Marillion Weekend - Days 2 & 3

Marillion Weekend – Day Two (20/05/2017)

I decided to have a somewhat lazy day on Saturday.  It was a little more hassle finding somewhere for breakfast on a weekend – the place from yesterday was shut and McDonalds didn’t deem to have any breakfast.  I found somewhere for some eggs, ham and toast, then returned to my room to write up the previous two days.  A protest or parade of some sort came down the road so I nipped down to take some photos.

At around 2pm cabin fever set in so I crossed the road to Centro Gabriela Mistral, otherwise known as GAM.  This is a huge art centre with galleries, performance and rehearsal spaces along with a bookshop and a wine shop.  I stopped for coffee and cake, then had a look at a couple of galleries, one showcasing Chilean cartoon illustration and another with handmade toys from around South America.  The most striking thing about the centre however was that there were teenage kids dancing EVERYWHERE!  I don’t know if this occurs every weekend or if there was something in particular happening but the courtyard was full of rehearsal and choreography.  There seemed to be one major piece being taught in the middle but all around were other small groups.  The majority were street / RnB style but there was also a duo of tap dancers.  Musically there was an unspoken democracy where no two groups would play at the same time.  I sat in the sunshine at a bar with a Piscola, watching these talented youngsters practising over and over.  It was inspiring and my kind of bliss!

I had to tear myself away to get ready for the evening.  We were meeting at a bar just south of my hotel.  It was a nice little place and  many of my new friends were in attendance.  I grabbed some (proper) food and probably made to leave 3 or 4 times before the last of us walked the mile to the venue.  Teatro Caupolican is a fine concert hall but it is in the middle of an area with no bars and few restaurants.  It’s not the nicest area and not somewhere you want to be hanging around too long.

The Marillion gig tonight comprised of an edited version of Clutching At Straws and a few other Fish-era classics before a full performance of the new album FEAR.  The seats again gave a slightly odd atmosphere although the crowd did stand and dance a little to Incommunicado and Market Square Heroes.  The first three (of five!) songs from the new album are terrific and The Leavers feels particularly poignant at these Weekends.  However for me White Paper is nice enough but has little impact and The New Kings leaves me cold – it’s a rather strange track to end the concert with and it almost felt as if we had to wait 22 hours for the encore.

Another quick run around the venue as the merchandise stalls shut to count and a late night at the Sheraton.  They have some gas fire pit / tables outside and we sat huddled around the flickering flames.  Steve Rothery held court and we chatted with a few people who had taken him and Pete to an observatory during the week.  One guy from the North East of England was particularly easy to talk to and I gratefully accepted some of the wine they had brought (especially given the prices at the bar in the Sheraton!)  The taxi returned me to my hotel around 3am.

Marillion Weekend – Day Three (21/05/2017)

As doors opened at 1pm on Sunday there as little to do beforehand.  I treated myself to the hotel breakfast, watched another protest make it’s way down Alameda and made my own way to the venue (given the area this is not something I would want to do alone after dark).  The afternoon show is always an informal affair.  There is a Q&A with questions submitted by fans beforehand, a photo session for entrants who had put their names in a box during the weekend and then Swap The Band where some musical fans get to perform with the band.  The photo session for me was a little eye-opening.  As someone who has met the band a few times and who gets to see them live very often I forget that for a lot of people that chance to just shake a hand or for a quick hug is priceless.  The reactions of the competition winners reminded me of how lucky I have been down the years and perhaps how much I’ve taken it for granted.

Swap The Band was great as always and I love the enthusiasm that the crowd has for it.  I’m also always a little jealous of the lucky people who get that chance!  The guitarist impressed everyone – he’s only 13 and gave a terrific performance of Sugar Mice.

Kicked out for the afternoon we had four hours to occupy ourselves before the evening show.  As I said before there is nothing in the vicinity of the venue so we (about 50 of us) traipsed back up to the main road, Alameda.  Compounded by it being a Sunday and many places being closed, the Italian restaurant we found looked rather worried at the sight of us all!  However the place was large and there was plenty of space, despite initial protests.  Much pisco was consumed and I had a fantastic stifado with alfredo sauce.

Gradually people made their way back to Caupolican and again I was one of the last to leave.  I’m not a particular fan of support bands but I did catch a little of Sunday night's.  Despite being completely not my sort of thing I rather enjoyed their jazz prog.  The set on Sunday at the UK convention had been, not just my favourite, but possibly one of my favourite Marillion gigs of all time (it was also my 80th!).  It was hard to know how Santiago would measure up.  This show had two points of note; it was a performance in full of 1999’s Marillion.com album and in a very rare departure for the band they had guest musicians on stage.  The string quartet arrangements added a beautiful new level of detail to an album that has many lovely songs but perhaps lacks a little in cohesion.
My most emotional moment of the weekend was Go!, a song that I’ve always held dear.  In the UK to a plan had been hatched fr the fans to surprise the band by lighting tiny LEDs at a specific point towards the end of the song.  The worked fantastically and was an amazing moment but I think the excitement of it perhaps led to me not immersing myself in the song so much.  This time it took me over completely and the strings made it soar.  “It only takes a fraction of a second to turn your life upside down”.

In response to the UK moment in Go! The Web In Spanish arranged for hundreds of glow-sticks to be dished out to fans as they entered and everyone was instructed to wave them during Enlightened.  This song was written in and about São Paulo so it holds a special place for South America.  It perhaps didn’t have the same impact as in the UK but it was still a beautiful sight (until people threw them at the stage at the end and boy, do they hurt when they hit you!

A saxophonist and trumpet player were also recruited to play parts of the album that are usually triggered samples.  The saxophonist was nowhere near as good as the UK but the song House featuring. Muted trumpet was a wonder to behold.  The interplay between trumpet and guitar in this gentle, unassuming song.  Some people find it dull but I could have listened to it for hours.  I really hope that comes across on the DVD.

The second half of the final night was a selection of songs, some of which utilised the additional musicians.  In particular it was so much nicer to here the saxophone solos from Berlin and This Strange Engine live.  One note on the evening that I will perhaps elaborate on more in my gig review is that the videos are becoming distracting.  King especially (this was noted in the UK too) – the scratch video of stars corrupted by fame, most of them dead, has become more of an obituary reel with the crowd cheering or applauding their favourites.  There’s a certain irony in it and I do wonder how many are actually listening to the song any more.

Post gig and post merch count I was allowed to sneak into the after-gig gathering (no beer though!)  I had lovely warm smiles from both bassist Pete and singer h along with the somewhat inevitable question, “what the bloody hell are you doing here?”  Me and Rita took an Uber back to the Sheraton – unfortunately the bar was shut but I still had good chats with Lucy, drummer Ian and various crew members.

There is a real feeling that this is an end of an era for me.  I will always be a fan of the band but I no longer feel the need to do these ridiculous trips.  My life has already taken a huge change in priorities.  It is possible to have too much of a good thing and having nearly lost it all (at one point I felt I would never see Marillion again) I can now appreciate just having enough.  The last hoorah was pretty special though, so many treasured memories of a wonderful weekend on the other side of the world.

Take Me Home

Well the Christmas period is more or less over and I've at last got a chance to catch up on the last few weeks. This is where I really wish I'd done this earlier as I won't remember anywhere near as much as I should, but never mind. It'll make for a shorter blog I suppose.

