Welcome to the Ray's Gigs website!

Here's the latest - updated 17th May 2022

Tuesday 17 May 2022

Monday 16 May 2022.
WHITESNAKE + FOREIGNER + EUROPE live at The 02 Arena.
Other dates on the tour this coming week...
Wed 18 May - Manchester Arena
Fri 20 May - Nottingham Arena
Sun 22 May - Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Wed 25 May - Cardiff Arena
Whitesnake swansong tour will be your last chance to see the new incarnation of Whitesnake that features Irish bassist Tanya O'Callaghan and Croatian backing singer/multi-instrumentalist Dino Jelusick.
Whitesnake’s setlist will boast stone cold rock classics including ‘Here I Go Again’, ‘Still of The Night’ and ‘Is This Love’ together with other songs from the band’s 44-year back catalogue.
I have seen all three bands many times over the past 40 odd years.
Whitesnake were regulars at Hammersmith Odeon in their 1980s heyday.
I have seen Whitesnake over 20 times, with most of them at Hammersmith Odeon.
Oddly enough their 1997 tour was billed as a farewell tour , just like this tour.
I saw David Coverdale fronting DEEP PURPLE in 1974 at Hammersmith Odeon.
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Needless to say i was really looking forward to this classic rock package from promoters Live Nation.
It is a near sell out, with just a few rows of unsold seats, and no curtained off blocks.
The merch stores and the £20 Whitesnake tour programmes are doing a roaring trade.
EUROPE arrived on stage at 6.45pm for their 45 mins set.
The ever youthful Joey Tempest on vocals still looks like a proper rockstar.
A really good set including "Rock The Night", "Carrie" and a mega "The Final Countdown".
For each band, two side screens show live footage, and the central screen shows the bands logo.
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FOREIGNER arrived on stage at 7.50pm for their 75 mins set.
Great to see these classic rock bands on this huge stage, with so much space.
There is an extended stahpgevplatform of around 12 feet that all the singers use.
Kelly Hansen is another excellent rock vocalist who looks like a proper rockstar.
Kelly mentions that the last time they played this venue was as support to Led Zeppelin
at that legendary reunion show ( I was there).
Foreigner songs, one by one, are soooo damn catchy.
They may a semi-tribute band these days as sole original member Mick Jones only joins
them for the three song encore due to his frail health, but they play a great set.
Full FOREIGNER setlist played tonight....
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Dirty White Boy
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent (followed by solos from all band members)
Juke Box Hero
Encore:
Long, Long Way From Home (With Mick Jones)
I Want to Know What Love Is (With Mick Jones)
Hot Blooded (With Mick Jones)
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WHITESNAKE arrived on stage at 9.35pm for their 85 mins set.
Hard to believe singer David Coverdale is now aged 70.
Backed by six musicians including two guitars and two keyboard players.
He still has his mane of big hair, great vocals and great stage presence.
Plenty of his "Here's One for Ya" song introductions.
Each band member had a solo spot in the show, and the drum solo was fantastic.
Loads of great songs played and Whitesnake rocked.
A great show, to end a fantastic evening from three classic rock bands.
Full WHITESNAKE setlist played tonight...
Bad Boys (with "Children of the Night" snippet)
Slide It In
Love Ain't No Stranger
Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
Slow an' Easy
Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City (Bobby “Blue” Bland cover)
Fool for Your Loving
Crying in the Rain
Is This Love
Give Me All Your Love
Here I Go Again
Still of the Night
Burn (Deep Purple cover)
Outro Tape - We Wish You Well
Outro Tape - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song)

Updated 17th May 2022 Permalink

Saturday 14 May 2022.

Friday 13 May 2022.
ADAM ANT live at The Roundhouse.
I have seen Adam Ant on stage over a dozen since his punk rock heyday in the late 1970s.
The first times were two shows in 1978, before his debut album came out.
Back then in 1978, i also saw him in the Derek Jarman punk film "Jubilee".
I saw him at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid in 1985, but Adam's set was barely talked about after,
as there were so many big name acts on that famous day for live music.
His greatest UK chart success was Adam & the Ants' 1980 album "Kings of the Wild Frontier" which was number one in the UK Albums Chart for a total of twelve weeks. However, it was the follow-up album, Prince Charming which produced the biggest hit singles with "Stand and Deliver" and the title track, achieving five weeks and four weeks respectively as number one singles on the UK Singles Chart.
Hard to believe that Adam Ant is now aged 67.
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The show is sold out tonight...it is the second date on Adams UK tour.
LAURIE BLACK arrives on stage at 7.50pm for her 45 mins set.
Laurie plays some decent enough electro-pop to mainly backing tapes, with fun stage banter.
ADAM ANT arrives on stage at 9pm for his 1 hour 45 mins set.
Like Gary Numan, Adam Ant has very loyal fans who will go to multi-dates on each tour.
Great that his band still feature two drummers like he did back in the day.
A great mix of tracks played from the early punky material from the " Dirk Wears White Sox " album
and The Jubilee film soundtrack...through to the huge new romantic hits of the early 1980s...
and the best songs from his solo career.
A few songs that plodded a bit ,but there were loads of great tracks played that were superb.
Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow surely copied Adam Ants look from the 1980s.
Adam Ant still has a great stage presence as he twirls and kicks out.
A highlight was "Stand and Deliver" where Adam got the crowd to sing the chorus several times
as he hyped them up to go louder and louder.
A great show.
Full ADAM ANT setlist played tonight...
Antmusic
Vive le Rock
Miss Thing
Cleopatra
Ants Invasion
Prince Charming
Puss 'n Boots
Digital Tenderness
It Doesn't Matter
Fat Fun
B-Side Baby
Kings of the Wild Frontier
Room at the Top
Zerox
Cartrouble (Part 2)
Beat My Guest
Something Girls
Dog Eat Dog
Wonderful
Los Rancheros
Friend or Foe
Stand and Deliver
Encore:
Goody Two Shoes
Plastic Surgery
Physical (You're So)

Updated 14th May 2022 Permalink

Friday 13 May 2022.

Thursday 12 May 2022...7pm to 10.30pm...
FORTNUM & MASON FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS at Fortnum & Mason,
The Royal Exchange, Bank, London EC3.
This was the 10th anniversary of these awards, and i have been to most of them.
Used to be held at their iconic Piccadilly home but now held here to help promote their new store
that opened a couple of years ago.
Fortnum & Mason celebrate ten years of discovering and championing the achievements of the UK’s writers, editors, publishers, photographers and broadcasters who encourage us to enjoy, explore, experiment and discover more about food and drink through their work.
For over three centuries Fortnum & Mason has remained an essential destination in Piccadilly.
Visit their website for a list of winners which were handed out from 7.50pm to 8.20pm.
The awards were hosted by CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN and ANGELA HARTNETT.
Over 300 guests here in and around their stunning oval marble bar in the centre of the room.
A nice surprise to see singer-songwriter MICA PARIS here.
A dozen well know faces related to food and drinks here including...
MARY BERRY
One half the THE HAIRY BIKERS.
MATT TARBUTT ( BBC1 Saturday Morning Kitchen Presenter)
GRACE DENT (The Guardian Food critic )
JAY RAYNER
MONICA GALETTI
I got my photo taken with Mica Paris and Mary Berry so will put them up on Facebook soon.
Complimentary Fortnum & Mason champers, vodka cocktails, wines, beers and yummy
Fortnum & Mason canapés including their famous Scotch Eggs and Oysters.
For desserts , it was a lemon & amaretti trifle that has won the Queens Platinum Pudding competition
out of 5000 entries which was served up in a champagne glass.
All guests got a goodie bag with a few nice Fortnums food items inside.
An excellent event.

Updated 13th May 2022 Permalink

Wednesday 11 May 2022.

Wednesday 11 May 2022...I went to two events tonoght...
6pm to 7pm.
PHOTO LONDON - press/VIP evening at Somerset House, London.
Showcasing the very best of the past, present and future of photography, Photo London brings together an impressive range of international galleries, offering visitors an opportunity to explore, discover and collect some of the world’s most exquisite photographic artworks.
Several hundred folks are here as many galleries are showcasing.
There was an interesting stand featuring music photos from the 1960s and 1970s from the likes
of Kevin Cummins (NME) , Denis O'Regan and Gered Mankowitz.
BILL WYMAN took photos of The Rolling Stones back in the 1960s and several are on display.
Bill we be attending this show on Saturday 14 May.
Complimentary Pommery champers and Aperol Spritz for all guests.
It is on from 12 May to 15 May.
Visit their website for more info and to buy tickets.
www.somersethouse.org.uk - Visit their website here.
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then 7.30pm to 9.15pm.
INNOVATION IN CRAFT SINCE 1893 , Dunhill House, 2 Davies Street, Mayfair, London W1.
Dunhill put on a exhibition of their items through the years at their superb flagship store.
Mens suits , shoes, wallets , bags over the years, along with their iconic lighters etc.
There is a lovely outdoor courtyard space with tables.
Complimentary Louis Roederer champers, Gin cocktails, Hennessy cocktails and canapés for guests.
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Tuesday 10 May 2022.
MUSE + RAZORLIGHT live at Hammersmith Apollo.
Muse play the second of two special sold out shows at this venue for three different charities.
First gig in support of the upcoming release, "Will of the People" and first gigs in two years, after Covid restrictions were mitigated/lifted. Muse will be supporting War Child and Médecins Sans Frontières on the
first night charity gig. The second show will be in support of The Big Issue.
I have seen Muse several times before including a couple of times at The 02 Arena where
they were the first band I saw to use a bunch of drones in the show to fantastic effect.
I have also seen RAZORLIGHT a few times over the past 20 years.
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Needless to say the venue is totally rammed sold out, as Muse are pretty much an
arena and stadium band these days, and this is a small venue for them.
In the front row centre of the circle seating was guitar legend JIMMY PAGE.
His personal security made sure he left his seat half way through the final song to go backstage.
RAZORLIGHT arrived on stage at 7.45pm and played for 40 mins.
Special guest support band RAZORLIGHT did a really good set , full of their hit singles.
Rip It Up
In the Morning
Stumble and Fall
Don't Go Back to Dalston
Golden Touch
In the City
Before I Fall To Pieces
Somewhere Else
Vice
America
MUSE arrived on stage at 8.50pm and played for 95 mins.
Only 95 mins on stage seemed a bit short , as they usually play longer.
Muse mix their greatest hits with some rarely played deep cuts.
The trio of top notch musicians are joined by a keyboard player on stage.
There is a woman right of stage signing for the deaf , which was a nice touch.
Muse really do rock out, particularly in the second half which had many crunching power riff anthems.
We had ticker-tape cannons during the main set and streamers over the crowd during the encore.
Thrilling and technically flawless, this was rock of the highest quality from Muse, masters of musical destruction.
A great show.
Full MUSE setlist played tonight....
Won't Stand Down
Interlude
Hysteria (with AC/DC's "Back in Black" riff outro)
Pressure
Map of the Problematique
Song played from tape [Drill Sergeant]
Psycho
Assassin ("Grand Omega Bosses edit" version)
The Gallery
Compliance
New Born (with Rage Against the Machine' s "Calm Like a Bomb" riff outro)
Prelude
Starlight
Citizen Erased
Plug In Baby (Guns n' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" outro)
Supermassive Black Hole (with Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" riff outro)
Uprising (extended)
Encore:
Space Dementia
Knights of Cydonia (with Ennio Morricone's "Man With a Harmonica" intro)

Updated 11th May 2022 Permalink

Tuesday 10 May 2022.

