Tag Archives: Pouk Hill Prophetz

Live review: Pouk Hill Prophetz at the Water Rats, London 23/2/24

Glam rock, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , ,

Friday evening saw me make a whistlestop trip to the capital to catch up with my old friends The Pouk Hill Prophetz, who were performing a gig at London’s Water Rats.

Coming together through a shared love of Slade and a determination to celebrate the glam era in their own unique fashion, The Pouk Hill Prophetz have been around for a decade now. Never far away from anything Slade-related and raising a ton of money for various charitable endeavours along the way, they’ve long been a fixture at various Slade conventions (which is where I first caught them back in 2016). They even performed at my own Slade book launch last summer which was a huge load of fun.

The band have built up quite a dedicated following over the last ten years and the venue was nicely packed-out for them, their first gig in the capital with new drummer, James Hannington, who joins established Propheteers Nigel Hart and Martin Brooks.

I’ve seen many glam-inspired tribute acts and numerous glam covers bands over the years, but what really sets Pouk Hill Prophetz apart is that they don’t just restrict themselves to the most obvious foot-stomping big hits. You get a good blast of those, of course. But as far as their love as Slade goes, you can always expect a liberal smattering of obscure B-sides, carefully-chosen album tracks and archive material from the early pre-glam days thrown in as well.

Accordingly, tonight starts with a stomping version of ‘Know Who You Are’ – Slade’s last non-hit single before they struck gold with ‘Get Down and Get With It’. ‘Gudbuy Gudbuy’ from Slade’s classic Slayed album makes an appearance, as does ‘Darling Be Home Soon’ and ‘In Like A Shot From My Gun’ from the much-celebrated Slade Alive album.

It’s not just Slade though. They also give us a blast of The Sweet’s ‘Hellraiser’ and T Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy’ and later on a suitably pounding sing-along version of the Bay City Rollers’ ‘Shang-A-Lang’. It’s not even just the glam covers either. We get some great hard-rocking version of ZZ Top’s ‘Tush’ and Billy Idol’s ‘White Wedding’.

Things slow down for an acoustic segment mid-way through, with guitarist Martin Brooks moving on to keyboards for heartfelt renditions of Slade’s ‘Everyday’ and its lesser-known cousin ‘She Did It To Me’ alongside ‘Dapple Rose’ and a highly emotive ‘Old New Borrowed And Blue’. Although taking the title of a Slade album, the latter is not a cover version at all but an original composition cleverly taking fragments of various Slade lyrics from across their career to create a unique and utterly sincere musical love-letter to the famous foursome from Wolverhampton.

A few more raucous classics to round off the evening, including ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ and ‘Born To Be Wild’ as well as a Slade-inspired vintage rock and roll medley, and then it’s time for me to say some hurried goodbyes and make a swift exit in time to get the last train back to Hastings.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055115121968

Related Posts:

A day celebrating Slade at the Trumpet, Bilston – Book Launch & Pouk Hill Prophetz 17/6/23

Live review: Pouk Hill Prophetz – charity gig for Dementia UK, London 2019

Live review: Slade Convention 2016

Pouk Hill Prophetz raise thousands for brain tumour research

A day celebrating Slade at the Trumpet, Bilston – Book Launch & Pouk Hill Prophetz 17/6/23

Glam rock, Music culture & history, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

To mark the publication of my latest book ‘Slade In The 1970s’ I was delighted to be at The Trumpet in Bilston, Wolverhampton, recently – along with Martin Brooks and Nigel Hart of the Pouk Hill Prophetz and a sizeable gathering of Slade fans.

Given the heatwave we’d been having all week I started wondering if we’d actually get many people along and thinking that they may well prefer to spend the day in the garden with a BBQ rather than be stuck inside a pub. I needn’t have worried. As soon as I turned up on Bilston High Street laden with a heavy rucksack full of books, I began spotting fans in Slade T-shirts waiting for The Trumpet to open. Phew!

The Trumpet was a regular stomping ground for the four members of Slade back in the day and is still a much-loved and highly-respected jazz venue. One of the musicians who played there regularly was Black Country pianist, Tommy Burton, who appears on Slade’s Old, New, Borrowed & Blue album. There is a blue plaque for him at the pub.

