Andy Fraser, Tobi, Chris Spedding
The Free Convention 2013
The Park Hotel
Tynemouth
Tyne & Wear, UK
2nd August 2013
As a life-long Free fan, the chance to finally see Andy Fraser in the flesh was one that I couldn't pass up.
Each year, a splendid fellow called Bill Flynn organises a get-together for like-minded nuts. This year, he
pulled a bit of a blinder by having a founder member in attendance.
I met Andy before the show. Clearly he has health issues, but a nicer, more positive inspiration you'd be
hard-pushed to find. Thoroughly nice, genuinely engaging. Happy to sign my LPs for me & have a bit chat.
The show itself was more a Tobi show than an Andy Fraser show, hence be forewarned that most of the material
is by Tobi (with a couple of John Mayer covers chucked into the mix).
Personally, I'm not quite there with Tobi's material. It's well played, competent stuff. He seems to mean it, but
(as yet) it doesn't reach me in the way the Free stuff does. Pleasant enough though.
A delight to see and hear Andy Fraser. The sound, the feel...the sort of stuff that got me into music in the first
place. Mind, what the wedding in the adjacent room made of it, God only knows...
Support was from Malcolm Bruce (son of Jack), and after Andy & Tobi a Free tribute band called Freeway played. We
had to leave before they came on, so not recorded (by me).
Special thanks to Bill Flynn. He does an awful lot with not a lot, raises cash for worthy causes and makes a lot of
folk very happy.
Venue - typical rectangular function room.
Stage at one end, small dance floor and rows of chairs facing the stage.
Appeared to be at capacity, which at a guess was around 300.
01 Intro
02 All Right Now
03 Bad Luck
04 Banter
05 I Will Be Free
06 Louisianna
07 Banter
08 Guilty
09 Here We Go
10 You And Me
11 Banter
12 The Stealer
13 Neon
14 It's Not Easy
15 Banter
16 Lips Of Sin
17 All Along
18 Half Way There
19 Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
20 Motorbikin'
21 Nothing Gonna Stop Us
22 Little Bit Of Love
23 Encore Break
24 Mr Big
Recorded By Lesterferget
20 feet back, centre on the floor
A Rockin’ Regimental Recording
Lineage :
SP-CMC-4U >
TASCAM DR-40 >
Sound Forge Pro 10 >
Trader's Little Helper (level 8) >
Torrent Site
Do what you will with it - except sell it :
You got it for nowt, you give it for nowt
Hopefully you'll feel compelled to support Tobi in some way, shape or form.
If you don't have all the Free albums now, you really should. Andy's solo
stuff's interesting too.