Solo Warkworth gig / AcoustiCalendar Song #39

A LoGOz free weekend meant another solo gig opportunity for moi! So as Paul chilled out and walked his dog, Harry continues to recover at home and Carl immerses himself in Metal, work and gaming, it was time to for me to make my debut in the idyllic surroundings of Warkworth. The Sun Hotel to be precise, with the imposing Castle overlooking proceedings. Cool. 

As we pulled up around 8:30pm there was already a wedding bash in full swing in the main room. As we passed by the window we could see and hear the familiar strains of cheesy pop songs, as kids slid on their knees, tables of food left untouched, and some seriously bad Dad dancing by men in kilts uncomfortably bopping the night away! We were greeted warmly by Mel Allen from Acoustic Magic who informed me I'd be playing second slot out of 3 acts at 9:45pm. Nice one. With it being a busy room as Mel set up we asked if there was anywhere I could have a quick warm up? I was ushered upstairs to one of the vacant hotel rooms. Very hospitable I thought. Until I realised the downstairs bogs were knackered and this room was also the emergency toilet! Call me what you will but as people queued up to relieve themselves I couldn't really relax and concentrate as a stranger defecated only yards away from me! So me and Clemmy popped outside, with my guitar strapped on for some alfresco warm ups! As we chatted and I strummed away we were joined by a wedding reveller, a well dressed gentleman who could've walked straight off the Godfather Film set. With a cigarette in his mouth and violin case nowhere to be seen we chewed the fat all things musical as he ripped apart shows like The X Factor much to our amusement. Using more swear words than necessary he told us how The fucking Jam were his fucking favourite fucking band, and how he thought my guitar sounded shit hot in the car park but I needed more bass bollocks to beef the bastard up! Glorious. We could've talked all night but he was beckoned by his nagging wife to go back inside for some curry! Nice.

By this time, opening act Tinny started his set with a note perfect rendition of 'Here Comes the Sun' the George Harrison penned classic  by The Beatles. As we were about to head inside to enjoy this we were collared by a group of refreshed locals who were coming to the Acoustic event. As more great banter flowed with these colourful characters I loved this place already and I had a crowd on my side before I'd even played a note!! Although one refined lady did remark "If ya fucking shite I'll let you kna". Charming :)

Before I knew it was time for my set. As l plugged in, within seconds I was kicking off with standard set opener 'The Ballad of the Disenchanted'. The rooms reaction to the first song was great but something didn't sound quite right to me from where I was standing! I cant quite put my finger on what it was! Maybe l hadn't adjusted my onstage guitar settings correctly or the unfamiliarity of a new venue I don't know. But hey, I'm not complaining, and by about the 4th song in I hit my stride and I was rolling :) Tonight I debuted 2 songs with 'A Way of Life' and 'Internet Best Friend' getting their first run outs, and I'm pleased to say they both went down great :) By the end of the set strangers danced, clapped and sang along to songs they were literally hearing for the first time! It doesn't get much better than that really. A very rewarding performance, and as flyers were snapped up and CDs were purchased, the night just got better. After the set Clemmy and myself took a stroll outside again to the top of the road, and to the foot of Warkworth Castle. As we stood in awe of the cool eeriness, we were joined by 2 young lasses who had just come out to chat and say how much they loved the gig. Cool. We headed back inside to catch Gary Spalding's polished set of covers including the popular 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. All in all a successful return to the solo gig circuit and to  a place l/we very much look forward to returning to in the future. Thanks as ever to Auntie Mel at Acoustic Magic and everyone at The Sun Hotel. Cheers to Tinny and Gary for great sets, and to Leanne for tattoos and drinking! Last but not least special mention to Jill Bee and Clemmy as always!