Our journey out of Spain was a little fraught to say the least. We got up early to catch the bus to Marbella on Saturday 8th of December only to find that the bus wasn't going to come as it had been a national holiday two days previously. Our host Christina very kindly gave us a lift to Marbella so we could catch our connection to Granada which was running and we caught without too many problems. As we headed further north and further up the fog grew thick and the temperature dropped considerably. We had the afternoon in Granada so after checking into our hostel we had a wander around the city. The weather made it a little grim and our map not particularly good but eventually we found one of the viewpoints indicated on the map. The fog had lifted a little so we had an excellent view of the Alhambra (we're saving the visit there for another time) and the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. There was a small market and a couple of restaurants where we ate - the food was good and not overpriced considering it was in an incredibly busy tourist spot.

We had an early night as we had an early flight the next morning. When deciding how to get to Paris, we had two options. Either we could fly early from Granada or from Seville in the afternoon. Even taking into account the hostel and the taxi the cost was more or less the same, so we thought we'd take the opportunity for a few extra hours in Paris. We caught a taxi without too many problems, but when we got to the airport it was fogbound. There was a little confusion as to whether the flight would go or not - at one point it was 90% yes, but the 10% won out and our incoming plane was diverted to Malaga and our flight cancelled. We were given the choice of flying the next morning or (you've guessed it) the Seville flight that afternoon. The most annoying thing being that by the time our coach left the fog had cleared and planes were once again taking off and landing. Too late for us.

So we flew from Seville and had to race to our hotel, change quickly and hotfoot it to La Locomotive. We met up with friends Michael and Siobhan before we went to watch Fish. Last time I saw Fish he was not absolutely awful. I said at the time that I would never go and see him again, much less make a big effort. So here I was having travel a damn long way to see him. And it was a good thing I did because he was excellent. The venue was a bit odd, but we managed to get a spot on the stairs with a good view (the main area was packed). He performed some songs from his new album which we hadn't yet heard but sounded very good along with some of his older material and songs from his last album with Marillion, Clutching At Straws. A fantastic gig by a man who is definitely back on form.

Another day, another journey. This time, a coach to Amsterdam. Not a bad journey and a bargain at €39 return. The only headache was realising that the coach station was a lot further out from the centre of Amsterdam than we had realised. Still, we could get a train and a tram to virtually outside our hotel which was in a great position, just 2 minutes walk from the venue that Marillion would be playing. On the Monday however, we had the evening free so we went to one of our favourite restaurants in the world (so far). The Tokyo Cafe is a Japanese and sushi restaurant that does an excellent all-you-can-eat deal. We were lucky enough to get in on our last visit to Amsterdam and managed to book this time. The best thing about it is you can try lots of things you wouldn't normally try. After we met up with Neil who had also come to Amsterdam for the gigs.

On the Tuesday we did some touristy things, including the excellent Torture Museum (not to be confused with the Amsterdam Dungeon) and the Theatre Museum. We also took a brief trip to see Ajax's Amsterdam ArenA - we might have to have a look inside some time because from the outside it looks like a road runs right over the pitch!

So that night was the first of three Marillion gigs. Somehow, this band just get better and better live. We stood on bassist Pete Trewavas' side of the stage which is normally the most fun (as well as the easiest to get nearer the front) and certainly had an excellent time. Afterwards I caught a plectrum (properly caught it, none of that scrabbling about on the floor) which always wraps a good gig up nicely!

The next day (we're on Wednesday in case you're not keeping up) we hit Museumplein. First up was the Rijksmuseum - not my personal choice but I really enjoyed it. I actually found myself appreciating still life painting - you can see so much more detail when you see it for real. The museum also provided an excellent history of the Netherlands through the art.

Next up was a museum that we had seen in one of the tourist booklets at the hotel. The House of Bols is brand new and attached to a bartending school. For €10 you get to discover a little about the company who produces a most extensive range of cocktail ingredients. There are interactive portions which explore taste and smell and a flair booth where you practise your own bottle throwing techniques. Best of all, at the end you can choose a cocktail to try which is freshly made for you (it's somewhere for the students to train obviously!) AND we had two additional shots each of different flavoured Bols. The Green Banana was particularly nice. At the end the receptionist commented that we'd been in there a long time - clearly a lot of people pay their €10 and head straight for the bar! We staggered back to our hotel to change before heading out for the next gig. We stood in the same place (boring I know, but Pete is a legend!) Another great gig with a couple of changes to the setlist and an amazing atmosphere.

It was another early morning start to catch the bus back to Paris. We got there in plenty of time to meet my sister Vicky at Gare Du Nord. It was fantastic to see her after so long - a couple of days in Paris was my Christmas present to her. We had another quick journey on the Metro to our hotel, to change and to head out for the gig, although we did have time for a crepe before the show. Again the atmosphere for the gig was electric - the band clearly love playing in Paris and I could see why. It's always fun to see the last night of a tour as the band let go a bit more. I wanted to hang around and see if the band would come out and socialise but Darren had a ridiculously early start so we retired to our hotel.

Vicky and I then had one day to "do" Paris. First stop had to be the Eiffel Tower. We got off at Champ de Mars stop and when came out of the station we couldn't see the famous tower anywhere! We walked in what I thought was the general direction and suddenly, behind a building, there it was. It's head was shrouded in cloud but it looked spectacular still. We opted (Vicky's decision) to take the stairs to the second level as it was much cheaper and we didn't have to queue. This was quite high enough for Vicky and we decided that it wasn't worth the extra time, money and queuing to go to the top, especially as the weather hadn't improved much.

For lunch I had to take Vicky to one of my favourite places in the world - Angelina. Angelina is a salon de thé on Rue de Rivoli near the Louvré. It looks quite small from the outside but opens up like the Tardis,managing to be opulent and personal at the same time. The croque monsieur and madame are built like doorstops and the pastries are beautiful, but it was the African style hot chocolate that we'd come for. At €6.50 it isn't cheap, but it is like pure melted chocolate and comes with a pot of whipped cream and a much needed glass of water to wash it down with. Of all my travel tips, this has to be number one!

We then decided to go somewhere I actually hadn't been to on my previous trips to Paris - Pere Lachaise cemetery. Although it was still cold it was pleasant enough to walk around. As well as the large number of famous graves there were lots of very ornate resting places. There were two people we did want to visit however - Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Morrison's was the first we found, a relatively small grave festooned with flowers left by his fans. Oscar was a little trickier to find. We think there were maps but we weren't sure where people had got them from so we navigated by to occasional maps by the entrances. Eventually we found it, elaborate and unusually designed and covered with lipstick kisses.

I insisted that Vicky saw the Notre Dame Cathedral. I'm not sure how impressed she was (especially with me getting lost on the tiny island it sit on) but I love it. Plus it was somewhere we could go indoors for a while to warm up! We then headed for the Louvre - cheaper on a Wednesday or Friday evening. Like the still life in Amsterdam I think the Mona Lisa looks amazing when you see it for real, but Vicky just didn't get it. Philistine!

We traipsed around the Louvre for a few hours, and when we got bored headed for the next sight - the Arc de Triomphe. The Christmas lights on the trees all the way down the Champs Elysée were absolutely breathtaking. We were both pretty hungry again by now, but eating in Paris is really tricky. Everywhere is either too touristy, too expensive (or both) or impossible to find. We walked down the Champs Elysée and took the plunge at a hopeful looking restaurant. It actually turned out to be a good choice. In particular I must mention our very friendly waiter, not something Paris is renowned for!

The we rounded off our day where we began - the Eiffel Tower. This time we approached from the Ecole Militaire at the opposite end of the Champs du Mars. We managed to plan it so we only had a few minutes to wait for the 10pm show - the Eiffel Tower glitters for 10 minutes on the hour every night. It was a special moment to spend with a special person.

