So, last week, it was Fat Freddy’s Drop. In Durham.
And, the week before, Belle & Sebastian. Wonderful.
Another two
Category Archives: Music
And another
Another week, another gig. I’ve not been to many in recent times; Covid, then the bar, got in the way. In the last year, I’ve even felt the need to miss a couple of gigs because I was too busy.
Now that the bar’s stable, and I’m working less hours, there’s more time to fit things in.
The other day, I saw the Beat at the Boilershop. Of course, there are two versions of the band. I did see the Ranking Roger-led version a decade or so ago. They were pretty good, but lacked the original lead vocal sound.
This time, Dave Wakeling led this version of the band. While he was the only original band member this time around, and his Birmingham accent is no more, the band worked really well.
One of my favourite bands of the early 80s, I never actually got to see them at the time. And their time together was relatively short.
A good night though, with Bow Wow Wow, another 80s band that disappeared a long time ago.
Three weeks
So, I’ve been to three gigs in three weeks; something I’ve not done in a long time. Only because I don’t get a lot of time away from the bar right now.
Anyway, all three were great. There’s nothing more to say really.
CMAT, the Rescue Rooms, Nottingham.
Kip Moore, the Sage, Gateshead.
Interpol, O2 Academy, Edinburgh.
A wire fell off
So, a few days ago, we set off for Nottingham in the van.
Needless to say, it broke down. Maybe that’s a little harsh. It wasn’t exactly a breakdown. We stopped at Wetherby services for coffee.
And then the van wouldn’t start.
After 20 minutes, a twelve year old RAC guy turned up. And fixed it in five minutes. A wire had fallen off. We both made the obvious judgement that someone so young wouldn’t have a clue.
And we were so wrong.
And we made it to Nottingham and back.
While we were there, we visited (among a couple of other places) the Partizan Tavern; a lovely micropub. We’ll, they’d been to our bar a few months ago. If you ever find yourself in Nottingham, it’s worth a visit.
And Neon Raptor’s just around the corner.
Weirdly, a cool T3/25 (depending on which bit of the world you’re from) drove pass when we were there.
Oh yes, CMAT was brilliant.
Mr Sutherland
We went to our first gig in a while the other night. The surprisingly good Kiefer Sutherland.
Surprisingly because I’d assumed that music was a bit of a hobby for him. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.
Leeds
We made a trip to Leeds the other day, for a gig; Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.
Unfortunately, the gig was cancelled at short notice due to illness.
With train tickets and a booked hotel, we decided that beer in Leeds was the best option. And at least that meant we didn’t need a dog sitter.
While we didn’t get to a gig, the evening was most pleasant. We even found a bar with a campervan.
The dog had a good time too.
A divine evening
A late decision to go to last night’s Divine Comedy gig proved troublesome when there wasn’t a working card machine at the City Hall. However, all ended well after a dash to a cash machine. And a discount for the hassle.
Unplanned gigs are the best.
Idles
Went to see Idles last night; the third time I’ve seen them live. They have to be one of the best live UK bands right now.
A Divine New Year
It feels like just last year (it wasn’t; it was 2019-19) that we saw the New Year in with the Divine Comedy at the Sage. It was possibly my most enjoyable New Year’s Eve.
It certainly beat the Millennium, when I was chair bound with broken ribs. Not to mention this year.
Ok, I will, this New Year I have Covid.
Anyway, The Divine Comedy on the New Year’s Eve Graham Norton Show.
I was (very mildly) disappointed that, in the following interview, there was no mention of the Father Ted connection.
Still, a most pleasant end to a year.
Madness
I was a huge Madness fan in my (and their) younger days. Since their Ladykillers tour brought them to Newcastle yesterday, I had to grab some tickets.
Squeeze, who I’d (weirdly) never actually seen live before, were supporting, and they were a huge bonus. Particularly since I’d not known that Glen Tilbrook had rejoined the band.
I’d actually watched the Ladykillers, the classic old film, on TV yesterday afternoon. I’d assumed that the tour of the same name was unconnected, but the gig definitely had something of a theme, with images and clips from the film. There were also, unusual for this band, pretty open criticisms of UK politics.
Yes, they’re getting on a bit, but they do still put on a good show.
It was also clear that they’d had some coaching in the Northeast dialect, when they performed Wor House. There was also the correct pronunciation of Newcastle, as opposed to the inappropriate Newcarstle.