Holmfirth, The Picturedrome, 4 June 2010 - Karen and Deb up North

After a hectic Friday morning, running around getting Deborah’s car sorted out, taxed  m.o.t'd  etc we are ready for our journey northwards. It is hot when we set out for Holmfirth and it is hot when we arrive. In between we dice with death several times on the M1, as numerous white vans and one lorry driver seem determined to obliterate us and road works push our arrival time further back. Eventually we land in Last of the Summer Wine country and find ourselves back in The Elephant and Castle, our home for the night.

 Nothing seemed to have changed , ‘Spitfire Johnny’ is still propping up the bar and the landlady still has the friendly welcoming smile;  she has greeted the Harley fans from far and wide, every time Steve Harley has come to her town.
We find the rest of the gang Graeme, MikeJ, Ann and Mark and PeterJH  taking in the sunshine in front of the Bridge Hotel, nestled up against the Picturdrome,  by the river, and we join them. We meet Keith from Manchester and the lovely Anne and William who have travelled all the way from France, we catch up with the other Graham, Roz and Mal, Hazel, Lisa and Tracy, Jim P, Neil Reedy, Julie, Phil C, Lorraine, Keri and Mair in fact, literally hundreds of fans have gathered for what they know will be a very special party and we have to say a special hello in this report to Kenny from Lincoln, as promised. Do we need to tell ya about the pending excitement; we just knew it's was going to be hot!
 
We nip back to the pub in glorious sunshine to change for the gig, with a short stopover, en route, at the fish ‘n chip shop. In the half an hour that it takes to change into, not a lot bar, a little black dress and pair of heels (Deborah) and another T-shirt and Jeans (Karen) we emerge out on to the street speechless, that the heaven's have opened and it’s raining cats and dogs; yet another night with no coat!  We beg a brolly from the lovely staff at the Elephant and we dodge the puddles and traffic and race to the venue under, what one could only be described as, a slightly worse for wear umbrella; it really has seen better days!

The Picturedome has had a face lift! The ladies loo is now no longer a cupboard with a door opening outwards perched precariously over a staircase to the downstairs bar – hoorah!  The scaffolding has been removed from the inside walls, finally revealing the detailed plaster and alabaster of days of old, which has been painted and gilded. In addition to new permanent balconies, there is a rear bar area and a new outside courtyard area, the seats are gone and tonight it’s heaving with anticipation.

Bodies everywhere, from far and wide have descended on this sleepy old Yorkshire town.
Excited chatter fills this old picture house, so much so, that when the Lartey Sisters take up their spotlight, those at the front of the stage are very aware of the wall of sound behind us all from the un- hushed crowd. Some amongst us want to shout those immortal words out across the chatter, those which the Jazz Café, down in Camden, so blatantly displays on pillars around the stage “when an artist goes live ….... STFU” ….. We did feel for Ashleigh and Faye, and so did the immediately surrounding fans.  It’s the first time on this tour (that we've witnessed) that they are not performing to a hushed attentive audience. However they have grown on this tour into two obviously very confident young ladies and they sail through their wonderful songs and repertoires with ease and grace and sheer professionalism; well done girls!  ‘Born’ is now high on Deborah's list of must haves along with ‘Nobody’s Here’; tear-jerkers the pair of them. Having obviously captivated this rowdy excitable audience, the sisters make a graceful exit, smiling they leave the stage to rapturous applause.
 
This is party night and, as we await the Man and his band of merry men and young ladies, we can feel the heat rising, and occasionally a welcome cool breeze floats in through the open side door.  The floor was packed, walls were packed, the rafters were packed, everyone’s calling his name and suddenly the band emerge from the left to take their places on the stage and launch into the opening number of ‘Faith and Virtue’ and we have our audience with the man.
Already the sweat is pouring, it is stifling hot, the crowd are moving singing and dancing their way through ‘Psychomodo’;  the beat is infectious, the drums and bass providing the underpinning and Steve’s vocals soaring with the jingle jangle of keyboard, violin and guitar pouring out a wall of sound and smiles return to our and their faces. No respite; next we take a trip down memory lane with ‘Judy Teen’. The audience here need absolutely no encouragement and the cries of ‘she made us ‘appy’ resonate from floor to ceiling. Faye and Ashley are smiling, perhaps now understanding a little of what makes this place so very special, as the crowd at the front starts to move as one and a thousand voices are entwined.

