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As an alternative to using LinkTree, here's a list of links to various bits of my digital life ...
Our second time running The 80s Night at the welcoming Friendship A.R.C. and thankfully higher numbers than last time, who seemed to have a good time.
The playlist is below¹ ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back at the Friendship A.R.C. again next time, but also back on Sundays again, on Sunday 26th April 2026. There's also something else as well, but that's a different matter. And probably requires a new usericon.
¹ Yes, I know that there's a song in there that I shouldn't have played, according to our rules - it snuck in while I was unsupervised, as Kat wasn't up this time.
The playlist is below¹ ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
We're back at the Friendship A.R.C. again next time, but also back on Sundays again, on Sunday 26th April 2026. There's also something else as well, but that's a different matter. And probably requires a new usericon.
¹ Yes, I know that there's a song in there that I shouldn't have played, according to our rules - it snuck in while I was unsupervised, as Kat wasn't up this time.
The day after watching Mark Steel in Bromley, I took the Windrush line up to Highbury and Islington to the Garage.
I remember a promoter friend who'd booked Utah Saints quite a few years ago recounting the conversation with them, which could be summarised as them saying "You do know that we're DJs, not a band, don't you?", and him replying "Yes, that's why I've booked you."
This night was also an entirely DJ'd night - which meant much less time to rest before sets. When you have bands, there's obviously a certain amount of time required for changeover, usually at the very least swapping out the snare drum and the cymbals on the kit and possibly shifting some amps off stage. When you have DJs, especially using laptops, it's as quick as swapping from one input lead to another¹ or just selecting a different input on the mixer.
Opening was the chap from St. Etienne, doing a very smooth DJ set that built up steadily as one continuous piece of loops and beds. I didn't recognise any actual tracks, but that might have been due to a lack of familiarity.
He was followed by Richard 23 of Front 242, who performed more of a traditional DJ set, moving from track to track, some of which I'm pretty sure I recognised (including Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano (mostly known now as the tune from two different Italian beer adverts at the same time)).
Next up was billed as a film by Jimmy Cauty (formerly known for being part of the KLF) as Towerblock1, but was much more of an audio-visual experience, with the music and the visuals evolving together (and impressively).
And then it was over to Utah Saints, who did their usual, and put out a storming set. Although, being them, it was almost three sets at once, switching between snatches of recognisable tracks overlaid with samples, loops, and other elements to create a single continuous hole. I recognised a number of the ingredients, but they were then morphed and added to in entirely new ways. And it was excellent.
According to my pedometer, if my steps had been actual paces, I would have done about seven miles that night.
¹ On decks, it can be even more seamless, with one DJ cued up on one deck while the other's final track is still playing on the other.
I remember a promoter friend who'd booked Utah Saints quite a few years ago recounting the conversation with them, which could be summarised as them saying "You do know that we're DJs, not a band, don't you?", and him replying "Yes, that's why I've booked you."
This night was also an entirely DJ'd night - which meant much less time to rest before sets. When you have bands, there's obviously a certain amount of time required for changeover, usually at the very least swapping out the snare drum and the cymbals on the kit and possibly shifting some amps off stage. When you have DJs, especially using laptops, it's as quick as swapping from one input lead to another¹ or just selecting a different input on the mixer.
Opening was the chap from St. Etienne, doing a very smooth DJ set that built up steadily as one continuous piece of loops and beds. I didn't recognise any actual tracks, but that might have been due to a lack of familiarity.
He was followed by Richard 23 of Front 242, who performed more of a traditional DJ set, moving from track to track, some of which I'm pretty sure I recognised (including Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano (mostly known now as the tune from two different Italian beer adverts at the same time)).
Next up was billed as a film by Jimmy Cauty (formerly known for being part of the KLF) as Towerblock1, but was much more of an audio-visual experience, with the music and the visuals evolving together (and impressively).
And then it was over to Utah Saints, who did their usual, and put out a storming set. Although, being them, it was almost three sets at once, switching between snatches of recognisable tracks overlaid with samples, loops, and other elements to create a single continuous hole. I recognised a number of the ingredients, but they were then morphed and added to in entirely new ways. And it was excellent.