Once inside, Martin and Nigel of the Pouk Hill Prophetz were already busy sound-checking and I got to work setting up a display of my books on what would be the signing table, in front of the stage and handily right next to the bar. By the time things kicked off the pub had filled up nicely.

After an introduction from Nigel, I took to the mic-stand to say a little about my book, explain the concept behind Sonicbond’s Decades series (of which ‘Slade in the 1970s’ is part) and share with everyone how my long-standing love affair with the band came about. Then it was time for questions: What was my first Slade gig? How did I go about researching the book? What made me switch from being a politician to writing about music?

Following a short break where I signed copies of my books and chatted to Slade fans, it was then time for the first set of the day from the magnificent Pouk Hill Prophetz. Coming together through their shared love of Slade, Pouk Hill Prophetz have been together almost a decade now, celebrating the music of Slade and, occasionally, other glam-era icons.

The first set of the day was an entirely acoustic set where Martin and Nigel gave us their own interpretations of a number of Slade classics. From the big hits like ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ and ‘Coz I Luv You’, to obscure early album tracks like ‘Dapple Rose’, to anthemic B-sides like ‘She Did It To Me’. It was all rather spectacular, but it wasn’t over yet. The duo would be back for two more sets in the evening, including a full electric set towards the end, with a guest drummer and a special outing for a replica version of Dave Hill’s famous Superyob guitar.

Michael Vanoverstraeten adds: “After the afternoon session, my wife and I went back home to fetch the John Birch Super Yob Guitar for Martin to play it in the evening. Martin surely blew the cobwebs of my John Birch Super Yob Guitar blasting out “Born to Be Wild” at the end of the evening.”

Michael Vanoverstraeten with Mick Marsden – a member of the N’ Betweens prior to the Holder/Hill/Lea/Powell line-up that would eventually become Slade

I’d like to thank Diane at The Trumpet for hosting us that day and giving us such a warm and friendly Black Country welcome, I’d like to thank Martin and Nigel of Pouk Hill Prophetz for giving us such wonderful music and I’d like to thank everyone who came along – all brought together through a shared love of Slade. A memorable day indeed.

Photos: Darren Johnson and Martin Brooks

Related Posts:

Darren’s books

Live review: Pouk Hill Prophetz – charity gig for Dementia UK, London 2019

Slade Convention 2016

Pouk Hill Prophetz raise thousands for brain tumour research

‘Slade In The 1970s’ – book launch and music from Pouk Hill Prophetz at The Trumpet, Bilston, 17th June

Glam rock, Music culture & history, Music news, Rock music, , , , , , ,

Marking the publication of my third book for Sonicbond’s Decades series, Slade In The 1970s, I’ll be at the legendary Trumpet pub in Bilston on 17th June, a traditional stomping ground for the members of Slade in the early days and still a much-loved and highly-respected jazz venue.

Slade In The 1970s previewed this month in Wired Up glam fanzine:

As well as a Q&A and book signing I’m thrilled to announce there will also be a live acoustic set from Martin Brooks and Nigel Hart of the Pouk Hill Prophetz as part of the launch that afternoon (1pm-3pm) as well as a later set that evening (8pm-11pm).

Coming together through their shared love of Slade, Pouk Hill Prophetz have been together almost a decade now, bringing their own unique take on the music of Slade and other glam-era icons.

Martin Brooks, guitarist with Pouk Hill Prophetz: “Darren Johnson has been a friend of the band for many years and we are delighted to support his book launch. It is a great honour for PHP to play a gig at The Trumpet, which is such an important music venue in the Midlands and has been associated with Slade since their glory days in the 70s. It will be a day and a night to remember!”

