A warm night on the Tynemouth seafront was the perfect setting for the 30th annual Free Convention. A celebration of all things Free which has grown in stature over the years to become one of the leading music conventions in the country.
Free and the North of England go hand in hand. Not only was lead singer Paul Rodgers from the region but their seminal Live album was partially recorded at the old Locarno in Sunderland while the Rock standard “All Right Now” was penned following a particularly disastrous gig at Dunelm House in Durham. So the love affair with Free and the region runs deep.
What made this extra special was Andy Fraser’s first appearance in the North East of England for nearly four decades and the fans certainly turned up in large numbers for what was a night of great music while raising much needed funds for the Northern Brainwave Appeal.
Looking leaner and fitter than most half his age, which is all the more remarkable considering the serious health problems he’s had to overcome, Fraser was clearly relishing being back on Northern turf.
Kicking off with the classic of classics “All Right Now” certainly cleared the most obvious song of the evening out of the way at the earliest opportunity leaving the rest of the night free for fans to wonder what would come next.
It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Fraser to churn out a set of Free’s greatest hits but this was the opportunity for him to look forward while paying respect to his illustrious past.
With Fraser’s new teenage prodigy Tobi on vocals and veteran Chris Spedding on guitar much of the show was constructed to highlight the soulful, silky vocals of Tobi. With a voice that combines the soulful passion of Smokey Robinson and the incredible range of a youthful Glenn Hughes, Tobi possess a talent that belies his age. “Nothing Gonna Stop Us” and a decidedly Funky “Brighten Up My Day” showcased his talent to perfection and combined with his agility on guitar it’s easy to see why Fraser rates him so highly.
At times the show was a little too smooth but Chris Spedding’s “Motorbikin’” got things back on the Rock’n’Roll track with some particular sprightly fretwork while Spedding’s tasteful slide guitar work on “It’s Not Easy” was sublime.
Fraser was simply bubbling with energy throughout the show dancing at every opportunity while his unique bass playing was a joy with a fluid groove that few can match.
This was after all a Free convention so it was no surprise that the likes of “The Stealer”, A Little Bit of Love” and an awesome romp through set closer “Mr Big” received the biggest roars of the night.
After Fraser and his band left the stage it looked as if that was it, however part way through the late evening entertainment of Freeway, the UK’s leading Free tribute band which featured an inspired performance by John Buckton on Paul Kossoff’s vintage guitar, Fraser returned to the stage for an absolutely jaw dropping performance of “Be My Friend” along with “Songs of Yesterday” and “Fire and Water”. Needless to say the crowd went nuts and with any luck it won’t take Fraser another four decades before revisiting the region again.
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