 Click on the arrows to choose review. Updated 9th January 2004.
|
||
|
|
||
 |
||
|
GETTIN DOWN BIG STYLE!
 Andy Round, the keyboard player from "Shameless Quo", then joined the lads on the Harmonica for Dustpipe promptly sat down and the lads went straight into Softer Ride.....In My Chair... at this point I had my ear bent by a bloke in the Gents, saying "How can they call themselves a Quo Tribute Band.... they haven't played any Quo yet !!!!" How did I keep my face straight? But guess what the lads were playing when we came out........Whatever You Want........the lads must be telepathic. Then into 4500 times, oh everyone on their feet for this Quo classic, Mikey always gets the credit for this and yes he is GOD but Paul Dave and Graham are the Holy Trinity. Just watch Paul on this track when you go to see these guys. Caroline next up.....oh no Dave broke a stick..chucked it and Sue caught it..what a souvenier. then into Mystery Song first time this year... too long guys..you play this so well. Then we had a bit of a mishap. The lads started playing Down Down and they usually have a bit of a muck about on stage, well the stage was tiny and Paul pushed Graham over and fell on a Cab and has a big bruise on his bum........or so he tells me.....or was it a bruised ego, either way he was gettin his own back and Paul ended up with a sprained ankle which had swollen to the size of a small football the following day. In true showman style the "Show must go on" on on it went, with Road House Blues....Big Fat Mama... crowd were screamin for more at this point. Closed with Bye Bye Johnny. Dance floor chocker by now Old Rockers, Young Rockers, SQ messageboard members, Shameless Quo, a bevy of local beauties all GETTIN DOWN BIG STYLE Phew...what a night.....what a sight! |
||
|
Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
Afternoon gig.
 The pub then stopped the gig and asked Mikey to pick a playing card from a pack and shout the card out....Some sort of "House Draw" to win cash...made a difference from the Parr St. Helens gig of Open t' Box !! and Bingo !! Then on with the music and the classic 4500 times....but tragedy struck when Mikey broke a string, but he's a true pro and changed it in record time less than two minutes. Paul improvised without the crowd (except all the die hard fans) even noticing that what he was playing wasn't even in the track.... brilliant Paul well done. Dave breathed a sigh of relief too...It's a long number to keep drumming for, the track probably lasted 20 mins + On with Down Down...Railroad...Dont Waste My Time...Road House Blues...and finishing off with the crowd pleaser Rockin All Over The World |
||
|
Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
The Beeches.
|
||
|
Review by Kevin. |
||
|
|
||
|
This was our first SOQ gig. We first heard about SOQ from Rhinos log. He mentioned them playing at The Band On The Wall in Manchester and remarked how good they were. So I went to their website and noticed they were playing the Limelight in Crewe that week. I made some enquiries and was told you could just turn up on the night. So we did. £7 to get in. We had to queue up outside the hall in a sort of “anti” room. We got in and went straight down to the front, we hadn’t got a clue what to expect. What we saw over the next three hours shocked us so much… 4 lads up on stage, Paul Carr, Mike Grady, Dave Owen, Graham Peters - This was State of Quo. We didn’t know their names- we didn’t particularly care at this stage as we had both gone expecting them to be passable at best and down right awful at worst. They opened with Juniors Wailing and just played track after track of our favourite Quo tunes. But they didn’t just play them- they PLAYED THEM as near to SQ as you could have possibly imagined. If you shut your eyes, you could just imagine it was 1974. Dave and I just kept staring at each other in absolute disbelief at what we had found. I think we grinned for the full three hours. The atmosphere was electric and everyone was up and rocking. When I looked on the internet site for SOQ I noticed that John Coghlan played on drums sometimes but we were informed that he wouldn’t be this evening and we were slightly disappointed but Dave Owen the drummer was amazing and we were definitely not disappointed! The three hours flew by far too quickly and soon we were wending our way home buzzing. The next day neither of us could move our necks and couldn’t hear for days. 10,000 Watts!!! I ask you. The next day I went back to the website and put a comment on the guestbook about how good they were. We also had to find out where they were playing next and we were in luck, the very next week they were playing..... Just round the corner, excellent. We couldn’t wait so see them again and we arrived early £3 to get in and we were early enough to see the lads doing their sound checks. Dave saw Paul (Rick Parfitt) at the bar and decided to go over to him and tell him how impressed we were with the gig in Crewe. The place was fairly quiet, not at all like the Crewe venue. We felt so disappointed for them, we wanted to go outside and drag people in from the street and say, “OY! Come in here and listen to this!” As the pubs closed the place began to fill up a bit more. It ended up quite busy. Paul even gave us a mention and said “There’s a couple in tonight who saw us at Crewe last week” We thought that was really sweet. The bass guitarist Graham Peters even gave me his plectrum at the end of the gig..The gig went too quickly again. We had made up our minds that we would see the band at every opportunity we could and the next opportunity was..... They were also playing the MOSES GATE in Bolton the next evening- so we decide to make an evening of it in sunny Bolton. The Manor Golf Club was a bikers bash, £5 to get in. The function room was quite big and there must have been about 200 bikers there and their families. They had a disco raffle, male and female strippers and then eventually on came SOQ.  