'The Second British Sweet Convention'
September 18th 1999

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...the first photo's...Overall? - an excellent day.

There is a dance floor in front of the stage (for the brave and extrovert) and a bar and lounge area at the back. My analysis was that a band's reception can be gauged by how many people venture onto the dance floor. Five sessions of music were presented - the Hellraizers, Andy Scott's Sweet, the Hellraizers again, Paddy goes to Holyhead and finally AS Sweet again. About 100 faithful were there at the start. You could see their enthusiasm for being part of the knowledgeable crowd, as opposed to my normal label of someone who, as a Sweet fan, is a little sad and ought to get a life (my wife can be so cruel!)

The Hellraizers were up first, and with an announcement that two of the four band members had quit only two days previously, they were always going to be struggling. But what they lacked in finesse, they made up for in enthusiasm and raw power. A set including Sweet FA, the Six Teens, Hell Raiser, Teenage Rampage, AC/DC, Someone Else Will and Action was short but a welcome break from CD tracks and videos. I will never forget the pain and anguish on the face of the band as they neared what should have been the end of AC/DC, only to realise that they didn't really know how they were going to end it - a bit of a problem, that! Three further minutes of improvisation and ad-libbing later, they finally dug themselves out and moved on to the next track. Half a dozen on the dance floor. Andy and the boys had been seen sneaking down the side of the club while the Hellraizers were on, and shortly after the Hellraizers left, various band members appeared on stage to prepare equipment and, eventually, carry out a sound check.

A quick check of the watch showed it would be four and a half hours before the boys returned. I didn't think I could stand all that time looking at merchandise I couldn't afford (I spent my £45 "pocket money" within 2 hours of the convention starting at 12 noon!) but luckily I didn't have to. Our on stage host provided a little amusement when extolling the virtues of the raffle for a Sweet autographed gold disc, by declaring "tickets £1 each, £5 for a strip". "I wonder what he'd do for a tenner?" shouted an alert wag in the audience. The continuous video footage and CDs being played provided a pleasant backdrop for a drink and some food, another drink, a chat with other Sweet fans, another drink..get the picture? At six, the Hellraizers were back with a creditable rendition of Brian Connolly's "Hypnotised", Little Willy, Turn it Down, Lies in your eyes, Wig Wam Bam, Rebel Rouser, Peppermint Twist and Blockbuster. Audience appreciation was polite but a little muted - in my estimation a fair verdict on their set. Only half a dozen bothered to go to the dance floor. The hall had started to fill up by then and there must have been about 400 by the time Paddy performed.

I hadn't seen Paddy before, but I'll be out there straight away if I hear they are on in my locality. They were excellent; in fact, they overran a little by popular demand for an encore. Their set is based around popular songs played in an original and lively way, with heaps of audience participation. Mony Mony, Green Green Grass of Home, Does Your Mama Know, Hi Ho Silver Lining, Rock and Roll Part 3 (!), My Coo Ca Choo, Livin' Next Door to Alice, Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again, All Right Now, Come Up and See Me, All or Nothing, Delilah, Midnight Hour and Born to Be Wild plus several more were played with gusto and precision. The 80 or so on the dance floor moved back when their lead singer left the stage and sought karaoke volunteers - but there were some extrovert takers. I did wonder how one young lady felt removing her bra and offering it to the lead singer would help her sing better, but presumably she knew what she was doing!

And finally, the big one. AS Sweet arrived on stage shortly after 9.30 and launched straight into Hell Raiser. The hits followed on fast and furious - Turn it Down, a record I first heard in a record booth in Wembley, with the volume on full (ouch), the Six Teens, Set Me Free, CoCo/Funny Funny/Poppa Joe, WigWam Bam/Little Willy, Teenage Rampage, AC/DC, Love is Like Oxygen, Action, Blockbuster (blues and classic), Fox on the Run - it took an hour, but seemed like only five minutes. Andy's guitar growled and hissed with power, Jeff's Bass thundered out its gritty line, Bruce's drums were reminiscent of Mick in their liveliness and strength and Steve Grant was as brilliant as ever covering guitar and keyboards. Jeff's vocals were a little drowned by the instruments, but the set was tight and slick - everything you would expect from musicians who clearly have pride in the product they are selling and recognise that the fans like the music to be as faithful to the original sound as possible. They certainly won over the audience, which probably consisted of as many local regulars as it did of true Sweet addicts, but they sang along and bopped around which made it difficult to tell who was who. The fact that there were 250 on the dance floor (hardly any room for more) says it all. At the end, the long and heartfelt applause was not surprising. Neither was the encore, Ballroom Blitz. What a cracker! Roll on the next convention. And if AS Sweet are playing within 100 miles of where you live, my advice would be to raid your piggy bank, plead for release from your partner and get there. My ears are still ringing!
Stephen Goldspink

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