Rob', who have done a first class sterling job in assimilating a 'Cavern type Arena' for many top acts to perform....Keep up the Good Work!
Upon speaking to ‘George’ I was disappointed in hearing 'Nigel' would not be on the team sheet as he was otherwise engaged on a well deserved break in the Carabean. This left four players in the line-up with no substitutions and no ivory maestro; filling the sky with rainbows. The band still performed an unproblematic, brilliant, symbion 'Borg' collective, guitar set which reminded me of the good old lamp swinging days at The Central Club. Bob and ‘Graham Kelly’s’ harmonious vocals were outstanding and it was invigorating to witness all three string musicians perform inimitable monogamous sustained speech. The multiplicity to there ever changing, ‘Southern Rooted Americanised Starwort Set’, naturally seems to evolve, tirelessly and grow embryonically affording rebirth on every new tour. ‘George Waters’ and ‘Paul Mander’, drilled away in the background like a couple of England's finest, 'Trooping the Colour', providing a disciplined, tight, solid, focussed performance which brought up the logistical rear for Bob and Graham to maintain a healthy sense of balance....
All members of The Poor Boys are passionate about there involvement in the project. However, none more so than ‘Trevor Wharton’, whom I’d like to give my crimson handed appreciation for his unseen professional and dedication to the band. Also his freely shared, expert advice and knowledge to the North East music scene over the last few decades. Well done and thanks, Trev!
Well what can I say other than The Poor Boys are one of my favourite bands, whom I hold the uppermost respect and accolade; primarily due to there attitudes and analytical performances. They are and continue to be, a master class in live sermons to which every religious disciple of the bona fide music cohort should experience, and book mark in there biblical scripture.
I look forward to receiving The Poor Boys many more times in the future and will continue writing the psalm of Scooby Snaps for you all to take pleasure in ‘on the house’.
Jason

Morning U2
It was great to meet u both on Saturday at long last apologies I wasn’t able to chat longer.
Just wanted to say regardless of whatever you may write about the band (I see there is a review coming up on the website thankyou) I think the work you put into running the website benefits so many people that love live music round the North East that your efforts on Riffs should never be taken for granted and I say to anyone that may write slagging off letters to you both to think twice and recognise the hours of work contributed.
Hope to see you again soon at a gig near you!
Would also like to say that a big thanks to Danny and Ian at Martha`s Vineyard on Saturday what a great new venue to play we all really enjoyed it and free food and drink to can`t whack it – please pass on to the pub on the letters page
Best Regards
Don Price (Ask Ruby band)
Mobile 07879 430579

Now how many ‘tribute’ bands do you know who get invited to go on tour with one of their icons…..I’ll tell you who…..FREEWAY!!!!!
They are on tour now with Simon Kirke the original Free drummer & Larry Oaks ex Forigner. I caught the first date of their tour at Dunelm in Durham where Free first wrote Alright Now 39 years ago after a poor gig to get folks up dancing.
It kicked off with Simon & Larry on acoustic guitars & keyboards singing a number of Free tracks including My Brother Jake, some of Simon’s own numbers & an interesting take on a Paul Simon number about looking after your liver! But the piste de résistance was a Bad Company track – Shooting Star!
I love our local bands Freeway & Heavy Load who cover Free& Bad Company but I’d not seen Freeway’s new young singer Paul Smith. After listening to radio Newcastle last Monday where they played a couple of acoustic numbers the vocals weren’t loud enough, although the playing was excellent. So this was my first time to see the new line up & I hoped he was as good as one of their previous singers Bob.
Well Freeway came on stage & sang their first number & I thought yup…..he’s the right man for the job! He’s got the look, the action & the voice to boot! I’m sure when he has a few more gigs under his belt & a tad more confidence this will be a cracking line up.
Each track received immense applause from the audience played to perfection by John Buckton, Rick & Rob who are excellent musicians. John was described on the radio I think as Paul Kossoff live without the mistakes – what an accolade! He’s the only guitarist I’ve seen that looks like he gains an enormous amount of pleasure from playing the guitar – if you know what I mean folks !!! Rob was excellent on drums, as always the smiler & Rick was superb on bass – he’s got the rhythm alright!
Then what I’d been waiting for Simon Kirke on Drums, WOW what a drummer!!! To play the obvious Alright Now & Wishing Well amongst the set. What a crackin night & I hope they have a fantastic tour – get your butt out & see them – you won’t be disappointed… I’m disappointed I tried a different camera – not a good idea!
It’s a testament to the north east music scene that we have such quality musicians around & on Friday if I hadn’t had tickets for this gig you were spoilt for choice at how many good gigs were on that night, I could’ve split myself five ways at least!!!
JLH.

Have read several times that some bands have a problem with O,gradies in Redcar , mostly relating to dealing with the governor ROY , we as SOUL REBELS play the gig regular and find the guy as helpful as anyone can be , played it recently and were given the utmost respect and help possible with a buffet requested by the band for one of the members birthday bashes , nothing was too much , and he personally put his hand in his pocket to buy the band several drinks,being a thirsty 8 piece band this was no mean feat , the gig is a regular FRI - SAT - SUN venue and as such should be commended for giving the area a good place for live music , basically if you gig it give it the credit it deserves and look after a worthwhile venue...

On behalf of ward 14a QE Hospital i would like to express our grateful thanks to Mick,Shaun and everyone else from POWERAGE for your wonderful performance on saturday 1st Nov. A great night was had by all who attended and your show was first class. Thanks to raffles and ticket sales we raised £570 to benefit the Gynaecological ward at the QE. Which treats cancer patients fron all over the northern region.
Thanks to all who turned up and special thanks to Heather for all her hard work.
Love and best wishes.......Marion and Staff ward 14a QE hosp.xxxxxxxxx

Hey all
I am trying to contact ‘Ellwood’, who has put an ad in musicians wanted. Tried his email but keep getting ‘undeliverable’.
Can anyone out there help?
Ta. Big Man

Hi Riffs,
If I'd been smart enough, I would have let you know beforehand in order to drum up some support, however, a bit of an oversight on my behalf, but I forgot to mention that Frankies Café did a charity gig for The Northern Brainwave Appeal on Friday 24th October, held at Chilton Lodge Country Club in Houghton Le Spring.
The event was organised locally for a chap who died at a fairly young age, leaving a spouse and two young children, and the `do' was a sell out with tickets costing £10.
Various items had been donated by local organisations for a raffle on the night, and we have just received two very, very nice emails from persons at the do. One from a lady we dedicated a song to (actually for her 4 year old granddaughter), and the other from the organiser of the event, informing us that the evening went down an absolute storm, the bands free contribution making it a night to remember (blush, blush, modesty prohibits us from sending you the two emails, but they were sent to the band and not for general release, although I'm sure the senders of the emails wouldn't mind).
MORE IMPORTANTLY, the organiser indicated that the evening raised £2,844 on the night, but felt that when all monies have been received, this should top £3,000.
So whilst the event might have missed a bit of free publicity on this occasion, the band has another couple of charity events lined up in the new year. Expect an email from us with a view to drumming up a bit of support and publicity for the events, with the objective of getting BUMS on seats.
Best regards Rob Byrne Frankies Café