We enjoyed the gig although we were not close enough to the front for our liking, but Dave didn’t particularly feel like asking a big butch biker twice his size,“Is there anyone sitting there?” The lads from the band sort of recognised us and came over to have a little chat with us and thanked us for coming- but they said they weren’t too happy with the sound. We didn’t even notice, to us it was better than not hearing Quo at all. We stopped over in the Bolton Travel Lodge and the next day went to watch our beloved Man Utd play. We beat Liverpool 2-0, what a weekend we were having! As they say, things can only get better, so onwards to..... We got slightly lost beforehand and didn’t get their til 8.30pm. it was £4 to get in. Small pub venue- first time we'd seen the lads just performing on a sort of raised dais. We were inches from the cabs. Boy was it noisy! They played so well and looked very comfortable with the venue, they seemed to know everyone, and everyone seemed to know them! Played a good strong three hour set- lots of heavy stuff off, Ma Kelly, Piledriver, Quo, Hello, excellent excellent stuff. Dave SOQ’s drummer had to dash off as he had work the next day. My Dave helped him load his car! We stopped and had a chat to Mikey, Graham and Paul, and told them how happy finding them had made us. But sadness of sadness, we were off to Florida for Xmas and that was to be our last gig of the year. What on earth were we going to do now? How could we manage? We checked the website and found that the next one was..... We turned up to this event not knowing that it was “Lanky’s” (Pauls mate) private 40th birthday bash. We were slightly embarrassed but made to feel welcome all the same. Small, quiet affair, with a proposal from Pie-Eater being the highlight of the evening and the lads playing my request for Lazy Poker Blues which Paul sings so well. Crawled home from that venue still being jetlagged from our travels. Next one please! --We’ve never been to St. Helens. --We’ve never been in a Labour club before. Something told us this one might be a bit ‘different’! We got off to a wonderful start following some instructions from Multimap on the net, which clearly weren’t meant to deal with roadworks and diversions, we ended up 15 mins into the set! Then, it seemed a bit strange that we only had to pay 50p each to get in. it was a huge room and was packed full of about 300 people all seated at long trestle tables with three pints each before them. The guys were playing Caroline- we could hear them in the car park. This was going to be a new experience for us as we hadn’t seen the lads do a cabaret performance before, and the way it is done is two 45 minute sets with a break in the middle. So by the time we’d got a pint in and found a seat they were saying, “Ok, were having a break now, see you at 10.30pm!” WHAT! We were horrified! But don’t worry, that’s what its all about. The people who go to these clubs on Saturday nights find a table, have a bit of a disco, listen to 45 minute of live entertainment, have a few games of bingo, play “ open t’box”, second lot of 45 minute live entertainment then finish off with a bit more disco - it wasn’t really an SOQ gig as such, they weren’t really Quo fans, nobody got up to dance, not even me. Until they played “Rocking All Over The World” and ”Whatever You Want” Yes, that’s what they’d come to hear, and so the floor filled. Mikey kept saying, “I told you not to come, I told you not to come!” but Dave had already made a New Years resolution not to miss a gig this year, so we went anyway. The next gig was at a lovely little place near Daventry called..... Took us three and a half hours to get there and we got lost again. This one was a new venue for the band and they didn’t know quite what to expect. The landlady had told us that this was an experiment, having tribute bands on, to try to get more people to come to the club. It was £5 each to get in. Huge hall with seats all around the edge of a large dance floor. Massive stage for the band to perform on, we could have taken our daughter Jess, who is 11- cos there were children there and I don’t just mean 1 or 2, I mean 20 or 30. Took a while for the crowd to get warmed up, but the lads were on fire and played so well! Long way to go for us, but for anyone who lives Birmingham way, if this gig comes up again, which the manager has requested they go back again he was so impressed, you must attend and support this fantastic band playing early Quo classics. Ma Kelly - Blue 4 You- that’s what this group is all about. I think we got in at about 4am from this gig, so very tired. We made a decision- we were getting addicted and it was starting to damage our health!! “ This cannot go on “, I said to Dave, New Years resolution or not, we have to make a choice about the ‘far away’ gigs for us. The next gig on the list was Skegness Rock and Blues festival at Butlins and J.C was playing- oh no! HELP! We really wanted to go to this one, but then the snow fell and the roads near us became impassable. God works in mysterious ways, does he not! We stopped at home. We heard all about Skeggy from the lads- they said it was superb. Two 45 minute slots in two venues on the site- big crowds, great lighting, fantastic sound and a good time was had by all! Whereas we sat at home, played Quo music all night and got pissed! Boo hoo! That brings me to the final gig that Dave and I have been to before deciding to log our story and send it to our president for serialisation/the bin ”Whatever You Want”, to coin a phrase. Guess what? We got lost again. When we arrived it was about 8.45pm, the pub was packed, but the lads were having trouble with the cabs on Pauls side. Tiny stage which Graham filled all by himself, and we were sitting so close to them that we could see the hairs up Mikeys nose.  It was a bit cosy! Took my digicam though and got some brilliant pictures. I have yet to get a really good photo of all 4 of them at the same time. Played all the hits, Caroline, Down Down, Whatever You Want and Down the Dustpipe was superb! Again the landlord was knocked out with them and wanted to rebook them. People were coming up to them at the end of the gig and shaking their hands telling them how brilliant they had been, just like Quo in the 70’s.  So that brings me to the end of my tale of how Dave and I got hooked on SOQ. We would like to produce just a normal gig review of each concert we attend in the future, namely, a bit about the venue- adults/families/late licence, the set for the evening, stage/lighting/sound and the entrance cost etc etc! |
