Life in the Bus Lane

Billed as “An intimate night with Justin Sullivan” it couldn’t have been more intimate. We were sat at a table about 4 feet away from Justin in a venue which held about 120 people or so.

Better than Them
Changing of the Light
One Bullet
Heroes
Love Songs
Turn Away
Dawn
Tales of the Road
Ocean Rising
No Pain
Stranger
You Weren’t There
Snelsmore Wood

Aimless Desire
Lights Go Out
Ghost of your Father
Stoned, Fired, and Full of Grace

Definately the best gig of the year, and certainly a contender for the best ever.

A few photos.

I may not get to see all of New Model Army peform together as a band this year, but there will be a new live album titled “Fuck Texas, Sing For Us” out at the end of October, which will go some way to make up for it.

In addition we’re off to see Justin Sullivan and Dean White do an acoustic set in Stoke on Thursday which should be very good if the reports of their outing in Portsmouth are to be believed.

Fairport Convention with Robert Plant and Kristina Donahue, Cropredy 2008

We only went for two of the three days so missed seeing Supergrass on Thursday. The weather for days we were there couldn’t have been any more different. Friday I needed sun cream, then at one point on Saturday I was wearing three coats at the same time in an attempt to keep dry and warm.

Various highlights:

• The Family Mahone introducing every song as “this is a drinking song”.
• Robert Plant turning up to sing The Battle of Evermore with Fairport Convention.
• Midge Ure with just an acoustic guitar singing Vienna.
• Matty Groves re-enacted with Mr Potato Head

Time to wash off three days worth of mud and grime.

More Photos.

The only real casualty of the weekend was my tent, consigned to a bin bag and left with the rubbish.

A slightly odd venue for a gig tonight, it’s the dingy club I played skittles in for 14 years. However when I got there just after 8 it was pretty much full already, so I was forced to lurk at the bar all evening. After a few floor spots and Jim Gallager as the support act, Spiers and Boden finally took the stage. With mainly just a melodeon, fiddle, and stomp-box they entertained us for getting on for two hours.

The setlist was something like this (I’ve probably got the order wrong)

Tom Padget
Cheshire Waltz
Oswestry Wake / Morgan Rattler
The Birth of Robin Hood
Captain Ward
Three Tunes
The Rain it Rains

Bold Sir Rylas
Beggar Boy
Earl Richard
Rambling Robin
Jiggery Pokerwork / Haul Away / Seven Stars
Princess Royal / Cuckoo’s Nest

Old Maui

Innocent When You Dream

Prickle Eye Bush

In the last week I’ve picked up the Rambo Trilogy, Planet of the Apes box set, Omen Pentology, and Black Adder - The Complete Collection, all for silly prices in the HMV sale.

I also ordered my ticket to see Spiers & Boden at Widcombe Social Club, it’ll be strange going to a gig in the dingy dump where I played skittles for 14 years.

Another Bath Music Festival concert and also the last concert and therefore the closing party. It turned out to be one of the most energetic gigs I’ve been to, though not for me as my back was playing up again. Bristolians Babyhead opened the night with their infectious mix of Ska and Hip-Hop (Skip-Hop?), warming the crowd up nicely and getting everyone moving, and then keeping them moving for a good hour or so.

After a short gap the eleven members of Bellowhead all managed to fit onto the stage, and proceeded to work their way through most of E.P. onymous, Burlesque, and a fair chunk of the forthcoming album due out later in the year, culminating about 90 minutes later in second encore which was the 5-and-a-bit minutes of on-stage anarchy known as Sloe Gin.

All in all a fantastic night.

Acoustically, the Assembly Rooms is a bit crap, it was also a bit hot and stuffy in there, but that didn’t detract much from two hours of excellent folk music and a few bad jokes.

A long trek up to Kettering, a quick donning of my “Dukla Prague Away Kit” shirt, followed by a shorter trek up to Nottingham saw us emerge from the car park to see “Birkenhead Car and Van Hire” emblazoned on the side of the nearest van. This can only mean one thing, Half Man Half Biscuit must be playing nearby.

Support came from Calvin Party who were fairly uninspiring to be honest. Once they were finished we took position against the barrier in front of the stage to get in front of the rapidly increasing crowd.

Just after 9pm the main band strolled on stage and launched into the first of many songs, a few technical difficulties delayed parts of the evening but didn’t really spoil things. Firstly Ken (guitar) had problems with his FX pedals necessitating some reconfiguration, and later Neil (Bass) had to replace a problematic lead, at one point disappearing off stage leaving Nigel to keep us amused for a few minutes.

Setlist:

The Light at the End of the Tunnel (is the Light of an Oncoming Train)
Fuckin’ ‘ell it’s Fred Titmus
Restless Legs
Shit Arm, Bad Tattoo
Totnes Bickering Fair
Albert Hammond Bootleg
Running Order Squabble Fest
Deep House Victims Minibus Appeal
Outbreak of Vitus Gerulaitis
Blue Badge Abuser
Ballad of Climie Fisher (intro only, because only Nigel knew how to play it)
Used to be in Evil Gazebo
Vatican Broadside
We Built this Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune
Twenty-Four Hour Garage People (the Pringles cost £1.02 tonight)
National Shite Day
For What Is Chatteris?
Tending The Wrong Grave
Tonight Matthew I’m Going To Be With Jesus (complete with loud cheering from the crowd after the “Rock City, Notts” line)
Bad Losers On Yahoo Chess
Look Dad No Tunes
Everything’s AOR
The Trumpton Riots

Worried Man Blues
All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit
Joy Division Oven Gloves

Well actually I haven’t yet, but if Steve picks up the tickets for Half Man Half Biscuit at Rock City in April, you never know what could happen.

Hopefully they’ll play “Tonight Matthew I’m going to be with Jesus” from which the title of this post originates

I’ve been up to no good,
I’ve been dissed in the hood,
I’ve been locked in the Rock City, Notts,