Geordie II - Rockin Back

Star Is Rockin' Back To Geordie Roots Jun 26 2001

Evening Chronicle

HARD-rocking ACDC frontman Brian Johnson is returning to his Geordie roots to tour the Tyneside pub and club circuit.

The pocket dynamo is swapping the world's biggest stadiums for a string of small gigs at venues across the region with the band with which he originally made his name.

Johnson, 53, from Preston Village, North Shields, and three other members of 1970s pop group Geordie are to reform in September with the aim of going on the road in October.

They will tour the places where Johnson first hit the big time before becoming lead singer of ACDC and a multi-millionaire rock star.

Guitarist Dave Robson, now 47, said: "We've always kept in touch with Brian and when we all met up at a restaurant about two years ago he said he'd really love to get the old band back together.

"We didn't really take it seriously at the time but he mentioned it again and this year we started chatting about it in earnest and decided to do it.

"Brian really loved the band - when he left to go to ACDC he had tears in his eyes. He just wants to get back to his roots and give something back to the area, so we're planning on playing workingmen's clubs and pubs, assuming anyone books us.

"What's important is that we're going back to the venues where we used to play and where people came to support us.

"The three of us still living on Tyneside recently went back into the studio to see if we could still do it. After all, we hadn't played together in 20 years.

"We set up, had a cup of tea and then just cranked it up. It was really good - it was as if the 20 years had just blown away.

"I'm really excited about it and if it goes well we may finish off the tour in somewhere bigger.

"Brian will arrive in September. We'll spend three weeks rehearsing and then go out on the road in October."

The line-up that is reforming is based on the band that toured from 1977 to 1980 - Brian Johnson on vocals, Dave Robson on bass, Dek Rootham on guitar and Dave Whitaker on drums.

Brian was the only remaining member of the original Geordie which started in 1972. They had a string of hit singles and released three albums up to 1976.

The original line-up included Tom Hill from Gateshead on bass, Vic Malcolm from South Shields on guitar and Brian Gibson from Gateshead on drums.

They were launched to national acclaim in September 1972 when they released their first single, Don't Do That, which reached No 31 in the charts.

They had better luck with the single All Because of You which got to No 6 in April 1973, taken from their first album, Hope You Like It.

In the same year they had hits with Can You Do It and Electric Lady.

They became popular across Europe and went on to release the albums Don't Be Fooled By The Name and Save The World.

The original line-up once made a brief stab at reforming in 1982, without Johnson, when they released a single and an album.

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Geordie's concert for air victims Sep 25 2001

Evening Chronicle

Rock wildman Brian Johnson is to arrange a Live Aid-style concert for victims of the terrorist attacks in American.

Johnson, Tyneside born, and millionaire lead singer with AC/DC was contacted by the White House who asked him to run the event.

Florida-based Brian, who lost a friend in the atrocities, took the call just hours before defying management pleas not to fly to Britain for a reunion concert in Newcastle this weekend with his former bandmates in 70s group Geordie.

He refused to let his fans down - and despite being nervous at taking to the skies so soon after the terrorist attacks, he has just arrived on Tyneside to begin rehearsals for Friday's gig at Newcastle Opera House.

Before boarding the flight for Britain he contacted his US rock pals to set the ball in motion for a huge gig at the Redskins Stadium, in Washington, for the families and victims of those killed and injured in the Pentagon attack.

"This guy called and said he was from the White House - he had seen us at a gig and had taken us around the White House," said Brian.

"He said he was with the secret service and I thought he was joking - but he wasn't. And he wanted me to put on a fund raiser.

"I don't have the skills to put it all together myself, but I know people who do, and I said yes to it straight away.

"I've already been in touch with the likes of Alice Cooper and Willie Nelson and sound guys, and we're hoping to be ready by November."

Brian said he was deeply affected by the attacks two weeks ago. "Our office is in New York," he said. "One of the carpenters who was on the world tour with us was on the second plane that hit the towers - he was flying home to see his wife who had just had a baby. It was awful. I've never seen Americans so affected by something."

Brian was advised by AC/DC's management not to fly to Britain for Friday's Geordie II reunion -the first time the ex-bandmates have played together in 21 years.,

"They weren't happy at all, but I had given my word to my mates, tickets had been sold, I wasn't going to let people down," he said.

"I was very nervous, though. First I had to get an internal flight to Atlanta and then a jumbo to Britain.

"There were only 30-odd people on the flight and it was very solemn. You spent the first half hour checking everyone out. It's hard to explain - there was an air of nervousness about it all with everyone."

Hours after arriving back on Tyneside, Brian was rehearsing with fellow Geordie II members, guitarist Dek Rootham, bassist Dave Robson and drummer Dave Whitaker.

They decided on a reunion gig two years ago after a night out and money from Friday's show will go to a good cause, although the band is refusing to say what.

"Everything is fitting in just dandy," said Brian. "We're there to have a good time - there will be some mistakes, no doubt, but we're all just wanting to have a good crack."

Geordie had four top 40 hits, the biggest, All Because of You, in 1973, reached No six.

The line-up for Friday's gig is the same as that which toured from 1977 to 1980.

Source : IC Newcastle

Geordie II Tour