The evening will take the form of an ‘In Conversation’ with best selling author Tony Fletcher led by James McNair (Mojo), and will include readings from his upcoming new book ‘POW!’ When UK Punk Went Pop – 1980-84′, and stories around his work and writing. *Tony will have books for sale on the evening*
Further information on Tony Fletcher:
Before authoring eleven books, including best selling biographies of Who drummer Keith Moon, R.E.M. and the Smiths, Tony Fletcher was a teenaged music magazine publisher in his native England. But, with a degree of industry that sounds absolutely exhausting, he also ran a record label, interviewed rock stars, led a band, promoted concerts, worked as an on-air TV interviewer — and still found time for romance. Fletcher chronicled the early days of his life and career in Boy About Town (2013) but had enough extraordinary experiences left over for this colorful and engaging memoir. 1980–’84 was an explosive time in British rock, as the disruptive energy of bands like the Clash and
Sex Pistols gave way to more sophisticated and chart-friendly genres and bands. Fletcher was on the front lines, running a record label with the Jam’s Paul Weller, attending all the important concerts and meeting the top acts, many of whom became MTV regulars: Madness, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Wham!, Echo & the Bunnymen, Killing Joke, Adam and the Ants, the Smiths and more. Then there’s the time he interviewed Paul McCartney… This is a coming-of-age story, the tale of a naïve young man in a cultural whirlwind who learns some hard lessons about business, journalism, love and sex – all the while trying to get his own band a record deal.
Praise for POW!
“POW! is quite an extraordinary achievement, at the very least for showing that Tony’s memories
are as detailed and full as if these things happened just last week. Most auto-biographies skim
over the bad bits with a wry eye, a “whoops” with a grin, but Tony has no such tone. His gods are
as slammed as they are revered, by showing both their humanity and their human-ness, their own
faults and problems.” Hugo Burnham, Gang of Four
“Fletcher’s POW! is one of those brilliant memoirs that reveals the stories behind all those pieces
that many of us remember from his precocious journalism in Jamming! and The Face, etc, as well
as the inside skinny on running a record label with Paul Weller. It’s a fascinating insider account
of the British music business in that wonderful early ’80s era.” Pat Gilbert, author of Passion Is a
Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash
Praise for Tony Fletcher’s previous other books
Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon/Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend
“Top flight airport reading… a resounding success.” New Musical Express
“Explosive and entertaining.” Vanity Fair
“A great rock biography…an admirable piece of research, and a damn entertaining read.”
Austin Chronicle
“Moon manages to capture, and often hilariously, the lunatic antics that earned Moon his
nickname yet never fails to take him seriously as an artist.” Entertainment Weekly
“The definitive word on one of the century’s most colorful entertainers. Highly
recommended.” Library Journal
In the Midnight Hour: The Life & Soul of Wilson Pickett
“Fletcher’s vibrant book brings Pickett and his music to glorious life.” Publishers Weekly
“A captivating account of the wild, pugnacious and swaggering soul singer Wilson
Pickett.” The Sunday Times
“Beautifully written, especially when describing the classic songs, and vividly underpinned
by civil rights developments…” Record Collector
A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths
“[A] meticulous biography. This exhaustive, well-researched account brings fresh detail
and thought to the party.” The Sunday Times
“The story itself is riveting, and Fletcher tells it lucidly and fairly.” The Irish Times
“Reveals new details and brings new depths to the story of Morrissey, Marr, Rourke, Joyce
and the birth of the band.” Mojo
All Hopped Up and Ready to Go: Music from the Streets of New York, 1927-77
“It will be hard for any writer to trump this magnificent achievement.” Record Collector
“Fletcher’s narrative hurtles along like a high-speed cab ride down Broadway.” Mojo
“Fletcher tells the story well…. His gift is enthusiasm.” The New York Times Book Review
Simon Taylor is a singer-songwriter from Newcastle upon Tyne who has been releasing and performing music for over fifteen years. His songwriting contains elements of rock, pop and Latin with influences ranging from Leonard Cohen to Lou Reed. Simon began his performing career in 2011 with his Latin/ funk/ jazz 5- piece Simon Taylor & The Sundowners. They performed at the Mouth Of The Tyne & VAMOS Festivals and since 2012 Simon’s music has featured regularly on BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio USA. Following a headline gig at the 02 Academy
in Newcastle in 2018 Simon began to perform solo. On hearing his mental health- themed e.p “Survival” in 2022, the British Library Sound Archive asked him to send over his back catalogue for storage in the archive. In 2021 Simon reached the Semi-Finals of the UK Songwriting Contest with his ballad “Bad Times Are Through”.
Simon has recently formed a new band featuring his brother Paul Taylor (keys), Richard Millington (drums) and Dan Pietruszka (bass) and is about to release his drama-soaked new e.p “Eden”
Support comes from The Agency, an amalgam of talent from around the north east described by NARC as ‘an English Velvet Underground for the 21st Century.’
‘International Dust’ is the new album from London art-pop band Firestations, and it marks a return to their full five-piece band format after a journey into more stripped back alt-folk territory on last year’s ‘Many White Horses’.
