Phil Bates : Greystoke Castle, Cumbria - 20th December 2025
What a wonderful evening at Greystoke Castle on Saturday evening to see Phil Bates in concert. It is such an amazing location for a gig, held in the Great Hall. We really enjoyed the company too.
The audience were brilliant too, singing and dancing to many of the songs, helped along by cheerleader Sarah!!
The gig was split into two halves with Phil performing many 'manglings' of ELO songs, some Beatles songs, covers of Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Procol Harum and Otis Redding plus plenty of his own superb songs too. Phil's wife Jo also joined him on stage adding vocals and flute to many of the songs.
Set List (not necessarily in this order) - All Over The World, Evil Woman, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, Port In A Storm, Waiting For The Sh*t To Hit The Fan, Bullshit Overload, Don't Bring Me Down, A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Last Train To London, You Can't Do That, River Of Tears, In My Life, I Saw Her Standing There, If I Should Fall Behind, Showdown, Telephone Line, I Believe In Father Christmas, Mr Blue Sky, Blackberry Way, Hold On Tight, Rock & Roll Is King and Midnight Blue.
Phil will return again to this amazing venue in 2026!!.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
What a wonderful evening at Greystoke Castle on Saturday evening to see Phil Bates in concert. It is such an amazing location for a gig, held in the Great Hall. We really enjoyed the company too.
The audience were brilliant too, singing and dancing to many of the songs, helped along by cheerleader Sarah!!
The gig was split into two halves with Phil performing many 'manglings' of ELO songs, some Beatles songs, covers of Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Procol Harum and Otis Redding plus plenty of his own superb songs too. Phil's wife Jo also joined him on stage adding vocals and flute to many of the songs.
Set List (not necessarily in this order) - All Over The World, Evil Woman, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay, It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This, Port In A Storm, Waiting For The Sh*t To Hit The Fan, Bullshit Overload, Don't Bring Me Down, A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Last Train To London, You Can't Do That, River Of Tears, In My Life, I Saw Her Standing There, If I Should Fall Behind, Showdown, Telephone Line, I Believe In Father Christmas, Mr Blue Sky, Blackberry Way, Hold On Tight, Rock & Roll Is King and Midnight Blue.
Phil will return again to this amazing venue in 2026!!.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
Quill ft Bev Bevan : Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre - 30th November 2025
What a great gig by Quill ft Bev Bevan at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre. Such a great small venue where you are so close to the performers!
The band were on top form and the set list had been reworked to include plenty of Christmas songs (The Pogues, Greg Lake, Wizzard) as well as songs from the bands back catalogue and classic song covers (ELO, Thin Lizzy, The Move, Steve Earle).
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
What a great gig by Quill ft Bev Bevan at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre. Such a great small venue where you are so close to the performers!
The band were on top form and the set list had been reworked to include plenty of Christmas songs (The Pogues, Greg Lake, Wizzard) as well as songs from the bands back catalogue and classic song covers (ELO, Thin Lizzy, The Move, Steve Earle).
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
Richard Tandy Tribute Concert : Birmingham Conservatoire, UK - 7th November 2025
What a brilliant Richard Tandy tribute concert at the Bradshaw Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire on Friday 7th November 2025.
The venue was sold out for this memorable, emotional evening as friends and former band members paid tribute to Richard followed by a wonderful concert based on the 50th anniversary of ELO’s Face The Music album, performed by Big Horizon alongside the RBC choir and orchestra conducted by Louis Clark Jnr.
The evening was hosted by Roger Ollie Spencer.
To start the show, Big Horizon (Jeff Lynne’s ELO and Take That band) performed two of their own songs, followed by former ELO members chatting and reminiscing about Richard and the Face The Music album, including Martin Smith, Dave Scott Morgan, Me Gale, Bev Bevan and Richard Goldblatt who helped engineer the Face The Music album.
Ollie Spencer then read out many lovely tributes and messages to Richard including Roy Wood, Mike de Albuquerque and Marge Raymond.
Next up Dave Scott Morgan was joined on stage with his wife Mandy, guitarist Alex Lowe along with Martin Smith and Louis Clark Jnr playing the Wurlitzer organ once owned by Richard Tandy. They played a couple of Morganisation songs followed by one of Richard Tandys own songs which has never been released or performed live before, and it was lovely listening to Richards voice and playing on the original backing track.
