News and Reviews: 5th May 2017
Wednesday 03 May 2017...I went to two events tonight...6pm to 8pm
JACKIE COLLINS - estate auction private view - Bonhams,101 New Bond Street,London W1.
Jackie Collins OBE who died in Sept 2015 aged 77 was an English romance novelist. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s and spent most of her career there. She wrote 32 novels, all of which appeared on The New York Times bestsellers list. In total, her books have sold over 500 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages.Eight of her novels have been adapted for the screen, either as films or television miniseries. She was the younger sister of Dame Joan Collins.
Over 200 guests here at this auction house space including her sister Dame Joan Collins.
Also Christopher Biggins, Shakira Caine,Nancy Dell'Olio,Nicky Haslam,Melanie Sykes,
Michael Brandon,Glynis Barber,Katy Kass,Tara Newley,Jonathan Shalit,
Mark Francis Vandelli,Andrew Pierce,Eve Pollard and others.
On display are paintings,jewellery,watches etc from her Beverley Hills mansion.
The main auction will be held at Bonhams,Los Angeles on May 16 and 17.
Got a couple of Jackie Collins books in the goodie bag on departure.
Complimentary Pol Roger champers and canapés for all the guests here.
www.bonhams.com
Visit the Bonhams website here for more info.
then
BLONDIE live at The Roundhouse ,London NW1...sold out...
Blondie play a special one-off show to launch their studio album 'Pollinator' which comes out 05 May.
It features collaborations with Johnny Marr and Charli XCX.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has been saying Debbie Harry is feeling that this could be their last ever tour.
I have seen Blondie around 20 times since 1977 when they supported Television at Hammersmith Odeon.
I have also seen Deborah Harry solo a few times headlining Hammersmith Odeon ,Royal Festival Hall
and The Jazz Cafe when Blondie split up.
A pop-up shop in Camden Market will be selling official Blondie merchandise from April 29.
Blondie return in the summer to support Phil Collins in Hyde Park on Friday 30 June 2017.
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I get to my balcony seat and look around the venue which is totally rammed.
Don't think i have ever seen this venue so packed.
BLONDIE arrive on stage at 8.50pm and play for around 85 mins.
There is a nice big screen showing some arty images.
Debbie Harry is still looking cool at age 71 and for the first four songs she is wearing an oversized
shirt that says "STOP FUCKING THE PLANET".
The new album tracks mix in well with loads of Blondie classics played tonight.
Drummer Clem Burke is visually great to watch as always.
A great show and hopefully they will be back in the UK later in the year for a full tour.
Full setlist played tonight...
One Way or Another
Hanging on the Telephone (The Nerves cover)
Fun
Call Me
My Monster
In the Flesh
Rapture / "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" by the Beastie Boys)
Fragments
Long Time
Atomic
Gravity
Heart of Glass
Encore:
Maria
Too Much
Dreaming
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10.20pm to 11.45pm
Aftershow party in the balcony bar.
A big crowd of over 100 guests i reckon....pay bar...
Did not see Debbie Harry or Chris Stein here as they probably stayed backstage.
Drummer Clem Burke and other band members were here.
Other folks here included John Giddings (Blondie booking agent) ,Alan Edwards (Blondie pr),
Steve English (security at The Roundhouse in the 1970s punk heyday ),
Patti Palladin, Brix Smith, Jeni Cook (wife of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook),
Mark Jones ( Wall of Sound records),guitarist James Stevenson,Jen(singer with The Priscilla's).
Also here was fashionista Daniel Lismore who the previous night was at an event in London
and got Jo Wood to write the word "C***" on his arm and then got a photo taken with politician
Nigel Farage with his arm and fingers pointing at him...see the picture in Wednesdays Standard paper...
Tuesday 02 May 2017.
SHAKIN' STEVENS + DANNI NICHOLLS live at Shepherds Bush Empire,London.
Shaky is on a massive 34 date UK tour in April/May to promote his recent album 'Echoes Of Our Times’.
I saw Shaky , now aged 69 , several times at Hammersmith Odeon in his 1980s heyday.
For shows in the mid 1980s the local council were worried about Shaky hysteria and insisted on extra security.
When i worked on security through the 1980s at Hammersmith Odeon which act needed most security?
Motörhead?, David Bowie? ,Iron Maiden?, Duran Duran?....none of those as it was Shakin Stevens.
The funny thing was there was not enough security working in the team so we were asked to get girlfriends,
wives and sisters along to make the numbers up and they did security upstairs.
In the UK alone, Stevens has charted 33 Top 40 hit singles including four chart-topping hits "This Ole House", "Green Door", "Oh Julie", and "Merry Christmas Everyone"; his last Top 40 single was "Trouble" in 2005 apart from his Christmas song, which has re-entered the UK Top 40 chart each December since 2007.
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DANNI NICHOLLS arrived on stage at 7.30pm and played for around 30 mins.
Some nice Americana style tunes from her new album 'Mockingbird Lane'.
Shaky still gets a mix of older and younger fans with a few in vintage rock n roll type clothing.
SHAKIN' STEVENS arrived on stage at 8.05pm and was on stage for 1 hour 40 mins over
two sets 45 mins and 55 mins.
