HEAVY METAL

HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE? #8

/ Alikivi

How’s it gaan? After sharing stories first posted here in 2018 about the New Wave of British Heavy Metal there’s been a welcome spike in views from Poland, Slovakia and the Netherlands.

NWOBHM has always been popular since the first posts in 2017 which featured Fist, Raven, Mythra, Satan, Hollow Ground and Tygers of Pan Tang, plus stories from Impulse Studio big wig David Woods and producer Steve Thompson who brought the hammer down on seminal recordings on the Neat label. Also posted are stories from Durham’s Guardian Studio, although producer Terry Gavaghan has remained elusive. So far.

While new interviews are being lined up to take the site to the end of 2024, November has featured a compilation of stories from this year – and here’s another batch.

First up is a regular to the site, songwriter & vocalist Emma ‘Velvet Tones of Teesside’ Wilson. Emma first appeared back in 2019 talking about her influences in music…

‘Aretha Now’ and ‘Aretha Sings the Blues’ were both records that shaped my development as a singer. I used to sit for hours listening to the songs on vinyl’.

Emma kick started 2024 being pictured on the cover of Blues Matters magazine featuring her new album ‘Memphis Calling’ recorded in Sam Phillips studio, USA.

‘The studio breathes, it has an immense presence. The live room is awesome, beautifully designed. I let my emotions out on the recording’.

Full story >>> EMMA SINGS THE BLUES – with Emma ‘Velvet Tones of Teesside’ Wilson | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

100 year old actress and entertainer Helen Russell sadly passed away this year. She will be missed. In May, Helen featured on the site looking back at the start of her career.

‘We didn’t have a phone in the house so I’d take calls on the local public telephone box outside to tell me where I was playing that night. Sometimes it meant getting a bus to Newcastle and then catching another to Stanley in County Durham, or Ashington in Northumberland, then heading back after 10pm – all the time humping my guitar and other equipment. I had no helpers.’

‘When guitar groups became popular in the ‘60s I had to stop dancing on stage because of all the leads and wires. That’s when I took up the guitar and later started writing my own songs.’

Full interview >>> TON UP for North East actress and entertainer Helen Russell  | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

Another regular to the site is songwriter and former Neat records producer Steve Thompson, he got in touch in May.

‘I was 24 year old at the time and just quit a waged job to live on fresh air and follow a dream. I was either very brave, very stupid, or both. I quickly began knocking out songs and pitching them all over the place. I knew I needed some action or I was going to starve’.

‘One day I was at the dentist in Wallsend. I’d been called upstairs to the surgery when the receptionist called me back down. It was my publisher on the phone they tracked me down to tell me ‘Hurry Home just entered the charts at 63’. You could’ve knocked me down with a feather, that was the break I was looking for’.

‘From there on in incredible things happened it climbed the charts over a period of three months and peaked at 17. Here I am top 20, I had arrived! Then all sorts of things started to happen, the lyrics were printed in pop magazine Smash Hits, all the airplay on Radio One, name checks from DJ Mike Read on the Breakfast show, and of course Top of the Pops. All this was happening but I was still broke’.

Full interview >>> I WILL GO BACK– with songwriter & former Neat records producer Steve Thompson | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

In February former entertainer Peter Embleton recalled his time in clubland.

‘I had a marvellous time working the North East, the greatest training ground for anyone, my job was to put on a show not just be a singer of songs’.

‘As well as all over the North East I worked in Australia and the cruise lines, I was voted male vocalist of the year twice in the ‘80s in the National Club Mirror awards’.

‘I look at some of the talent now and feel sorry that they never experienced the Saturday night atmosphere of say the King Street club in North Shields. The club full at 7pm, great musicians to play for you led by the inimitable Micky Watson, what a buzz.’

‘Yes of course there were poor nights when it didn’t all go according to plan, but hey the good times by far outweighed the bad times. I feel lucky to have experienced the golden age of clubland, there were some brilliant acts and musicians’.