The nine tracks on the album (out in October on Lost Map Records), encompass an eclectic and intuitive mix of dream-pop, alt-country and hypnotic cyclical numbers, and were shaped collectively by the whole band through various twists and turns at rehearsal sessions during 2024. It was recorded live in the room at Otterhead Studios in early 2025 (engineered by Ellis Powell-Bevan and Oscar Ball), before being mixed and mastered by James Trevascus (Invada, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Young Fathers). This longer gestation period, combined with having someone outside the band on production duties, has resulted in a more expansive and immersive listen, with room for everything to find its place.
The musical arrangements this time round also contribute to the immersive feel by exploring the depth of musicianship in the band, taking Firestations to previously uncharted territory. The improvised flute and viola on album opener ‘Hidden Face’ add some playful chaos and menace to proceedings, while on ‘Beginners’ and ‘Sleeping on the Sidelines’ the piano is woven into the mix, giving the tracks a sense of fragility and world-weariness. More surprisingly perhaps, Mike also adds some jazz adjacent tenor saxophone at the end of ‘International Dust’.
The album title itself has to do with the inevitable passing of time and the absurdity of human constructs, created as if permanence was a thing, combined with a questioning of boundaries both imagined and real (as well as being a reference to Silver Jew’s ‘American Water’: try new INTERNATIONAL DUST ™!).
Overall, this collection is a significant step up for a consistently creative band who have re-invented themselves once again on this album – a satisfying listen at surface level, with deeper, thought-provoking foundations lurking beneath.
Hailing from an isolated village up on the North Yorkshire Moors, Elaine has spent
much of her life travelling back and forth to family in Phoenix, Arizona. Growing up
in an old Watermill, she immersed herself in music, writing songs influenced by her
surroundings both in the UK and USA. Elaine finely honed her distinctive voice and
built a reputation as much for her emotive, mesmerizing stage presence as for her
fusion of British folk and American country styles.
Touring extensively, sharing stages with the likes of Patty Griffin, Lilly Hiatt and
Seasick Steve, her two most recent releases Half Moon Rising and Some Seek Silver,
Some Seek Gold have seen her working with musician and producer Mike Butler
(Phoebe Bridgers, Norah Jones, The White Buffalo) at his Half Moon Lodge studio
high in the San Diego hills.
‘Carefully constructed, strong on melody, her best work yet’***** – AmericanaUK
‘With a beautifully conversational voice, an unerring sense of
melody and a bittersweet and wistful repertoire, Elaine Palmer is undoubtedly a talent’ **** – MOJO
SATELLITE INN
Back in 2002, Satellite Inn were the italian touring band for Robert Fisher (Willard Grant Conspiracy). That
persuaded him to handle the production of what it should have been Satellite Inn’s second album.
What did happen is that MoodFood Records went out of business and the band on permanent hiatus, as
well as the songs included in that demo.
After the self- release of their 2024 eponymous album, Satellite Inn, almost a decade since the death of
Robert Fisher that lost songs reappeared in a box of Satellite Inn’s unused master tapes. The material was
so inspiring for the band that they decided to pay a tribute to their old master. Those early songs sounded
so fresh that they became the backbone of their new record, due out on February 2026.
For the occasion, Satellite Inn will team up again with their old friends at the historic El Cortez label in
Portland, Oregon, once run by Richmond Fontaine and now the platform distributing aural gems from the
acclaimed band The Delines.
Founder member of Dexys Midnight Runners, Pete Williams along with guitarist Andy Wellings brings his stunning 2 man show to The Engine Room North ShieldsReflecting on a lifetime of touring and featuring music and stories from his 3 critically acclaimed Albums this promises to be a blisteringly memorable night.
What the press say!
Quotes:
“The songs are Damn Good” IGGY POP (BBC 6 Music)
“What a fantastic songwriter and singer the man is. We both thought that his first record ‘See’ was the stand out album of 2012. Pete is a storyteller in his songs, and writes as a mature man who has lived and suffered and loved. The soulfulness that Pete brings to everything that he does is inspiring. He has the passion of a young writer, and the philosophical overview of a wise man.” – CHARLIE & CRAIG REID (THE PROCLAIMERS)
“For me, it’s all about recognising in another brother or sister that same appreciation that another side to this life exists. We can smell each other out. Pete smells good and is a damn fine man and musician.” – RICHARD HAWLEY
“I’m a fan of the great Pete Williams. He tells terrific stories set to beautiful melodies and sung with passion, charisma and heartfelt honesty. He draws me in every time”. – IMELDA MAY
Press:
‘Roughnecks and Roustabouts’
“Pleasingly grizzled, yet groovy”
★★★★
Mojo
“His hook-laden tales are the work of a genuine craftsman”
Q Magazine
Andrew Collins. Broadcaster, presenter Classic F.M. August 2018
H.O.L.L.A.N.D. is literate, acerbic, witty, melodic, conceptual and arguably his best yet.
Mark Rubinstein. Sour Jazz NYC. September 2018
“Always putting the song first, consistently as cool as it is warm, successive spins revealing layers and nuance, rewarding the listener.”
David Stubbs Classic Rock Magazine 8/10
“Like Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney, Williams has the ability to make magic of the mundane.”
Max Descharne 4* MOJO
“Deeply felt lyrics that aren’t afraid to acknowledge the complexities of the human condition”
Please could you send me your ticket links by the end of play Thursday latest.
