Ray's Gigs

Daily news and reviews of gigs bars clubs restaurants product launches films theatre fashion shows books art galleries hotels competitions interesting places to visit ...and much more!

News and Reviews: 14th September 2019

Friday 13 September 2019....I went to two events tonight...
Day 1 of 5 - London Fashion Week
Daytime and evening presentations, catwalk shows and parties every day.
6.45pm to 8.15pm
TED BAKER presents Ted's Friends in High Places - Ted Baker - 9/10 Floral Street, London WC2.
These two sporting greats are launching their T For Tall Clothing range for Ted Baker.
Ideal for gents with a head for heights, from suits and shirts to polo’s and chinos, Ted’s ensured looking dapper needn’t be a tall order.
PETER CROUCH is 6 ft 7 inches tall.
He is certainly one of my fave footballers from the past 20 years.
MARK FOSTER is 6 ft 6 inches tall.
He was a top level swimmer.
Around 100 guests here and both men are very chatty and friendly and posing for selfies.
From 7pm to 7.45pm they sat for a full interview and Q n A which was really enjoyable.
Peter talked about being a father of four and his popular Podcast.
Peter said his fave footballer growing up was Paul Gasgoine.
Toughest defender he played against was Tony Adams.
I asked a question "can you come back to QPR to help us out?".
Peter said "QPR holds a special place in his heart as he grew up in Ealing and many of his friends
were and still are QPR season ticket holders".
"Scoring those goals at QPR when i first started my career still gives me goosebumps when thinking about it?".
I watched him for a year at QPR in 2000/2001 before he moved on to bigger clubs.
A dj was playing tunes in the background and a fun photo booth at the rear.
Complimentary prosecco, beers ,hot dogs, pasties and pork pies for all guests.
Peter Crouch (now aged 38 and retired this summer ) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was capped 42 times by the England national team between 2005 and 2010, scoring 22 goals for his country in that time, and appearing at two World Cups.Crouch is one of 28 players to have scored 100 or more Premier League goals, holding the record for the most headed goals in Premier League history.
Mark Foster (now aged 49) is an English former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and world championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. He now covers swim events for BBC.
All guests got a goodie bag on departure.
www.tedbaker.com
Visit the Ted Baker website here for more info.
then
8.30pm to 10pm
CATCHES APP LFW PARTY - Soho House, 76 Dean Street,Soho, London W1.
Always nice to be at this cool members club.
CATCHES APP is the first authentic and transparent data driven platform that has merged the success
of social commerce with consumer personalisation to create a quick, fun and easy way to shop fashion online.
Around 100 guests here with lots of glammed up females.
A dj is playing cool sounds in the background.
Complimentary Moscow Mule cocktails, wines and beers for all guests.
All guests got a goodie bag on departure.
It was still lively when we departed but tiredness was kicking in from the previous late night.



Thursday 12 September 2019....7pm to 1.30am...
HARD ROCK CAFE PICCADILLY CIRCUS - Grand Opening Party - Piccadilly Circus, London W1.
This was a massive party for around 700 guests.
A prime location means loads of tourists gawping outside wondering what's going on inside.
At 7pm instead of cutting the ribbon , they smashed eight guitars outside the venue in front of the crowd.
One of the eight people doing the smashing was HRC legend Rita Gilligan MBE who has been at Hard Rock Cafe since it opened in London in 1971 and has been at over 100 other grand HRC openings worldwide.
Only downside was not many rock stars here considering all the music memorabilia on display.
Only musician i saw was James Walsh (Starsailor) and a couple of those reality tv girls.
A female dj playing tunes in the background.
Loads of complimentary food and drinks all night.
Drinks included a full bar excluding champers , five different cocktails including espresso martins,
spirits including Jack Daniels,prosecco, wines and beers.
Food was burgers, ribs, steak, salmon,chicken, fish & fries , canapés, cheese's,desserts, candy floss etc.
The bar closed at 1am and we were some of the last to leave the venue at 1.30am.
KEANE arrived on stage at 9pm and played for 60 mins.
Keane on tour to coincide with the release their fifth studio album "Cause and Effect" in Sept 2019.
Keane have sold over 10 million albums worldwide.
They’ve won 2 Brit Awards, 4 Q Awards and an Ivor Novello.
Keane played their radio friendly keyboard led tracks old and new.
They played all four of their Top 10 hits "Bedshaped" ,"Is It Any Wonder" , "Everybody's Changing" and
"Somewhere Only We Know " along with other hits including "Crystal Ball" and a couple of new album tracks.
All guests got a HRC merch goodie bag that included a couple of HRC t-shirts inside.
A fantastic full on proper party.
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It looks good for this venue to be putting on exclusive live gigs like their original sister branch down the road.
Bearing in mind their original site only held 150 upstairs i saw some amazing low key gigs there including
Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Bad Company, Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs, Squeeze and more.
Plus it was free booze and HRC food for all of them.




