Norman Blake at The Alex James in Bellshill

Photo by Ruthie Blaney

Norman Blake returned to Bellshill last night to play his first gig in the town for over 30-years at The Alex James on Hamilton Road. To highlight how personal a show it was, Norman had counted the steps from the venue to his Gran's old house - 450 in case you wondered.

I should have counted the steps from my house, to Uddingston train station and then from Bellshill (a mere 3-minute journey) to the venue - literally down the hill and round the corner! Very handy!

There was another Fanclub and Bellshill element to the show, a crucial one. Bellshill boy Paul Quinn was responsible for booking and promoting the gig. Last night was the first of many that Paul will be putting on, with the aim of Bellshill gigs becoming a regular fixture in the Scottish and Lanarkshire music calendar. 

David Scott from The Pearlfishers is playing the next night on 28th February with support from KiDD - another Fanclub angle as Stuart played bass for Teenage Fanclub last year and was a member of the live Jonny band with Norman and Euros. TICKETS HERE

Keep an eye on Paul's Bellbeat Presents Facebook page for further announcements.

The Alex James is a cracking venue; pub/restaurant on one side, function room/live venue on the other. Drinks were well-priced, I was pleasantly surprised to be asked to pay £14.20 for 4 pints when I went up for a round!

Norman and Teenage Fanclub inspire incredible devotion from their fans - the Teenage Fanclub Fanclub! I've met so many friendly and brilliant people through my love of the band. Last night people had travelled from Chicago, Cornwall, London and Dingwall to catch Norman in his home town.

Support on the night was from Willie Campbell, formerly of Astrid, and I thoroughly enjoyed his set that generated a warm response from the crowd. Indeed, Campbell moved one guy near the front to tears with his impassioned lyrics and soulful voice. I'd definitely go and see him again. I loved the way Campbell used 2 capo's and his harmonies pedal worked well. Many of Campbell's songs were about his native Lewis and his voice is so strong that he could step right back from the mic and continue to fill the room with ease.

Photo by Ruthie Blaney

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen Norman play; with the Fanclub, Jonny, The New Mendicants, Jad Fair, with Butler and Grant and of course solo. His voice and songs warm my heart and seeing him play with just an acoustic guitar always feels like a real privilege, especially in such an intimate venue. The way the songs are stripped right back makes me appreciate them all the more.

Norman played a lengthy set featuring songs from across his full career. Blake's songwriting is exceptional and I marvel at how many of the songs that he wrote in his younger days take on greater meaning with each and every passing year. Like a fine wine, they mature with age; melancholic, reflective and full of hope.

I mean, how old was Norman when he wrote Everything Flows? 23/24? How deep are the lyrics?

We get older every day

But you don't change

Or I don't notice you changing

When Norman plays his songs on acoustic guitar, I pick up on the lyrics a little more. How about this moment of heartfelt honesty from I'm In Love? Stunning!

You don't know what you mean to me

Girl I owe you my life

Photo by Ruthie Blaney

Or from the sublime I Left A Light On;

My life had lost it's meaning

I was a lonely soul

Mellow Doubt was played early to a rapturous response, Baby Lee was fresh and flowing, a cover of He'd Be A Diamond was (pardon the pun) a gem, the stripped back Everything Flows melted my heart and Did I Say is a masterclass in songwriting.

I Don't Want Control Of You is another of Norman's songs that cuts deep, written about his daughter, it always makes me think of my own girls whenever he plays it. 

Don't want this love to stay the same

But grow with every year

The room became a community choir for What You Do To Me, as pure a love (and lust) song as you can get. Blake's voice is beautiful and I particularly loved the way he sang Back In The Day, getting lost in the music as he drove the song to conclusion.

Photo by Ruthie Blaney

Back In The Day is one of my favourite Norman songs. The melody and chorus caught my attention immediately, but the lyrics are beautifully open, raw and reflective. Things change.