We could do no more. Back to the hotel to catch up a bit more on our time apart and watch Sex & The City in French. The next morning we took the Eurostar out of Paris - after 5 months away I was back home.

Arrivederci!

It's our last day in Rome and we're exhausted! We've done practically all the sights, picked holes in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, and seen Genesis for the second time in a week. I won't tell you everything we've done (I've only got 20 minutes credit left!), but here are some highlights.

The Pantheon - As is so often the case, the sights you are most indifferent about seeing are the best. This quite literally took my breath away. The shaft of light from the hole in the roof is the first thing you notice when you walk in the door, and the scale and perfection of the dome - especially considering the age of the building - is the most astounding.

The Trevi Fountain - It really is amazing. And quite bizarre that anyone would want to build a fountain quite so large!

Castel Sant'Angelo - We went here on an Angels and Demons pilgramage, but it's definitely worth a look. Hadrian's mausoleum turned Papal fortress, it's reworkings reminded me a lot of the Tower of London.

St. Peter's Basilica - it was hard work in the heat of Rome, but the climb to the top of the dome does provide the best view over the city. And the church itself is simply vast and magnificent.

Pincio - take a walk through Villa Borghese and end at Pincio, with a breathtaking southern facing view over the huge Piazza del Popolo.

Genesis - they were playing at Circo Massimo near the Forum and Colloseum. It was incredibly dusty which made breathing rather difficult, but the dust did at least diffuse the light and make the show look even better. After seeing them from so close at Twickenham, it was great to see the lightshow in all it's glory. The atmosphere was fantastic as well.

Our hotel was right near Piazza Navona, and is fantastic. Never pay full price for a hotel! There's a lovely terrace where Darren's taken some great photos from (hopefully uploaded soon, see the address on the right!)

It's been incredibly hot, but a great start to our travels. Tonight we take the sleeper train to Geneva before heading over the border into France and our next WWOOF farm.

This month I have...

I’ve been a bit rubbish at updating this lately haven’t I? Here’s a quick update of the last month…

L’Enclume

We drove over to Cartmel in the Lake District, stopping off in Grange Over Sands for a nose around as we couldn’t check into the room until 3pm. The room was very nice with a beautiful view of the Priory. We then had a walk around Cartmel (it’s not very big so it didn’t take long!) and I bought a necklace to go with my outfit for the evening. Back at the room we watched the first half of the football while we got changed – then Darren switched off the TV and dropped to one knee to propose to me! Of course I said yes, but it took me a while to stop shaking!

We celebrated with a glass of champagne to start our meal. It’s difficult to describe the experience of the meal itself. We went for the Underground, a meal of at least 20 courses (we actually finished with 21). Some are staple dishes to the restaurant, for example the Razor Role Reversal which has clam and chestnuts served in an eggshell and chicken served in a razorclam shell. Sometimes the staff were as puzzled as us about what was in a dish and had to check with the chef – “he’s experimenting” as one of the waiters explained to us!

There are a few dishes and elements that really stand out for me. BBQ pig with sweetcorn puree, cola jelly and deep-friend oregano was brilliant. Expearimenthol frappe was pear jelly, mint cream and coffee flavoured crushed biscuit served in a shot glass. The slow drop duck egg which had been cooked for two hours but was perfectly runny. Liquid chocolate – it looked like cake and felt like cake at first, but then dissolve to liquid. Foie gras ice cream (it takes a couple of mouthfuls to get used to that one!) All of the dishes were presented like works of art, but then that’s the difference between a great restaurant and a Michelin star restarant.

The staff were particularly wonderful. They served the meal with humour and we got the feeling that they were perfectly aware of how bizarre the idea was. They were attentive but we never felt pestered. The sommelier helped us pick an amazing bottle of red wine for the second half of our meal (we started with a white). I don’t think we’ll spend £65 on a bottle of wine very often, but you can taste the difference – the depth of flavour was incredible.

I struggled with the final few mouthfuls and just couldn’t face the coffee and chocolates (served on skewers). It was back to the room to collapse on the bed and allow my body and mind to digest everything! We also had breakfast at the restaurant, which was probably the best breakfast I’ve ever had. I was surprised I was hungry at all! We had another wonder around Cartmel, picking up some of the world’s best Sticky Toffee pudding on the way (we’ve since devoured it and it’s truly wonderful). I think I want to live in Cartmel. It’s the food capital of the world…



Marillion – Somewhere Else

I’m not sure what insanity drives us to travel to Glasgow to listen to an album that’s out in a few weeks and that I could probably download if I were that desperate to listen to it. Especially when we’d already heard over half of it. Such is the life of a Marillion fan. It was an opportunity to catch up with some friends as well, always worth a journey. The listening party was held in Arta, a lovely if expensive bar. The soundsystem wasn’t particularly good though, and the heavy bass combined with the chatter made it quite difficult to really assess or appreciate the album.

There were two tracks that we heard at the Convention that I was very much looking forward to hearing again. Most Toys is probably the most catchy song Marillion have ever produced and The Wound is dark and moody. Opening track The Other Half again appeared to me as a song of – ironically – two halves, the first being my personal favourite. Of the songs I hadn’t heard before, No Such Thing stood out the most in it’s quirkiness, and the title track definitely has potential as a grower. Overall it’s quite unusual for a Marillion album in that all the songs are relatively short and many are of a basic song structure. It’s really quite Beatle-esque. Although I couldn’t hear much of the lyric, what I heard was quite dark, both on a personal and a global level.

Afterwards I got a chance to chat to bassist Pete Trewavas (who recognised us from our exploits in Luxembourg a couple of years ago). Even he thought the bass had been too loud! He was in fine form and we had an excellent natter about the album. Unfortunately it was all too short as he had to go and mingle further. The album is out on the 9th April – I can’t wait to hear it properly!

A Lucky Weekend

Not only did I win £150 on bingo last Saturday, I also managed to nab a couple of Glastonbury tickets! This is VERY exciting! I’d never thought of going to Glasto before, but we thought we’d give it a go and after half an hour of refreshing browsers I managed to get through. Now where are my wellies...

Colours And Sound

It’s 10pm on a Monday night. I’m lying in my bed for the first time since I left it at 4.30am the previous Thursday. Every muscle in my body aches. The hangover is just starting to subside. The throat feels and sounds like someone has been spiking my drinks with razor blades. And I’m feeling the onset of a fluey cold. All of this can only mean one thing. I’ve just been to a Marillion convention.

For the uninitiated of you, let me try to explain. Rock band Marillion have a small but incredibly devoted following. Every two years they book up a holiday camp and up to 3000 fans travel to enjoy three days of music, drinking and general jollity. And now I’ve got to try to put it into words. I’m not sure if this will be a cohesive diary, or more of a collection of chronological memories. It’s difficult to know where to start. As I lie in my bed there’s no space in my head. It’s too full of colours and sound.

Thursday morning feels like a long time ago. The alarm was set for 4am, the taxi picked us up at 5am and the flight to Amsterdam 7.10am. Unbelievably by the time we boarded, my boyfriend Darren and our friend Neil had already drunk two pints of beer! Start as you mean to go on lads...

We landed an hour later, set our watches forward to local time and then spent a further hour hiking across the vast plains of Amsterdam Schipol airport. A short train ride into the centre of the Dutch capital later and onto our hotel for tonight. The convention didn’t start until Friday, but we thought we’d get there a day early and Annett on the online forum organised an extra special rate at the extra posh Radisson for Marillion fans. We couldn’t yet check into the 5 star luxury, so we left our bags and headed out for some tourism.

