FAMILY & FRIENDS – in conversation with former Southbound songwriter & guitarist George Lamb

/ Alikivi

Southbound were active around the North East in the 1970s. The Sunderland band were regulars on the workingman’s club circuit, supported New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands Raven and Tygers of Pan Tang at Newcastle Mayfair, and had a residency at the Gosforth Hotel in Newcastle.

Southbound have already featured on this site, interviews with Mick Kelly and the late Alan Burke have proved to be popular. To discover more of the Southbound story and find out what he is up to now, I met up with George at The Littlehaven Hotel in South Shields.

Growing up it was a very musical house. Although I knew that my Dad’s voice was classically trained, I never found out till late that he went to lessons for ten years. My mother used to sing and my brothers and sisters were also into music. We had a guitar and piano in the house, I took a few piano lessons and changed to guitar when I was 11 year old.

I served my time as a sheet metal worker in Jarrow and worked for another year, but it was too much with the amount of work Southbound were getting on the North East circuit.

Southbound had three sets, one all original material, then another playing Eagles, America West Coast stuff, and then more poppy stuff to get paid in the clubs. We were out regularly every week, in fact a few times we played nine gigs in one week!

The Ivan Birchall agency had us in the clubs till 10.30pm, get your gear off stage then double up and go do a night club, then a Sunday afternoon gig.

But our stomping ground was The Gosforth Hotel where we took over the residency from Sting’s band, Last Exit. Sting went to London and joined The Police, we were fortunate to get the residency.

He came to one of our shows around the Roxanne days, he had the dyed hair, the leather jacket, he’d be stood at the bar and we had a few words with him – nice fella. Playing the Hotel was good for us, it would get packed, the queue to get in would sometimes be out onto the street.

There were a few line ups of Southbound but when we were becoming popular there was myself and Alan Burke on guitars and we wrote the songs. Mick Kelly on drums, bassist was Dave Giles and Mal Troughton used to sing with the band. There is a photo of us standing against a van, this was taken around 1975 or 76.

I’m racking my brains here but Mick Kelly was great for all the names and dates, a real memory man for the venues we played. (Interview with Mick on this site – All Right Now 13th March 2019)

When punk came in 1976 the record companies saw us as old hat, they all wanted punk bands. But we still packed venues out and had a good following.

We played Newcastle Mayfair with Tygers of Pan Tang, we played with Raven and headlined there in our own right. Obviously, played the Sunderland Mecca a few times, some good gigs at Newcastle Guildhall and the Bedrock festival.

Bob Smeaton, who is a very successful film maker now and a great lad, used to be singer in Newcastle band White Heat and when they weren’t gigging he often used to jump in the van with us and help out with the gear.

Tom Noble, who manages Tygers of Pan Tang now, used to work on the Bedrock BBC North East radio programme during the 70s and 80s, he worked alongside Graeme Thomson. They managed a band I was in with Phil Caffrey called The Lions Share and then Caffrey. We got a publishing deal on the back of that band.

Graeme’s brother Steve, was engineer at Impulse Studio in those days and he recorded four songs on a Southbound demo. Actually, he released them on Cherry Red label not long ago. We also recorded at Linx studio in Newcastle.

In hindsight if we had more of our heads screwed on and business focused it might have been different, but we were just having a good time spending most of our money on brown ale and curries after gigs in the restaurants on Ocean Road in South Shields.

George and his musical brother Alan Burke at Newcastle Mayfair.

Looking back to those times we just took it in our stride and loved being with our mate’s playing music. You know Southbound never really fell out, we might have had an argument here or there but no, we were all good mates having a lad’s night out and getting paid for it.

After Southbound I teamed up with Phil Caffrey in a song writing partnership, we had a publishing deal with Axis music which was a subsidiary of EMI. We used to write songs and go down to London and record them. We were signed and managed by a guy called Nigel Thomas.

Nigel also managed the Heavy Metal band Saxon, Joe Cocker and Kiki Dee who recorded one of our songs and put it out as a single. This went on one of Kiki’s albums, Angel Eyes, with the likes of Dave Stewart and Daryl Hall, it was just nice to get our names to something like that. Nigel also managed Keith Emerson and Lynsey De Paul so we did some work with them.

It was late 80s when Saxon were recording a new album at Hook End Manor Studio in Berkshire, which had been Dave Gilmour’s house. It was a residential studio with horse stables in the grounds, a great facility, we were down there about a week. The Saxon lads were great.

Def Leppard had a huge album at the time (Hysteria, released 1987) with big sounds and plenty vocals on. The Saxon album (Destiny, released 1988) was nearly finished they just wanted to experiment with block harmonies using four male voices.

Through our manager Nigel Thomas, Phil Caffrey and I got the job, we got paid the session fee. There was another guy managed by Nigel called Steve Mann, who now plays with the Michael Schenker group.

We were waiting in the studio for the fourth male vocalist when in walked an old Sunderland friend of mine – Dave Taggart. I said ‘what you doing here?’ he said ‘what you doing here?’! I couldn’t believe it. Just a massive coincidence.

(Formerly in Danceclass, Dave now plays in the Belinda Carlisle band. An interview with Dave features on this site – Music Still Matters, 15th April 2018).

Dave told me that Stephan Galphas produced the album by Sunderland band Well, Well, Well and he had recorded some backing vocals on it. Stephan’s next project was producing the Saxon album and he asked him to come down and put some backing vocals on Destiny.