Shaky looks great for age 69 as he strolls on stage to big cheers and screams.
Shaky fronts a full band with 10 people on stage including two female backing singers.
We have a big screen showing some stylish pre-recorded images.
For some reason the stalls is all seated but you can see quite a few are twitching to dance and
they stand at the sides to have a boogie.
By track four Shaky has been given some flowers by a female fan and he still gets a few female screams
when he does his rock n roll dance shuffle.
The setlist is a nice mix of a few new album tracks with lots of hits from his heyday period.
The second set had most of the hits including a great re-working of his big hit 'This Ole House'
with lots of delicious slide guitar.
For the last 30 mins from 'Marie,Marie' onwards the crowd rushed to the front of the stage.
An enjoyable show.
Full setlist played tonight....
FIRST SET
Down In The Hole
Echoes of Our Times
How Could It Be Like That
Turning Away
To Spread The Word
Behind Those Secrets and Lies
You Never Talked About Me
Hot Dog (Corky Jones cover)
Don't Lie to Me
One Way Out
It's My Own Business (Chuck Berry cover)
So Long Baby Goodbye
SECOND SET
Now Listen
Down Into Muddy Water
Have You Ever Seen The Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
Radio
Suffer Little Children
The Fire In Her Blood
This Ole House (Stuart Hamblen cover) (new version)
Marie, Marie (The Blasters cover)
Lipstick, Powder and Paint (Big Joe Turner cover)
Train of Time
Last Man Alive
ENCORE
Love The World
Green Door (Jim Lowe cover)
Fire Down Below
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10.15pm to 11.15pm...Aftershow drinks in the Level 1 bar.
Around 30 guests are here including Shaky who very friendly and chatty to everyone.
I tell him about the story above where we needed more security for him when he played
Hammersmith Odeon in the 1980s than any other band.
He said ' I must remember that as I never as knew as it was such a busy period back then'.
Also here was the support act Danni Nicholls and Sir Tim Rice.
Also here was Paul Sexton who has done many great BBC 2 Radio music specials.
We were all given copy of the new Shaky album which was nice.
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A testament to his popularity is that Shaky has left the stage an hour ago but there are still 40 hardcore fans
waiting for Shaky by the backstage entrance when I departed the venue.
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www.shakinstevens.com
Visit his website here for more info including full tour dates.
Tuesday 02 May 2017.
Canadian singer and musician Bryan Adams is composing the music for a stage adaptation of the
much-loved romantic comedy Pretty Woman.
It will open on Broadway in 2018 and then The West End in London the following year.
Tuesday 02 May 2017.
The Sex Pistols are number five in best selling Record Store Day albums of 2017.
TITLE ARTIST
1 CRACKED ACTOR (LIVE IN LOS ANGELES 74) - DAVID BOWIE
2 BOWPROMO - DAVID BOWIE
3 GREATEST HITS - THE CURE
4 HAMMERSMITH ODEON LONDON '75 - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & E ST BAND
5 GOD SAVE SEX PISTOLS - SEX PISTOLS
Monday 01 May 2017.
MICK JAGGER has paid tribute to his late girlfriend L’Wren Scott on what would have
been her 53rd birthday on Friday.
The fashion designer was found dead in her New York City apartment on 17 March, 2014
after committing suicide.
The Rolling Stones frontman, who was in a relationship with L’Wren from 2001 until her death, takes to his rarely-used Instagram account every year to remember her on her birthday and he continued the tradition on Friday.
Monday 01 May 2017.
Tonight KISS play the opening show of their European Tour in Moscow,Russia.
I will be seeing them play live at the end of May.
Saturday 29 April 2017.
Boxing Megaclash---Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko --- Wembley Stadium.
- IBF, IBO & WBA Super Heavyweight Championships of the World.
A staggering 90,000 boxing fans sell out Wembley Stadium.
Over 140 countries around the world showing the fight live.
Both boxers will get a payday of between £10 million to £15 million each.
This is a bigger crowd than the gigs played here as for boxing there can sell seats on the pitch as
it is in the round and there is no end closed off for a bands stage production.
Anthony Joshua has retained his IBF world heavyweight title and won the vacant WBA and IBO belts by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in a pulsating, tospy-turvy fight in front of the biggest boxing audience in the UK for almost 80 years.
Joshua had to get off the canvas to do it after being knocked down in the sixth by the 41-year-old former champion and for a long troubling spell afterwards he looked on the brink of imminent defeat as he wobbled and clung on without counter-punching.
I watched it on the big screen.
It certainly did live up to the pre-fight hype.
Rounds 5 and 6 were pretty incredible.
Despite being aged 41, Klitschko looked in superb condition the longer the fight went on
until Joshua caught him in the 11th round and the fight was stopped.
A great fight.
Friday 28 April 2017.
SAM BAILEY + Niki Loy + Hollie Aires live at The Beck Theatre,Hayes,Middlesex.
Sam Bailey was the X Factor winner from 2013.
She had a number single and album on the back of it.
Her recent album 'Sing My Heart Out' reached number 33 last year.
Sam worked professionally as a singer before appearing on The X Factor.
