A legendary moment - Remembering the Newcastle Big Band in the car park - 1973

(By Barry Hill)

I played in Crookhall Brass Band early 1970s, one of the gigs was a contest at the University Theatre, Involving a number of northeast brass bands. The band were all heads off apart from the younger members who were enthralled by the entertainment going on outside. We were all mesmerised at how high a trumpet could reach.

Hey Jude was the number. Na na na na na na na na na na etc. went on for a fortnight, the local plod tried to intervene with little success. I remember the police sergeant getting more irate with the conductor to stop the band from playing with little success. Our first taste of rock and roll. It was soon short lived when our bandmaster shouted that we were on the stage in five minutes time, howay!

The big band had had some sort of dispute with the University Theatre management at that time so they played in the car park that afternoon instead of in the bar. We kids were thinking, wish the hell we could play like this lot!

Barry Hill.

(Editor: This was the Newcastle Big Band of which I’d just left. In the photo which appeared in the Evening Chronicle, Sting can be seen, half-hidden, 3 in from the left of the picture. The ever-inventive Andy Hudson used car batteries to run the sound system!)