Sage Gateshead is delighted to announce five new shows that are on sale now. Highlights include 1960s icons The Hollies, YouTube sensation Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Juke Box, and prog-rock legends YES.
Presented by Waka Waka Africa North East – Reggae in Britain: Dennis Bovell & Friends
Tuesday 5 December, 8pm, Sage Two
Dennis Bovell tells the story, in words, film and music, of the first three decades of reggae in Britain – the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s – and its origins in ska and rocksteady. With his band, and with archive film footage, he charts reggae’s importance in African-Caribbean culture/heritage, its place in the social & political context of the time and how it influenced other music forms and countless British musicians.
Born in Barbados, reggae guitarist and singer Dennis Bovell (sometimes known under the pseudonym of Blackbeard) was one of the key figures on the London reggae scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s, not only as a solo artist but also as a producer. The band Bovell co-founded in the mid-’70s, Matumbi, was one of England’s first self-contained reggae bands. In addition, Bovell released several albums of solo dub experiments, and he participated in the BBC’s Reggae Brittania season in 2011.
Writer Benjamin Zephaniah is contributing to this Arts Council-supported project and appears on film. He was part of the school known as the ‘Dub Poets’ – poets who worked alongside reggae music.
Book Now: http://sagegateshead.com/event/dennis-bovell46800/
Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Juke Box
Sunday 18 February 2018, 7.30pm, Sage One
Starting out as the bedroom project of Jazz pianist Scott Bradlee and rapidly growing into a viral and real-world sensation, the US group’s vintage-pop mash ups have racked up over 811 million YouTube views and brought their rotating roster of top-class session musicians into the limelight and onto sold out worldwide tours.
Imagine marrying the 21st century party vibe of Miley Cyrus or the minimalist angst of Radiohead with the crackly warmth of a vintage 78 or the plunger-muted barrelhouse howl of a forgotten Kansas City jazzman. Bradlee’s choice of material ranges from the ’80s hard rock of Guns N’ Roses to hits as recent as Taylor Swift’s controversial Look What You Made Me Do.
They’re rendered by a rotating cast of musicians and singers in fashions that date back to a time when Axl, Slash and T-Swift’s parents had yet to be born – a time of street corner harmonies and torch singers, blues belters and golden-voiced crooners.
Since first arriving on UK shores in early 2014 Postmodern Jukebox have consistently deepened their commitment to the UK by adding more shows each time they visit, bringing their unique spin on modern pop hits and retro pop stylings to new cities for the first time while revisiting favourite haunts that welcome them back with eagerly open arms. Postmodern Jukebox also made their major UK label debut album The Essentials earlier this year.
Book now: http://sagegateshead.com/event/scott-bradlees-postmodern-jukebox/
Chas Cole for CMP Entertainment presents The Classic Rock Show 2018 – Guitar Greats
Friday 23 February 2018, 7.30pm, Sage One
As testimony to the ever increasing popularity of Classic Rock music, the critically acclaimed live show The Classic Rock Show returns to the UK to bring us Guitar Greats – World Tour 2018, an amazing new live production celebrating the world’s greatest guitarists.
Paying tribute to many of the world’s all time guitar greats, The Classic Rock Show’s world class musicians power through Classic Rock’s finest moments, celebrating legendary performances by stars including Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Walter Becker (Steely Dan), Brian May (Queen), and Pete Townsend (The Who).
Performed with note-for-note precision, bringing the original iconic and era defining recordings back to life on stage, with a sound and light show to match.
Anthem after anthem, riff after riff, solo after solo – The Classic Rock Show takes you on a musical journey through two and a half hours of foot-stomping fun, culminating in a show-stopping guitar duel that is definitely not to be missed.
Police Dog Hogan
Friday 16 March 2018, 8pm, Sage Two
Driving country-rock rhythms and a distinctive Americana vibe underpin lead singer James Studholme’s lyrics, in this collection of stories and personal observations. The collective musical skills of the band have been used to full effect to create an album that delivers on both interpretation and atmosphere.
Police Dog Hogan, first formed in 2009, has evolved over the years into a tight-knit eight-piece band combining guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, accordion, trumpet, keyboards, bass and drums to create an exuberant fusing of country, pop, folk and rocking bluegrass.
The band regularly plays to sell-out audiences up and down the country. After more than 300 live shows they’ve become a serious and ambitious musical venture that marries a devotion to touring and the presentation of consummate live performances with an utter dedication to song writing and recording.
Book Now: http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/police-dog-hogan/
YES 50th Anniversary tour
Sunday 18 March 2018, 7.30pm, Sage One
The year 2018 marks half a century since the formation of the legendary group YES, one of the biggest bands in prog-rock history and true pioneers of the genre. To celebrate this remarkable milestone YES will embark on a 10-date UK tour next March – #YES50.
On this not-to-be-missed tour, YES will feature not only many of the band’s classic hits but performances of sides one and four and an excerpt from side three of their 1973 album Tales from Topographic Oceans, which was the first YES album to top the UK album charts.
Following their induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in April 2017, YES will release Topographic Drama – Live Across America, a new live album, planned for later in the year, recorded during their US 2016/17 tours.
Book Now: http://sagegateshead.com/event/yes-50th-anniversary-tour/
The Hollies
Saturday 14 April 2018, 7.30pm, Sage One
The Hollies is one of the iconic bands of the 60s, and has been responsible for many classic hits including: The Air That I Breathe, Bus Stop, Carrie Anne, and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.
With lead singer Peter Howarth commanding centre stage for almost fifteen years, The Hollies have been entertaining audiences around the globe every single year for well over half a century – as always driven by Bobby Elliott’s powerhouse drumming and led by Tony Hick’s masterful guitar playing and vocals.
Book Now: http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/the-hollies46812/