Wednesday 11 September 2019...7pm to 10.15pm...
UNIQUE GRAND PRIX - showcase - Devonshire Club, 5 Devonshire Square, London EC4.
Nice to back at this plush private members club a few mins from Liverpool Street station.
Around 150 smartly dressed guests here in their first floor bar and space area.
UGP specialise in Grand Prix Hospitality Packages. Offering corporate and private Formula 1 Super Yacht Events including amazing track side viewing.
Tonight they are showcasing F1 packages for Abu Dhabi Nov 2019 and Monaco May 2020.
At 8pm we had a speech and a very impressive video of their Formula 1 packages available.
Prices range from £500 per person to £5000 per person (when you stay on their luxury yacht in Monaco).
The Killers are playing the Grand Prix Party in Abu Dhabi.
There are a couple of racing car simulators here which were popular.
Also a dj playing tunes and an electric violin player playing along to the dj tracks.
Complimentary Jacquart champers ,Jacquart Rose champers, Cobra beers and canapés for all guests.
www.uniquegrandprix.com
Visit their website here for more info.




Tuesday 10 September 2019...6.45pm to 9pm...
FORTNUM'S x ZHANG ENLI AW19 - private view - Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1.
Always nice to be at this famous luxury store that dates back over 300 years.
Born in China’s Jilin province in 1965, Zhang Enli resides in Shanghai, his studio in the city’s creative epicentre of Moganshan Road art district. After the post-socialist Chinese art boom of the ‘90s was brought to a halt by the recession, the last decade has seen a meteoric rise in Chinese contemporary art: during this time Enli has held tight to his values.
22 of his artworks are spread over every floor of the store until 18 Oct 2019.
At 7.15pm Fortnum's CEO Ewan Venters introduced ZHANG ENLI to the guests.
Also here was restauranteur Mark Hix.
Complimentary Fortnum's champers, Fortnum's sparkling tea and tasty canapés for guests.
All guests got a goodie bag with a few food items from Fortnum & Mason.
www.fortnumandmason.com
Visit their website here for more info.
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BLOOMSBURY BALLROOM SHOWCASE, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1....4pm to 8pm....
The idea was to pop in here for a bit before the above event as they invited me along but had to miss it
as my hospital visit delayed me and i ran out of time.
Situated on the beautiful Bloomsbury Square, The Bloomsbury Ballroom is ideally located between the West End and The City. The venue offers immense versatility and is able to host a wide range of events from corporate parties, conferences and award ceremonies to fashion shows, product launches and weddings.
The showcase was due to feature drinks, canapés and their Gatsby Theatre Christmas Show.
www.thebloomsburyballroom.com
Visit their website here for more info.



Monday 09 September 2019.
RONNIE WOOD is to pay tribute to Chuck Berry with a new live album.
The Rolling Stones guitarist will release Ronnie Wood With His Wild Five – Mad Lad: A Live Tribute To Chuck Berry on November 15 through BMG.
It was recorded at Wimborne’s Tivoli Theatre in 2018 – a night that saw guest appearances from singer Imelda May and pianist Ben Waters.
Ronnie will play a one off show at Shepherds Bush Empire on 21 Nov 2019.




Monday 09 September 2019.
Did you watch BBC1 tv series "Peaky Blinders" last night?
It features quite a career change for one of the lead characters.
Paul Anderson came to prominence for portraying Arthur Shelby Jr. in Peaky Blinders.
In the 1990s he used to a be a ticket tout outside London venues.
He served me up many cheap tickets and we always had a quick chat on how things were going.



Sunday 08 September 2019.
How much do top models earn a year? a million? two million? think again.
Cara Delevingne earned over £21.5 million last year making her the UK’s highest paid supermodel - and earning over double her nearest rivals.
The 27-year-old raked in an astonishing £59,164 per day through her company Cara & Co, which looks after her modelling and promo work.