According to my pedometer, if my steps had been actual paces, I would have done about seven miles that night.
¹ On decks, it can be even more seamless, with one DJ cued up on one deck while the other's final track is still playing on the other.
Tags:
Back from an evening watching Mark Steel on his 'Leopard In The House' tour, about his cancer diagnosis and treatment, presented with his usual humour, and also featuring some of his rather impressive piano playing in the interval, along with a bunch of digressions.
First time at the Churchill Theatre, too - a classic 70s theatre, which, thanks to being built on the side of a hill, features the oddness of the circle entrance being on the entry level, which means down several flights of stairs to get to the stalls.
First time at the Churchill Theatre, too - a classic 70s theatre, which, thanks to being built on the side of a hill, features the oddness of the circle entrance being on the entry level, which means down several flights of stairs to get to the stalls.
Tags:
With my weekend plans having changed with about a week's notice, I was reminded (by Jim Bob on the album playthrough on Bandcamp) that there were still a few tickets left for the second album launch on the Saturday. Second album? Yep. Jim was releasing two albums at the same time 'Stick' and 'Automatic'. This isn't a double album, but two completely separate albums. 'Stick' is the punkier number, while 'Automatic' is more of a full-band thing. 'Stick' was launched at the sweaty punkpit that is the Fighting Cocks in Kingston, while 'Automatic' was being launched at Rough Trade East off Brick Lane.
Up to London, some loitering outside chatting to other folks about shared histories of seeing 1990s bands, and then, by way of collecting my copy of the album on the way in, to the space that had been cleared of music racks in front of Rough Trade East's small stage - and then to continue the chatting for most of an hour until the clock ticked around and the band strolled onto the stage. Jim Bob was carrying an electric guitar, backed by a band of electric guitar, bass, drums, and two keyboard players.
And then they set off, playing through the album tracks in order. A couple of tracks featured a slight stumble, as this was the first time these tracks had all been run through live, but it was a good-humoured gig and audience. The songs on the album are the usual Jim Bob mix of whimsy, observation, and biting lyrics. Once the album play-through was completed, there was just enough time for an extra song, with the band managing to play through Carter's Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over¹ and finish with seconds to spare before the curfew.
And then to join the queue to leave by way of Jim's signing table, with an extended comparing of notes regarding disappeared venues with the guy behind me in the queue, who turned out to have lived in Croydon in the late 80s and early 90s.
A full photo album is here.
¹ One of my favourite Carter songs.
Up to London, some loitering outside chatting to other folks about shared histories of seeing 1990s bands, and then, by way of collecting my copy of the album on the way in, to the space that had been cleared of music racks in front of Rough Trade East's small stage - and then to continue the chatting for most of an hour until the clock ticked around and the band strolled onto the stage. Jim Bob was carrying an electric guitar, backed by a band of electric guitar, bass, drums, and two keyboard players.
And then they set off, playing through the album tracks in order. A couple of tracks featured a slight stumble, as this was the first time these tracks had all been run through live, but it was a good-humoured gig and audience. The songs on the album are the usual Jim Bob mix of whimsy, observation, and biting lyrics. Once the album play-through was completed, there was just enough time for an extra song, with the band managing to play through Carter's Lean On Me, I Won't Fall Over¹ and finish with seconds to spare before the curfew.
And then to join the queue to leave by way of Jim's signing table, with an extended comparing of notes regarding disappeared venues with the guy behind me in the queue, who turned out to have lived in Croydon in the late 80s and early 90s.
A full photo album is here.
¹ One of my favourite Carter songs.
As part of the 'Summer Nights By The Sea' series of gigs, an open-air event was scheduled at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill. Levellers, PWEI, and some other acts I'd not seen before. Having somewhere to stay within walking distance, it would have been rude not to, really, so tickets were booked.