Monday 09 May 2022.
BRYAN ADAMS live at The Royal Albert Hall.
Bryan Adams plays the first of three shows at this iconic venue.
Each night, Bryan will perform one of his classic albums in full in the first set , plus a selection of his greatest hits from a staggering back-catalogue in the second set.
His biggest selling album is actually "Reckless" with over 12 million sales worldwide so expect
the greatest hits set to include the six hit singles from that album.
Monday 9 May: Cuts Like A Knife (1983)
Tuesday 10 May: Into The Fire (1987)
Wednesday 11 May: Waking Up The Neighbours (1991)
i have seen Bryan Adams over 20 times since the 1980s, including when he headlined Wembley Stadium
in both 1992 and 1996...and at a charity show at The Royal Opera House in 2002 where
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros were the support act...and a few moths later Joe Strummer died.
Bryan Adams 15th studio album, ‘So Happy It Hurts’, released on 11 March 2022.
Bryan Adams has sold over 65 million albums worldwide over the past 40 odd years.
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Like Eric Clapton a couple of days ago, the venue is rammed solid sold out.
It is arena floor standing tonight,so that creates a great buzzy atmosphere.
Plenty of females here still swooning over Bryan.
BRYAN ADAMS & band arrived on stage at 7.45pm and played a show lasting 2 hours 10 mins
over two sets of 45 mins and 85 mins.
There is a lowered platform extension all across the front stage with microphones at front middle,
and both corners so Bryan is often very close up to the fans.
There is a classic American car behind all the bands equipment.
As usual all the band are in black tops/t-shirts and black trousers/jeans.
Loads of catchy singalong soft rock hit singles played by Bryan Adams tonight.
Along with a few album filler type tracks.
A great show.
Full BRYAN ADAMS setlist play tonight...
FIRST SET - CUTS LIKE A KNIFE album tracks played
The Only One
Take Me Back
This Time
I'm Ready
What's It Gonna Be
Don't Leave Me Lonely (First reported performance since 1983)
Let Him Know (First reported performance since 1982)
The Best Was Yet to Come
Cuts Like a Knife
Straight From the Heart (solo, acoustic)
SECOND SET - greatest hits and new album tracks etc
Kick Ass
Can't Stop This Thing We Started
Run to You
Shine a Light
Heaven
Go Down Rockin'
It's Only Love
On The Road
You Belong to Me
Here I Am (acoustic with piano and guitar)
When You're Gone (solo, acoustic)
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
Back to You
Rebel
Summer of '69
Encore:
So Happy It Hurts
These Are The Moments That Make Up My Life
All for Love (Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting cover) (solo, acoustic)
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Some info on "that song".
In the UK his single "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" had the longest unbroken run at number one, spending sixteen consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart from July 7, 1991, to October 27 when it dropped to number four. It also topped the Europe-wide sales chart for eighteen continuous weeks, still an all-time record, and topped the European-wide radio airplay chart for ten weeks.
It has sold over 15 million copies worldwide , and is one of the best selling singles of all time.

Updated 10th May 2022 Permalink

Monday 09 May 2022.

Sunday 08 May 2022.
ERIC CLAPTON live at The Royal Albert Hall.
Eric Clapton plays the second of two sold out shows at this iconic venue.
Eric Clapton will be aged 77 when these shows take place.
Eric Clapton has been getting a heap of bad publicity recently, from being one of the most famous
anti-vaccination musicians out there along with Van Morrison.
Eric Clapton is the only musician who has been inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times.
For his legendary bands Yardbirds, Cream and his solo work.
Eric Clapton holds the record for performing at this venue...over 150 times in his career.
I have seen Eric Clapton live over 20 times since 1977 when he played The Crystal Palace Bowl.
Most of his shows I have seen were at his stints held at this iconic venue.
I saw all four CREAM reunion shows at this venue in May 2005.
Support comes from ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW.
Andy Fairweather Low (now aged 73) is a Welsh guitarist, songwriter, producer and vocalist. He was a founder member and lead singer of 1960s Welsh pop band Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
He had two Top 10 hit singles of his own in the 1970s.
"Reggae Tune" in 1974 and " Wide Eyed and Legless" in 1975.
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Walking up to the venue was a rare sight, as street ticket touts were outside the venue post covid.
Covid and tickets on phones has hit them hard, but there must be at least a dozen of them here,
as Eric Clapton is a hot ticket that sold out pronto and he could easily have added extra dates.
I know most of the touts to talk to and i can honestly say they have never sold me a ticket
for over face value in the past 45 odd years......they have actually saved me a fortune.
ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW & band arrived on stage at 8.35pm for their 35 mins set.
His good set included a hit he had with Amen Corner " If Paradise is Half as Nice" and
his own solo hit "Wide Eyed and Legless".
His band include Nick Pentelow on sax who i saw playing with Wizzard in the 1970s.
ERIC CLAPTON & band arrived on stage at 8.35pm and played for 1 hour 50 mins.
Some things are always the same with Eric Clapton.
His band of five musicians and two female backing vocals look the same as last time.
His regular two keyboard players are here - Paul Carrack and Chris Stainton.
His guitar tech is the same as last time.
Eric plays on a huge rug like last time.
Like The Rolling Stones, there is always lots of hospitality packages for Eric Clapton here.
Eric does not say much during the show apart from a couple of "thank you's".
His guitar does the talking, as his playing is still totally top notch.
A great mix of solo material , blues covers and older classics by Cream.
For the acoustic section only, live footage is screened on to the curtain above the stage.
The show starts fairly gently, then it's a stunning pairing of "I Shot the Sheriff" and "White Room".
Other highlights included "Tears in Heaven", "Wonderful Tonight", "Badge" and "Layla".
Like before , it is tradition for the fans to rush the stage before the electric version of "Layla".
A great show.
Full ERIC CLAPTON setlist played tonight...
ELECTRIC SET
Lead Me To The Water (Gary Brooker cover)
Key to the Highway (Charles Segar cover)
Pilgrim
River of Tears
I Shot the Sheriff (The Wailers cover)
White Room (Cream song)
SEMI-ACOUSTIC SET - Eric on acoustic guitar , with all the band on stage.
Heart of a Child (with Andy Fairweather Low)
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out (Jimmy Cox cover) (with Andy Fairweather Low)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin cover)
Layla (Derek and the Dominos song) (with Andy Fairweather Low)
Tears in Heaven (with Andy Fairweather Low)
ELECTRIC SET
Badge (Cream song)
Wonderful Tonight
Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover)
Little Queen of Spades (Robert Johnson cover)
Layla (Derek and the Dominos song)
Encore:
High Time We Went (Joe Cocker cover)

Updated 9th May 2022 Permalink

Sunday 08 May 2022.

Sunday 08 May 2022.
Very sad news that actor DENNIS WATERMAN has died aged 74.
I was lucky to have grown up watching him in classic tv series The Sweeney and Minder.
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Saturday 07 May 2022.
MORCHEEBA live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
Morcheeba formed in the mid-1990s and mix influences from trip hop, rock, folk rock and downtempo, and have produced ten regular studio albums since 1995, two of which (both on Sire/WEA )
reached the UK Top 10...they never really had a big Top 20 single.
Their 10th studio album "Blackest Blue" was released in 2021.
They have recently returned from full tours of Australia and mainland Europe.
I have seen them live a couple of times before including a visit to White City to see them
on The Jools Holland tv show in 1997.
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Level 3 is half empty tonight, but still a very full house on the other levels.
DUKE GARWOOD arrived on stage at 8pm for his 30 mins.
An ok set, but a bit too laid back for me.
MORCHEEBA arrived on stage at 9pm and played a full two hours.
The leading lady of Morcheeba, Skye Edwards has her smooth, effortless tone teamed up with Ross Godfrey’s psychedelic swirling guitar to create their melting pot sound that has been border-hopping ever since the London based band emerged from the mid-90s trip-hop scene.
Skye has an infectious smiley personality on stage.
Morchheba defined the ‘chill out’ genre with tracks like 'Otherwise' , ‘The Sea’ and first encore of ‘Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day’, which were all highlights tonight.
The band sounded great, and overall it was a really good show.
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The Daily Mail reports this today...
We're not Rolling in it! Fans shun tickets to Stones' Hyde Park gigs nine years after every seat was snapped up almost instantly - as they blame the soaring cost of living.
A decade after every seat at the Stones went in five minutes, wallets are thin.
Thousands of tickets for June 25 and July 3, starting at £95.75, remain unsold.
Seats in the reserved areas front of stage cost over £400.
Fans have blamed the cost of living, with one saying: 'It is a lot of money'.
Pearl Jam, Duran Duran and The Eagles tickets at Hyde Park are also unsold.

Updated 8th May 2022 Permalink

Saturday 07 May 2022.

Friday 06 May 2022
KEITH URBAN live at Hammersmith Apollo.
Keith Urban plays the first of two sold out shows at this venue.
Four-time GRAMMY® Award winner Keith Urban has confirmed the highly anticipated ‘THE SPEED OF NOW' World Tour, which comes to the UK in May.
These will be his first UK shows in nearly three years, when i saw him play The Forum.
Keith Urban has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide as well as collaborating with a diverse group of artists that include Post Malone, Taylor Swift, P!NK and Nile Rodgers.
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The venue is rammed sold out, so a nice 5000 capacity crowd here.
Lots of females here ready to swoon over him.
KEITH URBAN & band arrived on stage at 8.45pm and played for 1 hour 50 mins.
Another stunning stage production as the band are playing four feet up in the air
on a platform within the big screen that is showing digital images around them.
Keith has a nice relaxed and friendly stage banter, that the fans love.
Lots of fans have brought messages on banners for him to read out.
Somehow he even spots one , half way back in the circle.
He gets a female fan from Denmark on stage to help him out on a vocal duet,
for his track "The Fighter" , and she did a good job.
The show is very professional and the songs were simple catchy country rock.
At the mid point of the show he sings a couple of acoustic songs on a b-stage.
As the stalls standing is on a slope he put the b-stage by the gents toilets looking at left of stage.
Ticker-tape was fired over the stalls standing at the end of the main set.
A great show.
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A very nice touch by Keith at the end of the show when the lights went up.
He goes down the front to accept flowers and gifts, pose for selfies, sign autographs etc.
You think he will do it for 2 or 3 mins but he actually did it for a full 15 mins.