Prior to auditioning for The X Factor, she worked as a prison officer at HM Prison Gartree
near Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
Obviously X Factor is a mainly a naff load of old tosh but Sam Bailey was in her mid 30s when she won
and beat off all of the much younger opposition.
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Hollie Aires arrived on stage at 7.30pm and was on for 20 mins.
She started with a cover of 'Torn' then played some of her own songs.
Niki Loy arrived on stage at 7.50pm and was on for 30 mins.
Another female with an acoustic guitar who played songs from her album.
SAM BAILEY took to the stage at 8.45pm and played for a lengthy 1 hour 55 mins.
Sam had a full band including three great backing vocals ( 2 female & 1 male).
The crowd is pretty much 75% middle aged females.
Sam has a fantastic Whitney Houston type voice and a stage personality to match.
Sam admits to being a bit of a Tom Boy whose first love in life was football. She played professionally
for a number of clubs including Millwall Lionesses, West Ham, Crystal Palace and London Women.
Sam sung some of the songs she performed on X Factor as well as solo material and superb covers of
'(Something Inside) So Strong ' and 'The Living Years'.
Sam had plenty of entertaining stage banter where she she said 'I can't reach the high notes unless I open
my legs ' and gave us a demonstration and also how badly she walks in high heels with
another demonstration.
Also she mentioned she only entered X Factor because a girl she knew got £50 extra at her
pub gigs because she had been on X Factor and her gig poster could say 'as seen on X Factor'.
She thanked Simon Cowell for giving her a house extension and AstroTurf.
She said ' I am just a normal bird who sang in pubs then won X Factor'.
This should have been just a pretty average gig but it was surprisingly really good and very entertaining.
Full setlist played tonight...
Somebody Else's Guy (Jocelyn Brown cover)
I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt cover)
Echo
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (Barbra Streisand cover)
No Greater Love
No Tomorrow
Sun Above the Clouds
Sam Bailey plays the drums
Dirty Laundry (Don Henley cover)
Clown (Emeli Sandé cover)
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Henry Krieger cover)
Take It Out On the Dancefloor
(Something Inside) So Strong (Labi Siffre cover)
Never Again
The Living Years (Mike + The Mechanics cover)
Sing My Heart Out
Encore:
Medley of covers with Sam and backing vocalists taking it it turn to sing.
Alone / Right Here Waiting / Take My Breath Away / China in Your Hand / After All That We've Been Through
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (Starship cover)
Note: Sam was joined by a 25 piece Rock Choir for last four songs of the main set
Thursday 27 April 2017.
GUTTERDAMMERUNG + STEAK NUMBER EIGHT live at The Palladium,London.
A special one off film screening with a live band at The Palladium.
The loud and dark fairytale Gutterdämmerung is a rock ‘n’ roll / film / gig concept from the mind of Belgian-Swedish visual artist Bjorn Tagemose. Gutterdämmerung is part rock show part immersive cinema experience featuring some of the biggest rock names on the planet including Grace Jones, Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, Eagles Of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes, Motörhead’s Lemmy, Tom Araya, Mark Lanegan, Volbeat, Queens of the Stone Age’s Joshua Homme, Justice, Nina Hagen and Slash.
Much in the tradition of classic movies of 1920’s Hollywood, the film is mostly silent but instead of a lone piano a live rock band express the emotions and action whilst special effects from the film explode to life all around the audience. Think of a deafening rock ‘n’ roll version of Secret Cinema taking place in hell and you might just begin to have an idea of what Gutterdämmerung is.
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We have front row royal circle seats in the guest/press block in the middle of the royal circle.
The support band STEAK NUMBER EIGHT arrive on stage at 7.30pm and play for 30 mins.
Steak Number Eight are a post-metal/sludge metal band based in Belgium.
They were much better than expected as they played crunching heavy metal riffs with mainly instrumental
based songs and a singer who jumped in the crowd during the final song.
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After the interval we get the film on the big screen along with the band and it lasted around 90 mins.
The band play live behind the screen,sometimes hidden and sometimes you can see them due to lighting
and sometimes they venture out in front of the screen...except the drummer of course.
The plot and storyline is a bit bonkers as expected.
It is pretty much a "Heaven vs. Hell" story.
Iggy is a spoilt angel who didn’t get into heaven because God doesn’t trust him and, instead, gives him a guitar.
In his defiance, Iggy throws the guitar down to earth as he doesn’t agree with rock’n’roll being taken away
from the planet and everything becoming peaceful.
Rollins, meanwhile, is an evil priest chasing down a couple who discover the guitar in the desert, while Lemmy is a general who leads the rock’n’roll army and Josh Homme plays his bazooka-toting henchman. He has a bazooka which is called Death Dominion. Meanwhile Grace Jones is the gatekeeper of purgatory. Imagine her like Cleopatra in a big chair with either giving a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Every time a rock legend appears on screen ,big cheers come ring out loud from the crowd.
The band do a great job on the songs especially on a couple of Black Sabbath classics.
Also pukka versions of Ted Nugent 'Motor City Madhouse' and Motorhead 'Ace of Spades'.
An enjoyable evening.
Thursday 27 April 2017.