And then the weather forecast intervened, with yellow warnings of thunderstorms, and on the Friday afternoon a notification was sent out that the gig would be moving indoors. An impressive set of storms rolling in from the Channel on Friday evening suggested that was a good idea, although on the Saturday the threatened storms failed to turn up, which a couple of the bands noted, although others thanked the staff for having successfully moved the entire event into the auditorium with only around twenty-four hours notice. What had been 'standing only' tickets now had to be reclassified, so on entry we had to announce whether we wanted one of the limited number of standing spaces or instead one of the balcony seats. Down onto the floor for me, and up to the balcony for a seat for Lisa. It was pretty warm inside, and the audience represented a vast cross-section of alternative music fans, including some for whom this appeared to be possibly their first indoor gig for decades.
First up was solo performance by the lead singer of local band Tellums, with acoustic guitar and backing track. Nice clear voice, although a little low in the mix, and he did his best to encourage a mostly-empty hall to engage, which quite a few gamely did. Being a local artist he did have the advantage that there were a few folk there who had definitely arrived early to see him. Not on Bandcamp, but on Spotify and some other sites.
Next up came Colchester's Pet Needs, the reason for at least one friend attending. Full of energy and enthusiasm (and an anecdote about trying to sell t-shirts to the nudist spa attendees at Glastonbury) but unfortunately the sound still wasn't great, and the lead singer's vocals were hard to make out among the guitars and drums. Would definitely be happy to see them again, especially with clearer vocals.
Then there was Skinny Lister, a fun folk-punk band with a double-bass player (of the kind who periodically hoists their bass over their shoulder) and a mandolin/melodeon player, as well as a very enthusiastic female co-vocalist, who also passed a large earthenware jug of 'something' around the crowd (but did ask that it came back, because apparently they're hard to find and harder yet to clean out for use). The sound was improving a little by this point.
With each of the support acts, the hall filled up somewhat, but in the interval before the next band, it pretty much filled up entirely, which was somewhat expected, as next up was Pop Will Eat Itself, who probably need little description. They did what they do, and did it well. After watching the previous three acts from the sidelines, I'd headed into the middle for the Poppies, and that was good fun. There was one very energetic teenager whose first gig this was, who had to take a brief break partway through to hand his broken glasses to his uncle, but was soon back and hurling himself about again. Turns out that being about twice his weight and almost thrice his age gave me something of an advantage when his course intersected with my location, and he simply ricocheted back into the melee.
And then it was Levellers, who I'd not seen for just over a decade. Have to admit, not a great deal had changed. They'd got older, the crowd and I had got older, and that was about all. We had songs from the newer releases as well as from the old material, and a good time was had by all, including the lad who appeared to have still more energy to burn.
Over the course of the evening I saw a few familiar faces, both from the B-Movie days and from the NMA gig community, which was nice, too. On the downside, the food stalls on the terrace ran out early and the café was only acting as a bar and there was no readmission, so when Lisa had to leave to get some food due to feeling a little faint, she ended up missing the headline acts. With regard to the earlier sound being a little poor, I did wonder if the headline acts brought their own sound crew, while the previous sound team had been prepared for an outdoor festival rather than the indoor one.
And then the weather forecast intervened, with yellow warnings of thunderstorms, and on the Friday afternoon a notification was sent out that the gig would be moving indoors. An impressive set of storms rolling in from the Channel on Friday evening suggested that was a good idea, although on the Saturday the threatened storms failed to turn up, which a couple of the bands noted, although others thanked the staff for having successfully moved the entire event into the auditorium with only around twenty-four hours notice. What had been 'standing only' tickets now had to be reclassified, so on entry we had to announce whether we wanted one of the limited number of standing spaces or instead one of the balcony seats. Down onto the floor for me, and up to the balcony for a seat for Lisa. It was pretty warm inside, and the audience represented a vast cross-section of alternative music fans, including some for whom this appeared to be possibly their first indoor gig for decades.
First up was solo performance by the lead singer of local band Tellums, with acoustic guitar and backing track. Nice clear voice, although a little low in the mix, and he did his best to encourage a mostly-empty hall to engage, which quite a few gamely did. Being a local artist he did have the advantage that there were a few folk there who had definitely arrived early to see him. Not on Bandcamp, but on Spotify and some other sites.