||
|
By Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
The night before the Quovention, felt like Christmas Eve…not just because of the pressies and wrapping paper for Paul and Mikeys Birthdays that weekend but the anticipation of our first Quovention. It was quite intense. We were up so early, I had time to clean the car before we left and still got there way too early. We were privileged to be invited to the sound checks provided we sat in a corner and shut up, The atmosphere pre-doors opening was quite tense; such is the professionalism of SOQ. They wanted this day to live up to the expectation and Paul in particular worked tirelessly to ensure everything was as it should be. We managed to spend sometime with Shameless Quo and it has to be said in our honest opinion they are as pleasant and professional as our beloved SOQ. The Quovention started for real after lunch with some great video footage on the huge screen. I never tire of old footage when Lancaster is master of the bass and Coghlan still the power house on the Drums…..Those were the days….!! Got to confess to not noting down all the songs played here, but there were contributions from Paul & Mikey SOQ, and Mark Cantellow, Colin ‘TMK ‘ Harris, Jimquo, Jon and Stuart.   Well done to everyone for having the balls to get up and play in front of a very knowledgable, demanding crowd….you’re braver than me!! The Quo quiz was far too tough for me and Sue. Some people there amazed me with their depth of knowledge on Quo. Anyway we never did find out who won.  Must have been at the bar or sneaked out for a bite to eat…oh no Sues just reminded me we went to check in at Sleepers. They were up first and they played a varied set spanning over 3 decades to suit an audience of mixed ages the set order was:
From the first chord they had the place jumpin and Sue and I both look forward to seeing them again soon. After the Interval for more Video footage and a chance for people to grab some tea, came the moment we had been waiting for since November when we first saw SOQ at the Limelight and had no idea what we had come to see, nor how important the venue is to these lads. “A good rock set” opening with:
It was also good to meet fellow likeminded Quo messageboard members..its great you just all feel like family!! Cheers to everyone that we met. If you were there then you know how good it was….if you missed it …then I hope we see you next year. Oh P.S….. By the way at about 2.30am….back at the Hotel…we actually saw Paul sit down. Well done mate.  | ||
|
By Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
First day of Spring and it was a gorgeous day and to top it all we were going seeing SOQ tonight.
Arrived around 8.45. Set off 7.30 so not too long a journey this time and we didn’t get lost !!!
We have found Mapblast pretty good for directions now. Smallish pub in the town centre with a very
very late licence !! Lads were all there and socialising prior to performing. Quite a lot of people
there already £3 to get in, pay on the door. Didn’t have to wait too long before they started the
evening off with: Juniors Wailing, Roll Over Lay Down, Backwater and my favourite Little Lady.
 Well earned break of approximately 30 mins for the band and then straight into Down Down, Don’t Think It Matters, Railroad. Then somebody shouted for “Get it On” that old T.Rex classic from the 70’s…..intro was played …just ‘cos they can !!! Screams from one bloke in the crowd (Adam Faith look-alike) for Don’t Waste My Time, didn’t bring disappointment when it was played next. Next into the old Doors classic Roadhouse Blues, followed by the crowd pleaser Caroline. Whilst all this was goin on I would like to mention how full the pub was and how bloody hard the staff worked behind the bar and the little pot washer (all of about 10 !!) Well done lads and lasses!!  Back to the set. Well at the Quovention at Crewe, SOQ, treated us to a new song in their repertoire which went down a storm. They said they were only ever going to play it the once….but they lied…because they treated us to it again…massive applause for the track Creepin up On You. Awesome vocal by Paul Carr, truly wonderful Paul…no bullshit and equally awesome lead guitar work by Mikey. The lads rounded the evening off with Bye Bye Johnny…but we wouldn’t let them finish. After being bellowed at to get back on stage (i.e. after Graham had been for a pee!!) The lads took on a serious note for a moment and dedicated the next track Paper plane to a Status Quo Message board Member who is at present involved in the War in Iraq and indeed all British Airbourne. Unfortunately for ME and only ME in the whole pub they finished with my pet hate Rockin All Over The World. Everyone in the Pub was jumpin bouncing, singing, playing air guitars, the place just went mental. Apart from me!! So, I can only finish (oops sorry Pär) by saying what a fantastic follow up to Crewe that was lads. Just a pity I went home with Mikeys house keys and watch and had to drive all the way back again…..Damn !! |
||
|
Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
This was Paul’s home town. Good old fashioned red brick pub on a busy roundabout
junction with limited parking facilities.Didn’t get lost again this week….this mapblast
seems to be working folks!!When we arrived the lads were sitting around waiting for the Rugby
to finish. .Wigan were playing..very important “Up North” our Rugby! Gig opened about 9.30ish
with Juniors Wailing, Paper Plane, Roll Over Lay Down, drums sounded good tonight primarily due
to a raised wooden stage area. No carpet seems to make a difference. On with Backwater, In My Chair, Down The Dustpipe.
|
||
|
Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
This was home territory for us 7 miles down the road.