Full interview >>> GOLDEN AGE OF CLUBLAND with entertainer, Peter Embleton. | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

Got a story to add to the site? Just get in touch >>>

Contact | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

Full list of hundreds of interviews >>>

About | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

Alikivi   November 2024

HOME COMFORTS for Whitley Bay Tygers

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A wave of steel is planned this autumn as standard bearers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal North East Division, Tygers of Pan Tang, map out a series of live European dates.

They include October – Belgium (4th), Germany (5th) and Netherlands (6th) and November – Barnsley, UK (7th) then crossing the border on Friday 8th to play the Classic Grand in Glasgow with Scotland’s very own granite plated rock band Lyin’ Rampant opening.

Rampant lead vocalist Stewartie Adams is looking forward to the gig…

“It should be a great show we’re all up for it and looking forward to a great night with the Tygers. It’s the first time opening for them.”

“We’re back in the studio in Glasgow to work on some new material to add to our set…so we’ll be ready to rock. We’ve had a much needed break after the Graham Bonnet tour. We made great friends with Graham and his band. They were a joy to work with. It was a blast”.

Link to interview >> TARTAN SPIRIT with former Tytan & Lyin’ Rampant vocalist/guitarist Stewartie Adams | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE

The legendary Tygers then march back down to Tyneside to celebrate a homecoming return in the seaside town of Whitley Bay on Saturday 9th November 2024. The show is being promoted by the local town council to celebrate over 45 years of the Tygers.

Whitley Bay was the headquarters of the original four Tygers. They had a residence at local club Mingles where they honed the tunes that would make up most of their first album ‘Wild Cat’.

The Tygers most recent album ‘Live Blood’, released on Mighty Music, features songs from across their career including tracks that were first played in Mingles.

Support on the night will come from Shannon Pearl, a North East neo-folk band that was specially chosen by the Tygers.

“I’ve lived in the area for most of my life and being invited to play at the prestigious Whitley Bay Playhouse has long been a dream of mine” guitarist Robb Weir commented.

“I think the current band will really enjoy visiting where it all started. It promises to be one helluva night”.

Wrapping up the autumn dates is a visit to Grimsby (10th) and finally Marseille, France at the South Troopers Festival (16th).

Tickets for Whitley Bay are available here.

Buy/stream ‘Live Blood’ here.

Check the official website for further information on albums, gigs, photos, videos >  

Tygers Of Pan Tang – The Official Site

Alikivi    September 2024

BLOODY TYGERS – new live release plus gigs in Miami, Brazil & Europe

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2024 is shaping up to be a busy year in the Tygers camp – for an old cat there is plenty wag left in its tail!

“First show of the year was a heavy metal cruise called ‘70,000 tons of metal’ the world’s biggest heavy metal cruise. This year the ship sailed from Miami to Porto Plata in the Caribbean and back to Miami. 60 bands and two performances from each act. Absolutely amazing!”

“Next up was Italy, just last week we played to sold out shows in Rome, Florence and Milan” said founding member & guitarist Robb Weir…

“We also have a new live album due out on April 26th called, ‘Live Blood’. The first single taken from the album is in video form on YouTube called, ‘Gangland”.

Second single Keeping Me Alive has just been released. The track is a mainstay of their live set which first appeared on the 2012 album Ambush.

Live Blood was recorded at the Patriot Club in Crumlin, Wales, by vocalist Jack Meille, drummer Craig Ellis, bassist Huw Holding with guitarists Francesco Marris and Robb Weir.

The album includes material from across the band’s career including tracks from their first four albums from 1980-82 on MCA Records. 

Robb explained “Our live show adds a new dimension to the old songs and allows us to stretch out a bit on the newer numbers”. 

Vocalist Jack Meille added “Live Blood captures all the energy we deliver while playing our favourite songs live and raw“.

What has the summer got in store for the Tygers? First up they’ll be zooming over the Atlantic Ocean to play in South America then keep the thunder rolling with a return to Europe for gigs in May.

