Monday 19 June 2023.
Monday 19 June 2023...3.15pm to 8.15pm...
GOFF'S LONDON SALE, Perks Field, Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8.
Goffs has been Irelands number one horse sales auction house for the last 150 years.
Around 500 guests from the horse racing community are here outside in the lovely sunshine.
From 5pm to 6.15pm - around 25 horses are paraded for the auction...a couple went went for over a million... Several of them are running at Ascot this week. A few well known faces here including...
JACKIE ST CLAIR (ex Page 3 girl from the 1980s) Still looking fantastic at age 63 , always friendly and chatty...she told me how in the 1980s as a model she went on 188 overseas modelling assignments, to many glamourous locations.
BARRY FRY (ex football manager, now involved with horse racing).
JOHN GOSDEN ( legendary British racehorse trainer with over 3000 winners worldwide).
JAMIE OSBORNE ( English racehorse trainer and former jockey).
WILLIE MULLINS (is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey. He is a 17 time Irish National Hunt Champion trainer, and the most successful trainer in the history of The Cheltenham Festival).
DAVID ARMSTRONG-JONES (2nd Earl of Snowdon , styled as Viscount Linley until 2017 and known professionally as David Linley, is a member of the British royal family).
MARK-FRANCIS VANDELLI (from Made In Chelsea).
A jazz trio and a covers band both played sets of around 30 mins.
Complimentary Rose wines, Pimms, Gin & Tonics, Hofmeister lagers, finger sandwiches, different canapés, scones, ice-creams and desserts.
A lovely event as usual.
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Sunday 18 June 2023.
THE WINERY DOGS live at Shepherds Bush Empire.
The idea of the band started out as a project featuring drummer Mike Portnoy and bassist Billy Sheehan, who were aiming to form a power trio rock band supergroup with a lead singer/guitarist as the frontman. After an aborted project, tentatively titled "Bad Apple", with guitarist/vocalist John Sykes, talk show host Eddie Trunk heard about it and suggested Richie Kotzen, who had previously played with Sheehan in the band Mr. Big from 1997 to 2002.
Prior to the Winery Dogs, all three members have had successful careers with other bands. Richie Kotzen is known as a former member of bands Poison and Mr. Big, as well as having a consistent solo career with many albums released. Billy Sheehan is known for playing with Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Talas, and Mr. Big. Mike Portnoy is known for being the original drummer of bands Dream Theater, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, Neal Morse Band, Sons of Apollo and Adrenaline Mob.
They are touring the world to promote their new studio album.
Support comes from JARED JAMES NICHOLS.
Jared James Nichols (aged 34) is an American blues-rock guitarist and singer from East Troy, Wisconsin,best known for his high-energy "pick-less" electric guitar playing technique. He is rarely seen playing without his signature single-pickup Epiphone Les Paul Custom P90 nick-named Old Glory 5 for his vintage original 1953 Gibson Les Paul nick-named Ole Red. He fronts a power trio under his name, rooted in the early 1970s hard-rock vein of Cream and Mountain. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Level 3 is closed tonight, but there must be around 1500 folks here.
Most are in early to see the support act, who has a great live reputation.
JJN arrives on stage at 8pm for his 40 mins set.
His mane of curly hair , and a stage personality that mixed Ted Nugent with Sammy Hagar.
He plays his Les Paul guitar with his fingers, in front of his stack of Blackstar amps.
A really good set that ended with a cover of Black Sabbath 'War Pigs'.
WINERY DOGS arrived on stage at 9.10pm for their 1 hour 40 mins set.
They are using four dry ice plumes in each corner of the stage.
The three musicians really are top notch, and their rock with blues hints goes down well.
Billy Sheehans bass playing showmanship is great, and he also gets to do a bass solo.
A funny thing was happening for drummer Mike Portnoy throughout the show.
It was hard not to notice Portnoy’s tech, constantly at the ready to swing the boss’s microphone into action when needed. The drummer moves around so much, even standing to play at times, that having a mic permanently parked overhead, much less to the side or anywhere else within striking distance, just isn’t possible. As discreet as he tried to remain, you couldn’t help but admire how much on point Portnoy’s guy was.
They finished off the main set with 'Oblivion ' which was great.
A really good show. Posted 19th June 2023