We walked to Anne Frank House, somehow avoiding the trams and the thousands of bicycles that rule the streets. I visited Anne Frank House when I was 15, but I don’t think I was old enough or educated enough to really appreciate it. It is the most moving and thought provoking experience. White Russian plays in my head as I view the pictures of piles of dead bodies in the concentration camps.

I take a deep breath as I leave and we make our way to the nearby Pancake Bakery for some nourishment. Then it’s back to the Radisson where we could now check in. The hotel is amazing and the room wonderful. We relaxed for a few hours before heading out for some sushi – Darren had found out about an all-you-can-eat place. When we arrived it was packed and fully booked. This place MUST be good. We snuck in after a cancellation and had 2 hours to fill ourselves before our session ended. The fish was so amazingly fresh, it was well worth the money. Tokyo Cafe, highly recommended!

Well fed, it was on to the Tara, an Irish bar where there was a pre-arranged Marillion meet. This is where the recollections get a little hazy. Apparently we left around 2am, but I can’t really be sure...

Five hours later and we’re awake again. Breakfast was included, so we wanted to take full advantage before heading back to the airport to meet my sister Vicky from her flight. After a few more hours of hanging around and meeting up with old friends, we could hop onto our coach to Center Parcs in Port Zelande. This was where the convention was to be held, and it was a long, boring, tiring two hour trip west, especially after the previous night.

The check-in queue was ridiculous so we visited the shop to get some supplies. When we did check in I couldn’t wait to get rid of the case I’d been dragging behind me for the last two days! The cottage was absolutely lovely, despite a rather treacherous looking spiral staircase up to the bedrooms! Our room-mate Paul arrived just after us, and he and Darren headed back out for further supplies (largely of the alcoholic variety). In his infinite wisdom, Darren insisted we bring a PS2 including Guitar Hero controllers and Singstar microphones for entertainment. All the extra lugging around was worth it, and we spent the rest of the afternoon on a Singstar marathon. Vicky and I on vocals, Darren and Paul performing to the camera. It was a hilarious, “you had to be there” moment.

Luckily someone remembered that we were actually in the Netherlands to see Marillion so at 9pm we ventured to the tent. After obtaining some beer tokens we made our way to guitarist Steve Rothery’s side of the stage. The band opened with five, as yet unheard songs from the forthcoming album, Somewhere Else. On first listen my personal favourites were Most Toys (fantastic single material) and The Wound (think Massive Attack or Portishead with more of a rock edge).

Then onto the main feature. At every convention, Marillion perform one of their albums in its entirety, and this year’s choice was This Strange Engine. I love every song on this album, so I was pretty excited. Keyboard player Mark Kelly is the shining star – the album is littered with fantastic keyboard solos. Rothery was also in excellent form, deservedly given an extended and rapturous applause for his solo in the song This Strange Engine. However, Hope For the Future was always going to be the highlight. Much maligned by most fans, the chorus is a very cheesy attempt at samba, but there are some great moments in the song. Armed with maracas, we came, we partied, we laughed out loud. The reception was huge – I think the band gained a lot of respect for performing something so unpopular, although I think the applause was partly out of relief that it was over!

The gig closed with a reprise of two of the new songs, and the catchy chorus to Most Toys was left to reverberate around everyone’s heads. It was on to the Rock Disco at the Adventure Factory. The bar system was more than a little chaotic – particularly frustrating when all you want is a glass of water. The disco itself was a bit hit and miss, although Freebird provided us with one of the songs of the weekend. We never did learn more than the first four lines...

More Guitar Hero and Singstar back at the cottage, before collapsing into bed at some unknown time. The main thing on the agenda on the Saturday was the pub quiz, so after breakfast it was back to the Adventure Factory. We were more than happy with our #5 placing, although we could have done much better if it wasn’t for a poorly played joker and some stupid errors. Boos echoed around the room when the ubiquitous Cakey Boys were announced as winners – they beat everyone the convention before and once more won the right to battle it out on stage against the band.

We plumped for Italian for dinner, although the service was poor the food wasn’t bad. We were then invited to a gathering of rugby fans to watch England thrash Scotland in the 6 nations. I’m not generally a rugby person, but I’m always happy to watch the Auld Enemy get beaten! After a change of clothes it was on to the second gig of the weekend, Rareties and Covers. In my opinion it wasn’t a brilliant setlist or show, but there were moments of genius. Built In Bastard Radar – a song only beaten by Hope For the Future in most least liked Marillion song lists – was excellent, as was the oft forgotten These Chains. A friend of mine Liz provided one of the best surprises by stepping up to sing an excellent version of Sympathy. But surely the most brilliant moment was Marillion does Britney. A cover of Toxic showed that this band don’t take themselves as seriously as many think. A point further made by lead singer Steve Hogarth donning a dress and fishnets to perform Abba’s Money Money Money, and providing some excellent yodelling for the finale of Hocus Pocus by Focus.
The party of the night was in cottage 268 where a couple of our good friends from Marillion tribute band Forgotten Sons were staying. They had also brought proper guitars. A long, LONG singing session ensued, mostly of Marillion songs old and new. There was a weird rotating audience thing happening though, and when Kayleigh and Easter were being requested for the third time, we decided it was time to leave. Mind you, it was about 4am at this point...

We had to set alarms for Sunday. I agreed to set up a pool competition and was due in the Adventure Factory at 11am. 11am didn’t seem that early when I planned it. It was obviously too early for some of the people who had entered because we were running a bit short on players! I reluctantly put my hat in the ring to make up a knockout of 8 people, and just as I started my match Graeme came running in with apologies galore. I wasn’t really up for humiliating myself, so with everyone’s permission we agreed he could take my place. It was a hard fought competition with only two players not winning a frame and many frames coming down to a black ball fight. Darren v Graeme was the final, and after many misses Graeme snatched victory. It was great fun, but maybe next time I’ll make it a more reasonable time!

Next on the agenda was the quiz final. More boos were directed at the Cakey Boys who took it all in their stride. It was excellently compered by Andy and Jim from the Marillion fan club Web UK, and the competition was even closer than the pool! The band got their revenge on the Cakeys and beat them on a tie-break. The band also did a Q&A session – I’m sure they get less and less informative as the years go on, but they’re always very funny to watch.

We decided to eat at Sharky’s that evening, and what a fantastic choice it was. Vicky and I both ordered steak, and it was the biggest, juiciest, best cooked steak I’ve had for a long time. It absolutely stuffed me though, and back at the cottage I barely felt like I could move. The previous evening’s singing had taken its toll on my throat and I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy that night’s show. Darren was invited out to take on one of our pool no-shows, our good friend Brian but I just wanted to chill out for a couple of hours. Vicky had a game of Singstar – she’s a bit too good at that for my liking!

Darren came back with lots of excuses as to why he had been soundly beaten by Brian and we cracked open a bottle of wine before heading off to the final show. This seemed to lubricate both my throat and my spirits, and I was ready for the final push. We only just made it to the tent before the gig started, so decided to dance around at the back. Tonight’s setlist was a compilation of the band’s favourite Marillion songs, kind of a best of. Despite the fact that the songs were largely predictable and there were probably only a couple of I would have chosen, it was incredibly enjoyable. My highlights were You’re Gone (how can you not love that bassline?), Between You And Me (now known as “The Jumping Song”) and The Space. Halfway through King I turned around to see Darren and Paul run out the back, Darren holding his face. When I saw him bent over the barrier outside, I thought the alcohol had got the better of him, but it turned out he’d gone down, Paul had gone up and nose made contact with back-of-head. Nothing appeared to be broken though, and he patched himself up and was back for the end of the song!