Cant you play here every week boys, cut our petrol bill down a bit. We would then be able to buy
you more BEER!!! Think about it!! This is a proper nightclub with full stage and lighting rig.
In -house sound and lighting technicians and two of the biggest mixing desks I have ever seen.
Arrived early to do a few publicity shots of the guys up on stage, cos once they get going it is so
hard to get all four of them in the picture at the same time. Very Very quiet early on..we thought
nobody was going to turn up.
|
||
|
Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
What a hectic week for us….the weather was horrendous and we struggled
to keep on top (well Dave did!!).Vera Cruz played two gigs this week which we dropped in on …superb lads… but
this was THE gig we had been waiting for since 29th March 2003 (the last time they played Cuban Knights).
Only 6 miles away, it is the closest venue they play to us. An unusual place, in that you find yourself in a
trendy nightclub in Cheshire where you could maybe expect Depeche Mode or the likes playing, not a Rock Band.
The stage suits SOQ, they look good on it. The lighting and sound are fantastic. The crowd are not your
traditional “Rock” crowd, but trendy folk of all ages. But amazingly enough, Dave, Graham, Mikey and Paul
(alphabetical order chaps!) have this ability to play “Quo” in such a way; it gets them all rockin’ and
appreciating good music.
 Apart from the “Cheshire Set”, SOQ have a hardcore set of guys and gals who turn up and travel miles to see them. Saturday night was no exception. The photo above shows Twod Dutch and Burning Bridges, slowtrain was also present but must have been at the bar!! They had come up from the Potteries, on my recommendation, I hasten to add. They were NOT disappointed. After rather a long wait the lads started at 10.30pm with Caroline, Paper Plane and Roll Over Lay Down. Mikey then had a little chat with the audience and thanked people for traveling great distances to support them. A guy called Alan Fox, had traveled all the way down from Blackpool!! Then we were treated to a cracking version of Backwater followed by a favourite of ours Little Lady. Then on to the track that helped Quo get where they are today Down the Dustpipe. At this point Mikey announced that his harmonica was “broken”…well that wasn’t the exact word he used, but you get the drift. This meant sadly no Spinning Wheel Blues. Matt (our son) was very disappointed at this announcement as it’s one of his favourites. Straight into SGOIMH, & Rain which was absolutely awesome. Hold You Back was next up for a bit of SOQ treatment and the lads from Stoke were all holding their breath to see if the lady at the front with the rather large chest was going to join in with the “bouncy bit”….bad news guys….she didn’t. Chilled things right down now with a beautiful rendition of the “bluesy” In My Chair. Oooo what’s that coming up…sounds like a toilet break for us, ‘cos next up was EVERYONES favourite WYW and as usual it got EVERYBODY up rocking. It was quite considerate of the lads to give us that break ‘cos the legendry 4500x was the next treat in store: 18 minutes of pure ecstasy... There is no drug comes near to how this track makes a Quo fan feel. SUPERB…don’t ever stop playing this. Break time for twenty minutes or so. Opened up with Down Down. Then Mikey apologized to someone at the back for not yet playing Softer Ride. “We aim to keep everyone happy” he commented and so he did, with the next song Someone’s Learning…Twods’ favourite track. Pauls’ favourite next Railroad which was fantastic followed by Mean Girl which they hadn’t played since Moses Gate on 18th March. Next two tracks the popular Don’t think It Matters and Don’t Waste My Time went down very well with the appreciative audience. Everyone up for the next track the Doors classic, Roadhouse Blues. One of Helens’ favs next Big Fat Mama and as usual Dave on drums gave his all. Well done Dave. We always watch how hard you work on this one. Time for a sit down for us again …simply to give the crowd room to enjoy themselves….HONEST….. to the very popular RAOTW. It really does get everyone goin regardless of age colour or creed. And so to the penultimate track of the evening..Creepin where I thought I would help Paul with the words…He sometimes has a mental block with this number…but I thought it was just the first verse...not tonight. Paul gave us Paul Carrs’ version…different..but still brilliant. And finally to Bye Bye Johnny which always gives us a chance to hear Grahams’ dulcet tones. Even the lads came off stage beaming because it was such a fantastic gig. “Best gig I’ve ever played” said Mikey Couldn’t agree more…….For me and Dave you just get better and better. Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
What a week…Dave and I made a vow that during the busy gardening season, not to travel to gigs that were over 4 hours away….YEAH RIGHT!!! You know us.. couldn’t resist not after the awful week we had. If it could go wrong, it did. So we thought …sod it…lets take the afternoon off go and see the lads and stop over, make a weekend of it. Never been to Norfolk.