So onto Monday again as I find myself at Song #39 out of 52 in this mammoth AcoustiCalendar project! The weeks are just flying by! This weeks song is 'THE LiFE & TiMES OF ViCTOR SHELDON'. The song is again from personal experience and the loss of one of my oldest friends who sadly died in 2001 aged just 27. The name Victor Sheldon comes from a mix of daft nicknames he had at school. I wont give out his real identity but some very close to me will know who I'm talking about. Its a sad tale of a lad who had it all in terms of looks, ability, popularity etc. But he willingly got in with the wrong crowd of people in a life of crime and drink and drugs etc from an early age. The fact that it was no surprise when I heard he had died made the inevitable even more tragic. As ever you can download this song for Free at www.logozworld.com/52 and will be available for 7 days until the next track is uploaded.

Cheerz

Peesh x

LoGOz - 02 Academy headline gig 18/09/15 - AcoustiCalendar Song #38

Well the big day had finally arrived, and not without its fair share of ups and downs along the way either! But today and tonight we just had to make sure we delivered a cracking show from top to bottom to the best of our ability! Nothing else would have sufficed! So as we rolled up to the 02 Academy in Newcastle for load in and just in time to see that The Bluetones (who are playing downstairs tonight) had nicked the main parking spaces with their grandiose Tour bus! Sheesh, these 90's indie blokes eh what they like ;) Nevermind, as we loaded in time was well on our side and swiftly set up and after a few technical sonic adjustments we nailed a soundcheck that sported quite a hefty pair of bollocks! Then the task of putting our brand new mammoth back drop banner was upon us! With a little help from Flamin Eights main man John and Paul LoGOz, we got the bastard up! At one point it was almost looking like a Spinal Tap moment with the banner seemingly looking too big for the stage! Please tell us we're not changing our name to 'LoG' for the night! But it actually turned out to be made to measure perfectly. Things were going too well :) We had time to nip outside for a quick snap of the billing headers above the doors at the front of the Academy, which saw us up there with The Wildhearts, as well as The Bluetones.

(c) Keith Talbot

As the rest  of the bands on the bill started to appear, there was some cool friendly banter being thrown around and the room starting to fill up, before we knew it was time for Aces & Sinners to hit the stage. Having only heard a few tracks on Soundcloud I was looking forward to seeing these young chaps. With my mind still obviously on all things LoGOz l enjoyed what I saw of the lads with their diverse melodic alternative millenium rock! The band still seem like they are searching for their real identity but the potential is there, and with a little more stage presence they could be ones to watch! I'll be keeping a cheeky eye on these lads!

Next up we had our resident support buddies The Halfcuts. With their infectious brand of Ronseal punk rock they did exactly what it says on the tin. Delivering a no nonsense half hour the three Northumberamones ripped through their 10 song set that certainly warmed up the now bustling Academy crowd. The highlight for me being the sublime 'Seratonin'.

(c) Peter Alan  Reed

 Then it was time for the return of The Flamin Eights. I know these lads well and have shared a few stages with them back in my Junkster days! But having recently reformed and now with my ex Blisters & Junkster mate Neil on Bass they are back with a new EP and back on the gig circuit! Kicking straight in with new song from the brand spankin' EP 'Do it Again' it was great to see the lads back to doing what they do best! With their own brand loud aggressive in yer face voodoo punk metal they produced a face melting set and after a flaming eight year absence, well worth the wait. Finishing off with a double whammy of the disturbingly schizo 'Paranoid City' followed by old favourite 'Broon Dawg' the band made sure you knew they were back in Town!

The night was running like clockwork and the room was hot sweaty and very busy by now! As 9pm approached and we changed into our stage gear the adrenalin rush was kicking in and nerves were pumping, but only helped to heighten the senses and anticipation! As the lights went down we crept onto the stage armed with guitars and sticks ready to rip it up! As the final strains of our intro tape were fading out we blasted straight into 'Long Time Dead' much to the joy of the bouncing crowd! Familiar, as well as unfamiliar folk danced and sang and punched the air as myself, Paul and Carl

(c) Alan Harrison

played our arses off! Standing proud in front of so many people who had bought tickets and turned out to see us was just amazing! Forgive me for being a little over sentimental in all this, but if you had known all the hard work that went into putting this event on as well as the ups and downs of the last few months you'd understand! Trust me. So actually, I'll rephrase that, I make no apology for my over excitedness haha :) We had a 14 song set including new-ish track and Carls debut playing 'Anti-Social Media' which went down a storm! Ending on 'Joie de Vivre' and with all thoughts on an encore, we weren't disappointed as the crowd demanded more! We were more than happy to oblige. Stepping back into the stage we gave them the Sex Pistols classic 'Pretty Vacant' before finishing a cracking gig with 'Mexicola'. 

