Have you ever stopped to think about who you’ve seen live but didn’t mean to. Those gigs you just went to because everyone else was or the support bands, not who went on to be huge, but who didn’t go on to do anything much at all. There’s dozens of them. Entirely forgettable. I’ve seen people you’d never think I’d have seen.
Take Judie Tzuke for example. I saw her at Newcastle Poly in 1979. It was just one of those gigs we went to, a night out. All I remember is she had big hair and a full set of white teeth.
Similarly, I saw Widowmaker supporting Uriah Heep. They were touring their first album, a good album, but they came and went and I wasn’t impressed by Bob Daisley who went on to be an important player in 80s rock or Mott’s Ariel Bender on guitar. I think Hawkwind’s Huw Lloyd-Langton also played guitar.
Supercharge supported Wishbone Ash, but I was comatose from the drink.
Arbre supported Chris Rea in Middlesbrough. Earnest gentleman who played sub-Eagles soft rock.
I remember going to see Slade because it was a Xmas 'do' in 1981, before they had that brief revival. I think there was a support, but I must have been otherwise engaged. The only thing I recall is Dawn had a skin-tight pair of bright red corduroy dungarees on.
I think I saw Al Stewart in Middlesbrough, but I was so bored, I’ve erased it from my synapses. I saw Bethnal supporting Hawkwind at Newcastle City Hall. I like their records now, but back then they were bar material.
Back in 1976, believe it or not Mr Pugh’s Puppet Theatre supported Eric Capton. A puppet theatre? Bar. Apparently Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance also played but I’ve no memory of it.
Easy Street supported Barclay James Harvest, a soft rock band who were around for a couple of years and albums but they were instantly forgettable.
We went to see Greg Lake at the Mayfair (with Gary Moore) which I’ve written about before. The support band that night was Voyager, a pop/rock band from Newbury, who had a hit with Halfway Hotel and nothing else. Entirely unmemorable.
There must be many others that I’ve forgotten who were radically unimpressive, because I think back then, bands put a rubbish support band on to make themselves sound better in the UK.