The Trumpet, 58 High St, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0EP: https://www.thetrumpet-bilston.com/

Pouk Hill Prophetz: https://www.poukhillprophetz.com/

Slade In The 1970s – out 26th May: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slade-1970s-Decades-Darren-Johnson/dp/1789522684/

About the author: A former politician, Darren Johnson spent many years writing about current affairs but after stepping away from politics he was able to devote time to his first love: music. His first book, The Sweet In The 1970s, was published by Sonicbond in 2021, followed by Suzi Quatro In The 1970s in 2022. Now he turns his attention to the first band he truly fell in love with: Slade. A keen follower of both rock and folk, he maintains a popular music blog Darren’s Music Blog and has reviewed albums and gigs for a variety of publications. He lives in Hastings, East Sussex

Live review: Pouk Hill Prophetz – charity gig for Dementia UK, St John’s Wood, London 15/6/19

Glam rock, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , ,

Named after a piece of ruggedly inclined open space in the West Midlands and the title of an early Slade song, the Pouk Hill Prophetz got together and began to perform the occasional gig through a shared love of all things Slade. Tonight the three musicians, Nigel, Martin Brooks and Trevor West, get together to put on a charity gig – celebrating the 70th birthday of Slade’s Jim Lea with all money raised going to Dementia UK.

The gig tonight is just a stone’s throw from the historic Abbey Road studios and meant I had to cross that very famous street in order to get to the venue. Feeling a bit too embarrassed to use the zebra crossing along with all the tourists I thought I’d walk down a bit and make my own way across. I wasn’t concentrating properly, however, and almost got run over. That’ll teach me.

I get to the gig in one piece though. As usual, there’s a lot of Slade in the set-list – and it’s not just the well-known hits of the glory years, either. These guys like to dust down some of the very early material from Slade’s pre-glam days as well as the glam classics. And it’s not just about Slade either, with songs from Sweet, Queen and T-Rex thrown in for good measure. And while their stage-wear might suggest they are every inch the glam tribute act, their delivery is very much their own and draws on much broader rock influences. The absolute highlight of the evening, however, is not a cover version at all but an original. ‘Old New Borrowed and Blue’ is a poignant, bitter-sweet piano and vocal ballad that pays tribute to Wolverhampton’s finest, celebrating the Slade story with as much love and affection as ‘Saturday Gigs’ celebrates the Mott The Hoople story, albeit written from the fans’, rather than the band’s, point of view.

Some raucous glam classics, some poignant acoustic numbers and the first public performance of the aforementioned self-penned tribute, Pouk Hill Prophetz celebrate Mr Lea’s 70th birthday in fine fashion and raise a tidy sum for one his favourite charities in the process.

https://www.facebook.com/Pouk-Hill-Prophetz-852856794762299/

20190615_211042

Related:

Slade Convention 2016

Pouk Hill Prophetz raise thousands for brain tumour research

News: Glamsters Pouk Hill Prophetz raise thousands for brain tumour research

Glam rock, Music news, Rock music, , , ,

Three rock musicians, all members of Glam Rock inspired band Pouk Hill Prophetz, who lost a friend to a brain tumour have raised thousands to help fund scientific research into finding a cure for the disease.

Lead singer and bassist, Nigel Hart, aged 55, from Dollis Hill, North West London, guitarist, Martin Brooks, 54, from Burton Latimer near Kettering and drummer, Trevor West, 56, from Radcliffe-On-Trent, Nottingham, chose to fundraise for the Brain Tumour Research charity when they learned that a fan, who quickly became a good friend, was fighting a brain tumour.

Cat Anderson, who grew up in Corby and later lived in Uppingham, was diagnosed with an aggressive and incurable brain tumour in 2014 and, after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment, seemed to be doing well. Shocked to discover that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, Cat and her parents, Rab and Margo Anderson of Kettering, set up a fundraising group called Cat in a Hat under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research.

17759954_1287284757986165_1234685525364992193_n

Sadly Cat’s brain tumour returned and she lost her life on 14th June last year, aged just 38.

On Wednesday 6th June, Nigel, Martin and Trevor were invited by the charity to visit the Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence at Queen Mary University London to see how all money raised contributes towards research. The musical trio, whose repertoire includes many of the big hits from the 70s by bands like Slade, Sweet and T.Rex, also had the opportunity to place a tile on the Wall of Hope at the research centre.

The centre, one of four receiving funding from the charity, is focused on research to improve treatments for patients with brain tumours and, ultimately, finding a cure. Each tile laid on the wall represents the £2,740 it costs to fund a day of research.

Led by Prof. Silvia Marino, in collaboration with University College London, the team at the centre are studying glioblastoma tumours – one of the most aggressive and deadly types of brain cancer and the tumour that Cat died from.

