REWRITING RORY

To kick off our new On the Road series, we’ve gathered a number of original fan reviews from Rory’s 1988 UK tour, which started on this day 35 years ago at the Dominion in London and wrapped up on 14^th December at the Borderline Club, also in London. All of these reviews were first published in the Rory fanzine Deuce.

London, 18 November 1988 and Folkestone, 28 November 1988

I’ll give some short resumes of the two gigs Rory gave in London and Folkestone. At the Dominion Theatre, there was a great atmosphere. Rory and his band played for a full house. The crowd enjoyed the show very much. They often sang along with some songs, like ‘Out on the Western Plain’ and ‘I Wonder Who’.

There were very good acoustics in that theatre and we most certainly should mention the good Phil McDonnell for this. The sound was just outstanding. Rory played these songs in order: Continental Op, Kickback City, Garbage Man, The Loop, Don’t Start Me Talkin’, Seems to Me, Off the Handle (very long and well performed), Moonchild, Tattoo’d Lady (there, he played a never heard intro for about two minutes. Just phenomenal. We looked at each other and wondered what he was going to play), Out on the Western Plain, Walkin’ Blues (beautiful ensemble with Mark Feltham), Pistol Slapper Blues, Double Vision. I Wonder Who, Shadow Play (first encore), When My Baby She Left Me (second encore), Messin’ with the Kid, Bullfrog Blues. The show lasted about two hours. The only disadvantage in the Dominion is the seats. There’s no contact between Rory and the audience and that’s very hard for the fans. You just cannot enjoy the show sitting on your seat.

Folkestone on 28th November 1988 was a completely different experience. There were only about 500 fans at the most. However, there was little atmosphere in the hall. The sound wasn’t that good either. The Right Stuff were again Rory’s guests, but they couldn’t persuade us. He played almost the same songs as in London, but only did one encore, which is very unusual. But at last, we could meet him afterwards and that was our aim. The photograph, which Rory signed especially to all the Deuce members, was also taken during the Folkestone concert.

Ronny de Craemer

St Austell, 9th December 1988

Cornwall Coliseum comprises a large arena in a building block situated right on the beach at Carlyon Bay near the town of St Austell on the southern Cornwall coast. The venue was an all standing one and gradually the audience left the bars and assembled themselves across the arena floor area, being predominantly of the masculine gender though not exclusively. On this occasion, the familiar Vox AC30 combo set alongside a Marshall plus Amp head drivers to provide that extra punch, Mark Feltham’s favoured Fender Amp now reposes on the floor tilted backwards to project the amp sound up at an angle. At 8.45pm the house lights dimmed, the usual short introduction was made over the PA. The band members appeared, shortly followed by Rory at the double to enthusiastic cheers. The normal short greeting was proffered with the admission that Cornwall has not been visited by the band for some considerable time past (the South West Peninsula was entirely omitted on the 87 Defender tour).

After these usual brief preliminaries, Rory launched straight into the by now familiar opener ‘Continental Op’. The song order was: Continental Op, Moonchild, I Wonder Who, Don’t Start Me Talkin’, Tattoo’d  Lady, Off the Handle, Shin Kicker, Out on the Western Plain, Walkin’ Blues, Pistol Slapper Blues, Keep Your Hands Off Her, Kickback City, A Million Miles Away, The Loop (followed by a few bars of La Bamba). 10.15pm end of third section of concert. “Thanks and goodnight” from Rory. Band exits to loud applause.

First encore was ‘Shadow Play’, then ‘Messin’ with the Kid’, ‘Tobacco Road’, ‘Nadine’ (up tempo version). Second encore – here my recollections are somewhat hazy owing to a disturbance in the audience, but I think it was ‘Bullfrog Blues’, ‘Loanshark Blues’. End approx. 11.00pm. Having the previous night off had obviously stood Rory in good stead as he was at his brilliant best and played with great vitality and was very energetic on stage, belying the march of time and the previous 16 dates prior to the Cornwall show, he was sharp  and his voice had not discernibly lost any of its clarity of power and overall it was a lively and remarkable return to Cornwall, a performance befitting the occasion of the band’s appearance to an area too long overdue for a visit.