Robb has the details…“Next shows are the Summer Breeze festival in Brazil on April 27th, then four UK shows starting at Preston Continental May 2, London Boston Music Rooms May 3, The Crown Merthr Tydfil, Wales May 4 and Eleven in Stoke on Trent on 5th May.

We have two days off then back out to play Budapest in Hungary, Zagreb in Croatia, Belgrade in Serbia, and that’s just for starters”.

With the first half of the year mapped out, Robb adds a final message…

“We’ll be playing a rather special show up in the North East of England in November, details coming very soon. We can only do all of this because of your amazing support and belief in the band and the Tygers would like to whole heartedly say ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh, and see you down the front at the next show!”

Live Blood will be released on double LP (black vinyl, including three exclusive bonus tracks), CD and digital formats on April 26th 2024 via Mighty Music.

Full track listing, gigs, photos & latest news contact the official website >

Tygers Of Pan Tang – The Official Site  

Alikivi   April 2024



TROYEN LIVE – Free gig at Newcastle Trillians Rock Bar

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It’s free entry on Sunday 19th May at Newcastle Trillians Rock Bar for the visit of Troyen who first hit the NWOBHM scene in 1981.

Troyen toured with Girlschool, Spider, Diamond Head plus a European support slot with Nightwing, their demo was produced by Gil Norton who went on to work with the internationally renowned Foo Fighters, Feeder and the Pixies.

With gigs coming thick and fast a recording contract was on the table from legendary record label Neat, but the band never made it up the A1, unfortunately they split and went their separate ways.

Bringing things up to date the band reformed in 2014 and appeared at Newcastle’s Brofest along with a line-up of NWOBHM bands from around the country, appeared on many European metal festivals, produced a whole load of new recorded tracks and a CD anthology, plus this year went back in the studio to record new album Unfinished Business for the Classic Metal Records label.

Latest line-up, there’s been a few changes since the original Troyen over 40 year ago, is Jeff Badley (drums), Steve McGuire & Simon Lind (lead guitars), Mark Nortley (bass) and Paul Ward (vocals).

Jeff explained “For the album we’re still finalising the twelve tracks, all are unique in their own way with contributions from all five band members”.

“On the live front we’re returning to Trillians next month and will have tracks from our forthcoming album in the set. We have an awesome new vocalist Paul Ward fronting the band” (pic. above).

Jeff added “It’s going to be an awesome night of rock and metal. Joining us will be our good friends and local heroes Culloden”.

Free entry on Sunday 19th May 2024 at Newcastle Trillians Rock Bar.

Official release date for the album ‘Unfinished Business’ is 22nd June 2024.

Contact Trillians > Trillians Rock Bar (trilliansnewcastle.co.uk)

Alikivi   April 2024

STATS FANTASTIC – seven years & counting

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After 500 posts and over 370,000 views, WordPress (who run this blog) have sent their congratulations to the North East culture site after completing its seventh year, aye seven years, can’t believe how quickly time has gone.

From the first post in February 2017, the free site – without any ads, pop ups or clickbait – has gone from strength to strength picking up views not only here in the UK but worldwide, including USA, Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Ireland, Australia and European countries Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

First up were metal bands Fist, Mythra, Raven, Satan, Venom and Tygers of Pan Tang followed by music memories from bands including Beckett, Angelic Upstarts, White Heat, Lindisfarne, Lorraine Crosby, Wildhearts, Dance Class, Kane Gang and Southbound.

Searching the site, you’ll find interviews with authors and photographers, there’s also stories from recording studios Guardian and Impulse.

As well as theatre producer Leah Bell and TV actress Lesley Saint-John, by far the most popular post at 15,000, there are stories from roadies, radio presenters and TV production teams.

During the 2020 covid lockdowns people looked for something new to read so their views added to the regular readers, resulting in monthly numbers of 7,000 with a high of 9,700.