 So to the review proper: So to kick of proceedings….Caroline….excellent choice, followed swiftly to Paperplanes delight, with….Paperplane….Then a dedication to the Landlord Mark from his wife Marie…Roll Over Lay Down…..The beer is flowing fast and furious, and Dave is run of his little legs, keeping the guys topped up with ale from the bar…well the weather was hot…and the beer was free for the band…so what the hell!! They certainly played the next number….Backwater…with gusto…then to my favourite…Little Lady..you play it SO SO SO GOOD…never want it to finish. Mikey then announces that after last weeks breakage (harmonica) he’s got a new one…ooo great what you gonna treat us to…Dustpipe…what else. The entire crowd singing along to this one. The tent…sorry Marquee ..!!!! that they are playing in is getting warmed up and people and moving in from the pub and carpark to see what this fantastic sound is. We are all treated to the awesome…… Softer Ride…SQMB members are all singing away. It really is a lovely sight and makes you feel all warm inside to see Dave, Graham, Mikey and Paul (alphabetical order only !!) bringing so much pleasure to Quo fans, who remember how good a set they used to play in the 70’s. There really is nothing else quite like the sound of “State of Quo”. HONEST.. Anyway enough of me getting all sentimental and wishing I was 15 again!!! Next, first single off Blue For You…Rain… got some good photos in that one. Straight into …Hold You Back… and darkness is now looming and the lighting is coming into its own…looked pretty coming from our side lads !!! A bucket is being passed round for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Paul asks everyone to give generously to this very worthy cause. Slowing the mood down a little with ….In My Chair…The grungy bass tones from Graham Peters Fender Mustang, wafts into the night air. By the way have you noticed Rick has seen Pauls taste in T-Shirts (BB KINGS) and copies it. Whatever You Want…..great crowd pleaser with the epic intro riff (Good name for a tour that !!) from Paul Carr on Rhythm Guitar. Then the anthem……4500 x……Even the non Quo fans pour out into the garden in awe of this track: Mikeys mastery on the guitar, making it look like a “stroll in the Park” even on 5 strings…he bust one half way through. Dave in sleeveless T. Shirt, arms pumped up, picture of concentration; Paul trying to run on one foot whilst playing intricate rhythm guitar work; Graham strutting his Lancasteresque stuff; The Crowd obliging like it’s a real Quo gig with Quo..oo.oo.oo on cue; EXCELLENT STUFF! (It’s always great to see “Quo Scoffers”, so converted). Check out the video of 4500 x at Crewe this year on www.stateofquo.com.. then tell me they’re not good. Then Mikey announced they were taking a 5 minute break for quarter of an hour !!! (Well he has got Irish blood in him !!) Unusually short second half, due to Maries original request just 6 tracks!! Boo Hoo. Down Down, Railroad, Don’t Waste My Time….and RAOTW. The landlady came flying through the gate in the picket fence , which surrounded the marquee and grabbed my arm to dance ….OH NO….but I don’t do this one……I go to the loo…didn’t you know !!!! Everyone is forward watching and mimicking the 3 “frontmen legs astride in Quo pose”….you got the picture haven’t you? Thank you and good night says Paul after thanking Terry on lights.  What no encore????? Yeah course there was…Bye Bye Johnny. All 3 frontmen and about 100 or so well lubricated locals on vocals. Ended 22.56…Not bad lads just 6 mins over. What’s that we hear…a rebel in the Camp…Paperplane is announcing that he will donate a further £15 into the Marie Curie bucket if the fabulous State of Quo will play Big Fat Mama……Landlord…what do you say….NO PROBS. They played out of their skins and anybody who saw them there that evening will tell you the same. Dave and I had people coming up to us all night telling us how good they were: “Do they do private functions?” “When are they coming back?” Even the Head of the Parish Council, Marcus Liddington stopped me and said “We are going to get these lads in to play at the Town Hall”, he enjoyed it so much.  All the board members went away very happy people. The lads have a new driver Steve, who had the very responsible job of driving this “Precious Cargo” all the way back home. Well done Steve for getting them all home safely. That’s all folks. Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
A return to the popular Diamond live music venue, Sutton in Ashfield for what promised to be
another fine gig by SOQ. Because we had been here before we knew where we were going and didn’t get lost.
Arrived about 8.30 and within minutes we were greeted by lots of friendly faces. Board members and SOQ
fans present were: Nanana (John), Ray, Barry, Kevin, Tom + Pam and Pam’s friend Rita. First time we’ve met
Rita, what a nice lady. Pam, loved the jeans! Status and his brother and many other familiar faces but
not too sure of the names – introduce yourselves next time and we’ll give you a mention. Not forgetting
the wonderful Trig – who drove the lads to two gigs this weekend.
