Roksnaps are fan photographs which captured the atmosphere of concerts on Tyneside during the late 70’s and early 80’s. It was a time when rock and metal bands ruled the city halls up and down the country.
On Tyneside we had the main venues of Mecca in Sunderland, The Mayfair and City Hall in Newcastle.
The gigs were packed with tribes of mostly young lads from towns across the North East. T-shirts, programmes and autographs were hunted down to collect as souvenirs – and some people took photographs on the night.
Here are more Roksnaps from John Edward Spence pictured above with White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers in 1982.
‘The first gig I went to I was 15. It was on the 31st of October 1977 at the Newcastle City Hall and the band was Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. The support band were called Kingfish. Rainbow came on really late and we missed our last bus home so one of friends had to phone his dad for a lift’.
‘Around October ’78 I decided to take my camera to a few gigs. I had a job so I bought a roll of film and some flashcubes, my camera was a Kodak 126. I couldn’t take it to every gig as the film and flashcubes used to make a dent in my pay packet’.
‘I used to go to loads of gigs at the City Hall and the Mayfair of course, that was my favourite venue. I was also lucky enough to see the bands associated with the NWOBHM, just loved the music around then’.
‘I don’t go to many gigs now. I always try and watch The Tubes when they come over, in fact the last gig I went to was to see The Tubes supporting Alice Cooper at Leeds, great gig’.
Interview by Gary Alikivi.
Recommended:
When Heavy Metal Hit the Accelerator 6th May 2017.
Steve Thompson (NEAT producer) Godfather of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, 27th June 2017.
Roksnaps #1 18th February 2018.
Roksnaps #2 22nd February 2018.
Roksnaps #3 27th February 2018.
1980 The Year Metal was Forged on Tyneside 11th February 2018.
ALIKIVI : NORTH EAST UK 