Now the site gets a steady monthly count of 4-5,000, I must say a big thanks to everyone who reads the posts – much appreciated.

How long will it last? Well, the phone’s still ringing and stories keep dropping in my inbox, so I’ll keep gaan until the juice runs out.

Alikivi   February 2024

LOOKING FOR LIZZY – Search on for Guardian demo tapes info.

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An interesting message has been sent in by Douglas Sharp from Hanover in the north of Germany…

“I have a demo tape with the song ‘Doot Doot’ recorded by the band Freur at Guardian studios in 1983 for Tyne Tees TV. Producer and Engineer T. Gav. 15ips master with the note RESTRICTED”.

“Do you know anything about the session? It would be interesting to find out more about the demo tape”.

Douglas Sharp was born in 1952 in Leeds, Yorkshire, and started out as a trainee geophysicist for a German company in London in 1972 when the North Sea oil boom was in full swing. He moved back with them to their German headquarters in Hanover in July 1974.


“The firm closed down in 2004, after that I decided to start up my own translation business here, which is still going strong”.

Guardian Studio was based in the Durham village Pity Me, and features heavily on this site. In the 80s cult NWOBHM compilation album Roksnax was recorded there along with a host of North East bands including Spartan Warrior, Mythra, Hollow Ground, Saracen, Battleaxe, Toy Dolls and Satan.

Tygers of Pan Tang recorded demo tapes for their record company MCA, plus ‘The Audition Tapes’ with guitarist John Sykes and vocalist Jon Deverill.

Where did you come across the Guardian tape?
“It was sometime around the late 90s when I found it in a skip just down the road from Tyne Tees TV – along with a Thin Lizzy demo – while I was on holiday in Cullercoats where my sister used to live. I hope no one accuses me of nicking them!” explained Douglas.

Have you found any info on the Lizzy tape?
“The tape was recorded at Wessex Sound Studios in London, and is now in the hands of the Thin Lizzy fan club in Oswestry. They are trying to find someone with a reel-to-reel tape deck to play it on and discover whether it’s a “legendary lost recording!”

Douglas added “My sister worked as a researcher at Tyne Tees TV, her boyfriend was a film maker, Derek Smith, I helped him out with the German end of researching and translating bits and pieces for one of his films about artists interned on the Isle of Man 1940. It won RTS best documentary award 1990”.

The research sounds interesting…

“To be honest – I love it! Derek asked me to see what I could find out about the exiled Germans, so I started trawling all the sources I could find here. He said he was going to mention me by name in the credits, but maybe he forgot!

Any other projects that you are working on?
“Together with a retired miner and dowser from Huddersfield, I worked for a couple of years on finding locations of all the former fireclay and coal mines, pits and shafts in the West Riding of Yorkshire and turned the data into a map, which has since been shown during presentations at places like the National Coal Mining Museum”.

“In the same vein I’m currently helping a YouTuber in the Leeds area who’s working on the history of a no longer existent late 19th early 20th century mineral railway in the village of New Farnley, near Leeds, where I was born. Digging out old photos, maps – including my own and family histories”.

“But yeah It would be interesting to find out about the Tyne Tees demo tapes. I’ll get back to you if I hear anything new”.

If you have any info on the tapes leave a message on here or drop a line to garyalikivi@yahoo.com and I’ll pass it on to Douglas.

Alikivi   February 2024

LIVE BLOOD – New album from Tygers of Pan Tang

/ Alikivi

First rumble of thunder out of Whitley Bay was way back when their first single was recorded at the legendary Neat records in Wallsend. Now after nearly half a century the NWOBHM flag bearers Tygers of Pan Tang are not ready to throw the towel in just yet as they prepare to unleash a live album.

Vocalist Jack Meille explained “Recording a live album after all this time? I never thought I would experience it but with the Tygers I have learnt that the impossible is possible. ‘Live Blood’ captures all the energy we deliver while playing our favourite songs live and raw!” 

