Posts from beyond the chaos
Howdy!
So yes, blah blah no posts since dinosaurs walked the earth etc. But i'm back now and there's a vague chance that I may be more consistent with my posting... no really... I might
Anyhoo - first on the agenda for presentation is an absolutely fab gig in Nottingham last night. If my reader has not heard any Thea Gilmore - go forth and listen ye to the wonder. (for those of you of the Neil Gaiman fannish persuasion - she did an excellent American Gods track, 'Even Gods Do' on the "Where's Neil When You Need Him" compilation album of last year).
The gig was at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham - one i'd not come accross before - but t'was hidden cunningly behind Rock City - so was reasonably easy to locate once we'd clashed with Nottingham's infamous one-way system (not to mention the Tram-only streets my directions tried to send me down - d'oh!).
The Rescue Rooms is not a bad sized venue - though finding the toilets proved quite challenging as they were located in the main bar next door (yes, I had to ask for directions - but I don't feel lessened by this - we can't all be mighty ranger types all of the time).
The adventure really began when the barman didn't serve me the lemonade i'd asked for... it was pretty much all syrup. Now you may well ask - who is more the fool - he who serves sugar-laced death or he who chugs down 50% of it without taste-testing it first? I know what my response would be given the horrendous sugar hangover before bed and the likely diabetes risk that hovers close laughing into its satin gloves...
So despite the slow-paced warm up act beforehand I was a bit buzzy, a bit buzzy, a bit buzzy.
Then just before Thea came on...gods know why... I downed the rest of the pint.
Now those who have been gigging with me before will know that my joyful bopping, tapping and eventual jigging is a fairly inevitable thing. It was evidenced quite early on into the set.
The set was very good - was impressed with the pacing and selection of songs. Was especially impressed by the unique and captivating sound without the band. T'was Thea and her erstwhile partner Nigel Stonier on guitars, vocals and harmonica (rock on!). Crowd interaction was good (though a little loud-mouthed banter occasionally form certain uninhibited members of the audience - no not me - despite the sugar thang). There were some genuinely entertaining anecdotes related which gave some handy background into why and where certain songs were written). There was a good spread from the three albums I own - and a couple from her earlier ones that I really must purchase when budget allows (she's got 9 albums in total - I must carefully ration myself).
One of my favourite bits was the sing along experience of "We Will Ride" - one of four tracks written for the tour (and thankfully provided on an EP for a very reasonable fiver). The crowd was a little reluctant at first - but a couple of voices singing with gusto (yes, guilty this time) seemed to pep people up - and by the time the practice was over the majority of the crowd were singing along with the chorus in impressive harmony. The gig ran a little over time (which is never a bad thing). It was definitely one of those ones where I could have happily carried on! I did the fan-boy thing after purchasing my copy of the EP and was near the front of the queue for getting it signed by Thea. I may have been a sugar-crazed loon but she didn't look to frightened by my hyper babbling.
Mercifully the hangover from the sugar high waited until we got most of the way home before deciding to slap me round the face like a frozen kipper of doom.
Kids, don't do sugar - it ruins lives (and makes
min_t laugh at you).
So yes, blah blah no posts since dinosaurs walked the earth etc. But i'm back now and there's a vague chance that I may be more consistent with my posting... no really... I might
Anyhoo - first on the agenda for presentation is an absolutely fab gig in Nottingham last night. If my reader has not heard any Thea Gilmore - go forth and listen ye to the wonder. (for those of you of the Neil Gaiman fannish persuasion - she did an excellent American Gods track, 'Even Gods Do' on the "Where's Neil When You Need Him" compilation album of last year).
The gig was at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham - one i'd not come accross before - but t'was hidden cunningly behind Rock City - so was reasonably easy to locate once we'd clashed with Nottingham's infamous one-way system (not to mention the Tram-only streets my directions tried to send me down - d'oh!).
The Rescue Rooms is not a bad sized venue - though finding the toilets proved quite challenging as they were located in the main bar next door (yes, I had to ask for directions - but I don't feel lessened by this - we can't all be mighty ranger types all of the time).
The adventure really began when the barman didn't serve me the lemonade i'd asked for... it was pretty much all syrup. Now you may well ask - who is more the fool - he who serves sugar-laced death or he who chugs down 50% of it without taste-testing it first? I know what my response would be given the horrendous sugar hangover before bed and the likely diabetes risk that hovers close laughing into its satin gloves...
So despite the slow-paced warm up act beforehand I was a bit buzzy, a bit buzzy, a bit buzzy.
Then just before Thea came on...gods know why... I downed the rest of the pint.
Now those who have been gigging with me before will know that my joyful bopping, tapping and eventual jigging is a fairly inevitable thing. It was evidenced quite early on into the set.
The set was very good - was impressed with the pacing and selection of songs. Was especially impressed by the unique and captivating sound without the band. T'was Thea and her erstwhile partner Nigel Stonier on guitars, vocals and harmonica (rock on!). Crowd interaction was good (though a little loud-mouthed banter occasionally form certain uninhibited members of the audience - no not me - despite the sugar thang). There were some genuinely entertaining anecdotes related which gave some handy background into why and where certain songs were written). There was a good spread from the three albums I own - and a couple from her earlier ones that I really must purchase when budget allows (she's got 9 albums in total - I must carefully ration myself).
One of my favourite bits was the sing along experience of "We Will Ride" - one of four tracks written for the tour (and thankfully provided on an EP for a very reasonable fiver). The crowd was a little reluctant at first - but a couple of voices singing with gusto (yes, guilty this time) seemed to pep people up - and by the time the practice was over the majority of the crowd were singing along with the chorus in impressive harmony. The gig ran a little over time (which is never a bad thing). It was definitely one of those ones where I could have happily carried on! I did the fan-boy thing after purchasing my copy of the EP and was near the front of the queue for getting it signed by Thea. I may have been a sugar-crazed loon but she didn't look to frightened by my hyper babbling.
Mercifully the hangover from the sugar high waited until we got most of the way home before deciding to slap me round the face like a frozen kipper of doom.
Kids, don't do sugar - it ruins lives (and makes
min_t laugh at you).