search
date/time
 | Yorkshire Times A Voice of the Free Press |
Graham Clark
Music Features Writer
@Maxximum23Clark
4:00 PM 13th December 2023
arts
Paradise Lost: Bringing Rock Back To Bradford
Paradise Lost
Remembering St George's
Kiss, who recently hung up their platform boots and decided that it really was the end of the road for them—as far as touring goes—played St George’s Hall at the height of their fame in 1988. I will never forget when bassist and singer Gene Simmons jokingly described to the audience that performing there was “like playing in my front room!”
Bon Jovi narrowly missed playing the venue when they were booked on the same night as playing St George’s as appearing on the iconic TV music show, The Tube. The live television programme finished at 7pm with the band hurtling down the A1 from Newcastle, where the show was filmed, to arrive just in time to arrive on the St George’s stage at 9pm. With the adrenalin flowing, the band gave one of the best performances I have witnessed, full of energy, purpose, and fire.
Iron Maiden sold out the venue many times, as did Scorpions, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy, Gillan, Saxon, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath (with Van Halen supporting!). And who could forget the deafening glory that was Motorhead?
Kiss, who recently hung up their platform boots and decided that it really was the end of the road for them—as far as touring goes—played St George’s Hall at the height of their fame in 1988. I will never forget when bassist and singer Gene Simmons jokingly described to the audience that performing there was “like playing in my front room!”
Bon Jovi narrowly missed playing the venue when they were booked on the same night as playing St George’s as appearing on the iconic TV music show, The Tube. The live television programme finished at 7pm with the band hurtling down the A1 from Newcastle, where the show was filmed, to arrive just in time to arrive on the St George’s stage at 9pm. With the adrenalin flowing, the band gave one of the best performances I have witnessed, full of energy, purpose, and fire.
Iron Maiden sold out the venue many times, as did Scorpions, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy, Gillan, Saxon, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath (with Van Halen supporting!). And who could forget the deafening glory that was Motorhead?
After the barren years where Bradford has been bypassed by touring rock acts and more mainstream artists, things look to change with the opening of Bradford Live in the autumn of 2024. In the meantime, the legacy of St George’s Hall as being the natural place to play a rock gig looks set to continue if Paradise Lost’s manager, Andy Farrow, has anything to do with it as he is bringing the band back to the venue.
Paradise Lost is touring Europe this month to coincide with the 30th anniversary of their album ‘Icon’. The band originally formed in Halifax way back in 1988, but spent a lot of time gigging in Bradford in the early years of their career. They’ve gone on to sell over 1,000,000 albums over the years, and at one point, they were being hailed as Europe’s answer to Metallica.
As part of their European tour, they will play in London and Bradford. The Bradford date of December 14th is the first time the band will have played there since 2005, making it a special return for them.
The special guests for the St. George’s gig are My Dying Bride, who are another influential metal band from Bradford.
.png)