Updated 7th May 2022 Permalink

Friday 06 May 2022.

Thursday 05 May 2022.
JOE BONAMASSA live at The Royal Albert Hall.
JOE BONAMASSA plays the first of two shows at this iconic venue.
I have seen him live several times including at this venue in 2017 and 2019.
The 2022 UK tour follows the release of Bonamassa’s critically acclaimed 15th solo studio album " Time Clocks" that was originally released in October 2021 via Provogue/Mascot Label Group in Europe.
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The balcony is half empty tonight.
Could be down to the expensive tickets he now always seems to have.
£160 , £120 and £85 plus booking fees....yikes!
JOE & his top notch band arrived on stage at 7.35pm and played 2 hours 10 mins.
Joe plus four musicians, plus two female backing singers.
The bass player will be at this venue with Peter Frampton later this year.
The nifty keyboard player has played with Stevie Ray Vaughn and others.
Joe arrives on stage in trademark shades, smart suit and shiny shoes.
Most tracks are over several minutes long ,as most feature a stunning guitar solo.
He gets a superb tone out of his guitars, especially during the quieter solos.
Joe owns over 300 guitars and several different ones are used tonight.
A tip for you....I have a great seat in stalls swivel seats looking at the stage from the left.
This is the best side to watch a right handed guitar player as they always tilt their guitar to the left.
After 90 mins Joe tells all the crowd to stand up.
Highlights included fan faves "The Ballad of John Henry" and "Sloe Gin".
A great show.
Full JOE BONAMASSA setlist played tonight....
Evil Mama
Dust Bowl
Love Ain't a Love Song
Midnight Blues (Gary Moore cover)
The Heart That Never Waits
I Didn't Think She Would Do It
Just 'Cos You Can Don't Mean You Should
Pain and Sorrow
A Conversation With Alice
Lonely Boy
The Ballad of John Henry
Encore:
Woke Up Dreaming (Acoustic solo)
Sloe Gin (Tim Curry cover)

Updated 6th May 2022 Permalink

Wednesday 04 May 2022.

Wednesday 04 May 2022.
TOM MEIGHAN live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
Ex KASABIAN singer plays his debut solo tour.
Expect half a dozen KASABIAN classics in his setlist.
I saw Tom fronting KASABIAN several times since 2005...a great live act.
Tom and Serge were a great pairing.
He has released three solo singles, but as yet no solo album has been released.
Debut solo single "Would You Mind" is a great track.
After Meighan pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner in July 2020 , the remaining members of Kasabian issued a full statement regarding his status in the band.
“No one in the band wanted this to happen,” the statement read. “We have all worked so hard for the past twenty three years and had big plans for our future together. We’re completely heartbroken.
“But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable.”
They continued: “As soon as we found out about the charges made against Tom, we as a band made the decision that we could no longer work with him. Unfortunately we had to hold back this information until he was found guilty in court".
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Tom had such a good number as the singer with KASABIAN, but has pretty much lost his main career.
KASABIAN sold out two nights at Brixton Academy without him on their recent tour and although Tom was the singer in KASABIAN he is struggling to fill this venue which is half the size of Brixton Academy.
Amazingly Levels 2 and 3 are closed as unsold, although the other two levels are full.
Another one of those shows that easily had over 100 on the guest list.
LINA MAXINE & band arrived on stage at 8.15pm for their 30 mins set.
Russian-American singer-songwriter played a decent set of alt-rock tunes.
Her set included a very nice Linkin Park cover.
TOM MEIGHAN & band arrived on stage at 9.15pm for their 85 mins set.
Needless to say the crowd is a lively beer drinking KASABIAN crowd.
A nice stage production as several screens are showing pre-recorded images.
Tom is a great frontman, as he stands arms aloft on the podiums front of stage, to ramp the crowd up.
Even his wife is up dancing and singing with her friends in the Level 1 VIP seats.
The five musicians backing him, sounded really good.
The excellent six KASABIAN classics played sent the crowd totally wild.
The crowd sung along to his debut single, and the new solo tracks went down well.
The new material certainly sees him in reflective mood, but very keen to be out playing live again.
It was a really great show.
Out of This World
Underdog (Kasabian song)
Something's About to Change
Icarus
Shoot the Runner (Kasabian song) (With ‘Breathe’ snippet in honour of Prodigys Keith Flint RIP)
Thinking on Our Feet
Would You Mind
Sunshine
L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever) (Kasabian song)
Deep Dive
Footdown
Darkest Hour
Let It Ride
Empire (Kasabian song)
Club Foot (Kasabian song)
Encore:
Movin' On
Fire (Kasabian song)
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Tuesday 03 May 2022...I went to two events tonight...
6.30pm to 7.30pm.
TOBY MOTT - book launch party - at The ICA, The Mall, St James's, London SW1.
Toby Mott has released his new book 'New Age : Stonehenge To Jungle, B2B 1973/2000".
On display are lots of dance event flyers and posters that are included in the book.
A nice glossy book, with a hefty price tag of £70.
Complementary beers here for the 50 or 60 guests.
then
8pm to 9.30pm.
Multi-artist - gallery private view - 4 Cromwell Place, South Kensington, London SW7.
My first time at this brand new contemporary gallery that opened during the pandemic.
London's £20m Cromwell Place gallery hub is a complex, housed in five townhouses in South Kensington.
Many different rooms here, and a very nice outdoor space.
Complementary prosecco and wines for the 100 plus guests.

Updated 4th May 2022 Permalink

Monday 02 May 2022.

Monday 02 May 2022.
FOALS + SHAME live at Olympia, London.
Foals play the last of their four big shows at this venue.
This is the third time I have seen them here over the weekend.
EGYPTIAN BLUE 30 mins upfront guitar set seems to get quicker and quicker.
SHAME played their 30 mins again.
Last night the singer took his shirt off on song three, and tonight it is song four.
FOALS arrived on stage like the other nights at 8.45pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set.
I have added a couple of bits to the main review on Friday, so check it out.
They are playing the same setlist every night.
They clearly love playing live, and are so tight musically.
The stage is truly massive, more suited to The 02 Arena or an outdoor festival stage.
Sometimes you are in a venue and you think wow!
This iconic building and its stunning glass roof dates back to 1886.
Henry Edward Coe was commissioned to design the ambitious structure. His plans included a span barrel roof which at 52 metres (170 feet) was to be wider than that of the Agricultural Hall (known as ‘The Aggie’ and now the Business Design Centre) in Islington, a building Coe had designed 25 years earlier. This new roof would cover nearly an acre.
The main roof was developed by Messrs A. T. Walmisley and M. Am-Ende. The engineering challenge was immense. To create a covered space so wide, the roof had to be 35 metres (115 feet) tall at its apex. The ironwork, glass and zinc of this structure totalled over 1,300 tons. 2,500 sheets of plate glass adorn the roof, a striking feature which survived two world wars and the great storm of 1987.
All three artists tonight confirm that British guitar bands are fully alive and kicking.
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Sunday 01 May 2022.
FOALS + SHAME live at Olympia, London.
Both bands back to play the third of four sold out shows here.
This was my second time being here to see them both.
I am a bit nearer the stage today, and i catch the band on before Shame as well.
It is a massive space here , with the main room where the bands are playing, and
an overflow room where the huge bar is.
It feels like a mini-festival, with the big toilet queues during the breaks between bands.
EGYPTIAN BLUE arrived on stage at 6.45pm for their 30 mins set.
Some nice brash guitar playing in their decent set.
SHAME arrived on stage at 7.40pm for their 30 mins set.
The singer is shirtless again after a couple of songs...a good rowdy set.
FOALS arrived on stage at 8.45pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set.
Foals have added a fifth London show on 08 May at Brixton Academy.
See my review from a couple of days ago , for a full review and setlist.
They are a visually great band to watch as a lot of effort has been put into the visuals.
The middle screen uses stunning pre-recorded images and the two side screens show live footage.
Add the great light show, and several good songs , so you end up with another really good show.

Updated 2nd May 2022 Permalink

Sunday 01 May 2022.

Saturday 30 April 2022.
ALABAMA 3 live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
They are best known for a remixed version of "Woke Up This Morning" which plays during the opening credits of each episode of the classic HBO television series The Sopranos.
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Level 2 and 3 closed tonight as unsold, but the other two levels are full.
BLACK ELVIS arrived on stage at 7.30pm for his 30 mins solo set.
He did what it says on the tin, a black guy singing Elvis covers to backing tapes.
Always good to hear some Elvis Presley classics being performed.
LIAS SAOUDI arrived on stage at 8.15pm and he performed a 30 mins solo set.
Lias is lead singer of Fat White Family, one of those debauched and rowdy bands.
Started off with some horrible screeching song, then got a bit better with some gloomy lyrics songs.
ALABAMA 3 arrived on stage at 9.15pm and played for 90 mins.
Tonight was the last night of their 26 date tour , so they are fully rehearsed and sounding great.
Six musicians on stage plus two fab black female backing singers & dancers in hot pants.
The band have been regulars at Glastonbury Festival over the years.
Indeed some of the older crowd here, have a very "stoned look" about them.
What has kept Alabama 3 a festival fixture for over two decades is their other assets: wicked humour, leaning hard into outlaw country tropes and finding the grooviest balance between sin and soul. All are present in "Hypo Full of Love", as Black’s resurrected voice details a questionable 12-step programme that culminates in a mass singalong of the “shoot me up” chorus.
Lots of voice samples used during their set.
In the middle of the show harmonica player Nick Reynolds, son of Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds, took over lead vocals on "Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds?".
The first encore "Too Sick To Pray" had everyone singing and dancing along, to their great dance groove.
A really good show.
Full ALABAMA 3 setlist played tonight....
Tranquilize Yourself Britannia
Whacked
Hello... I'm Johnny Cash
Rattlesnake Woman
Petronella Says
Exodus (Movement of War People)
Speed of the Sound of Loneliness (John Prine cover)
Woke Up This Morning
Have You Seen Bruce Richard Reynolds?
U Don't Dans 2 Tekno
Bullet Proof
R.E.H.A.B.
Yolanda
Up Above My Head
Hypo Full of Love (The 12 Step Plan)
Encore:
Too Sick To Pray
The Road Goes On Forever (Robert Earl Keen cover)

Updated 1st May 2022 Permalink

Saturday 30 April 2022.