The encore and finale of the weekend was a reprise of Hocus Pocus. Exhausted but elated, it was off to the Adventure Factory for the Farewell Party. Another hit and miss rock disco, but we managed to get quite a moshpit going when Rage Against The Machine came on! Vicky went back to the chalet early – I think pregnancy and sobriety were starting to catch her up. We decided to locate the infamous Norwegians party and the most infamous of them all, Andreas. We met lots of new friends, but the mood was a little sombre as we all knew the weekend was coming to a close. At 4am we remembered that we had to be up at a decent hour of the morning to catch our coach back, so off to bed we went.

I don’t think I slept too well despite my red wine haze, and the next morning I felt decidedly off colour. The fresh winter air outside revived me a little, and I was glad I woke myself early to try to sober up and pack. Certainly the prospect of another two hours on a coach was not appealing. The Cakey Boys were on our coach – despite being anoraks of the highest order, they are very funny blokes and made the journey go a little quicker. We arrived at Schipol at midday, and got a pancake for lunch. Mine and Darren’s flight wasn’t until 8pm, so we put our bags into lockers, said a final farewell to Vicky (who had an earlier flight) and decided to spend a little more time in Amsterdam.

We eventually negotiated our way onto a tram to Museumplein. You can never be bored in Amsterdam. There are museum’s on every street and on every subject. We walked past a Diamond Museum – it was free so we figured we had nothing to lose but an hour. It was actually more of a large shop, and oddly enough there was the “real” museum at the end which cost €6 to enter. Hmmm. We looked at going in the Van Gogh museum, but €10 for the hour we had left was a bit steep, so we got a tram back towards the station, alighting at Dam Square. We got some frites mayo but still had some time to kill. Walking up Damrak we passed the Sex Museum. It was only €3, so with little else to occupy us and our minds not entirely with it, we went in. I’m not sure what I expected, but seeing 100 year old pornography was very strange, especially given my state of mind at the time.

We emerged probably slightly more dazed than when we entered, and embarked on the long journey home. A needlessly prolonged check-in, a McDonalds, a dozy flight and cab ride later, and here I am once more. Aching in body, tired in mind and lighter in pocker. Was it worth it? You bet!

New Tunes

A quick word about the new ROKR list. There are a couple of self-made compilations for a change. The Crash Course in Jazz is one that a friend did a few years back - she knows her stuff on the subject and did it for me. I've listened to a it a few times and really enjoyed it, but it's only just gone on iTunes so I thought I'd give it another spin.

MOLF stands for Marillion OnLine Forum. Every now and then an excellent fella nicknamed toodles gets everyone's names together and dishes out an address to each person. The idea is you make a compilation and send it to the address you're given, and then receive a random compilation from someone else in return. I think I enjoy the compiling more than anything! I've uploaded my gift to give it a spin. It's got quite a lot of prog-rock on it, so it's not really to my tastes but there are some good tracks I've not heard before. In particular Florida Keys by a chap called Pat Dailey is fantastic.

Most of the rest are Christmas presents. Emma Bunton's new album is really good, and I reckon Houses of the Holy is the best Led Zeppelin album. The Rain Song is absolutely stunning. My new job means a much longer journey to work, so I think I'll be getting more use than ever out of my choons!!!

A Near Perfect Weekend

It's a difficult thing to explain to people when they ask if you're doing anything for your day off. "I'm travelling over 150 miles for a couple of gigs by a Marillion tribute band," sounds like a very weird thing to do. I only realise how weird it is when I say it out loud. Let me try to explain / rationalise...

Marillion no longer do the old stuff. I suppose this is the first thing I need to explain. Marillion didn't die out when Fish left. Steve Hogarth joined and they've since done 9 albums (that's 5 more than they did with Fish). Quite understandably, Hogarth (or h as he's known) doesn't like to perform the old material. I'm sure most bands prefer to perform their new stuff than their old stuff, regardless of who sang it. This has left a bit of a gap in the market for nostalgia, and this is where Forgotten Sons come in. I've been going to their gigs for a couple of years now, and I always have to travel a fair distance - it's not easy for a Marillion tribute band to get gigs anyway, and this lot have to travel from Glasgow. We've become good pals with the band, so I like to support them as much as possible. Plus it's an excuse to meet up with some other friends I've met through Marillion.

So we'd already planned to go to their double header in Bolton and Crewe, when on Thursday, a friend asked if anyone wanted to go to the derby match at Old Trafford on Saturday. Say what?!! ME ME ME!!!!! A couple of phone calls later and it was sorted - I was going to OT for my first ever Man Utd match!!!

Due to the 12.45pm kick off, it was an early start on Saturday. We wanted to get to the local Farmer's Market as it was the last of the year, so we were there at 8am for some early morning shopping. An hour later we were on our way to Manchester. I think I was more stunned than excited at this point. We met Michael and Siobhan at The Chester near the ground and did the business. Row AA in the East Stand - we presumed that would be the 27th row. When we walked out onto the stand, we found that AA was actually the front row!!! Right behind the goal!!! It made watching the match very weird - it's a difficult perspective and you can't really make any judgements on what's going on. We were on the same side as the City fans, so I got to shout lots of abuse at them. Two of Man Utd's goals and City's goal were all at our end, so we got both a good view of the net bulging and probably got on TV as well.

Old Trafford's a magnificent stadium. I've seen a couple of England games there, and I don't think it's possible to have a bad view. The atmosphere is electric (despite what some may say). Mind you, the pies are horrible...

Back to the Chester for a swift drink of celebration after the 3-1 win, then on to Bolton. We gave Michael and Siobhan a lift as they were coming to the gig as well, and they joined us for a curry (note to self - never ask Indian waiter for advice on whether a curry is too hot or not). The gig was in Moses Gate, just outside the city centre, and our hotel was just a few metres away from the venue. The pub is also called the Moses Gate, and is fairly cosy, but pretty friendly. Forgotten Sons played a blinder despite having a stand-in drummer. After the gig we got to socialising with the boys - much alcohol was consumed, a few frames of pool were played and we introduced lead singer Martin to Cheeky Vimto (for the uninformed, it is a blue WKD with two shots of port). The next day I was asked what time we left and I realised that I didn't have a clue.

We set our alarm so that we didn't miss breakfast. After a mountain of toast, we slowly got ourselves together for the trip to Crewe - the worst thing about going out and then staying in a hotel is you can't stay in bed all day to recover! I was seriously regretting that Cheeky Vimto, so I let Darren drive. We thought we'd have a look at an old nuclear bunker on the way, but it was shut so we'll have to put that on the list for next year. We checked into the Crewe Arms (which we managed to get at less than half price) and crashed out again, dozing and watching the repeat of X Factor (we both cheered at Ben leaving). We ate in a Wetherspoon's and then made our way to the Limelight.

The Limelight is a much bigger venue. It's quite a maze of rooms, but the main hall is an excellent place for live music. A group of us killed some time before the band came on by losing badly on the quiz machines (I think Darren and I are getting addicted to them). Again FS played a great gig. The place seemed to be fairly busy, but we were the only once dancing! Still, it was a pretty good atmosphere for a Sunday night, and the band certainly felt so. We finished the night by grabbing a pizza and Martin gave us a lift back to the hotel.

Again, we set the alarm for breakfast, which was excellent. I used to go to university in Alsager just 5 miles down the road, so we popped in to visit my ex-landlady Doreen. After a long long chinwag (well we haven't seen each other in over a year!) it was time to hit the road again. We had another thought of doing something touristy, but Jodrell Bank was also closed so it was time to make our way back to Hartlepool. Our route took us through Alderley Edge and past it's schools at around 3.30pm - I've never seen so many 4x4s, it was like a convention!!!