Don’t know how successful the album was but I heard the single Ride Like the Wind on national radio a few times.

Actually, we asked Dave to join Southbound at one time but he was playing with Tony McAnaney. Later I did record some backing vocals on the Jimmy Nail album they were working on, Crocodile Shoes.

What am I doing now? Well during lockdown I invested in a home recording set up, I’ve always worked with a porta studio facility writing and recording songs, but this was an upgrade to a digital studio. So late in life I learnt how to record properly and put down a lot of songs.

I originally had 50 then whittled that down to 12, I was doing  drums, guitar, vocals, all recorded solo, a one man band. I hadn’t thought about releasing them.

Then I lost two musical brothers, Alan Burke, original guitarist in Southbound and Richard Archibald, who also played in a late Southbound line up. He also played in the Big Picture, a band from Sunderland amongst others.

This made me think profoundly differently. Why not release these songs on an album and why not ask friends of mine if they want to get involved? So I did, and was absolutely blown away when they all said yes. The album is called Family and Friends because that’s who’s on it!

Family & Friends album inner sleeve.

It includes North East musicians Dave Ditchburn, Phil Caffrey, Don Airey, George Shovlin, Archie Brown, Terry Slesser, Emma Wilson and more, plus my brothers and sisters. I got some great performances.

The album got some great reviews and was in the blues charts at number two – Buddy Guy pipped me to the post!

At first I thought the logistics of playing it live would be too difficult, but after a longer think I went ahead and touch wood, after getting all our diaries synched up I’ve booked The Fire Station in Sunderland on the 10th June 2023. I’m really looking forward to it.

The Fire Station auditorium is a fabulous place. I had the tour looking on stage, checking the sound system and back stage – it’s a great place.

As a house band I’ve got ex Showbiz Kids guitarist Pat McMahon, Paul Wilson on keys, ex Circus and Lucas Tyson bassist John Taylor on bass, Jim Bullock on harmonica and not one but two drummers, Ian Hamilton and Barry Race.

Everyone on the album apart from Don Airey can make it – he’s touring with Deep Purple that night. Don’s a lovely bloke he still keeps in touch with his Sunderland roots.

Looking back at the Southbound days, we weren’t striving to make it we were just enjoying the journey, making it wasn’t the main focus. We were young kids playing in our bedrooms, wrote a few songs then took it to the next stage and it was great fun. We were just dead lucky.

I never thought in a million years that here I am 66 year old and still doing it …I still feel that I’m dead lucky!

Click here to buy tickets for The Fire Station on 10th June 2023

George Lamb – Family & Friends

To buy Family & Friends CD contact the official website at: georgelambmusic.co.uk

The album is available to stream on Spotify, I-Tunes, Apple Music & Amazon music.

Alikivi   April 2023

YOU NEED TO SAY SORRY – new play by writer & actor, Alison Stanley

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As well as being on a BBC Hot Housing writing programme, Alison has scripted Theatre in Education programmes for schools, written two short films for festivals, and also found time to tour the North East and played venues in London and Edinburgh with three of her full length plays – Hard, Bedsocks & Secrets and Life Of Reilly.

With all that you’d think Alison had enough on her plate, but added to her ‘to do’ list this year are another two projects.

Her play Life of Reilly is being produced by the Leah Bell theatre company. An interview with writer, actress and theatre producer Leah features on this site in Take a Bow, 1st July 2021.

We open with Reilly in May in the North East and then go on an autumn national tour. I’m really excited about this as it’s a great opportunity said Alison.

The old saying of if you love what you’re doing you never work a day in your life – that’s so true. My work is my passion and I’m passionate about telling stories of everyday people through writing and acting.

Alison has wrote about diverse subjects such as autism and sex workers, for her new play she has decided to tackle domestic abuse and control in relationships.

For research and during the writing process I had advice from Northumberland Domestic abuse services, Age Well Northumberland and also accounts of lived experience.

I’ve found that other plays on this subject tend to centre on younger people but my play is different as it looks at the relationships from the perspective of two people in their late sixties.

This play also looks at how they find their way around social media which is a relatively new thing for them as they haven’t grown up with it and they’re still finding their feet. This often leads them to be vulnerable, as they tend to take everything at face value.

The two characters, Viv and Bill, have met on-line and arrange to meet. Viv is conscious of keeping safe, so on advice from her daughter they meet during the day in a busy coffee shop. They get on well.

The male lead is to be confirmed soon, the female lead is played by Leslie Saint John. Leslie has acted in a number of TV roles including Byker Grove and Catherine Cookson film The Girl, but notable in her role as the glamorous Vicky in the classic TV series Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Interview with Lesley on this site at Talking Pictures 19 February 2020.

Throughout the play there are ‘flash forwards’ where the audience get to take a look into the future to see what life will be like should the relationship develop. During these flash forwards we get to see the real Bill.

The abuse starts as a slow burn with Viv cut off from friends and family. Bill controls her finances and becomes physically violent.

Whilst the subject matter is serious and dark, the real time conversation in the coffee shop is light and I hope in some instances hilarious. I want the audience to feel almost guilty for laughing at Bill.

In one episode in the coffee shop they both declare they’ve had a lovely time and will do it again. I want the audience to be almost shouting out ‘don’t do it!’

As a writer my work is observational and a lot of what I’ve seen and heard goes into this. I think this play will draw attention to older people in this situation and make people aware this is a problem not restricted by age.

