Gary Alikivi has 30 years experience as a Film Maker based in Tyneside, UK.

This blog features over 250 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 a short film Who Were the Marchers ? about 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’.

REVIEWS:  BARE TEETH – LOWFEYE.

TYNESIDE DOCUMENTARIES: DESIGNS FOR LIFE –  HOLBORN – HOME FROM HOME – ON THE FRONT LINE (Miners strike 1984) – LITTLE IRELAND – SECRETS & LIES (Baron Avro Manhattan)  – SKUETENDERS – TYNE DOCK BORDERS – 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 – WILDFLOWER – ZAMYATIN, The Russia – Tyneside Connection. 

INTERVIEWS: AIDAN DOYLE (Artist) – BLAST (recording studio) – CHRIS COWEY (TV music director) – 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 G.WILKINSON (Artist) – DOROTHY FLEET (Local History Group) – DOWNEYS (Photographers) – ED WAUGH (Playwright) – GARNER HARRIS (Creative Seed) – GARY JAMES (presenter The Tube) – HELEN RUSSELL (Entertainer) – IAN PENMAN (Ravendale – Music journalist, Broadcaster) – IAIN CUNNINGHAM & WAYNE MILLER (Actors) – JIM SCULLEY (Manager & Promoter).

JAMIE BROWN (Actor) – JOHN ORTON (Author) – JOE PETERSON & MICHAEL DAVIS (Musicians) – KATRINA PORTEOUS (Poet/Broadcaster) – KEITH ARMSTRONG (Poet) – MARK JOHNSON (Stagehand) — MARTIN FRANCIS TROLLOPE (Studio engineer) – MICHAEL METCALF (The Tube,  GMTV, Director) – NED KELLY & JACK BERRY (former club entertainers) – PAR CAN (Tech/Stage Crew) – 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) – SALLY NEWHOUSE (Rock photographer) – SHEILA GRABER (Animator) – SIMON DONALD (VIZ magazine) – STEVE NEWHOUSE (Author/ex-roadie) – STEVE THOMPSON (Songwriter & Neat records producer) – TOM KELLY (Playwright) – UNIFIED MEDIA (Film Makers) – VIN ARTHEY (Author).

BIG MOUTH STRIKES:  PYROMANIAX – IT’S ONLY ROCK N ROLL – LET THE MUSIC DO THE TALKING – NEW GANG IN TOWN –  HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE ?

NEVER MIND THE SEVENTIES (Punk book)

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

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

TATTS – TRAIN OF THOUGHTS – BUNGS, BLAGS & SHOOTERS

SOUNDS ALIVE & POWER OF MUSIC – THIS FLIGHT (Airlines damaged instruments) – LAST GANGS IN TOWN – LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET.

AMY FLAGG (Historian & Photographer 1893-1965) – CHAS CHANDLER  (The Animals/Hendrix/Slade) – JAMES CLEET (Photographer 1876-1959) – KATHY STOBART (Jazz musician 1925-2014) – RICHARD EWART MP (1905 -1953) – VINCE RAE (Artist/Photographer).

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.

NORTH EAST SOUL/FUNK/JAZZ/DANCE: OPUS 3.

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 – LINDISFARNE  – MICHAEL McNALLY – MICKY KERRIGAN – SOUTHBOUND – STEVE LAIDLAW – TOBY TWIRL – TONY WILSON – TREVOR SEWELL – THE WHISKY PRIESTS – WARBECK – WHITE HEAT.

NORTH EAST PUNK/ALTERNATIVE:

ANGELIC UPSTARTS – BASTARD SONS OF CAVAN – 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 – 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 –  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:

CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS – CLOVERHILL – SULENE FLEMING (Brand New Heavies/The Fantastics) – HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE – LAST GREAT DREAMERS –  NICK REEVES – TERRY & GERRY –  JOHN VERITY (Argent) – MARTIN WEAVER.

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 – 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).