Music North East BEat ExhiiBtioN
The Beats are coming
Celebrating the region’s vast music history, North East Beat comes to the Discovery Museum WORDS: HELEN APSEY
The Animals Led Zeplin at Newcastle City Hall
n May 2009, the Discovery Museum will present North East Beat on the Box sessions. With exclusive
I
their eclectic North East Beat exhibition. screenings of music archives he recovered from
Exploring the North East’s popular music scene ITV Tyne Tees, he will give audiences the chance to
from 1940s to the present day, the museum is set re-live amazing pop performances from across three
to showcase rare and popular music memorabilia decades.
loaned by bands, musicians and fans. Of the first two sessions he said: “You’ll be able to
I think people will enjoy
Chris Phipps, pop historian, film-maker and come and see The Animals performing in 1964, see
producer on The Tube, described the exhibition as Dire Straits first ever television appearance, watch
the exhibition because
“a celebration of the way we’ve demanded music, Brian Johnson performing in his band Geordie before
consumed music, and enjoyed it. Everything leaves a he was in AC/DC, and preview unseen interviews, like
they’ll be able to relate
trail of antiquities, it leaves a treasure trail.” Hank Marvin from the Shadows.”
He added that: “A lot of people don’t realise the Phipps’ final session will include an uncut screening
to it, and they’ll find out
incredible contribution that the North East has made of the first ever episode of The Tube, broadcast in
to the world of pop and rock music, and still is, with 1982 and featuring The Jam, Sting, Pete Townshend,
things they didn’t know,
Maximo Park, the Futureheads, and Field Music. There Heaven17 and Sunderland’s Toy Dolls.
are all the really good bands coming out of this area The archive film screenings will run for an hour,
like who came from here.
now.” before which Phipps will be putting the performances
Starting in the 1940s with the dance band and into context. He will also be sharing his own personal
ballroom era, the exhibition follows North East music pop anecdotes, drawing on experiences from his
through the fifties with The Shadows, and the sixties time on The Tube production team, and as an award-
with short-lived Beatle-mania rivals, The Animals. It winning documenter of the region’s pop heritage.
explores the glam rock of the seventies, and the punk After the show he is keen to talk with the audience
era that produced Durham-based band Penetration about their own pop memories.
and South Shields’ boys, the Angelic Upstarts. It will Ever passionate about the North East and its music,
chart innovative eighties music TV series, The Tube, Phipps said: “I’ve been up here since 1982 when The
and comes to a close in the present day with current Tube started; I never went back.”
Geordie chart-toppers Girls Aloud and Maximo Park. Speaking of the show’s runaway success, he
Kylea Little, keeper of history at Tyne and added: “I took a chance, came up here, lived in a hotel
Wear Museums, revealed: “We have been loaned for three months, and the three months became
some fantastic items from performers, including five years, because the show just took off! It was
instruments, costumes and gold and platinum discs incredible.”
from bands including Kenickie, the Wildhearts and Phipps is enthusiastic about the exhibition, but
Lindisfarne.” believes the region’s music history should be more
People’s tickets, albums, programmes, and the widely celebrated: “What I would really like to happen,
original Tube neon sign will all be on display. Chris and really like to see up here, is a music heritage trail.
Phipps has himself contributed a poster from The Tube This city deserves it, and there isn’t one.” L
and a 1930s board game to the exhibition’s music trail.
Phipps said: “I think people will enjoy the exhibition
North East Beat is on at the Discovery Museum from
because they’ll be able to relate to it, and they’ll find
16
th
May – 29
th
November 2009. Entry is free.
out things they didn’t know, like who came from here.”
North East Beat on the Box takes place on 26
th
May from 7.30
– 9pm, 22
nd
September from 7.30 – 9pm, and on 24
th
November
As part of the exhibition, Phipps will be hosting
from 7.30 – 10pm. Tickets are £5.
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