The Rutles at The Cluny, Newcastle 2019 - review

The Rutles Review
31 May 2019 – The Cuny, Newcastle upon Tyne

Ian Ravenscroft
1 June 2019

The main hall of The Cluny was full as The Rutles took to the stage shortly after 8:30pm for the first of two 50-minute sets - the current band consisting of: -

Neil Innes (aka Ron Nasty) – vocals, guitar, keyboards, ukulele
John Halsey (aka Barry Wom – full name Barrington Womble) – vocals, drums
Ken Thornton – vocals, lead guitar
Phil Jackson – vocals, keyboards
David Catlin Birch – vocals, bass guitar

Ron Nasty’s delivery was delightfully tongue-in-cheek. The supporting players took turns to deliver lead vocals on selected songs, but Ron was the ‘main man’. The band were tight and there was some excellent guitar playing from ‘Rutling’ Ken Thornton throughout. David Catlin Birch sported an authentic Hofner Violin Bass Guitar. He was once a member of the pop band World Party and played the original ‘Paul’ in The Bootleg Beatles.

They played virtually all of those wonderful pastiche songs from The Rutles and Archaeology. Highlights were Blue Suede Schubert, I Must Be In Love, Ouch!, Good Times Roll, Get Up And Go, Easy Listening (lead vocal Barry Wom), Eine Kliene Middle Klasse Music, Joe Public...… and that timeless favourite Cheese And Onions.

At one point, by way of introduction, Ron said “I’m going to sing a folk song, it’s unaccompanied”….. Putting one hand to his ear in true folky tradition, he began……

I’ll sing you a song about Nigel Farage… (laughter)…
And all that he has done…. (long pause)… (laughter, cheers and applause)

I can’t recall which song they were playing, but at the end Barry took a drum solo and it morphed into the final few minutes of Abbey Road. Ken Thornton played all three lead guitar parts to perfection. By The End I was all dewy-eyed.

Ron waxed lyrical about The Rutles and postulated that there should be a verb “to rutle…. After all haven’t bands been doing this for years and years? Even George Harrison rutled when he formed his band with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne?” What followed was The Traveling Wilburys’ Handle With Care. Later in another tribute to George, who did so much to make the original film, they surprised everyone with a rendition of All Things Must Pass, with Ron on ulkulele.

At the interval I bought a t-shirt and The Wheat Album, which had passed me by last year.

In summary, we got classic Rutles songs in abundance and some surprise nods to the fab four. Everyone went away satisfied. There was a meet-and-greet afterwards, with the whole band. They signed whatever was put in front of them and posed for photographs. No true Rutles fan could ask for more.