We decided we weren't going to make it all the way home without some food, so we stopped at Northallerton. The plan was to find a pub, but we ended up in the Golden Lion hotel restaurant. The food was probably pricier than we wanted to pay, but it was absolutely excellent. Service was a bit slow though - we were waiting over half an hour for the bill, then waited another 15 minutes to pay! It was such a shame because the food was so beautiful.

Back on the road, we made it home around 9pm. Winning a great footie match, seeing a great band playing songs you love, meeting up with old friends and a good meal to round it off. What a wonderful weekend.

Muse - Metro Arena, Newcastle (19/11/2006)

We hauled ourselves out of bed, checked out, eventually found a Wetherspoons for breakfast (note to self, locate nearest Spoon's to hotel BEFORE leaving home), went to Fopp to spend far too much money and then felt ready to hit the road back down South. We arrived in Newcastle around 5pm, and ended up in Zizzi's for a pizza - great food, appalling service. We decided to park behind the Academy and walk down to the Arena as it was cheaper and would probably be easier to get out of after the gig, so this we did and then followed the crowds to the Metro Arena.

It's not bad for an arena. A nice, spacious entrance hall, plenty of food, drink and merch stalls. I don't normally buy band t-shirts, but Darren offered so I picked a lovely black & white striped one (I normally object on fairtrade grounds, but these are made by Continental who apparently are sweat shop free, so that's good!). Of course, only one stall took credit cards - inevitably it had the longest queue and a £1.50 charge, but it wasn't as long as the queue for the £1.75 cash machine, so not all bad.

After seeing a video of Muse live we decided to go for the easy option and buy seated tickets. We were second block away from the stage, so we had a pretty good view. Support was provided by the Noisettes, who were late taking to the stage and who the less said about the better. They were pretty awful.

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this gig. I love Muse's latest album Black Holes & Revelations (BH&R), but I'm less keen on some of their earlier stuff. I also wasn't sure how much I'd know, how many singles they would perform or whether they would do many album tracks. I needn't have worried as I recognised virtually every song they played! However, I'm a bit hazy as to which title relates to which song which has made this reviewing lark a bit difficult!

They opened with the first track from BH&R, Take A Bow with it's powerful, "you will burn in hell" lyric. The previously hidden stage set included the most elaborate drum riser I've ever seen and a large video backdrop on which either animation or live, often treated footage of the band was shown. I was surprised by how many anthemic, almost sing-alongable songs there were, most notably Starlight, Invincible, and Time Is Running Out. Supermassive Black Hole had a brilliant video starring some dancing robots, and Matt Bellamy had a full-on rock star moment at the end of Stockholm Syndrome (I think), dropping his guitar on the floor, pulling the amp on top, lying on the amp and promptly falling over the back of the riser!

As heavy as they are, there is a precision in Muse's music that is unusual among the genre. I'm pretty sure that Matt Bellamy has a knowledge of classical music, it's certainly evident in his piano playing. Even when his guitar is laden with effects, there is still a classical feel to the way he plays. I was also amazed by the playing of the other two members, especially drummer Dominic Howard. Like Gomez the night before, this is a band with immense technical ability.

We were certainly glad of our seats! The floor looked a bit crazy for swaying and crowd-surfing! The sound was excellent for an arena, and the lightshow complemented the music perfectly.

After Bliss closed the first encore, six massive balloons were floated into the back of the arena. One by one, they started to pop - by the time the last one went the audience were heavily involved, disappointed sighs when they landed and didn't pop, cheers when they did. Witht he last balloon the second encore started, with one of my favourite songs from BH&R, Hoodoo. The final song of the night was the incredible Knights Of Cydonia. Believe me, when you're singing the following with 11,000 it's an amazing feeling:

No-one's going to take me alive
Time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

Then the crowd REALLY started jumping. The entire floor, moving up and down together. It was an incredible sight from our vantage point. As the band rounded off the song and the show, jets of steam sprayed up from the stage. And I suddenly realised that I had enjoyed the show so much, I hadn't wondered what the time was once (which is rare for me!).

Although I'm not sure if I'd go to see Muse again. It was almost so perfect, another gig would take away from the experience.

Setlist
Take A Bow
Hysteria
New Born
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Assassin
Map of the Problematique
Starlight
Invincible
Forced In
Time Is Running Out
Plug in Baby
Supermassive Black Hole
Stockholm Syndrome
-------------------------
Apocalypse Please
Bliss
-------------------------
Hoodoo
Knights of Cydonia

Gomez - Barrowlands, Glasgow (17/11/2006)

I've been following Gomez for quite a long time now, and seen a fair few of their live shows. Having missed them earlier in the year and seen a far-too-short set at V Festival in August I was determined to catch them while they were over here promoting their new Best Of release. Unfortunately they decided not to play anywhere near me so it was a choice between the two Saturday nights - Glasgow or Newcastle-Under-Lyme. I've heard great things about Barrowlands, so Glasgow it was.

We arrived at our hotel around 3.30pm, checked in, and went to a nearby Scream bar for a drink. At 5pm, we thought we'd better look for something to eat. It was absolutely pouring with rain, so we thought we'd make our way to the venue and hope to see somewhere on the way. We ended up in Tiger Tiger - the food was ok, but over-priced. Fed and watered, we made our way in the still-pouring rain to Barrowlands.

I think we got there about 10 minutes after the doors opened. Barrowlands is a confusing place, but we managed to put our coats in the cloakroom, buy a T-shirt and a limited edition poster (on thick card, thanks to the merch guy for looking after it during the gig!) and grab a drink before making our way up to the stage area. We were amazed that we managed to bag a front row spot, right in front of where Tom would be playing. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was the smoking ban, but we were more than happy with this vantage point.

The Barrowlands is an old ballroom dancing hall. It holds about 2000, and it's quite square which I imagine gives a good view for all. Support was provided by Josh Ritter, an American singer/songwriter who looked like he was having far too much fun! He obviously had some fans in the crowd, but his enthusiasm was infectious and we very much enjoyed his set.

By the time Gomez came on the hall had filled up, althought we still felt like we had plenty of breathing space (in my experience Gomez gigs can get quite rowdy!). California from Liquid Skin was an unusually quiet opener, but the song picks up pace towards the end and was followed by uptempo number Shot Shot and Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone. It was a fantastic setlist drawn from across their career. Personal highlights included the beautiful Free To Run, We Haven't Turned Around and an amazing extended version of How We Operate.

During the course of the gig the band often swapped instruments - for example, guitarists Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball would join Dajon Everett on his percussion or play Tom Gray's keyboards while Tom plays guitar. Ben, Ian and Tom share vocal duties - Ben and Ian often performing in a more insular way while Tom is happy to conduct the crowd. The combination of personalities and the lack of one single "lead singer" makes it feel like more of a group effort, and gives a wonderful balance of fun with the amazing technical abilities of all 6 members.

There was probably only one lowlight - some drunk bloke singing very loudly and very out-of-tune in my ear during the quiet instrumental section of Charley Patton Songs. Otherwise the crowd were friendly and incredibly loud - the roar of appreciation at the end was deafening! Enforcing the smoking ban obviously meant more interference from security than usual, but it didn't detract too much from the performance (and it was fantastic to come out of a gig NOT stinking of smoke!). The sound quality was excellent, and I can fully understand why Barrowlands has been voted the second best venue in the world by bands.

The main set finished with the manic Whippin' Piccadilly, and the encores were three more classics from the first two albums, finishing with one of my personal favourites Devil Will Ride. And it was all over, far too soon. I could watch Gomez play for hours and not get bored. They are possibly the best live band on the planet at the moment, criminally ignored here in their home country. Go see.