34600368_10212390416737910_4314602907224768512_o

Nigel said: “We quickly decided we wanted to get involved with supporting Cat in a Hat and organised charity shows and a rock memorabilia auction which together have raised more than £10,000 to date, including match-funding from Deutsche Bank. Today has been a fantastic opportunity to see how it’s making a difference to researchers.”

Trevor commented: “It’s an honour to visit one of the Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence and see where all the research takes place. When we met Cat a couple of years before she passed away, we were amazed at how positive she was, yet stunned that the life expectancy for brain tumour patients was so poor with less than 20% surviving for more than five years, compared with an average of 50% across all cancers.”

Martin added: “The tile we placed symbolises not only the money we’ve raised for research into brain tumours, but also commemorates our dear friend Cat who is sorely missed by so many, not least her parents, who have both become good friends of ours too.”

Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Michael Thelwall, Head of Community Fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Nigel, Trevor and Martin have raised an incredible amount for Brain Tumour Research and we’re really pleased they have been to see the research taking place at Queen Mary University London, and also place a tile on the Wall of Hope. Stories like Cat’s remind us all that we cannot allow this desperate situation to continue.”

To make a donation to Brain Tumour Research: https://www.braintumourresearch.org/donation

Follow Pouk Hill Prophetz on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/Pouk-Hill-Prophetz-852856794762299/

Related article:
Pouk Hill Prophetz at Slade Fan Event 2016

2016 – The top ten most popular reviews on Darren’s music blog

Glam rock, Live reviews, Rock music, , , , , , , , ,

Happy New Year and thanks to everyone who visited this blog during 2016. Here were the ten posts with the biggest number of hits this year:

  1. Sweet at Bilston – December: “The band produced some excellent hard rock back in the day and it’s nice to see that side of the band being properly celebrated, in addition to the more obvious but still equally wonderful glam rock side” – full review here
  2. AC/DC at the Olympic Stadium – June: “as I’m listening to Axl Rose belting out the likes of Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and High Voltage I can’t help feeling he’s absolutely nailing those old Bon Scott tunes – full review here
  3. John Cooper Clark & Hugh Cornwell at Kentish Town – November: “It’s a veritable celebration of late 50s/early 60s pop culture and it is, my gig companion for the evening whispers to me, the most surreal gig I’ve ever been to.” – full review here
  4. Saxon / Fastway / Girlschool at Shepherd’s Bush – November: “Saxon in 2016 deliver the old material as good as they ever did, produce truly stunning new material and perform with a confidence and authority as befits one of British rock’s truly great bands.” Full review here
  5. Ian Hunter at Shepherd’s Bush – November: “The Rant Band are on great form, as ever. Ian Hunter continues to be both a great rock and roll performer, as ever, and a thought-provoking singer-songwriter, as ever. Let’s hope there’s a good few more tours in him yet.” Full review here
  6. Ian Hunter at Minehead – January :(yes – clearly a lot of Ian Hunter fans visit my blog!) “not only is Hunter still going strong, still singing and still performing but that he is still a major creative force, writing songs and making albums as consistently original and wonderfully compelling as the ones he made over four decades ago.” Full review here
  7. Mott The Hoople Fan Convention at Hereford – June: “Forty-two years after their original demise Mott The Hoople is still a band that’s loved, celebrated and cherished by its many fans – and rightly so.” Full review here
  8. Mick Ralphs Blues Band at Minehead – January: Sadly, the band have now called it a day following Mick Ralphs’ stroke this year. Let’s hope Mick has a full recovery and let’s hope it’s not the last we have heard of lead singer Adam Barron “he is, in my mind, fast establishing himself of one of the finest blues rock vocalists of his generation.” Full review here
  9. Me! – yes my own biography at number 9. You read the blog, you want to find out a bit more about who is behind it so here I am. Full details here
  10. Slade UK and Pouk Hill Prophetz at Wolverhampton – March: Another fan convention – Slade this time and a chance to see the Pouk Hill Prophetz. “Where the band really excel, particularly in the later set, is in the delivery of pre-glam era “before they were famous” Slade songs – stunningly authentic versions of songs like Know Who You Are and Dapple Rose.” Full details here

Thanks to visiting everyone and here’s to 2017. Although it’s now inevitable that a number of music icons from the 60s and 70s are passing away let’s hope the rock obituary writers are not kept anywhere near as busy in 2017.

