THE MUSIC THAT RAISED US: UNCLE RÖCK FROM NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

Every street has a soundtrack. Every life has a rhythm.

For this first feature in The Music That Raised Us, I caught up with Uncle Röck, a proud Geordie and lifelong music lover whose roots run deep in the North East. His love of music along with the community spirit surrounding the scene, and that unmistakable Geordie banter.

1. Where did you grow up, and what kind of place was it back then?

I hail from the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which was once an industrial powerhouse founded on coal, heavy industry, and shipbuilding.

It sits on the North-East coast of England.

I grew up during the 1960s and 1970s in a small village called Whickham, on the Gateshead side of the River Tyne.

Growing up, I fondly remember a great community spirit, where pretty much everyone knew everyone else and happily offered help when needed.

Values of honesty, good manners, respect, and always paying your debts were instilled in me from a very young age and have served me well throughout my life so far.

2. What’s one memory that sums up your street, estate, or neighbourhood?

Whickham, like many local villages, had been sustained over a long period by the coal mining industry; the rows of terraced housing, which still stand today, attest to that heritage.

By the dawn of the 1960s, coal mining had ceased in the immediate area, and the council built several large social housing estates to accommodate a growing population.

I was raised in a three-bedroomed, semi-detached bungalow, rented from the local authority.

Back then, it was safer for kids to be out unsupervised, so the main memory I recall involves playing lots of football and cricket with my friends on the estate.

3. Who or what first got you into music?

I had an epiphany as a small child while watching Roxy Music perform 'Virginia Plain' on the popular BBC TV music programme, Top of the Pops, in 1972.

I would only have been eight or nine years old at the time, but the weird sounds, the costumes, and the theatricals of it all mesmerised me.

My love of music was born that night.

4. What songs or artists take you straight back to your childhood or teenage years?

Roxy Music, T. Rex, and Slade were early favourites.

As I got older, Rush, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and others began to heavily figure in what I bought and watched.

The one anomaly at this time was Kate Bush, whom I loved right from the start!

5. Was there a local music scene — pubs, record shops, mates with decks, sound systems?

In the mid to late 1970s, a shop called The Kard Bar existed.

Located in the covered Handyside Arcade mall in Newcastle city centre, it was a magnet for myself and other local youths interested in the burgeoning heavy metal scene.

It was particularly busy on a Saturday morning or afternoon and sold band merchandise, band patches, leather studded belts, bullet belts, military memorabilia, and patchouli oil, amongst other things!

People often referred to the patrons of this establishment as 'hippies, hairies, bikers, and soilies'!

The last term referred to the unusual odour that patchouli oil gave off. For reasons unknown to this day, we all used to pour this stuff onto our denim jackets and walk around smelling like a freshly turned potato trench!

6. What was your first gig or the first record you ever bought?

I cannot be specific about the date, but I do recall seeing what I consider the classic Thin Lizzy line-up (Lynott, Gorham, Downey, Robertson) at the Newcastle City Hall in late 1976 on a tour that preceded the Live & Dangerous album.

This was probably the Johnny the Fox tour.

The first record I bought was highly likely to be the 'Street Life' 7" single by Roxy Music, which I remember playing on repeat endlessly!

7. Did you ever try making music yourself? If yes, what happened? If no, why not?

For the best part of my life, I am and have been a frustrated musician.

I currently own three electric, two acoustic, and one bass guitar.

I also own a full drum kit with a signed head from 'The Great Paul Thompson' of Roxy Music and a reproduction Beatles Sgt Pepper's bass drum head.

I have dabbled many times over the years with the guitar but never showed the willingness, dedication, or aptitude to develop the necessary skills to progress.

I did jam with some mates in my teens, but that never progressed beyond several get-togethers in a garage.

That said, I remain in my mind the greatest rock star you never got to see! Haha!

8. How did music shape the way you saw yourself or the world around you?

As I stand here today, I view myself as one of life's maverick characters, someone open to any experience or opportunity that presents itself.

This maturity of thought, however, took years to develop.

I recall that as a teen, I was keen to fit in, preferring to follow the crowd and the trends of the day.

This resulted in me taking a very blinkered approach to my earliest forays into the music scene.

Fortunately, as I got older and wiser, I became a free spirit and was lucky enough to travel the world watching bands.

I fully embraced the different sounds and cultures I encountered.

I find that nowadays, I listen to an eclectic range of music depending on my mood, and at times, I find it to be a spiritual experience.

Just as important to me are the people that music pulls into its orbit, and I have been blessed over the years to encounter some thoroughly fascinating and enlightened individuals.

9. How has your area changed since then? What’s been lost and what’s been gained?

I have and always will be proud of my city and my 'Geordie' heritage.

I take every opportunity on my travels to paint it out to the people I encounter as something akin to the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz! Ha!

But that said, it has changed significantly in my lifetime.

Growing up, it was a male-dominated, work-hard, play-hard environment where the heavy consumption of alcohol, most notably beer, measured the man.

The social scene (pubs, working men's clubs, and music venues) reflected this.

Viewed under the lens of 2025, one would class it as a misogynistic and racist environment.

That said, as time has passed and with the demise of just about all of the heavy industries, the city has evolved into a more diverse, tolerant, multicultural, and enlightened society, making the Newcastle of today one of the most friendly and cosmopolitan cities anywhere in the world.

10. If your life had a soundtrack, what would the closing track be?

Well, I suspect I could do a lot worse than the Motörhead classic 'Killed by Death' because it appears that Rock 'n' Roll and 'Uncle Rock' are going to be bedfellows until the bitter end.

And on that note, I bid you ADIEU x

Post Note from Tommy Kennedy IV

I first met Uncle Röck one Saturday afternoon at The Spice of Life in Soho, surrounded by musicians and film directors.

The place was buzzing with banter and live energy.

We got chatting about music and character, hit it off immediately, and ended up on the lash in Soho.

Uncle Röck travels the world and the UK for music.

The following day, we met again for a beer, and we’ve been friends ever since.

Tommy Kennedy IV
www.tommykennedyiv.com