Loads of living, not much blogging going down at the moment, sorry I do appreciate that I am the only thing that gives your life any shape, meaning or colour. It is a burden I bear willingly.
In the last week I have seen Fear Factory and the Quireboys live and I am off to see Seth Lakeman play tonight. Fear Factory, backed by Hate and Crystal Lake*, was a heavy heavy night, the headliners were a little clunky to start with but occasionally really flared into cyber-metal excellence; guitarist Dino Cazares was a very endearing chap.
Why it has taken me 36 years to go and see the Quireboys live I just don’t know**, they were just an astonishingly good time from the intro tape^ on in. Lead singer Spike is a wonderful engaging frontman. The band now include two bona fide Brit Rock superstars in Thunder’s Luke Morley and Harry James, alongside Nigel Mogg on bass/general tallness and an excellent keys player Willie Dowling. I cannot express how excellent it was to spend time in their genial, rollicking company; reader, I danced a lot.
In addition, I may have bought a couple of records since we last spoke.
A fistful of 12″ singles^^. I splurged out on a pair of Kate Bush ones Love And Anger and Hounds Of Love, one is better than the other; Afrika Bambaata & Soulsonic Force Renegades Of Funk, mostly for the awesome comic cover and first-song-at-my-wedding REM The One I Love^*.
2026 Brit Rock. I pre-ordered a hugely fancy pants version of Green Lung Necropolitan and once again the band prove themselves worthy of Richard Wells’ incredible artwork and booklets. The track ‘To The Gallows Born’ is worth the price of admission alone. On a similar-yet-different tip Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats Shapes Of Midnight is another superb release from Kevin Starrs et.al. which features some brilliant riffs. My copy is on beautiful glitter-black vinyl.
General odd bollocks. They finally re-released The Go-Betweens 16 Lovers Lane, which is not quite as perfect as I hoped, despite having at least 3 tastes of utter perfection on it. Ashra New Age Of Earth, brilliant Kosmische Musik, ambient music with Manuel Göttsching in full-effect. Boy Harsher Get Mean, brand-new indie/goth/synth/sexy leather-clad slinkiness and Heathen Axe ST which is guitar-crazed heaviness that is equally Thee O Sees and your nearest psych-ward, one of the very best things I have heard in ages.
Saw this in Liverpool on Friday, it raised a titter.
1328 Down (still).
*Crystal Lake from Japan were just amazing, ludicrously high energy performance from their Korean frontman PK. Really blew me away and really got the whole venue bouncing.
**well, possibly my sixth-form history with their track ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’.
^the theme tune to It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, ‘Meet The Gang’. Spike greeted our enthusiastic singing of it with ‘You’re fucking old you lot, if you know that one’; he wasn’t wrong.
^^no cheap innuendo here about the size of my phallus, none. Why are you even thinking about that? you readers are all sickos, you should get help.
^*yes, upon closer mature inspection it appears to be about using and misusing people, rather than romance, but let us ignore facts; they have no dominion here^^*. It seemed romantic to us when we were young.
^^*any similarity with the current US administration is entirely coincidental and unintended.
I remember ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ too! That and ‘Are You Being Served?’ were regular viewing. Very cool round-up of a day or two in the life of international bright young blogging thing. Must check out Crystal Lake!
Its a cracking theme tune. I have no idea what Crystal Lake sound like shorn of the whirlwind of live energy, PK the frontman (also a nice man, who’s hand I shook) has only joined them post their last record.
I remember ‘It Ain’t Half Hot Mum’ too! That and ‘Are You Being Served?’ were regular viewing. Very cool round-up of a day or two in the life of international bright young blogging thing. Must check out Crystal Lake!
Haven’t heard that Meet the Gang song for years. Loved that show
In the immortal words of Spike ‘you must be F-ing old!’ – like me!
I have very fond memories of watching it when I was a kid.
Yes certainly am. Loved It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Very un-PC nowadays of course.
Just the idea of it gives me the chills in 2026!
Love the Green Lung and Bambatta records you have there. The Quireboys were a very important band for me when I was first into rock music. Smashing lads. RIP Guy.
RIP Guy indeed. I can’t believe they now feature 40% of Thunder, that’s a good development.
I would also commend the Uncle Acid newie to your attention too, great band.
Yeah, I love that new album. Especially the other side of the sky. Cracking tune.
I didn’t know the Quireboys were still on the go. It’s cool you got to see them.
Keep your eyes open for them, I’d really recommend them as a brilliant live act
That plaque is fab. (Tee hee)
Hey thanks for the heads up on a re-issue of New Age of Earth. Absolute kraut-electronica classic, and one of those LPs I stupidly sold when I bought the CD. This error of judgement was rectified within minutes of viewing your post. (In passing, where do you get the energy? And where do I buy them?)
You are very welcome indeed Bruce. I commend the Green Lung to your attention as well, it is loosely themed around the railway that connected the 7 big cemeteries around London and the art is excellent again.
The Beatles plaque did amuse me when I stumbled across it, thought I’d share.