Darren

Sw15665419_1172245969537558_7242702935148297652_n

Sweet at Bilston -our number 1 for 2016 (Photo credit: Eileen Handley)

 

Slade UK and Pouk Hill Prophetz at Wolverhampton 19/3/16

Glam rock, Live reviews, Music culture & history, Rock music, , , , , , , ,

We’re in an era of rock history where bands’ fiftieth anniversaries are increasingly common. The Stones did a world tour,including a celebrated gig in Hyde Park. All the surviving leading members of the Beach Boys reunited and The Who had a well-received anniversary tour which packed out arenas, too. Now it is the turn of Slade, a band who had their breakthrough in the early 70s but who formed in the 60s, when Noddy Holder and Jim Lea joined Dave Hill and Don Powell in an existing band called the N Betweens, a band that would eventually be renamed Slade. It’s exactly fifty years since the four first shared a stage together but there’s no big reunion of the original members, no sell-out gigs at the O2 or the Wembley Arena and no wall to wall press coverage. Instead, the occasion is celebrated with a fans convention in the aptly named, though modestly-sized, Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton where there are performances from a couple of tribute acts, Slade UK and the Pouk Hill Prophetz.

Throughout the afternoon and early evening there’s a Slade quiz; there’s some Slade-related poetry from stand-up poet, Paul Cookson (who perhaps is to the glam rock genre what John Cooper Clark is to punk); and there’s even a speech and formal welcome from the Mayor of Wolverhampton. The Pouk Hill Prophetz play the first of their two sets, an all-acoustic set that delivers acoustic versions of well-known classics like Coz I Luv You and Cum On Feel The Noize, as well as far more obscure material that fans of Slade seldom get to hear in public.

The Pouk Hill Prophetz came together through their shared love of Slade. They’re not a tribute act in the classic sense, in terms of dressing up and adopting the persona of individual band members, and they don’t restrict themselves purely to Slade’s back catalogue either – they throw in a couple of Sweet and T-Rex numbers in the evening set. But in both their earlier acoustic set in the bar and their later evening set on the main stage their love for Slade’s music clearly shines through. Where the band really excel, particularly in the later set, is in the delivery of pre-glam era “before they were famous” Slade songs – stunningly authentic versions of songs like Know Who You Are and Dapple Rose from 1970’s Play It Loud album, for example. Indeed, one of the highlight’s of the whole day is when, drummer, Trevor West’s 13 year old daughter takes the stage to play a beautiful rendition of the violin solo on Dapple Rose, the first decent violin rendition I’ve heard on a Slade song since the classically-trained Jim Lea stopped performing with the original band years ago.

Slade UK are more of a traditional tribute act. They dress like early 70s Slade and vocalist Nidge (Nod) Hillam arrives on stage replete with enormous sideburns, lots of tartan and a mirrored top hat. In the past I’ve tended to be a bit sniffy about tribute acts – of all genres. Slade UK are bloody good though. In fact, the voice of the lead singer is far closer to the raw power and sound of Noddy Holder than Holder’s actual replacement in the modern-day Slade, Mal McNulty. There’s a real energy to the musicianship, too, and they capture the authentic sound of Slade perfectly. As with the previous act, it’s not just about delivering the well-known hits either. We get B sides, we get songs that were never performed live by the original band and we get songs from many different eras of Slade, stretching from the early days right through to the band’s very final hit single, 1991’s Radio Wall Of Sound. Loud and blisteringly authentic they do the band proud. There can be only one song to finish though: the band return to the stage with Santa hats, fake snow pumps out from the stage and the familiar opening chords signal the start of the greatest Christmas song ever made…

The night may have lacked the huge arenas, the enormous crowds or the wall-to-wall press coverage associated with other famous bands’ fiftieth anniversaries. But there is no lack of love for Slade and their music here tonight and both acts do the band and its fans proud.

http://www.sladeuk.com/

slade uk

Related reviews:
Slade at Minehead
Slade at Hastings