‘Panorama’ continues the relentless pace with its sharp pauses and thrusting sound. We are high on Harley and nothing but the heat is going to stop us partying all night. All around people are drenched, the heat hangs heavy in the air, water is being consumed at an alarming rate and when the opening bars of No Bleeding Hearts’ commence we slip out of the middle of the sweaty throng to stand with our backs to the wall, or in this case the open side door, to recover a little from the intensity of the first four songs and to catch breath whilst observing the sound, light and colours of this moving performance at a cooler distance. The room is transfixed. Those who already know the song are gently singing along and for those for whom it is new, it is a chance to quietly contemplate the meaning and the song writing skill of the man performing.

We find new locations from which to observe ‘True Love Will Find You in the End’ and the enigmatic and hazy ‘Mirror Freak’, watching all the time as the clever musicians before us give additional life to the songs in live performance. This is truly Steve Harley’s medium – yes, it is fantastic to have the vinyl or, nowadays, the plastic, but how much better is it to see him live? The theatrical gestures of old, the smile, the emphasis, capturing the true beauty and meaning of his songs in live performance - perfection! We are moved by the tale accompanying ‘This Old Man’ and then the glorious ‘All Men are Hungry’ which seems most appropriate with the river Holme running past just yards from the venue and yes we know there is no river in Stockholm but somehow water’s not the same and these two original fans are still singing ‘river’s edge’. The party intensifies with the arrival of ‘Mr Raffles’ and ‘Here Comes The Sun’ with voices raised so loud that the whole of Holmfirth must have heard it and once again we drag our flagging selves to the doorway to drink water – god give us water, we’re in pain! From the doorway we watch in amazement at the ‘Lighthouse’ and listen as the sound of the violin takes over and all are stunned at the musicianship on display before our eyes and ears.

Recovering briefly from the heat, we throw ourselves back into the edge of the crowd for ‘Blinded with Tears’ and gather up more energy for the delicious’ Mr Soft’ before forcing our way back to the centre stage once more where friends await – we pass over the last of our water to drenched souls who have bravely stood in the now intense heat. ‘Stranger Comes to Town’ is just beautiful and Steve takes the opportunity to thank and introduce the band – poor James misses out but Lincoln more than makes up for it, overcoming the shyness and milking the applause until Steve has to order him back into the corner, huge grins on both their faces. Sebastian is intense and the house lights red and green add to the moody and sultry atmosphere this magnificent piece provokes.
 
We know they will return – they just have to - and it is with the glorious ‘Tumbling Down’ and a crowd, now completely immersed in the sights and sounds, are singing and swaying and relishing the opportunity to sing back for their hero. Barry cannot get away and he and Steve, heads locked, harmonica and violin, build up to the magnificent refrain and there is not a voice in the house that is not declaring ‘oh dear, look what they’ve done to the blues’. ‘Journey’s End’ is thought provoking and gentle before the madness that greets ‘Make Me Smile’ and singing that goes on for what seems hours. Thank you guys and girls for one of the best party nights we, and we suspect Holmfirth, has ever had!

Finally we break out into the fresh night air. We gather, rehydrating with copious amounts of water and talking about a time ...what a time ... a few years back when Steve commented from stage about the madness of standing gigs and questioned whether we wouldn’t all rather have a seat?... and we all chorused back ‘No’... well we guess time might have caught up just a little and we recall a conversation earlier in the evening as we took our places front of stage, before the set, when various ailments including bad knees and backs were proffered as reasons why the next two hours might be physically difficult; and this wasn’t just us two talking! We are a now sorry ragbag of sweaty, exhausted but happy Harley fans!

We pick the wrong curry house for an after gig meal but, what it lacks in food quality, it more than makes up for in good company and the raging appetites and thirst of seven of us are sated
Finally, as we stagger (not a drop of alcohol has passed our lips – can you imagine how dangerous we might be if we drank?) up the cobbled street towards our waiting beds, the moon is honey coloured and beautiful in the sky.  Passing under a solitary lamppost, the 12 and 14 year olds, who first fell in love with Steve Harley and his music with the arrival of Judy Teen, are discussing the night’s fairytales, and both happen to glance down to see their shadows in the pavement and there, instead of two teenagers in loon pants and tank tops, are the clear outlines, forty years older, mind you, bent-double, creaking knees and back, aching feet, umbrella used as a walking cane, of..... Mary Poppins and Bert the chimney sweep.....we kid you not!... it’s a jolly holiday!... magic things happen...