Hi there
I played Peterlee Catholic Club last night and I have to say the members there are terrific. I'm new to the scene and I had a few problems with volume, (my mini P.A. didn't have the wattage for their lovely big concert room) but they were incredibly helpful and friendly, letting me use their P.A. at the last minute. The audience was very respectful, accomodating and supportive and I couldn't have asked for a better reception considering the sound problems. Many thanks to Chris and the guys - a highly recommended and very welcoming place to play.
Laura - solo singer

Slip of the Tongue Nikh's Bar, Blyth on 25/10/2008

Band Bio: Ian ‘Bill’ Horsby (Vocals) Ainsley Wills (Lead Guitar) Paul ‘Rich’ Richardson (Lead Guitar)
John Winship (Keyboards) Craig Stephenson (Bass) Ian ‘Brick’ Thompson (Drums)

Meaning:
Slip of the Tongue(SOTT), was an album by the rock band Whitesnake, released in 1989. This was the band's ninth studio album overall. It features guitar virtuoso Steve Vai on guitars. Three singles were released from the album: "Fool for Your Loving", "The Deeper the Love" and "Now You're Gone". Slip of the Tongue sold over four million copies around the world.

"Fool For Your Loving" originally appeared on the Ready an' Willing album, but it was re-recorded for this album.

Due to an injury, Adrian Vandenberg was unable to perform on this recording. Steve Vai played all guitars on the album. However, Adrian Vandenberg was credited as a band member and included in the group photo shoot in the album sleeves.

This was my sequential invite to see ‘SOTT’ and was over the moon when my pal, Paul Knight, (a fellow band photographer), of Pixels in Print, invited me to Nikh’s Bar, Blyth for another helping of pure rock bliss!.

It was the first time I had attended ‘Nikh’s Bar’ & was impressed by the outside elucidation of the brand and warm salutation I received from the doorman ‘Chris’. Once inside the venue I was stupefied at the level of support and cliental that was frequenting the establishment and most of all by the nearby smoking area, where I caught up with ‘Barry Bennett’ of the ‘Mudsharks’.

As I said in my last evaluation, I would normally anticipate paying a fee to enjoy such a top class band like ‘SOTT’. However, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, was presented another contribution by ‘Nikh’s Bar’, and all spectators on the evening were allowed free VIP status. Again SOTT’s performance appeared fault free and the whole audience gave their full attention to the ‘Ian Hornsby’s’ sermon. If I was religious I would definitely go to the ‘Holy Trinity Church of SOTT on a Sunday to listen to their biblical address...! And put some euros in the collection to save the basilica roof!

OCTOBER

Hi Riffs,
I saw a band called ASK RUBY at the Blacksmiths in Gosforth, a few weeks ago. They are a female fronted pop/rock band, with a female keyboard player suported by a very solid band ex Aisha and Kelinah. They do a superb mix of pop/rock which includes 80's and 90's and modern classics by the likes of Bryan Adams, Kim Wilde, Amy Winehouse, Pink, Sheryl Crow etc. real "feel good" stuff.
What an absolutely superb night out, it was packed, the main vocalist has an excellent strong voice and hit all the high notes and the keyboardist really belted them out, the place was jumping.
I went home feeling elated and had a brilliant night out, I'm really looking forward to their next gig in the area. So if you ever get the chance to get to see them, do not miss!!!
From G.R.C. (real name Anne aka the "Geordie Rock Chick")

Legends In The Making
Alcatraz House Band, Three Tuns, Gateshead. Friday 24/10/08
After waxing lyrical about this band on many forums, it was refreshing and somewhat satisfying to get dozens of messages following their appearance at this years Storming The Castle, which I missed but they blew the roof off by all accounts. However, as satisfying as that was, the meager turn out for tonight's show frustrated the hell out of me!
Where the hell was everyone? Don't you know how good this band are? I can only think that both the credit crunch and the first time appearance of Maiden Scotland being scheduled for the following night cruelly conspired against them.
For a band made up of 4 young twenty somethings, the Alcatraz House Band are much more seasoned performers than you might think, having been around the local scene for some time and recently supported Meat Loaf's daughter Pearl Adey on her UK tour. The fact that they managed to secure this and many other support slots should in itself be enough to tell you that this band are real quality.
Performing a set that is heavily laden (pun intended!) with Led Zeppelin numbers, it's beneficial to be able to wail a bit, and vocalist Jen certainly has a pair of lungs on her.
Capable of singing Plantesque vocals that Russ Tippins would die for, Jen has an amazing stage presence and is very easy on the eye. Still singing Celine Dion shite when she first met up with guitarist Grahame, in my opinion one of the greatest female rock singers IN THE WORLD was born that day. Just listen to their originals album 'Remedy' and you are guaranteed to be blown away by the sheer power and range of her voice, and I am on record as saying that their song 'Priests And Preachers' is IMO one of the greatest pieces of classic rock music ever recorded - period.
Backing up the powerful vocals are three equally talented lads. Lead guitarist Graham has armfuls of talent, bassman Lee is impeccable, drummer Mark plays hard and clean and between them they create a sound as good as anything on the national scene today, even if Graham had equipment problems that plagued him throughout the gig.
Thankfully it filled up a bit for the second half, by which time the guys were on a roll with a few more classic rock covers and two new originals going down well - good to hear in advance of their new EP which is due out end of this / early next year. As hard as it was to play to such a small crowd, the guys were admittedly not firing on all cylinders tonight yet still gave a good account of themself.
I think that - given the right breaks - Remedy can go on to become one of the finest rock bands this country has ever produced, so if you still haven't seen Alcatraz House Band then you really don't know what you are missing!
MOO!pmsbull

Nige,
I would just like to highly commend everyone involved in the Rock 4 All charity event at Gosforth Civic Hall on the 18/19 October, especially Les the organiser. This was a first class setup including equipment, lights, sound, in addition to the first rate musicians who gave up their time for free. The day(s) included musicians & bands, trade stands, numerous technicians & helpers, photographer’s, video, food, efficient bar staff etc. at a superb venue. This was a supreme event & I think he plans to do it all again next year! I hope the charities concerned raised boat loads of cash…..
Very well done to you all!
JLH.

saw the beavers at the brit in houghton last night. well done lads for a highly entertaining evening
cheers Steve (old codger)

HI Riffs,
Is it just me or are there a lot less gigs about. The stop press section on Riffs has lots of bands needing work, and hardly any venues. We hear that 37 pubs a week are closing in the uk, so things must be bad.
I wonder what other riffs readers think, is this the worst its ever been ?
We still continue to work almost every Saturday night, but other nights have been hard to fill the last few months, credit crunch ?
Scooby (The Mystery Machine)

