Tynemouth is still regarded as a village although located in a urban area at the north bank extremity of the Tyne. Standing by main the main stage, as big and technically structured for any international concert performances, facing a natural grass amphitheatre, it has one of the great perspectives in the world. Now that is a proud boast. To the right looking over the wall and you can see the north Tynemouth Bay and then further along, Cullercoats Bay and further along Whitley Bay and then on the left there are the ruins of Priory through which can be seen South Shields Bay and the entrance to the River Tyne. Facing the stage across the sea of faces as a major part of the population from this part of the coast were gathered, some in large family groups of a dozen, are the semi ruins of the Castle Gate House and where through gate entrance thousands of people streamed back and forth all day.
Between the amphitheatre and the Castle Gate House there is a second vast area where for this weekend is located fast food concessions and other stall and tucked in one corner. out of general view a major set of male and female toilets. There was also a significant number of people standing facing the stage which was being set up for, LA 33 a band of intoxicating and seductive rhythms from Bogata Columbia which had some of the audience dancing out of their skulls at the front and others of all ages moving with rhythms on what at that point was a cold sunless Sunday afternoon. There few like me on their own.
Tynemouth has been a settlement since the iron age because the headland could be easily defended and the bank leading down to the former moat is used by children and young people to roll down although close parental supervision is recommended. The Queen wives of Edward 1st and 2nd preferred to stay at the Castle while their husbands were warring with the Scots. The Priory also remains regarded as having been one of the great buildings of England. Until 1974 Tynemouth was the name given to an administrative area which included North Shields, Cullercoats and south of Whitely bay. In 1974 the new administrative of North Tyneside was created to include Whitley through to the border with Newcastle and a new Border with Northumberland.
Although I was up before eight I felt a sense of pressure as I wanted to complete two Blogs as well as prepare for the day's outing. I began to wake myself up fully with a game of Hearts maintaining the 23% winning percentage as 1000 games played is approached.
I have switched from salami to ham sandwiches having purchased three packs of four think slices for £5. I am using smaller and thinner malted bread with just one thin slice of processed cheese. I have also settled for a metal flask of coffee and one of cold water, and which keeps cool for up to twelve hours. I was ready to leave by 10.30 am and made my way down the hill into town, hoping the bright weather would continue for the day. I was after a small over the shoulder and canvas chair as my existing one was too cumbersome to take on public transport, walkabout trips, especially as I also had my rucksack. Asda did not have one and before going to Wilkinson's I decided to pop into Woolworths, an excellent decision as they not only had the chair in question but had reduced the price from 9.99 to 4.99. After getting some cash from the bank out of hours service and I tested the chair using the benches in the town centre. Despite these activities the ferry was berthed at the landing and was ready to set off within a couple of minute's of arrival. The special bus was also waiting on arrival.
The Tynemouth main street was already busy as a procession to the Castle was underway at a slow pace as participants danced fiesta style. As there was time before the first Jazz stage performance there was opportunity to look at the range of eating and drinking establishments on both sides of the road. There were two of interest in terms of quality food, Sidney's is around the corner towards the bus stop back to the Ferry landing. It boasted some of the more expensive dishes with seared bream as a main course at £15. I buy a fair sized bream at around £1.50. It also had Northumberland land for a similar price. The more interesting was the Arch in the main street which offered Wild Boar, a Confit of Goose Rillets, pan seared Kangaroo steaks and an oven roasted ostrich steak. I was also fascinated by a desert called Eton Mess which I later discovered is a mixture of broken meringue, cream and strawberries.
There were Coffee houses and tea rooms, one at an art gallery and another attached to bed and breakfast accommodation with a bakery and coffee shop and Coffee 22.There was the Gate of India, Geogio's and Higo's and Louis' Bistro. The Blue lounge was well supported as were the Inns- the Cumberland Arms, The Percy Arms and the situation Inn. There was a Subway and a second sandwich outlet but no McDonalds or Burger King or Kentucky Friend which led to the attractiveness of the main street with the road way wide enough for cars to be parked at the centre weekdays and for stages with acrobats and other street entertainers which children sitting on the roadway in a semi circle and their parents and other members of the public looking on.
Although I took my time I had not needed to buy the portable chair as there was an end of bench seat close to the stage although it was where the public had their main access resulting in a constant flow of comings and goings.
Jazz in the afternoon is North of the Tyne Jazz band who play every Monday at lunch time at Cullercoats. They are middle aged plus musicians who play in a solid and professional way many jazz standards, Sweet Sue, On the Sunnyside of the Street, Oh Lady be Good, I can't give you anything but love, baby, Summertime, Stranger on the Shore, Muskrat Ramble, Water Melon Man. Somebody wants me and C C Rider. It was pleasant stuff suitable for a family audience many who would not have heard live jazz of any description played before although it was evident there were some like me who had made the effort to come for the event, ignoring all the others, at least for a time.
The main event was the appearance of the Bratislava Hot Serenders, a major ensemble from the Slovakian Republic who arrived in the poshist coach I have ever seen. There are not many bands to day, let alone in the thirties who would be able to travel in such style and who boast five stand alone singers, three young and attractive women dressed in style and two young men. The men of the orchestra were in general of more mature years and highly professional musicians producing an authentic well oiled sound which unfortunately the sound system could not reproduce. The stage was also cramped for such a large orchestra: three trumpets, one trombone, three who played saxes, clarinets, and flute, two tubas, pianist, drummer, one banjo guitarist, three violinists one of whom also played the vibes twenty one artists in total. They also have a MySpace site with four numbers and videos. Their music is not my everyday music but reproduces that which was being played during the decade of my childhood and over the past two decades since coming together to perform at special concerts they have acquired a following outside their country. They would do well in the USA. The weather turned cold and was most unkind given that back home it would be in the mid thirties.