Following a short break, the main musical event started featuring Big Horizon with the RBC orchestra and choir. Many tracks from Face The Music album along with classic ELO hits were played brilliantly, including Fire On High, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, One Summer Dream, Poker, Eldorado Overture, Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, Eldorado Finale, Last Train To London, Livin’ Thing, Turn To Stone, Don’t Bring Me Down, Mr Blue Sky and a special guest appearance by Bev Bevan on drums for Rockaria!
An amazing evening and so many musicians in the audience too including Bill Hunt, Steve Gibbons, Dave Pritchard, Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford plus members of the Groucutt family.
Also a couple of great videos from the show can be viewed on Youtube at the following links –
Rockaria! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oqwfUh4AQQ
Mr Blue Sky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z453s_GvtQo
Fire On High - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuGsQjw3M_M
Evil Woman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fWzbfpJSE
Poker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWvsh_YKBk
Eldorado Overture/Can’t Get It Out Of My Head - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-65nrty8H8
Full show (audio and selected video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-JJjDQoFak
Nice review on the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire site - https://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/richard-tandy-memorial-concert-raises-9000-for-rbc-scholarship-fund
Photos below were taken by myself except where stated (many thanks to Jeff Cooper for the use of his photos).
What a brilliant Richard Tandy tribute concert at the Bradshaw Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire on Friday 7th November 2025.
The venue was sold out for this memorable, emotional evening as friends and former band members paid tribute to Richard followed by a wonderful concert based on the 50th anniversary of ELO’s Face The Music album, performed by Big Horizon alongside the RBC choir and orchestra conducted by Louis Clark Jnr.
The evening was hosted by Roger Ollie Spencer.
To start the show, Big Horizon (Jeff Lynne’s ELO and Take That band) performed two of their own songs, followed by former ELO members chatting and reminiscing about Richard and the Face The Music album, including Martin Smith, Dave Scott Morgan, Me Gale, Bev Bevan and Richard Goldblatt who helped engineer the Face The Music album.
Ollie Spencer then read out many lovely tributes and messages to Richard including Roy Wood, Mike de Albuquerque and Marge Raymond.
Next up Dave Scott Morgan was joined on stage with his wife Mandy, guitarist Alex Lowe along with Martin Smith and Louis Clark Jnr playing the Wurlitzer organ once owned by Richard Tandy. They played a couple of Morganisation songs followed by one of Richard Tandys own songs which has never been released or performed live before, and it was lovely listening to Richards voice and playing on the original backing track.
Following a short break, the main musical event started featuring Big Horizon with the RBC orchestra and choir. Many tracks from Face The Music album along with classic ELO hits were played brilliantly, including Fire On High, Evil Woman, Strange Magic, One Summer Dream, Poker, Eldorado Overture, Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, Eldorado Finale, Last Train To London, Livin’ Thing, Turn To Stone, Don’t Bring Me Down, Mr Blue Sky and a special guest appearance by Bev Bevan on drums for Rockaria!
An amazing evening and so many musicians in the audience too including Bill Hunt, Steve Gibbons, Dave Pritchard, Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford plus members of the Groucutt family.
Also a couple of great videos from the show can be viewed on Youtube at the following links –
Rockaria! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oqwfUh4AQQ
Mr Blue Sky - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z453s_GvtQo
Fire On High - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuGsQjw3M_M
Evil Woman - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6fWzbfpJSE
Poker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDWvsh_YKBk
Eldorado Overture/Can’t Get It Out Of My Head - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-65nrty8H8
Full show (audio and selected video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-JJjDQoFak
Nice review on the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire site - https://www.bcu.ac.uk/news-events/news/richard-tandy-memorial-concert-raises-9000-for-rbc-scholarship-fund
Photos below were taken by myself except where stated (many thanks to Jeff Cooper for the use of his photos).
Phil Bates : Dufton Village Hall, Cumbria - 26th September 2025
What a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Dufton Village Hall here in Cumbria for the Phil Bates solo gig. A really nice venue which was packed out for the show in a lovely rural setting.
The show was split into two 1 hour sets with Phil playing a variety of his favourite songs by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Keb'Mo and a very interesting acoustic reworking of Procul Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
Phil played a few of his own songs too including Walking On The Water, Waiting For The Shit To Hit The Fan (definitely an audience favourite), House Of Blues and his brilliant new song Bullshit Overload - a Phil Bates classic imho
Of course the audience wanted to hear the ELO songs as Phil explained about how he has managed to rework (or mangle as Phil calls it) the brilliant Jeff Lynne songs to perform acoustically.