 Kicked off proceedings with Caroline, Paperplane, and ROLD. Mikey then had a chat, “How ya doin…. Alright!” He was a bit bunged up and apologized for the ‘nasal’ effects, being produced without an effects pedal! Explained that those who hadn’t seen SOQ before would not be hearing any 12 Gold Bars tracks – instead treated to tracks that Quo haven’t played for years. “Ma Kelly through to Blue 4 You”. True classic 70’s Quo. This comment was greeted with a massive cheer from the 200 strong crowd. The Venue is ideal for live bands, not too big, so it soon looks packed, good sized dance floor, stage without any obstacles obscuring your view – raised seating areas for those who just want to sit + appreciate the music. Good bar access with plenty of helpful bar staff. Then on with the music. Backwater – Dave’s drumming was awesome. Straight into my favourite Little Lady. Small breather then slow things down a little bit with In My Chair. Guitar change for Paul which means ‘Rain’ has been forecast! One of only two tracks the lads do regularly off Blue For You, the other being Mystery Song. Then Hold Ya Back which got everyone jigging about. This is when you wished you hadn’t had fish and chips for your tea!! Paul changes back to the white guitar for Softer Ride – Nanana joins me for some serious headbanging down the front. Next up for grabs, Whatever You ‘Don’t’ Want. Ooops Freudiant slip! Guitars in perfect synchro, crowd ‘well’ happy.  I personally missed my 4500 times – but was on a ‘promise’ for Essex tomorrow. The lads then had a break for a bite to eat. We got the chance to have chats with lots of Quo fans – everyone was singing the lads praises. Opened with Down Down. Then Mikey came out with one of his ‘Mikeyisms’, ‘Don’t go to church on Sunday, get pissed tonight!’ On with the show, Railroad featuring Mikey on the harmonica, which he chucked across the stage at the end coz it was knackered – he’s certainly having trouble with the “ gob-irons “ this year! But the show must go on so he picked up another one and the very popular Spinning Wheel Blues went down a storm. The whole place was jumping and the dance floor remained full as it had done all evening. Tom kept his shirt on this evening unlike at the Boardwalk last week when the T-Shirt was removed to reveal numerous Quo and Man Utd tattoos. Top bloke who loves his Quo and ‘Air Guitars’ all night long. Mikey reverts back to ‘Mr. Comedy’, he really was on a role. I just think he likes having the response of a good crowd. His next comment was… “Poker… that’s a song, not an instruction”! Then as they had only played it once this year, Shady Lady from WYW. Straight into, Don’t Waste My Time and Roadhouse Blues and Rockin’ to finish with. Massive cheer and calls for more from the Diamond crowd. Gary the owner of the club thanked the lads for a hit performance and asked for one more. They obliged with Mean Girl nice and loud, just how we like it! The lads stopped over as Gary’s guests and we went home.  Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
Oh dear what do we do – Essex – Poynton how many miles? Approx 200 + with Man.U playing Southampton on the box.
Decisions Decisions… lets be clever and do both we thought. Match finished at 4pm. Set off straight away
stationary traffic on M6 junction 21, we were really up against it. After a couple of hours – and we still
weren’t past Birmingham we wondered what the hell we were doing. But we had had several messages via the
mobile from the lads and they were a little ‘fed up’ because their two hour slot had been diminished to 1 hour,
which was good news for us coz they weren’t due on till 8pm. Eventually got there at 8.20 pm and had missed only 2 tracks.
It was pitch black but basically we were in a massive park with thousands of people standing on a grassy bank, just like Quo in June at Delamere. The lads were playing Roll Over Lay Down and they sounded absolutely SUPERB. The 1st two tracks were apparently Caroline and Paperplane. We managed to spot Heather and Mark Cantelow and get hugs and stuff and then we made our way stage side to take some photos and enjoy the show we had driven so far for. Rain was next followed by Hold Ya Back the crowd were going mad. Slowed things down with In My Chair before the ‘one that goes on a bit’! They did a beautiful version of 4500x which got the biggest cheer I have ever heard… even at a Quo gig! Finished off with WYW to which the 4000+ crowd really got down to. I think the crowd would have loved them to have played for at least another couple of hours. Still there’s always next year. We helped the lads pack their gear up and drove for another 4 hours home. Well done to Trig too for driving for the weekend and hanging around all day Sunday, then having to drive all the way back to Leigh with a van that had a limiter set at 65 mph……..boring !!! YOU THINK WE’RE MAD DON’T YOU?? That was a rhetorical question, we know were mad but they’re worth it. Oh by the way….if you think Rock and Roll is glamorous, try eating a microwaved Ginsters pastie from a service area at 3.00am ……not good !!! Months rest now for us... Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
||
|
I purposely haven’t put a time as most people got there for a 1.30/2.00pm start. But Liverpool were playing and we
had to wait for the “Big Screen” to rise up into the ceiling. They eventually got going around 3.00pm. This gave
everyone plenty of time to chat and “Wet their whistles”…some more than others. Opened up with Juniors Wailing,
wow what an opening as Adrian said it made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Everyone moved forward and
heads were banging from the onset. New territory for the lads and they had been accepted by this essentially “virgin”
crowd from the very first chord. Paul welcomes everybody and thanks everyone for their support. The crowd are in for
a far better warm up to the “Almighty” later at Wembley, than the two “Eurovision” people supporting them on their
Riffs Tour. He has this chat slightly earlier than normal because he bust a string in the first number, he calls
Patrick Cusse to the rescue and whilst Patrick changes his string, the lads slip comfortably into Roll Over Lay Down.