The reception was truly amazing, I just wish we'd had more time to savour it! But no sooner had we finished, the house lights were up and security were ushering everyone out the door! To be honest I cant think of how this event could have gone better! Maybe just the fact that there were more than a few absent faces/friends/fans who couldn't make it for one reason or another! Shame, cos you really did miss a special night. I just want to thank all the bands for putting in great performances. Also cheers to Phil Beevers, top man at The Academy who was a pleasure to deal with and we look forward to working together again. Also special mention to LoGOz manager Clemmy Scotswood and Jill Bee for all the hard work behind the scenes leading up to this gig. Cheers to photographers Alan Harrison, Peter Reed and Keith Talbot for some cool shots. Last but not least a big thank you to everyone who bought tickets, came to the show and helped make it a night we'll never forget :) You know who you are!!!

After all the excitement of the weekend, before you know it Monday rolls round again! That also means its new AcoustiCalendar Song #38 THE FRiDAY HOP. This is a trip down memory lane to the early 80's as a very young laddie where me, my brother and a few mates used to sneak into a local disco venue on a Friday night called The Hop. It was so long ago and being so young my memory is a little hazy! But I do remember seeing all the 'young adults' of the day from the different scenes of the time. There were a few skinheads, new romantics, punks, heavy metallers, even teddy boys! I just remember thinking how great it must be being older, smoking and drinking etc haha! Those memories always stayed with me so what better way to bring them back to life with the gift of song :) For those of you Ashingtonians interested, The Hop used to be on Hawthorn Road, where the knackered old empty Tempo Club building is. As ever you can download this song from www.logozworld.com/52 for FREE and is available for seven days until the next track is uploaded. 

That's it for now lads and lasses

Cheerz

Peesh x

Check out more photos from Keith, Peter and Alan:

Keith Talbot

Peter Alan Reed

Alan Harrison

Also, check out Rocking Magpie's review of the evening!

Rocking Magpie

LoGOz - Academy Gig 18/09/15 - Radio Show - AcoustiCalendar Song #37

Just to remind you lads and lasses not long to go now until our very first headline gig at the 02 Academy in Newcastle, this Friday September 18th. You can still buy tickets directly from us for £6 by emailing clemmyscotswood@gmail.com or at www.logozworld.com/contact 

Alternatively you can still buy tickets from the Academy, subject to booking fee. Or you can also ask to be on our guest list and pay the £6 on the door on the night. So there's still a few options left to get to this cracking gig, so please let us know asap, you wouldn't wanna miss this would you?

Remember to get down early as ACES & SINNERS will be opening up the night at 6:45pm. Next up its the HALFCUTS at 7:30pm followed by FLAMIN EIGHTS at 8:15pm. Then we LoGOz will be closing the night in style with an hour's set from 9 until 10pm. We hope to see lots of your smiley sweaty faces down the front making a noise with the boys!!!

Unfortunately drummer Harry is still on the sidelines following his recent illness so sadly he cant make Fridays gig. But we know he'll be there in spirit and we continually wish him all the best on his road to recovery. In the meantime Carlos Bennett will be filling in admirably. After the recent Coquetfest gig and last weeks band practice proved, we're more than ready for this show!!!

To celebrate this momentous occasion I've dedicated my

usual Anarchy in the USA show to this Fridays gig. So tune into www.radionorthumberland.com and click Listen Live on Wednesday night September 16th at 10pm for the one hour special that is ANARCHY AT THE ACADEMY. This edition will feature all of the bands on Fridays bill including the brand new track from the recently reformed Flamin Eights. I will also be playing some the artists that have inspired myself and indeed LoGOz over the years, including The Wildhearts, Rancid, Sex Pistols and more :) As well as all this great music I'll be answering some of your Questions kindly sent over via Twitter. I hope you can tune in, its gonna be a cracking show!

