Friday 30 December 2022.

Friday 30 December 2022. Exclusive news to this website. Brixton Academy is closed until at least until 16 Jan , due to serious crowd trouble, but it looks like most of the shows will be moved to Hammersmith Apollo. They will try to keep the exact same dates in January 2023. An official announcement will be made soon. Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo (when stalls standing ) are both around 5000 capacity. --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Thursday 29 December 2022. Very sad news that two legends in their own right have passed away today. Brazilian football icon PELE has died aged 82. Surely the Brazilian team he was in when they beat Italy 4-1 in The World Cup Final in 1970, was the greatest team ever. --------- DAME VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, has died at the age of 81, was a fashion designer whose work challenged expectations. SEX, the boutique she ran on the King’s Road with Malcolm McLaren, was the arguably birthplace of punk. My review from her autobiography launch party in October 2014. 8pm to 10.30pm. Dame Vivienne Westwood - book launch party at Mark's Club, 46 Charles Street, London, W1. The legend that is Vivienne Westwood has brought out a biography. Vivienne is now aged 73 but shows no sign of slowing down. Vivienne Westwood is one of the icons of our age.Fashion designer,activist,co-creator of punk, global brand and grandmother ; a true living legend. Her career has successfully spanned five decades and has influenced folks all over the world. The book includes a chapter each on opening the Sex clothing shop with Malcolm McLaren in the 1970s, her period in New York with Malcolm and The New York Dolls in the mid 1970s and of course The Sex Pistols in their heyday period of 1976 to 1978 as well as her fashion over the years. My fave memory of Vivienne from the punk era is her dancing side of stage at The Sex Pistols Notre Dame,London show in Nov 1976 with a pint pot of lager in her hand....I was at that gig. Original Vivienne Westwood t shirts and clothing from the 1970s have sold for over £1000 each at auction. Very nice to be at Marks Club which is a private members club in Mayfair. Guests here included Jerry Hall,Bryan Adams,Chrissie Hynde and Zandra Rhodes. We have a speech by Vivienne and her helper on the book Ian Kelly. We have two different complimentary Snow Leopard vodka cocktails and Nyetimber sparkling wine. Also veggie canapés for all. All guests got a complimentary copy of the book and I got mine signed by Vivienne. A very nice event. ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Wednesday 28 December 2022. This time of year , we think of the great musicians we lost in 2022 including Taylor Hawkins, Meat Loaf, Christine McVie, Ronnie Spector, Olivia Newton-John, Andy Fletcher, Terry Hall, Maxi Jazz from Faithless, Wilko Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis , Keith Levene, Manny Charlton and Dan McCafferty (both Nazareth) and several more. ------------------------------------ ------------------------------------ Monday 26 December 2022. Channel 5 11.50pm - THE ROLLING STONES live in Hyde Park 2013. I was at both their Hyde Park shows in 2013. Look at this amazing month in May 1976 when I saw The Rolling Stones, David Bowie,Patti Smith and KISS for the first time...and early shows by AC/DC who I had seen already a couple of months ago. David Bowie Wembley Arena, London 06.05.1976 first time I saw David Bowie Nils Lofgren,Unicorn New Victoria Theatre, London 09.05.1976 Nils Lofgren,Unicorn New Victoria Theatre, London 10.05.1976 Elton John Earls Court Arena, London 11.05.1976 AC/DC,Back Street Crawler Marquee Club, London 12.05.1976 Elton John Earls Court Arena, London 13.05.1976 KISS,Stray Hammersmith Odeon, London 15.05.1976 first uk tour for this great live band KISS,Stray Hammersmith Odeon, London 16.05.1976. tonight I had front row centre seats Patti Smith,Stranglers Roundhouse, London 17.05.1976 the first punk gig that I ever went to Rolling Stones,Meters Earls Court Arena, London 21.05.1976 my first Rolling Stones show AC/DC Fulham Greyhound Pub, London 23.05.1976 played to about 100 people . Rolling Stones,Meters Earls Court Arena, London 25.05.1976 I got down the front for 2 of the shows Rolling Stones,Meters Earls Court Arena, London 26.05.1976 Rolling Stones,Meters Earls Court Arena, London 27.05.1976 (my 17th birthday) Who,Alex Harvey Band,Little Feat Charlton F.C. , London 31.05.1976 AC/DC Marquee Club, London 04.06.1976 bon scott and angus were incredible . -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- Sunday 25 December 2022. Three programmes on TINA TURNER this evening on BBC2. I seen seen Tina several times during her career. 