Some really good acoustic versions of Evil Woman, Can't Get It out Of My Head, Telephone Line, Don't Bring Me Down, Mr Blue Sky (loved by the audience), Last Train To London, Showdown, Hold On Tight, Rock & Roll Is King and All Over The World.
A really lovely gig enjoyed by all and even a bit of dancing by the audience too. Nice to catch up with Phil and Jo during the evening.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
What a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Dufton Village Hall here in Cumbria for the Phil Bates solo gig. A really nice venue which was packed out for the show in a lovely rural setting.
The show was split into two 1 hour sets with Phil playing a variety of his favourite songs by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Keb'Mo and a very interesting acoustic reworking of Procul Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
Phil played a few of his own songs too including Walking On The Water, Waiting For The Shit To Hit The Fan (definitely an audience favourite), House Of Blues and his brilliant new song Bullshit Overload - a Phil Bates classic imho
Of course the audience wanted to hear the ELO songs as Phil explained about how he has managed to rework (or mangle as Phil calls it) the brilliant Jeff Lynne songs to perform acoustically.
Some really good acoustic versions of Evil Woman, Can't Get It out Of My Head, Telephone Line, Don't Bring Me Down, Mr Blue Sky (loved by the audience), Last Train To London, Showdown, Hold On Tight, Rock & Roll Is King and All Over The World.
A really lovely gig enjoyed by all and even a bit of dancing by the audience too. Nice to catch up with Phil and Jo during the evening.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took of the gig.
Jeff Lynne's ELO : Utilita Arena, Birmingham - 5th July 2025
This was a fantastic start to the final few gigs for Jeff Lynne's ELO in his home city at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.
It was strange seeing Jeff on stage without a guitar, but he mentioned he had broken his hand whilst in a taxi incident! But what a great performance by the whole band, great vocals by Jeff and a stunning light show too. Also a surprise with Dhani Harrison joining the band on stage to sing two Travelling Wilburys tracks, 'Handle With Care' and 'End Of The Line'. Dhani Harrison and his band were the support act too.
Just four shows to go after this, one more in Birmingham, two in Manchester and a final gig at Hyde Park. Footage taken by myself from the audience in the lower balcony using just my mobile phone.
Setlist : One More Time, Evil Woman, Do Ya, Showdown, Last Train To London, Believe Me Now/Steppin' Out, Rockaria, 10538 Overture, Strange Magic, Sweet Talking Woman, Handle With Care, End Of The Line, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Fire On High, Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, All Over The World, Turn To Stone, Shine A Little Love, Don't Bring Me Down & Mr Blue Sky.
I have uploaded a few of my mobile phone videos from the gig to my Youtube channel - Click here to visit.
This was a fantastic start to the final few gigs for Jeff Lynne's ELO in his home city at the Utilita Arena, Birmingham.
It was strange seeing Jeff on stage without a guitar, but he mentioned he had broken his hand whilst in a taxi incident! But what a great performance by the whole band, great vocals by Jeff and a stunning light show too. Also a surprise with Dhani Harrison joining the band on stage to sing two Travelling Wilburys tracks, 'Handle With Care' and 'End Of The Line'. Dhani Harrison and his band were the support act too.
Just four shows to go after this, one more in Birmingham, two in Manchester and a final gig at Hyde Park. Footage taken by myself from the audience in the lower balcony using just my mobile phone.
Setlist : One More Time, Evil Woman, Do Ya, Showdown, Last Train To London, Believe Me Now/Steppin' Out, Rockaria, 10538 Overture, Strange Magic, Sweet Talking Woman, Handle With Care, End Of The Line, Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Fire On High, Livin' Thing, Telephone Line, All Over The World, Turn To Stone, Shine A Little Love, Don't Bring Me Down & Mr Blue Sky.
I have uploaded a few of my mobile phone videos from the gig to my Youtube channel - Click here to visit.