Next up came Colchester's Pet Needs, the reason for at least one friend attending. Full of energy and enthusiasm (and an anecdote about trying to sell t-shirts to the nudist spa attendees at Glastonbury) but unfortunately the sound still wasn't great, and the lead singer's vocals were hard to make out among the guitars and drums. Would definitely be happy to see them again, especially with clearer vocals.
Then there was Skinny Lister, a fun folk-punk band with a double-bass player (of the kind who periodically hoists their bass over their shoulder) and a mandolin/melodeon player, as well as a very enthusiastic female co-vocalist, who also passed a large earthenware jug of 'something' around the crowd (but did ask that it came back, because apparently they're hard to find and harder yet to clean out for use). The sound was improving a little by this point.
With each of the support acts, the hall filled up somewhat, but in the interval before the next band, it pretty much filled up entirely, which was somewhat expected, as next up was Pop Will Eat Itself, who probably need little description. They did what they do, and did it well. After watching the previous three acts from the sidelines, I'd headed into the middle for the Poppies, and that was good fun. There was one very energetic teenager whose first gig this was, who had to take a brief break partway through to hand his broken glasses to his uncle, but was soon back and hurling himself about again. Turns out that being about twice his weight and almost thrice his age gave me something of an advantage when his course intersected with my location, and he simply ricocheted back into the melee.
And then it was Levellers, who I'd not seen for just over a decade. Have to admit, not a great deal had changed. They'd got older, the crowd and I had got older, and that was about all. We had songs from the newer releases as well as from the old material, and a good time was had by all, including the lad who appeared to have still more energy to burn.
Over the course of the evening I saw a few familiar faces, both from the B-Movie days and from the NMA gig community, which was nice, too. On the downside, the food stalls on the terrace ran out early and the café was only acting as a bar and there was no readmission, so when Lisa had to leave to get some food due to feeling a little faint, she ended up missing the headline acts. With regard to the earlier sound being a little poor, I did wonder if the headline acts brought their own sound crew, while the previous sound team had been prepared for an outdoor festival rather than the indoor one.
Tags:
Well, I tried the Nidhoggr mead (now available at the Ludoquist). They do two styles - a 15% still mead in a range of flavours, and a 4% carbonated mead, also in a range of flavours.
The still mead wasn't as sweet as the meads that I'm used to (a friend who's been brewing mead suggests that it might not be back-sweetened, whatever that means). I'll admit that I also wasn't expecting it to be served over ice ... Not entirely my thing - had more of an 'alcohol' taste compared to what I prefer, although I'll admit to having rather a sweet tooth. Does seem to be intended to be more of an alternative to fruit wines, really (but not as sweet as many of them, either).
I did also taste one of the carbonated meads (the same friend ordered a berries one). It was (as is presumably intended by the marketing) much more like one of the 'fruit ciders'¹ like Mout or Rekorderlig, and I would guess that it was designed to compete with those.
I'll be sticking to the Lindisfarne and English Heritage meads, I think, but these may be preferred by some folk.
¹ [mutter mutter mutter]
The still mead wasn't as sweet as the meads that I'm used to (a friend who's been brewing mead suggests that it might not be back-sweetened, whatever that means). I'll admit that I also wasn't expecting it to be served over ice ... Not entirely my thing - had more of an 'alcohol' taste compared to what I prefer, although I'll admit to having rather a sweet tooth. Does seem to be intended to be more of an alternative to fruit wines, really (but not as sweet as many of them, either).
I did also taste one of the carbonated meads (the same friend ordered a berries one). It was (as is presumably intended by the marketing) much more like one of the 'fruit ciders'¹ like Mout or Rekorderlig, and I would guess that it was designed to compete with those.
I'll be sticking to the Lindisfarne and English Heritage meads, I think, but these may be preferred by some folk.
