BlueD13SEL at The Herb Garden Harbour

Sunday, 11 June was a lovely (albeit very windy!!) early summer evening, perfect for checking out a different venue and new(ish) band, so I headed along to the gorgeous Royal Quays Marina in North Shields with a bunch of pals to see BlueD13SEL at The Herb Garden Harbour! This is a relatively new venue, tucked round the far end of the Marina with fantastic views! The venue itself isn't huge but the floor to ceiling windows let in so much light that it feels decidedly large and airy! Rustic wood, brick detail and themed fine art all work together to give the room a definite nautical atmosphere.

As ever, I was on taxi duty so it was orange juice, freshly squeezed in the funky juicing machine for me, while I enviously eyed up the fabulous goblets of ice cold frothy Stella that everyone else was downing *sigh*

Due to the wonders of modern technology there was a slight delay in the start of the proceedings but the band’s main man and tech expert, Steve, swiftly ironed out the issues.

BlueD13SEL’s vocalist, Donna, was unavailable for this gig due to unforeseen circumstances but, rather than cancel and let everyone down, her daughter Alex stepped in to save the day! You would never have guessed that Alex only had two days to prepare and had no rehearsal time with the band – she was a natural!

Photo (c) Clemmy Scotswood

First song of the night was 'Proud Mary' - first recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival and later famously covered by Ike and Tina Turner. With this as their opener, BlueD13SEL make it more than clear they mean business!

Highlights from the first half included 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' (Stevie Wonder), Motown classic 'Dancing in the Street' and a version of 'Mama Mia' which was the unexpected lovechild of Abba and Thin Lizzy - when you hear it, you’ll understand! Love it!  It’s good to hear a covers band throw a surprise dash of originality into the mix, rather than always do a faithful direct cover or change the song so much it becomes unrecognisable! A little bird tells me that this particular track is due to be recorded and released as a single in the very near future so watch this space!

The first set flew by, closing with a beautifully executed Foo Fighters favourite, 'Times Like These', following which the band (and crowd!) took a well-earned break.

Bass player Steve (aka Wulfe), regular vocalist Donna, guitarist SJ and drummer Liam have been together for some time, formerly known as Lobo (sometimes Lobo Blues) but they rebranded when lead guitarist Doug joined at the back end of 2016.  This new incarnation has a rockier punch to it and, surveying the diverse crowd that ranged literally from babes in arms, to elderly distinguished looking couples, they were clearly loving reeling from those punches!! Among the younger folk was a stripping hipster dude (yes really!!!), who was throwing shapes and busting moves a plenty!  Dancers strutted their stuff not only in front of the band but also at their tables and there was a considerable amount of air punching and hand jiving to be seen (particularly from one groovy gentleman who was in at least his 70s!!). There was a real party atmosphere throughout the evening, enhanced by a glamorous pink-sashed lady and her friends/family who were out celebrating her birthday, I won’t mention the number on the sash – a lady does not reveal these things - oh but wait a minute, she did……...*cough (60) cough*........

Photo (c) Clemmy Scotswood

The second set went swimmingly with the band well in their comfort zone, belting out more top tunes! Loads of crowd pleasers were in the musical bag of pick’n’mix – 'Mustang Sally', 'Play that Funky Music' and 'Sharp Dressed Man', to name but a few, kept everyone on their feet! Closing with 'Route 66' and then, after receiving cries for more, a rocking rendition of The Monkees' 'I’m a Believer' was the cherry on top to finish off the night.

Lots of smiling faces and overheard snippets of conversation as we headed home indicated a grand time was had by the majority and it was all wrapped up by 9pm! I’m liking the new trend for venues such as The Herb Garden Harbour and others, including The Tavern in Blyth, to put on early evening gigs on a Sunday which means even the dyed in the wool "school night" brigade can go out, catch a gig and still be tucked up in bed at a good time!

Photo (c) Clemmy Scotswood

BlueD13SEL’s next couple of gigs are a Foodbank Fundraiser in Consett on 24 June and their debut at the aforementioned Tavern in Blyth on 25 June – details on their facebook page. Get yourself along and boogie the night away!

As ever, many thanks to Clemmy Scotswood for letting me use his photos.