After seeing a number of the recent 3-man acoustic concerts(superb shows in their own right),friday night in Wakefield saw the return of THE FULL BAND.
Wow, what a brilliant night of wonderful rock music we were given.
Steve up there in his own right with a very enthusiastic and wonderfully responsive crowd in the palm of his hand,from the first notes of 'NO BLEEDING HEARTS,the punters were in a frenzy!
I had sorely missed the driving,thumping brilliance of ADAM HOUGHTON on his big drum kit(and standing out even more on a large riser at the back of the stage),and I must mention new bass player MARTY PRIOR who has slotted in perfectly following the sad loss of LINCOLN ANDERSON youu will forever be in the hearts and minds of the greater COCKNEY REBEL FAMILY,RIP..
JAMES LASCELLES was at his mischievous best,you can clearly see that little grin and the twinkle in his eye as he is given free rein as he works and tweaks those keyboards,slightly different and magical every time,reminding me of a modern day Rick Wakeman or Keith Emerson, and of course ROBBIE GLADWELL in his usual place to the left living up to his ROCK GOD status,jeez how that man can play guitar as he does is beyond me.
Of course up there driving,orchestrating,cajoling mastering the whole show is the inimitable STEVE HARLEY.
The venue was really good too,reminiscent of The robin2 at Bilston or
the Leadmill in Sheffield,producing a superb sound and the lighting too was fantastic.
The great thing on Friday was that Steve built the whole thing from beginning to end and played two and a half hours straight through without a break....oh the good old days...and threw in a couple of old favourites not in recent sets such as STAR FOR A WEEK and SEBASTIAN.
Steve worked the perfect set list here,thumping rock numbers and intimate quieter moments,on LOVE COMPARED TO YOU,A FRIEND FOR LIFE and COAST OF AMALFI.
Once again though a special mention for BARRY WICKENS,What a musician this man is,with his magnificent solos on THE LIGHTHOUSE and SEBASTIAN,just mesmerising the audience all night long.I did write down the full set list (19 songs in total) but will not spoil it for people who did not see Fridays show,but who may be going to YORK BARBICAN in December,get your tickets if you have not done so because I reckon there will be a lot of people heading up there from Wakefield to catch this show again.
After the concert I spoke to a couple of the venue staff,a security guy who had only heard of Cockney Rebel through THAT SONG but said it was the best band/show he had ever seen ! and a barman who was only around twenty years old who said,qoute....'that was f****ing awesome,I need to change my musical tastes'... ,enough said two more fans at least gained on another brilliant night.
Thanks guys for the show,
until York,greetings from planet Harley,
Jimbo.

p.s.GET WELL SOON JULIE BROWN who could not make it after being hospitalised a couple of days before,we missed you lass!!

Hi Jimbo,

Great to meet you on Friday night and thanks for a comprehensive and eloquent summary of the concert. I particularly liked hearing the feedback you gave from the staff at Warehouse 23.

Having been to five of the acoustic sets over the last few weeks up and down the country (starting at The Stables and finishing at Pontardawe), I hadn't really planned to go to the Wakefield gig. However my sister and I decided we just couldn't miss another "Harley fix", so braved the three & a half hour trip up the M1 in the torrential rain. And it was so worth it. Steve, Adam, James, Barry, Robbie and Marty were all excellent, Steve wooed the crowd with his charm, The set list combination was magical and the atmosphere fantastic.

I remember glancing across at you several times when we were both singing our hearts out.

We met some people who had never seen the band before and they were well and truly hooked!

I hadn't planned to go to the York gig, but now find myself with my finger hovering over the "book now" button.

Suemo1

I am about to return two excellent tickets to the York box office - stalls B21 and B22. Please call me on 01977 596174 if you would like to buy them.

By the way Jimbo, to be pedantic, it was a 20-song set lasting 2 1/4 hours with no surprises, ie no rarely/never played before songs.

I hope Julie gets well soon. The last time I saw her was at Pocklington a few weeks ago and her leg was in a pot!

Star For A Week was certainly a rarity, Graham. Saturday Night At The Fair - is that often played? Compared With You even surprised the band! And Jimbo was right about the set, well, maybe it was 20 not 19 songs, but they arrived on stage a few minutes after 8.15 and didn't leave until 10.45 - 2 and a half hours non-stop, and a fabulous, really exciting night. Great atmos from the partying northern crowd, which Steve acknowledged and really appreciated. I've got a pair of stalls seats just behind yours for York, so anyone who buys them, say "hello"!! And if Steve reads these comments, would love to hear "Big Big Deal" as I missed the shows where it was played earlier this year. ROB

...How do you "return" tickets, Graham? Mine were paid for when I booked.

Hi Robert

2025 to 2240 = 2 1/4. Period.

Each to their own, but I have been going to four or five gigs a year since 1989 - and have the set lists - and go to hear more obscure songs rather than to sing-a-long to the hits!

The songs you quote have been played in the last few years...however tracks like 'Panorama', 'How Good It Feels', '(If This is Love)Give Me More', 'Carry Me Mama' etc. haven't been played for a while.

Personally, I think it is time to give some of the songs with extended outros a well overdue rest, eg The Lighthouse, Sling It! and Riding the Waves, to make room for another song or two.

The York gig was rearranged from September and anyone who can't make the December date can get a refund.

Kind regards.

Graham