19.10.1974...Ike and Tina Turner Hammersmith Odeon, London they performed together at this gig. big songs around now are "Nutbush City Limits" and "River Deep Mountain High". 20.06.1986...David Bowie,Mick Jagger,Rod Stewart,Elton John,Dire Straits,Phil Collins,Paul Young,Status Quo,Sting,Tina Turner,Bryan Adams,Eric Clapton,Howard Jones,George Micheal,Paul McCartney,Big Country,Level 42 Wembley Arena , London massive event fot Princes Trust. 10th Anniversary. Show all acts did one to three songs . 25.09.1990...Tina Turner Wembley Arena , London this was show 6 of 7 at this venue. 19.11.1996...Tina Turner Wembley Arena , London 19.12.1996...Tina Turner Wembley Arena , London 16.07.2000...Tina Turner + Lionel Richie + John Fogerty Wembley Stadium , London a rare UK showing by John Fogerty who played a few Creedence Clearwater Revival hits from the 1960s/1970s Lionel Richie did a stunning 60 mins greatest hits set with a voice that was so clear you could hear every word.Tina Turner did a fantastic 2 hour show.So many great songs and dancing .All 3 acts were excellent. 03.05.2009...Tina Turner The 02 Arena 07.05.2009....Tina Turner The 02 Arena. TINA THE MUSICAL is still on in London...I have seen it the once...really good. -------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- Friday 23 December 2022. CIRCUS 1903 at HAMMERSMITH APOLLO.....this is the venues Christmas Show. Roll Up! Roll up! This Christmas, the marvellous Circus 1903 returns to London. Experience all the thrills and daredevil entertainment of a turn-of-the-century circus in an all-new home for 2022. There’s a world of “entertainment to delight all ages this Christmas” (Evening Standard), as sensational puppetry from the award-winning team behind War Horse puts elephants back in the ring as never seen before, alongside a huge cast of the most unique, jaw-dropping and surprising acts from all four corners of the globe! From strong men to contortionists, acrobats to high wire and much more, Circus 1903 will astound, captivate, and transport audiences of all ages to the mesmerising Golden Age of circus. It is on from Thurs 15 Dec to Fri 30 Dec. Some days there are three performances...11am...3pm...7.30pm... ------------------- Not sure why they are doing so many shows here, as all are less than half full. Tonight we are in row N of the stalls ,but the circle is 90 % per cent unsold. Many ticket agencies are selling less than half-price tickets for £15 or £20. The show is on for 1 hour 40 mins , over two sets of 50 mins each. We have a ringmaster and 11 acts. The show is pretty much a homage to Barnum & Bailey-era,‘The Greatest Showman’-style spectacle. Ringmaster David Williamson’s (American, tall and moustached) audience-participation scenes are some of the night’s most memorable, bringing young audience members on stage only to pop a pink elephant-shaped balloon inches from their faces (it gets magically reincarnated, of course) or to menace them with an apparently fearsome raccoon puppet. He’s an engaging host for this night of classic circus, supplementing the kid-tormenting with patter about magic and the supremacy of death-defying skill. And the show’s first scenes do a lot to suck you into the mood of a 1903 circus, with gorgeously attired performers.The acts are firmly old-school: baton-juggling, tightrope-walking, contortionism, strongmen, the works. They’re hugely technically impressive. There are two giant elephant puppets (adult and baby) by the "War Horse" guys. Juggler was pinging two table tennis balls out of his mouth and catching them which was very neat. There were two or three hand-over-eyes scary impressive moments. Not as high-level overall as Cirque du Soleil, but still very enjoyable. Here are what the 11 acts were destined as... Teeterboard ( see-saw with somersaults ) Rola Bola (balancing skills) Bicycle Contortion Lyra ( circular swing) Puppeteers ( adult and baby elephants) Duo Straps Russian bar Strongmen Juggler Duo skaters

Posted 24th December 2022