¹ [mutter mutter mutter]
Tags:
Having been required through force of circumstances to find a new venue and, as a result of Whitby's shortage of venues, a new day, too, Kat, Jaye, and I were running the night on a Monday for the first time. And also on the other side of the river for the first time, in the welcoming embrace of the Friendship Amateur Rowing Club (one of Whitby's two ARCs, which are confusingly close to each other). Some way up the cobbles of Church Street, and through a subtle doorway. A combination of April, Monday, and the new venue conspired to result in lower numbers, but those there seemed to have a good time.
The playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
Next event is Monday 3rd November, again at the Friendship ARC on Church Street.
The playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
Next event is Monday 3rd November, again at the Friendship ARC on Church Street.
The Ludoquist¹ has announced that it's started stocking mead, which may have the effect of testing my usual rule of not drinking while dicing. Has anyone out there tried Nidhoggr mead, and what opinions do you have on it? They do a range of flavours which remind me somewhat worryingly of 'ciders' like Old Mout.
¹ Croydon's rather fine boardgames café, which also hosts a regular RPG one-shot evening on Tuesdays.
¹ Croydon's rather fine boardgames café, which also hosts a regular RPG one-shot evening on Tuesdays.
Tags:
Last night I saw Sparks for the first time.
Some back-and-forth was required at the outset - I bought an e-ticket from TicketBastard, which usually means a ticket sent by email that can be displayed on a device or printed. However, TicketBastard decided thay they mean mobile tickets, i.e. those that can only be used by displaying them on their official app on a smartphone on arrival at the venue. No screenshots, no printing (and no wifi at the venue). Contacting TicketBastard they said that there was no alternative, and that the venue wouldn't accept anything else. Hammersmith's box office were, in contrast, friendly, professional, and helpful, and said "no problem", which was a relief.
I'd forgotten just how steeply-raked the floor of Hammersmith was, at least until you reached the front quarter. At least they've got removeable seats now - I remember when it was all-seated, even seeing Megadeth in the early '90s. (Apparently the fixed seating was only replaced by the removeable seats in 2003.)
No support act, just doors at seven, and the headliners on at half eight, playing for an hour and forty-five minutes against a backdrop of colour-changing square LED frames, like a modernised 1980s Top Of The Pops set. The set was a good mix of songs from the new album and recognisable classics, and their eye for a catchy hook and chorus meant that singing along to the new songs wasn't a challenge. Sparks have been recording for longer than I've been alive, and first played the Apollo in 1974, and were as good at what they do as you'd expect, with a four-piece backing band, Ron dressed in black and scowling from behind his keyboard as is traditional, and Russell dancing about the stage in a red, white, and gold suit, swapping the jacket for a waistcoat partway through.
Opening with So May We Start, they continued with barely a pause through an eighteen-song set, briefly allowing Ron to get up from behind his keyboard to do vocals on Suburban Homeboy and to do a quick 'dance routine' during The Number One Song In Heaven. Russell's intro to Please Don't Fuck Up My World pointed out that it was even more relevant now than when originally released in 2020. Eventually they left the stage, but the backing band then reappeared, still towelling their heads and faces, and Russell and Ron returned for The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte and All That. There followed an impressive demonstration of mild embarrassment, as the band left, and the Maels stood on stage as the crowd clapped and cheered. It was obvious that they were waiting to leave the stage, but also that they didn't want to be rude and do so while the applause was still going strong. Eventually they were allowed to leave.
One advantage of gigs at Hammersmith is that the Capital Restuarant is open late and you can buy a lahmacun with salad for a few quid, which met the post-gig peckishness before heading home. (Another advantage is that, if I've got enough time, I can get there by tram and tube, avoiding the middle of London.)
(For full details of what they played, here's the setlist.)
Some back-and-forth was required at the outset - I bought an e-ticket from TicketBastard, which usually means a ticket sent by email that can be displayed on a device or printed. However, TicketBastard decided thay they mean mobile tickets, i.e. those that can only be used by displaying them on their official app on a smartphone on arrival at the venue. No screenshots, no printing (and no wifi at the venue). Contacting TicketBastard they said that there was no alternative, and that the venue wouldn't accept anything else. Hammersmith's box office were, in contrast, friendly, professional, and helpful, and said "no problem", which was a relief.