Meanwhile on the main stage a representative of Latin American and Spanish sounds part of the Vamos ten days in Gateshead and Newcastle festival was being performed throughout the afternoon and early evening. More on Vamos later especially I get to some of the events over the next week.
Between the amphitheatre and the Castle Gate House there is a second vast area where for this weekend is located fast food concessions and other stall and tucked in one corner. out of general view a major set of male and female toilets. There was also a significant number of people standing facing the stage which was being set up for, LA 33 a band of intoxicating and seductive rhythms from Bogata Columbia which had some of the audience dancing out of their skulls at the front and others of all ages moving with rhythms on what at that point was a cold sunless Sunday afternoon. There few like me on their own.
Tynemouth has been a settlement since the iron age because the headland could be easily defended and the bank leading down to the former moat is used by children and young people to roll down although close parental supervision is recommended. The Queen wives of Edward 1st and 2nd preferred to stay at the Castle while their husbands were warring with the Scots. The Priory also remains regarded as having been one of the great buildings of England. Until 1974 Tynemouth was the name given to an administrative area which included North Shields, Cullercoats and south of Whitely bay. In 1974 the new administrative of North Tyneside was created to include Whitley through to the border with Newcastle and a new Border with Northumberland.
Although I was up before eight I felt a sense of pressure as I wanted to complete two Blogs as well as prepare for the day's outing. I began to wake myself up fully with a game of Hearts maintaining the 23% winning percentage as 1000 games played is approached.
I have switched from salami to ham sandwiches having purchased three packs of four think slices for £5. I am using smaller and thinner malted bread with just one thin slice of processed cheese. I have also settled for a metal flask of coffee and one of cold water, and which keeps cool for up to twelve hours. I was ready to leave by 10.30 am and made my way down the hill into town, hoping the bright weather would continue for the day. I was after a small over the shoulder and canvas chair as my existing one was too cumbersome to take on public transport, walkabout trips, especially as I also had my rucksack. Asda did not have one and before going to Wilkinson's I decided to pop into Woolworths, an excellent decision as they not only had the chair in question but had reduced the price from 9.99 to 4.99. After getting some cash from the bank out of hours service and I tested the chair using the benches in the town centre. Despite these activities the ferry was berthed at the landing and was ready to set off within a couple of minute's of arrival. The special bus was also waiting on arrival.
The Tynemouth main street was already busy as a procession to the Castle was underway at a slow pace as participants danced fiesta style. As there was time before the first Jazz stage performance there was opportunity to look at the range of eating and drinking establishments on both sides of the road. There were two of interest in terms of quality food, Sidney's is around the corner towards the bus stop back to the Ferry landing. It boasted some of the more expensive dishes with seared bream as a main course at £15. I buy a fair sized bream at around £1.50. It also had Northumberland land for a similar price. The more interesting was the Arch in the main street which offered Wild Boar, a Confit of Goose Rillets, pan seared Kangaroo steaks and an oven roasted ostrich steak. I was also fascinated by a desert called Eton Mess which I later discovered is a mixture of broken meringue, cream and strawberries.
There were Coffee houses and tea rooms, one at an art gallery and another attached to bed and breakfast accommodation with a bakery and coffee shop and Coffee 22.There was the Gate of India, Geogio's and Higo's and Louis' Bistro. The Blue lounge was well supported as were the Inns- the Cumberland Arms, The Percy Arms and the situation Inn. There was a Subway and a second sandwich outlet but no McDonalds or Burger King or Kentucky Friend which led to the attractiveness of the main street with the road way wide enough for cars to be parked at the centre weekdays and for stages with acrobats and other street entertainers which children sitting on the roadway in a semi circle and their parents and other members of the public looking on.
Although I took my time I had not needed to buy the portable chair as there was an end of bench seat close to the stage although it was where the public had their main access resulting in a constant flow of comings and goings.
Jazz in the afternoon is North of the Tyne Jazz band who play every Monday at lunch time at Cullercoats. They are middle aged plus musicians who play in a solid and professional way many jazz standards, Sweet Sue, On the Sunnyside of the Street, Oh Lady be Good, I can't give you anything but love, baby, Summertime, Stranger on the Shore, Muskrat Ramble, Water Melon Man. Somebody wants me and C C Rider. It was pleasant stuff suitable for a family audience many who would not have heard live jazz of any description played before although it was evident there were some like me who had made the effort to come for the event, ignoring all the others, at least for a time.
The main event was the appearance of the Bratislava Hot Serenders, a major ensemble from the Slovakian Republic who arrived in the poshist coach I have ever seen. There are not many bands to day, let alone in the thirties who would be able to travel in such style and who boast five stand alone singers, three young and attractive women dressed in style and two young men. The men of the orchestra were in general of more mature years and highly professional musicians producing an authentic well oiled sound which unfortunately the sound system could not reproduce. The stage was also cramped for such a large orchestra: three trumpets, one trombone, three who played saxes, clarinets, and flute, two tubas, pianist, drummer, one banjo guitarist, three violinists one of whom also played the vibes twenty one artists in total. They also have a MySpace site with four numbers and videos. Their music is not my everyday music but reproduces that which was being played during the decade of my childhood and over the past two decades since coming together to perform at special concerts they have acquired a following outside their country. They would do well in the USA. The weather turned cold and was most unkind given that back home it would be in the mid thirties.
Meanwhile on the main stage a representative of Latin American and Spanish sounds part of the Vamos ten days in Gateshead and Newcastle festival was being performed throughout the afternoon and early evening. More on Vamos later especially I get to some of the events over the next week.
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