Hi,
any bands booked at the Adam and Eve in Prudhoe by Karen may want to check with the Venue as she is no longer at the pub.
Cheers Trish and Graham Russell

Help!!
Black River Blues are trying to contact a bass player who lives in Wallsend who is possibly called Kevin or Ken, who contacted us when we advertised for a bass player about 8 weeks ago, unfortunately we have lost his telephone number. When he contacted us we had just started a new bass man (unfortunately this has not worked out) and we would like to offer him the opportunity to play for us. Anyone who may be able to help please contact us on info@blackriverblues.co.uk or tel 01912667979
Thanks Mick BRB

Went to see Babylon Fire at the Bebside on Sunday.
Well now, what a wierd night this was ! Got there around 8.15pm and about 2 songs before the very young support band finished, who aparently pissed off both the Babylon Fire guys and the pub by going on stupidly earyl and then buggering of immediately after playing a ridiculously short set. Don't know what they were called but didn't think much of the cookie monster vocals - never mind the attitude! Babylon Fire had played the Meltdown festival at this venue previously and had been very well recieved, so it was a huge shock for both them and me to see the place almost empty. Hampered by some of the worst sound equipment problems I have ever seen - which virtually destroyed anything that vocalist Mark said, never mind sang - the guys remained undeterred and went on with the show as best could. Despite being unable to make out most of what was being sung, it was obvious that Mark has a strong voice and an excellent agressive style, so it was really frustrating to listen to it being strangled by the gear, and musically the band are heavy and very tight. After a short set of around 40 mins the guys were done and what had been a dissapointing evening ended. However, all is not lost ! The guys gave me a copy of their 3 track Ep and you know what ? IT'S BLOODY FAB ! Aparently they are going into the studio in the new year to record a full album and if these 3 songs - done on 8 tracks - are anything to go by, then it should be worth the wait. Here is a link to a review of their promo http://www.komodorock.com/reviews/cd-reviews/babylon-fire-%3a-self-titled-promo-cd-200810218887/
Babylon Fire are one you should keep an eye on.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Just thought I'd give an up-date on the football club. We played there last Friday. As everyone knows the club was struggling and they stopped the bands a few months ago. We went on at 9.45 to about 30-40 people but the place did gradually fill up. When we went back on at 11 the place was pretty full and was absolutely heaving by 12 when we came off. Loads of people dancing and a really nice crowd.The new management are really making an effort and if it is supported it could turn into a great venue again.
Neil RELOAD

RELOAD are looking forward to our gig at WASHINGTON FC on Friday. As a Washington based band we have played there countless times and Big Davy was always a great supporter of us, giving us one of our first gigs 3 years ago.Local bands know that this was a great venue and it was a real shame when they stopped the band nights. Now it has started up again it would be great if the new manager Sue could get the support required to make it a success again. So if you are in the area why not drop in on Friday - you can check out our website on www.reloadonline.co.uk

"24 Carat Gold Plated Class"
The Legendary Bessie and the Zinc Buckets, Live at the Colliery Arms, Boldon. Saturday 11th October 2008.
Scouring the local gig listings for an interesting Saturday night's entertainment, one band stood out amongst the plethora of choices. With a name that starts with 'The Legendary' it was perhaps to be expected that this band were going to be quite good...
Quite good ? Who am I feckin' kidding - this gig was bloody fantastic! Set up on a tiny stage squeezed into the corner of the back room, I expected Besie and The Zinc Buckets were going to give a relaxed, intimate, unplugged style of performance. How wrong can a man be ?!? Mind you with a front man like Kev, maybe I should have known better.
Planted behind a beautiful retro looking 8 ball bouble bass which was so big it dwarfed him, Kev's personality certainly makes up for his lack of size. Smile beaming as brightly as the light reflecting from his bald head, Kev is about as animated a performer as you could ever wish for, making many front men look nailed to the floor by comparison - not least when he stood ontop of his bass during one song, never missing a note while still singing and winding up the audience participation.
As great as he is, Kev dosen't over dominate the rest of the band (who's names I am embarased to say I foget), all of whom have their tongues firmly in cheek throughout.
Lovely tight drumming and a pair of beautiful sounding Gretch guitars all have their place in a set that was as unpredictable as any I have ever seen. In fact I was unable to obtain my regular signed set list as they don't use one. Put simply, Bessie and the Zinc Buckets wouldn't know what a set list was if you beat them over the head with it!
Admittedly, they don't have any more than a rough idea of what they are going to play themself and just seem to take whatever comes in their stride. Name me another band that can go from Stray Cats to Black Sabbath in the same breath? How about a hillbilly version of Zeppelin classic Stariway To Heaven? As much as the crowd may have tried, there seams to be no song these guys don't know, and the night started to take on a freindly competition as the audience kept calling out more and more requests - every one of them met in the Buckets own unique style.
For such a small bar, the Colliery Arms must have had atleast 160 people jam packed into a back room built for no more than 80. People were squashed into every available nook and cranny, standing on chairs and dancing on tables, with one woman even hanging from the cieling at the back of the room - such was the demand to get into this party. With just about everybody in the place singing along, guest spots from a couple of very talented friends and a truly magnificent performance from the band, this was easily the best gig I have seen this year - and by a country mile at that!
As on fire as any band has ever been, tonight Bessie's Buckets were 24 carat gold plated class. Legendary? You better believe it!
MOO! pmsbull

hi guys,
tried to get intouch with a thin lizzy tribute band that has been posted in your musicians wanted section! but the mobile number only has 10 digits!!! tried an earlier add which i feel may be the same people as the last add but they never got back! i am really interested and if you have any means of gettin in touch could you please forward it on to me!
Cheers,
p.s. keep up the good work on the site it is much appreciated and the gig guide has become my new bible! :)
Cheers again.
Just goes to show how important it is to get your ad right - hopefully the guy who placed the ad will see this and correct his ad................Riffs.