Saturday 07 September 2019...I went to two events tonight...
England 4 Bulgaria 0...Wembley Stadium...5pm kick-off...
A massive crowd of over 82,000 are here.
England players certainly looked a bit lacklustre in the first half.
England looked far livelier in the second half as Kane completed his hat-trick with two penalties, while Jordan Pickford pulled off an excellent save to keep a clean sheet. The win has put England top of Group A and Southgate’s side will now face Kosovo on Tuesday evening.
An easy win for England.
then
TARA REZ BAND + THE GLORIA'S live at The George & Dragon, Acton, London W3.
My old mucker Lewie The Bastard is celebrating his 60th birthday in West London.
Like myself, many of my friends are reaching 60 this year.
Great to see so many other punk rockin' chums here.
THE GLORIA'S arrived on stage at 9.40pm and played for 40 mins.
The Glorias are a five-piece punk-rock-n-roll band from the South Coast.
They feature Bill Gaynor on guitar who is also in my band Gun Control.
They played some nifty tracks from their 2018 album "Life'll Get Ya".
They also played a good cover of Gun Control "No Mercy".
Bill is throwing windmills on the floor as he gets up close to the crowd.
TARA REZ BAND arrived on stage at 10.35pm and played for 30 mins.
First thing Tara said was due to other bands coming on late they would be playing a shorter set than
usual due to the 11pm curfew.
On bass is John "Segs" Jennings whose main band is Ruts D.C.
Tara was singer in The Duel who had a few albums out.
Her blonde peroxide hair and catchy punk tunes make a great combination.
Lewie The Bastard joined her on vocals for a song and we sung happy birthday to him.
A fun evening.



Saturday 07 September 2019.
Happy Birthday to Pretenders singer CHRISSIE HYNDE who is 68 today.



Friday 06 September 2019.
PAUL McCARTNEY promo today for his children's book...
4pm - book signing at Waterstone's , Piccadilly...tickets sold out pronto.
6pm - ITV News
7pm - BBC1 The One Show
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Friday 06 September 2018.
Happy Birthday to ROGER WATERS who is 76 today.
The world-renowned bassist, singer and songwriter Roger Waters performed his iconic Pink Floyd song “Wish You Were Here” in London on September 2 in solidarity with Julian Assange.
The performance took place at 6pm on Monday in front of the office of British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Marsham Street in the heart of London. The event includes the demands “Defend Freedom of Speech” and “Don’t Extradite Assange.”




Thursday 05 September 2019...6.45pm to 9.30pm...
DALI - The Clot Collection Exhibition at Sobha Realty - private view - 92 Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1.
Sobha Realty have taken over this prime location that was formerly a Foxton's Estate Agents.
On one side they have a giant model of Dubai and the properties they are selling there.
On the other side the exhibition contains more than 40 sculptures, paintings, drawings
and original screenprints.
Quite a coup to get a Dali exhibition here.
Around 150 guests here and quite a few people here i here I knew which made it great fun.
At 7.30pm we had a couple of speeches.
Complimentary Rimbaud champers and tasty canapés from Zafferano ,15 Lowndes Square, Belgravia.
www.sobharealty.com
Visit the website here for more info.



Wednesday 04 September 2019...I went to two events tonight...
6.30pm to 7.30pm
HANDBAG CLINIC - relaunch party - 382 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3.
We park up outside the legendary store at number 430 where The Sex Pistols met in the mid 1970s.
It is 100 yards from this store which is situated at The Worlds End part of Kings Road.
An impressive greeting as there are a few photographers and red carpet outside.
Guests here included Jackie St Clair, Basia Briggs and a couple of stunning girls from Made In Chelsea.
There are more men here tonight than there normally would be as it's the relaunch.
What the husband & wife owners of the store say...
Handbag Repair
We offer our full range of Handbag Cleaning, Repair and Restoration services in London - Chelsea store. Bring your bag in for a one on one consultation with an expert where we will assess your bag and provide you with all available options to restore your bag to its former glory.
Buy & Sell Handbags
Our store in Chelsea displays a great range of Pre-Owned Designer bags all available to buy at amazing discounts. Browse brands such as Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Chanel, Hermes, Celine and more; all available in Handbag Clinic London - Chelsea.
You can also drop you designer bags into store to sell to us. We will assess the item in store and get back to you with an offer to buy your handbag promptly.
Sadly the store has been targeted by those scummy scooter gangs that steal from stores like this.
Complimentary Monsigny champers and sushi for all the guests.
The Sushi was from Sticks N Sushi at 113-115 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW3.
All guests got a goodie bag on departure.
www.handbagclinic.co.uk
Visit their website here for more info.
then
8pm to 9.30pm
HOWARD WISE CARS - showcase - Morris's Cafe, 15 Clifford Street, Mayfair, London.
This trendy cafe off New Bond Street has motoring memorabilia from the 1960s all over the store.
It is small inside so nearly everyone is outside on the pavement, and there are a few tables.
Howard Wise Cars from Loughton , Essex sell top notch classic cars.
There are half a dozen cars parked up outside the venue.
They look stunning and immaculate...with prices to match.
1964 Aston Martin DB5 - £800k
1972 Ferrari Dino - £500k
1963 Jaguar E-Type - £175k
1963 Mini Cooper - £70k
Guests here included Lord March who is a British aristocrat and owner of Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. He is the founder of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival...also here was actor Bill Nighy.
Complimentary Pol Roger champers and tasty sandwiches and toasted cheese sandwiches for guests.
www.howardwisecars.co.uk
Visit their website here for more info and photos of the cars.