Friday 29 April 2022.
FOALS live at Olympia.
FOALS play massive four sold out shows at Olympia, Kensington.
Fri 29 April ,Sat 30 April, Sun 01 May, Mon 02 May.
All the 8000 all standing tickets have been sold for each show.
Feb 2020 - they won Best Live Act at The NME Awards.
Feb 2020 - they won British Group at The BRIT Awards.
The indie-rockers will be previewing tracks from their seventh studio album "Life Is Yours".
Support band for all four shows are SHAME.
Shame are an English post-punk band originally from Brixton, South London. Their debut album "Songs of Praise " was released on 12 January 2018. This was followed by "Drunk Tank Pink " on 15 January 2021,
which went into the UK Top 10.
I went to many great Christmas shows at Olympia in the late 1970s.
Including Status Quo, Thin Lizzy and a few by Rod Stewart.
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Sniffer dogs on the entrance for this gig, seemed a bit over the top for a Foals audience.
SHAME on stage at 7.30pm for their 30 mins set.
It is a cold venue, but the singer is still keen to take his shirt off.
Some of his vocals are a bit shouty ,but it is a good overall show.
The bass guitarist liked manically darting across the stage.
FOALS on stage at 8.45pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set.
A nice stage production with big screens mixing live footage and superb pre-recorded images.
Foals don't really have any classic hit singles, but all their six albums have gone Top 10
in the UK, and one of them hit the top spot.
They seem to own intelligent indie dance rock.
They are a band that need a few listens, to really get into them.
They played plenty of good songs including "My Number", "Olympic Airways",
"Spanish Sahara", "Inhaler" and "What When Down".
The singer went in the pit and got up close with the fans a couple of times.
Streamers came down over the front standing for the final song of the night.
Overall a really good show.
Full FOALS setlist played tonight...
Wake Me Up
The Runner
Mountain at My Gates
2am
Olympic Airways
My Number
Black Gold
Life Is Yours
In Degrees
2001
Late Night
Spanish Sahara
Providence
Inhaler
Encore:
Black Bull
What Went Down
Two Steps, Twice
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QPR 1 Sheffield United 3
Yet another terrible defeat for my team QPR.
We had that great run at the start of the year to get into the top six and this result means we
have now lost 11 out of the last 16 games....so this season becomes yet another disappointing one.

Updated 30th April 2022 Permalink

Friday 29 April 2022.

Thursday 28 April 2022...7.30pm to 10.30pm...
PHILIPP PLEIN - Flagship Store Launch Party - 9 Old Bond Street, London W1.
Luxury fashion store that sells male and female clothing and shoes.
Rival luxury fashion label Michael Kors closed their store at this location due to the pandemic.
It is over three levels, although the room sizes are fairly small...a garish green is featured for most of it.
They are massive in Italy, and my friends were saying that the brand has thrown
some of the best parties at Milan Fashion Week.
The brand has had a meteoric rise over the past 20 years, as they now have over 100 stores worldwide.
The price tags are stratospheric as i saw a jacket that was £100,000.
It got very busy , and ended being a one out one in policy for any late arrivals after 8pm.
PHILIPP PLEIN himself was here to say that his was the first luxury fashion company to accept crypto and is starting this new phase because of how important he thinks it it will become.
He added that the firm’s overall online retail turnover last year was about €100 million and about 3% of that came from crypto. “We can double that this year”, he insisted.
We have a DJ playing some decent tunes and guest of honour STEFFLON DON turned up wearing
one of the brands long cream coats.At 9.20pm the rapper sang two of her tracks to backing tapes.
In 2018 she won Best New Artist at The NME Awards and on her last tour headlined Hammersmith Apollo.
Lots of female staff in black trouser suits topping our drinks up all night.
Complimentary Moët champers, vodka cocktails, tequila cocktails and boxes of chicken & fries.
An excellent party.
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A SEX PISTOLS gig poster from Manchester in 1976 has sold for a staggering £22,000 at auction.

Updated 29th April 2022 Permalink

Thursday 28 April 2022.

Wednesday 27 April 2022...6.45pm to 9pm...
THEAKSTON OLD PERCULIAR CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL - London Launch Party -
Browns , 82 / 84 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2.
Around 150 guests here in their first floor space.
The main event itself is held up north in Harrogate from 21 July to 24 July 2022.
Special book events, book signings,book launches, talks etc from leading crime authors.
We had a couple of speeches here at 7.30pm.
There is a full Theakston bar here,where you can pull your own pints.
Complimentary wines, Theakstones beers , hot and cold canapés for all guests.
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The next instalment of the KISS Off The Soundboard official live bootleg series is coming out.
KISS: Off The Soundboard: Live At Donington 1996 is to be released on June 10th on 2CD, Red 3LP and standard black 3LP.
This was the first of four UK shows for their 1996 all four original members reunion tour.
I was at all four shows.
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Happy Birthday to ex KISS guitarist ACE FREHLEY who is 71 today.
It was always great to watch him on stage with KISS and with his own band.
Will he join KISS on their current farewell world tour at any point?

Updated 28th April 2022 Permalink

Wednesday 27 April 2022.

Tuesday 26 April 2022...I went to two events today...
5.30pm to 8pm
PIZZA PILGRIMS "pizza playground showcase " West India Quay, Canary Wharf, London E14.
This is Pizza Pilgrims largest pizzeria – with amazing outside terrace, and the basement "pizza playground" to play bocce ball, Mario Kart, Pinball ,PS2, Nintendo etc – and to watch sporting events on the screens.
There is also the private basement kitchen where we are the first group of six to "make your own" pizzas.
We washed our hands, and put on the apron and had some fun rolling the pizza and adding
a half a dozen ingredients, and then chef put it in the oven and then we took it to our table,
and it tasted very nice.We also had slices from all their different pizzas on the menu.
I had also had a full size double pepperoni with honey which was delicious.
Also a yummy tiramisu for dessert along with complimentary Aperol Spritz, wines & beers.
We had a great time here.
They have central locations including Kingly Court off Carnaby Street.
www.pizzapilgrims.co.uk - Visit their website here.
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then just two stops on the tube to...
BLONDIE and JOHNNY MARR live at The 02 Arena, London.
Blondie are playing a 10 date UK arena tour, with support from Johnny Marr.
16 April update - Blondie guitarist CHRIS STEIN has revealed he won't be joining the band on tour this year because of a cardiac issue. He noted that he was "sad and frustrated" about the decision.
Sex Pistols legend GLEN MATLOCK will be on bass guitar duties for Blondie on this tour.
I have seen Blondie live around 15 times since 1977 when they supported Television at
Hammersmith Odeon.
I have also seen Debbie Harry solo a few times when Blondie split up.
Blondie have had 11 x Top 10 singles in the UK, including 6 x number ones.
Incredibly Debbie Harry is now aged 76, so this could easily be Blondie's final UK tour.
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Due to the previous event, i ended up missing Johnny Marr.
A few empty blocks unsold up in Level 4 tonight, but otherwise pretty full.
Great to see some of my friends here in the guest block who also know Glen Matlock.
BLONDIE arrived on stage at 9pm and played for 1 hour 45 mins.
A very nice arena stage production with three big screens mixing live footage and colourful
pre-recorded images.
Neither personnel changes nor the passage of time can wash the colour out of Blondie’s bubblegum blitz fare, its mix of Manhattan trash and flash complimented by bursts of bright pop art imagery. The 76-year-old Debbie Harry – still cool with her peroxide hair in a permanent state of wind-machine whipped.
Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock remains on a small platform most of the time next to his chum Clem Burke.
Great to see Glen on this big stage, and Blondie is a perfect band for him.
After this tour Glen will be playing with Blondie on their North American tour.
Drummer Clem Burke is his spectacular self as usual, with his visually great drumming.
Blondie had so many well known big hits in the UK, that it really is pretty much a greatest hits show.
At the end of the main set , they even riffed out 30 seconds of Sex Pistols "God Save The Queen".
An excellent show.
Full BLONDIE setlist played tonight...
X Offender (from Blondie, 1976)
Hanging on the Telephone (from Parallel Lines, 1978)
Sunday Girl (from Parallel Lines, 1978)
Picture This (from Parallel Lines, 1978)
Mother (from Panic of Girls, 2010)
Fade Away and Radiate (from Parallel Lines, 1978)
The Tide Is High (from Autoamerican, 1980)
What I Heard (from Panic of Girls, 2010)
Atomic (from Eat To The Beat, 1979)
(I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear (From Plastic Letters, 1977)
Shayla (from Eat To The Beat, 1979)
Union City Blue (from Eat To The Beat, 1979)
Long Time (from Pollinator, 2017)
Rapture (from Autoamerican, 1980)
Maria (from No Exit, 1999)
Dreaming (from Eat To The Beat, 1979)
Heart of Glass (from Parallel Lines, 1978) (featuring 30 seconds riffing of Sex Pistols GSTQ at the end)
Encore:
No Exit (from No Exit, 1999)
Fragments (from Pollinator, 2017)
Call Me (from American Gigalo soundtrack, 1979)
One Way or Another (from Parallel Lines, 1978)

Updated 27th April 2022 Permalink

Tuesday 26 April 2022.

Monday 25 April 2022.
ONEREPUBLIC live at Hammersmith Apollo.
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado,in 2002.
The band will be promoting their fifth studio album from 2021 "Human", as part of their world tour.
The band have sold over 16 million records (albums and singles ) worldwide.
The video for their worldwide hit "Counting Stars" has had a mind boggling
3 billion, yes 3 billion views on YouTube.
It is in the Top 20 list of the most plays list on YouTube.
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By the time the headliners arrive on stage, the venue is a 5000 capacity sell-out.
Lots of folks from places like Korea and Japan are here due to their worldwide success.
DAN CAPLEN arrived on stage at 8pm for his 30 mins set.
Dan is a singer-songwriter who is signed to Atlantic Records.
In 2018 Caplen had a number one single for his part in "These Days"
In 2019 Caplen won an Ivor Novello Award for PRS for Music Most Performed Work for "These Days", performed by Rudimental, Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen.
He performed this hit song that the crowd loved, and also a cover of "Wonderwall" went down well.
ONEREPUBLIC arrived on stage at 9.05pm for their 1 hour 45 mins set.
OneRepublic are one of those faceless radio friendly pop rock acts that record companies love
as they effortlessly shift millions of records around the world.
An average show on paper was much better than expected due to the massive stage production.
Three big screens mixing live footage and pre-recorded images , along with loads of lights and
seven musicians spread around the stage.
Plenty of women swooning over the singer, and there is a great live gig atmosphere.
Their Top 10 hit "Stop and Stare" was great , then there was a bit of an odd middle section
with half a dozen covers from female artists played solo on the piano although the version
of Beyonce "Halo" was top notch.
Their Top 10 hit "Apologize " was another goodie and it was all bells and whistles a go-go for
the encore of their number one hit from 2013 "Counting Stars".
It did end up surprisingly a much better show than expected.
Full ONEREPUBLIC setlist played tonight....
Kids
Good Life
All the Right Moves
Stop and Stare
Rescue Me
Secrets
Wherever I Go
Love Runs Out
Bleeding Love / Rumour Has It / THAT'S WHAT I WANT / Ghost (cover medley)
Halo (Beyoncé cover)
Lose Somebody (Kygo cover)
West Coast
Run
Sucker (Jonas Brothers cover)
Sunshine
Apologize
I Lived
Encore:
Counting Stars
Future Looks Good
If I Lose Myself