‘You Need to Say Sorry’ opens in Laurels in Whitley Bay on June 22nd and runs till July 1st 2023, tickets are on sale now.

Find out more about Alison in an earlier interview on this site at Dream Catcher 3rd & 5th June 2021.

Alikivi    April 2023.

RADICAL ROOTS in conversation with Local Historian and Teacher, Peter Sagar

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Peter is employed by Gateshead Council teaching one to one lessons with pupils who don’t go to school. 

He also goes into primary schools to teach aspects of local and regional history.

It’s a great feeling when a kid you have helped returns to school. One of the mothers got in touch saying two years after I stopped teaching her daughter to say that she had gone on to do A levels at Gateshead College.

From his North East history research, Peter has collected many stories and compiled them together for a new book – Radical Roots – the Human Rights History in the North East.

There are many interesting, positive stories of how people struggled for their own rights and fought for the rights of others too.

On the front cover is a picture of the Earl Grey monument in Newcastle city centre….

The writing on it is not about tea! It signifies people getting more rights to vote and the abolition of slavery because North East people have always campaigned for their own rights and worked for people across the world to get their human rights.

The fight against slavery was strong, for example in 1792 down at Newcastle Guildhall there was a petition of 3,000 signatures against slavery, which was quite a large percentage of the people living in Newcastle at the time.

We can protest about what is happening thousands of miles away or about our neighbours having to use a food bank. I don’t see a division there, it’s about human dignity and decency, where ever the person lives and whoever they are.

We can’t just fight for the rights of one group and not the other, it’s about everybody having the same rights.

My mum brought me up right, she taught me about Human Rights and in Newcastle there is an Amnesty book shop that I helped set up on Westgate Road in 2002.

We talk about women’s rights but how many Northumberland kids are taken to see the suffragette Emily Davison’s grave in Morpeth? I think it should be mandatory to learn about our history.

Kids are taught art and music from around the world which is great don’t get me wrong, but if they don’t know culture and history from their own area first, how can they relate art and music from around the world to everyday life?

In Radical Roots there are stories I think we should all know, and I’m still learning about our North East history.

We teach pupils about the Holocaust, Anne Frank and what she wrote in her diaries. But we don’t teach about the connection to the Durham Light Infantry and their role in the Relief of the Belsen camp.

I went to Hartlepool and interviewed the son of a DLI soldier whose father was there at the time of the relief and just after Anne Frank’s passing.

During the First World War, footballer and munitions factory worker Bella Reay played for Blyth Spartans, her story also features in the book.

(Bella Reay features in a play by South Shields playwright Ed Waugh, post 3rd December 2021).

I also took the presentation to a school in Cramlington. The teacher linked in the work by the Pitmen Painters, who aren’t in the National Curriculum, but linked them to the work by the artist L.S. Lowry – who is in the National Curriculum, which I thought was great that they saw the connection.

Also featured in the book is the Yemeni community in South Shields and the riot that happened in August 1930, and we discover why it happened. It also mentions over a number of years the eventual assimilation of the Yeminis into South Shields, some through inter-marriages.

I have worked with the Roma community on Tyneside. There are around 6,000 in Newcastle. If you’re a community coming into a place you have to have something to offer, rightly so, and it’s usually through their music or food.

Look at the Chinese or Indian. Bringing something goes down well because they don’t have the language.

The Irish came over to Tyneside as early as the 1850s after the famine. Jarrow has a big population of Irish. I think the Roma can look at what the Irish did with their music, while keeping their own identity.

Some of the Roma musicians that we have on Tyneside today are amazing. Perhaps one day there will be a Roma centre on Tyneside like the Irish Centre in Newcastle.

When I do a presentation about the Roma in schools, I finish with a power point picture of TV entertainers Ant and Dec. I ask people how many of you would describe them as Irish superstars? No hands. Then I ask how many would describe them as Geordie superstars? All hands go up!

But both their surnames and background are Irish and who is to say that kids from Newcastle in thirty to forty year time with a Roma background won’t be doing the same on TV?

Now I’m working in schools talking about the North East mining heritage which I think is important to remember. It is important to remember the community spirit and the great innovations, but we’ve got to keep fossil fuels in the ground now and work towards green energy and get the kids to understand that.

Hopefully we can get them to stand up in the future and shout for the North East to get more green investment, after all 20,000 County Durham miners lost their lives providing energy in the past.

It’s quite moving talking about the mining heritage, and in County Durham it’s all documented about 8 or 9 year old kids losing their life down the pit and that brings it home to kids of the same age.

I’ll also be at the Durham Miners Gala talking about this, that there was a lot to be proud of, but certainly not pointing the finger saying you caused all the problems of Climate Change.

Although we know now we need to develop green energy,  without coal in the past we might still be stuck with the same lifestyles as the 18th century.

To contact Peter and buy copies of Radical Roots – the Human Rights History in the North East

send email to: peter0462@gmail.com.

Alikivi    April 2023.

CRAMLINGTON TRAIN WRECKERS FILM EVENT with South Shields playwright, Ed Waugh

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Cramlington Train Wreckers.

A talk about the Cramlington Train Wreckers was held last month at Cramlington Hub, Northumberland (see post 16th March 2023).

The Wreckers were a group of striking miners who uncoupled a train full of blackleg miners in the General Strike of 1926.

