Annnd I'm back!

Dear Listener,

Having taken a rather long hiatus due to general laziness, I have returned!

And I come to you from a new mysterious place, the realms of which are still quite uncharted to me...yes that's right, I now live in 'the North'!  Lancaster to be specific!

I have decided to take another obscure course and return to university, as one bout of rampant liver abuse and general debauchery was in fact not enough for me!  Although this time I have gone 3 months early, for I wish to get this 'fear' and do something different.  So far it would appear I have moved to the 'Guildford of the North' (cobbled streets, farmers market, coffee house every 20 yards...you get where I'm going).  But alas!  This shall be fun!

Now my first step is to get behind a bar again, god I genuinely do miss being covered in beer and aching, I think that's the masochist in me but if this the extent of it then I guess that's pretty safe!  After that I intend to dance, paint and make the usual steps into becoming a hippy...anyone for hemp?

In the meantime, I shall take this Winding Wheel drinkers anthem and walk around skipping!  Thank you to all you Wheelers who've provided me with entertainment, drinking, banter and wonderful friendships this past year, miss ya already!

Loves n stuff!

My Murkey Paradise...

In revisit to a notion I briefly dabbled in as a student, I have decided to once again bar tend my way into events I either can't afford to go to or forgot were on before the tickets sold out.  So having signed up with the appropriate temp company, I worked the Stone Roses homecoming weekend of gigs at Heaton Park Manchester.  Awesomo!


My summary of the weekend:


Weather - 
Tenderly walking the line between 'utterly shite' and 'oh look, a ray of sunshine'.  Cold, windy, muddy.  I proceeded to wear all of my black clothing at the same time and encase myself in a poncho, like vacuum-packed drink-serving Barbie.


The Crowd - 
Amazing, in every way!  Majority of the revellers wore a very though-out uniform; the 'Ian Brown haircut' (inc obligatory side burns), parkas, the 'Reni hat', band t-shits, and  some of the most trenchfoot promising footwear ever to be misguidely worn (-Toms, at an outdoor gig in the north-west, really?!).  There was a gloriously electric atmosphere that everyone was about to witness something special, that they had been waiting for since the first time they heard the opening bass on 'I Wanna Be Adored', and as such gave for a truly pleasurable experience and great banter!  Particular praise goes to 2 young Bristolians, who spent a good 20 minutes showing me their homemade tattoos on their bottoms done on each other after 'a few e's and some booze', which meant that due to some interesting handwriting it would appear that one of their desires to have the Kings of Leon song 'Revelry' on his chest is now a permanent homage to "Beverly', whoever she is...
My only complaint was a security f*** up which resulted in my bar being stormed by about 500 smashed people (one of the darlings made a short film, bless), legging it with booze and creating a 'beer fountain'.  They timed it well though, Primal Scream were playing 'Loaded', apt.


The Bands - 
3 days of The Wailers prompted 3 different reactions; Day 1, 'oh cool The Wailers'.  Day 2, 'The Wailers sound a bit samey today. Day 3 - 'Christ they're boring, how long is this set!'
Kid British and Dirty North had a gorgeously British Rock n Roll arrogance i've not heard in a long time and they can really play too.  I will be keeping an eye on these guys, something very 80's indie about both bands, when everything was relevant ya know...
The Vaccines are a band that have bored me on the radio, live they stunned me!  Loved them, I will buy the album begrudgingly, and go find a live gig, very exciting live.
Plan B and Professor Green (the latter expressing his fear of the northern crowd, hmmm) did what they needed to do and sounded great.  I'm not massive on either of these in general, but credit where it's due they sounded great and everyone had a good dance - even I shook my cling film encased booty to 'Remedy' and 'Recluse'.  Lovely.
Primal Scream, I'm sure they were great, but I spent most of their set hiding from a mob on the back of a beer tankard (it holds 50,000 pints, and if it was gonna get popped i wanted my share)-so great riot music it would seem.
Beady Eye were very entertaining, even playing a few Oasis classics which made it even more 'Manchester-tastic' and really added something extra to the day!


And finally...The Stone Roses - 
F***ING BRILLIANT!!!!!!!  I mean really, amazing!  As a band they got tighter throughout the weekend; I've never heard harmonies so subtly beautiful layered over ball-crunching drums, a bass impossible not to nod too and a guitar that captivated every ear - the entire crowd hung on to every note coming from John Squire.  As the gig went on my colleagues, the punters and I all exchanged little electric looks and sly smiles of giddy excitement.  It was everything I could want and more - and I was getting PAID to be there, ye gods!  The NME website has some great pic on it, check them out.  After the gig the atmosphere in the city was of shared excitement and a sense of ownership.  I am by no furthest stretch of the imagination a Manc, but it felt like the city had reclaimed its boys and its place in musical history, it was a pleasure to be part of.


Unfortunately I can't find any good live footage, so here's my favourite song of there's...This was definitely the One

Aaahh the Seeeaaaa!!!

Having grown up what feels like 4000 miles inland, the sea is still fascinating to me, and having friends that live 'on holiday' is even better!  So following a stressful few weeks I descended on my friend Byrony (yes, I meant to spell it that way) to visit her in Falmouth, Cornwall.  Having been there before, I knew I liked it, and the second time was even better.  Quiet but not dull, slow paced but lively, small but so much to do - I pretty much need to move there now!  Even though it was overcast it was still beautiful.