"Geet Funky Like"
Reet Hot Chilli Peppers. Duke Of Cumberland, Felling, Gateshead. Friday 3rd October 2008
So many bands, so little time.... such is the dilemma for a live music addict like me. As you can imagine, I have a 'to do' list as long as my arm, and as the Duke was somewhere I hadn't been in a while it was well overdue a visit. A nice pub with the well respected Micky from Powerage sorting out the bands, the Duke has long been a stalwart on the local scene - even if it were better when they still had two rooms.
The Reet Hot Chili Peppers were a band I had wanted to see for a long time, especially considering how quickly they have built up such an excellent reputation. Don't Stop and Dani California got things rolling and went down a storm even if there were a few less people here then I had expected, most probably due to there being so many high profile gigs this weekend. We really are spoilt for choice in the North East.
Front man Mark is superb. He has the look just right, moves well and is astoundingly similar vocally. If some horrible tragedy should occur, Mark could get that gig standing on his head! Fighting off the lurgy that was running through his family, he still put on a quality performance - even if by his own admission he was struggling a little on a couple of songs midway through the set. Like someone once said, "The show must go on" so just like a footballer running off an injury he sang his way through it and 2 numbers later was back on fine form. The way he dealt with a very pissed young lad at the front had to be seen - getting him up to sing a few lines and then skillfully fending off later when the enthusiasm became a little too intrusive. On the whole an excellent performance from a guy who I spoke to at length and found to be very genuine.
Guitarist Jonny used to play in Free tribute Heavy Load. While I didn't get a chance to spend any real time getting to know him, I thought his performance tonight was rock solid and he especially shone on some of the more subtle tunes. Wittily introduced by Mark as being "Nutty as squirrel shit", bass man Kev is also a legendary Zinc Bucket and just perfect as Flea - never still and interacting superbly with drummer Adas.
What can I tell you about Adas? Well firstly I used to know him when we were in our late teens so I hadn't seen this guy in over 20 years, and he was already a class act on the drums back then. To quote Micky, his playing tonight was "Stadium class". As a guy who has been around the music scene a long time and currently plays in three bands, it's not surprising that Adas is a master percussionist. For a bloke I first heard playing such a long time ago, experience has matured his playing to a point where I could both watch and listen to him all night.
Not as knowledgeable on the Chilli's back catalog as I should be - only really knowing the most popular songs, it was great to hear such a wide ranging setlist. Just as a tribute should, the guys cover all stages of the band's career and brought out some of the classics. My highlight of the night had to be 'Suck My Kiss' - superbly performed and bouncy as hell, kicking things up a notch and bringing the set to a close with the excellent Stevie Wonder cover Higher Ground and mega-hit By The Way. Encore demands were answered by a beautifully intimate performance of Under The Bridge and the guys poured every last ounce of energy into a triumphant Give It Away, ending to much deserved roars of approval.
A thoroughly enjoyable gig and one band I can't wait to see again. The Reet Hot Chilli Peppers are - as one punter said, "Geet funky like".
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Riffs,
There are one or two invitations left to our evening with Bill Bryson and friends on Thursday October 16th at Gateshead's Three Tuns. Some top quality performers are joining us including the incomparable Russ Tippins, Jack B Burness, Ainsley and Bill from S.O.T.T.and the wonderful magician Kendrick. If you'd really like to be there contact paul@justviziting.com and where possible I shall let you have an invitation.

SEPTEMBER

Alreet,
Thanks to everyone who has replied to my request for information on the state of play at The Music Rooms in Sunderland. Apparently the venue is no more, so any other bands that have gigs there should perhaps start looking at an alternative venue.
Regards,
Alan ( The Source ). Mob: 07837274994

Was just DEVASTATED to hear the news from Daz that Whey Aye CDC are no more. One of my personal favourites, I saw the band many times and reviewed them twice - both of which were probably the easiest reviews I ever wrote, because the gigs stayed with me long after the final note. Anyone who got to see this band know just what an immense show they put on - and how sorely they will be missed. I know I have raved about the Three Tuns alot in the past, but the Whey Aye CDC gig there in July was one for the history books. Wish someone had video recorded it.
For all he nights you played and sang your hearts out , to Daz, Graham, Dean, Chris and Neal - I SALUTE YOU !
MOO!pmsbull :-(

The Next Pistols with The Stottin Headaches, are together looking for a few gigs to share to finish off 2008 and also we are taking bookings for 2009. Any venue's interested in having two bands on in one night please email us at... nextpistols@hotmail.co.uk or visit www.myspace.com/uknextpistols

Hi guys,
on Saturday we (KONCEPT) had the pleasure of playing at the harley davidson heart & soul rally at gosforth park racecourse and we would just like to say a big thank you to the organisers of this absolutley brilliant event for having us on,loads of free drink and good crack on offer! We were first band up on stage in the main room and although the room wasn't chocka block we still had a great time and hopefully everyone who was in enjoyed our set.as we were the first band on that left us with the rest of the night to enjoy the other bands who were playing,next up after us were BON JORDI who put on a top show and danny really does sound uncannily like jon bon jovi.finishing the night off were TOMMY & THE ODDBALLS,havent seen these lads before so was looking forward to watching their show and I wasn’t dissapointed,a real top class band and for me they are up there with the best ive seen in the whole of the north east and tommy is one of the nicest,most genuine blokes ive ever had the pleasure of talking to. Once again thanks to everyone who helped make it a memorable day (and night!) for us.
Paul (KONCEPT)

Hi
Just a note to say - Massive thank you to everyone who came to Kennyfest 2008. It was the best one yet, AMAZING bands, AMAZING preformances, AMAZING reaction from the audience and also the best Air Guitar EVER! Everything went so well, a few hitches with running times but overall a massive success. We raised £1100 and still counting so well done to everyone who gave up their time to perform and help out - it was massivley appreciated. See you all in 2009. Maybe next year we will be graced by an appearance and review from Riffs?
Keep Rocking
Chris Sumby
www.kennyfest.co.uk

Fantastic night at Y&T last night, lovely to meet a few new and familiar faces there. Was pandemonium in the Star as was bobbing back and forth betweem 3 groups of people I knew including our own Nige and Val. As anyone who was there will tell you it was a great show and a review should follow soon as real life permits.
MOO!pmsbull

Hi
Just reading a recent letter in regards to ticket prices. I am one of the Organisers of Kennyfest (www.kennyfest.co.uk), and I must say that we are offering amazing value for money this year – 6 Bands – Maiden England, Sabbatica, Judas Beast, Dakota, Wind of Change and Death In Blood, on top of that we have probably the best Rock Raffle in the land along with entertaining Air Guitar competition – with an amazing prize for the winner, on top of that we always ‘give away’ around £200 worth of T-shirts n CD’s…… what more could you want for your money. Hope to see a lot of Riffs readers there on the day – and if you see me, say hi and tell me what you think of the gig – good or bad – as at the end of the day we want to make things better and better each year.
Chris Kennyfest