Updated 26th April 2022 Permalink

Sunday 24 April 2022

Saturday 23 April 2022.
THE MISSION live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
The Mission play the second of two shows at this venue on their UK tour.
I have seen these goth rockers a few times since 1993.
In late 1985 Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams left The Sisters Of Mercy and, after enlisting the talents of Simon Hinkler and Mick Brown, formed The Mission and in early 1986 embarked on their first European tour, supporting The Cult. They released 2 singles independently, both reaching No.1 in the UK alternative charts, before signing a worldwide record deal with Phonogram (now Universal).
Their first single for the new label, ‘Stay With Me’, went straight into the UK chart at No. 30 followed by their debut album “God’s Own Medicine” at No. 14. Over the next eight years the band released six more albums and had a further 13 hit singles including anthemic classics such as “Wasteland”, “Tower Of Strength”, “Beyond The Pale”, “Deliverance” and “Butterfly On A Wheel”. Total worldwide album sales to date have now well exceeded four million.
THE ROSE OF AVALANCHE are the support on this UK tour.
They have released several albums, and actually supported The Mission on their 1986/1987 tour.
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Level 3 is closed tonight and Level 2 is half empty.
Lots of goth rockers dressed up in their trademark black clothing.
THE ROSE OF AVALANCHE arrived on stage at 8.15pm for their 30 mins set.
They played a good set, with some nice dual guitar sounds.
THE MISSION arrived on stage at 9.20pm for their 1 hour 45 mins set.
The band still feature three original members, only the drummer is not an original.
Singer Wayne Hussey is playing one of those beautiful white Gretsch guitars on several songs.
Lots of dancing in the front stalls area, and there are a couple of songs where the fans throw confetti
in the air, and a couple that feature human pyramids in the crowd where a group of fans raise someone
to fully stand on shoulders and they stay their for the entire song.
I always thought that goth was a Northern thing, popular in places like Leeds.
During the show Wayne Hussey asked the crowd "Who is from London?" and "Who is from
outside London?". The latter got much more cheers as the loyal Mission fans do follow them around.
Some songs sounded a bit samey , but overall a good show.
At the end of the show 70 or 80 loyal fans posed for a group photo.
Full setlist played by THE MISSION tonight...
Tadeusz (1912-1988)
Beyond the Pale
Hands Across the Ocean
Into The Blue
Met-Amor-Phosis
Naked and Savage
Sea Of Love
Severn
Like A Child Again
Grotesque
Butterfly On A Wheel
Wasteland
Deliverance (male and female standing on shoulders the entire song)
Encore:
Within the Deepest Darkness (Fearful)
The Crystal Ocean
Swan Song
Encore 2:
Tower Of Strength (two females standing on shoulders the entire song)
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Bass player GUY PRATT is currently playing UK shows with Nick Mason & his band.
Random fact of the day...Guy Pratt is the son of actor Mike Pratt, who was in a great 1970s tv show.
Mike was best known for his role as Jeff Randall in the late 1960s ITC detective series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) alongside Kenneth Cope and Annette Andre.

Updated 24th April 2022 Permalink

Saturday 23 April 2022.

Friday 22 April 2022.
PAUL WELLER live at The Forum.
PW plays the first of three sold out London shows on his UK & European Tour.
Fri 22 April - The Forum
Sat 23 April - The Forum
Sun 24 April - Brixton Academy
I have seen PW on stage many times with all his bands over the past 45 years, including The Jam.
Paul is a prolific singer-songwriter with well over 20 albums in his career since The Jam debut.
Support comes from Australian indie-pop band THE STROPPIES.
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The venue is rammed solid sold out tonight.
I ended up missing the support act.
A few faces are here tonight amongst the many Paul Weller lookalikes.....
SUGGS (Madness)
CHRISSIE HYNDE (Pretenders)
GARY CROWLEY (radio DJ and presenter)
ROBERT ELMS (radio DJ and presenter)
BARRY CAIN (was The Record Mirror journo who toured with punk bands in 1976 and 1977).
(He saw The Sex Pistols a couple of times on their legendary Jan 1978 North American tour).
NICKY WELLER (Pauls sister)
PAUL WELLER & band arrived on stage at 8.30pm and played for 1 hour 55 mins.
A lively crowd of his loyal fans here keeping the bars very busy.
As usual the first half of his set includes a few plodding tracks , but the second half is great as
he played three classics by The Jam and some solo hits and Style Council hits.
Overall a really good show.
Full PAUL WELLER setlist played tonight...
White Sky
Long Time
Cosmic Fringes
From the Floorboards Up
Headstart for Happiness (The Style Council song)
Village
Have You Ever Had It Blue (The Style Council song)
Stanley Road
Going My Way
Saturns Pattern
Hung Up
Fat Pop
More
Woo Sé Mama
It's a Very Deep Sea (The Style Council song)
Rockets
Above the Clouds
Into Tomorrow
Shout to the Top! (The Style Council song)
Start! (The Jam song)
Peacock Suit
Brushed
Encore:
Broken Stones
You Do Something to Me
That's Entertainment (The Jam song)
Wild Wood
Encore 2:
The Changingman
Town Called Malice (The Jam song)

Updated 23rd April 2022 Permalink

Friday 22 April 2022.

Thursday 22 April 2022....I went to two events today.
I was at this opening day from 8am to 5pm, which included the morning private view for press.
Thurs 21 April + Friday 22 April + Saturday 23 April - SALON PRIVE comes to Chelsea in April 2022.
The location is the stunning grounds of The Royal Hospital.
Over 100 stunning classic cars and super cars will be on display in this great new London location.
It's a good chance to ogle the latest models from Aston Martin, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche, Rolls-Royce and the like, many of which get their UK debut at the show. Classic cars are on show at the Concours de Vente, many of which are for sale from specialist dealers.
Car enthusiasts won't have to wait until next September for the next instalment, thanks to the announcement of a brand-new Salon Privé event. 'The Chelsea Edition' is set to take place from 21-23 April 2022 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners and world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The springtime London fixture will be the perfect way to kick off the motoring season.
Salon Privé London promises to be London’s most exclusive automotive party, with plenty to see and do in addition to the motoring attractions. The shopping village will host a variety of luxury brands including renowned British jeweller Boodles, Jess Collet Milliner and British perfume house, Penhaligon’s, founded in the late 1860s. Everything from Patek Philippe watches Harley-Davidsons to Bell helicopters will be on display, alongside first-class hospitality for which Salon Privé has long been renowned. Louis Pommery will flow and London Essence cocktail bars will offer exciting cocktails from NoMad, Louie and the Donovan Bar mixologists.
To complement this, Salon Privé has partnered with renowned and innovative hospitality group JKS Restaurants to provide guests with a unique dining offering. This will include dishes from the Michelin-starred Gymkhana, Indian BBQ classics by Brigadiers, and cult Taiwanese specialists BAO. In addition, there will be plates from Fitzrovia’s The George and Chelsea’s The Cadogan Arms, providing pub fare that celebrates the best of British produce, making Salon Privé London a real foodie’s delight.
Reminder that tickets for Saturday are a bit cheaper than Thursday and Friday.
SALON PRIVÉ LONDON TO DONATE 20% OF ENTRY TICKET REVENUE TO DEC UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN APPEAL #STANDWITHUKRAINE
Meanwhile Salon Privé will make a welcome return to Blenheim Palace 31 August - 4 September 2022.
www.salonprivelondon.com - Visit their website here,
for more information and images and to buy tickets for the Chelsea event.
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The sun gods were out today, as we had a lovely day out in the sunshine.
We were kindly invited to the advance media press early access viewing from 8am to 11am.
Complimentary coffees, tea, juices and pastries for around 100 guests in The Sloane restaurant.
We then go on a tour around the site of the unveiling of some stunning new model supercars.
Caton (Healey by Caton)
H.R. Owen Bugatti (Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport by Sur Mesure)
Aston Martin Mayfair (Aston Martin DBX707)
H.R. Owen Ferrari (Ferrari 296GTB & Tailor Made Roma)
Tushek (Tushek TS900)
Genesis (Genesis GV60)
Morgan Motor Company (Morgan Super 3)
Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (Range Rover SV)
Charge Cars (Electric Mustang)
Progetto 33 (Alfa Romeo 12C )
Prodrive (Prodrive Hunter)
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost)
A big crowd of several hundred arrived after 11am, when the doors opened for the public.
Over 100 incredible looking gleaming cars are here from the 35 odd dealers.
Many cars were started up and paraded around including a 16 strong convoy of Minis.
Just like the ones seen in the film "The Italian Job".
It was a great day out, with a great mix of incredible cars along with bars and tasty food vendors.
The final day to visit is Saturday.
Complimentary Pommery champers in the Boodles jewellery display area and outdoor seating.
Press swing badge also got us complimentary cocktails, wines and beers.
then
THE VACCINES live at Hammersmith Apollo.
Lively indie rockers are promoting their fifth studio album "Back in Love City" with a UK tour.
This is the band's fifth consecutive top 5 album, with NME citing a band 'still at their very best and still brimming with ideas and invention.'
The band's debut album was the best-selling debut album of 2011 in the United Kingdom, drawing comparisons to The Ramones, The Strokes, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.The band have released five studio albums: What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? (2011), Come of Age (2012), English Graffiti (2015), Combat Sports (2018), and Back in Love City (2021). They have sold two million records worldwide.
I have seen this really good uptempo indie-rock band live a few times before.
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The circle is half empty ,so maybe 3500 tix sold out of the 5000 capacity tonoght.
We have two support acts tonight.
AZIYA and her band arrived on stage at 7.30pm for their decent 30 mins indie rock set.
BLACK HONEY arrived on stage at 8.15pm for their 30 mins indie rock set.
A nice heavy indie rock sound, and they played tracks from their 2021 Top 10 album "Written & Produced".
THE VACCINES arrived on stage at 9.15pm for their 70 mins set.
A short set time played, but The Vaccines were totally on fire tonight.
They whizzed through an entire set of brilliant uptempo rock n roll indie tunes.
The crowd sang along loudly, and there was plenty of dancing front stalls.
It was a great show.
Full setlist played by THE VACCINES tonight...
Wanderlust
I Can't Quit
I Always Knew
Teenage Icon
Young Meteors
Alone Star
Surfing in the Sky
Wetsuit
Post Break-Up Sex
Your Love Is My Favourite Band
El Paso
Headphones Baby
Handsome
Jump Off the Top
All My Friends Are Falling in Love
If You Wanna
Encore :
XCT
Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)
All in White

Updated 22nd April 2022 Permalink

Wednesday 20 April 2022.

