Graham Gouldman & Heart Full of Songs (28.7.2026) live at St Peter’s Church, Parkstone, Poole with Seb Wesson supporting.
Hats off to St Peter’s Church. Broadening their congregation to embrace a variety of live bands and artists. A stone’s throw from the site of the legendary Mr Kyps: we know this is a good spot. Hugh Cornwell, St Etienne and China Crisis are some of the artists coming up later in the year. Bringing a different atmosphere to the music and new experiences for this space: I hope it works.
Around 400 seats in this wonderful Victorian, Church of England, Parish Church. Plenty of space around the seats. All very relaxed. Easily accessed by buses from Poole Bus Station, including the M1, train to Parkstone. There is the Commercial Road Surface Car Park a 200 yards away and you may get lucky with on-street parking round about. I have the luxury of being able to walk up here if necessary – yes I will support this one where possible.
To have 10cc’s Graham Gouldman here is quite a pull. I say 10cc’s, that’s what the flyers say but Graham Gouldman has written, performed and produced so much in music. He even produced The Ramones Pleasant Dreams LP… I wondered if I could get him to play The KKK took My Baby Away.
My mind was opened/reopened to 10cc songs by friends when we met up to see them at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre in 2022. There was a realisation of how many songs are familiar.
Support tonight is Seb Wesson playing acoustic guitar and singing – it’s his own folky material. Bucket loads of experience and his set moved my nephew to buy his CD. A good start to the evening and Seb joined Graham Gouldman and the band for few songs later.
This Graham Gouldman & Heart Full of Songs tour is allowing Graham to play a full range of songs he has written, with and for others, including some 10cc numbers.
I had to do a bit of digging pre-gig to appreciate this but the set includes songs he wrote for The Yardbirds; Herman’s Hermits, The Hollies and Wayne Fontana in the late 60s/early 70s.
My pre-gig digging wasn’t needed as Gouldman introduces each song briefly so you can appreciate the career which he can be proud of, and in many cases the prompts for the songs. He refers to his father giving him idea for songs, using No Milk Today (written for Herman’s Hermits) as an example – a speculated story around an empty milk bottle on a step, with a note.
I was attracted by the prospect of hearing 10cc songs and I got some of those – I’m Not In Love; The Things We Do For Love; Good Morning Judge; Ready To Go Home, a first encore, and Dreadlock Holiday to finish – but this evening was about much more.
Next day I found myself playing The Yardbirds greatest hits and walking along Poole Quay singing No Milk Today (Herman’s Hermits) in my head. It catches.
There was the familar hit Bridge to Your Heart, written with a man he clearly appreciated as a friend, Andrew Gold, as 80s duo Wax.
Starting solo, Gouldman gradually added a guitarist and added vocals, percussionist and keyboard player with an excellent voice adding harmonies.
The solo songs, including from a recent album, were first time listens for most – the short explanations helped absorption. There was warm appreciation throughout but a clap-o-meter would have told you the most popular amongst this crowd, where even I felt youthful.
The song he wrote with Brian May, Floating In Heaven, sounded just right for a church, perhaps a funeral. As it was introduced, the tension mounted slightly as he said he needed that extra guitar and looked to the wings and then smiled and said ‘but it’s not Brian May’ and brought support act Seb Wesson back to the stage to play that role.
The final song, Dreadlock Holiday, was the natural high spot and included the line tonight of “I don’t like Parkstone…I love it!”
As the band signed off, announced individually by Graham, he was left until last and described by keyboardist Keith Heyman as many things and lastly a lovely man. You can feel that.
Gigs with Ivan 