Kiefer Sutherland is a big name—possibly known more for his acting than his music, though at almost 60, perhaps the music is taking over now. He certainly has an avid following in Newcastle, bringing his latest tour to The Boiler Shop.
It’s a great venue for it. As the name might suggest, this is where the Robert Stephenson & Co Locomotive Works made boilers for their engines. It’s a massive, high-ceilinged space, retaining what I guess are original beams and possibly the glass roof. Once the beating heart of the industrial revolution, it’s now a superb music venue right in the heart of the city. Somewhat incongruously, the stage is pretty small—only half the width of the building—and not particularly prepossessing. Functional, not fancy, as befits its heritage.
Marshalling was slick and friendly, and the facilities are pretty good, featuring two bars and adequate toilets. There were also some seats elevated around the side, so fans unable to stand could still comfortably attend. Unsurprisingly, it was a largely mature audience.
Support Act: Irish Musician Colin Andrew
Doors opened at 7pm, and the support act—Irish musician Colin Andrew—didn’t come on until 8pm. I understand that venues just want to get the audience in situ, but not having a running order in advance means there’s either a lot of hanging about or the chance that you miss the support. I like to hear the support; you can find some absolute gems if they’ve been well-chosen. Sutherland is heading to Ireland after performing in mainland Britain, which might partially account for the choice of Kerry-born Andrew as support, though he is based in London.
Andrew’s style isn’t dissimilar to Sutherland’s, and he can certainly play guitar and belt out a song. His craic was self-confessedly a bit on the coarse side, and he was not happy that there was a lack of attention from those at the back of the venue, who were happily indulging in the goods from the bar, sitting comfortably at long tables, and talking all the while. If you Google him, you’ll see he is noted for indie, folk, and traditional Irish music. Not tonight. It was all rock, with the exception of “Jurassic”, a much quieter and soulful number.
Andrew’s style isn’t dissimilar to Sutherland’s, and he can certainly play guitar and belt out a song. His craic was self-confessedly a bit on the coarse side, and he was not happy that there was a lack of attention from those at the back…
The rest was thrashed out with encouragement to the audience to get involved. I’m not sure most of the audience did, and it sometimes felt like he was on a hiding to nothing. It can be hard being the support when you know the audience probably isn’t really that interested in you, but the best support acts seem to be able to ignore that and just do what they do—very well, if we’re lucky. For me, the measure of a good support act is whether I am captivated, want to hear more, and am still thinking about them the next morning. Sorry, Colin, not for me this time.
Kiefer Sutherland Live: High-Octane Country Rock
Kiefer and his band came on stage at 9pm, after a 30-minute refreshment break, and were exceptionally well received. They started as they meant to go on—launching straight into high-octane numbers like “Down Below” and “Only Happy When It Rains”. Sutherland seemed genuinely pleased to be there, expressing gratitude to the audience for coming out on a Sunday night on a home match day. The set was pretty much non-stop rock and roll, and the highly experienced band didn’t let him down. Still, it all felt a bit 1970s/80s to me, with slightly too much same old, same old, despite Kiefer explaining the inspiration behind several tracks. For instance, he noted “American Farmer” was written in response to his move from California to the East Coast and witnessing the hardships endured by agricultural workers.
Kiefer and his band came on stage at 9pm, after a 30-minute refreshment break, and were exceptionally well received. They started as they meant to go on—launching straight into high-octane numbers like “Down Below” and “Only Happy When It Rains”.
While we’re all allowed to comment on what we see, this felt slightly disingenuous coming from a man who now owns a large ranch, which, I suspect, he doesn’t break his back farming himself.
There’s been a lot said about Sutherland’s poor behaviour, not least being accused of assault recently, though not formally charged. On stage, however, he was the epitome of politeness and gratitude, and it was hard not to warm to him personally. He is also a fine musician with a great voice. He certainly entertained a good portion of the audience, though the talkers at the back didn’t appear to take any more notice of him than they had of Colin Andrew.
Final Verdict: A Middle-of-the-Road Performance
All in all, this was by no means a bad night, but I won’t be rushing back. It was a bit middle-of-the-road for me, and none of the songs are still in my head this morning. It seems his American tour has been cancelled due to low ticket sales. There may be lots of reasons for that, but having a good voice and being able to play well may just not be enough in these tough times.
Featured Image: Photo by Beth Elliott
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