Wednesday 20 April 2022.
SUZI QUATRO live at The Royal Albert Hall.
1970s glam rock legend is playing a special one off show , to celebrate her 50 years in music.
Suzi will perform with a nine-piece band , and special guests are promised.
Suzi has sold over 50 million records (albums and singles) worldwide.
In the summer of 1973, Suzi was one of the first musicians I ever saw at a promo day at Brands Hatch.
Suzi was quite a sight on Top Of The Pops to this 14 year old when she had her first big hits in 1973.
Suzi will release an eight album box set to coincide with this show.
My first ever music event...
Slade, Geordie ,Suzi Quatro (Radio Luxembourg Pop Party) Brands Hatch Racetrack,Kent 12.08.1973
After watching TOTP often, this was the first time i saw well known real life musicians in the flesh.
No singing just personal appearance.
They all waved from a balcony window to the crowd below.
I can remember picking up all these Chris Jagger singles that the promo girl threw out the window.
I have seen Suzi Quatro live on stage several times since 1978.
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The circle is 75 % unsold, but the rest of the venue is full with mainly older folks.
SUZI QUATRO & band on stage for a nice long 2 hours 10 mins over two sets of 60 mins and 70 mins.
The lights dimmed dead on time at seven-thirty, and a denim-clad Suzi Q was welcomed onstage as "The Queen of Rock & Roll , Miss Suzi Q", backed by an impressive selection of musicians and singers, the left to right view showing keyboard player, two backing singers, drummer, three-man horn section and guitarist. Bass player? Yeah, right, Suzi has that covered as she is holding her trademark huge bass that is nearly
the same length as her small 5' 1" frame...Suzi is looking good for age 71.
Lots of entertaining stage banter from Suzi between the songs.
Big screens show pictures of single and album covers, but not live footage.
Suzi played all her classic glam rock hits from the 1970s glam rock heyday.
Her son joined Suzi for a couple of songs.
Glam rock legends DON POWELL and ANDY SCOTT joined Suzi for a couple of songs.
For the second set Suzi changed into her trademark leather stage outfit.
Suzi talked us through her career in Detroit , then meeting Mickie Most , and moving to the UK.
Everyone on their feet for "Can the Can" and "Devil Gate Drive".
A great show.
SUZI QUATRO – FIRST SET
The Wild One
I May Be Too Young
Daytona Demon
Tear Me Apart
Mama’s Boy
Stumblin’ In
48 Crash
No Soul/No Control
The Devil In Me (with Richard Tuckey)
Slow Down (with Andy Scott and Don Powell)
Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young cover) (with Andy Scott and Don Powell)
Can I Be Your Girl? (piano solo)
SUZI QUATRO - SECOND SET
Motor City Riders
I Sold My Soul Today
Rock Hard
She’s in Love With You
Bass Solo & Drum Duet (Another One Bites the Dust… more )
Your Mamma Won’t Like Me
Too Big
Glycerine Queen / Bass Solo
Can the Can
Devil Gate Drive
ENCORE :
If You Can’t Give Me Love
Sweet Little Rock & Roller (Chuck Berry cover)
Desperado (Eagles cover)
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Tuesday 19 April 2022.
MYSTERY JETS live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
UK Indie-rockers have released seven studio albums.
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Level 3 is 75% unsold tonight, but the rest of the venue looks pretty full.
One of those shows where many of the crowd skipped the support bands, and turned up at 9pm.
JACK FLANAGAN arrived on stage at 7.30pm for his 25 mins acoustic set.
He played tracks from his solo album...Jack is the current bass player in Mystery Jets.
JOHNNY FLOYD arrived on stage at 8.15pm for his 25 mins acoustic set.
He is the ex singer in Tribes.
MYSTERY JETS arrived on stage at 9.15pm for their 90 mins set.
Some nice indie rock tunes played throughout their set.
The best response of the night easily came from older fan favourites ‘Two Doors Down‘ and ‘Young Love‘; on both the tracks, lead singer Harrison was at times drowned out by all the fans all singing in unison.
Other tracks from the group’s discography such as ‘Serotonin‘ and ‘Bubblegum‘ received equally great responses from the crowd, as it was clear that all in attendance were big fans of the indie group.
A couple of lively rockers played, including the final song of the night, "Someone Purer".
A good set.
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SPARKS live at The Roundhouse got a glowing five star review in The Standard paper.

Updated 20th April 2022 Permalink

Sunday 17 April 2022.

Sunday 17 April 2022.
SPARKS live at The Roundhouse.
American art pop legends have sold out this venue a month in advance.
I have seen Sparks around a dozen times since 1974 and 1975 when I saw them headline Hammersmith Odeon on the back of their superb hit singles from their classic album "Kimono My House".
I saw them play a great show a few years ago as FFS (Franz Ferdinand and Sparks both playing their best tracks).
Sparks have released over 20 albums during their career.
They recently released a full length documentary film titled "The Sparks Brothers" in 2021.
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The Roundhouse is rammed solid tonight, for this sold out show.
There is no support act tonight, and SPARKS arrive on stage at 8.30pm and play for two hours.
They are backed by a great five piece band, who are all dressed in black.
How do the duo keep their youthful looks as incredibly Ron is now aged 76 and Russell is aged 73.
Russell has got plenty of energy in his legs too, as he did lots of dancing around the stage.
Ron sits quietly behind his keyboards sporting his trademark pencil moustache.
A varied set of different styles that included hits, rare tracks and new tracks from the recent album
which is titled "A Steady, Drip, Drip, Drip".
Oldies like "Amateur Hour" and "Beat The Clock " we're left out to make way for recent album tracks.
Highlights included "Get In The Swing" and the disco tinged ""When Do I Get To Sing My Way?"
and "The Number One Song In Heaven" and of course their classic hit "This Town Ain't Big
Enough For The Both Of Us".
A great show , but would have been better with those hits in the set rather than new material,
but Sparks are one of those bands that focus on new material rather than looking back.
Full SPARKS setlist played tonight...
So May We Start
Angst in My Pants
Tips for Teens
Under the Table With Her
Get in the Swing
I Married Myself
I Predict
Wonder Girl
Stravinsky’s Only Hit
Shopping Mall of Love
Johnny Delusional (FFS cover)
We Love Each Other So Much
Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)
Lawnmower
Music That You Can Dance To
The Rhythm Thief
Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth
When Do I Get to Sing "My Way"
My Baby's Taking Me Home
The Number One Song in Heaven (featuring some dad dancing from Ron)
This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us (Followed by band introductions)
Encore:
Suburban Homeboy
All That
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Friday 15 April 2022.
SINK THE PINK FAREWELL BALL at Printworks , Canada Water, London SE16.
After 13 epic years of parties across the world, the UK’s biggest queer club night will be bringing their iconic chaos to Printworks for their final party!
Sink The Pink’s Farewell Ball marks the end of an era, from its early days at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, to reaching the heady heights of sell out parties and events around the world, it’s time for this legendary night to bring you the party one last time.
They have sold out Brixton Academy and The Roundhouse in the past.
Expect an army of drag queens, dancers and djs.
But what should I wear? Well, whatever you want to! Think queer, think colour, think fabulous!
With some legendary performances from the Sink The Pink family ,The Farewell Ball is sure to be one massive celebration.
So grab your finest, brightest and most loved outfits and let’s bring together our wonderful community of misfits in one raucous final celebration.
This 5000 capacity warehouse dance event has sold out a month in advance ...5000 tickets at £35 each...
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A proper trek for me from out West London way to get here.
The event was on from 8pm to 3am, and we were there 10pm to 3am.
It is safe to say that SINK THE PINK have brought LGBTQ+ culture to the mainstream.
It's escapism for gays, straights, trans, non-binary , where all are welcome.
There is lots of flesh on display - both male and female.
Lots of fancy dress, fetish wear, carnival colour, many out there outfits,
I remember the old days when drag shows were put on in the back rooms of seedy pubs.
Sink The Pink have put up colourful structures to be used for photo opportunities.
They have 20 or 30 drag acts & performers dotted around the venue.
There is a red carpet in the third area where you can strut your best catwalk.
Also an area where you put on complimentary make up, glitter and moustaches.
There are two main dance areas
PRESS ROOMS is the main area.
Around five djs play around 60 mins each, who all play cheesy pop bangers from the likes of
Madonna, Lady Gaga, Spice Girls, Cher, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston etc.
INKWELLS is the smaller tunnel like area where another five djs play 60 mins each of techno.
At 1am on the main stage around 20 drag acts and performers take to the stage for
a mad final two hours of full on party , party wild dancing.
It got very busy down the front half of the floor, but thankfully we had wristbands for the VIP level upstairs.
It was a great evening for people watching, where the paying punters were just as much a part
of the show as the djs and performers.
There were many cameras there ,filming it for future use.
An excellent event.
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Friday 15 April 2022.
It is safe to say that the female fronted WET LEG are the most hyped band of the year.
Will their debut album go straight in at Number 1 this weekend?
I saw them supporting at The Forum in Oct 2021.
Update - yes, it went straight in at number one.

Updated 16th April 2022 Permalink

Friday 16 April 2022

Thursday 15 April 2022.
SEA POWER live at The Roundhouse.
Indie-rockers are touring to promote their eighth studio album "Everything Was Forever".
In 2021 British Sea Power changed their name to Sea Power, to avoid connotations with “isolationist, antagonistic nationalism”.
In a statement on their website, they say the original name was borne of “the elementary power of the oceans”, along with a reference to British naval supremacy made with “wry humour. The idea of British sea power in the historical sense was an obsolete thing. It was now just the name of a rock band. Now, 20 years later, we’re recasting the name. In recent times there’s been a rise in a certain kind of nationalism in this world – an isolationist, antagonistic nationalism that we don’t want to run any risk of being confused with. It’s become apparent that it’s possible to misapprehend the name British Sea Power, particularly if someone isn’t familiar with the band or their recordings.”
Their biggest chart success came with 2008’s "Do You Like Rock Music?", which reached No 10 in the album chart and was nominated for the Mercury prize. They have toured with bands including the Killers, and have recorded four soundtracks – the most recent, for video game Disco Elysium, won a Bafta Game award in 2020 for best music.
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Space in the stalls and circle so maybe 2000 out of the 3000 capacity here tonight.
PENELOPE ISLES arrived on stage at 8pm for their 30 mins set.
They feature a brother and sister from Brighton who front the band.
They played some laid back tunes from their two albums.
SEA POWER arrived on stage at 9pm and play for 1 hour 50 mins.
In the past, Sea Power live shows have featured bear-suited mascots and copious onstage foliage. This time the tree branches are present and correct, but the bear head remains side of stage unused, while several fans down the front appear to have come equipped with hiking gear.
The first half of the set was more laid back with plenty of keyboards and cool trumpet.
The second half was top notch , as they played loads of great uptempo indie-rock gems,
including "Waving Flags", which got the crowd down the front jumping around.
A really good show.
Full SEA POWER setlist played tonight....
Machineries of Joy
It Ended on an Oily Stage
Lights Out for Darker Skies
Transmitter
Two Fingers
Fire Escape in the Sea
Cleaning Out the Rooms
We Only Want to Make You Happy
The Lonely
Green Goddess
Doppelgänger
Mongk II
No Lucifer
Folly
Bad Bohemian
Carrion / All in It
Encore:
Remember Me
Waving Flags
The Great Skua

Updated 15th April 2022 Permalink

Thursday 14 April 2022.

