The Australian Connection

My last three gigs in Newcastle have had an antipodean theme running through the. There has been a Nick Cave night, Dave Swarbrick regaled us with tales of his time in New South Wales and tonight Pauline Murray was playing a warm up gig for her Australian tour.

The location was the Tyneside Bar and Cafe which is a great venue for intimate acoustic gigs.

Pauline Warms Up

I spoke to Pauline , before and after the gig , and she was lovely and engaging, signing CDs for many people and talking and finding time for everyone. Unfortunately I'd left my wallet at home so could n't buy a copy of the CD (which you can get here) but I will get myself a copy tomorrow, I owe her for an excellent gig.





To be on a stage with just you and an acoustic guitar must be daunting , but the guitar sound and her voice perfectly complemented each other and and sounded full and warm , making the hour she was onstage seem like five minutes to the appreciative audience. Australia is certainly in for a treat and hope she will treat the UK to some more solo outings.

It's funny , while Penetration were one of my favourite bands I never saw them in my youth but have seen them twice recently, so this was the third time I've got to see Pauline. Click here to see the other gigs I documented.

Tonight Pauline played a selection of new songs , Invisible Girl's songs and Penetration songs including Lovers of Outrage, Don't Dictate before finishing with a surprise excellent Australian standard. Although I knew the band versions of the songs the stripped down acoustic performances by Pauline showed how brilliant they are.

All in another great night at the Tyneside provide by my a wonderful singer, and the company of friends old and new. A great night.

Three Tuns of Rebellious Penetration

I had no intention of doing a blog post for this gig, which was my first at The Three Tuns in Gateshead, but the bands and the venues were so good that I needed to actually get something down. This blog is fairly sporadic so it's unusual that Penetration get two write ups with a twelve month period, although they are a superb band.

This was Penetration's warm up gig for Rebellion , at the Three Tuns in Gateshead. However before they took the stage there were two other bands on the bill , Toxic and Go Go Midgets.

Toxic:

Toxic at The Three Tuns

Opened with a series of excellent Clash covers before including classics by Stiff Little Fingers and The Ruts, their set was over quickly but contained loads of quality music brilliantly played. Well worth checking out. Their Facebook page is here with lots of pictures and music to listen to. A great opener and the sort of band who give me a reason not to miss support bands.




Go Go Midgets:

Go Go Midgets EP

There's always a danger when a band plays original material that everyone leaved for the bar , especially when being sandwiched between and excellent covers band and a headliner who everyone has really come to see. Go Go Midgets are a three piece metal band who are anything but midgets and had the crowd on their side from the off. I can't remember the titles of their songs but by the end I was hooked and if I had left after they finished I would have had a great great night. The also gave away a copy of their EP "Beneath The Valley OF The Ultramidgets" which is a great way of spreading the word. Again another band worth checking out. Here's their page with music and pictures.

Penetration:

Penetration In Flight

By the time Penetration took the stage the place was getting hot. Pauline was in excellent voice from the off as they tore through lots of their classics Life's A Gamble , Don't Dictate , Patti Smith's Free Money before finishing off with Firing Squad after cajoling from the crowd for an encore. This was the warm up for Rebellion and they certainly warmed the crowd at the Three Tuns. Pauline looked and sounded brilliant and the band were superb. The only song I didn't recognise was Sea Song , so I will be checking that out sometime today.

An amazing night was had by all.