Hair is departing, on my head at least, the back is seriously ****ed and I've had cataracts removed from both eyes, but ironically my teeth are all my own and doing just fine!
Lucky old Brian! I've got a great weekend ahead. This morning, Mr Postman dropped our DVD, CD and booklet of The Damned's 2022 Manchester reunion gig through the letterbox. Tomorrow, we're off to see Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve at The Palladium. The reviews for this tour have been great, so very excited about going. I will post more post-gig. Sunday is a more local affair, as we're at The Cryer Theatre, down the road in Carshalton, for a Punky Reggae Party gig with support from Red Anger and other mates. All for the local Animal Rescue guys and girls. Is there anything better? Not until the next time!!!
Enjoy!! And let me know what The Palladium is like acoustically for a rock concert...I'm booked to see Steven Wilson there in May.
Will do. We were there for The Damned's 'Night of a Thousand Vampires ' in 2019. I can't remember what the sound was like, as the whole thing was an assault on the senses and I'd had a few drinks, before I spent the second half separating adults who were fighting like toddlers. Tonight should be a different atmosphere...
25 years ago today... https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kb5JAPIaEHswetSZRxEguGMBMXUlMwXC4&si=-zsuSNrVIWIjYkHR
The Damned have announced (at short ****ing notice) a gig withThe Hives in Mexico. I don't have the words to express how much I fancy it... please log in to view this image no idea if Mrs B can be convinced...but I'm investigating flight costs....
First up, flights to Mexico are getting on for £700 each. Mrs B is NOT going to agree to this one. So I'm saying nothing further on the subject. Secondly, the sound at The Palladium was excellent. As with The Damned, we were in the front of the circle. On Tuesday, for Nick Lowe, we're in the stalls. So, by then, I will have sampled a number of possibilities. Finally, the gig itself...a very strange affair. No bass or drums, but a 7 piece horn section (including a tuba) and a bloke in a 2 piece turquoise shell suit providing 'beats' on the livelier reworkings of his back catalogue. The rest got a mix of jazzy, chanteuse, blues style interpretations with just Steve Nieve backing on a number of differing keyboards. When it worked, it was great...when it didn't, the tiny amount of leg room, the bastard hot temperature and the numerous punters needing to empty their bladders added to some frustration at overplaying his hand... I've walked out on a few gigs, including 'The Members in Dub', where they 'dub reggaed' their back catalogue. This never got near that point but I wouldn't pay my own hard earned to see it again. Mrs B said it was "musical ****ing' and as I started in this post, she's the boss. please log in to view this image
Having seen Elvis Costello in various guises it's been good ,bad and f*****g awful, the good was early EC , later a show at the Albert hall where he did a " Wheel of Fortune " punters got up on stage to spin the greatest hits , a solo Good year for the Rose's era show , Bad was a show where he had the right arse ache and moaned about the venue, the weather and soon the audience picked up on it and started to give him some back and the awful was at the Jazz cafe , he played some jazzed up versions of his songs which just bombed
This was definitely close-ish to Jazz Cafe territory, if not quite in it. He was in good spirits, which definitely helped, but the constant references to minutiae of Liverpool were tedious by the end...for a London audience. Talking about his dad being on The Royal Command Performance at The Palladium and early TOTP performances, we're funny and entertaining. A truely mixed bag.
I just rewatched The Champions and really enjoyed that (in a daft sort of way). Worth it just to watch Alexandra Bastedo. Sigh. Her name cropped up recently in the appalling Fayed case. Luckily she fended him off.
I saw Roy Harper there several years ago and it was a fabulous venue. Had bad experiences at the Royal Albert Hall, but Palladium was a great sound.
We've seen a number of gigs at the RAH and whilst loving the place for its bars and architecture, the sound has often been dreadful. The Buzzcocks Pete Shelley memorial takes 1st Prize in that respect. It is one of the gigs that Mrs B and I flounced out of before it ended (Since Pete Shelley died, it's happened more than once!) A couple of years ago, The Psychedelic Furs played there and it was immeasurably better.
Thanks SD - and all - for input. The RAH is a strange one...I've seen 4 or 5 bands there and it's been a mixed bag, so not sure whether its the venue or the artists mixing desk.
Great advert. Up there with Harp lager. There’s one at the minute which plays Sham 69’s “If the Kids Ate United”, but ai can’t remember what it is. Of course I hate AOL, as people think Blitzkrieg Bop is an ad for fridges
The Skids 'Into The Valley' advertised cassette tapes, Buzzcocks and The Undertones backed ads for burgers or chicken, The Clash got Levis dollars (actually Joe gave the lot to Mick, as he wrote 'Should I Stay...' and he didn't want to have anything to do with it). Ca Plane Pour Moi is bloody everywhere. Much to their chagrin, The Damned haven't been able to cash in, but they're turning up in movies and TV shows more regularly.
10cc last night were feckin' brilliant last night! Graham Gouldman the only one of the 'big 4' left, but joined by the original drummer and the guitarist from 1976 onwards, so its a pretty authentic group. And they were having a ball, totally loving every minute - which for me is absolutely essential. (If the band don't look like they want to be there then why the **** am I wasting my time?) Not a long show - 90 mins or so plus a decent solo acoustic support, but quality start to finish. And the locals were up and dancing in the aisles well before they got to the encore. They really did write some of the finest songs of the '70's, from clever, technical pop (3 No 1's in 3 years!) through to complex structured Prog-lite 'and it was all on display. They even threw in a great acapella version of 'Donna' (found this on YouTube from last year, but it was pretty much identical: ) I see they are playing the Fairfield Halls next month as part of this Ultimate Ultimate Hits Tour and would highly recommend it.