Tuesday 03 September 2019...I went to two events tonight...
6.15pm to 8pm
AFTERNOON TEA AWARDS 2019 at Rosewood London, Holborn, London WC1.
Always nice to be at this luxury five star hotel.
Around 200 guests from the UK's finest hotels & restaurants offering afternoon tea are here.
At 7.15pm the best places in the UK to enjoy a sumptuous Afternoon Tea were announced.
The four awards were given to...
Best Traditional Afternoon Tea - The Savoy
Best Contemporary Afternoon Tea - Cadogan's by Adam Handling
Best Themed Afternoon Tea - The Berkeley
Best Tea Service - Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Some of the finest hotels and restaurants from around the UK took part in the awards, which recognise the best in Afternoon Tea service and creativity.
This year's awards were held in the elegant 5-star surroundings of The Mirror Room at Rosewood London and were also sponsored by new restaurant reservation system, Time For Food.
Keith Newton, Managing Director of AfternoonTea.co.uk said,
"These awards look at the whole Afternoon Tea experience from the customer's perspective. Our expert judges visit twice to ensure that food quality and service levels are consistent. The creativity shown by the chefs, combined with exceptional service, show that Afternoon Tea is still a very special culinary experience that can be enjoyed by all."
Complimentary Ruinart champers, cocktails, iced tea, hot tea and tasty canapés & pastries for all guests.
All guests got a goodie bag on departure.
www.afternoontea.co.uk
Visit their website here for more info on the best venues for afternoon tea.
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Before his fall from grace, The Rosewood was where i attended all five of Harvey Weinstein BAFTA parties.
Every year in Feb they were all great events that were on from 11pm to 4am with many big names attending.
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then
8.30pm to 10.15pm
10 DEGREES at GALVIN AT WINDOWS - launch party - 28th Floor, Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London W1.
Always great to be at this famous five star luxury hotel.
Michelin-starred venue Galvin at Windows, located on the 28th floor of London Hilton on Park Lane, has unveiled a new identity for its skyline bar.
Around 100 guests including FRED SIRIEIX (First Dates tv show) in this very plush bar.
Stunning views from up this high.
A female violinist is playing along to the dj instrumental backing tracks.
Complimentary Taittinger champers, whiskey cocktails, gin cocktails, wines, cheeseburgers and canapés.
All guests got a goodie bag on departure.
www.10degreeslondon.com
Visit their website here for more info.
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As usual lots of big names turned up for the GQ Men of The Year Awards dinner and party in London.
Iggy Pop, Deborah Harry, Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones, The 1975, New Order, David & Victoria Beckham etc.
Deborah Harry presented The Lifetime Achievement Award to Iggy Pop.
Tom Jones presented the Icon Award to Kylie Minogue.
Amazingly a couple of hours earlier across town at another music awards at The Roundhouse,
Ray Davies presented The Outstanding Contribution Award to Deborah Harry before she nipped off to GQ.



Tuesday 03 September 2019.
Happy Birthday to Sex Pistols guitar hero STEVE JONES who is 64 today.
His radio show in Los Angeles has gone down from five days a week to one day a week.
Steve feels he needs a rest....two hours a day sitting on his arse is too much for him????
Check out The Sex Pistols link on the right for a great live video of Steve Jones in Argentina 1992.
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Monday 02 September 2019.
Music legend Sir PAUL McCARTNEY is in London this week doing promo in newspapers, tv and radio.
At the age of 77, Macca has decided to bring out his first children's book.
Titled "Hey , Grandude! "...It is published on Thursday 05 Sept 2019...price £12.99...or less.