Let’s hope it will become a regular date on future tours. My only criticism was the PA and sound system mix, which was definitely not as good as the set up on the Defender tour. This was very muddy and breaking up at times, the cymbals seemed to be causing a lot of trouble to develop causing a messy harsh sound which seemed to dominate and cause the overall sound to break up totally at times. This conspired to produce a loss of definition and clarity to some of Rory’s guitar work. This apart, an otherwise committed and lively tour-de-force of old favourites and new material from the Irish virtuoso, the reduction of false endings to numbers is a welcome improvement,  although sometimes this element of suspense is fun if not carried to the extreme. There were no other surprises – a new song or two would have been interesting as a portent to future delights among the numbers showcased. We can never get enough of Rory’s creative song writing abilities, but we’ll have to be patient a bit longer, I guess. In a word, dynamism personified. Another ace performance.

Tom Mitchell

Birmingham Powerhouse, 11 December 1988

There was a crowd of about 1,000 at this intimate venue for the Corkman’s second UK tour in 14 months. Having attended his previous bashes at Sheffield and Manchester, I can safely say the guitar maestro still has pulling power.  A standout track for me was ‘Double Vision’, which featured some Keith Richards riffs. This number segued into ‘Polk Side Annie’, which was made famous by the legendary Elvis. Then followed Smiley Lewis’s ‘I Hear You Knocking’. Rory couldn’t remember the second verse. ‘Kickback City’ was also outstanding. On this, Rory used his right hand to press down on the bridge of the body of the guitar to create a similar effect to a tremolo arm. His playing featured the slow and measured playing at which the Irishman is master. Ever ready Gerry provided his usual stalwart support. Brendan O’Neill wasn’t noticed, which is the sign that he is now an integral part of the band.  After all, you only notice a sticksman when he makes a hash of things. Mark Feltham, who is a kind of hybrid of Little Walter and Paul Butterfield, was good. However, I’ve never heard him repeat the dynamic solo which he did on ‘Riding on the L and M’ for his previous outfit Nine Below Zero. Maybe the Gallagher band doesn’t call for this kind of playing. Other tracks featured Continental Op, I Ain’t No Saint, Loanshark Blues, The Loop, Don’t Start Me Talkin’, When My Baby She Left Me, Shin Kicker, Shadow Play, Follow Me, Bad Penny, Out on the Western Plain, Pistol Slapper Blues,  Walkin’ Blues, Tattoo’d Lady, A Million Miles Away, Bullfrog Blues, Messin’ with the Kid, I Wonder Who, Just a Little Bit, I Ain’t Mad at You.

Anon

Cardiff St Davids Hall, 12 December 1988

Rory and band back on stage in Cardiff just over a year later after their success with the Defender album in 1987. A good-sized audience proved the growing appreciation and appeal of the band and is an endorsement for Rory’s enduring commitment to hard edged rock, rhythm and blues rooted songs and his own dynamic interpretation and personal stamp of cover numbers of blues originals. St David’s Hall is a large concert theatre, with many balconies at different levels projecting cantilever fashion from the rear wall. Situated in the middle of Cardiff City, it comprises a massive block development containing many shops etc., a very modern development of recent years. 

To business –  The band was on stage at 8.40pm. Song order: Continental Op, Moonchild, long intro to I Wonder Who, The Loop, Tattoo’d Lady, I Ain’t No Saint (great harp solo by Mark Feltham), Kickback City, Off the Handle, Out on the Western Plain, Walkin’ Blues (another inspired contribution from Mark), Pistol Slapper Blues, Keep Your Hands Off Her, Don’t Start Me Talkin’, Brute Force and Ignorance, I Could’ve Had Religion, Shadow Play (including solo spots by Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neill). Encore was Messin’ with the Kid and then a medley of songs freely improvised, at least it seemed so to me, many of which I did not know around the Rory vintage.  ‘Bullfrog Blues’ given an upbeat treatment on this occasion rounding off a great evening. Ending at approx. 10.45pm.

