I left Newcastle in the 80s, but my music keeps getting influenced by my home from home
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Starting as an initial verse and chorus, John Fuller has finally released his song Tyne’s Tide 20 years after the initial idea came to him.
This is one of many songs inspired by the North East born musician’s hometown roots, although he has been away from Tyneside for decades.
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“I was in a band in the early 2000s based in Sheffield. I fronted the band and wrote the songs and this was one of them.
“I had the first verse and the chorus straight away and I knew it was a good song but I didn’t like the second verse” he explained.
After that, bands came and went until we find John as a part of a band - still based in Yorkshire - called The Cellar Thieves.
“I kept coming back to it every few years and it just wasn’t happening but I knew it was worth hanging on to.
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Hide Ad“Then we went to see friends of ours and we were talking about northern bells and that just went ‘ping’ in my head. When I got home I wrote the second verse and the next time we were in the studio I played it.”
Born in Leazes Park, John’s father was a gardener for Newcastle Council. The musician lived in Blaydon and went to music college at Newcastle College.
After struggling as a touring artist he returned before being offered a job in Yorkshire in 1989. He now works teaching children guitar in schools in and around Barnsley.
But he admits he still misses his hometown: “The older I get, the more I miss it” he explains.
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Hide Ad“When I stand on the Quayside and look at the bridges I know I’m home. It’s like when you stand outside St James Park. You really get that tug at the heart and a sense of ‘I’m home’.”
And it isn’t just the song which takes notes from the region.
“When we were shooting videos, we’ve got four on the go, I said we need to go to Newcastle to shoot it” John adds.
The video depicts the band across iconic North East settings, including the Angel of the North and the Quayside.
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Hide Ad“We had two days of perfect weather. This is Newcastle in November!
“Usually with recording and video shoots stuff goes wrong but this was the first time I’ve had everything go right!”
New songs from upcoming releases include references to the region where John still takes inspiration from, including an unreleased track set to be called Five Bridges.
“Over the years I must have written enough songs about Newcastle for a full album!” he half jokes. “That may be a side project I’ll work on in the next couple of years or so.
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