Recorded in summer 2023 at The Patriot in Wales, with guitarist Robb Weir, vocalist Jack Meille, drummer Craig Ellis, guitarist Francesco Marras and bass player Huw Holding, the set includes Euthanasia, Love Don’t Stay, Paris By Air and Love Potion No.9 from their first albums plus Edge of the World, Fire on the Horizon and A New Heartbeat from the latest album ‘Bloodlines’.

‘Live Blood’ will be released on April 26th 2024 via Mighty Music. The double LP includes three exclusive bonus tracks, it’s also available on CD and digital formats. Pre-orders and full track listing are available here.

Robb Weir added “Every time we play a show we’re asked when are we going to record a new live album. Our live show adds a new dimension to the old songs and allows us to stretch out a bit on the newer numbers”. 

The album will be preceded by two singles – the live favourite Gangland from their legendary album ‘Spellbound’ and Keeping Me Alive from ‘Ambush’.

For more info > 

Tygers Of Pan Tang – TargetShop

or check the official website >  

Tygers Of Pan Tang – The Official Site

Alikivi    February 2024

BLOOD TIES for the GODFATHERS OF THRASH – RAVEN

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After 50 years in the business what gets you up in the morning?

It’s in our blood. We love being on the road and the whole process. But it’s really all about those few hours on stage. We may have been doing this for 50 years but believe me, it never gets old and we never take it for granted. We are incredibly lucky and humbled by the fact that we get the opportunity to go out and play our music all over the world! …explained Chief headbanger John Gallagher (bass & vocals)

Released in June 2023 All Hell’s Breaking Loose is Raven’s latest and 15th album.

The new album has been received incredibly well, possibly the best reviews ever and the fan reaction has been equally manic!

This year the trio are preparing for a road assault on the USA and Europe. Sharing the UK bill are Girlschool, that will bring back memories from 1982 when Raven opened?

Yeah looking forward to the UK dates in February. It’s a triple headliner with Girlschool and Alcatrazz so that’s gonna be fun as we are all mates and of course we’ve toured with Girlschool a few times!

What songs are on the set list – any surprises?

We are slotting in more new songs as we go and hope to add at least one or two oldies that we’ve either rarely or never done live too.

Are there any venues/cities that you haven’t played before?

We’ll hit the usual stomping grounds of Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, London, Birmingham and Southampton – which I think we only did once before in 1982 which was with Girlschool!

Following that is the US tour in March through to May which will be a stormer and Japan at the end of May followed by a brace of Euro festivals!

Check the official website for albums, merch & tour dates >

https://ravenlunatics.com/

Alikivi    January 2024

GANGBUSTING NWOBHM in Newcastle Trillians

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Trillians Rock Bar is fronting a chain of gigs by New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. Prepare yersel for an avalanche of soaring vocals, drums like cannons and torpedo tipped solo’s.

In the coming months Newcastle aims to melt yer ears with Tytan, Di’Anno, Millennium, Spartan Warrior, Girlschool, Alcatrazz, Raven and the Tygers of Pan Tang – make no bones about it the gangbusters are in town.

First up on Friday November 3rd is a triple punch powerplay from Tytan, Spartan Warrior and Millennium. Front man Mark Duffy explained…“I think the NWOBHM scene has lasted so long because it’s produced so many good bands who recorded great records. There’s also a younger generation who are discovering these bands for the first time”.

Spartan Warrior vocalist Dave Wilkinson added…“We’re excited to be co headlining with our friends Tytan, it’s going to be a great night for sure. We have a long history with Millennium who were our Guardian label mates, so in our 40th Anniversary year that’s a bit special too”.

Tytan’s Chief, Kev Riddles, chipped in…“I always feel a little pressure when playing the North East, this year we’ll be lucky enough to play alongside Spartan Warrior at Trillians again”.

Playing on home turf, Tygers of Pan Tang will be looking to deliver thunder from their recent album Bloodlines, plus mixing in some lightning strike favourites from their extensive back catalogue on Friday November 23.