After performing at different venues for the three previous nights, at considerable distances apart, Rory warmed up gradually, sharpening up as the night progressed. Again, the PA system was sounding messy and blew out much of the clarity of Rory’s guitar work. It did not seem compatible somehow with the Strat’s  output. I don’t know if Rory was aware of this. I think perhaps he was as he switched to the Telecaster which cut through much better on this occasion with this particular PA set up and the sound quality improved towards the latter part of the concert. Rory allowed ample opportunity to Mark Feltham to demonstrate his considerable talent to the full and he really had a good session on this occasion. Brendan as usual put in a solid night’s work punching in those vital staccato exclamation marks and full stops and layered bar endings so complimentary to Rory’s dynamic style. This intelligent use of silences to precede climactic bursts from Rory’s guitar is very pleasing and adds greatly to dramatic effect. Gerry McAvoy on bass sometimes reinforcing and underscoring Rory’s lead lines, sometimes counterpointing, getting in spaces between phrases and supplying many prompts sparking off Rory’s playing. I think perhaps it would be nice to hear a little more of the bassman’s contribution coming through which would I believe enhance the overall sound of the band. This is, of course, a purely personal opinion and impression.

Rory played several medleys mixed up with his standards, much of which was unfamiliar to me, coupled with variations on some intros, forcing one to wait to identify a familiar phrase keeping you guessing until the mystery is finally resolved by a sudden revelation of the known and loved Rory standard. This “keep on guessing what’s coming next” technique on some numbers adds to the suspense and expectancy and is a good ploy, whether intended or not for this purpose. Rory’s back in harness. May the momentum, and may his rock, rhythm and blues renaissance continue, with increasing popularity, inspire new songs and further deserved success. Oh yeah!

Guitars used: the Strat, Telecaster, Gibson (I think) and Martin acoustic

Tom Mitchell

London, 17 September 1988, London, 17 November 1988, London, 18 November 88, St Albans 2 December 1988, Reading, 3 December 88, London, 14 December 88

I had not had the chance to see Rory play for seven years from 1980 to 1987, due to a combination of living abroad and Rory not touring. I began to think that he had thrown in the towel so I was thrilled when Defender came out and a tour was announced for autumn 1987. I saw two of the gigs and enjoyed them enormously – Rory was still as great as ever. As a result, I promised myself that in future I would take every opportunity to see him play to make up for those seven years. That’s how in the autumn of 1988, I came to see Rory and the band play 6 gigs.

I had seen Rory play a number of times in years gone by, but I don’t think I had really appreciated how different each gig is in mood and content. The gig at the Town and Country was reviewed by myself and others in Deuce 45, so I will only add that it stilled my resolve to go to as many gigs as I could. Like most Deuce readers, the only way I have of finding out about Rory gigs is to scour the music and London press. However, I had real luck when my sister happened to be passing the Dominion Theatre the day the two gigs were announced. She managed to get the 6th and 7th tickets sold, and for both nights. What bliss.

The gig on the 17th in particular was worth waiting for. Rory was relaxed and enjoying himself, whilst the audience response was loud and appreciative. We had prime spots in front of the stage, practically in the centre. It was fascinating to watch Rory call out a song title, then launched straight into it, or start the song and watch Gerry and Brendan follow. Incidentally, Capital Radio, a London radio station, taped both concerts, but when I rang them up, they said they had no idea when they would be broadcast as they had a large backlog of live material. However, if you send in a SAE, they will try to send you a warning. Unless of course, they have to be transmitted at short notice to fill in a programming gap, which does not sound very encouraging. Also, there were professional photographers snapping away at both gigs. Does this mean we can expect a new album soon?

