Wednesday 31 December 2025.

Wednesday 31 December 2025...HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY.... LONDON NEW YEARS EVE FIREWORKS DISPLAY along The River Thames. Entry to the annual spectacle for Londoners remains at £20 and £35, depending on the viewing area. Tickets for people who live outside the capital will be £40 and £55, an increase of 10 per cent from last year. Why have legitimate ticket prices gone up this year? The price attendees pay depends on their viewing spot and if they live inside or outside the capital. City Hall has said this is to help cover the increasing costs across the events industry. Over 100,000 people line the banks of the River Thames every New Year's Eve to take in the world-famous display. The city's skies will light up in colour as Big Ben chimes in 2026 I have been there the last few years , and will be up there again this year. The last few years have been pretty mild but looks like much colder this year. Usually a DJ playing tunes before midnight , and fireworks for 10 to 12 mins at midnight. -------------- A great atmosphere down by the river, with people everywhere. All the bars , pubs and venues nearby are buzzing. We popped into a couple of bars for drinks , then 10pm to 12.30pm we were in the Red Zone for the fireworks. I am fully layered up for the cold evening. Always great to see the buildings along The River Thames all lit up. The boats and disco boat charters and yachts all get in a nice position. The DJ played tunes before and after the fireworks . The excellent fireworks display at midnight lasted for around 12 mins. There were other fireworks displays going off nearby at the same time . ------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Monday 29 December 2025. Look at these four mega gigs I went to in the gap between Christmas Day and New Years Day back on 1979 . Charity Concerts for Kampuchea . Queen Hammersmith Odeon, London 26.12.1979 Ian Dury And The Blockheads, The Clash, Mutumbi Hammersmith Odeon, London 27.12.1979 The Who,Specials,Pretenders Hammersmith Odeon, London 28.12.1979 Wings,Elvis Costello,Rockpile Hammersmith Odeon, London 29.12.1979 ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- Saturday 27 December 2025. PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED (PiL) live at The Forum. I have seen them live around 20 times. At various London venues , and a few outside of London . I saw PiL debut show at The Rainbow, North London on 25 Dec 1978. Yes... It was actually on Christmas Day. Support comes from THE DUALERS , who are popular in their own right. They return to headline Indigo at The 02 Arena complex in November 2026. -------------- Not sold out tonight , and maybe just 1200 tickets sold. PAUL WHITEHOUSE and ALAN McGEE are here . I am second row of the balcony with a nice seated view. THE DUALERS arrived on stage at 8.05pm for their 40 mins set. They are an eight piece ska and reggae band of black and white members . A great lively sound , including sax and trombone , reminded me of The Specials . They ended with ' Monkey Man' which The Specials also covered. A really good show , and i look forward to seeing a headline show to their own crowd. PiL arrived on stage at 9.15pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set. My first time seeing their new band logo , and new drummer . It is the first night of their Winter Tour , but still sound fantastic . The guitar sound that Lu makes is pretty incredible. John is on top form , even though he says he has new contact lenses fitted . A superb wall of sound noise. An excellent show . Full PiL setlist played tonight... Religion II Home Know Now Corporate World Destruction (Time Zone cover) This Is Not a Love Song Poptones Death Disco Corporate Warrior Shoom Encore 1 : FAG BREAK Public Image Open Up (Leftfield cover) Rise Encore 2 : FAG BREAK Annalisa Attack Chant -------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Saturday 27 December 2025. Happy Birthday to JANET STREET PORTER who is 79 today. She did some of the earliest TV interviews with The Sex Pistols in 1976, and a bit later when John Lydon formed Public Image Limited. See my Facebook page for a nice photo of us together

Posted 27th December 2025