Happy Birthday to ex KISS guitar legend Ace Frehley who is 66 today.
Wednesday 26 April 2017...8.30pm to 5am...
THE NED - launch party - 27 Poultry,Bank,London EC2.
Hotly anticipated five star luxury hotel from Soho House finally opens with a stunning lavish party.
The transformation of London’s former Midland Bank into one of the city’s most spectacular heritage hotels.
London-born Soho House & Co has partnered with US Sydell Group (behind boutique properties such as The NoMad in New York and The Line in Los Angeles) to create a 252-room hotel and members’ club in The City.
The advance press had mentioned 'this will be the biggest opening event of the year in London'.
Quite a big statement but this venue really was the full monty and has the wow factor.
A massive crowd of around 1500 guests here and there are 800 staff waiting on us tonight
The main room on the ground level which is enormous is split up into different restaurants to suit all tastes.
A-listers Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Eddie Redmayne joined names from the worlds of fashion, art and music.
Also Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Alexandra Shulman, Poppy Delevingne, David Walliams, Jemima Khan, Tracey Emin ,Claudia Winkleman ,Idris Elba,Sophie Ellis-Bextor,
George Lamb,Angus Deayton,Chris Moyles,Nick Grimshaw,Ozwald Boateng,Pam Hogg,
Sadie Frost ,Gary Powell (The Libertines drummer),Sinitta.
Different levels including a roof top bar and swimming pool on the 9th floor.
During dinner there was a jazz band and orchestra in the background.
The host tonight on stage introducing the acts was comedian JACK WHITEHALL.
From around 11pm we had short 15 mins sets from some big names who were backed by the in-house orchestra.
GARETH MALONE and a 100 piece choir sang a medley of tracks including 'Hey Jude'.
Pretty amazing as half the choir were on stage and the other half spread around the floor area.
TINIE TEMPAH played three of his biggest tunes including 'Pass Out'.
PALOMA FAITH played her first gig tonight since giving birth.
Her three songs included my fave track of hers 'Can't Rely On You'.
GARY BARLOW played three tracks including a pair of Take That hits.
We then had a female singer sing James Bond theme tunes and the orchestra played tv theme tunes.
When it was a bank the vault was used in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger.
The last couple of hours were spent in the basement Vault bar which had a dj and got very lively.
Respect to Gareth Malone as he was still here at 4.30am...but maybe they gave him a room upstairs.
Most had departed by 3am but there were a couple of hundred here until the end.
Lots of complimentary drinks and food all night including Perrier Jouet champers,different cocktails,
JD n cokes,wines,beers...and we sat down for a three course dinner in the Japanese/Asian restaurant
area and there were lots of other food throughout the evening.
A totally mega party.
www.thened.com
Visit THE NED website here for more info.
Wednesday 26 April 2017.
This day in 1976 I saw AC/DC play for the first time at The Nashville Pub,West Kensington.
This was only their third ever gig in the UK.
In 1976 I would see AC/DC 10 times in the one year.
They played a staggering 25 shows in London that year and got popular very quickly.
Pub gigs at the start of the year and later i saw them play Hammersmith Odeon in Nov 1976.
Tuesday 25 April 2017... I went to two events today...
THE ROXY - blue plaque unveiling and gallery private view - Neal Street,London WC2....2.30pm to 6.30pm...
The Legendary 'Roxy' punk club that was in Covent Garden gets some deserved recognition.
It was London's first club dedicated to punk.
The Sex Pistols never played there but The Clash,The Buzzcocks ,The Damned and many others did.
On Tuesday 25 April at 3pm, the ROXY plaque will be unveiled at 41-43 Neal Street by a series of special guests, which will then be followed, on Wednesday 26 April, by a two-week free exhibition open to the public at 35-37 Neal Street.
The ‘Fear and Loathing at the ROXY’ exhibition, curated by artist and historian Jane Palm-Gold, will showcase iconic moments of the ROXY club through a series of photographs and historic club posters from Derek Ridgers, Jeremy Gibbs, Rebecca Hale and more.
Exhibition runs daily from Wednesday 26th April - Wednesday 10th May - 11am - 7pm - Free entry
I went to five gigs at The Roxy Club in early 1977...it was only open for a couple of years.
The main period was the first four months of 1977 when Andrew and Susan were running it.
The venue changed hands when they could not work with the then landlord.
The creatives of the ROXY, including Andrew Czezowski and his partner Susan Carrington, have recently launched the world’s first duography book earlier this year based on their personal experiences and memories of the infamous club including over 100 rare and previously unseen personal archive photos, flyers, artwork, media clippings and quotes.
Damned,Boys - Roxy Club. London 17.01.1977 ---- first gig I went to at this punk club
Damned,Rejects - Roxy Club. London 31.01.1977 ---- Damned played five mondays at roxy club
Damned,Johnny Moped - Roxy Club. London 21.02.1977
Johnny Thunders Heartbreakers,Siouxsie And The Banshees - Roxy Club. London 02.03.1977
Cherry Vanillas Police,Chelsea - Roxy Club. London 03.03.1977
Today the site is the flagship store for the swimwear brand Speedo.
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I arrive in Neal Street at 2.30pm.
