Gary Alikivi has 30 years experience as a Film Maker based in Tyneside, UK. Currently working on a book project featuring interviews with North East musicians. Also documenting the progress of a regeneration project in South Tyneside.

This blog features over 300 interviews (listed below) with musicians, artists and writers. Also includes stories on making over 20 self financed Tyneside documentaries.  Including Wildflower about South Shields born Eileen O’Shaughnessy, wife of George Orwell. The film was screened on the Isle of Jura in Scotland where Orwell wrote 1984. Also featured is a short film Who Were the Marchers ? about Ellen Wilkinson MP and the Jarrow Crusade.

Most recent works include the life of author & artist Baron Avro Manhattan, and Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. Why not check the Alikivi You Tube channel at…

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkW7F_6t-GNVMCYLT4BNHfg

‘It’s all about the story isn’t it’.

INTERVIEWS: AIDAN DOYLE (Artist)

ALAN WARREN (Researcher & Historian)

ANDREW McKEOWN (Sculptor)

ANN AHMED (Writer)

BLAST (recording studio)

BOB OLLEY (Artist)

CHRIS COWEY (TV music director)

CHRIS MURTAGH (Club manager/promoter & musician)

CHRIS PHIPPS (TV music producer)

COLIN ROWELL (Stage Production Manager)

COLIN SMOULT (Sound & Lighting Engineer)

DAN GREEN (Investigator)

DAVE WOOD (Impulse Studio/NEAT record label)

DAVID CLASPER (Electrician, Newcastle City Hall)

DAVID G.WILKINSON (Artist)

DOROTHY FLEET (Local History Group)

ED WAUGH (Playwright)

EMMA LEWELL-BUCK (South Shields MP)

GARNER HARRIS (Creative Seed)

GARY JAMES (presenter The Tube)

GEOFF DOCHERTY (Music Author & Promoter)

HELEN RUSSELL (Entertainer)

IAN PENMAN (Ravendale – Music journalist, Broadcaster)

IAIN CUNNINGHAM & WAYNE MILLER (Actors)

JANIS BLOWER (Journalist)

JIM SCULLEY (Manager & Promoter).

JAMIE BROWN (Actor)

JOHN ORTON (Author)

JOE PETERSON & MICHAEL DAVIS (Musicians)

KATRINA PORTEOUS (Poet/Broadcaster)

KEITH ARMSTRONG (Poet)

LESLEY SAINT – JOHN (Actress)

LORRAINE CROSBY (Performer & Presenter)

MARK JOHNSON (Stagehand)

MARTIN FRANCIS TROLLOPE (Studio engineer)

MICHAEL METCALF (The Tube,  GMTV, Director)

MICKY COCHRANE (Actor)

NED KELLY & JACK BERRY (former club entertainers)

NIGEL PEARCE (Author/Radio presenter)

PAR CAN (Tech/Stage Crew)

PAUL KIRSOPP (NOVA radio DJ)

PAULA BARTLEY (Author)

PETER MITCHELL (Writer & TV Producer)

PETE PEVERLY (Actor/Musician)

RAY SPENCER M.B.E (Director, The Customs House)

RED SQUIRREL PRESS (Poetry Publishers)

RIK WALTON (Photographer)

ROBERT MILLS (Concert Promoter)

SALLY NEWHOUSE (Rock photographer)

SAM BLEWITT (Sam Blue/Ultravox/Emerson/Moulin Rouge/Dizzee Rascal)

SHEILA GRABER (Animator)

SIMON DONALD (VIZ magazine)

STAN LAUNDON (ex-BBC Radio presenter)

STEVE NEWHOUSE (Author/ex-roadie)

STEVE THOMPSON (Songwriter & Neat records producer)

STEVE WRAITH (Actor)

STU KEEBLE (Sound Engineer)

TOM KELLY (Playwright)

UNIFIED MEDIA (Film Makers)

VIN ARTHEY (Author).

FEATURES: AMY FLAGG (Historian & Photographer 1893-1965)

BUTCH CASSIDY (Wild West outlaw).