The next concert was at St Albans. The acoustics were not good and probably to overcome this, the band played a faster set than the Dominion ones, which were much more relaxed and bluesy. The City Hall as a building is sparse and bare, therefore it is difficult to get a good atmosphere. Rory and the band worked hard and it paid off with a good response from the audience.

We headed off on 3rd December for the Hexagon in Reading. I had previously bought tickets to see The Proclaimers, but when I found out that Rory was playing on the same night, there was no contest. As our luck would have it, it was raining torrentially, so we got a taxi from the station to the Hexagon, which let us off at the main entrance, which turned out to be locked. The security men inside would not let us and several other people in. We had no choice but to try and find an alternative entrance through the maze of walkways and stairs around the complex. By the time we found it, we were thoroughly soaked, having been caught in a downpour. When we complained, the management could only say that the security was hired by the band, which we found very hard to believe. The Hexagon is a very plush venue and the atmosphere is quite good, but unfortunately it wasn’t sold out. We decided to sit upstairs, as had most people, and while Rory was playing the first number, because we were sitting at the side, we could see Mark Feltham and the two roadies bringing a huge armchair round the back of the stage for Mark to sit in when he wasn’t playing. This provided much amusement for Rory and the band who could see all this.

The most surprising thing about the gig was its length. Only 1.5 hours, the shortest set I have ever seen Rory play. In fact, they only played one number after the acoustic set, which threw us completely, having settled down for another half an hour. Still, it must be said that 1.5 hours is a good set length by most standards. And yes, it was worth being soaked and missing The Proclaimers for.

The best was still to come. Spotting this gig was sheer luck. We had the wrong music paper delivered on Wednesday 14th December and for once I found the time to flick open the pages before rushing to work. There, on page three was a three-line mention of a benefit for Jo Ann Kelly, to be played by Rory that night at the Borderline. Frantic phone calls ensued to my sister and husband. Yes, they did want to go, even though it meant my sister cancelling a long-planned evening and my husband trying to ignore the fact that he was booked on the 7:30 flight to Aberdeen next morning to work for the day. I managed to get the tickets in my lunch hour and we were set for what turned out to be a wonderful evening.

The Borderline is a great venue, very small and decorated, if that’s the word, to look like a Mexican cantina, cracks and all! We arrived from work at 8:00, passing a worried looking Gerry and Mark, waiting on the street for Rory to arrive. Rory arrived around 9 and came through the club shaking hands and exchanging a few words with a few familiar faces. The band came on stage around 10 and played the best set I’ve ever seen them turn out. There was a great deal of enjoyment all round and everyone was in a very relaxed mood. Rory played a very different set to any of the previous ones I had seen him do.

Here, he seemed to be playing exactly what he wanted, including a couple of numbers none of us were familiar with. One was a brilliant Canned Heat style number which lasted half an hour. Does anyone out there have a track list for the evening to save me from my ignorance? Mark was given the lead several times during the 2.5 hours set and spurred Rory on to even greater heights. It was an evening of surprises, but particularly during the second encore when Rory jumped down off the stage and boogied with the audience for about 5 minutes. The professional photographer who was taking pictures all night really had to work to keep up with him, including clambering up on the bar and all over the place.

Then, just when we thought he was tiring, Rory leapt back on stage for the final encore. A rousing version of ‘Nadine’ and ‘I Hear You Knocking’. It was a tremendous evening, only slightly spoilt by an overenthusiastic, very drunk fan standing at the front who persistently tried to catch Rory’s attention and annoyed those around him, and even the roadies in the end. Rory’s patience was amazing. I can only echo the reviewer in the London Irish News in that it was amazing to see how many smiles were scattered around the place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many happy faces at a concert. I most certainly was one of them.

Taken altogether, the gigs represent six enormously enjoyable evenings, and I’ve gone some little way to make up for my seven years of drought. However, even though I’m still in post gig haze, I’m now looking forward to the next ones. It was so fantastic.

Make it soon, Rory!

Helen Parkinson