Liverpool, when we arrived, was covered in very damp mist, but, nothing deterred, Deborah and I did a quick tour: the magnificent neo-Classical St George’s Hall, the Walker art Gallery (which had an exhibit of miniature famous artworks made out of Lego), the street that the cavern was in, and the Pier Head, where the Liver Birds watch over the waterfront and from where you get the Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey to Birkenhead.
However, once we’d crossed under the Mersey by the Metro, Birken head appeared to be shut. Eventually, we found a nice pub, The Dispensary, all tricked out with pharmacy furniture and, for some reason, teddy bears, with comfortable sofas and a very kind landlord who made us some food although they’d officially stopped serviing 4 hours earlier.
The Pacific Road Arts Centre is a very nice place; though, as befits da jukes, slightly bizarre. And old dock building, situated in between the Mersey Tunnel, a factory estate and a huge electricity station, inside it’s beautifully done out in scrubbed brick (including a brick dance-floor). It combines its music venue function with that of a transport museum, to the extent of having old buses and tram cars parked in the backstage area, apparently. It holds 600 and was nearly full, which was good going considering it’s new to the Jukes and Liverpool were playing an important football match at home that night.
Support was provided by singer-songwriter- guitar player Tony Orton and his mate Stuart on stand-up bass; they had one song about a Little Stevie who kicked someone in the balls and another called Try Down South (I think referring to London rather than….)
Sean intro’d the Jukes as “the American Beatles” and they kicked off with a stonking sequence – Unchain My Heart,Baby Don’t Lie and All Night Long. We got some very nice guitar and harp on the transition between Baby… and All Night Long, and again in the ending. (I’m getting to love All Night Long. tho’ it was never my favourite song on the album). South said: “Before we go any further – and we’re going to go a lot further – trun it down a little. In fact, turn it all off.” Gladly… was magnificent, and much appreciated by the crowd, with a coda that went:
2walk down my street, let me smell your sweet perfume/
let me see you again from my lonely room/
and then I’ll lie down on the bed and shoot myself.”
Gin-soaked… had a terrific organ solo, then terrific guitar, then terrific harp, puntuated by whistling, harp/ guitar exchanges, then more harp till the indtrument gave out. Fool gave us more Eddie, hooray, tho’ South tried to stir it by claiming Ed and Joe B had a feud; I’m sure it ain’t so, even though Joe mimed cutting his throat rather than shake hands with Ed.
Tired Skin was a request, from someone South described as “someone in back with a thing for dermatological catastrophe”, and was beautiful, ‘specially Chris’s solo. On You’re My Girl, South gave us some outstanding soul singing and that horn part: wow. he said it was great to play it in a nice place like this with a trolley car out back. Renee had some beautiful ensemble singing, echoing off the brickwork, and Joey raised the roof on Passion Street. That, with Take It Inside and Coming back was a non-stop, wam-bam sequence.
South introduced Wrong Side as “an old song from us old farts”; someone heckled “we’re all old farts” and South said: “Well, some of us have children, and some grandchildren; in your case I hope neither.” He noted that some people had come to a number of shows: “you must be unemployed, like we are.”
Then someone in front made an announcement. SJ: “You just had twins? What’s your wife doing? Resting? And you’re here drinking beer with your bum mates. You English (and the scorn and disbelief with which he imbued that word had to be heard to be credited); you English are supposed to teach us rough, scruffy, badly-dressed, uncouth Americans how to act. Don’t point, Ricky. You see what I mean?”
Then a nice, horny Hang Down Your Head and a bouncy Talk To Me, with Chris and Neal downstage clapping behind Joey’s solo.
Ricky the Rednosed Reindeer from the Bronx did Blue Christmas, finishing it on five strings: “He has to break a string just to be like Elvis” ; and South asked innocently if there was any football tonight “or what do you call it? Soccer? Quoits? Not that cricket (again with inimitable scorn on “cricket”).
And then the most glorious Help Me: Bobby L (on piano), Ricky and South on harp playing wonderful stuff, and ending with:
“Christmas is coming, get the one you love something fine
Or you’ll be out on the street, screaming and crying
When those reindeer come pattering on your roof
You know your woman loves you, but you got to have proof
Don’t worry about a thing
But don’t forget that diamond ring.”
After Trapped, we got a swinging, finger-clicking All right, Ok, You Win, with just Joe accompanying on a cymbal; then into Fever, which, when we all joined in, he sneakily changed to “when I get home from bowling.” In the middle he started imagining the sex life of the couple with twins: “You got the candles, music on the radio – Sham 69 – and the candles are dripping; and the twins are dripping; and he says ‘Ooh, ooh, ooh, I’m gonna last all night’ and she says: ‘ooh, ooh, ooh – right’. But you make it through, to the morning, and she says ‘Who’re you?’”
Not, however, before another storming organ solo and some great trombone from Neal, ecstatically received. South also wanted to pose for a photo and asked for some hair gel, so Ricky ran his hands through his own hair and then through South’s. On Nothing But… we got some more great “nasty organ” and the set ended on a high with Stagger Lee, Ed taking over afetr the words “The night was clear and Ed was in yellow” (Ed didn’t hear the “in”, apparently).
Afterwards, a riotous Party, with the horns making full use of the big stage, with room for some stage dancers, too, South trying to take their photos with a purloined camera. And an equally riotous Happy.
I think the Jukes are honorary Scousers, now.
