Singing stars come to Hartlepool

From the Eighties there were Echo and the Bunnymen, from the Nineties there were Ocean Colour Scene and from the Noughties Doves.
Indie was certainly the flavour at the tented music festival within the main Marina grounds of the four-day Tall Ships Races.

We are a broad musical church here in Hartlepool and so it would be wrong to dismiss the clout of Hartlepool Male Voice Choir.
Previously the Reg Guy Singers, the choir's reputation is such that it can continually attract noted performers like Lesley Garrett, Aled Jones and Russell Watson to its regular summer concerts at The Borough Hall.

Feted as the first punk band to release a single, Seventies stars The Damned appeared at Tower Street music venue The Studio just before Christmas 2000.
While the premises mainly provided a worthy platform for local bands to showcase their talents, Dr Feelgood and Half Man Half Biscuit are among the other famous if faded names to perform there.
Then there are those acts who were on their way up. Anyone shed any light on that old rumour that The Studio turned down Sheffield band The Arctic Monkeys in 2005 just months before they went stellar with I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor?

Long since separated from the rest of The Smiths, Morrissey twice played The Borough Hall as part of a welcome tendency to appear at venues largely ignored by major artists.
While his 1999 performance concentrated mainly on his solo material, diehard Smiths fans were treated to renditions of classics such as This Charming Man, How Soon Is Now? and Ask in 2009.
Other famous acts to have appeared at the splendid concert setting over the last decade include The Kooks and The Vaccines.

Thirty-one years on and it is still remembered fondly by the thousands who were there.
Dock Rock took place on derelict land on what is now part of Hartlepool Marina and featured famous names such as Madness, Dr and the Medics - fresh from topping the singles chart with Spirit in the Sky - and Lindisfarne.
Even The Smiths lead singer Morrissey popped down from a TV commitment in Newcastle to join the crowds.
It wouldn't be the last time he would visit Hartlepool.

Mostly remembered as a nightclub - and where countless married couples first met each other - the "Rink" also hosted a number of star names in the 1960s.
When teenage Scottish singing sensation Lulu, for instance, had to pull out of a booking, the venue drafted in rising London band The Kinks.
The concert took place less than a week after Ray Davies and co recorded first hit You Really Got Me.
Other famous acts to later play the Clarence Road club include The Tremeloes and The Jeff Beck Group.

Sometimes our archives don't reveal all their secrets willingly.
We know, for instance, that Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre hosted top acts in the 1960s such as American rocker Gene Vincent.
A number of familiar names such as Leo Sayer and Tiffany also appeared at Wesley Square nightclub The Wesley during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Any memories or photos from any of the above concerts - or indeed any we have missed - would be appreciated.
Post them either underneath this article or on our Facebook page.

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