Morganisation ft Lou Clark Jnr : Tower Of Song, Kings Norton, Birmingham - 4th July 2025
We had a great time at the Morganisation ft Louis Clark Jr. gig at the Tower Of Song venue in Kings Norton, Birmingham on Friday 4th July. We stayed in Redditch as all Birmingham hotels were fully booked due to the busy weekend of events including Black Sabbath's final gig at Villa Park, Jeff Lynne's ELO with two shows at the Utilita Arena, Billy Ocean at the NEC, England v India test cricket at Edgbaston plus a food festival in central Birmingham! It was also great to meet up with friends who had travelled from Germany and the USA for this concert, as they were also here to see Jeff's shows the following two days.
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky', 'Room With A View', 'In The Darkness' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne-penned ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Wild West Hero', 'Rock & Roll Is King' and the encore 'Mr Blue Sky' with Steve Gibbons assisting on the orchestral vocals. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy. Also in the audience were former Wizzard member Keith Smart, former ELO guitarist Martin Smith and the legendary Steve Gibbons who joined the band for a few of his own songs - a real bonus to see Steve on stage :-)
We had a great time at the Morganisation ft Louis Clark Jr. gig at the Tower Of Song venue in Kings Norton, Birmingham on Friday 4th July. We stayed in Redditch as all Birmingham hotels were fully booked due to the busy weekend of events including Black Sabbath's final gig at Villa Park, Jeff Lynne's ELO with two shows at the Utilita Arena, Billy Ocean at the NEC, England v India test cricket at Edgbaston plus a food festival in central Birmingham! It was also great to meet up with friends who had travelled from Germany and the USA for this concert, as they were also here to see Jeff's shows the following two days.
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky', 'Room With A View', 'In The Darkness' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne-penned ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Wild West Hero', 'Rock & Roll Is King' and the encore 'Mr Blue Sky' with Steve Gibbons assisting on the orchestral vocals. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy. Also in the audience were former Wizzard member Keith Smart, former ELO guitarist Martin Smith and the legendary Steve Gibbons who joined the band for a few of his own songs - a real bonus to see Steve on stage :-)
City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing ELO : Symphony Hall, Birmingham - 8th March 2025
What a fantastic concert by the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Richard Balcombe alongside vocalists and the CBSO choir), with their tribute to the music of Jeff Lynne & ELO at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Saturday 8th March 2025.
Such a great venue and lovely to hear the orchestral arrangements of many Jeff Lynne and ELO songs, most of which were originally created by the late Louis Clark. It was also great to see former ELO member Bill Hunt who was sat close to us in the circle, who got a great round of applause from the audience when he was announced. Here are a few of my photos from the front row of the circle.
Set list : Standing In The Rain, Evil Woman, All Over The World, Diary Of Horace Wimp, Last Train To London, Sweet Talkin' Woman, Showdown, Telephone Line, Rockaria!, Living Thing, Shine A Little Love, Eldorado Suite including Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Turn To Stone, When I Was A Boy, Wild West Hero, Xanadu, Mr Blue Sky, Roll Over Beethoven.
Line-up : City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Richard Balcombe (conductor), Patrick Smyth (vocalist), Stuart Matthew Price (vocalist), Graham Bickley (backing vocalist), James Alexander Gibbs (backing vocalist), Heather Lundstedt Price (backing vocalist), Alex Turney (backing vocalist), CBSO Chorus and Julian Wilkins (chorus master).
Official gig photos can be viewed at the CBSO Facebook page here.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
What a fantastic concert by the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Richard Balcombe alongside vocalists and the CBSO choir), with their tribute to the music of Jeff Lynne & ELO at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Saturday 8th March 2025.
Such a great venue and lovely to hear the orchestral arrangements of many Jeff Lynne and ELO songs, most of which were originally created by the late Louis Clark. It was also great to see former ELO member Bill Hunt who was sat close to us in the circle, who got a great round of applause from the audience when he was announced. Here are a few of my photos from the front row of the circle.
Set list : Standing In The Rain, Evil Woman, All Over The World, Diary Of Horace Wimp, Last Train To London, Sweet Talkin' Woman, Showdown, Telephone Line, Rockaria!, Living Thing, Shine A Little Love, Eldorado Suite including Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Turn To Stone, When I Was A Boy, Wild West Hero, Xanadu, Mr Blue Sky, Roll Over Beethoven.
Line-up : City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Richard Balcombe (conductor), Patrick Smyth (vocalist), Stuart Matthew Price (vocalist), Graham Bickley (backing vocalist), James Alexander Gibbs (backing vocalist), Heather Lundstedt Price (backing vocalist), Alex Turney (backing vocalist), CBSO Chorus and Julian Wilkins (chorus master).