Saturday 31 August 2019.
THE HOLLYWOOD BRATS + THE VULZ live at Nells Jazz & Blues, West Kensington, London.
Proto-Punk / Glam innovators The Hollywood Brats are to play their first gig in over 40 years.
The group was championed by Keith Moon, who said they were the best band he had ever seen,and in 1973 they recorded an LP for NEMS Records.
It was recorded at Olympic Studios, London, England, December 1973, January 1974.
At the time they were like a British version of The New York Dolls.
They split up in 1974 and oddly their only album was released after they had split up.
In 2015,singer Andrew Matheson published a memoir of the band, Sick On You: The Disastrous Story of Britain's Great Lost Punk Band, named after one of the Hollywood Brats' songs.
www.nellsjazzandblues.com
Visit the Nell's website here to buy tickets for upcoming gigs at Nell's.
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This venue is one of the three venues currently owned by live music legend Vince Power.
I came here last year for a great show by Van Morrison.
No need to worry about will anybody be interested in this group who split up so long ago as
a sign on the entrance says the 400 capacity club is sold out.
Quite a few here I know have made an effort to see this unique gig happening.
A couple of them mentioned they only found out about the gig after seeing it mentioned on my website.
In the crowd are Sir Bob Geldof and Gaye Advert.
THE VULZ arrived on stage at 8.15pm and played for 40 mins.
The Vulz played a good set of uptempo catchy garage rock n roll tunes from their debut album.
They have a singer who doesn't take himself too seriously and a guitarist playing some nifty licks.
They finished their set with a very nice cover of The Boys classic "First Time".
THE HOLLYWOOD BRATS arrived on stage at 9.10pm and played for 60 mins.
Andrew on vocals still looks and sounds like a proper rock n roll star with tons of charisma.
On keyboards is Casino Steel who was an original member before he joined The Boys.
It soon became hot n sweaty as folks crowded around the stage.
Great to see long time fan Sir Bob Geldof join them on stage for a song.
Not the longest of sets as they only had the one album...but lots of the album great tracks played.
This comeback gig was a total success and surely they could easily be back here in December.
Hollywood Brats setlist included...
Tumble with Me
Chez Maximes
Zurich 17
Vampire Nazi (new single)
Courtesan
Sweet Little Sixteen (Chuck Berry cover)
Nightmare
I Need You (The Kinks cover ) (with Sir Bob Geldof on co-vocals)
Another Schoolday
Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals cover)
Sick on You
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After the show all the band came out to sign stuff and pose for photos.





Friday 30 August 2019.
Rock legend NICK MASON steps in to save Bolton Wanderers F.C. from being wound up.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that Football Ventures (Whites) had agreed a deal to buy the beleaguered club.
Bolton's immediate future has been secured, which is fantastic news whoever you support.
A £10million deal has been sealed by a consortium reportedly involving Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.



Wednesday 28 August 2019.
PEACHES live at The Royal Festival Hall, London.
Peaches, now aged 52 , has released six studio albums.
Peaches has been noted for her stage costumes and flamboyant sense of style. Her looks are often both nostalgic and futuristic; aggressive and glamorous; and push the limits of gender identity.
This show is titled "There's Only One Peach with the Hole in the Middle".
I first saw Peaches in 2002 when she supported Suede at this same venue.
Peaches was chosen by David Bowie as it was part of his Meltdown Festival at RFH.
I saw The David Bowie show here around a week after Peaches played.
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The show lasted around 1 hour 50 mins with a drag act singing the first two songs.
This was one of those visually mega shows from start to finish.
With band and her dancers there were over 20 people on stage for many songs.
Her mostly female band included a brass section and a string section.
Several costume changes and some lasers too.
Peaches sung on a podium for most songs and surfed the crowd.
There were three stage extensions which was a first for this venue.
Very naughty suggestive lyrics throughout the show.
Lots of boobs on display from Peaches and her female dancers and her male dancers were bare chested.
The music was bit samey — a mix of heavy hip-hop beats, punk-thrash and glam rock among other things —but there’s consolation in spectacle. In a pre-record of "Kick It" with Iggy Pop, his videoed kick sends her flying hammily off-stage. A trapeze artist with a laser butt-plug is lit from underneath by dancers wearing strobing thongs. A band of violins, drums, trumpets and a tuba, play throughout, sending up the mores of the college band aesthetic with relish. A group of dancers from New Orleans cavort with a bevy semi-naked contemporary dancers. It’s anarchy. It's also radically democratic.
Come the end of the show, she thanks every member of her group. Musicians, dancers, producers, costumiers, techies… All get a look in and join her on stage for a dance.
You came out thinking...wow, that was a helluva show....
Full Peaches setlist played tonight...
Diddle My Skittle
Set It Off
Rub
Vaginoplasty
Pickles
I U She
Talk to Me
Kick It (with Iggy Pop on the video screen)
Rock 'n' Roll
Free Drink Ticket
How You Like My Cut
Close Up
AA XXX
Slippery Dick
Take You On
Operate
Light in Places
Boys Wanna Be Her
I Feel Cream
Dick in the Air
Shake Yer Dix
I Mean Something
Encore:
Dumb Fuck
Fuck the Pain Away




Tuesday 27 August 2019.
Happy Birthday to Sex Pistols bass player GLEN MATLOCK who is 63 today.
Glen brought out a great solo album last year titled "Good to Go".