It is a bit different to 40 years ago as there are trendy stores and tourists everywhere.
Gradually folks arrive and there must over 200 in the street by the unveiling time of 3pm.
Great to see so many old punk rock mates and punk band members here.
At 3pm Andy and Susan who ran the club in early 1977 make speeches and an old guy who
i presume was from The Seven Dials Trust or Heritage Trust makes speeches and the unveiling
happens to big cheers from the crowd below.
We had a punk poetry reading of 'An Ode to The Roxy Club'.
Then 3.30pm to 6.30pm is the drinks reception and private view at the gallery nearby.
It is over two floors with repro posters and flyers (originals are worth many £££).
I particularly liked the gig list of all the gigs that happened there.
Folks here included Jordan,Peter Perret (The Only Ones),Pauline Murray (Penetration),
Jock McDonald (The Bollock Brothers),Gaye Advert (The Adverts),Marco Pirroni (Adam & The Ants),
Alan Edwards who was pr for many of the punk bands including The Stranglers back in the day and
is now one of the main music pr in London by looking after David Bowie and many more.
Tessa Pollitt(The Slits),Andy Blade (Eater) and other members of Eater,
Eugene Butcher (Vive Le Rock mag) - check his Facebook for videos and comments,
Photographer Ray Stevenson who took many iconic punk photos in the 1970s,
Members of The Rejects,Richard England (Cadiz Music),Tony Holton,
Shanne Bradley from The Nipple Erectors,
Steve Diggle (The Buzzcocks) turned up late after 5pm.
Great dj punk dj sounds from Jeffrey Munday in the basement.
Complimentary wines and beers for all guests...a totally great event...
then
KINKY BOOTS --- The Adelphi Theatre,Strand,London WC2...7.30pm to 10pm...
Bizarrely I went to the huge lavish opening night for this musical in Sept 2015 but was not at the show itself
so this was my first time seeing it.
Winner of the 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
With songs by Grammy® and Tony® winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this fabulous musical celebration is about the friendships we discover, and the belief that you can change the world when you change your mind.
Harvey Fierstein’s book closely follows the outline of the movie. It remains the story of Charlie Price, who turns an ailing Northampton shoe factory into a roaring success by catering for a niche market: that of drag queens demanding thigh-high red boots that offer “two-and-a-half feet of irresistible tubular sex”. At the same time, we see how Lola, the project’s design consultant, overcomes the prejudices of Charlie and his co-workers to the sight of men in frocks. All ends happily at a Milan shoe fair where the collapsing business is glamorously rebooted.
The show was on for around 2 hours 5 mins over two sets.
Lots of camp humour ,dancing and great songs.
A hugely enjoyable musical.
www.kinkybootsthemusical.co.uk
Visit their website for more info and to buy tickets.
Tuesday 25 April 2017.
Happy Birthday to big screen legend Al Pacino who is 77 today.
Happy Birthday to rock vocalist Fish who is 59 today.
Monday 24 April 2017...I went to two events today...
3.45pm to 5.30pm
GLASS OF BUBBLY AWARDS 2017 - Le Meridian Hotel,Piccadilly,London W1.
Glass of Bubbly is a magazine and website that does what it says in the title.
A big buzzy crowd here as there are maybe 50 stands and over 300 different champers,prosecco,
cava and sparkling wines from the UK and abroad to taste.
The champers were lesser known brands including CASTELNAU.
There are 11 Categories that judges were giving points on.
There was a room where the experts gave advice on drink pairings etc.
www.glassofbubbly.com
Visit their website here for more info.
then
6.15pm to 8.15pm
DAVID BEGBIE - 'Cutting Edge' - private view - Contini Art Gallery,105 New Bond Street,London W1.
Internationally renowned sculptor David Begbie has worked almost exclusively with the human form throughout his career. Since his first pioneering solo show in London 1984 a whole new genre of steel-mesh art has evolved and continues to grow. He is the master of wire mesh art and his work speaks for itself.
Begbie has a diverse practice that includes mono-prints, etchings, ink and charcoal drawings, mixed-media work and photographs but he is primarily known for his work with steel and bronze mesh.
David gave a QnA session for around 10 minutes to the crowd in the corner.
Now in his 60s he has the suntanned look of a rock star who spends half the year in somewhere sunny.
Around 150 guests enjoyed complimentary prosecco,wines and canapés.
www.continiartuk.com
Visit their website here for more info.
Sunday 23 April 2017.
THE BEACH BOYS STORY live at The Theatre Royal,Windsor.
Learn how The Beach Boys began, how their songs were constructed and about the private lives of The Beach Boys.
A nice warm up for the real thing as The Beach Boys play in the UK in May and Brian Wilson
plays in the UK a few weeks after.
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The show was on for 2 hours 15 mins over two sets of 60 mins and 75 mins.
On stage they have some props including beach balls,fake palm trees and surf boards.
For each set they are wearing a different Beach Boys type outfit.
Three or four of them are the same age as the current Beach Boys and one looks a bit like
Mike Love in his baseball cap.
Over 30 Beach Boys classics played and an encore tribute dedicated to Chuck Berry.