Official gig photos can be viewed at the CBSO Facebook page here.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
Morganisation ft Lou Clark Jnr : Downstairs at Chas Mann's, Kings Norton, Birmingham - 7th March 2025
We had a great time at the Morganisation ft Louis Clark Jr. gig at the Downstairs at Chas Mann's venue in Kings Norton, Birmingham on Friday 7th March. Prior to travelling to the gig, we had a few drinks and a meal at the Shakespeare pub in Birmingham along with our friends who had travelled from Germany, Austria and Slovakia for the concert.
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne song 'When I Was A Boy' and the ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Mr Blue Sky' and 'Wild West Hero'. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy, and also chatting with former Wizzard member Keith Smart who was in the audience. A great show by Mandy, Dave, Alex and Louis.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
We had a great time at the Morganisation ft Louis Clark Jr. gig at the Downstairs at Chas Mann's venue in Kings Norton, Birmingham on Friday 7th March. Prior to travelling to the gig, we had a few drinks and a meal at the Shakespeare pub in Birmingham along with our friends who had travelled from Germany, Austria and Slovakia for the concert.
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne song 'When I Was A Boy' and the ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Mr Blue Sky' and 'Wild West Hero'. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy, and also chatting with former Wizzard member Keith Smart who was in the audience. A great show by Mandy, Dave, Alex and Louis.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
Morganisation ft Lou Clark Jnr : Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham - 2nd February 2025
This was the first time seeing Morganisation since the wonderful Earthrise orchestral concert back in 2019. Morganisation features former Ugly's and ELO member Dave Scott-Morgan, Mandy Scott-Morgan and Alex Lowe. Tonights concert also featured a special appearance of Lou Clark Jnr playing the Wurlitzer organ formerly owned by Richard Tandy and Lou's father Louis Clark, and used on many of the ELO classic recordings.
The venue was the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Kings Heath, Birmingham and the room was packed to watch this gig. We had great seats on the front row literally within touching distance of the band!!
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne song 'When I Was A Boy' and the ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Mr Blue Sky', 'Rock & Roll Is King' and 'Wild West Hero'. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy, and also chatting with many friends there including Richard, Jeff, Martin, Fred, Neil, Paul and Ace Kefford. A very pleasant evening. Thanks to all for the great concert and for the great company.
A few of my photos from the gig below including a few of myself with friends Jeff, Martin, Fred (who flew in from the USA for this gig), and the brilliant Ace Kefford of The Move who was in the audience.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
This was the first time seeing Morganisation since the wonderful Earthrise orchestral concert back in 2019. Morganisation features former Ugly's and ELO member Dave Scott-Morgan, Mandy Scott-Morgan and Alex Lowe. Tonights concert also featured a special appearance of Lou Clark Jnr playing the Wurlitzer organ formerly owned by Richard Tandy and Lou's father Louis Clark, and used on many of the ELO classic recordings.
The venue was the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Kings Heath, Birmingham and the room was packed to watch this gig. We had great seats on the front row literally within touching distance of the band!!
The set included plenty of Dave's own material including 'Benediction', 'Starry Lady', 'Big Brown Sky' and 'Stuck In A Machine'. The band also performed a few cover versions and also a nice bluesy number 'Shanty Town Blues' written by Dave and inspired by Curtis Mayfield. But I think the biggest cheers and applause were for the wonderful Jeff Lynne song 'When I Was A Boy' and the ELO songs 'Telephone Line', 'Mr Blue Sky', 'Rock & Roll Is King' and 'Wild West Hero'. These particular songs sounded somewhat extra-special with Lou Clark Jnr on the wurlitzer originally owned by Richard Tandy and his father Louis Clark, and was used in many of those original ELO tracks. Full set list in the photos below.
It was lovely to chat with Louis, Dave and Mandy, and also chatting with many friends there including Richard, Jeff, Martin, Fred, Neil, Paul and Ace Kefford. A very pleasant evening. Thanks to all for the great concert and for the great company.
A few of my photos from the gig below including a few of myself with friends Jeff, Martin, Fred (who flew in from the USA for this gig), and the brilliant Ace Kefford of The Move who was in the audience.
Check out the Video Section to view some footage I took at the gig.