In these days of credit crunch and petrol pump robbery, money's tight for everyone so the price of a ticket for shows like Paul Rodgers and Queen at the arena - £50 for God's sake - never cease to bring a frown to my face, and as much as I would love to be at this one, it's a hit that both my wallet and my conscience wont take.
I say wallet because - as much as I would love to see this show, and I'm sure you all know I love nothing better than live music - even I think there are many better ways to spend £50.
One of them would have been to spend £10 of that going to see the recent double header by Slip Of The tongue and Maiden England at the Journal Tyne Theatre last Friday. Surely the two most talented and entertaining tributes anyone could ever hope for, these guys put on a show of such quality and power that it stayed with me long after my ears stopped ringing. If you have yet to see either of these, don't waste another moment without making plans to catch at least one of their gigs this year - you will not be dissapointed.
I have recently reviewed SOTT here on Riffs - where I am always grateful for the coverage Nige and Val give to my writing - and as it would have been inappropriate to submit another one so soon, I had been intending to include a review of this show as part of an article I was going to research and publish for Komodo Rock covering the rise of the tribute band from its origins to where are today, using the outstanding scene we have here in the North East as an example of what an important part tributes have to play in the music scene as a whole, their effects on album sales and the profile of the artists they honour. Unfortunately, based on the initial outline submitted, the editor decided not to go with it and as such never saw the light of day. Consequently, while I have never reviewed a Maiden England show, they will be one I make a point of doing so in future - not that I need any more motivation to go to another show than the quality of their performance last Friday.
Going back to my comments about the high price of concert tickets. I mentioned conscience because when there are isssues such as cancer still plauging the human race, I would rather donated the remaining £40 to Cancer Research UK than blow it on one gig - no matter how good it may be. I say this because after seeing the recent Relay For Life cancer fundraiser at Gateshead Stadium, I was motivated to do do something in response to the incredible spirit the people involved with this event displayed, and consequently I am currently looking at putting together a charity event in support of their cause. This is something I have never done before, but despite my thus far bumbling efforts to secure venue and dates, 4 bands have already pledged their support - all agreeing immediately for which I can't thank them enough, and this lineup will should make for an amazing show, providing I can sort out the venue issue and persuade some nice people to provide sound and light... hint hint :-)
Subtle as a slap in the face with a soggy udder me sometimes...
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Val and Nige
just a line to let our dedicated fans (The Whole Hog) know that for the next few months we will have the pleasure of a stand in lead guitarist,John is a fantastic musician and we are so very gratfull to him for standing in at such short notice.Paul has been in a moterbike accident at the weekend and is currently relaxing in carlise hospital with 5 broken ribs( serves him right going out enjoying himself instead of cutting the grass) hope to see everyone at the Quaker on Sunday
THANKS Carol x (long suffering band wife)

Caught FM at SLeepers tonight. Is it even poss to critique a band that has been around this long ? Had the whole room singing along to Journey's classic Dont Stop Beleivin' - you just can't buy atmosphere like that.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Just to reply to Scooby MysteryMachine,
Glad to hear you had a good experience there mate. At the end of the day I can only tell you what happened. Afraid the other night wasn't one I care to repeat.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Reading Moo's comments, we played The Grange in Sunderland one Thursday in August. The manager was really helpful, even payed us upfront, the playing area was slightly obstructed but not bad, and the crowd included couples, young'uns and a group of rockers on the corner of the bar who look as if they come to watch bands here regular, one of them came over at the end of the night and said 'we would have clapped but we had our pints in our hands!'. Not a bad venue and a much sort after one being a Thursday night, you have to go through Linda Cross to get in.
Scooby 'The Mystery Machine'

Went out on spur of the moment to see this (Whey Aye C/DC)and it was well worth the drive. As usual the boys gave it everything, Daz singing his arse off and the lads rocking up a storm despite it being sweatier than a kippers bathtime. Strange gig this one though.
Aparently the room at the Grange in Sunderland has been altered recently so the area that bands set up in is a little obscured from some angles and the punters, while screaming and shouting their appreciation after each song, were quiet as mice during a few short pauses when Graham had to change guitars.
Daz told me the band didn't get to do a proper sound check even though they were there early and set up in plenty of time, due to some couple sat in the band area who had had a meal and were nursing the dregs of a pint for ages whom the bar staff refused to ask to move to another seat.
Actually I can testify personally to the crappy attitude of the bar staff myself. Hard to remember the last time I came away from a bar feeling like I had just been insulted. Served by three different people during the course of the night and all of them had faces like a smacked arse.
As it was, despite being quiet during the pauses, the punters loved the band and they went down a storm with an audience of mostly first timers - some of whom had come along specifically after reading reviews on Riffs.
One guy said "I tell you what, good as that review was - they're even better than I expected. Bloody brill these lads!" Amen to that !
MOO!pmsbull :-)

URGENT just been let down by band & disco for 40th Birthday party Nr Alnwick, we can't have a party without music! looking for live band that play 60s to current day 'breakfast @ Tiffanys' is a favourite,
Deacon Blue, Crowded House, Michael Buble, music taste very eclectic soft rock, swing, jazz. Band needed for 20th Setptember! Please contact Charmaine Welsh 07748705779. Many Thanks X

Hi all from Black River Blues, we had the pleasure to be the first band to play at the newly refurbished Wheatsheaf, Roker Ave, Sunderland (next to the music rooms) on sunday 7th Sept. It's great to see a new venue opening insted of seeing them close. It has only been open for 3 weeks, after being closed for 2 years and were made very welcome by the landlady "Theresa" and her staff. During the gig there was a good response from a small but very appreciative audiance and we look forward to returning there in the future.So if your looking for a new venue give it a try. I've mislaid the tel number but I believe that Thresa is putting her contact details onto Riffs Venues page. May we as a band wish her all the best and success for the future.
Mick Black River Blues

Hi Nige / Val
Just thought I would drop you a line to let you and the other bands know how the first gig night Friday 5th Sept in a few months at Washington FC was – Well it was the night of the rains got soaked 4 times that night carrying gear but wouldn’t have missed it by the end of the night the place was jumping & dancing just like old times. First spot was quiet not a lot in started at 9.40pm played till 10.30pm however some were actually up dancing in the first spot, we were back on at 11.10pm played till 12.15am. disco carried on till1pm.
Sue Smith (manageress) was very hospitable giving us use of the function room at the side and providing free hot coffee / tea at the start whilst we set up thanks to Sue. Would we go back? yes certainly would and would recommend it for bands doing `Pop/rock` music - by the end of the night the dance floor was crammed and the crowd were jumping / singing we all had a great time.
Cheers
Don (Ask Ruby band)

STEVE FROM FEED THE BEAR HERE.JUST LIKE TO SAY A MONUMENTAL THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE WHO TURNED OUT IN THE NEAR IMPOSSIBLE CONDITIONS ON SATURDAY TO NIKHS ANNIVERSARY BASH.WE ALL HAD MAJOR PROBLEMS GETTING TO THE GIG BUT IM SURE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US WAS PLEASED WE DID.WHAT A NIGHT.FIRSTLY TO ROB,WHO ORGANISED THE EVENT.YOU SIR ARE WHAT THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS ALL ABOUT.YOU ARE A TRUE GENT AND A GREAT HOST.TO NIKKI AND BOBBY AND ALL THE STAFF,AWESOME,BUT ESPECIALLY TO ALL THE CUSTOMERS,ITS ALL ABOUT YOU AND YOU WERE SECOND TO NONE.IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU ALL AND IM SURE THERE WILL BE SOME LASTING FRIENDSHIPS.ALSO SPECIAL THANKS TO THE RENEGADES AND THE AWESOME FREEWAY.IT WAS A TOTAL PLEASURE AND ONE NIGHT ILL REMEMBER FOR YEARS TO COME.

