Tubesnake

Out and about in the meadows of Durham and Weardale this weekend. First time at The Victoria Inn in Cassop for us on Saturday night 14th June. A new venue is always interesting because you just don’t know what to expect. Try and get along to support us. Sunday, 15th June, we’re off to Stanhope. Gigging at 5pm at The Bonny Moorhen where we’ve played many an excellent Sunday afternoon gig in the past through sun, rain and snow. It’s under new management, has been redecorated and the pool table has been slung on the bonfire so more room for Chris to show off his collection of bass guitars. Love this venue and the hard core of locals who usually attend. Ride out and drop in on a great gig! … Lenny

While I was flitting around a very sunny North East dropping Tubesnake posters off at The Star Inn in Newcastle, then checking out the newly extended and refurbished Mill House at Birtley before finally popping into The Market Tavern in Chester-le-Street to enquire about future gigs; Tom had a Sunday afternoon warm-up spot at The Clarendon in Sunderland before The Glammed took to the floor … Lenny

Got in touch with Waka from The Glammed and asked if he fancied playing some Stooges/MC5 stuff sometime and we thought, why not do an opening slot at their next Clara gig. Anyhow, turned up today having had no practice whatsoever, had a bit of a soundcheck and Waka (drums) gelled brilliantly with me (guitar/vox) and me dad, Andy (bass). We played a selection of MC5, Stooges, and Dictators tracks to a small but really appreciative crowd, even had them singing along with ‘Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa’. A crackin’ venue, where we always get a great crowd in for Tubesnake, but come on, in how many venues would you go down well playing Stooges covers? Not many, if ANY! Had to dash before The Glammed’s second set, but the first set was the best I’ve seen from them yet! … Tom

Sunday 1st June 2008 at The Clarendon, Sunderland. Another excellent afternoon/early evening gig with plenty of peeps having a good time. The Creepers performed a storming set for an hour before we hit the floor at around 5.30pm. We used their P.A. and most of their gear (Cheers!), added a couple of floor lights, set fire to some patchouli sticks and kicked off with Suffragette City. Three extra Doors tracks were introduced today: Break On Through, Love Me Two Times and Love Her Madly, despite the fact that we ain’t practiced them together as a band. It was great giving them an airing and they’re now officially in the set. Yet again, the crowd was VERY supportive and we all had a bloody good time with some great crack on and off stage including me, Woody and Tom taking part in an impromptu ‘Try The Hat On’ photo shoot, courtesy of ‘Stevie The Hat’ from De Niro’s barber shop. Still buzzing as me and Woody headed back to Durham and decided to call in on an ‘Open Mic Night’ at The Lambton Hounds in Pity Me to round things off. I borrowed someone’s acoustic, got out my ‘pick of destiny’ and played Mr.Tambourine Man (Dylan), Life’s A Gas (Marc Bolan) and Losing My Religion (REM) before heading off to cribsville. Class day! … Lenny

Friday 23rd May 2008. The Market Tavern in Chester-le-Street. The bods were packed in and the vibe in the room was excellent from song one. Stephen Wakefield ‘Waka’, from The Glammed, was on drums again while Woody partook of his last night in Spain. No new songs but we’d shuffled the set about which gave us a fresh view on the proceedings. Met a bunch of new faces at this gig including one couple I remembered seeing at a 1977 gig here in February. Now they were here for our gig and told me they’d been waiting ten years to see Tubesnake. Strange but true and I’m still not sure what held them up? Also, thanks to another first-timer, young Stephanie, who’d just got back from seeing The Sex Pistols Experience at The Carling Academy in Newcastle. She heard us playing from down the street and dropped in for the last few songs. Sporting a Stiff Little Fingers t-shirt she came straight to the front providing rousing cries of “Have it!” in between each number before dancing herself and another front-line dancing girl into a heap on the floor. Fantastic! In similar fashion, Waka closed the final Sympathy For The Devil by up-ending the drum-kit, prompting Tom to unstrap his Fender and play it by scraping it off the twisted metal mass before throwing it into the symbolic funeral pyre! Damned good gig! … Lenny

Took the bike out today and called in on a great Sunday afternoon gig by 1977 at The Clarendon in Sunderland.

Bill da bass was in full comedic mode between songs while being typically chastised by Cass (drums) and Jax (guitar/vocals). The lads delivered the punk/new wave goods yet again with their never-tiring passion, reminding us what we felt like when we first heard those songs when we was kidz, which is what makes 1977 great. They perform their stuff with conviction. Known them for at least 10 years and they’re still well into it. Great to hear Public Image by PIL, in the set.

Yeah, the sun may have been shining today but it was bloody freezing in the shade! This Blondie Sunday Girl slipped into the saddle and secured a tour around the block before I rode off along Sunset-derland Boulevard with the sound of the suburbs still ringing in my ears! … Lenny

Three whole weeks off for us dudes. See ya on Friday 23rd May at The Market Tavern, Chester-le-Steet. Great little gig this. Squeeze in and we’ll show you our holiday snaps.