The main singer did a great job of telling The Beach Boys story between songs.
A section on 'Pet Sounds' where he described Brian Wilson when he stopped touring with the band
and stayed in the recording studio to focus on that side of things.
All the band got involved in some great Beach Boys type harmonies and backing vocals.
An enjoyable show.
Some of the tracks played tonight...
Fun Fun Fun
California Girls
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
I Get Around
Surfin' USA
Barbara Ann
In My Room
Kokomo
Sloop John B
Good Vibrations
Encore
Johnny B.Goode (Chuck Berry cover)
www.beachboysband.co.uk
Visit their website for a live video medley promo and full list of their UK tour dates.
Sunday 23 April.
Another sad death to report.
Erin Moran – best know for playing Joanie Cunningham in American 1970s sitcom Happy Days –
has passed away, aged 56.
Cause of death - a suspected heroin overdose.
Henry Winkler and Ron Howard led the tributes to their Happy Days co-star.
Happy Days was one of my fave tv programmes in the late 1970s.
Sunday 23 April 2017.
Bass player CHRIS GLEN has released his autobiography 'The Bass Business'.
Chris is a Scottish bass guitarist, who has played in The Jade, Tear Gas,The Party Boys, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (SAHB) (1972–78),John Martyn, and The Michael Schenker Group (1980–84, 2008-2010).
I saw him play live several times in his career including when The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
were the main support band to The Who at Charlton Football Ground in 1976.
Sunday 23 April 2017.
JOHNNY THUNDERS sadly died this day in 1991.
Johnny was a New York rock and roll/punk rock guitarist, singer and songwriter.
I saw him play live 18 times between 1977 and 1990.
He was always really great to watch on stage.
Saturday 22 April 2017 ---RECORD STORE DAY.
Limited edition releases by many artists including Sex Pistols,Prince,Pink Floyd,Iggy Pop and others.
Key releases this year include live albums from David Bowie, along with his collaboration with Placebo ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ being issued on picture disc vinyl for the first time. Other notable vinyl releases include a triple live album of Iggy Pop’s ‘Post Pop Depression’ show from Royal Albert Hall, The Cure’s greatest hits and acoustic hits on deluxe vinyl and even Toto’s ‘Africa’ on vinyl in the shape of the continent.
Also vinyl by The Smiths and The Cribs.
Lumineers release 'Seeds'. It's an exclusive 10” vinyl from the critically-lauded Denver-based outfit...showing the progression of two of the most popular tracks from their No.1 sophomore album ‘Cleopatra’ (‘Angela’ and ‘Long Way From Home’) from initial demo, through recording to the live entity.
Friday 21 April 2017.
JOE BONAMASSA live at The Royal Albert Hall,London.
Joe plays the second of two sold out shows at this iconic venue.
I am back to see it a second time to see how Joe will change the setlist about.
I enjoyed the show much more tonight as i have a perfect view seat left of stage in the stalls swivel seats.
Watching Joe play stunning guitar solos and riffs up nice and close was pretty amazing.
Again he was on stage prompt at 7.30pm and on stage for 2 hours 05 mins.
This was around 15 mins shorter than the night before as three songs were dropped but only one added.
Again he mentioned how The Royal Albert Hall gig in 2009 changed his life.
Again it was nice and loud and his band played great.
Again he got all the crowd to stand up around 30 mins from the end.
A great show.
Full setlist played tonight...
This Train
Mountain Climbing
Blues of Desperation
No Good Place for the Lonely
How Deep This River Runs
Boogie With Stu (Led Zeppelin cover)
Never Make Your Move Too Soon (B.B. King cover)
Angel of Mercy (Albert King cover)
Drum Solo
Love Ain't a Love Song
Dust Bowl
Little Girl (John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers cover)
Going Down (The Alabama State Troupers cover)
How Many More Times (Led Zeppelin cover) (with "The Hunter" snippet by Albert King)
Encore:
Hummingbird (Leon Russell cover)
Friday 21 April 2017.
PRINCE sadly died one year ago today...what a shock that was.
Happy Birthday to the legend that is IGGY POP who is 70 today.
Thursday 20 April 2017.
JOE BONAMASSA live at The Royal Albert Hall,London.
Joe Bonamassa plays the first of two sold out shows at The Royal Albert Hall.
Tickets ain't cheap to see Joe...Seats downstairs on the floor and stalls are £150 and £100.
Circle seats are £75 and even gallery standing up in the gods are £60.
Despite the high ticket prices both shows are sold out.
Joe burst on to the scene around a decade ago and critics called him "the new Eric Clapton' and in 2009
i saw Joe Bonamassa and Eric Clapton on stage together at The Royal Albert Hall and
now Joe is charging the same price for tickets as Eric Clapton himself.
Blues rock guitarist Joe will be playing his own material and covers including by Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton.
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Like other times I have seen Joe , he likes to come on early and finish early.
Tonight he arrives on stage prompt at 7.30pm and it is all over by 10pm.
Having said that Joe and his band play a nice long set for 2 hours 20 mins.
Top quality musicianship in his band, made up of drums, bass guitar, piano/keyboard, saxophone , trumpet
and two female backing singers.