Went to NIKHS at Blyth for their first anniversary bash last night and what an interesting night this was !
Nearly didn't get there due to the weather being so bad I nearly turned back and having to go all round the place to circumnavigate the closed roads, and it being difficult to find once you are near it. Glad I did though because it was a really good night !
Was late arriving so only caught the last two songs of The Renegadeswho were a RATM tribute. Young lads giving it their all and were very well recieved. While very good and def worth going to see, AKQ can sleep easy.
Next up were Freeway with new, very young vocalist Paul.
I'm sure you all read the review of their recent Tuns gig on Riffs and I totally agree with it. He's a good looking lad, looks the part, moves real well and has a good voice, but while he has alot of soul and feel for a young lad, he needs to just let rip. Maybe he's not confident enough to do it yet as this was only his 2nd gig with them, and on that basis this was an EXCELLENT performance from someone who can only get better and better as the band play more gigs and his experience and confidence grow. Superb musicianship all round as always and killer performance from John on lead guitar. Went down a storm with the punters !
Headliners were Feed The Bear - and deservedly so. These guys put the P into party tonight despite serious sound problems during the opening 15 mins. Steve is an absolute nutter and had the audience cheering and dancing as he prowled the room singing at people. Such a wail should be a handy asset if Judas Beast ever lose their singer.
Many thanks to Rob, Steve, Tony and Yvonne who all made me feel welcome and I had a great laugh with them as the night got late. A very special mention has to go to Rob for the work he has done to turn NIKHS around from a chav and gang hangout to somewhere that puts bands on regularly and pulls a good sized, appreciative and well behaved audience. My sister used to live in Blyth so I know the reputation this place had - so all the more reason to shout about what a good job he and the team there have done.
Last night was well worth the long ( and bloody dangerous - did you see that rain ?!? ) drive up there because I had a great time. There is a decent sized area for the bands to set up in, rock dj to get the crowd in the mood and reasonable drinks prices and some promotions too.
Its a place that deserves your support. It HAS mine.
Moo!pmsbull

Hi all,
this coming Friday we are privliged with the return of The Force to Cullercoats, doors open to the concert room at 7.00 pm as usual, tickets £3.00 or pay at the door.
Check out their last appearance at theforce.org.uk/videoclips
Hope to see you there helping to establish the club as a popular music venue, feedback always welcome.
take care
Steve
PS following The Force, on Friday the 19th of September we present a one-off concert with the fab Caffreys, tickets £3.50 and will be on sale this Friday

Hi Val
Just a quick note to congratulate WILD RUMOURS on what seems to have been a cracking gig against all odds (outdoors, disinterested crowd etc.) I wasn't there but I've seen this band before back when they had a female lead vocal (my brother was 2nd guitar until he had to move to Aberdeenshire for a new job) - they were crackin then and they can only have gone from good to better. They've got fantastic support and I'm pleased to hear they're knocking out some originals. I would highly recommend a listen if they're playing near you.
Cheers
Laura - lead singer of Ask Ruby

AUGUST

Hi Nige and Val,
After 5 years of fronting Prognosis I have decided that this year will be my last. It is with sadness that I leave the boys, but due to work and home commitments it has been increasingly difficult to fulfill rehearsal and gig commitments. I have enjoyed 5 wonderful years, played some great shows and venues and met some marvellous people. I would like to publicly thank Kev, Tim, Paul, John and Magic Marty for their understanding, muscianship excellence, lighting brilliance, and friendship. I hope Prognosis continue in some shape or form, and would love to see as many of our supporters and friends at my last few gigs, culminating in my final show with the band at The Office in November.
All the best
Moose

Slip Of The Tongue last night at Sleepers....to quote my mate Gary (bass, BA Exp) who made quite some journey to see this gig, "They're excellent"
'Nuff said really.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Went to The Grand on saturday night to see ‘Slip of the Tongue’. The band were great as were the audience. Full marks to the band for letting the kids (the Unnamed) have a shot at playing to a big audience. They did very well and will get better.
alan.walton9@tiscali.co.uk

We would just like to take this oppotunity to thank Mick From The Stottin Headaches for inviting us and all the other punk bands to the All day charity ( Shelter) punk fest in the Mallard Seaham (25th aug), Mick did a fantastic job organising the event. Thanks to Gordon from Flash Gordons Disco for supplying the PA and doing the sound for free! every band played a totally blinding set, we would especialy like to thank the mighty Decca Wade (Angelic Upstarts) for jumping onto the drum kit to do Pretty Vacant and Anarchy In The UK with us. And finally thank you to everybody who came to watch the bands and kindly donated money to Shelter. Great day had by all.
Next Pistols.

Hi Nige and Val,
Three Tuns was hotter than Hades and I was amazed people stayed the night through. I've got to say the audience were fantastic - best support we've had in ages (it was as good as Stormin' for crowd reaction and joining in) and it was just great looking round at all the familiar faces - all the friends we've made over the last 16 years or so on bthe local pub scene. We're really grateful for the turn out. Nice chatting to Paul before we went on as well.
We all lost 3 stone due to the heat, and had to decline the various offers of sexual favours due to odour concerns.
Hopefully we'll have enough material for the live CD - quite a few jazz chords and stuff, but it's only rock and roll, ay?
Having a break now to rest the voice and have some hols and stuff. Back on the regular circuit at The Fox in Felling on Staurday 27th September.
Bad Bob Bates
The Bandits

Hi ,
If travelling further afield for your gigs its nigh on impossible to get any info, no region has the calibre of web sites we have i.e riffs and davys web page, colins new site etc, so it was with great joy, we came across a yorkshire site called ROCK OF THE NORTH, its a great sight with loads of info, so if any of riffs regulars are poppin doon the road check out this sight before you go and it means you dont have to miss your rock fix.
Paul and Bernie

So sad to hear of the demise of BLACK ROSE the Lizzy tribute band. However, maybe now's the time to bring the early 80's Teesside originals NWOBHM band (active while the afore mentioned lads were maybe still in short trousers) of the same moniker back into the limelight (hey ANOTHER 80s band name!).
Me old stable-mates (anyone remember my old band ARIZONA? ... no? ... damn!), BLACK ROSE have reformed in the past couple of years after a lamentable hiatus of nearly 20 years ... and are recording great new songs ... best of the eighties meets the noughties in a whole new, yet recognisable place ... check 'em out at http://www.myspace.com/blackroserockband
Cheers guys,
John C

Having known Jon for some considerable time it does not surprise me to hear people singing his praises.
One word: Perfectionist. Everything Jon does he does to the best of his ability. It doesn't make any difference who is playing. He will always try and produce the best sound possible. That's what he does. Keep up the good work Jon.
Martyn www.myspace.com/twofootmaid
Ps. Would it surprise you to learn that he has been known to knock out a mean drum beat?