Two days before that former Iron Maiden front man Paul Di’Anno, who was present at the birth of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, holds court at a sold out Trillian’s.

Keeping yer plugged in for 2024 a bone crunching date of 15 February has been set for Girlschool, Alcatrazz and Chief Headbangers Raven as part of a Heavy Metal Assault tour – aye Heavy Metal with a capital H. Be careful out there.

For more info & tickets contact the official website:

Trillians Rock Bar (trilliansnewcastle.co.uk)

Alikivi   October 2023

Interview with Kev Riddles May 2017:

BACK IN THE RING – Going Another Round with NWOBHM band Tytan | ALIKIVI UK : NORTH EAST CULTURE (garyalikivi.com)

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND

/ Alikivi

The site has over 350,000 hits on a blog which when it first went live in 2017 I thought would be read by half a dozen people a day. To mark the occasion here’s snippets from the first few posts which gave the site a solid start and built to around 1,000 reads per week.

If you’ve read the blog a big thanks for your support – much appreciated. If you haven’t, why not give it a go there’s hundreds of great interviews featured, you might be surprised.

“The kids were hungry for this noise, anger, excitement and a do it yourself attitude. It was definitely getting to me, getting in my blood, this raw and visceral sound was becoming addictive. The term New Wave of British Heavy Metal had been coined by then, and yeah it really was a new wave and you’ve gotta go with it… and we did” Brian Ross.

“We jumped on a ferry to do some gigs in Holland. We took this thing around Europe and by then the whole British Heavy Metal scene was red hot so it was one mad scene of gig here, gig there, some stories you can’t tell. When you’ve played the Royal Standard in Walthamstow in front of fifty people and they aren’t interested, then you get out here where they are running after your car, sign my booby and all that, that’s gonna turn anybodys head…and it did” Lou Taylor.

“I remember Joe Strummer saying we’re coming to your gig tonight do you mind if I bring Iggy Pop? We said ‘aye go on then’. The gig was in New York we walked on stage, the lights blazed on and Mensi screamed “We’re the Angelic Upstarts, We’re from England, 1,2,3,4” as I strummed my guitar there was an almighty bang, it all went dark then nothing. There was a huge power cut. They couldn’t get it sorted out so we jumped off stage and went to the bar at the back where The Clash were standing and I ordered a Jack and Coke and said to Iggy Pop “It’ll be sorted in a minute, this sort of thing happens to us all the time” Mond Cowie.

“Creative process for me is always different, some are instant, some are like pulling teeth and it goes on for years, literally. You never can tell. Just have to have a good memory really. Lately I’ve been able to do a single album, a double album and now a triple album. Mind you I’m not planning to buy a yacht or anything on the proceeds!” Bernie Torme

“I remember Bordello doing a showcase for CBS. We really went for it, putting our heart and soul into it you know. A guy called Dave Novek came along to have a look at us, we really laid it on in a good studio. But we found out that we ‘weren’t quite what they were looking for’. A couple of weeks later he signed Sigue Sigue Sputnik!’ Go figure!” Steve Dawson

“I remember getting a call around 1981 from NEAT records owner Dave Woods he asked me if NEAT could include our song ‘Flying High’ on a compilation they were producing called ‘Lead Weight’. Well of course I said yes when he listed the other bands who were going to be on – Fist, Venom, Raven just those three names were enough, they were THE Heavy Metal bands from the North East and to be in their company was fantastic for Warrior. Yes really proud of that”  Dave Dawson.

“1983 saw Cloven Hoof touring throughout the length and breadth of the UK, earning ourselves a sizable underground cult following. In the summer of that year the band recorded a four-track session for the Tommy Vance Friday Rock Show on Radio One and on the strength of the bands popularity Tyneside based NEAT Records signed us to record our first album. Things were starting to happen for the band, we were really in the mix” Lee Payne.

Check the About page above for a full list of features and interviews.

Alikivi  October 2023