Don't forget you can download my brand new AcoustiCalendar Song #37 iNTERNET BEST FRiEND from www.logozworld.com/52 This weeks offering is a tongue in cheeky stab at the modern way of displaying popularity via the gift of online chums! We're all probably guilty of it one way or another haha! Its a light hearted piss take on the selfie obsessed devil in us all. Not to be taken too seriously, but please listen to the lyrics :) Almost to the tune of 'Fog on the Tyne'...all together now ''All of you friends are online online, all of your friends are online''. As ever this song will be available to download for FREE until the next track is uploaded next Monday!

That's all for now lads and lasses!!!

See ya on Friday!

Cheerz

Peesh x

Solo Studio Recording / LoGOz Coquetfest Review & AcoustiCalendar Song #36

Time to recap on the last week or so of music in this space time continuum I think?! Last Thursday I was back at Mill Studios in Alnwick for a solo session under the watchful eye of the engineer of rock Mr Ally Lee. This was almost like an experiment with the plan being to record one of my AcoustiCalendar tracks. But this time giving it the full band all singing all dancing sonic backing these songs truly deserve. So with the sound suggestion of Manager Clemmy Scotswood we decided that KEEP YA TiMBER iN AND YA POWDER DRY would get the full treatment. The song itself is the brief story of Ashington/Northumberland Miners and the hardship they endured back in the day. Anyway enough of the history lesson, we wasted no time in getting down to business as I laid down an acoustic guitar track to get things started. More electric and bass guitars were laid down as were drums and percussion and the track began to gather momentum. This was all very satisfying stuff as, even though suffering from an annoying cold the vocals were smoothly recorded too. Ally then pitched in with a requested joyous mandolin intro as well as backing vocals and within no time the song was complete! The transformation from the one voice one guitar demo, to the urban folk punk pop sing a long we now have before our ears was tremendous! This song ended up being nothing like I expected it to sounded like, but everything I wanted it to be! I can't wait for you all to hear the fruits of this session very soon! Watch this space! Big thanks to Ally as always :)

So onto Saturday and LoGOz at the Coquetfest at Druridge Bay Country Park. After a busy morning and early afternoon we were slightly behind schedule as we got on site around 3pm, only 30 minutes before stage time. As we strolled through the festival with our gear heading for the Tent it was good to see lots of familiar faces going the same way! As we quickly set up, the tent filled up nicely and was great to see people itching to see the band! Also cool to see a few members of local acts ST. JAMES INFIRMARY, FROM ORDER COMES CHAOS, COLLISION, and FLAMIN EIGHTS in the crowd lending their support! So after a quick line sound check we were off like a shot with an enthusiastic LONG TiME DEAD blasting us into action! Carl was again on fine form filling in for Harry who is still recovering at home with his lucozade and grapes, we wish him all the best and get well soon mate! A great set was played to a brilliant crowd so thank you everyone who sang along and came to see us! Your support is always hugely appreciated! Cheers to Tony Eastlake for putting us on. Also special thanks to Jill Bee :)

Back to Monday and yet again it's AcoustiCalendar time with Song #36 SOMEWHERE iN SUBURBiA. The title just came to me from nowhere a few weeks ago so I decided to write a song based on a few dark tales I've heard while growing up. Some totally true. Some exaggerated rumours. Some probably absolute horse shit. Who knows? Somewhere in suburbia it's probably ALL true! As ever the song will be available to download for  Free from www.logozworld.com/52 for seven days until the next track is uploaded. 

To finish off I'd just like to remind you all that it's just over a week until our headline gig at the O2 Academy in Newcastle. We really wanna make this an amazing night and prove that bands like us can pack the place and put on a brilliant event! If you haven't got your tickets then you can get them directly from us here at www.logozworld.com/contact message us on facebook www.facebook.com/logoz3 or email clemmyscotswood@gmail.com.  This gig is also featuring our good friends THE HALF CUTS, THE FLAMIN EIGHTS and the recently added ACES & SINNERS. Welcome on board lads! This is gonna be a cracking night and you wouldnt wanna miss a bit of history :) Also one last thing, I just wanna say all the best to the guys in COLLISION who have sadly called it a day! We wish them all the luck with future projects and look forward to working with some of you again in the very near future :)

So that's it for now lads and lasses!