Can I just say that it was a pleasure to finally get a quiet word with John, sound man extraordinaire at the Three Tuns. How many bands has this guy helped sound amazing?
After all the times I have reviewed bands at this venue, I never once gave this guy the respect he deserves. Time to rectify that. While I may not personally know the technicalitite of mixing a show, what my ears tell me is that John nearly always gets a great sound.
Great job John mate - keep it up !
MOO!pmsbull :-)

Riffs
I agree with MOO re the comments on THE BREW at the THREE TUNS on Friday 22/08/08 . The comment re - young guitarist JASON is almost correct as I would say he has been touched by both hands of God . This was one of the finest gigs I have ever seen and can't wait until March when PAUL has them booked for a return visit. Jason Barwick is a superb guitarist and the last time a first
impression touched me so much was when I saw Ritchie Blackmore in 1969. Jason has it all the style , the ability and the presence but he is not a one man band as he is backed by an excellent young drummer in Kurtis Smith and Tim Smith on bass /vocals . A big Thank you to PAUL at the TUNS for taking a chance and booking this Grimsby based band I know he was delighted with their performance and has booked the again . If you missed THE BREW this time around make sure you are at THE TUNS in march you won't regret it .
NIGE / VAL be there you will love this band .
All the best
Terry

After seeing AKQ Stotin at the Three Tuns again on Saturday, what more is there that I could say about this band of nutters that I haven't already said ?
I know ...."AKQ bloody Stottin - they're shite !"
Seriously, if I were gay, I'd shag them.
MOO!pmsbull :-)

SOUL REBELS would like to thank all at THE NEWFIELD INN for their support and hospitality regarding the saturday 23rd gig,upon arrival we were greeted with utmost respect and showered with drink aplenty,a special thanks to JANE,anyone gigging the newfield can rest assured that they will be playing a gig where the staff know just how to treat you to a great nite,hats off to them,there should be a lot of people booking bands give the respect these people do,we were helped in and out with gear in difficult weather conditions,a lot of bands put a lot of effort into getting it right,very few see the full picture of...setting off from scarbrough or wherever at an appauling time,travelling with cars or vans full o gear,getting to the gig,setting up...this all before they get the chance to provide people with what has took sometimes an eternity of rehearsals just to get the music precise then deliver to a public who granted being from the north east and mostly knowing their onions get the chance to see and hear some good quality performances,you,ll no doubt gather from my barffing that i dont go for bands that think they have a right just to toss it and play half hearted no thrill music,at the NEWFIELD you deliver and you get looked after..thanks again..and wish them all the very best...
KAY...( SOUL REBELS ) 01642 883350

Alreet,
Just a couple of things. I completely agree with JonMc from Nightshift with regard to his comments about The Bonnymoor Hen in Stanhope.
This is a bar The Source have been frequenting under a couple of different landlords for about six or seven years. The locals are an extremely knowledgeable squad, with an excellent sense of humour to boot. It's always a pleasure to get out in the hills on a Sunday afternoon as a proper welcome and wholehearted appreciation is always guaranteed up there.
On a similar note, we recently played at The Golden Fleece in Silksworth for the first time. Another belting venue, free beer ( Always a good start! ), great crowd, helpful staff, and no chew. A really good venue, I urge bands and punters alike to give it a try.
Also, to any bands out there who are wanting to play The Masons in Easington please give me a couple of weeks to get my diary sorted and I will be putting some gigs in for next year.
As always keep it up Riffs, you really are invaluable.

There's plenty more fish in the sea to fry!
Alan (The Source)
Mob: 07837274994

I'm so glad to see that my old friend and probably the area's most gifted musician, Keith Satchfield is on the mend and hopefully gets back gigging again preferably with a reunited Fist. I hope to see him at The Grand in Bishop Auckland in the near future and I urge any rock fans to go and see his unique talent. I have posted some old Axe / Fist photos for all to see on my 'facebook' and 'my space' sites for all to see.
Regards, Alan

Just wanted to say how gutted I am that Ben Young has decided to hang up his Gibson. RIP Black Rose - things won't be the same without them. :-(
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Nige and Val,
Just to let you and your readers know that after nearly a month off because of holidays, SLIP OF THE TONGUE are back out this weekend at The Derwentside, Consett on Saturday 23rd August. Hope to see a few of you there.

I would like to publicly thank AstroChimp (http://www.myspace.com/astrochimpuk) and The Toxic Pixies (http://www.myspace.com/toxicpixiesshuddupman) for giving up their time to play at our Gigz 4 Kidz show on Sunday 17 August, and also thanks to Mick at the Avalon for agreeing to host it. I bet he's never sold so much pop and crisps in his life. I had no idea what sort of turnout to expect but by the time all three bands had got there we already had our own crowd. Especially after The Toxic Pixies + entourage turned up in a truck reminiscent of the Anthill Mob from the Wacky Races. But the public came along too and the kids were simply rapt. Anyone interested in playing at or hosting similar events in the future let me know? Or if anyone else wants to organise one, maybe we can always call them "Gigz 4 Kidz" in the hope that it will become well known in the area?
Thanks again to all concerned,
Billy Rawmone

It seems like an age since we last visited but playing The Bonny Moorhen, Stanhope, again really was like a breath of fresh air. This is a pub that after mismanagement of it's former landlord, has really got it's act together again. The room is great for sound and the atmosphere of the place is incredible, and it will only improve with the new plans for a purpose built stage with lighting going ahead in the near future.
In these days of gig pubs closing down it really is a joy to report that The Moorhen is going from strength to strength, supported as it is by a very vocal audience who know their rock'n'roll and who are determined to have a pint, a laugh and a great time.
If you're a band playing classic rock you'll want to play there and if you're into your music I'd can't advise strongly enough that you'd want to be there. The management and the locals are making it happen, please support this excellent venue if you can. You will return.
JonMc. Nightshift.
Proud to be associated with The Mongs. :)

In belated response to "Jimmy (the Switch)"s letter from July: The cancellation fee claim for the Laughing Jacks performance for Hartlepool Volunteers was not handled in the way Jimmy describes in his otherwise fairly accurate account. I suggested to the client that they paid us 50% of the balance to cover the musician's expenses – four out of the six members of the band had depped other gigs to play with the band that night. I said that the band would play at a later date for the remaining 50% of the contracted fee. This would mean that the client wouldn't have to pay any more than the originally agreed fee, but would still be able to have the band play. Because the client refused this offer the Musicians Union is now pursuing them for the full balance plus interests and costs. Jimmy mentioned that this incident was "cautionary". I would totally agree: musicians are far too often at the mercy of unscrupulous and incompetent promoters, venue staff and clients. We have to protect ourselves and look after each other.
Richard Rutherford
www.laughing-jacks.co.uk

Just want to complement JLH on the great review of Alcatraz at the Duke the other night. Glad to see more people realising what I have been saying for a long time - this band are fantastic ! Would have loved to make that gig but 'real life' got in the way ( actually one of three gigs I fancied that night so 'real life' kinda did me a favour, lol ). Their orignals album 'Remedy' is one of the best things I have reviewed for a very long time - and for me the find of the year. Those of you who are going to Stormin' The Castle have got some treat in store. Wish I could be there.
Moo... :-( pmsbull.