Organiser & South Shields playwright Ed Waugh got in touch about the talks…

“The Wreckers meetings went great, the support for the talk was overwhelming with more than 160 people turning up”.

“The latest news about the Cramlington Train Wreckers is that we’ve secured rights to the 30-minute BBC film ‘Yesterday’s Witness’ made in 1970. We’ll be showing it this summer on Wednesday, July 26 at 2pm and 6.30pm”.

“The event will also have a speaker and hopefully songs plus more recitations – it’ll rock. Due to demand for tickets to the March 30th talks, the events are guaranteed to sell out. So not to be disappointed, I’d advise you to get your tickets early, they are only £3 each”.

To purchase tickets for Wednesday, July 26 @ 2pm or 6.30pm at The Hub, Cramlington contact:

2pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cramlington-train-wreckers-a-30-minute1970-bbc-film-tickets-607220852917

6.30pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cramlington-train-wreckers-a-30-minute1970-bbc-film-tickets-607187172177

Alikivi   April 2023

MAKING PLANS in conversation with former BBC/Generator/Evolution & Honorary Geordie, Sue Wilkinson

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Having taken voluntary redundancy from the BBC after 25 years, Sue’s last job was as TV Development Producer, she is now semi-retired and working freelance.

But during the 90s Sue was involved with the North East music scene working at Generator and managing bands in Newcastle.

I guess I’m a bit of a career chameleon.

Originally born in Liverpool, the family then moved to Manchester where her father was a Graphic Artist.

I picked up my creative side from him. At school there was a group of us reading the music press, I went from listening to poppier sounds of Cat Stevens to serious stuff like Led Zeppelin.

When I completed my A levels punk was just on the cusp and we went to see bands like Buzzcocks and The Adverts at sweaty clubs like Eric’s. I was really into the whole punk thing listening to the Pistols and The Clash.

After University I started work as a Graduate Town Planner with North Tyneside Council. I didn’t have long term plans to stay in the North East but I loved the vibe of Newcastle. Now I’m an honorary Geordie!

My patch was North Shields, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth, things have changed dramatically down the riverfront area, it was fascinating working there.

I also worked at Sunderland Civic Centre and Newcastle on the planning team – this is a weird way of starting to talk about the North East music industry. But I wanted to make a difference in terms of helping communities, living in a better environment, helping people make a better life, and hopefully did that through music.

When I left planning, I started work at Newcastle University in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development, a research unit rather than teaching. Northern Arts funded a project there called Cultural Industries Research Unit, helping communities through the arts.

My colleague James Cornford and I were asked to look at a new project and we chose popular music. Sheffield had been flying the flag providing rehearsal space and studios so we thought we could give that a go as James had been in bands and I loved music.

Plus, I had already written a published article around culture in the North East and done a lot of research around the subject. We spoke to a few hundred musicians and people who ran recording studios and record labels – small or large.

We found there wasn’t enough venues or rehearsal space for bands, they couldn’t get out on tour it would cost an arm and a leg and there weren’t any showcase gigs. Investment was needed to support DIY musicians – they needed a leg up.

We put the findings together and put forward a plan called Sound of the City. This was three events across Tyneside, hundreds of people attended which created more ideas. One was for an umbrella organisation to pull it all together, a one stop shop for support, advice and help – that’s how Generator came about.

The name was perfect because the aim was to generate a profile of the North East music scene which had been non- existent up till then – apart from big names like Sting and Mark Knopfler.

As well as Generator Management Committee meetings, Dave Cross and I met several times weekly to do behind the scenes work at the Riverside live music venue. What came from our meetings was a need for showcase gigs and working with promoters to develop a venue in their area, we covered the North East and Cumbria.

Generator was there to help musicians kick start their career, we wanted to be central in supporting emerging talent and artists, or just be creative and have better facilities to enjoy what they were doing.

The first event billed as Generator Live Music Explosion was at the Riverside in Newcastle on Saturday 25th January 1992 included Candleman Summer from South Shields, The Hangarounds from Gateshead, Procession from Teesside, Greedsville and This Is This from Newcastle.

The event went on all day generating a lot of press, many thanks to all the sponsors who came onboard donating time, money and facilities.

All of the bands were original not tributes, and although some didn’t get record deals the members went on to do other stuff. Dave Denholm from This Is This ended up in Lindisfarne.

Around 1992 Greedsville fell in my lap (interview with  guitarist Chris Jackson on 22 Feb 2023). I loved them, very creative in their outfits especially Pete Turner the singer. One outfit was a Chinese mandarin hat and shoes with curly toes.

They had their own way of doing things and were always good on publicity and presentation getting a review in Kerrang and local mag Paint it Red. They also had the idea of slotting their cd album into tiger print bags and sending them to press and media.

By now we had been working on Generator a few years and were based in the Black Swan Arts Centre on Westgate Road. We’d publish regular newsletters promoting bands and events including tips for how to plaster your name across the media, developing a press strategy, even make sure you arrive on time for an interview on radio or TV. Basically, how to get on in the music industry.

Bands would submit demo tapes and we’d choose from them what bands to have on the showcase gig, and we were becoming more ambitious adding art, design, films and music seminars.

The more events we put on the more interest we created with label scouts popping into gigs to see what we had. Rather than a regular weekly gig, we spread out the dates of gigs to make them an event.

Northern Exposure was held 11th-19th June 1994 including Profundo Rosso, Crisis Children, Blyth Power and the wonderfully named Delicate Vomit.