Joe in his trademark slicked back hair,sunglasses,snazzy suit and shoes.
The first 30 mins is uptempo blues rock and it is nice and loud.
Then the pace slowed down for a bit.
Pretty much every song has a nifty guitar solo in it.
Joe used a few different guitars including a Flying V.
A recent article said he has amassed a staggering collection of 242 guitars.
As expected he plays his solo songs alongside some cover songs.
His own songs seem to blur into each other a bit as there are no real stand out tunes.
Tonight he does not play 'Sloe Gin' or 'Ballad of John Henry'.
The last 30 mins were a highlight and he got all the crowd up and standing for this section.
A good show.
Full setlist played tonight...
This Train
Mainline Florida (Eric Clapton cover)
Mountain Climbing
Blues of Desperation
No Good Place for the Lonely
How Deep This River Runs
Boogie With Stu (Led Zeppelin cover)
Never Make Your Move Too Soon (B.B. King cover)
Angel of Mercy (Albert King cover)
Drum Solo
Love Ain't a Love Song
Dust Bowl
Little Girl (John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers cover)
Pretending (Eric Clapton cover)
Black Winter/Django
How Many More Times (Led Zeppelin cover) (with "The Hunter" snippet by Albert King)
Encore:
Hummingbird (Leon Russell cover)
Wednesday 19 April 2017.
Symfunny No 2 live at The Royal Albert Hall,London
A dozen musicians and comedians performing a night of music and laughter for Parkinson’s UK.
The musicians include Pete Townshend and Katie Melua.
Townshend said. "My beloved father-in-law Edwin Astley, who helped me break into orchestral arrangements for some of my songs in the ‘80s, suffered and eventually died from Supranuclear Palsy which is a horrible type of Parkison’s Disease. Together we collaborated on several songs, one very silly fugue called Football Fugue, which I will perform on the night.
If I’m allowed to speak, I can be funny too.”
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The show was on for 2 hours 45 mins over two sets of 90 mins and 75 mins.
JASON MANFORD was the host and his comedy routines throughout the night were great.
He also sang three musical theatre songs during the night as he has a surprisingly good voice.
There was an orchestra of around 70 musicians and a choir of 200 on stage...yes 200.
COLLABRO sung a couple of musical theatre tunes.
JOSH WIDDICOMBE did a good comedy set of around 12 minutes.
ALED JONES sung a song and a few lines of 'Walking in the Air'.
ROB DEERING did a good comedy set of around 10 mins.
KATIE MELUA has sold over 11 million albums worldwide.
Just the one song tonight which was her biggest hit 'The Closest Thing To Crazy'
Second half
JACK DEE was question master for the BBC Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue routine tonight.
Two tables on stage for 25 mins and the trio answering questions were TIM BROOKE TAYLOR ,
JEREMY HARDY and BARRY CRYER....lots of funny bits and mad banter...
AGNES BROWN (Brendan O'Connell) from Mrs Brown's Boys did a good 15 mins comedy routine.
PETE TOWNSHEND was the main act for me to see tonight.
He was on stage from 10.15pm to 10.30pm.
He was the final artist on stage and sung three songs with the full orchestra behind him.
He performed two gems by The Who and a rare airing of 'Football Fugue'...really good...
I'm One (The Who song)
Football Fugue
Love, Reign O'er Me (The Who song)
Finale was all tonight's cast including Pete Townshend on stage for a singalong to
'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'
An enjoyable evening with Pete Townshend the highlight for me.
Tuesday 18 April 2017...I went to two events in North London tonight...
6.30pm to 7.45pm
DOM PATTINSON - private view - Zebra One Gallery,1 Perrins Court,Hampstead,London NW3.
Dom is having his first exhibition in London for three years.
On Thursday he has a private view in New York.
Around a dozen large paintings by Dom on display here - full of vivid bright colours.
Dom is here and told me all the hidden Easter weekend art had been found surprisingly quickly.
Dom Pattinson rose to fame after George Clooney bought his work as a wedding gift for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, he is now an internationally known artist with many collectors, there will be a Dom Pattinson Treasure Hunt Easter Art Giveaway across London from Good Friday (14 April-15th) in the run-up to his exciting Zebra One Gallery exhibition, April 19th.
Complimentary prosecco for all guests.
www.zebraonegallery.com
Visit the gallery website here for more info.
then
KASABIAN + CABBAGE live at The Forum,Kentish Town,London.
Kasabian play the first of three shows at The Forum...all sold out pronto..
Small gigs by their standards to promote the release of their new album.
Their sixth studio album, 'For Crying Out Loud' , is out on the 05 May 2017(postponed from 28 April 2017).
Four of the five Kasabian albums have hit the number one spot and they have had twelve Top 40 hits.
They headline Reading & Leeds Festivals in the summer and no doubt a TBA UK tour Nov/Dec.
I have seen Kasabian several times over the past 15 years.
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CABBAGE from Manchester are one of the most talked about new indie bands out there.
I saw the last 20 mins of their support set.
With hints of The Manics/The Libertines/The Fall in their edgy songs with attitude.
I thought the vocals were a bit messy tonight but i look forward to seeing them again.