I'd forgotten just how steeply-raked the floor of Hammersmith was, at least until you reached the front quarter. At least they've got removeable seats now - I remember when it was all-seated, even seeing Megadeth in the early '90s. (Apparently the fixed seating was only replaced by the removeable seats in 2003.)
No support act, just doors at seven, and the headliners on at half eight, playing for an hour and forty-five minutes against a backdrop of colour-changing square LED frames, like a modernised 1980s Top Of The Pops set. The set was a good mix of songs from the new album and recognisable classics, and their eye for a catchy hook and chorus meant that singing along to the new songs wasn't a challenge. Sparks have been recording for longer than I've been alive, and first played the Apollo in 1974, and were as good at what they do as you'd expect, with a four-piece backing band, Ron dressed in black and scowling from behind his keyboard as is traditional, and Russell dancing about the stage in a red, white, and gold suit, swapping the jacket for a waistcoat partway through.
Opening with So May We Start, they continued with barely a pause through an eighteen-song set, briefly allowing Ron to get up from behind his keyboard to do vocals on Suburban Homeboy and to do a quick 'dance routine' during The Number One Song In Heaven. Russell's intro to Please Don't Fuck Up My World pointed out that it was even more relevant now than when originally released in 2020. Eventually they left the stage, but the backing band then reappeared, still towelling their heads and faces, and Russell and Ron returned for The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte and All That. There followed an impressive demonstration of mild embarrassment, as the band left, and the Maels stood on stage as the crowd clapped and cheered. It was obvious that they were waiting to leave the stage, but also that they didn't want to be rude and do so while the applause was still going strong. Eventually they were allowed to leave.
One advantage of gigs at Hammersmith is that the Capital Restuarant is open late and you can buy a lahmacun with salad for a few quid, which met the post-gig peckishness before heading home. (Another advantage is that, if I've got enough time, I can get there by tram and tube, avoiding the middle of London.)
(For full details of what they played, here's the setlist.)
Tags:
Briefly confused just now trying to work out what the tune my player had picked at random from my hard drive was. I recognised it, but took a moment to recognise it out of context.
It was the theme to Midsomer Murders. Obviously.
(It's credited to Jim Parker, in case you were wondering.)
It was the theme to Midsomer Murders. Obviously.
(It's credited to Jim Parker, in case you were wondering.)
Is this thing on? It might be ... if I typed something more often. Once again, I'll try to do that ... he said. Again.
(This is not a resolution. Those aren't a thing.)
(This is not a resolution. Those aren't a thing.)
Our fourth time on the Royal Hotel's entertainingly-sprung dancefloor. Improved bar response meant fewer queues, other than the traditional one outside the doors at the start. Another hectic one for me, being single-handed behind the decks as usual in November. Thanks again to our security, the hotel staff, and to all of the attendees.
As usual, the playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
As usual, the playlist is below ...
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
Possibly the most imposing venue I've ever DJ'd, the wedding and reception took place in the Great Hall of Warwick Castle, where the lights reflected off the polished stone floor and the arms and armour all around the walls. Lee Chaos (Judder, Doof Wagon, etc., etc., etc.) and I were sharing the DJ duties.
We did have our own Spinal Tap moment trying to find the access road to the courtyard, as we'd accidentally been sent the directions from about a year ago, which referred to 'the building works'. Those works are now a fully completed hotel in which several of the wedding party were staying ... After a couple of confused phone calls, and a lot of driving back and forth (discovering, among other things, the overflow parking field) we eventually found our way to the courtyard. It was 'helpfully' pointed out that castles are supposed to be hard to get into, but with help from some designated ushers, we got inside and Lee set everything up.
After the meal, some of the tables were cleared away, the artisan cheeses were cut, and the bride's 'bouquet' (replaced with a cuddly toy to minimise the chance of damage) was thrown, the music was started. There was no first dance, so it was straight into the sets, with a scattering of the couple's requests among them (marked below with an [R]).