CHAS CHANDLER  (The Animals/Hendrix/Slade)

DOWNEY BROTHERS (Photographers)

FRANK MEADOW SUTCLIFFE (Photographer 1853-1941)

JACK BRYMER (Musician, Clarinet 1915-2003)

JAMES CLEET (Photographer 1876-1959)

KATHY STOBART (Jazz musician 1925-2014)

L.S. LOWRY (Artist 1887-1976)

RICHARD EWART M.P. (Trade Union Organiser 1905 -1953).

TYNESIDE WAR HEROES #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 (WW1 & WW2 Victoria Cross).

VINCE RAE (Artist/Photographer).

NORTH EAST SOUL/FUNK/JAZZ/DANCE/POP: OPUS 3 – DAVID DUCASSE (Scooch)

J. VINCENT EDWARDS

NORTH EAST FOLK/BLUES/ROCK/PROG: ALAN KNIGHTS – ANIMALS

ATTENTION SEEKERS – BECKETT  – BEN HUDSON

BRASS ALLEY – CELIA BRYCE – CHRIS ORMSTON

CIRKUS – DANCECLASS – EAST SIDE TORPEDOES

EMMA  WILSON – GEORDIE – HAYLEY ELLEN

HECTOR GANNET – IAN SLATER  – JEN STEVENS

JOHN WRIGHTSON – LINDISFARNE  – MICHAEL McNALLY

MICKY CRYSTAL – MICKY KERRIGAN

PETER LEE HAMILTON – PHIL CAFFREY

SOUTHBOUND – STEVE LAIDLAW – TOBY TWIRL

TOKYO ROSE -TONY WILSON – TREVOR SEWELL

THE WHISKY PRIESTS – WARBECK – WHITE HEAT.

NORTH EAST PUNK/ALTERNATIVE:

ANGELIC UPSTARTS – BASTARD SONS OF CAVAN

THE CARPETTES (Neil Thompson) – CRASHED OUT

DECONTROL – DRILL – THE FAUVES

GUNSLINGER – HI-FI SPITFIRES – JAZZ RIOT

LOWFEYE – MAIN GRAINS – MOND COWIE (former Angelic Upstarts)

NOD – PENANCE STARE – PENETRATION

PHANTOMS of the UNDERGROUND – PSYKOBILLY

PUNISHMENT OF LUXURY – SILENT SCREAM

THE RELITICS – THE TOY DOLLS – UK SUBS

WARWOUND – WAVIS O’SHAVE – THE WILDHEARTS.

NORTH EAST METAL/NWOBHM:

1980 THE YEAR METAL FORGED ON TYNESIDE – ALIEN – ATOMKRAFT

AVENGER UK –  AXIS – BLIND FURY

BLITZKRIEG – DARK HEART – DARK RITES

DEF CON ONE – FIST

GUARDIAN RECORDING STUDIO #1 Tygers of Pan Tang,  #2 Spartan Warrior 

#3 Steve Thompson  #4 Mythra, Saracen, Hollow Ground 

#5 Peter Lee Hamilton

GLENN S.HOWES (Fist/Blitzkreig/Tygers of Pan Tang)

HELLANBACH – HOLLOW GROUND – LUCIFERS CHALICE

MARAUDER  – MYTHRA  – NEAT BITES (Tyneside record label)

PHASSLAYNE – RAVEN – REPULSIVE VISION

ROKSNAX METAL ON THE MENU (Roksnax album)

SARACEN – SATAN – SLUTT

SPARTAN WARRIOR.  

TYGERS OF PAN TANG  –  Craig Ellis – Gav Grey – Jack Meille – Jon Deverill – Micky McCrystal – Fred Purser – Robb Weir – Richard Laws – Steve Lamb – Chris Percy – Glenn Howes – Steve Thompson.

TYSONDOG – VENOM INC – WAR MACHINE

WARFARE – WARRIOR – WHITE VICE.