Remember...Keep ya timber in and ya powder dry :)

Cheers

Peesh x

LoGOz - Collision Wedding & Blyth Reviews / AcoustiCalendar Song #35

After a few weeks absence from the Live and thrive scene LoGOz returned last Saturday in the unfamiliar surroundings of the New Hartley Social Club. This was of course a special day, as we had been personally asked by local Punk hero, Tony Houghton from Collision and his bride to be, Karen Khaos to play their wedding bash! Our pleasure :) 

As we arrived in good time the party was already in full swing and I was lucky enough to be already wearing matching colours and attire to the black and red garments already chosen and sported by the bride and groom! Uncanny :) Getting the evening underway and spinning some top punk rock pop tunes was Alf Marchetti and co with their legendary Panda Disco, bringing back hazy memories of the old Pony Club Ashington Football Club days for me. But I digress! After a quick round of congratulations with the happy couple, it was time for a pint and a sausage on a stick! Nice. Kicking off the Live music for the night was Rob Mcdonald from Spitfire Bullets with a short acoustic set. After a few teething technical issues and time pushing on, the pint sized pocket rocket Johnny lookalike blasted through a 5 song Ramones tribute finishing with the aptly titled "Oh I Love Her So".

Next up performing on their big day it was Tony and Karen with Collision who blasted through a classic set with cracking versions of punk favourites including "New Rose" "Sound of the Suburbs" & "Anarchy in the UK" to name but a few! 

As the night was reaching its punk peak and a few of the all day family etc started to say their goodbyes, we hit the stage! Carl was back behind LoGOz drumstool, filling in for Harry as he continues to recover from his recent Hospitalisation at home. Carl did a sterling job as we tore through a fun packed 40 minute set including an unexpected collaboration with Tony for a beautifully messy "Pretty Vacant" but hey, people danced and sang and had a great time, just as they had all day and night, coz they don't care :) Only Anarchists are pretty, as Mr & Mrs Houghton proclaim :) This was their day and we were more than happy to play a part of that. Thanks again guys and congratulations!

The following day Bank Holiday Sunday saw me back at The Tavern in Blyth for a solo AcoustiCalendar set! This event was an all day bash and I had a generous 4pm slot. Just enough time to shake off the previous nights excess and get my groove on! A healthy gang had gathered for my set which was very pleasing! This was the third acoustic gig I'd played

here so it had that comfortable feel and even better to see plenty of familiar faces singing along too! I even debuted a snippet of Auf Wiedersehen Pet intro song "Breaking Away". A great end to a busy performing weekend with a difference! Thanks to everyone who came down and to Vince Race for a great job with the sound and for putting me on.

So into Monday again and the last Bank Holiday before Christmas! How scary is that? Anyway it's time for AcoustiCalendar Song #35 this week in the shape of iTS A WAY OF LiFE. Now this track is purely written and dedicated to the great Terri Hooley. If any of you are unfamiliar with this man then I highly recommend you check out the film GOOD VIBRATIONS, which is based on his life and times mainly during 1970s Belfast where he opened his legendary music shop Good Vibrations, which also became his Record Label. Once punk came along he released classic Singles like "Teenage Kicks" by The Undertones and "Big Time" by RUDI.  Almost on a one man mad crusade he brought world attention to the Northern Ireland music scene. Simply by believing in these bands and not giving a shit, it's truly inspiring. As he has famously said Good Vibrations wasn't a shop, it wasn't a label.. It was a way of life. Hence the title. I wonder what Terri would think of the track himself :) As ever you can download the track for FREE at www.logozworld.com/52  and will be available for seven days until the next track is uploaded. Right, that's it for now I'm off to finish reading my book "Hooleygan" hmmmm wonder who that's about? Teenage kicks so hard to beat :)

Cheers
Peesh