( The sets )
We did have our own Spinal Tap moment trying to find the access road to the courtyard, as we'd accidentally been sent the directions from about a year ago, which referred to 'the building works'. Those works are now a fully completed hotel in which several of the wedding party were staying ... After a couple of confused phone calls, and a lot of driving back and forth (discovering, among other things, the overflow parking field) we eventually found our way to the courtyard. It was 'helpfully' pointed out that castles are supposed to be hard to get into, but with help from some designated ushers, we got inside and Lee set everything up.
After the meal, some of the tables were cleared away, the artisan cheeses were cut, and the bride's 'bouquet' (replaced with a cuddly toy to minimise the chance of damage) was thrown, the music was started. There was no first dance, so it was straight into the sets, with a scattering of the couple's requests among them (marked below with an [R]).
( The sets )
A third visit to the Royal Hotel's fully-sprung dancefloor, and another four hours of The 80s Night. This time the division of labour was pretty efficient, with Kat doing the hard work of selecting most of the tunes and letting me do the easy bit of cueing them up and pressing the buttons.
Thanks again to the hotel and security staff, and all of the attendees who enable us to keep doing this.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
Thanks again to the hotel and security staff, and all of the attendees who enable us to keep doing this.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
The second time for The 80s Night on the high-quality dancefloor of the Royal Hotel, again running the event as promoters rather than just the DJs and, as is the pattern for Hallowe'en events, with me flying solo behind the decks (which was, as ever, somewhat nerve-racking).
(And somehow, I didn't post up this list until now.)
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
(And somehow, I didn't post up this list until now.)
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
Happy New Year, folks. Hope that 2024 is a good one. Take care of yourselves and each other.
I still don't understand those customer surveys from banks that ask "How likely are you to recommend this branch to a friend or family member?"
That's ... not really how bank branches work. They're not takeaways. You go into them if you bank with that bank, and you need something that requires counter service. From the bank that you bank with. If my friends or family bank with that bank, then they will use that branch (they'll have to, the others have been closed). If they don't, or don't live in the area, then there's not a lot of point mentioning it to them.
That's ... not really how bank branches work. They're not takeaways. You go into them if you bank with that bank, and you need something that requires counter service. From the bank that you bank with. If my friends or family bank with that bank, then they will use that branch (they'll have to, the others have been closed). If they don't, or don't live in the area, then there's not a lot of point mentioning it to them.
Almost exactly four months after my last gig, I strolled into Croydon to catch the Thameslink up to St Pancras, and then to stroll onwards and upwards to Camden. Once I got there, I had some time to kill, and discovered that the Burger King at which I was planning to have my pre-gig time-killing (and a meal) closed since I last public-transported to a gig a Camden (I think it's now a coffee shop). A Subway did the job instead, along with some loitering in the World's End, where at least the music remained up to standard (and some of the Hell Hounds could be seen gathering).
Doors opened about seven-ish, so headed downstairs, stopping off at the local food bank donation point (a regular feature of Ferocious Dog gigs) and then for a slight shopping accident at the merch table, although I did manage to resist buying any of the four different hat designs available.
Support was from locals Neck, who are described as being a 'psycho-ceilidh' band (like psychobilly, but with a different background) from 'County Holloway' (except for their fiddle player, who is straight from Country Antrim). Tin whistle, banjo, guitar, fiddle, drums (with some excellent low tom sound), and a bassist wearing a "Bassists Against Racists" t-shirt. Neck's attitude can be easily summarised by two of their better-known songs - 'Everybody's Welcome To The Hooley', an anti-discrimination song, and 'Every Day Is St Patrick's Day', both of which appeared in the setlist, along with classics like The Dubliner's 'McAlpine's Fusiliers'.