Wednesday 13 April 2022.
MADISON BEER live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
23 year old female singer-songwriter plays the second of two shows here at SBE on her European Tour.
Her debut album "Life Support" was released in 2021 on Epic Records.
It went to 28 in the UK charts and 65 in the Billboard Hot 100 charts in USA.
LEAH KATE - 28 year old American singer-songwriter is the support act.
-----------------
My security chums were telling me about the meet and greet before the show.
Because of positive covid in her team, Madison Beer requested that all the meet and greet fans
should wear a face covering to meet her...this included keeping it on when they had the photo with her.
Tonight is a full house, with maybe 90 per cent of the crowd being females under the age of 30.
LEAH KATE arrived on stage at 7.55pm for her 35 mins set.
The crowd know many of her songs.
A couple were great uptempo catchy pop rockers.
MADISON BEER arrived on stage at 9.05pm for her 70 mins set.
Following an alien abduction video sequence, Beer made a grand entrance inside a neon box pushed by her two female dancers, dressed in a ruffled black dress and black gloves.
There is a huge big screen across the back showing her videos and nice digital images.
There is no band, just backing tapes, but this crowd don't seem to worry about that.
Madison Beer is quite happy to show off her slender figure with two short skirt outfits.
Later on she went into Alice in Wonderland mode.
The songs seem to be about boys and relationships etc, that the fans all sing along to.
For the encore ticker-tape was fired over the stalls standing.
An enjoyable enough show.

Updated 14th April 2022 Permalink

Tuesday 12 April 2022.

Tuesday 12 April 2022.
3pm to 8pm
ICE LONDON 2022 at Excel, East London.
Bringing together solutions providers and Gaming professionals across all sectors of the global industry (12-14 April 2022), ICE London is your complete platform to explore the future of Gaming and drive revenues through invaluable meetings and networking opportunities.
ICE London is the Global Gaming Hub for all B2B industry experts. ICE London continues to be unrivalled as the leading gaming technology event for business growth, development and networking.
All forms of gaming are covered at ICE London, whether land-based or online. So if you are a decision maker within gaming looking for solutions, you can register your interest for ICE London 2022.
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Gaming companies from around the world are here, and there must be 5000 visitors a day at least.
All the big names from the Internet and the high street are here.
IMGARENA are here, putting the sport in sport betting.
PRONET GAMING are here - trusted - tailored - delivered.
Giants like CLARION GAMING and PLAYTECH are here.
DELASPORT - global igaming...Their amabassador is snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan.
PRAGMATICPLAY had a very impressive area.
BET365 had a small area , compared to how big there are.
The buzzy crowd are mainly male, and there are lots of promotions girls on many of the stands.
Many machines and games are interactive, and there is lots of colour and noise.
I can remember a few years ago when DEE SNIDER from TWISTED SISTER was on one
of the stands promoting a new game.
Many of the stands have their own full bar set up , with bar staff etc and a DJ.
Complimentary cocktails, different spirits, wines, lagers, Guinness, coffee all over the place.
Always worth making the trek here, from West London.
then
8.45pm to 12pm
ICE LONDON BABY PARTY at National History Museum, Kensington, London SW7.
This was a massive party as around 800 guests from earlier are here under the dinosaurs.
The main sponsors for the event were BETCONSTRUCT and DIGITAIN.
Complimentary Blue Margaritas (the colour of DIGITAIN logo), different spirits include JD & cokes,
wines, beers, bowl food and canapés....a DJ was playing tunes at one end.
We left at midnight ,when it was still very lively.....it was a 1am finish.
I overdid it a bit tonight, so was not really in the mood to do a review the following day.
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Monday 11 April 2022.
DEAD CAN DANCE live at Hammersmith Apollo.
Dead Can Dance play the second of two shows at this venue on their European Tour.
Eclectic classical/world music goth act who released records on 4AD throughout the 1980s.
They have released nine studio albums since 1984.
Should be interesting to see, as i have never seen them live before.
-----------------
Stalls seats tonight, but only 800 tix overall have been sold, and my security chum told me
the day before show on Sunday only sold 1600....still half empty.
The promoters should have only booked the one show, rather than two.
My security chum also mentioned the ERIC CANTONA interview /QnA a few years ago
at this venue when only 400 attended.
Bearing in mind this venue nearly holds 4000 when all seated.
I missed the support act and their 30 mins set.
DEAD CAN DANCE arrived on stage at 9pm and played for 1 hour 45 mins.
Most of the crowd look very arty looking.
Frontwoman Lisa Gerrard is the high priestess of global gothdom, her extraordinary alto resonating somewhere between opera diva and monastic mantras with her own vocal style.Her musical partner Brendan Perry is a more conventionally emotive vocalist with a plaintive baritone croon.
They were joined by Shetland singer/songwriter Astrid Williamson on keyboards and backing vocals and a number of impressively bearded gents on an orchestral array of percussion and woodwind. Even with this multi-instrumental line-up, such was the scope of their cultural references that some of their pan-global sound palette was sampled and played through synthesizers.
Their music has been used a lot in tv and film soundtracks, and you can see why.
I did have a funny feeling I wouldn't enjoy the show that much, as they are an aquired taste.
The crowd loved it , but overall it wasn't really my cup of tea.

Updated 12th April 2022 Permalink

Monday 11 April 2022.

Monday 11 April 2022.
Very sad news that another punk rock musician who I saw back in the day has passed away.
The singer with Aussie punk band The Saints CHRIS BAILEY has died aged 65.
Their single "I'm Stranded" was one of the first classic punk singles in 1976.
I saw them live a few times...
Ramones,Talking Heads,Saints Roundhouse. London 05.06.1977 fantastic triple band package
Ramones,Talking Heads,Saints Roundhouse. London 06.06.1977 met sid vicious at this show
Jam,Saints,Boys Hammersmith Odeon, London 24.07.1977
Saints,Sore Throat Marquee Club, London 31.11.1977
Saints Nashville Pub, London 05.02.1978
Saints Golden Lion, Fulham, London 08.05.1981
Saints Camden Dingwalls , London 29.10.1986 11pm show start .

Updated 11th April 2022 Permalink

Sunday 10 April 2022.

Sunday 10 April 2022.
Check out this Alanis Morissette classic with TAYLOR HAWKINS on drums on YouTube.
Alanis Morissette You Oughta Know (The Prince's Trust Masters Of Music 1996)
This is from a huge show at Hyde Park in 1996, in front of 100,000.
A few years later they would bring in the 65,000 capacity for all shows there.
I was there and saw Alanis Morissette at a London club show during that month.
Check out the mega line-up for that day.
Eric Clapton + The Who playing Quadrophenia + Bob Dylan + Alanis Morissette
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Saturday 09 April 2022...2pm to 4pm...
KINDRED - press showcase - Bradmore House, Queen Caroline Street, London W6.
This venue is directly opposite Hammersmith Apollo, on the central Broadway itself.
A new building that is open to the public on the ground floor, and upper floors are for members only.
We have complimentary drinks in the very nice contemporary surroundings.
Including rum cocktails, gin cocktails, Basket Press Wines and Two Tribes craft beer.
A DJ is playing tunes at one end, and there is a stage for when they have live music.
They have a special happy hour offer of two cocktails for £12 each day from 5pm to 6pm.
then
KILLING JOKE live at Hammersmith Apollo.
This is the last night of their UK tour.
Killing Joke bass player YOUTH has produced dozens of albums over the last 40 years.
I have seen Killing Joke several times since 1980, when I saw them twice supporting Joy Division.
BRIX SMITH is the special guest in London only.
Brix Smith used to be in indie band The Fall with her ex husband MARK E SMITH R.I.P.
THE IMBECILES support on all the UK shows.
-----------------
The stalls standing area is pretty full, but the circle is 75% unsold.
THE IMBESILES arrived on stage at 7.15pm for their 30 mins set.
This five piece band from New York played a good rockin' set , that features tracks from
their third (produced by Youth) album, that is released through Cadiz Music.
BRIX SMITH & band arrived on stage at 8pm for their 35 mins set.
Nice to see Brix Smith on stage, as she tried out her best Debbie Harry impersonations.
Some good tracks from her forthcoming album "Valley Of The Dolls" , in her short but sweet set.
Tracks played included "California Smile" and "Valley Girl".
The album tracks were co-written and produced by Youth.
KILLING JOKE arrived on stage at 9.05pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set.
Killing Joke current line-up has all four original members.
The show is being filmed for future use.
They open the show with two of their biggest tracks "Love Like Blood" and "Wardance".
The sound is very loud and brutal, but a bit muffled for most parts of the show.
There is minimum lighting , and a few tracks have uplighting on singer Jaz Colemans shamanic face.
A good show, but I felt the overall sound should have been a bit clearer.
Full Killing Joke setlist played tonight...
Love Like Blood
Wardance
The Fall of Because
I Am the Virus
Requiem
We Have Joy
Money Is Not Our God
This World Hell
Primitive
Turn to Red
Mathematics of Chaos
The Death and Resurrection Show
Total Invasion
Loose Cannon
The Wait
Pssyche
Encore:
The Pandys Are Coming
Change
Bloodsport
Pandemonium
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A big buzzing aftershow party in the circle bar for over 150 guests....a pay bar...
Nice to see a few friends here, including Richard England from Cadiz Music.
Killing Joke have released a couple of albums on Cadiz Music recently.
We actually had a live duo play here.
MERRY MCCLOUD played some pyschedelic folk songs with a guitarist.
Her album "The False Bride" was produced by Youth and is out on his Surija record label.
I had a quick chat with YOUTH and told him I was at Killing Joke/Joy Division shows at
The Lyceum in London and The Town Hall High Wycombe back in 1980 and he told me
he got arrested after the gig in High Wycombe.

Updated 10th April 2022 Permalink

Saturday 09 April 2022.