Sunday 25 August 2019.
In the afternoon i went to the cinema to see two really good films.
TOY STORY 4
The film directly follows Toy Story 3, as Sheriff Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their other toy friends have found new appreciation living with Bonnie. They are joined by Forky, a spork that has been made into a toy, and embark on a road trip adventure.
The film has grossed $1 billion worldwide, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2019 as well as the 36th highest-grossing film of all time and the seventh highest grossing animated film of all time. Like its predecessors, Toy Story 4 received praise for its story, humour, emotion, animation, and vocal performances.
Basically every Toy wants to be loved by a Kid.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Quentin Tarantino latest blockbuster is the must see film of the summer.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood depicts an aging Hollywood actor and his stunt double as successful new actor Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) moves in next door.
The film is based on the real-life killing of Tate by disciples of the Manson Family cult.
A great soundtrack featuring cool tracks from the 1969 era that the film is based in.
On release it got loads of five star reviews from the likes of NME, Time Out, The Times etc.
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Quentin Tarantino is my fave film director i reckon.
I have seen his Inglorious Bastards film over a dozen times but still love watching it.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are both excellent in this film.
Damian Lewis has a small part as Michael Caine but uncannily looks and talks like him.
Great to see all the big old American cars and the fashions of the day.
A gory twist at the end which was great.



Sunday 25 August 2019.
Happy Birthday to KISS bass player GENE SIMMONS who is 70 today.
I have already been to over 100 gigs this year.
Best shows of the year so far for me for were the two KISS gigs i saw in July.



Saturday 24 August 2019.
The Coral Challenge Cup Final (Sat 24 Aug, KO 3pm) is Rugby League’s showpiece occasion at the iconic Wembley Stadium. This year’s Final sees a showdown between St Helens and the Warrington Wolves.
Following the Coral Challenge Cup Final, on the hallowed Wembley turf, Sheffield Eagles and Widnes Vikings will battle it out to win the inaugural AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final (KO 5:30pm).
This will be the first rugby match i have attended for many years.
I used to go see rugby union team London Wasps when they shared Loftus Road with QPR between 1996 and 2002.
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Upstairs in Level 5 is half empty but still a big crowd of around 60,000 for the main game.
At least 75% of the crowd left after the first game.
For rugby and NFL you can bring alcohol in to your seats...you cannot do that with football....
It's Warrington's cup final. Stung here 12 months ago as heavy favourites, they've come back in the underdog role and done what Catalans did to them....Final whistle: St Helens 4-18 Warrington.
In the other game....
1895 Cup final: Sheffield Eagles beat Widnes Vikings 36-18 to win inaugural competition. Sheffield Eagles twice came from behind to beat Widnes at Wembley and win the inaugural 1895 Cup.
An enjoyable day of watching rugby.



Thursday 22 August 2019.
ANGEL - feat. Punky Meadows and Frank DiMino live at The Underworld, Camden, London.
with support from A New Tomorrow...tickets are £30 each.
ANGEL still feature original members Punky Meadows (guitar) and Frank DiMino (vocals).
ANGEL were discovered in 1975 by Kiss bass player Gene Simmons performing at a nightclub and were
eventually signed to the same label as Kiss, Casablanca.
Angel's image was of dressing in all white.
Angel never achieved mass commercial success but acquired a following as a cult band.
I bought their two debut albums when they came out in 1975 and 1976.
Amazingly Angel played their first ever UK shows only last year but i sadly missed the London show
as I was committed to seeing Suede at Hammersmith Apollo.
www.theunderworldcamden.co.uk
Visit The Underworld website here for more info and to buy tickets.
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In the same week that The Borderline closes, it is great that superb club venues like The Underworld
are still putting on quality rock gigs. I have been to loads of gigs here with the first one being
The Quireboys in 1993 and the highlight gig would have to be The Foo Fighters secret gig in June 2006.
Support band A NEW TOMORROW arrived on stage at 8pm and played for 30 mins.
They played a good solid set of tracks from their debut album "Universe" which is
released on 06 Dec 2019 via Frontiers Music....the singer had a great voice...
I must admit i can hardly believe that I will be finally seeing Angel play live in London.
I feel i am being transported back to my 16 year old self who read Sounds music magazine in 1975.
ANGEL arrived on stage at 9pm and played for 95 mins.
A stunning entrance by the band as all six members appear wearing trademark white outfits among the dry ice.
All the band were really tight and giving it 100% and are clearly enjoying themselves.
Punky Meadows and Frank DiMino still have plenty of rock star swagger.
Frank told some stories around their recording sessions in the 1970s.
I must say a few words about their incredible drummer who had a basic four piece kit plus cymbals but
was a total powerhouse as he sweated buckets throughout the show.
The show built up nicely to their big two tracks at the end "Rock & Rollers" and the encore
was their anthemic classic "Tower" which was superb.
A great show.
Could it be possible Angel will now be playing annual shows in the UK?...I hope so...
Full Angel setlist played tonight...
On the Rocks
Mirrors
Can You Feel It
Wild and Hot
Bad Time
Cast the First Stone
The Fortune
Broken Dreams
Don't Leave Me Lonely
I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore (The Young Rascals cover)
All the Young Dudes (David Bowie cover)
Got Love If You Want It
White Lightning
Anyway You Want It
Feelin' Right
Rock & Rollers
Encore:
Tower