Saturday 26th April 2008 at The Derwentside, Consett. As the Tubesnake tour bus pulled up I realised that we’d actually played here once before (archives revealed that it was Thursday 22nd July 1999!). We were barely out of our teens back then but hey, time moves on. This gig was like a coming together of the tribes with the limited number of locals present being boosted by mini-bus/automobile gangs from Durham, Stanhope and Wolsingham. Together they combined to create a very decent sized crowd who gave us top support after each song and got down to some serious boogie. This high-energy response was all the more appreciated by us considering that Chris snapped a bass string, then his amp went off and he had to tentatively play through the ‘vocal’ P.A.; Woody had a sore foot and we had to drop all our ‘disco’ numbers and Tom’s amp/pedals kept tripping like Brian Jones on a weekend bender. But what the hell. It was a great night at a great little venue. The warm welcome from Ann and her staff together with an appreciative crowd made it a bloody good gig … Lenny

Sunday 13th April, 2008 at The Clarendon, Sunderland.

Yet another throbbing gig was had at ‘The Clara’.

After very little deliberation we have decided that we love this venue.

It’s got a similar vibe to the Beamish Mary Inn in Stanley which has been a long time favourite for some of us in Tubesnake. Something to do with the fact that the building itself is full of character, like the Beamish, and it attracts an audience who are prepared to squeeze into a small space with no frills and get their rocks off without complaining that there ain’t a comfy seat to sit on. No disrespect intended!

This place rocks!

The locals and staff are class, and the three gigs we’ve played there just seem to increase in intensity. We’ve met new faces each time who, along with previous visitors, leave loving it.

Is it me? Is it you? Is it us? Is it them?

Is it the venue itself? Or the feeling that everyone in the room WANTS to be there? Not telling ya!

Find out for yourself. It works!

We’re back on Sunday 1st June, 4pm onwards, when the P.A. will once again be provided by John & Caroline from The Creepers who have done a great job for us each time we’ve played there.

Things will be a little different on the 1st June since The Creepers will be doing a support slot before we go on.

Get a grip (on yourself). Put that one in your diary and smoke it.

We can’t wait to get back there! … Lenny

Tubesnake
Lenny & Tom Atkinson

Velvet Revolver
Scott Weiland & Slash

Crook F.C., Saturday 29th March 2008. Basically a hometown for Chris and Tom and it was a great night. A dancing birthday girl and her friends got down on the floor midway through the first set and gave us the sort of stuff we’re used to. People having a good time. Great atmosphere with low lighting (two stage bulbs were out), slide show and psychedelic ‘space projector’. Combine that with the pouring rain outside and Riders on The Storm, towards the end of the first set, had the perfect setting. Good crowd reaction throughout the night and excellent participation in the closing line of People Are Strange (not all audiences feel up to that). We even managed to trip the power in the middle of the second set but were back on within minutes and ploughed through to finish with Sympathy For The Devil and Roadhouse Blues. Looking forward to our return on 2nd August! … Lenny

Shamrox, Durham City, on Saturday 22nd March 2008. This was a gig we were really looking forward to and what a blinder of a gig it was! We ain’t played there since 18th December 2004, when it was known as O’Neils, but it felt like “a blast from the past”, to me and Woody anyway, we’ve played there so many times before. I’ve never seen the gaff so full. The place was literally rammed and it seemed we were being observed from every possible angle. The audience response was absolutely tremendous throughout the two sets. Our best gig yet since the current line-up with Tom Atkinson on guitar kicked off in June 2007, and overall, one of the best Tubesnake gigs ever! “Dancing days are here again, as the summer evenings grow!” … Lenny

Thousands of rock fans have raised a glass or two over the years to toast the exploits of North East rock band Tubesnake but now Pelaw Grange Greyhound Stadium have had a Real Ale brewed in their honour.

Lead Singer and founder member of Tubesnake Lenny Mustarde is delighted at having a beer named after the band.

‘It will be cool to see a hand pump with our name on it and hope the taste is as good as our music! Pelaw Grange Stadium is the first Greyhound Track we have ever played at and we are all really looking forward to it.’

The ‘Tubesnake’ brew, specially commissioned by Bull Lane Brewer John Taylor, will be one of twelve real ales on sale at Pelaw Grange’s Fourth Annual Easter Beer Festival that starts on Thursday 20th March. On Good Friday 21st the Tubesnake fans can sample the band’s honorary ale ahead of the gig that starts at 9pm in the concert room.

… Graeme Henigan, Pelaw Grange Greyhound Stadium.

Our gig on Saturday 1st March 2008 at The Ox Inn, Stanley, sees Stephen Wakefield ‘Waka’ from The Glammed depping on drums once again. Today, poor Woody received a blow to the head at work after being challenged by some kitchen stock in his warehouse resulting in the need for stitches. He has been ordered to chill out for a week but kindly agreed to let Waka kick the hell out of his kit again so the show could go on. Our thoughts are with The Wood. Our gratitude to The Fish.

