A very important anniversary today – 30 years ago I went to my first concert at the grand age of 13 – actually I was two weeks short of my 14th Birthday. I didn’t know it at the time but it was the start of a new passion that would last me the rest of my life pushing football matches out as the main pastime.

The band in question were Tiger footed, Lonely this Christmas, Cat crept in, crept out again, Dynamite Glam rockers Mud who were my favourites at the time. My brother was into those Ballroom Blitzers Sweet who I kinda liked too but didn’t want him to think I was copying so found my own heroes. I’m not sure how I found out about the show but I suspect I was a member of their fan club. I probably badgered my mum and she sent off for tickets for me.

The concert was at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle and my brother and I had tickets in row J. There was a support band called Bilbo Baggins who were ok and we did later buy one of their singles but it was Mud we went to see. I seem to remember that they were wearing the blue suits that they have on the front of Mud rock but I could be mistaken but they ran through all of their hits and it was a buzz to see the people I had been watching on top of the pops for so long. I remember the girl next to me having a long scarf, which she got me to help wave at one point during the show.

The badges were designed to look like a road sign with Mud on Road written on them and we bought a program. My Dad must have taken us and brought us home because even in the mid seventies I couldn’t imagine my Mum and Dad letting us go to Newcastle on the train at that age – although they would the following year when we went to see Thin Lizzy.

For many years I was embarrassed about going to this show as it didn’t fit with the sort of music I eventually liked but looking back I’m glad I got to see Mud at that time and not caught them as a bunch of has-beens 10 years later. So driving to work this morning on the 30th anniversary was I listening to Mud? Was I bollocks – today it was a live Miles Davis set from November 1969. From Mud to Miles in thirty years – a musical odyssey. Now that sounds like the title of a book!

P.S. Tiger Feet was number 1 when my partner Sarah was born!!