I Could Be Dead Or.............: LoGOz - 02 Academy headline gig 18/09/15

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.

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'.

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

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.