This afternoon, Sunday 24th February 2008 at The Weardale Inn, Ireshopeburn. Out of nowhere a horde of people turned up as if ushered in as extras on some Hollywood film set. The function room did indeed resemble the grand hall in some gothic castle with a balcony up in the lap of the gods and a massive, lit, open fire. If we ever cover a Marilyn Manson track, this is where we’ll shoot the video. First time for House of The Rising Sun, all be it mixed into the middle of G.L.O.R.I.A. We’ve had a long standing association with the people of Weardale and yet again they were fully behind us today. Brilliant! … Lenny

Thursday, 21st February 2008, at Easy Street in Chester-le-Street. Despite a few gremlins in the “electricals” this was a good gig with lots of people in the house. The first set rocked but the gremlins caused us to take an extended break in the middle while Chris and Tom tried to sort out what was causing the guitar amp to buzz like a chainsaw and the effects pedals to cut out like spoilt brats who’d decided not to join in the game anymore.

Luckily there was no pressure for us to ‘get on with it’. The place was very laid back, they don’t call it Easy Street for nothing, so the second set proceeded when we were ready. Things settled down and we started picking songs at random, ignoring our usual running order. Tom vented his frustration like a rat in a cage and proceeded to draw us into a massively extended Sympathy For The Devil while playing guitar in every position imaginable to mankind. Nice one! … Lenny

The Mill House, Birtley, Sunday 17th February 2008. Freezing cold outside but snug as a bug indoors due to a really good turn out. Countless times we’ve played here before in front of the window with no floor space whatsoever so this time it was great to set up at the end of the room in front of the fire place. Lots more room for us but not a lot of room for the punters and no room to dance, much to the disappointment of a table of four girls who apparently were itching to shake some booty. Woody was back behind the kit and played like a demonoid, so much so that he punctured his bass drum skin at the end of the first set. He did a neat repair job though with a piece of cardboard from behind the bar and a few strips of gaffa. Tom went all ‘Woodstock’ on us wearing a makeshift hippy head band which he said he’d knicked from Chris. Apparently, back in the early 70’s Chris used to wear it to keep the hair out of his eyes. Tom’s new Gibson SG made an appearance too. Didn’t he just get a brand new Fender Telecaster a few weeks ago? Great gig! … Lenny

Saturday 2nd February 2008 at The Masons Arms, Easington Village. Great gig! Woody was rolling around in the snow somewhere so Stephen Wakefield ‘Waka’ from The Glammed stood stepped behind the kit for us … a few little changes to the setlist too. Moonage Daydream had snuck to the beginning of the 1st set (numbnuts me wasn’t expecting that!), and the ‘busking tracks’ from last week at The Ox Inn are all now in the first set, as well as the reinstated ‘non-funky’ Sweet Jane. Second set featured Pretty Vacant again, and a longer jam than usual on the beginning of Sympathy For The Devil, which was great fun. Shades of ‘The Who’ appeared once more, with the smashing of guitars/drum kit again. This isn’t gonna happen every gig like! A quick fix-up of gear, and Purple Haze (sung by Tom while I was outside taking a breather … Lenny) made a rare appearance, followed by G.L.O.R.I.A. with a bit of Sunshine Of Your Love thrown in there somewhere too. Thanks a lot to Waka for drumming for us at such short notice, he did a great job, and thanks to all who turned out to see us again! … Tom

Saturday 26th January 2008 at The Ox Inn, Stanley. Last time here was June 2005 but in earlier line-ups we were never out of the place. We played to a packed house that felt hotter than eating a phaal in a sauna. The crowd was excellent and much banter with the audience ensued which is slightly unusual because I don’t normally say a lot. All gigs should be like this. With all that interaction and You Really Got Me, Moonage Daydream, Substitute and Pretty Vacant (this one at the audience’s request for ‘a bit o’ Punk’) being ADDED to the set meant that we played beyond the midnight hour. Could’ve played til dawn! What did you think of the gig Tom? “Loved the gig, brilliant! Bit rusty first half (partly to do with a hangover from last night!), but from Pretty Vacant onwards it was feckin’ magic!”. Due to a cancellation coming our way, we’ll be back on Saturday 1st March 2008 … Lenny

Sunday afternoon 13th January at The Clarendon, Sunderland. Our second gig at one of the oldest pubs in Sunderland, or at least the pub with the longest, unbroken drinking licence in Sunderland, going back to 1753. It’s a great venue. Small. Intimate. In your face. Despite feeling decidedly “bugged” by that cold virus thing that’s going around the gig was excellent. We hung back to let more punters turn up after watching their local team deliver a victorious home win and consequently everyone was in high spirits. Starman and Sweet Jane (non-funk version) returned to the set after weeks away. Just and Crackerman, being a couple of our newer covers, went down great. The P.A., again provided by The Creepers at this venue, was really spot on! The second set went from strength to strength as When The Music’s Over led to White Room to L.A. Woman to Sympathy For The Devil. The highlight had to be the encore Roadhouse Blues which morphed into some psychedelic trip, with a trance-like mantra of “Ashen Lady. Ashen Lady. Give up your vows!” fully supported vocally by the crowd. Apart from our few candles and stage light, management plunged the place into darkness at just the right moment. Tripping! … Lenny