Friday 08 April 2022.
DR JOHN COOPER CLARKE live at Hammersmith Apollo.
Punk rock poet plays a massive London show as part of his UK tour.
I saw him headline the Palladium a few years ago, and here are shows i saw him back in the day.
Be Bop Deluxe,John Cooper Clarke Hammersmith Odeon, London 26.02.1978
Buzzcocks,John Cooper Clarke,Slits Lyceum Theatre, London 10.03.1978
Elvis Costello,Richard Hell,John Cooper Clarke Hammersmith Palais, London 30.01.1979
Siouxsie And The Banshees,John Cooper Clarke Hammersmith Odeon , London 25.08.1981
Great double bill.
Siouxsie And The Banshees,John Cooper Clarke Hammersmith Odeon , London 03.09.1981
Souixsie back at Hammersmith Odeon a fortnight later by public demand.
Ian Dury,John Cooper Clarke Hammersmith Odeon , London 30.03.1984
JCC brought out his autobiography in 2020.
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The stalls seating area is pretty full, but in the circle it is 75 % unsold.
The support slot was actually three poets on the bounce with a JCC gritty humourous vibe to them.
They were introduced by former road manager of The Clash , Johnny Green who now looks after JCC.
1. Clare Ferguson-Walker - Swansea poet for 15 mins.
Joked on how she spent six hours on a National Express coach to get here.
2. Mike Parry - Manchester poet for 20 mins.
Did a great tribute poem to Tony Wilson and all things Manchester.
3. Luke Wright - East Anglican poet for 20 mins.
His opening poem was a perfect tribute to JCC as it was all in his style.
It was about how Luke was driving JCC from Colchester to Salisbury.
JCC kept putting his new cowboy boots from America on the dashboard to admire them.
Luke asked him "do you fancy a walk around Salisbury before the show?".
John said "No, take me to the stage door, as I can't actually walk in these boots".
Hence Lukes top notch poem "These Boots Weren't Made For Walking".
DR JOHN COOPER CLARKE arrived on stage at 9.20pm for his 75 mins set.
Lots of younger folks here as well as the oldies who remember him from 40 years ago.
When The Arctic Monkeys covered his poem "I Wanna Be Yours" , younger fans got on board.
Some words from it are ..."Let me be your vacuum cleaner, breathing in your dust.
Let me be your Ford Cortina , I will never rust"...magic.
Like John Otway last week, JCC seems to tick along ok just doing his own thing.
Now aged 73, John is still super slim as ever,and still sporting his trademark shades.
His set is a mix of his poems and surreal comedy banter between them.
A very enjoyable show.
Full JCC setlist played tonight....
Hire Car
Get Back On Drugs You Fat Fuck
The Luckiest Guy Alive
Bedblocker Blues
PC Gone Mad
Kamarad Klaak
Solid Gold Geezer
Beasley Street
Beasley Boulevard
I've Fallen In Love With My Wife
Evidently Chickentown
Encore :
Twat
I Wanna Be Yours
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Some faces here i spotted at JCC tonight were...
Stephen Webster - cool jewellery designer
Diane Morgan - actress in that great tv comedy Mandy and many more
Shaun Keaveny - BBC 6 Music dj
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08 April 1977 ---- 45 years ago today the stunning debut album by THE CLASH was released.
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Happy Birthday to fashion Icon VIVIENNE WESTWOOD who is 81 today.

Updated 9th April 2022 Permalink

Thursday 07 April 2022.

Thursday 07 April 2022...11.45am to 3.30pm...
THE LORD MAYOR'S PLATINUM JUBILEE BIG CURRY at The Guildhall, London EC2.
This huge historic building dates back to 1440.
A massive event as there must be 700 or 800 older folks here, with most paying £100 to be here.
The event raises monies to support all members of her majesty's armed forces.
There are many different military here, all dressed up in full uniform.
PRINCESS EUGENIE and PRINCESS BEATRICE were at the VIP drinks reception.
The sit down curry buffet included Tandoori Chicken with Tikka Masala Gravy, Prawn Mango Masala,
along with various sides...dessert was Mango Kulfi...
Complimentary wines, Cobra beers and coffees n chocolates for all the time spent here.
There was a silent auction ,which featured 50 nice items...and a prize draw.
All guests got a goodie bag with a few items inside.
A really nice event.
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News from THE LONDON BOOK FAIR.
Blondie co-founder CHRIS STEIN has sold his first memoir, Under A Rock, to Corsair, exploring the history of the band and the bond between Stein and leader singer Debbie Harry.
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JOHN LYDON is still not happy about the upcoming documentary...
Pistol Trailer
We were originally led to believe “Pistol" was a Steve Jones story, not a Sex Pistols story. Going by the trailer it doesn't seem to be the case. John’s “likeness” is clearly being used to sell this series, a series he was not involved in, and was put together behind his back. Putting words in John's mouth and rewriting history. A middle class fantasy.
Disney have stolen the past and created a fairytale, which bears little resemblance to the truth.
It would be funny if it wasn't tragic.
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Wednesday 06 April 2022.
JAKE BUGG live at The Forum.
Jake is playing a UK tour to support his 5th album release "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning".
Jake has gone off the radar a bit after the number one chart success of his debut album in 2012.
Back then he was touted as the next Noel Gallagher.
This show has been downsized from the much bigger Brixton Academy.
This the last night of his UK tour to promote the new album.
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It is not sold out tonight, but it looks pretty full.
LUKE ROYALTY & band arrived on stage at 7.20pm for their good 25 mins set.
VISTAS arrived on stage at 8pm for their really good 30 mins set.
Scottish indie-rockers played some great catchy tunes from their two Top 40 UK albums.
They had a very nifty guitarist, and i must see them again.
Vistas sound along the lines of Arctic Monkeys/ The Strokes/ Franz Ferdinand.
JAKE BUGG & band arrived on stage at 9pm for their 95 mins set.
He plays in front of a very impressive huge wall of lights.
Lots of moshing around in front stalls standing, and a few pints are being thrown up in the air.
Jake Bugg has that very intriguing unique voice as he played several tracks from the new album.
Plenty of uptempo indie-rock goodies and a couple of slower acoustic tracks.
Highlights included his two Top 40 hits "Two Fingers" and "Lightning Bolt" along with superb
final song "All I Need" where he was joined by Joy who provided some powerful vocals.
He whizzed through loads of songs in a really good set.
Full JAKE BUGG setlist played tonight....
Intro songs Champagne Supernova (Oasis) Be Someone (Camelphat vs Jake Bugg)
Lost
Kiss Like the Sun
Slumville Sunrise
Burn Alone
Downtown
Seen It All
About Last Night
Scene
Screaming
Saviours of the City
Simple as This
Two Fingers
Man On Stage
Habits
Maybe It’s Today
Broken (solo)
Lonely Hours
Seventh Bridge Road
Lightning Bolt
Simple Pleasures
What Doesn't Kill You
Hold Tight
All I Need (with Joy)

Updated 7th April 2022 Permalink

Wednesday 06 April 2022.

Tuesday 05 April 2022....I went to three events today...
3.30pm to 6.30pm...
THE LONDON BOOK FAIR returns to Olympia, Kensington, London.
This was the first of the three days of this event.
Ex Spandau Ballet TONY HADLEY was there on Wednesday to promote his autobiography.
The first in-person edition of The London Book Fair since 2019 is set to be an international affair with attendees from the US and Canada, large country pavilions from France, Germany and Italy (to name a few!), and confirmations from the Big Four UK publishers.
Exhibitors from all sectors of the publishing world are set to be showcasing here.
Half of Olympia has been flattened to make way for the new live music venue that opens
in a couple of years, which looks great from the photos i have seen.
Some people say "people don't read books anymore", but judging by the huge amount of stands and
people here, it's safe to say hard copy books are as popular as ever.
Lots of music books around, but sadly no musicians here to promote them.
It is the opening day so many stands are having complimentary drinks events for an hour or so.
SPOTLIGHT CATALAN PUBLICATIONS - wines, Peroni beers and canapés.
BATSFORD BOOKS - prosecco, wines, pale ale and snacks.
ITALIAN PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION - wines, beers and canapés.
then
6.30pm to 8.30pm
THE LONDON BOOK FAIR afterparty at The Hand & Flowers Pub, opposite Olympia.
This party was hosted by publishing agents Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
Around 100 guests here , and it is a full complimentary bar, so time for some Jack Daniels & cokes
Pints of Guinness and some canapés.
then
9pm
PSYCHEDELIC FURS + Jah Wobble & The Invaders of the Heart play The Royal Albert Hall.
A bigger than usual show for them as I saw their recent shows at Royal Festival Hall (2018),
The Forum , The Roundhouse (both 2019) so RAH is twice the size ,so the venue is bound to be not full.
The Furs are playing a UK tour to support their 2020 album "Made Of Rain".
In December 2020 it was voted Best Album of 2020 by Vive Le Rock magazine.
40 years since their excellent second album "Talk Talk Talk " was released in 1981.
On 25 June 2021 they also released a 2 CD 29 track with booklet "Best Of " album.
I have seen The Furs over a dozen times since 1979, when they were a support band.
Jah Wobble was the bass player in the first Public Image Limited line-up, over 40 years ago.
I went to the first ever show by PIL - at The Rainbow Theatre, London - 25 Dec 1978.
A nice third band have been added to open the evening...WASTED YOUTH.
They have reformed this year after 40 years away.
The surviving members of Wasted Youth (Ken, Rocco and Nick) will be in the line-up
I saw them five times in 1980 and 1981.
Wasted Youth,Last Gang Fulham Greyhound Pub, London 31.03.1980
Only Ones,Athletico Spizz 80,Wasted Youth Electric Ballroom, London 10.05.1980
Wasted Youth Fulham Greyhound Pub, London 06.07.1980
Wasted Youth Bridgehouse , London E 25.08.1980
Classix Nouveaux,Wasted Youth,Our Daughers Wedding Hammersmith Palais , London 15.06.1981
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I ended up missing both the support acts, as i was at the Olympia drinks event earlier.
As expected the circle upstairs is 90% unsold.
I bumped into several friends in the interval before the Furs came on stage.
Despite a planned stage time of 9.30pm , they did not come on stage until 9.45pm.
This meant that their 95 mins set finished at a curfew busting 11.20pm.
BOBBY GILLESPIE from Primal Scream was sitting a couple of rows in front of me, left of stage.
When you’ve waited nearly 30 years to make a record, what’s a two-year delay in touring it? Such is the fate of the Psychedelic Furs, who in 2020 released "Made of Rain", their first album since 1991, only to find the gigs to promote it stymied by the first Covid lockdown.
“Sorry about all the cancellations we’ve had! singer Richard Butler sighed.
The 65-year-old Butler is still a fantastic showman, all bows, feints , hand gestures and
cross-legged crouches.
The vocalist remains an elegant stick insect, a tremendously compelling old-school frontman
possessed of a winningly imperious swagger.
It was pretty much three quarters a greatest hits set and a few tracks from the recent album.
The six-piece band featured their fab sax player, who had many highlights during the show.
They really have got loads of great songs, and a few more were left out to make way for the new stuff.
An excellent show.
Full Psychedelic Furs setlist played tonight....
Highwire Days
Dumb Waiters
You'll Be Mine
Mr. Jones
Wrong Train
The Ghost In You (dedicated to Jordan R.I.P.)
The Boy That Invented Rock & Roll
No‐One
Pretty in Pink
Don't Believe
Love My Way
Ash Wednesday
President Gas
This'll Never Be Like Love
Heaven (floor seats up and dancing from here)
Heartbreak Beat
Encore:
Sister Europe
India

Updated 6th April 2022 Permalink