This was wonderful to watch, even the pub Christmas tree was Rockin and the Angel on the top really should have been
decked in denim …Nice imagery don’t you think? Next track and we are heading down the Backwater …superb as always.
Next up is my favorite Little Lady. Rhino enjoyed this too when he came to see SOQ at the Band on The Wall in
Manchester, before the Apollo gig, he actual comments on it in his Tour Log Part 8. I do wish the other lads would
come and watch …I know they would have enjoyed this gig.
 Slowing things down slightly now with Don’t think it Matters then back up again with Down Down. I remember buying this as a single xmas 1974 and playing it for hours driving my parents mad, it seems like yesterday. I think Adrian hit the nail on the head when he said if he closed his eyes and just listened he felt 14 again!! Then a rare treat even for hardened SOQ fans Umleitung, only the 2nd time we’ve heard them play this and it went down well with this appreciative crowd. Thank you so much for all the contributions in the “bucket”. The lads had made an enormous effort to play for you, ranging from cancelling a gig the night before, so they could all have an early night, then up at 6.00am loading the van. But they all agreed that YOU made it well worth the effort. My daughter Jessica’s favorite next Mean Girl and Lazy Poker. When Don’t Waste My Time was announced as the next number, Paper Plane couldn’t resist getting up close and personal down the front with Headbanger for a real good session. Following swiftly on with Paper Plane and Road House…Pauls favorite. Poor Paul bust another string…Patrick….comes to his rescue again. By the way, Patrick asked me to mention in this review, please could you all keep 22ND OCTOBER 2004 free in your diaries as this is Patrick’s 40th Birthday bash and SOQ will be playing in Belgium..we are all invited !!!! Wow he would be shocked if we all turned up…hope he has a big house!!! Anyway where was I…Oh yeah..The Greyhound Wembley, just in case anybody has fallen asleep. Big Fatty next, brilliant absolutely brilliant.  For the encore: Caroline….Daves favorite, who incidentally played so hard that his hands were bleeding. I am sure had the ladies in the audience have known, he would have had plenty of offers to bandage them up!! Closed the awesome afternoon gig with, non other than Bye Bye Johnny. Wow what an afternoon and TMK missed the lot. Not to mention the most amazing crowd I have ever seen under one roof. In no particular Order…meet: I will say hello to a few Northern Monkeys even though they don’t come on the board, cos they will find out if I don’t give them a mention, The Heywood Civic lads standing at the bar…you know who you are..nice to see ya!! I managed to get the names of 62 board members and there must have been countless numbers that I missed and those who look at the board but are not registered. I apologise to anyone that I missed out. Ratters was the first to spot me…sorry didn’t recognize you with your hat on, you looked a right cheeky chappie…Martini offer still stands!! My “Heacham Gig” friends, Paper Plane, Rhinos Girl, Gemreb and his wife Nicky, who bought two T.Shirts, what a lovely lady, loved your jacket too. Kim Queen of Quo got a big “Huggy” welcome off all her adoring fans!!!…Sharon and Bill were already well and truly ensconced at their table by the time Kim and Mark G arrived, traveling all the way down from Birmingham just to watch SOQ……..what stalwarts. The infamous Quoling and Crappy, who reminds me for all the world of a small David Baddiel There were fans from : Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Iceland, USA, Thailand, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Sweden. Mrs Fishy with her plectrum necklace…what a great idea accompanied by Hans Van Den Brink. Spikearooney, who has had her tongue pierced. Patrick Cusse from Belgium, he is a nice guy for those of you who haven’t met him. Mike McDermott, who I have seen more than once or twice at gigs this year. I met Dirty Dancer and Lorraine, who were doing sterling work selling Raffle Tickets for the Auction later. Rossis Little dreamer, Ricks friend forever Enforcer and Doris Quo were there enjoying themselves.  Fan for 30 Years, Adrian, made a closing speech and drew the raffle/M.C.d the Auction. He thanked the lads and I think he spoke for everyone when he said they were fantastic. Security and Diane were down the front from the start thoroughly enjoying themselves. There was also Musiktruhe, I think, looked a bit like Mike Read..not the Eastender…the ex D.J. Tall and slim wearing leather !!! Have I got your name correct? Top guy, had a chat with him at the bar afterwards. Jeen Willen Bakker, who had the most amazing tattoo of Quo on his back, signatures an all, I said he looked like Mick Jagger and he said “I will book myself in for Cosmetic Surgery, first thing tomorrow…ooops…think I upset him. More people from Europe: Arjen, dank je wel for that quick response my friend !! Philip Degroot, Tassos, Rossignol, Bruno P, nice to put a face to all these names at last. I actually wrote this gig review traveling home on Monday morning up