Burnley Mechanics 16 February 2011 "HOW THE WEST WAS WON"

By Stewart G

The 16th of February has always been a special date for me. It was on that day in 1976 when I first saw Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel in concert at Manchesters world famous Free Trade Hall.

I'd spent the previous two years on a journey with "My Band" - for as soon as I saw them on The Old Grey Whistle Test in early 1974 singing Hideaway and My Only Vice, I knew there was no one else for me.

I loved the original Cockney Rebel with those ground breaking first two albums The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo and some of the names of the Band fasinated me, Jean Paul Crocker, Milton Reame James - they looked and sounded like they were from a different planet!

I was amazed when the Group broke up in July 1974 but had faith in Steve when he said "I'll be back with an even better band" and sure enough my faith was restored in early 1975 with the magnificent album The Best Years Of Our Lives and the smash number 1 single Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me). Reading the music press around this time just filled my World of imagination! I marvelled at how in April 1975 after 3 sell out nights at The Hammersmith Odeon, on the tube out of Hammersmith, an hour later sfter the gigs the fans were still singing "Oh Dear Look What They've Done To The Blues Blues Blues".

By the time of the release of Timeless Flight in early 1976, I was desperate for a slice of the live action...

And so it was on the 16th of February 1976 two days after my 15th birthday I found myself sat with my friend Sean in the beautiful gothic surroundings of The Free Trade Hall. For around 20 minutes before the show started, the music of Ravel's Bolero was blasting around the Hall, it mesmorised me, it was the perfect music for the venue and when suddenly it came to a crashing end and the lights went down and the opening to Don't Go Don't Cry started, my dreams had come true and the 15 year old was in heaven!

Fast forward 35 years later to 2011 and that 15 year old boy now 50 has come to realise that because of the reality of life dreams very often don't come true and in the end as we live and learn we only follow God's path!

So there I was in 2011 ironically on the 16th of February again, this time with another great friend Graeme, in Burnley at The Mechanics.Smaller and not as grand as The Free Trade Hall and watching a different version of "My Band" as Steve was on stage with two of his musical minsterals Barry Wickens and James Lascelles, in an intimate acoustic setting.
The Mechanics is a wonderful venue - the tradition may not be that of The Free Trade Hall, but it's steeped in musical history - all the Bands have played the venue over the years, the decor is superb and the accoustics are brilliant! As I get older I have begun to appreciate lyrics more and more and within the acoustic setting Steve seems to play on the words so much- they come alive and touch me! Every song played has touched part of my life, from the hit singles like Judy Teen and Mr Soft on Top Of The Pops and Supersonic, to  the great album tracks like All Men Are Hungry, Red Is A Mean Mean Colour and The Last Time I saw You. There are also songs that are deeply personal to my family like Journeys End (A Fathers Promise) which I used to play to my son Jack every day for weeks in 2008 and This Old Man with the words "He always Pushes Harder to be kind".

The show at The Mechanics really just confirmed to me what a brilliant Poet Steve is and how he is a totally unique one off writer, singer and performer. Barry I think has played more shows with Steve than any other musician - and it shows!, their understanding seems at times to be almost telapathic - they really are a great team. Alongside them they have James - he plays with a touch of style, with grace, calmness and a wonderful assured authority - a diamond.

The whole world has changed so much in the last 35 years, but at The Mechanics I realised at least some things havent changed: Steve Harley is still out there playing great concerts, still writing and making great new music and his words and music continues still to Dance On My Heart!

God Bless Him and long live Cockney Rebel!