Adrift and in a dream

Like fallen leaves in a flowing river

A life of harmony for you and me

When unexpectedly

Someone said that nothing lasts forever

It all became so very clear to me

With each new passing day

I see that old world fading away

I just can't seem to find

The peace of mind that I knew back in the day

The Darkest Part Of The Night was a welcome surprise as part of a 3-song encore alongside Start Again and The Concept. Norman was in jovial form throughout and was more than happy to meet friends and fans afterwards, the venue and vibe lending itself to the sense of community felt by both artist and audience.

Norman has a busy 2025 coming up with the Butler, Blake & Grant album coming out in March followed by a tour and then Teenage Fanclub play a string of shows in late July into August, including a night at the Kelvingrove Bandstand. They then head off to South America.

The Hanging Stars & Gerry Love at Stereo

 

Friday night was one of those great nights when everything seemed to come together perfectly. Venue, sound, DJ, friendly local promoter, crowd, local support and a band from out of town coming in and playing their hearts out in appreciation.

I can't remember the last time I was in Stereo for a gig. The upstairs cafe bar is great for vegan food and a pint, but it must be 2019 anyway since I was last downstairs.

Gerry Love (yeah him again!) was the reason I got a ticket for the night. It was the 4th time I'd seen Gerry in a couple of months. But as I explained to my wife, I hadn't seen him live since 2019! This was making up for lost time.

Each show has been different. This time Gerry was joined by Paul Quinn on percussion, further fleshing out the Lightships sound. Noel O'Donnell on guitar and backing vocals/harmonies has been sublime. Will he go back to drums in the future? I kind of like the way Noel and Gerry are gelling. And then Tom Crossley on various keys/synths, flute and xylophone is a bit of a musical all rounder who brings so much to everything he is involved in. If there was a Glasgow Fantasy Bands League, you'd want Tom in your band.

Silver and Gold was my highlight from Friday night. Gerry's voice sounded as good as I have ever heard it. He hit a real sweet spot. Take The Long Way Round was beautifully gentle and euphoric, Ain't That Enough always sends warm tingles down my spine and Gerry's romantic heartfelt optimism was sprinkled throughout his set.

Glasgow has many basement music venues, the sound in Stereo might be the best. It was really spot on. I also mentioned the local promoter earlier. Holly Calder is a super stylish girl with impeccable taste and knowledge of music. As well as probably having one of the best record collections in Glasgow, Holly's taste in fashion is incredible and she regularly DJ's and puts on nights across the city.

So Holly was putting on The Hanging Stars, also putting them up in her flat for the night. The world (especially the music world) is a warmer place for people like Holly. 

Photo by Holly Calder

And Stereo was pretty warm by the time The Hanging Stars took the stage. A 5-piece, they created a brilliant sound. I would maybe say a little alt. country with a psychedelic tinge.

The band themselves would say Cosmic Americana from London town mixing desert haze with grey rain. They are definitely more poetic than me! A great description!

I have to admit that I hadn't heard of them before this show. A few of my friends at the show were surprised by this. I checked them out in advance of the gig and really enjoyed what I heard, but live, they really blew me away.

Singer Richard Olson had a stunning selection of guitars to choose from; 12-string acoustic, 12-string electric or at times a mere 6-string. Sam Ferman on bass and Paulie Cobra on drums kept things super tight, allowing Patrick Ralla on lead guitar and Joe Harvey White on pedal steel to whip up a storm.

White had a lovely selection of effect pedals and knobs to push and twiddle, creating a lush, warm sound that engulfed the Stereo basement and put big smiles on peoples faces. 

As I said, I'm not overly familiar with The Hanging Stars songs at present, but I'll change that over the coming months. Just the band I need to get me through a cold, dark winter.

Check their setlist below.

Special shout out to Patrick Cichy who DJ'd before, between and after the bands. Patrick's song selection is also listed below and he has uploaded it to mixcloud.

Stereo is a 2-minute hop and skip from Central Station, and my house is a mere 6-minute walk from Uddingston train station. So, as I said, a pretty perfect night! Great to catch up with so many friends.

Cosmic Americana from London town mixing desert haze with grey rain.

Teenage Fanclub Barrowland Ballroom night 2

Pic by Tony Docherty 

There is no doubt, in what I must do

Nothing is greater, than to be with you

Phew, I'm just in from the Barrowland Ballroom following a peerless performance by Teenage Fanclub who flew though their Grand Prix and Songs from Northern Britain albums.