Setlist
California
Shot Shot
Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone
See The World
Hamoa Beach
Free To Run
Blue Moon Rising
Notice
Get Myself Arrested
How We Operate
Ruff Stuff
Ping One Down
Silence
Charley Patton Songs
Girlshapedlovedrug
We Haven't Turned Around
Whippin' Piccadilly
----------------------------
Make No Sound
Fill My Cup
Devil Will Ride

Hayseed Dixie - Carling Academy, Newcastle (15/11/2006)

If you have a look at my little ol' diary dates you'll notice that this week is packed full of gigs. Last night Darren picked me up straight from work and we went up to Newcastle. After getting a bit lost and eventually finding the right car park we needed to get fed. We ended up at Luigi's Ristorante on Groat Market. Absolutely fantastic. They do a "happy hour" special where you get a starter (choice of 4), any pizza or pasta dish and either ice-cream or a coffee for £5.50. We went for the potato skins and the garlic dough twists, then Darren had an arrabiata and I had the marinara. It was a good sized portion (sometimes you feel a bit cheated in happy hour), and there were loads of prawns and mussels in my dish. The meal including drinks came to £15 for the both of us - we'll definitely be going back if we get the chance.

We made it to the Academy in plenty of time for the gig. The support band were called Dark Water and they were excellent. I'm not generally into gothic emo-rock, maybe it works better live for me - I bought a sampler CD so I'll find out when I listen to it. They have a female lead singer with a lovely voice and good rapport with the audience. Heavy but melodic and passionate, very enjoyable.

I think there were a few Dark Water fans in the audience - I'm not sure what they'd have made of Hayseed Dixie! I've seen them a couple of times before at an HMV in-store and at V Festival (review here) but not for a full gig so I was a bit unsure as to whether I'd enjoy them for 2 hours. Still, it was just £12.50 a ticket, so I considered it a bargain. For the uninitiated, Hayseed Dixie are a rockgrass band. Basically they play rock classics (and a few of their original compositions) in a bluegrass style. There are four members, playing acoustic bass, banjo, mandolin and the lead singer who also plays guitar and fiddle. They set up the stage themselves, completely unpretentiously, and seem genuinely touched and amazed by the rapturous reception.

I love covers. Not your bog-standard, karaoke style covers, but I love it when someone takes a song and reinterprets it, and that's what Hayseed Dixie do. The set is largely made up of AC/DC tracks, but my favourites in their repertoire include Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls, Ace Of Spades by Motorhead, Walk This Way by Aerosmith, Black Sabbath's War Pigs and Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. Also making an appearance was the Hayseed Dixie classic I'm Keeping Your Poop to huge applause.

They went off stage for just seconds before coming back for the encore - as singer Barley Scotch says, it's somewhat arrogant for a band to go off and drink beer just to hear the crowd shout their name. They finished with their fantastic version of Green Day's Holiday and a breathtaking performance of Duelling Banjos (originally written by the father of two of the members fact fans).

The set was beautifully balanced, a couple of covers then a couple of originals, so no-one who didn't know the band could get bored. They're really good fun, totally unpretentious, and I have a feeling that if you've got the time to hang around after the show (and don't have to get up for work in the morning) you'd probably see them in the bar within ten minutes of the show finishing. Go see!

Cannot Compute

Our computer is currently kaput. I couldn't cope with listening to the same few albums I had on my ROKR anymore, so we borrowed the other half's work laptop and I put on a few of my favourite albums instead. And I thought I'd write a bit of blurb about them:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C.
I discovered this band when I was working in store for HMV and could pretty much play whatever I liked. It's a dark rock 'n' roll album - not dark as in Marilyn Manson though, much more tuneful than that. It's very soulful.

David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise
I don't use this word lightly, but the man's a genius. I know a lot of people think he's not as good as he was in the 70's, but I love his later work. I admire anyone who can diversify. I've always loved the two singles from this (the title track and Jump They Say) and recently got the album off eBay. I could listen to Jump They Say for hours...

Michael Jackson - Thriller
This was Darren's choice (I ran out of inspiration and asked him to pick a couple of surprises for me). I would have chosen Off The Wall myself, but Wanna Be Starting Something is probably my favourite MJ track and as for Billie Jean - I'll name that tune in 1!!!

Madonna - Confessions On A Dancefloor
She's not the greatest lyricist in the world, but it's great to hear dance music that's about more than love or dancing. The red string of Kabbalah threads through almost every song to make for a very philosophical and personal album. Musically it just makes you want to dance!

Marillion - marillion.com
Marillion at their most experimental. Funk, dub and blues fuse with their usual blend of progressive rock on this album. It's certainly not their most cohesive, but it's probably their most quirky, and contains two of their most beautiful songs, Go! and House.

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Another one I wouldn't have chosen (I prefer Blue Lines). I don't know if I've actually listened to it all the way through yet - maybe that should be my album of choice for tomorrow!

The Mooney Suzuki - Alive & Amplified
The title track was played daily about 18 months back when I used to regularly listen to XFM and I love it. The rest of the album's pretty similar. Good, old-fashioned, rock 'n' roll that you want to sing, dance and make merry to.

Pink Floyd - Meddle
It's my favourite Floyd album, and not just for Echoes and One Of These Days. I love the bluesiness of it. Saint tropez is sooo cool you need to wear shades just to listen to it!

Suzanne Vega - Nine Objects Of Desire
Suzanne Vega is the reason I learnt to play guitar. I love the contrast of the simplicity of the music with the complexity of the lyrics. For years I only listened to the first two albums, but I eventually picked this one up and absolutely adore it, especially Caramel and Honeymoon Suite.

V2006 - The Good, The Bands and The Ugly

Wow, what an amazing weekend!!! Instead of writing a diary style entry, I thought I'd break it down into the above categories. In reverse order - finish on the positives!!!

The UglyThe Rain - Now, maybe some festivals like to think that rain is an integral part of the experience, but I have to disagree. It's not so bad standing in the rain listening to great music, but sitting outside your tent in the dark and wet is no fun at all. It's one of the most enjoyable bits - chilling out after the bands, get a barbecue going, have some beers, but it isn't quite the same when you're dripping! The rain also creates mud of course, meaning all the nice clothes and shoes you planned to wear get replaced by wellies, combats and warm fleeces.

The Organisation - It's got to be said that I have a lot less complaints than some people have had (don't go to a festival if you can't handle queuing for a beer or the loos or to get in or out at peak times). But there are a couple of things that did annoy me. Firstly, don't tell 100,000 people that they don't need to bring too much money if you're only going to provide 3 cash machines. Don't tell people that they will be able to charge their phones up if you can't provide the electricity to power all of the chargers you have. Train stewards and security staff so that they know the rules on what you're allowed to take in and so they know the layout of the site. And when everyone's trying to leave the car park, get some stewards in to guide the cars into proper lanes instead of allowing a free-for-all bottleneck.

The Clashes - There's always going to be some at a festival, but there were loads of bands I'd have liked to have seen but missed because they clashed with someone else. Divine Comedy, Beautiful South, Sugababes, Girls Aloud, Fatboy Slim, Faithless, Cardigans - what was most annoying was the odd times when there was no-one I wanted to see!

People Who Can't Put Tents Up Properly - The mess of guy-lines was ridiculous in such a small space!

The Bands
Son Of Dave - Only caught the end, wanted to get a good spot in the Cider House for Hayseed Dixie...

Gucci Soundsystem - And then realise that we'd have to listen to 90 minutes of drum and bass! Still, it was entertaining to watch people off their faces on drugs at lunchtime!