the M6 back to Poynton, Cheshire on a Radisson Cable Beach Nassau, The Bahamas note pad and it is 1 degree C outside…How Bizarre!! Talking of places over the Atlantic, Burning Benson and his friend Steve had joined us from Palm Beach Florida. First time for them, seeing SOQ, although they had met Paul earlier in the year in New York. They videoed the gig though I am not sure how good the footage will be. More Board members: Birgit, Norwegian and Helen, Tuppa, Karen Quooooo..who confessed she hasn’t posted on here for ages…GET POSTING then. Cubby, Statusuk, Rocker Forever from Iceland would you believe. Chris Dixon, George on the Lights and Neal…who actually met Neil (they will understand) Headbanger, you’re as mad as me for headbanging!! Christer, Rocking Arvid, Rocking Rev, 4500x Swede. Daz and Rick…never ask Paul how much he has had to drink because he hasn’t he hasn’t got a bloody clue!! Andy Fab, Quotation ’82, J F Quo, Ianski, Braggers, CookieMonster, Blondie and Baldyman. We stayed at the Wembley Plaza as did a fair few others and we were still meeting Board members who were at the Greyhound the following morning. We had a lovely chat with Lost my Hair and Lots of Hair and Mad Helen and a guy who looked like a large version of John Coughlan but he is not on the board. What lovely people. Is Mad Helen related to Pam the Mad Welshwoman ? She came down to the Greyhound with Lesley, Rossis Girl. Dave said thanks for the kiss!!! What a great tattoo you have on your arm. And last but by no means least I met a really lovely guy called Chris …more leather!! What a nice guy. Knew Coggers and Nuff and was willing to chat to humble me!! It just reinforces what fantastic bunch of people Quo fans really are. You can leave Cameras, handbags, have wallets sticking out of your back pockets, leave T. Shirts and Jackets lying around even Wheel Covers on your 4 wheel drive and not worry about anyone damaging or knicking them. Everyone has time for you. Well all that remains for me to say is THANK YOU to everyone for making it a day to remember for me and Dave and the band. Thanks to all those who turned up and supported the band by buying T. Shirts, C.D.’s and Posters and making donations. If you have an idea of a Venue that would be interested in SOQ and that you know will be suitable, just let any band member know via there website. |
||
|
|
||
|
This was a strange one for Dave and I.
Dave and I always spend Hogmany in Glasgow with the “Family”…Dave being Glaswegian an all..they sure know how to
party up there. However this year we opted for a slightly more sedate venue….a “Bikers Bash in North Yorkshire”…
a Bikers Bash ..sedate I hear you cry!!! There was a sort of convoy of cars headed up to this gig in our neighboring
county of North Yorkshire. We had precious cargo on board our Serengeti namely Pär Engström (guardian of this site)
and “we are not worthy” Dave Owen, SOQ’s drummer. As per usual …we got lost and ended up being talked into the
venue by Mikeys other half, Helen. Thanks Helen we were in danger of ending up in Scarborough at the rate we
were going!!
 The “Bikers” arrived dead on the dot of seven, not dressed in Black leather as we had envisaged, but in party frocks for the ladies and smart casual for the blokes. They rushed down to the front to “bagsey” the best tables around the dance floor. It was a sell out and about 300 people were present. The lads had set up a couple of hours before, however not too pleased with the sound, something to do with the sound meter tripping out and cutting off the house p.a. system. Anyway they sounded brilliant to us!! Just going to give a little mention to the “POSSE” from lancs that were present and from far away places. Ann, who was driving the van that evening…what a journey home in that blizzard..Well Done Ann, the Wives, Julie, Jayne and Helen. Carl and Sue. Carl by the way has given up smoking.Hope that is still the case Carl and that you are not finding it too hard. Dave joined you as a N.Y.R. at midnight and is so far sticking to it. Jan and Dave fellow fans from up north. Pär and me and Dave. May I just say how resplendent Paul looked in his new gleaming white trainers.  D.J. started the proceedings….not to put a too fine a point on the music he played, I was glad when SOQ came on!! VERY GLAD !!!  Set list was as follows: Caroline, Paper Plane, ROLD, Little Lady, Down the Dustpipe, In my Chair, Rain, Hold ya Back, WYW, 4500X Then a break at 10.00pm . D.J. back on and food is served complete with crackers and poppers, disco dance floor and the dancing ensued. Our lads were back on at 11.30pm.  Down Down, Mystery Song, And the mystery was which foot pedal Paul was going to hit for effect…but for that you had to be there!! Stopped at Midnight for the “Bells” and Auld Lang Syne etc was played. Lots of kissing hugging and New Years wishes. It was nice for us to be amongst good friends. 1st song for State of Quo for 2004 was: Mean Girl, then SGOIMH, Lazy Poker, Railroad, Wildside ( Everyone up and dancing as this crowd want Cabaret), Roadhouse Blues And finish with RAOTW A FANTASTIC night was had by one and all  Review by Dave & Sue. |
||
|
|