Paul Quinn replaced Brendan O'Hare on drums (as per the recordings) and it was a classic 4-piece line-up that took to the stage and burst through Raymond's About You to a huge cheer.

O'Hare was never far from the action, walking on to the stage draped in a red cloak at the start of Gerry's much loved Sparky's Dream, appearing with a little percussion instrument to kick off the song. At other times he checked up on the band with a clipboard, or stood beside Dave to play percussion. His humour and energy is infectious and at one point he joked that everyone should look at him cause that's what its all about :-)

Grand Prix has such a superb run of songs, we had Norman's beautiful Mellow Doubt, followed by the stunning Gerry Love penned Don't Look Back. We were being spoilt.

Neil Jung was simply stunning. There was soul, power and real feeling to Norman's guitar and voice. He then excelled in delivering a gorgeous version of Tears which tugged on the heart strings.

The way Norman and Gerry's songwriting developed on Grand Prix was exceptional. Love's energetic Discolite was sublime and Going Places caused hearts to melt, it was exquisite.

It wasn't only Brendan that supplied the humour as Norman regularly had to battle to tune his guitar (just like the old days) or check which fret he should place his capo on.

McGinley's songwriting was also developing, Verisimilitude received a fantastic response from the crowd, while with Say No was one of his own highlights from the night.

Hardcore Ballad was superb. The band riffing and ripping it up to leave Norman alone with his acoustic to sing from the bottom of his heart. It was a stunning end to the set, really beautiful and heartfelt.

And love is easy to define

What mine is yours, and yours is mine

Through the pain, through the pain

Last summer I blogged about Songs from Northern Britain HERE and stated that I had come to the conclusion that it was the best Teenage Fanclub album. I stand by that. My favourite album will probably always be Bandwagonesque cause I discovered that LP and the band when I was 15, a really special time. But song for song and the way all 3 songwriters have developed, SFNB is peerless.

The performance at the Barrowland was exceptional. The way Blake and Love combined their vocals was utterly joyful, the way Raymond shredded his guitar on Can't Feel My Soul was exhilarating, the sky scraping choruses of Ain't That Enough, I Don't Want Control Of You, Take The Long Way Round and Speed of Light made me feel like a teenager, completely lost in the music and the wonder of the sound that 4 friends can create with guitars, bass, drums and a little imagination, and the escapism sought in Planets, Winter and Mount Everest sounded ever more appealing. And then you have the gorgeous Your Love Is The Place I Come From with the usual cheers for Norman on xylophone.

I described the first night at the Barrowland as majestic, well tonight was peerless. Special mention to Dave McGowan and Francis MacDonald (Brendan gets his above) - two incredibly talented musicians who were phenomenal in helping the band sound superb.

Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub - 20th anniversary

Grand Prix by Teenage Fanclub was released 20-years ago on Creation Records; it is an album jam packed with all of the things I love about the Fanclub and listening back it still seems to have a special zip and zest to it.

From the opening chords of About You, through guitar pop gems like Sparky's Dream and Discolite, reflective moments on Mellow Doubt and Tears and the outstanding Don't Look Back - Grand Prix is the sound of a band at their very best.

Norman Blake, Gerry Love and Raymond McGinley share the songwriting duties and Grand Prix is an album that reflects magnificently on their progress as writers and musicians. In many ways Grand Prix was the start of another stage in the Fanclub journey, leading on to Songs From Northern Britain and Howdy!

The quality was always there from the debut single Everything Flows, through A Catholic Education, Bandwagonesque and Thirteen. However it is turned up a notch - the songs, the musicianship and production are sublime.

Quinn, Blake, Love and McGinley - 1995

About You sets the tone for the album, warm sounding guitars, upbeat, harmonies and a sense of urgency - all wrapped up in well under 3-minutes. It is almost un-McGinley like; not only for its lyrical simplicity but also for the fact it is so upbeat and urgent; Raymond's work is usually more melancholic and reflective.

Gerry Love contributes 4 exceptional songs to Grand Prix, beginning with Sparky's Dream, the playful riff at the start suddenly explodes into life and Love is (or has been) head over heels but has discovered that love isn't always so easy.