The MPS and Musicians Union were involved in the seminars dealing with publicity, royalties and copyright.

We became good at publicity. North East music journalist Ian Penman who sadly is no longer with us, worked for Sounds and other music papers and magazines, he gave us good advice about publicity and how it needed to be spot on.

Generator were really ramping it up and had demonstrated that we were capable of delivering stuff. In 1998 the peak was Sound City, around then Jim Mawdsley came onboard.

When we became a funded organisation, Wayne C. McDonald joined Jim Mawdsley and I on the professional team. A week later we were awarded £250,000 from the National Lottery.

Generator’s successful National Lottery bid was given massive national profile on BBC One TV’s National Lottery Show when Sue and her Generator colleague, Wayne C McDonald, appeared live in front of 16 million people. Their cause was championed by none other than The Spice Girls.


Wayne thought I was joking when I told him we were going to be live on stage – and thought we were just going to be sitting in the audience. When it came to the crunch, we were called on stage and he hadn’t prepared a speech – so he performed a completely improvised rap which everyone loved! 

We had spent three years talking to BBC Radio One about bringing an event to Newcastle. We worked with the Council to put a document together which included main stage, a number of venues and a Fringe festival, the BBC accepted it.

After my work at the University on the Cultural Industries project, I got some part time work as a researcher at the BBC which I combined with the Generator work.

Looking back, it was around 1999 when I left Generator, I had just run out of steam. After Sound City I went on to work on various music festivals in Newcastle attracting bigger, signed names and by the 2000’s I was at Evolution sponsored by Orange telecommunications.

Paloma Faith (pic Sue Wilkinson).

Iggy Pop was on a bill, we had Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith, Maximo Park and one year we had Public Enemy on. I remember for their rider we were sent to KFC for forty boxes of chicken – we weren’t very popular with the rest of the customers.

We ended up with expensive headliners with Generator running alongside with showcase gigs for North East bands and arranging music seminars. Evolution went on for years but our riverfront site on the Tyne was earmarked for redevelopment and we decided to take a break which became permanent. We had a great time seeing the audiences enjoying the event.  

Generator still exists today, it embraced the new digital agenda and pushed it really hard. It’s helped create long lasting partnerships and connections across the music sector.

It’s now the UK’s leading music development agency and a beacon for those looking for help with their musical ventures. Something we’re really proud of because it’s made a huge impact on musicians in the region and shone a light on the North East through showcases and events.

It’s been involved in national initiatives, helping influence arts and government policy. Has it been important? You bet.

More information about the work of Generator at the official website:  

Generator: Business Support in music, creative, and tech

Alikivi     March 2023.

SPEED KINGS in conversation with Newcastle music tutor & former XLR8R guitarist, Ed Box

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XLR8R in 1992 Martin Douglas (top), Al Barnes (bottom), Simon Douglas, Mark Savage, Ed Box (middle).

Following on from Clive Jackson’s interview (Slice of Life, 22 Feb 2023) this post looks at the 90s music scene in Newcastle and focuses on guitarist Ed Box.

Originally born in Kendal, Cumbria, Ed moved to Newcastle in 1988 to study Popular Music – a big year in Ed’s life as he ended up making his home in the Toon.

But his pivotal year was 1979… That’s when I was drawn to music. First album I bought was Replicas by Gary Numan & Tubeway Army, while my older brother was recording songs off the Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio One.

Also that year, heavy bands like Rainbow, Motorhead and Judas Priest were getting on Top of the Pops. These were my gateway bands.

For me that was the start of heavy metal and then NWOBHM formed. The passion and energy in the music was a window to the outside world to a boy from out in the sticks in Cumbria. Then I got a guitar for Christmas 1980 – and away I went.

With some friends from Newcastle college, we formed XLR8R (pronounced Accelerator), and started writing songs. I knew it would take a lot of patience, practice and dedication but I was prepared for that.

We started to gig regularly around the Newcastle area. A buzz was going around and the gigs were getting packed out. We were members of North Tyneside Music Collective at Buddle Arts Centre in Wallsend, they organised gigs at venues like the Old Eldon Square during the summer.

Every band around then were doing demo tapes, Greedsville, who you interviewed a few weeks ago, were busy in the studios. XLR8R recorded three, one of them got demo of the month in Kerrang and a bit of interest from a label but that fell through. So we put our money together, made an independent album and got it pressed on CD.

We heard there was a music collective over in Deckham village in Gateshead that had a studio so we joined up. A guy called Gary Clennell ran that and set us up on a cheap studio rate. £30 per day was a lot less expensive than the others charging over £100 a day.

We spent six days doing four tracks. They were all done on reel to reel half inch tape, I think it was a 16-track desk. We designed our own covers and used the Print on Tyne shop for typesetting. We would make fold out covers with pictures and credits on, just trying to make the tapes look interesting. Pretty naïve, but a start.

Our next tape was recorded in Linx Studio, that was run by Tony Bray (Venom drummer) and Eric Cook (Venom manager) previously owned by Brian Johnson (Geordie, AC/DC). They had a 24-track using two-inch tape. This was a step up in quality, the engineer was Kev Ridley who also sang in Newcastle bands For Gods Sake and Skyclad.

Our third demo was in Trinity Heights, what happened was Tygers of Pan Tang manager Tom Noble got us a deal recording in the studio with the owner Fred Purser, who was ex-Tygers guitarist.