Wednesday 21 August 2019.
THE BORDERLINE closes this week.
Sorry to say that the end has finally come for Soho's legendary live music venue Borderline. After 35 years in business, we close our doors for the final time this August.
Join us for one last party on Friday 23rd August, with our resident DJs from Tilted playing all your favourite tracks from artists who have previously played the club, all night long!
Advance tickets only £5 and come complete with a free Old Blue Last Beer (or soft drink).
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Owners DHP Family went on to speak about the closure in an official statement, saying: “With ever increasing rents, rising business rates and ongoing redevelopment plans for Soho, we've taken the decision to close the venue by 31 August 2019."
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My first gig at The Borderline was back in 1995.
The most famous gig held at The Borderline was in 1991 when R.E.M. played a secret gig there.
Live at the Borderline 1991 is a 2019 live album released for Record Store Day on April 13. The recording features alternative rock band R.E.M. performing under the pseudonym Bingo Hand Job at a 1991 surprise gig around the release of Out of Time.




Wednesday 21 August 2019.
JOE STRUMMER would have been 67 today.
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Tuesday 20 August 2019.
Happy Birthday to ROBERT PLANT who is 71 today
PHIL LYNOTT would have been 70 today
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Monday 19 August 2019.
Happy Birthday to GINGER BAKER who is 80 today ( co- founder and drummer with Cream)
Happy Birthday to JOHN DEACON who is 68 today ( former bassist with Queen 1971 - 1997)
Happy Birthday to IAN GILLAN who is 74 today ( singer with Deep Purple)



