The Copper Kettle Air Ambulance Charity Festival 30th July 2006

Taking a little longer journey than planned, we arrived at The Copper Kettle just a little West of Thornton , Bradford to see Blackout, one of our favourite bands, already into their set. With frontman Nidge, a very imposing fellow dressed in black striking the rock star pose,  and gripping his mike stand in the time honoured fashion, with Mark Birdsall making some superb tones with his Gibson Flying V ,we were immediately rocking within seconds of taking our places on the 'Kettle's car park. Ace rhythm section Steve (Geezer) Butler and Tim Mannion on bass and drums respectively provided some excellent bedrock for the bands fine repertoire on a sun bathed curtain side trailer to the North of the car park. Around 4 pm the band had to finish to allow the next band to set up and there was  a small matter of they had to  pack up and head for The Bridge Tavern in Bradford for a gig there that evening. Nice set Blackout though, one of the reasons why you are rapidly gaining popularity in the region.

During Blackout's set we had noticed the arrival of the members of No Quarter and Feral Circus. We had time to talk with the members briefly and the camaraderie between the bands was more than apparent. Feral's frontman Rick Denman (Royston's own James Hetfield) was telling me  about his respect and love of No Quarter's veteran front man Mo Pickles! We had to agree as Mo is a an enthusiastic rock star and relentless supporter of the semi pro scene in this area.

No Quarter set up on the stage with "Big Rod" their charismatic percussionist  showing off a set of shiny copper coloured drums which were reflecting the sunlight onto this highly entertained Sunday afternoon crowd. Sadly we had a slight wait as the stand-in bass player was lost on his way from Skegness! Eventually he arrived and the band played a superb set  of classic rock covers from a golden era. No Quarter are a superb band and considering the band had a stand -in member that day, they were as tight as anything. The guitar work was second to none this afternoon, absolutely top drawer stuff! The set was a little short due to time restrictions but what they did play was superb, proving once again that they are one of the very best bands on the semi pro scene.

Another break to allow one band to alight from the stage and another to set up gave us chance to have a talk and do a bit of networking.  One such conversation I had was with Chris from both Vagabond and Bon Jovish, which proved interesting as Bon Jovish had recently done a gig at my favourite club in Sheffield recently. I'd seen the name Bon Jovish and it's good to put the face to the name.I also found myself in the company of an old mate of mine Terry Hawden and his lovely wife Janet...who we hadn't seen for 25 years!!! These guys are my old gigging partners and we spoke of the very memorable AC/DC concert we attended together in '78....old rockers never die, they just become deafer....pardon? We also took our hound to the gig who was looked after by Gina and Geezer, the Rock Legacy drummer. We had planned on getting burgers at the site but when I saw the mucky hands of the burger meisters assistant, I just bought one for the pooch. I know we don't eat enough muck in our diet these days, but I wasn't risking anything as there was only one toilet at the gig! Our dawgy didn't seem to mind though, she wolfed one down!

Feral Circus hit the stage and launched into a typical Metallica song with menacing overtones. These guys really are superb and if you like Metallica you really MUST see them. Rick Denman is incredibly like James Hetfield , the looks, the pose, the guitar, the phrasing. With a drummer of only 15 tender years, a cool bass player, rarely breaking into a smile, and the Dean "Dimebag" guitar-equipped lead guitarist with a most authentic sound, they are the real deal. One highlight of this great show was when young Charlie Meehan got up to jam with the band. Charlie is only 11, but he looks like a young Doug Aldridge, he's got the hair, the cool stance, no nerves and a great technique on the fretboard. His parents were as proud as punch when he strapped on the borrowed Fender Stratocaster. The band were very welcoming and accommodating and it was a great pleasure to see this. After this sensational performance from Charlie, Feral Circus went on to play more classic Metallica and retired from the stage with their already excellent reputation reinforced. Brilliant!

There was a quite long break and the cold had started to set in so I retired to the warmth of the car for a while, as Brian Glover and the boys set up the lights on the stage as dusk set in. In the meantime I spoke to Jagged Edge drummer Alan Owen and also the original and current drummer and bass player of T Rex, that's Paul Fenton and Tony Allday who were watching from the terrace to the side of the pub. They were relaxing after preparing for a gig in Germany with Rob Benson and Graham Oliver as T Rex. Nice to see you guys!

The weather had turned slightly nasty as veteran band Splash Alley came to the stage but the lads didn't disappoint the depleted audience and played an excellent repertoire bathed in Brian Glover's superb light show. Classics from AC/DC, Whitesnake, and UFO went down very well as we huddled in the car out of the rain. It was no matter as the boys bravely played on with more classics such as Golden Earring's Radar Love and Jailbreak from Thin Lizzy. On one visit to the toilet during the set I was accosted for a fiver for the raffle for a mini moto. It was in a very good cause so I handed over the dosh and went for a pee.

Returning to the car I watched the end of Splash Alley's fine set and thought about the trek home in the pouring rain, then thought about the Splash Alley lads who would be probably be out until after two in the morning  packing all the gear away in the rain. A thankless task. Before we went I mentioned the raffle to Brian and he got it underway. I hopefully got my ticket out and what number was pulled out....365 a pink ticket. What was my ticket....let's have a look....365 Pink ticket. I won the bloody motorbike. Ah well, it seems the Windy Corner household is fated to have a powered 2 wheeler till the day I pop my clogs, so I'll gratefully accept it. It just means a 60 mile round trip to collect it!

So the day ended well but I'd just like to mention the great work put in by the bands  who were brilliant, and the hard work put in by the pub staff, the raffle prize donators, and in particular, Brain Glover, a legend in West Yorkshire. Well done Brian you truly are a superstar who has provided a great days entertainment and some much needed cash for The Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

We missed the opening act but I must mention Eevolution, a young band who played some high quality covers such as The Beatles work and The Monkees! Well done lads. Brian Glover was raving about you, so you must've been brilliant! Remember the name everyone!

Charlie Meehan: A Star is Born!

Charlie might be just some cute little kid with a guitar but don't be fooled, this little guy rocks and we'll be watching his progress! He's even got a rock and roll name. Rock on Charlie!  

Read Brian Glover''s thoughts in this E-mail to us at Rock of the North: