Tubesnake

Friday 31st July 2009 at The Red Star, Seaham. This is a new venue on the circuit and I believe we were only the third band to play there on their new Friday Rock Night slot. Consequently, there weren’t many punters but those who attended gave us a very enthusiastic reception. In our opinion the venue is excellent for both audiences and bands with a very tidy interior featuring a good stage and great room layout. Get along and give your support to Ken, formerly of The Pemberton Arms, and any forthcoming acts and help get this venue established! … Lenny

Excellent night at Buffalos Rock Night at The Buffs Social Club in Houghton-le-Spring, Friday 10th July 2009. We had a great crowd who applauded well, made a lot of supportive noise and put the dance floor to good use. This gig exceeded all our expectations since the turn-out and audience response far surpassed our experiences at other club gigs we’ve been asked to do. At this venue, the audience pay good money to gain entrance so you know they’ve turned up specifically to see and hear the live act. They’re in it for the musical experience and there’s no bingo getting in the way. Plus, the stage and room size allowed us to connect with the audience since they didn’t appear to be miles away as in some sprawling club rooms. Definitely a venue we’d like to return to! … Lenny

The Egypt Cottage, Newcastle, Saturday 4th July 2009. Another great gig with our favourite stand-in drummer, Waka. We love this venue but whispers of its’ impending closure are rife! … Lenny

The One I Love (2009)

TUBESNAKE recorded live at Blackhall W.M.C. on Saturday 27th June 2009 (includes Jacko instrumental intro).

Thanks to all the peeps and freaks who made our gig at The Lambton Hounds, Pity Me, on Saturday 20th June 2009 a memorable evening. A great crowd which included mega party animals who danced like demons, fell over, flashed lingerie and feminine body parts (if you were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time) all to our back drop of heartfelt, sweaty, rock ‘n roll man! Damn good! The earth dies screaming! … Lenny

Sunday 14th June 2009 at The Mill House, Birtley. Rearranged the set and did the first half acoustic, second half full electric. Made a nice change for a Sunday night (the only Sunday night we still do) at a venue which has moved from a full-on party ambience in years gone by to a more sedate affair as of the last year or so. Quite enjoyed sitting on a chair for most of the first set, Tom and Chris included, and first outing of Back Door Man by The Doors following an audience request. The acoustic approach certainly makes you focus but sounded sweet as a nut. Dancing Days and Crackerman done acoustically filled my head with thoughts of Stone Temple Pilots doing unplugged sessions, thanks to Tom’s spot-on interpretations. A different, but good gig with a laid back element that we certainly enjoyed! … Lenny

Two excellent gigs over the weekend after four weeks off due to holidays which found Chris cruisin’ the Caribbean and me doing the Spanish stroll in Calpe, about an hour from Alicante. Cracking gig at Crook F.C. on Saturday 6th June and an even more intense gig at The Clarendon in Sunderland at 5pm on Sunday afternoon 7th June. Both audiences were excellent but the Clara crowd truly went for it. Back to life, back to reality! … Lenny

Things are gonna be a little quiet on this site for the next couple of weeks due to holidays but we’ll be bursting back on the scene with six gigs in June. Out here we is stoned, immaculate. Check our Gigs page for details!

Sympathy For The Devil / G.L.O.R.I.A. (2008)

TUBESNAKE recorded live at some gig towards the end of 2008.

A very big thanks to everyone who turned out to the Tubesnake gig at The Lambton Hounds, Pity Me, on Sunday 3rd May 2009 which aimed to raise further funds for St.Cuthbert’s Hospice in Merry Oaks, Durham. The whole pub was packed, not just the gig room, and there was a truly fantastic atmosphere at this gig which was dedicated to my mam who passed away in the hospice on the 9th April. Donations raised at the gig, and the bands’ contribution, were added to money collected from the tombola at The Lambton Hounds recent Fun Day, the hospice collection boxes which had been on the bar and a number of personal contributions. The final amount of £700 has been handed over and a certificate of thanks from the hospice has been framed and is now displayed in The Lambton Hounds pub. Thankyou! … Lenny

Band’s rocking Sunday hospice fund-raiser
THE NORTHERN ECHO Thursday 30th April 2009

Mr Mustarde’s brother, Michael, who is organising the event, said the hospice had looked after their mother really well.
“They do a great job and we thought we’d do something as a thank-you. We have raised about £200 at the moment, the guys will be donating their fee, and we’ll be collecting in the bar. It will help us to give something back to them for the care they gave our mother.’’ The gig starts at 5pm and tickets, which cost £2, will be available on the door.