Friday 16 Aug / Saturday 17 Aug / Sunday 18 August 2019.
REWIND FESTIVAL - celebrating the 1980s - Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire.
A dozen name acts will play short sets on Sat and Sun in this stunning location by the water.
Some acts with just a couple of hits will play 10 to 15 mins with the house band and the bigger acts
will play 30 mins to 60 mins with their own bands.
Many of the acts i saw play Hammersmith Odeon in their 1980s heyday.
Fri 16 Aug---opening night party for camping arrivals featuring Grandmaster Flash and Complete Madness
in a smaller tent along with a disco tent including silent disco in another tent.
The capacity for Sat and Sun is 20,000 each day, but not sold out as tickets sold were actually
18,000 for the Saturday and 14,000 for the Sunday.
Sat 17 Aug---
FOUR TOPS (headliner)
LULU
HEAVEN 17
HEATHER SMALL (ex M People)
TIFFANY
KIM APPLEBY
UB40 FEAT. ALI CAMPBELL & ASTRO
JOHNNY HATES JAZZ
THE DIRE STRAITS EXPERIENCE
THE UNDERTONES (Feargal Sharkey is not on vocals)
PRESENTED BY: TOYAH
Sun 18 Aug---
MICHAEL BOLTON (headliner) ( cancelled and he was replaced by THE WATERBOYS)
KATHY SLEDGE OF THE ORIGINAL SISTER SLEDGE
BELINDA CARLISLE
PAUL YOUNG
MIDGE URE
HAZEL O'CONNOR
REWIND’S GOT TALENT
THE WAILERS
THE SELECTER
THE NEVILLE STAPLE BAND (ex The Specials)
FROM THE JAM (Jam tribute band featuring original Jam bass player Bruce Foxton)
PRESENTED BY: THE DOCTOR FROM DOCTOR & THE MEDICS
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Over the past decade i have had odd nights of roughing it in a car for a day or two at festivals
but this weekend was my first three days of proper camping on the trot for at least ten years.
Let's see how i get on.
Lots of rain on the Friday but Saturday and Sunday was nice and sunny.
FRIDAY was 6pm to 1am
No bands on the main stage tonight.
Due to the rain i stayed in the Disco Den tent which was good fun as it had 80s musical bingo,
then 80s Karaoke and then finishing with a couple of hours of Silent Disco for around 600 punters.
SATURDAY was 1pm to 1am
There was some amazing fancy dress outfits worn by many of the crowd over the weekend.
Every act had use of the two big side screens that showed live footage.
THE UNDERTONES arrived on stage at 1.30pm and played for around 30 mins.
Feargal is not there but they do feature original members.
Loads of great catchy gems played including "Jimmy Jimmy" and "Teenage Kicks".
THE DIRE STRAITS EXPERIENCE arrived on stage at 2.30pm and played for around 30 mins.
The band feature Chris White - saxophonist who toured with Dire Straits from 1985–1995, and who has played with many bands and artists, including Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Chris De Burgh and Mick Jagger.
They played a decent set of Dire Straits classics.
JOHNNY HATES JAZZ arrived on stage at 3.40pm and played for around 30 mins...not my cup of tea...
UB40 feat Ali Campbell and Astro arrived on stage at 4.45pm and played for around 40 mins.
Lots of great hits played and they were perfectly matched with the afternoon sunshine.
TOYAH sung a couple of her hits.
KIM APPLEBY sung a couple of her hits.
TIFFANY sung a couple of her hits.
HEATHER SMALL arrived on stage at 6.45pm and played four great tracks in her 20 mins set.
"One Night in Heaven", "Search for The Hero", "Proud" and "Moving on Up".
HEAVEN 17 arrived on stage at 7.20pm and played for around 30 mins.
Lots of good electro pop tunes played in their set.
LULU arrived on stage at 8.25pm and played for around 40 mins.
She got annoyed with sound problems at the start but soon got in her stride with good versions of
"Relight My Fire", "The Man With The Golden Gun" and of course " Shout".
THE FOUR TOPS arrived on stage at 9.30pm and played for 60 mins.
They still have an original member playing in their line-up and the smart suits are still there.
Lots of their great classic Motown tunes played in their set.
From 11pm to 1am we had a good ole boogie in the Silent Disco tent.
SUNDAY was 1pm to 1am
FROM THE JAM arrived on stage at 1.30pm and played for 30 mins.
Lots of gems from The Jam played in their set.
THE NEVILLE STAPLE BAND arrived on stage at 2.30pm and played for 30 mins.
He played a couple of solo tunes along a few gems from his time in The Specials.
THE SELECTER arrived on stage at 3.30pm and played around 30 mins.
They played all their great ska hits in their set including "On My Radio".
THE WAILERS arrived on stage at 4.30pm and played for around 45 mins.
Lots of Bob Marley classics played in their set.
A Britain's Got Talent singer sang a couple of tunes.
DR & THE MEDICS played a couple of their hits.
HAZEL O'CONNOR played a couple of her hits.
MIDGE URE arrived on stage at 5.40pm and played for 30 mins.
Five of the six songs played were Ultravox gems.
If I Was
Fade to Grey (Visage song)
All Stood Still (Ultravox song)
Vienna (Ultravox song)
Hymn (Ultravox song)
Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (Ultravox song)
PAUL YOUNG arrived on stage at 6.40pm and played for around 30 mins.
He started off a bit croaky but great tunes played including "Wherever I Lay My Hat"
"Come Back And Stay" and "Every Time You Go Away".
BELINDA CARLISLE arrived on stage at 7.15pm and played for around 30 mins.
She played all her catchy hits including "Heaven Is a place on Earth".
KATHY SLEDGE OF THE ORIGINAL SISTER SLEDGE arrived on stage at 8.10pm for her 60 mins set.
She played all the great Sister Sledge disco classics along with some cover versions.
THE WATERBOYS arrived on stage at 9.40pm for their 75 mins.
Michael Bolton cancelled just a day or two before the gig and The Waterboys stepped in.
That was a great result as I much prefer The Waterboys to Michael Bolton.
A really good set included "Whole of The Moon" and a cover of "Purple Rain".
Another great day of live music.
Again we had a fun time in the Silent Disco tent from 11pm to 1am.
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Packed up the tent around 10am to head home after a tiring but good vibes festival




Friday 16 August 2019.
Happy Birthday to MADONNA who is 61 today.



Thursday 15 August 2019...5.30pm to 9.15pm...
BYRON - summer boat party - Temple Pier, London WC2.
Byron Hamburgers , trading as Byron, is a British restaurant chain offering a casual dining service with a focus on hamburgers. The chain was founded in 2007.
The burger chain is UK-based, with, as of 2019, 53 locations, 40 of which are in London.
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Nice and sunny today, even though yesterday was rainy and gloomy.
Around 80 guests on the boat as we slowly travel down the Thames to Byron, Greenwich.
Under Tower Bridge and past all the many other sights.
There are dance and disco songs being played in the background.
Throughout the evening there is complimentary prosecco, wines and beers.
From 6.45pm to 8.15pm we were at Byron , Greenwich where everyone had a complimentary
choice of yummy burger & fries on their outdoor Terrace.
A female with an acoustic guitar played a set of cover songs in the background.
We then travel back to Embankment Pier.
All guests were given a Byron t-shirt.
A very enjoyable event.
www.byronhamburgers.com
Visit their website here for more on their menu and restaurant locations.





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