No Through Road

Could this possibly be the most pointless road sign ever?

Stating the obvious I would think.

While My Back Was Turned

I go away for a short holiday and suddenly David Moyes loses his job and Ryan Giggs brings the smiles back to the faces of the Manchester United crowd.

Maybe I should go away more often.

Great Tyneside Fire 1854

Returning briefly to the subject of local history, I have long had something of a fascination for an event that took place on Friday 6 October 1854.

In the early hours of that morning, a fire began in the upper stories of a large building occupied by worsted manufacturers, Wilson & Sons in Gateshead on the south bank of the river Tyne. The alarm was raised and efforts were made to confine the fire to the upper floors while rescuing stock from below. Unfortunately all efforts failed as the amount of flammable material, including oil used to treat the wool, fueled the flames and within two hours the upper floors collapsed allowing the fire to spread.

Crowds of people thronged along both banks of the river to witness this spectacle. Even the bridges crossing the river were used as viewing platforms by the onlookers. These bridges included the old Tyne Bridge a nine-arched stone construction that had been built in 1771 and the much more recent Robert Stephenson designed, High Level Bridge which had only opened five years earlier in 1849.

As teams of firemen on primitive horse drawn appliances rushed to the scene and fought to contain the fire, the inevitable happened. 

The Gateshead shore was a mass of warehouses and industrial works including many manufacturing and storing toxic chemicals. Between these and stretching up the hill away from the river were many densely populated slum dwellings. The close proximity of these meant that the chances of flames spreading to other buildings were high. Close to Wilson's factory stood a seven storey bond warehouse owned by Charles Bertram. The items stored within this vast space included on that night, sulphur, nitrate of soda and many other combustible materials. As the flames gradually consumed this building also, the melting sulphur streamed in bright blue rivers from the many windows. An even greater spectacle for the onlooking crowd.

The first explosion was felt by the firemen and the spectators on the bridges. That and the following two explosions were ignored. The reverberation of the final explosion was heard or felt as far as 40 miles (64 km) away. Even coal miners working deep underground 11 miles (18 km) away in Monkwearmouth colliery thought that part of their mine had collapsed and came to the surface.

Debris was hurled high into the air and some landed almost a mile away. Gravestones from the nearby St Mary's Church were uprooted and tossed into the night sky. Some burning debris crashed down onto the stone bridge, some onto the masses of wooden ships moored on the river and some even onto the buildings of Newcastle on the opposite bank. As this blazing debris landed on other wooden structures, the fire extended well beyond it's original source. Within hours, both sides of the river were ablaze, as were dozens of ships.

The fires raged for the remainder of that night and for much of the following day until eventually they were brought under control and extinguished. A total of 53 people had lost their lives and it is believed that almost 500 were injured, some terribly so.

My own interest in this horrific event stems from the fact that I discovered through my family history research that some of my ancestors were residing in the tenement dwellings clustered around the church and the factory where the fire began. My paternal great grandfather was only three years old at the time and lived in Blackwall, Deptford House while other family members lived at Saltmeadows and Church Walk. Fortunately none were among the numbers killed or those treated at Gateshead Dispensary or Newcastle Infirmary. I can only try to imagine however, what they must have gone through on that night.



The tragedy was commemorated in 2004 with a plaque which is now attached to the southern support of the new Tyne Bridge. 

Now, Lonely Tower Film & Media have produced a short documentary film about the incident. Written and narrated by Mark Thorburn, the film is well worth a watch and you can do so by clicking on the following link.

Great Tyneside Fire 1854

Concerning True Detective and The Handsome Family

I have recently finished watching the rather good HBO series, 'True Detective'. Harrowing in parts but with great acting performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as well as a strong storyline and script, it just had to be a winner. I don't wish to spoil things for those who have not yet seen the series or reached the end, but.....

SPOILER ALERT!!!!


.....both main characters survive (just), therefore I suspect there just may be a follow up series. 

Of course the soundtrack put together by T Bone Burnett helped things along very nicely. Featuring, among many others, Townes van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Richard & Linda Thompson, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and the 13th Floor Elevators, it all very successfully enhanced the atmosphere of the series. 

And then of course there was the theme song, 'Far From Any Road' which was taken from a 2003 album, 'Singing Bones' by The Handsome Family. The band is made up of husband and wife Brett and Rennie Sparks who have been playing together for twenty years now and who have developed a growing following thanks to their brand of quirky, darkly mysterious songs. As Allmusic said of their album 'Twilight', "they lead the listener down a lovely yet dark trail few would dare tread twice".