That’s Alright Mama (2008)

TUBESNAKE recorded live at some gig towards the end of 2008.

Another first time venue for us at Annie McCarthy’s, South Shields, Saturday 9th May 2009. Really enjoyed this gig in my home town, I was born and lived in Shields ’til aged 9 when we moved to Durham. My wider family were there for years after so I remained a constant visitor and my dad, Len Mustarde, played for South Shields Cricket Club at Westoe for over 20 years. Our gig at Annie’s had a bunch of people who were there for the night as well as a constant stream of pub-circuit party peeps. It was like our audience kept changing every three songs or so as one batch left and another arrived but the place was never empty. Thanks to the dude who danced liked a shaman possessed for most of the night (very appropriate for all our Doors stuff too!), the appreciative crowd and the party-girls who burst in on the scene for the last few numbers in their wonderfully short skirted sailor-suits with white stocking hold-ups and cute hats. Special thanks to two of them who crashed the stage, danced, fell over repeatedly, grabbed the mike, helped Woody play the drums with a spare stick, posed for photos and generally added a new level of entertainment for the audience while narrowly managing not to wreck any of our gear. Couldn’t have asked for a better finale than these girls and Woody kicking the kit over. Uplifting! … Lenny

Woody missed our first appearance at The Egypt Cottage in Newcastle back in January (Waka stood in for him on the kit) but he was back on track for our second visit to the “Valley of The Kings” on Friday, 3rd April 2009. Class gig! Class venue!

When The Music’s Over (2009)

TUBESNAKE recorded live at The Egypt Cottage, Newcastle, Friday 3rd April 2009.

thanks to ‘Auld Rock Chick’ for this video clip

Paint It Black (2009)

TUBESNAKE recorded live at The Egypt Cottage, Newcastle, Friday 3rd April 2009.

thanks to ‘Auld Rock Chick’ for this video clip

Catch us this weekend as we beam in on Sunderland’s Wheatsheaf (a first) and Birtley’s Mill House. Switch on the TV and pick us up on Channel 2.

First time for us at The Three Tuns, Gateshead, Saturday 21st March 2009. Wasn’t too sure what to expect although I’d seen a few pics on various web sites. What a class venue! Black walls with a wall-hugging “Three Tuns” vinyl back-drop behind the band and some nicely supplied in-house lights directed onto a raised stage making way for a “proper” venue feel about the place. Woody had clattered his arm at an ice-hockey re-union the night before so Waka, ex-The Glammed and a former Tubesnake guitarist, stepped in to sort out the beat. We had a decent crowd in and, as always, a new venue means new faces and they passed some canny compliments our way. Best wishes to the dancing lady who fell face down on the floor but then continued to party-on once helped to her feet by the kind gents around her. Certainly keen to return to this venue in the not too distant future! … Lenny

The Gala Theatre, Durham, Thursday 5th March 2009. The voice of The Stranglers, Hugh Cornwell, was out touring with his new band and a new album titled Hooverdam. I love most of The Stranglers back catalogue but ain’t seen them live in any shape or form since 1985 so I was keen to see what Hugh was up to and had little idea what to expect since I avoided checking him out on the web. Suffice to say, they were excellent! Ten new lyrical masterpieces delivered with a punchy, raw edge that made you realise how much of a massive contribution Hugh actually made to The Stranglers. Some tracks reminded me of Lou Reed, also a lyrical virtuoso. Bassist, Caroline, added a sexy, cool, punk style to the whole show. Favourites were Rain On The River, Going To The City and Wrong Side Of The Tracks. They went on to close with a number of Stranglers songs, including Down In The Sewer which was brilliant despite the lack of keyboards … Lenny