Hi,
Just wanted to say what a great time The Fibbers had at the Magnesia Bank In north Shields on Saturday 9th August. Right from the moment we arrived nothing was too much trouble, and we were treat in a way that many other venues could learn from! A decent sized stage, helpful staff and a great audience all made it the best gig we have ever done in well over a hundred gigs.
The regulars really enjoy their music, and were very enthusiastic. Yes, we always get paid whatever the audience, but it makes a fantastic difference when eveerybody is up for it. The band feel the punters enthusiasm, and seem to be able to take it to another level. The new boss was in attendance, and enjoyed himself. he seems to be a really nice bloke, and any fears for The Maggy Bank and music can be put to one side - this is one venue that is going strong. The MaggyFest charity do later this month was well advertised, and I wish them luck with it.
Cheers
Richie Fibber

In response to your recent correspondent Straighten Out the brilliant Stranglerstribute band are back at The tuns on Sunday 21st September. I'd get here early.
Paul Three Tuns

Val,
just received message that bands should be aware of: From September The Angel in Durham are no longer putting gigs on. Bands already bvooked should check to confirm bookings up until then.
Cheers, Wind of Change.

Hi there
Graham from Alcatraz House Band Here. Apologies to anyone who may have been going to the county to see us tonite, we arent gunna be playin because the drummer has cracked two ribs and cant manage it.
Cheers Alcatraz

A BIG SHOUT TO PAUL AT THE 3 TUNS FOR THE FANTASTIC NIGHT HAD BY ALL WHEN STRANGLERS TRIBUTE BAND "STRAIGHTEN OUT" PLAYED.....ANY PLANS TO INVITE THEM BACK...
.CHEERS... BEEF.

Went out on spur of the moment last night (Thrs) to see This Machine who were playing a shorter than usual set due to a young band being given a slot earlier in the night.
Clearly having a laugh on stage, they pulled out a really mixed bag of covers including a Black Crowes track ( my favourite band so thanks for that guys ! ) and a couple of very interesting re-workings, and I hadn't laughed so much at a gig since the frst time I saw AKQ Stottin' !
Got to say that I thought they would be a cert for repeat booking for a weekend night. Looking forward to seeing nutter Craig let loose on a full Three Tuns !
MOO!pmsbull

Hi Riffs,
I am very surprised that your readers have not picked up on the American band W T Feaster who are currently over here on a short promotional tour.
I went to see them at the Cluny last night and I am pleased I did. They are a trio from Indianapolis and were voted best blues band in the state. They are probably the best band I have seen in the last 5 years and I would advise anyone reading this to get along to their next couple of gigs before it is too late to catch them. They are such a powerhouse trio, playing a great mix of their own tracks, songs from their new cd and some covers like Hendrix`s Hey Joe and classic blues standards,
These guys are very young too at around 25 years old, but their music is so tight and professionally executed that they sounded like seasoned pros. twice their age.
The music had a slight Hendrix slant to it with a bit of the Allman bros coming across too. The guitarist was as good as B B King, with flair and charisma that charmed the audience. The bass was superb, stylish and polished. The drummer was classic rock solid, blues. The audience last night were treated to a polished performance which was good enough to grace any top venue. I am sure a lot of the punters there last night will be at the bands next gig having experienced the magic of the W T Feaster band.
I know I will be,
See you all at the Tyne pub on Sunday, or Leeds, Edinburgh, Hartlepool, Bradford, Blaydon,
Miss them at your peril.
Les. Newcastle cityriders

JULY

Also, would you pop this on your news page regarding The New Tavern Washington....Just a heads up in case anyone's got a booking here. It seems that the new management's knocking the bands on the head so I'd give 'em a ring if I were you. We've just been told we're cancelled on Saturday.
Many thanks!
Regards Ed KJR

Riffs ,
I have said many times that when you attend a Bandits gig you know what to expect , full blown hot n sweaty R n B played with a ferocity that could crack the Polar Ice Cap . Maybe the Bandits are responsible for Global Warming , if not they sure raised the temperature in Sleepers on Friday , 25/07/08 , night . Sleepers is not my favourite venue but what a night we had so thanks to BBB , Brad and Whalebone . The usual mix of songs were there and a mighty tribute was paid to the Feelgoods , the Clash as well as ZZ Top , Warren Zeavon , Kings of Leon , The Who and even the B52s to name just a few .
BBB has a new , homemade , Black Tele and it is some guitar the late great Joe Strummer and Wilko Johnson would love this instrument and the way it was played on their songs . As always behind BBB is Whalebone on thundering bass and Brad on ,an excellent set of , Drums and they performed heroically .
The Bandits have an afternoon Gig , Sunday 03/08/08 16:30pm , at the Egypt Cottage in Newcastle so what better way to blow away those after lunch blues than classic RnB played by a great band . Miss the Pud and treat yourself to the Bandits instead you won't regret it !
All the best
Terry H

Been logging onto to riffs for a good few years now, having been in a few bands myself find it to be the NO1 music website. I must admit I find some of the letters a little patronising however I feel I have to comment on Friday night’s experience. I was in the Sandancer and witnessed the best performance ever in my 30 odd years of watching solo artists and bands. Russ Tippins, he was on a different level to anything that I have ever seen. The majority of the audience were not there to watch him specifically, but by the end of his set he had them in the palm of his hand. To start off his set Mr Blue sky was just awesome, non of this tuning up for hours prima donna stuff just straight in there. He was unbeleivable, with a superb ch oice of classics from Zep to Bowie. I have no connection with him but just felt I had to comment on a truly magnificent performance.
Colin P

Hello Riffs
As a musician currently playing the North East circuit I thought I should share this cautionary tale with my fellow musicians and promoters:
The voluntary sector in Hartlepool holds a celebration party each year to say thank you to the volunteers who do so much to help others. This is always attended by over 200 people and entertainment to date been provided by local groups. This year the young organiser decided to book a group from further afield and via the internet discovered the group LAUGHING JACKS (http://www.laughing-jacks.co.uk/ and based in Gateshead), contacted and booked them with a deposit of £50, with the balance of £650 to be paid to the six piece group on the night. Come the day and the organiser went to the arranged social club venue c5.00pm only to discover that a power cut had rendered it unusable. Thinking quickly she arranged for LAUGHING JACKS to bide their time at a local pub whilst she sought an alternative venue, arranged information and shuttle travel for the people arriving at the unusable venue. She was able to secure another social club to host the party and LAUGHING JACKS duly went to it only to decide that there too many unsavoury people taking an interest in their vehicles and they did not feel safe. They communicated this to the organiser by mobile phone as they were making their way back up the A19, informing her that she was responsible for the cancellation and as such they expected to be paid. After taking legal advice, and despite being threatened with a debt collection agency by LAUGHING JACKS the organiser has been able to confirm that no further payment would be made because LAUGHING JACKS made the cancellation.
Jimmy (The Switch)

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