Hayseed Dixie - In case you don't know about them, Hayseed Dixie started off doing AC/DC songs in a country style. They've since diversified into other rock bands, and also write their own songs (some funny, some serious). Really good fun in front of a packed crowd (although that could have been because the Cider House provided shelter from the pouring rain!

Richard Hawley - Next it was over to the JJB tent. Gomez was the priority here, so we got in early to make sure (when it rains the tents always fill up quicker). This also meant we got to see some acts that we wouldn't otherwise have chosen. Richard Hawley was ok, a bit 50's influenced for my taste but the last track (I think it was called Ocean) was excellent.

Imogen Heap - Man she's weird!!! She did the entire show on her own, using lots of samples and vocal effects to create a big noise. The first track was a cappella but using looped vocals recorded live - I've seen this done before but this was the best I've seen. Her use of backing tracks made it feel a bit sterile though, would have been nice to have some other live musicians on stage.

Nerina Pallot - I really liked her but the other half was less keen. She's very good at what she does (she sounded pretty nervous at the beginning) but what she does is fairly unremarkable, especially after the inventiveness of Imogen Heap.

Gomez - Apparently the JJB was so packed they were turning people away. I've been into Gomez since their debut album and have seen them countless times. We'd been at the front since Imogen Heap, and the time spent there certainly paid off. They played a pretty rip-roaring set, some tracks from the excellent new album and finished with Whippin' Piccadilly which got the crowd calling for more. 40 minutes was never going to be long enough!

Starsailor - From the JJB we nipped over to the Channel 4 stage as quickly as possible where Starsailor were playing. What an excellent set - with no brand new album to promote they gave the audience the perfect "best of" performance.

The Charlatans - Not a band I'm a fan of or would have chosen to see, but this was Darren's choice. They were pretty good, but there's only so much whiny Manc indie I can handle! The new stuff sounded excellent though. We managed to get pretty close, and there was a bit of push and shove, mostly just a bit of fun.

Razorlight - After the Charlatans we moved out of the crowd to get some food and beer. We stood at the back for a couple of Razorlight songs, but weren't particularly bothered about hanging around. A lot of people were though, for a 2nd stage band they commanded a huge audience.

Groove Armada - We noticed that we could get into the JJB so we wandered in for a quick boogie. They were performing completely live which surprised me for some reason. Very good, but seemed a bit samey so we went for another wander.

Morrissey - The only main act left was the one I really wanted to avoid. There was only 10 minutes left though, and the main stage was on our way back so we couldn't avoid the depressed one. It was amazing how few people were there - everyone must have been watching Razorlight! So we walked nearer to the stage, and managed to catch the encore of How Soon Is Now - the only Morrissey / Smiths track that I've ever liked. It was pretty good, Morrissey seemed like quite a showman and if you like the music I can understand why you'd be a big fan.

Saw Doctors - Sunday morning started with a trip to the C4 stage to see the Saw Doctors. Again we got to the front. Saw Doctors were excellent. I didn't really know what to expect, but I thought there might be a fiddle in there somewhere!

Biffy Clyro - we stayed where we were for Kula Shaker, and this was an interesting band in between. Just three of them, all sharing vocals and making a lot of noise! I was most impressed by the drummer's excellent vocals.

Kula Shaker - I'm so excited that they're back together. The new tracks are excellent, and they played a few classics to remind the crowd how good they are. Like Gomez, the early slot made for a short set, and I could listen to this band all day.

Captain - We'd spent most of the intervening hour trying to charge up our mobiles without much success, but I really wanted to see this new band. It was our only foray into the Virgin Mobile Union, but on the basis of one song I had a hunch they'd be really good. And they were. Trevor Horn's lush production on Glorious wasn't lost live, the vocal harmonies sounding fantastic. Looks like I might have to get their album.

Art Brut - We were just leaving the Union when I spied some more chargers which weren't otherwise advertised and were mostly empty. At last we could get some juice in them, plus we could sit down for a while and rest our aching feet! In the meantime, Art Brut were on the stage. They were certainly interesting - not sure I'd buy any of their records but they were entertaining enough.

Jamie T - We hung around for a couple of songs while we finished charging. Not my cup of tea, a bit too Arctic Monkeys.

Keane - The next aim was to get a good place for Beck. Keane were halfway through their set and the crowd looked pretty big but it was very spaced out so we walked down the middle quite a way forward. I really don't like Keane - I find Tom Chaplin's voice insipid and most of it's far too MOR for me, but it certainly got the crowd singing. During Bedshaped you could barely hear the band!

Beck - This man is a genius. If you only ever see one live act again in your life, make it Beck. Virtually all of the band end up playing percussion of some sort at sometime, including an oilcan! A new addition to the show is a puppet show on stage of the band, replicating everything they did down to the instruments. They also did a fantastic bit of table percussion which I've seen before but just gets better - as Beck plays a bit of solo acoustic, the rest of the band gather around a table for some water and fruit. Gradually they join in, banging glasses in tune and shaking maracas disguised as oranges. As they had a break before the encore, the puppets had made a video, walking around the site and trashing Radiohead's dressing room. The band then returned to finish with Where It's At and E-Pro.

Radiohead - we ended up far too near the front. When Radiohead came on, it became a bit of a crush and I couldn't breathe very well. We lasted until the fourth song My Iron Lung when Darren took the initiative to get us out. Going backwards through 50,000 people didn't look like an option, so we tried to go forwards to get over the barrier. Surprisingly we got quite a way before hitting a wall of people. The only way was up and over, so we both crowd-surfed our way out. It's quite an adrenaline rush crowd-surfing, and I could finally breathe fresh air! We grabbed a well-deserved Strongbow and enjoyed the rest of the set much further back. This meant we could properly see the excellent light show. Lucky was a definite highlight for me, and the audible sigh of joy when they started Street Spirit was quite amusing. Then they played Creep - one of the rarest songs in their back catalogue showing they truly are in "Greatest Hits" mode at the moment. An awesome end to an awesome weekend.

The Good
Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference...
Getting A Good Pitch - We left at 5.30am to try to beat as much of the traffic as possible and get a good pitch. We ended up in Orange Campsite, right near the Arena, near a fence (so not too many people were walking past), not too far from the loos and stalls for tea and coffee in the morning. Excellent!
Avoiding the rain - It seemed that every time we wanted to be outside it stopped hammering it down. Just as we finished putting the tent up and got inside, the heaven's opened. Whenever a band we wanted to see was on in a tent, it poured. All in all we were very lucky!
Disposable Barbecues - You can't beat a freshly cooked bacon butty in the morning. Much better than buying them off the stalls, and of course much cheaper too. We ended up taking far too much food though!

Glyn & Hannah - Our pitchmates, and excellent company all weekend.

Being Front Row - For Hayseed Dixie, Imogen Heap, Nerina Pallot, Gomez, Saw Doctors, Biffy Clyro and Kula Shaker.

Bob - From the group of young festie goers near us. You provided us with entertainment and beer, we provided you with food. Fair exchange!

Good Buys - £10 each on wellies that we spent all weekend in, bargain! £10 on a fold up wheelbarrow to cart stuff from and to the car, bargain! £3 on a waterproof rug to stop things falling off said wheelbarrow into the mud, bargain!

The Loos - They actually weren't disgusting at all, and if you looked in the right place at the right time, there were hardly any queues.

Strongbow - Nice and refreshing, much better than beer!

Virgin Mobile Sims - Even though I didn't manage to get backstage with one like they said, the two free ciders during Radiohead were worth the £3 I paid on eBay!