They are playing many festivals and headline gigs over the next few months.
KASABIAN arrive on stage at 9.35pm and play for 90 mins.
An overlong gap between the support band and Kasabian coming on stage as i suspect they were watching
their beloved Leicester backstage in their big Champions League game - 2nd leg.
It was a 1- 1 draw so Leicester are knocked out as they lost the first game by a goal.
Needless to say the bars are busy and it is a buzzing sold out atmosphere.
Loads of lights and equipment more suited to an arena were crammed on the stage here.
Kasabian arrive on stage and their rock with a dance edge gets everyone bouncing.
Down the front is a heaving mass of bodies when the older classics are played.
There is a four piece female string section that are used on a few songs.
Tom (vocals) and Serge (bass and vocals) really do seem to have a special bond that not many bands have.
The pair do all the interviews together and know how to talk the talk when on stage.
New album track 'Bless This Acid House' (as played on Jools Holland last week) is superb
and sure to be a fan fave when the album comes out.
A great show.
Full setlist played tonight...
Comeback Kid
Bumblebeee
Underdog
Eez-Eh
Shoot the Runner
You're in Love With a Psycho
Club Foot
La Fée Verte
Re‐Wired
Bless This Acid House
Treat
Empire
Stevie
L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)
Encore:
III Ray (The King)
Vlad the Impaler
Fire
Tuesday 18 April 2017.
Mrs Merton's Paul Daniels jibe voted best TV put-down.
Mrs Merton's 'memorable quip' to Debbie McGee, the wife of magician Paul Daniels, has been chosen as the greatest comedy put-down in British TV history. The late comedian Caroline Aherne starred as the elderly host of mock talk show The Mrs Merton Show in the 1990s and her 'brazen' question, where she asked McGee 'So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?', has been voted TV's best one-liner in a poll of 2000 fans.
Saturday 15 April 2017.
THE MAGPIE SALUTE live at Under The Bridge @ Chelsea F.C.,London.
The Magpie Salute play the last of four shows at Under The Bridge @ Chelsea F.C.
The band feature former THE BLACK CROWES guitarist Rich Robinson.
The band also includes former Black Crowes members Marc Ford and Sven Pipien as well as
Rich Robinson band members Matt Slocum, Joe Magistro, Adrien Reju and Katrine Ottosen.
After selling out their four-night New York residency at The Gramercy Theatre, The Magpie Salute
have announced their first ever shows on these shores...their first in Europe...
Together with songs by The Magpie Salute, the band will be performing tracks from
The Black Crowes back-catalogue, solo songs by Rich Robinson and more.
Like their debut shows in New York in January they will change the setlist around each night.
This 550 capacity venue is a superb venue to see a band with its mix of standing and seats for a perfect view
along with great music memorabilia on the walls.
I have seen The Black Crowes around a dozen times over the past 30 years including The Pantages
in Los Angeles in 1995 and supporting The Rolling Stones at Wembley Stadium in 1995 and Aerosmith
at Wembley Stadium in 1999.
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Always nice to be at this state-of-the-art venue.
Lots of The Black Crowes hardcore fans are here as when asked by Rich Robinson during the show
"how many had come to two shows or more?",many hands went up.
THE MAGPIE SALUTE arrive on stage at 8.30pm and are on for a nice long 2 hours 25 mins.
We have the full compliment of musicians as the New York shows with ten on stage including
three guitarists and three female backing singers.
The setlist is frankly incredible as only a handful of songs were played on any of the other nights.
They must have played over 60 different songs over the course of the four nights here.
Rich Robinson has a nice selection of guitars and is changing his guitar after every song.
As promised we get loads of The Black Crowes songs,solo songs and some covers.
After 30 mins there were a few slower paced songs and later on we had a couple of extended jams
with superb duelling guitars and keyboards at full tilt.
Their blues rock sound is just sooo cool.
How Rich and the band just play so many different songs each night is just amazing.
A great show.
Full setlist played tonight...
No Speak No Slave (The Black Crowes cover)
Stare It Cold (The Black Crowes cover)
Let Me Share the Ride (The Black Crowes cover)
Down the Road (Rich Robinson song)
Call Me Faithful (Marc Ford cover)
Time to Leave (Rich Robinson song)
Oh Josephine (The Black Crowes cover)
Darling of the Underground Press (The Black Crowes cover)
Sister Luck (The Black Crowes cover)
Laila II (Agitation Free cover)
Goin' Down South (R.L. Burnside cover)
Eclipse the Night (Rich Robinson song)
I'm Free (Marc Ford cover)
Rollin' Over (Small Faces cover)
Every Picture Tells a Story (Faces cover)
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' (The Velvet Underground cover)
Good Morning Captain (The Black Crowes cover)
Paint an 8 (The Black Crowes cover)
Tied Up and Swallowed (The Black Crowes cover)
Rich Robinson said "pretend we have gone offstage and have come back for an encore".
(Only) Halfway to Everywhere (The Black Crowes cover)
Thorn in My Pride (The Black Crowes cover)
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www.underthebridge.co.uk
Visit the venue website for upcoming gigs list info.
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This gig was number 6600 i have seen since 1973...yes 6600.