And when you see nature like that, big, unstoppable, beautiful, you realise all the day to day petty bollocks is actually so not relevant, and we should just concentrate on enjoying life!  Yes I realise I sound like a crazy hippy, but I feel sooo positive right now and I'm loving it!

Thanks Byrony, Flikk and Emily!  If I'm not back soon you have permission to rip me like a wet beer mat!

Bandy Band Bands

Having friends in bands is both a blessing and a curse. The blessings being they will most likely be the kind of people that want to go out on a Tuesday even though one or both of you have a 9am meeting,they always have an awesome jacket to lend you or cigarettes, and you can be sure of great rambling conversation on something neither of you have any idea about (existentialism, politics of the middle east in the 17th Century etc) til about 6am with great gusto! However, in return you have to watch their band...
And just because they're a mate,doesn't necessarily mean they're good. This is why I have often avoided watching friends bands,for if they sound like a shitty Klaxons cover group,or like they're doing their best Axl Rose impression,how do you smile through and say 'Yeah mate,great set'?? You can't lie to your friends can you?

I would just like to state at this point I have all the musical talents of a first round X-Factor contestant taking themselves too seriously-i am by no means a musical authority.

So last year i took the plunge and finally went to see my friend Tim's band Black Canons. I nervously rocked up and tried to hide in a corner just in case, however within 30 seconds i had shimmied my way to the front of the crowd and was doing my best Stevie Nicks 'Edge of 17' impression - they were fricken brilliant!!! Sounded like a sexed-up Pearl Jam! And Tim was fantastic,what an absolute amazing guitarist! After the show i gushed to everyone that would listen how much i enjoyed,and I've been back a couple of times since.

Buzzed off this,i next decided to go see a band I'd told everyone about for years but never seen, Guile featuring my good friends Jon and Neal. Tje dark and intimate setting of the ... In Birmingham was perfect for their kind of bluesy rock. The show was delicious,they were amazing, one of the best live bands I have ever seen, to quote Almost Famous, 'the guitar sounded incendiary'.

And now to add to the list,a band fronted by an old friend, Corelli. They sounded so young and fresh,they looked so exciting and they were a perfect band for the jilted generation to party to!  Like a happier sounding Smiths (this could be offensive, but whatevs I thought they were banging!)

I know it sounds like i am verbally noshing off my mates, but I am not!  And I implore those of you who read this to check all of these guys out,tell your friends and download the tracks! In a world full of Simon Cowell drones, Justin Biebers and wannabe East Enders fusing bad New Order with the Jungle Brothers, these guys are a breath of fresh air!


This revolution MUST be televised...


x

An award-winning artist...

YES I BLOODY WELL AM!!!!  As you can tell I'm a tad excited about this.  I attended a Dr Sketchy event in Birmingham on Saturday and won a round yay!  For those of you unaware of the concept, my interpretation of it is as follows...go to nice pub (the gorgeous Victoria), get a little crunk on fancy cider (thank you to the good people at Stowies for all your hard work, it is not unnoticed), watch some great performers of the Burlesque variety and do some colouring in!  Only good things can come of this!
However, as i'm there in more of a 'support' role for artist friends, i did not expect my drunken scrawling with the contents of my make up bag (4 pints in) to be awarded top marks by the performer, how lovely!  And here is the winning piece :D

Obviously there were other winners, but as I've never been considered even slightly good a drawing bollocks to them this is my time in the sunshine!
However part of my prize was a mouthful (literally, they shoved it in) of Turkish Delight...as someone awaiting dental surgery this was essentially oral torture...but whatevs, yay me!

So your song of choice will be a very fitting Dylan choice...amaze

PMQ's - Jeremy Kyle for Toffs...

And it really is!  I know I say it every week, and every week it's my televisual highlight (next to Sherlock, the man's a complete douchebag, so obviously I find him irresistibly attractive).  Buuuttt it would be nice if they offered some actual ideas, BOTH SIDES.  Cameron continues to say he's cleaning up after labour economic policies (at which Ed Balls looks like he's 'shitting wasps', thanks Chris W) by means of evading any actual questions, and Ed Milliband tries to come back with a 'you're out of touch' comment trying not to double click and head roll after.  And the past few months i've watched it nobody seems to have offered any actual solutions or policies...unless they're so bogged down in public school bitchiness a commoner like me can't pick them out...hmph!

Soo rant over, and yes Stef, i was shouting at the news (another past time of mine, I find it quite therapeutic...)

In order to make myself feel better an lighten the tone I reminded myself of the show I went to see last week in London, the amazeballs Million Dollar Quartet!  Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley - musically it's probably as sexy as Chicago, however i'm pleased they weren't wearing the stockings...that's more Rocky Horror than Rock N Roll.  The wife and I did the whole thing holiday style by downing Daquiri's like it was Mardi Gras prior to the show, causing brain freeze and some interesting navigation of Covent Garden cobbles!  But we made it and danced away in the stalls!

Here's them doing a medley on Letterman - enjoy!

A New Year...

Sooo, I kinda forgot I had one of these for about 6 months...oops!

I come to you now at the ripe old age of 24, attempting to dabble in something new...
My only NY resolutions are to give up the 3 C's - Carbs, Cider and Cigarettes, 3 things i hold very close to my heart...
But for now I've decided to dye half my hair back blonde, and i'm in the 'awkward ginger phase' - fine for now, however the more 40 volt bleach applied the more this could be a mistake :s