A quick stage clearance, and then Ferocious Dog came on, with numbers like 'Punk Police' (a response to being told that they can't be a punk band because they have a fiddle player - "Once you start having rules for punk, it's all over ..."), 'Broken Soldier' about PTSD inspired by the loss of singer Ken's son Lee, and a number of somewhat political tunes. (A previous tour's merch included a shirt with the front print "Fuck the Tories", which isn't entirely unexpected from a band formed by a former miner.) There was also a fair amount of encouragement of crowd engagement ("What's the point of live music if the audience aren't involved?"), including the traditional clapping ("It's not for me, it's for our drummer.") and Ken noting his increasing age ("Everyone else has an A4 setlist ... mine's on A3, and I still need to lean over to read it ... and I've got a bad back, but after all I am now in my thirties" he says with a grin - and a lie). For the iconic number 'Hell Hounds', he arranged something of a circle pit around the middle of the Underworld's unhelpfully-placed support pillars (which up to that point I'd been using as a backrest). Who knew it was so hard to get people to run in a circle? The circle was unexpectedly joined by the bassist, though, taking advantage of the radio connection to his amp.
Overall, another energetic gig in the quite warm setting of the Underworld, and both Neck and Ferocious Dog lived up to the previous times I've seen them.
Doors opened about seven-ish, so headed downstairs, stopping off at the local food bank donation point (a regular feature of Ferocious Dog gigs) and then for a slight shopping accident at the merch table, although I did manage to resist buying any of the four different hat designs available.
Support was from locals Neck, who are described as being a 'psycho-ceilidh' band (like psychobilly, but with a different background) from 'County Holloway' (except for their fiddle player, who is straight from Country Antrim). Tin whistle, banjo, guitar, fiddle, drums (with some excellent low tom sound), and a bassist wearing a "Bassists Against Racists" t-shirt. Neck's attitude can be easily summarised by two of their better-known songs - 'Everybody's Welcome To The Hooley', an anti-discrimination song, and 'Every Day Is St Patrick's Day', both of which appeared in the setlist, along with classics like The Dubliner's 'McAlpine's Fusiliers'.
A quick stage clearance, and then Ferocious Dog came on, with numbers like 'Punk Police' (a response to being told that they can't be a punk band because they have a fiddle player - "Once you start having rules for punk, it's all over ..."), 'Broken Soldier' about PTSD inspired by the loss of singer Ken's son Lee, and a number of somewhat political tunes. (A previous tour's merch included a shirt with the front print "Fuck the Tories", which isn't entirely unexpected from a band formed by a former miner.) There was also a fair amount of encouragement of crowd engagement ("What's the point of live music if the audience aren't involved?"), including the traditional clapping ("It's not for me, it's for our drummer.") and Ken noting his increasing age ("Everyone else has an A4 setlist ... mine's on A3, and I still need to lean over to read it ... and I've got a bad back, but after all I am now in my thirties" he says with a grin - and a lie). For the iconic number 'Hell Hounds', he arranged something of a circle pit around the middle of the Underworld's unhelpfully-placed support pillars (which up to that point I'd been using as a backrest). Who knew it was so hard to get people to run in a circle? The circle was unexpectedly joined by the bassist, though, taking advantage of the radio connection to his amp.
Overall, another energetic gig in the quite warm setting of the Underworld, and both Neck and Ferocious Dog lived up to the previous times I've seen them.
Tags:
In Whitby again, and this time with the full The 80s Night team. However, a whole new venue, as substantial changes to our previous location meant that we had to find a new home in mid-February and, to add to the stress, this would be the first event where we were not just DJing, but also hiring the venue and security and covering other expenses directly.
The staff at the Royal Hotel were incredibly helpful, and we were set up in our grandest location yet, the ballroom, where we were even on an actual stage with white tablecloths on the table for the decks, and there was a proper sprung dancefloor! Jaye wrangled the lighting controls, the friendly and helpful door supervisor from SSGL arrived, the doors opened, and we set the ball rolling on a condensed four-hour version of The 80s Night.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )
The staff at the Royal Hotel were incredibly helpful, and we were set up in our grandest location yet, the ballroom, where we were even on an actual stage with white tablecloths on the table for the decks, and there was a proper sprung dancefloor! Jaye wrangled the lighting controls, the friendly and helpful door supervisor from SSGL arrived, the doors opened, and we set the ball rolling on a condensed four-hour version of The 80s Night.
( The 80s Night (1900-2300) )