Wings live: Hammersmith Odeon, London – 25 May 1973
Friday 25 May 1973 | Live, Paul McCartney, Wings
Hammersmith Odeon, Queen Caroline Street, London, England
Wings performed at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 25 May 1973 — the 12th night of the 18-date Wings 1973 UK Tour, and the first of three consecutive nights at the venue. Support came from Brinsley Schwarz, the pub rock group whose guitarist Nick Lowe would go on to become one of the most influential figures in British new wave and power pop. It was McCartney's most significant return to the London concert stage since The Beatles.
The Wings 1973 UK Tour
The Wings 1973 UK Tour was the group's first proper arena and theatre tour of Britain — a significant step up from the informal university and club dates Wings had played in their early days. The tour opened on 11 May 1973 in Bristol and ran through to 10 July 1973 in Newcastle, with an unusual gap in June before the final four dates. Eighteen dates in total, covering England, Wales, and Scotland.
The tour came at a pivotal moment for Wings. The group had released Red Rose Speedway in May 1973 — the same month the tour opened — and 'My Love' had reached number one in both the UK and the US. McCartney was re-establishing himself as a major live act after years away from the stage, and the Hammersmith Odeon dates — three consecutive nights at one of London's most prestigious rock venues — were the centrepiece of the tour.
The Hammersmith Odeon
The Hammersmith Odeon — now the Eventim Apollo — opened in 1932 as a cinema and became one of the most important concert venues in Britain from the 1960s onwards. With a capacity of around 3,500, it occupied a unique position in the London live music landscape: large enough to feel like a major event, intimate enough to retain atmosphere. Its art deco interior and raked seating made it a favourite for artists who wanted to be seen and heard properly.
Wings would return to the Hammersmith Odeon on 17 and 18 September 1975 (Wings Over The World Tour), 14 September 1979, and for their final live performance ever on 29 December 1979 — a show that marked the end of Wings as a live act, though the group would not formally dissolve until 1981.
The Wings Lineup
Wings on the 1973 UK Tour were:
- Paul McCartney — vocals, guitar, bass guitar
- Linda McCartney — vocals, keyboards
- Denny Laine — vocals, guitar, bass guitar
- Henry McCullough — guitar, vocals
- Denny Seiwell — drums
This lineup — the classic five-piece Wings — would not survive the year. Both Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell left the group in August 1973, just weeks before Wings were due to begin recording Band on the Run in Lagos, Nigeria. McCartney, Linda, and Laine recorded the album as a trio, and the resulting record — widely regarded as Wings' masterpiece — was made under circumstances of considerable pressure and isolation.
Henry McCullough (1943–2016) was an Irish guitarist who had previously played with Joe Cocker's Grease Band at Woodstock in 1969. His departure from Wings was acrimonious — he later said he and McCartney had clashed over musical direction. Denny Seiwell was an American session drummer who had played on Ram (1971) before joining Wings. His departure was more amicable.
Brinsley Schwarz
Brinsley Schwarz were one of the defining acts of the British pub rock scene — a movement that emerged in the early 1970s as a reaction against the excess of progressive rock, emphasising small venues, direct performance, and American roots music influences. The group's guitarist and co-founder Nick Lowe would go on to produce the first Clash album, write '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding' (later a hit for Elvis Costello), and record a string of acclaimed solo albums. Their presence as support act on a McCartney tour in 1973 is a small but telling detail about the interconnectedness of British rock at the time.
The Setlist
- 'Soily'
- 'Big Barn Bed'
- 'When The Night'
- 'Wild Life'
- 'Seaside Woman'
- 'Little Woman Love'
- 'C Moon'
- 'Live And Let Die'
- 'Maybe I'm Amazed'
- 'My Love'
- 'Go Now'
- 'Say You Don't Mind'
- 'The Mess'
- 'Hi, Hi, Hi'
- 'Long Tall Sally'
The setlist is a revealing document of where McCartney was in 1973. There are no Beatles songs — a deliberate choice that McCartney maintained for much of Wings' early touring life, keen to establish the group on its own terms rather than as a vehicle for nostalgia. The set drew heavily on the Wild Life and Red Rose Speedway albums, with the double A-side singles 'Little Woman Love'/'C Moon' and 'Hi, Hi, Hi'/'C Moon' represented, alongside 'Live And Let Die' — the James Bond theme that had been a major hit earlier in 1973.
'Go Now' was a nod to Denny Laine's past — it had been a number one hit for his former group The Moody Blues in 1964. 'Say You Don't Mind' was written by Laine and had been a hit for Colin Blunstone. 'Long Tall Sally' — the Little Richard classic — closed the show, a reminder of where McCartney's musical instincts had always been rooted.
Wings 1973 UK Tour: Full Dates
- 11 May: Hippodrome, Bristol
- 12 May: New Theatre, Oxford
- 13 May: Capitol Theatre, Cardiff
- 15 May: Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
- 16 May: Hardrock Concert Theatre, Manchester
- 17 May: Hardrock Concert Theatre, Manchester
- 18 May: Empire Theatre, Liverpool
- 19 May: University of Leeds
- 21 May: Guild Hall, Preston
- 23 May: Odeon, Edinburgh
- 24 May: Green's Playhouse, Glasgow
- 25 May: Hammersmith Odeon, London
- 26 May: Hammersmith Odeon, London
- 27 May: Hammersmith Odeon, London
- 4 Jul: City Hall, Sheffield
- 6 Jul: Odeon, Birmingham
- 9 Jul: Odeon, Leicester
- 10 Jul: City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne
Key Facts: 25 May 1973
- Venue: Hammersmith Odeon, London
- Tour: Wings 1973 UK Tour
- Tour date: 12 of 18
- Consecutive Hammersmith nights: 1st of 3 (25, 26, 27 May)
- Support act: Brinsley Schwarz
- Songs performed: 15
- Beatles songs in set: None
- Wings' subsequent Hammersmith Odeon dates: 17–18 Sep 1975; 14 Sep 1979; 29 Dec 1979 (final Wings performance)
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Wings 1973 UK Tour?
An 18-date tour of Britain running from 11 May to 10 July 1973, Wings' first major theatre and arena tour of the UK. It coincided with the release of Red Rose Speedway and the number one single 'My Love'.
Why were there no Beatles songs in the setlist?
McCartney deliberately avoided Beatles material in Wings' early touring years, wanting to establish the group on its own terms. Beatles songs began appearing in his live sets later in the decade.
What happened to the Wings lineup after the 1973 tour?
Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell both left Wings in August 1973, weeks before the Band on the Run sessions in Lagos. McCartney, Linda, and Denny Laine recorded the album as a trio.
Who were Brinsley Schwarz?
A British pub rock group whose members included guitarist and songwriter Nick Lowe. Lowe went on to produce the first Clash album, write '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding', and record a series of acclaimed solo albums.
When was Wings' final performance at the Hammersmith Odeon?
29 December 1979 — which was also Wings' final live performance as a group. Wings did not formally dissolve until 1981, but they never performed live again after that night.
Shop Beatles Merch: Beatles T-Shirts & Tops | Shop by Era
0 comments