Linx studio was good but Fred’s was another step up, with his experience of being in the band and working in studios in London gave us a lot of confidence and pushed us on. After we had recorded the first track, we played it back and it sounded great, really polished, really pleased with it – if you’re reading this, thanks Fred!

Arch Stanton album cover.

In 1996 I was still in XLR8R when ex-Greedsville guitarist Clive Jackson got in touch. He had made a three-track solo demo and was offered a radio session on BBC Newcastle. There was also label interest but they were looking for a band not just a solo performer.

So, Clive got a band of solid musicians together who we knew had been on the 90s Newcastle scene. We went in and played the session at the BBC, then recorded a few more tracks and done a gig as Arch Stanton.

Things were coming together when Sue Wilkinson from local music agency Generator got involved, Sue was also Greedsville manager. She got us some Lottery funding to go into a studio and make a four-track demo.

Sue also got us some local TV coverage on BBC North East News and a brief clip on the National Lottery Show. Another band around then called Undergroove, got a slot on East Coast Main line.

Over a two year period we done around 15 gigs, we played on the Twang Nights at The Bridge Hotel which was promoted by music agency, Bright Orange Biscuit, I remember they also did work with Uncle Sam’s Studio in Newcastle.

Sadly, Arch Stanton came to an end, but I’d developed my guitar and vocals a lot. I was in my late 20s by then and felt I was playing better than ever.

130R album cover.

The last album I worked on is out now, it’s called 130R. The name came from Formula One racing that I was into, the hardest corner on the track in Japan is the 130R.

The idea came at the time of Covid lockdown when I wasn’t doing much guitar teaching because of restrictions. I put together a few demos then asked mates to get involved, it was totally organic.

It built from there and we added a few more tracks until we had a full album. I sing on a couple of tracks but the main singer is Newcastle based Ian Humphrey. We might do some gigs in the future but we are really happy being studio based.

130R

A lot of the rock and metal bands that I saw many years ago are still recording and gigging especially with the Festival circuit around Europe. The NWOBHM bands can make great recordings with the studio equipment and access to technology that is available now. It’s still alive and kicking.

Guitar playing has been my passion for over 30 years. Across that time I’ve been running a number of guitar lessons in schools and workshops playing Rock, Pop and Jazz, to Country, Blues and Metal, I always learn new things when teaching – you’re never too old!

For more information about Ed Box check his official website:

http://www.edwardbox.com

Alikivi   March 2023.

WHO WERE THE CRAMLINGTON TRAIN WRECKERS?

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South Shields-based playwright Ed Waugh is appealing for anyone to contact him if they have any information on the Cramlington Train Wreckers.

Ed, whose latest play was the hugely successful Wor Bella, said

“The story is one of high dramatic tension and has become an important part of British history, although largely forgotten”.

“The event happened on March 10, seven days into the 1926 General Strike when striking miners uncoupled a rail on the mainline Edinburgh to London railway” explained Ed.

“The intention was to derail a blackleg coal train they felt was undermining the strike. Unfortunately for the perpetrators, they derailed a passenger train.”

With 281passengers onboard, the volunteer driver had been warned of trouble and slowed down, meaning when the engine and five carriages were derailed, no-one was killed.

“The only injury was minor, most people were treated for shock and bruises” said Ed.

“Were the Cramlington Train Wreckers terrorists or workers trying to defend their livelihoods, family and community against an economic onslaught that took place after the General Strike ended?”

Bob Harbottle, one of the train wreckers. Bob was 21 when he was imprisoned, sentenced to eight years. Bob arrived home in Cramlington on December 23, 1929 – three and a half years into an eight-year sentence. Info & pic courtesy of Samantha Armstrong.

In the magistrate courts eight Cramlington miners were each sentenced for up to eight years, but were released early due to pressure from the trade union rank and file, politicians and the judiciary itself who saw the original sentences as too harsh.

Ed continued “The leader of the wreckers was Bill Muckle who was born in Westoe in December 1900. His father looked after the pit ponies. They lived here until 1902 when they moved to Cramlington. I’d be interested to know if older generation Muckles worked at Westoe”.

A crane lifting the Merry Hampton engine back on track. Photo courtesy of Brian Godfrey.

Such is the interest in the subject, Ed and historian Marie Dooley will address more than 120 people at a public meeting on March 30. Top North East actor/folk singer Jamie Brown will perform songs and recite from Ed’s new play.

The Cramlington Train Wreckers’ meet at The Hub, Manor Walks Shopping Centre, Cramlington, Thursday, March 30, at 2pm and 6.30pm. Info and tickets only £2 via Eventbrite.

For more information contact Ed at the official website: ww.wisecrackproductions.co.uk

Alikivi    March 2023.

WHERE WERE YOU IN THE SIXTIES ? with Jools & Paul Donnelly

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North East couple Jools and Paul Donnelly have a huge passion for promoting the North East’s recent cultural heritage, they also run the Handyside Arcade publishing company, and the Club A’Gogo dance events named after the famous Newcastle venue.

From 1962-68 Club a’Gogo hosted a number of amazing gigs from legendary bands The Who, The Animals, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, plus from America – Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson and John Lee Hooker.

‘We successfully lobbied Newcastle Council for a heritage plaque at the site of Club a’Gogo – we are incredibly proud of this. We’ve also published our first book ‘Club a’Gogo & The Mod Scene of 1960s Newcastle’ which is on sale now, more books are planned’.