REST of the UK:

CAFFEINE – CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS

CLOVERHILL – HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE

JOHN VERITY – LAST GREAT DREAMERS – NICK REEVES

TERRY & GERRY  (Argent) – MARTIN WEAVER

STOAKES MEDIA – SULENE FLEMING (Brand New Heavies/The Fantastics)

ROCK/METAL/NWOBHM:

ANVIL – BIGFOOT – BLACK ROZE – BODO SCHOPF (Schenker)

CHARIOT – CLOVEN HOOF –  COVEN – DEALER

DESOLATION ANGELS – GOLD – JAGUAR – KAINE  

MARTYR – MILLENNIUM – MOB RULES – OBSIDIAN

OLIVER/DAWSON SAXON – OVERDRIVE – PAUL DI’ANNO

PISTON –THE ROOM – SACRELIGE – SALEM

SAVAGE  – SNATCH BACK – SOLDIER – TAROT

TENTATION – THUNDERSTICK  – BERNIE TORME – TOKYO BLADE

TROYEN – TYTAN  – VARDIS – VIIXEN – WEAPON UK. 

REST of the WORLD:

ADORN THE WICKED (USA) – ANGELS WHISPER (Luxembourg)

BARE TEETH (France)  – BREAKY BOXES (France)  – GREG REKUS (Canada)

HIGHTOWER (France) – RICKY MARX (Denmark, Now or Never/ex Pretty Maids)

MR.MYST (Belgium) – THE ROCKET (Belgium) – RYAN HAMILTON & THE TRAITORS (USA)

SEPTEMBER AGAIN (France) – STUPID KARATE (France) – UPSIDE DOWN (Spain)

WILDHEART (Belgium).

REVIEWS:  BARE TEETH – LOWFEYE.

TYNESIDE DOCUMENTARIES:

CHANGING FACE OF SOUTH SHIELDS 1 – 4 (Photographs)

DESIGNS FOR LIFE (Tattoo’s)

THE HILLS OF HOLBORN

HOME FROM HOME (Workingmens Clubs)

JARROW VOICES (William Jobling, Jarrow March, Ellen Wilkinson MP)

LETTERS FROM JARROW (Tyneside IRA, Jarrow March, Ellen Wilkinson MP)

LITTLE IRELAND (Irish immigration into Jarrow)

ON THE FRONT LINE (Miners strike 1984)

POSTCARDS FROM SPAIN (Spanish Civil War)

SECRETS & LIES (Baron Avro Manhattan) 

SKUETENDERS (Lawe Top, South Shields) 

TYNE DOCK BORDERS (South Shields)

THE KING, THE QUEEN & THE PUNK (Muhammad Ali, Angelic Upstarts 1977)

TYNE STORIES (Pilots,Foyboatmen, Tugboatmen)

WAR STORIES (South Tyneside 2nd W.W.)

WESTOE ROSE (Amy Flagg, photographer)

WE SOLD OUR SOUL FOR ROCK N ROLL (Music in 70/80s South Tyneside)

WHO WERE THE MARCHERS ? (Jarrow Cusade 1936)

WILDFLOWER (Eileen O’Shaughnessy, George Orwells wife)

ZAMYATIN (The Russia – Tyneside Connection) 

VINYL JUNKIES: 7 songs that shaped their world

NEIL ARMSTRONG – WILL BINKS – JOHN HESTON – MARTIN POPOFF

COLIN SMOULT – NEIL NEWTON – TONY HIGGINS – VINCE HIGH

JON DALTON – GARY PAYNE.

BIG MOUTH STRIKES: BUNGS, BLAGS & SHOOTERS (The Sweeney)

HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE ? #1 #2 (‘Best of ‘ stories from interviews)

IT’S ONLY ROCK N ROLL

LAST GANGS IN TOWN (Photography of South Tyneside bands late 1990’s)

LET THE MUSIC DO THE TALKING

LONDON CALLING: NIGHTS AT THE MARQUEE (North East bands playing the London club)

LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET.

MOTORHEAD (8th of May)

NEVER MIND THE SEVENTIES (North East punk book)

NEW GANG IN TOWN (First time I heard Metallica)

PYROMANIAX  (Bands using pyro & bombs on stage- what could go wrong!)

ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE TOON & ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE TOON AGAIN ( The Chronicle)

ROKSNAPS (Fan’s concert photographs)  #1  #2  #3  #4  #5  #6  #7

SOUNDS ALIVE & POWER OF MUSIC

TATTS

THIS FLIGHT (Airlines damaged instruments)

TRAIN OF THOUGHTS 

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