2026 Meet The Artists Coming Soon!
The Wake 2025 Artists
(Scroll down to the end and keep going to see all the August 2025 Meet The Artists! pages)
We are delighted to welcome Jo from bluetrain.
Jo says, ‘Our band bluetrain released a 12″ on Dan Treacy (The Television Personalities)’ Dreamworld Records in 1987. We played Glastonbury, toured Scotland, played gigs in France and a few times in America. We supported the Mighty Lemon Drops, The Pastels and The Bodines. We played our last gig in June 1990 in Singapore.
Early in 2025 bluetrain reformed to play a one off gig at a one off Buzz Club in Aldershot. The gig went so well, we decided to also play The Wake‘.
bluetrain play the Woodland Stage.
What was the first record, cd or book that you bought?
I asked for ‘Streets of London’ by Ralph McTell for my ninth birthday. My first record. It was a year until I bought my next one, ‘Sailing’ Rod Stewart. I ended up obsessed with 7″ singles buying 1,000s!
Where did you buy them from?
Mainly W.H. Smiths in Camberley at this stage. Later Elephant Records in Aldershot too. I ended up working for Our Price Records, so made loads of staff purchases.
Is there a piece of music / artist you love which you feel not enough people know about?
Everyone playing The Wake
What was the first gig you went to?
My first gig was on 22 December 1979, I had turned 14 two weeks previously, The Police and Squeeze at the Lewisham Odeon in Southeast London.
It was a Capital Radio ‘Tickets For Toys’ concert. My cousin Christine Olga (who is three years older than me), went up to London with her friends and managed to get the tickets by giving toys to Help A London Child. They had to sleep on the pavement as they’d got there the night before, joining the queue. Sting came round at about 2am with hot drinks for everyone.
After Squeeze had played (it was Jools Holland‘s last gig), the air of anticipation intensified.
The album ‘Regatta de Blanc’ had just been released and The Police were number one in the charts with ‘Walking On The Moon’; the follow up to their previous number one, ‘Message In A Bottle‘. People started randomly shouting ‘Sting!’ and cheering every time a roadie came on stage to adjust something.
Then, the lights went down, the cheers went up and they were on stage. We danced and jumped in front of our seats and sang along. We smiled at each other and threw our arms in the air. An hour or so later, we spilled out into the cold December night. I had been to my first gig.
What is the best gig or performance you’ve been to?
A few, The Stone Roses 1989 gigs – Dingwalls, The Buzz Club, Ally Pally. Fleetwood Mac at the O2 – the ‘Rumours’ line up, including Christine McVie. The Jam on numerous occasions. The Smiths, New Order, Lloyd Cole. Haim All Points East 2023. Many more but that will do!
What are you listening to at the moment?
Are you reading a book at the moment, if so, what?
Maggie O’Farrell ‘Hamnet’
Thanks – see you on 23rd August!
Read Jo’s blog Indie Through The Looking Glass for more of her life in music…
Page 2. Will Burns 3. Chris Brain 4. The Memory Band 5. Justin Robertson 6. Rainingblue 7. King Creosote 8. Simon Raymonde 9. Ella Frears 10. The Equatorial Group 11. Brony Dunn & The Forest 12. Richard Norris 13. Helen Ganya
The Wake Sat 29 August 2026 