Both Jools and Paul are passionate collectors of 60s mod culture which includes vintage clothing, shoes, magazines, records and books, now the couple have combined their extensive collection for an exhibition held in Newcastle City Library.  

I asked Jools what was the catalyst for the exhibition?

It actually came from two sources, last year we visited the Punk No.1 exhibition at Newcastle City Library and this year we were in London for a private viewing of Contemporary Wardrobe, a supplier of costumes to the film and music industry.

This huge collection of vintage clothing is owned by former mod and stylist Roger K Burton. Roger has done a number of exhibitions and we were so inspired we thought we could do that.

I asked Paul what’s the response been to the exhibition?

Amazing, and to be honest far better than we expected. We’ve done regular ‘meet and greet’ events at the library – next one is Saturday March 11th from 2-4pm, where people can chat with us about the exhibition and share their memories of those glory days.  

People have brought their own memorabilia to show us, it’s been a fantastic experience. We’ve also had a good turn out from a younger generation who have been fascinated by how cool the youths of the North East were back then.

Lots of original mods and Club a’Gogo members have turned up to see the exhibition, they’ve shared their stories of seeing the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Who and of course The Animals.

We’ve encouraged them to come along to our monthly Club a’Gogo Dance Party events where I play the Club a’Gogo sounds on vinyl.

What next for the exhibition?

This ends on 31 March 2023 and we are aiming for more exhibitions. Our next one is early 2024 that will celebrate the history of the Handyside Arcade.

(The sorely missed Arcade was a glass roofed horseshoe shaped building which housed a number of independent and alternative shops including Kard Bar. It was also the place where tribes of young people – mods, hippies, punks – would meet and hang out on weekends).

Jools added….We want to highlight the Arcades importance and promote the North East’s sub cult heritage.

For more info check the official website:

It’s my life… An exhibition of Mod & 60s culture FREE ENTRY | Club a’Gogo (clubagogo.co.uk)

To buy the Club a’Gogo book visit:

Club a’Gogo & The Mod Scene of 1960s Newcastle | Club a’Gogo (clubagogo.co.uk)

For more information about Club a’Gogo events visit

Mod club | Club a’Gogo (clubagogo.co.uk)

Alikivi   March 2023.

ROCK UPON TYNE: in conversation with musician, manager & promoter Mal Wylie

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Gateshead born Mal has been working the entertainment biz for nearly six decades and still has a great passion and enthusiasm for music.

From being a teenager watching bands in the famous Newcastle venue Club a’Gogo, to becoming a seasoned performer on the North East working men’s club circuit, and today, promoting bands and events in Skegness.

I thought he’d have a few stories to tell – he did – so we spent a couple of hours chewing the fat in The Centurion bar in Newcastle Central Station.

First time I heard loud music was in the YMCA in Gateshead, bands like The Sect were playing. It was the ‘60s with the mods and rockers, that was the sounds that influenced me. We were brought up on the best music, we were privileged to be born then.

Club a’Gogo pics courtesy Evening Chronicle.

Going to the Club a’Gogo was the best time of yer life. I saw everybody there – Long John Baldry, the Stones, Eric Burdon, and I was there when Hendrix played.

I’d seen loads of guitar players by then but you knew you were watching someone special. Nobody knew he was gonna be a world legend when he walked on stage.

The Gogo was fantastic, the DJ was Bryan Ferry who went onto Roxy Music fame. Zoot Money was massive when he played, but the biggest pull was Geno Washington & the Ram Jam band, never sold records but always rammed.

I remember when The Animals went to number one with House of the Rising Sun in 1964. They came back from London to the Central Station, got off the train and came to the Gogo. I remember like it was yesterday.

Jacko

I’ve been involved in music since I was 15. I joined a band called Jacko and got to know all the North East groups working the clubs, the Brass Alleys, the Becketts, John Miles, and my pal Brian Johnson in Geordie.

When I finished with Jacko, I went with a band called Chevy who had Andy Taylor on guitar – later he joined Duran Duran. There was Davey Black from Goldie he lived just over the road.

In fact, Andy had just come back from playing in Germany when he asked me to join on vocals ‘Do ya fancy going on the road with us?’

Andy was a great player, a rock player, so Duran Duran weren’t exactly his style but he told me ‘It’s £50 a week and they have a recording contract’. ‘Good on yer lad’ I said.

Andy rang me up one night ‘We’re playing Newcastle City Hall tonight supporting Hazel O’Connor on the Broken Glass tour do ya fancy comin’ along?’… ‘Wey aye!’

Through the Geordie days I kept in touch with Brian and when he got the gig with AC/DC I went on the Black in Back tour with him.

How it all started was one night when I was singing in Chevy and playing Peterlee Social Club, guitarist Andy Taylor said ‘we’re going to Newcastle Mayfair to see AC/DC tonight’.

This line up was with Bon Scott on the Highway to Hell tour. Well I was blown away by them and told Brian Johnson ‘Ya gotta see this band’.

He was in Geordie Mark 2 at the time who were doing the clubs and using the same PA as us. One night Chevy were doing Lobley Hill Social Club when Brian came to see us and he got up on stage and done Whole Lotta Rosie – next week he was in AC/DC!

He went off to the Bahamas, recorded the album then straight onto the Back in Black tour where I travelled with the band on the UK leg. I remember being in Birmingham and Robert Plant came backstage, it was great, a real honour to meet your hero.

