After the Gig ..

We had a guy on the phone on the morning of the gig complaining it was poorly advertised. On the night, we had the biggest crowd in over a decade to see Wishbone Ash in the main hall of the Carling Academy. This excellent turn-out was matched in the only way possible by the band with a brilliant performance. They played for a full two hours and the only complaint we had after the gig was ..... we want more!

The place really was jumping, the atmosphere was terrific and the band were clearly turned on by the enthusiasm of the very appreciative crowd. They covered a mass of material from way back when to now. All superbly performed, all superbly received by the packed crowd.  We can all now look forward to the next gig on Wednesday 25th October 2006.

If you want to see a world class rock band who demonstrate incredible musicianship rather than relying on the volume knob - try Wishbone Ash

Despite the difficulties of changing the venue, the show on the 19th October at the Cluny in Newcastle was superb. Many thanks to the band for having such a positive attitude and making it such a memorable night. We were delighted to note that they enjoyed the gig and it is understood that Andy Powell has made some favourable comments on the Wishbone web site. CannyGigs would also like to thank the Cluny staff who worked so hard to ensure that the gig went smoothly. The capacity at the Cluny is 300 and of course we sold it out.  

Needing a larger venue, this gig is at the brand new Carling Academy 2 in Westgate Road, Newcastle which opened in October 2005. There has been over £4 million spent on sorting this venue to give it the best rock facilities in the North of England to host leading bands like Wishbone Ash.

We would draw your attention to the stage time for the band which is 8.00pm prompt. The gig will close at 10.00pm so there's bags more time to follow a brilliant show by sampling the delights of Newcastle. 

Brief Background blurb ....

Wishbone Ash deserve long service medals for their 35 years of touring the world. The band are renowned for delivering high quality rock, the sort that has depth not just volume. Stalwart Andy Powell remembers back in the 60’s when the band were looking for a guitarist, “they started running advertisements in the music papers and prospective guitarists would come to the house and audition. It finally came down to Ted Turner and me and they couldn't decide between us. So the band decided not to hire a keyboard player, as they'd originally planned and took us both instead!"

The group was subject to a variety of influences - Powell was a veteran of various semi-pro blues and soul outfits and a player who listened to bands from Fairport Convention to the Who. "Pete Townsend had a profound impact on me as a rhythm player", Powell says and credits his experience in soul bands, working with horn section harmonies as the inspiration for the dual lead guitar format that he and Ted Turner developed.

Powell continues, "It was crucial in those days that everybody have their own sound, there was a great spirit in the air in the late 60's. The clubs were very active, there was a lot of R&B and a lot of blues, like the Pretty Things and early Fleetwood Mac. The scene was open to anything that would expand the imagination."

As for the group's name, Powell explains, "We wanted something that wouldn't tie us down to a particular style and came up with a number of wacky names - I remember Third World War and Jesus Duck. Finally there were two lists, one of which had the word Wishbone on it and the other of which had Ash. The combination sounded intriguing - actually, it sounded like more than it was."