I was fortunate enough to see them live around the time of their album 'Last Days of Wonder' (can that really be eight years ago?) and recognised then that they were something quite special. How nice to see them finally getting some of the recognition they deserve thanks to this TV series.

If you wish to check out more current material from the couple, the latest studio album was issued last year and is called 'Wilderness'.

Pink Lane Jazz Co-op in Newcastle upon Tyne - an Update

Further to my post on 19 March, I can now happily report that the target funding has been achieved and plans can now progress with the development of The Globe as a jazz venue in Newcastle upon Tyne.

I'm now a share holder in a jazz club. 

Never thought I'd see that day!

Here is the campaign video.

Box Sets #12 - Atlantic Jazz Legends

For less than £40 I was able to add this little item to my expanding collection of jazz recordings.


You may recall Atlantic releasing the superb 'Atlantic Soul Legends' box set which consisted of twenty classic albums spanning the years 1959 to 1975.








Well, now they have done the same with their impressive jazz catalogue.

Housed in a sturdy box with a removable lid, come twenty albums each in it's own mini LP replica sleeve complete, where appropriate, with the original sleeve notes.

At this point, I must add that the quality of the sleeves is very good indeed. I have encountered some that have virtually come apart once the disc has been removed a few times, but these appear very robust. Well done Atlantic and Rhino who have jointly produced this package.

I won't list all of the albums here but suffice to say that many major jazz artists are represented. These include, John Coltrane, Charlie Mingus, Ornette Colemen, Roland Kirk, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Art Blakey, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Thelonious Monk and many more. A great selection.

Also a nice touch is that the CD's have been manufactured to look like mini albums themselves. Perfect for those nostalgics like myself who enjoy the appearance of vinyl but don't want the crackles and clicks that all that entails.

Finally I should add that the booklet contains details of all the albums including the full band line-ups; essential information for jazz aficionados. 

I suspect that some of this music will be accompanying me when I go on holiday next week.

Newcastle Keep & Black Gate

Continuing the thread of my last post, I happened to be visiting Newcastle earlier today to see the Virtuoso Jazz Trio at the Lit & Phil, and being in the vicinity of Castle Garth I took the opportunity to capture my own photos of this historic part of the city.

The Black Gate built between 1247 and 1250, was once the main gateway into the castle itself. The original castle was founded in 1080 by Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. 












The building itself is currently undergoing re-development to merge it as a tourist attraction with the adjacent Castle Keep.
















Walkways have been constructed which will enable visitors to pass between the two buildings while examining the remains of the castle walls.

This photo shows the Black Gate with the Cathedral of St Nicholas behind. A very similar shot to that posted yesterday. Dog Leap Stairs are just to the right of where this photo was taken.









So here are two shots of Dog Leap Stairs, one looking down towards the quayside..... 
















and one looking back up towards the castle.












The keep of the castle was built between 1168 and 1178 by Henry II. Yes the very same King Henry that was responsible in 1170 for the murder of Thomas Becket before the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.








Of course visitors to Newcastle by rail can get a good close up view of the impressive keep as the mainline East Coast service runs directly past.

Newcastle upon Tyne Historic Tours

My apologies in advance if today's post is a little localised but I did not want to miss the opportunity to broadcast the fact that the wonderful Lit & Phil (Newcastle Literary & Philosophical Society) are going to run a series of guided walks around Newcastle during the summer months (May to September).

The route of these historical walks will illustrate the development of the city from Roman times and will take in aspects of the city's cultural and literary past. And all of this for free!

To publicise this venture, the Lit & Phil posted these fascinating then and now pictures of Castle Garth and Dog Leap Stairs.

Here is another similar view in black and white.

The church that can be seen in the background was then the Parish Church of St Nicholas which in 1882 became St Nicholas' Cathedral.

Incidentally, Dog Leap Stairs which run from Castle Garth down to The Side towards Newcastle Quayside, are referred to in the song 'Down To The Waterline' by Dire Straits. You can hear the song here.

If you live in the north east of England or happen to be visiting during the summer months, these tours have to be a marvellous way to learn something of the history of this fine city. Further details are on the Lit & Phil Facebook page which you can access here.

Wild China #3 - Erhai Lake

What a dull and dreary week it has been here in the north east, while it appears that the rest of the UK has been basking in sunshine. Fog on the Tyne indeed.