I remember going to Donnington festival, then the States as the band went into Jimi Hendrix’ studio in New York to record vocals for the album For Those About to Rock.

The lads in the band were great, no big stars, they were playing 60,000 stadiums, absolutely massive over there. I was in a bar with Malcolm Young in New York, he told me ‘We knew when Brian walked in, he was the man for the job, we knew he was the kid we wanted’.

Brian didn’t think he was in the band after the audition. But Malcolm phoned ‘You need to come back we’re doing an album’. Brian replied ‘Am I in the band then’! Brian was tailor made for that job.

Sergeant: left to right – Robb Weir (later replaced by Steve Lamb) Anthony Curran, Tony Liddle & Brian Dick.

I managed a rock band called Sergeant and got them on a national tour supporting Accept. What happened was I knew Colin Rowell from music TV show The Tube filmed in Newcastle. He had singer Tony Liddle on one week ‘Can you do anything with these Mal?’

So, I went with Brian Johnson to see the band play at the Gosforth Assembly Rooms. I liked what I saw so rang John Jackson, an agent I knew in London, and he gave them that UK support tour.

We also put them in Linx Studio in Newcastle, another Brian Johnson connection as he owned the studio. We recorded them and I thought they were tremendous. Tony Liddle was great I thought boy can this kid sing.

Tony was the new breed of rock singer in the North East, you had great frontmen Davey Ditchburn, Terry Slesser, John Miles, all them that had come through, but Tony was a bit younger.

He was also a good songwriter, obviously there is Lindisfarne as your big songwriters from the North East. I remember seeing them and they were new, fresh a different style, Alan Hull was an amazing talent.

Anyway, we took the demo tape to London and the first person to listen to it was Peter Mensch, Def Leppard manager.

We were in his house and asked him ‘What do ya think of these’? Bearing in mind he had just signed Metallica. ‘They’re alright Mal, hang on to the singer’. In the end RCA were looking at giving them a singles deal.

But one day Tony walked in and told us he’s leaving the band. ‘I’m joining The Strangeways’. A Scottish band who already had a deal with plenty money behind them. That broke Sergeant up.

We gave it our best shot, they had supported Nazareth in Scotland, been on a UK tour with Accept including a sold-out show at Hammersmith Odeon and we put them in front of record companies.

When I came back from America with AC/DC, video jukebox’s had just kicked off so I went into that business. I got the franchise for a company selling a video jukebox to pubs.

I worked with a guy for years called Percy Sheeran, whose family have the fairground in South Shields, he was doing the fruit machines and I was doing the music. A great team.

Then we started Arcadia Leisure selling PA’s and sound equipment from the Team Valley in Gateshead. After that closed down Percy’s brother Walter opened bars, leisure centres and arcades in Skegness, he asked me to come down, ‘Nah I like the Toon too much’ I said. But I’m still with him to this day!

The music scene is good down there, I’m booking bands all the time, I’m putting on festivals in the summer. We’ve got some local bands from Lincoln playing, Butlins is next door with rock festivals and alternative nights – always rammed.

I’ve got four or five bands from the North travelling down this year, so I still keep in touch with North East musicians. Lorraine Crosby has been down a few times. We’ve been friends around 30 years since she was in Foxy, Lorraine’s a great kid, she done the Meatloaf single as well.

Soon I’ve got an event lined up for the scooter boys – a mod rally at the end of April. There are loads happening.

I enjoy reading your blogs but a guy who doesn’t get a mention is Greg Burman. During the ‘60s the Greg Burman Soul band played at the Gogo, he also built amps for all the bands coming through like Lindisfarne, and made stuff for Thin Lizzy and Status Quo.

He was based in Newcastle’s Handyside Arcade which sadly isn’t there now. I dealt with him in the ‘70s, a lovely fella, what a gentleman. It’ll be a great story if you can talk to him.

Alikivi   February 2023.

ALL FOR ONE at 40 with Chief Heedbangers, Raven

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All for One released in 1983.

One of the most influential New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands are heading out on a UK tour this March, but first, earlier this year there was the small matter of Raven being inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame alongside Twisted Sister and Foreigner vocalist and solo artist Lou Gramm.

Held at The Canyon Club in California on 26 January, this was the sixth annual gala, previous inductees include Dio, Lemmy and Judas Priest.

The award is for musicians and bands who have made an invaluable contribution to rock and metal and to keep inspiring fans throughout the world. I asked bassist and Chief Raven John Gallagher, how did it come about?

Bribery and corruption (laughs). It was nice to be recognized and was a really great event where we played a three song set – almost broke a sweat! 

Did you ever think you would be in this position, a tour celebrating 40 years of an album ?

Of course not! That kind of long view, you just don’t have that when you start. It just kinda crept up on us over the years. It’s quite a milestone and we are very proud of it. That and good old Geordie stubbornness!

In the set are you playing the full track listing on All for One and have you played all the songs live before?

Yes indeed! There’s actually two songs from the album we’ve never played live before, so that’s going to be fun for sure and another two that Mikes never played. 

Have you noticed any new faces at your concerts?

Oh definitely, there’s quite often three generations of fans at our shows – which is really great.

For a full list of tour dates & tickets, album releases, video, merch & more check the official website : 

Raven | Official Raven Lunatics Website

Alikivi   March 2023