If she lived in space, man

I'd build a plane....

Need a crystal ball to see her in the morning

And magic eyes to read between the lines

I took a wrong direction

From a shooting star

In a love dimension

Fading fast from taking this too far

Sparky's Dream quickly became a live favourite and the band still play it to this day. Love is full of hope and also reflection as the song builds into the flowing chorus, backed by beautiful backing vocals.

The Quietus described it thus;
It never stops ascending. Even where pop songs usually calm down, in the bridges and buffers between the major melodic attacks of verses and choruses, there is no break in the skywards gradient. In some genres this might be more common, but pure pop onslaughts as unrelenting as this one are rare and exhilarating in indie rock.

The opening trilogy concludes with the Mellow Doubt and the three songs remain staples in most Fanclub sets.

I remember going to see the band at King Tut's on the Mellow Doubt 'tour' when they played 3 gigs in Glasgow. As always, there was a degree of humour with the Fanclub, especially when Norman whistled the solo to huge applause. This happens at their shows to this day.

Mellow Doubt is a beautiful song, full of love and heartbreak and aptly named as it is by far the most 'mellow' song in the Fanclub cannon up until that point. I listened a lot to Teenage Fanclub when I went travelling back in 2007 and into 2008 and the song took on a new meaning when I was thinking of proposing to my girlfriend through the lines.

There is no choice, in what I must do

Nothing is greater, than to be with you

Norman's voice is soulful and true throughout the song, particularly in the line;

these feelings don't go away

Gerry Love is in sensational form through Grand Prix. Don't Look Back is a song of pure beauty, shining like the sunshine that Love mentions early on and containing the gem of a line;

I'd steal a car to drive you home

The pace, structure and feeling on this song is just perfect and the guitars that kick in at the end just lift the song superbly to conclusion.

Raymond can be very playful with his lyrics and melodies and that is highlighted on Verisimilitude, although it is the simplest lines that get me when listen back.

I always feel good when I look at you

In you I know our needs are the same

Neil Jung was written by Norman for a very dear friend of his. The guitar chords are warm with a melancholic riff picked out over them. At almost 5-minutes, it is the longest song on the album, allowing the band time to create some gorgeous sounds on their guitars and for Norman to get his message across to his friend.

Norman reaches out to another friend, Creation Records boss Alan McGee, on the piano based ballad Tears. The strings are beautiful and horns come in to just give the song that little edge.

Gerry Love has written some exceptional songs in his time and Discolite is one of my very favourites. Classic Love; it starts with nice warm chords and you can almost hear Gerry chewing his gum as the beat kicks in, the guitar speeds up and the band are off- flowing superbly. There are ooh's, there are aah's as the song speeds up only to return to the warm slow chords at the start before the beat kicks back in and we are off again.

Love takes the song to a new euphoric level with the section below; something that will leave you punching the air in delight, especially if you have the good fortune to catch Teenage Fanclub playing it live.

When the DJ plays your tune

There's a light inside your moon

If the takes don't take you

And the breaks don't break you

Get the train on time, I've waited much too long

The pace slows for Raymond's Say No and he displays his incredible talent for song structure and feeling with clever rhymes allowing the song to flow.

Gerry Love is on fire again with the stunning Going Places; a chiming guitar riff ushers things in gently and Gerry is in a reflective mood yet also finding the space and time (as always) for a lovely romantic line;

I've requested the stars to shine

The song slows superbly for the got the notion... section before lifting to glorious conclusion.

I'll Make It Clear bursts immediately into life; Norman is hopelessly in love and it is the two of them against the world, no-one else understands.

Raymond's last song on the album is the mellow I Gotta Know before Grand Prix closes with the appropriately titled Hardcore/Ballad that explodes into life with a furious jam before dropping to a delicate acoustic guitar with Norman sounding in love but hurt and reflective.

You're my friend but that's not all

We're above them all

Staying here, staying dear

And love is easy to define

Mine is yours as yours is mine

Through the pain, through the pain

20-years down the line Grand Prix remains an astonishing album with real depth to the songwriting, playing and production - timeless.