Anyway to end this week I will continue with my recollections of our travels in China, continuing with the area close to the city of Dali in Yunnan Province. We spent the early part of one morning achieving one of my ambitions for the trip.

The Erhai Lake (the name literally means ear-shaped sea) is the second largest highland lake in China. It is almost 6,500 feet (2000 metres) above sea level and is situated between Dali and the Cangshan Mountains. 

Our arrival coincided with a Festival of Fire that is celebrated each year by the local Bai ethnic minority group who dominate this area. Consequently as we travelled around the city and its surroundings, we encountered many large wooden torches being erected. As we approached the lake, one such torch had been completed and local people in colourful traditional costumes were performing a ritual dance around the decorated structure.






These same people who dwell by the lakeside, largely make their living from fishing during the winter months and when restrictions are placed on the amount of fishing during the summer, they rely heavily on tourism. The fishing here though is not done by rod or net, but through the use of trained cormorants. And it was to see these in action, that I had come to this place.

We were soon aboard a boat that was being rowed by a friendly local wearing the traditional costume and a very fetching flower bedecked straw hat. He smiled constantly and sang occasionally as he rowed us further out onto the lake. Eventually we reached the area where another boat waited. This was being rowed by an elderly woman whose husband we were told, was one of five men who had fished this lake throughout his life. Along both sides of the boat, rows of cormorants sat patiently waiting for the order to commence their work. 




One by one they were thrown onto the surface of the water but even then they did not dive. As a signal, the fisherman beat the surface of the water with a bamboo pole and only then did the birds disappear beneath our boat.

Only a minute had elapsed before one of the birds surfaced clutching in it's beak a large, bloodied fish. The bird was quickly scooped up by the fisherman and held aloft for us all to applaud as he sang a traditional song of thanks to the gods for his catch. 

























The procedure was repeated and once again another fish was caught within a minute. These fantastic birds were certainly in their element beneath the waves.


























Such was the activity, it was only too easy to overlook the magnificent scenery that surrounded us, but as were were rowed towards the shore, I took the opportunity to photograph some of the wonderful scenes in this hazy early morning sunshine.

At the edge of the lake, while admiring the scenery, the fisherman's boat approached and pulled alongside ours. He soon joined us clutching two of his prized birds and before I knew it I was being photographed holding one of the wet and bedraggled birds in each hand. I had hoped to get up close and personal with these birds but hadn't reckoned on being quite this close. It was an unforgettable experience.

My ambition was well and truly fulfilled so with that box ticked we moved on towards the city of Dali itself.

Next time, I will report on our visit to that wonderful city and of our experiences at the Bai Fire Festival.

New Albums From Jack Bruce and The Hold Steady

After a slow start as far as new albums have been concerned this year, it is rather nice to welcome two tasty new releases. Jack Bruce has not produced a new studio album for ten years but on 'Silver Rails' we see him accompanied by drummer Cindy Blackman-Santana and John Medeski on keyboards along with a host of illustrious guitarists in the form of Phil Manzanera ('Candlelight'), Robin Trower ('Rusty Lady'), Bernie Marsden, Uli John Roth ('Hidden Cities') and Jack's son Malcolm Bruce. Furthermore, Jack has been reunited on some of the numbers with his former songwriting partner, Pete Brown. The style of music represents most of Jack's career and includes reworkings of two older songs, 'No Surrender' (from 'A Question of Time') and 'Keep It Down' (from 'Out of the Storm').

As one would expect, the playing is superb but considering Jack's past health problems, one might not be prepared for just how strong his voice sounds. Also the songwriting is still pretty sharp. OK there may be no absolute classics like 'Theme For An Imaginary Western' or 'We're Going Wrong', but musically Jack still has things to say. Currently my personal favourite is 'Hidden Cities' which seems to hark back to the style Jack employed on what for me are his two greatest albums, 'Songs For A Tailor' and 'Harmony Row'.

This is an album that is currently being played quite a lot in the White Room. Welcome back Jack.



The other release comes from New York outfit, The Hold Steady who disappointed me with their last album, 'Heaven Is Whenever'. The latest, 'Teeth Dreams' sounds much more like the in-your-face rock I was used to with their first four albums. Further listens are required but the signs are promising and I may be returning to this subject in due course. 

Incidentally The Hold Steady are also playing a handful of dates in the UK early in May though Jack Bruce recently cancelled his proposed tour due to 'unforeseen circumstances'.