Faffed Again

End Of The Road Festival - Sold Out.  It's a long way to go on your own so maybe for the best.

Anyway off to Madrid.

Cheers

PS - Good news about England football team up to 4th in the world and above Brazil.  I take it all back,  I never knew much about football.

Teesside Punk Singles

Apparently Teesside Punk is very collectible.

For example note this extremely poor quality copy of  Breaking Point by No Way.

So....I've been in the loft and found my collection in not too shabby condition.  Haven't got time to put them up for auction before I go to Madrid but coming to an eBay auction somewhere near you soon is this lot!

Well it would be rude not to!

Glastonbury

Time definitely must be on my side nowadays.  I've even managed to catch a smidgen of Glastonbury on the box. Funnily enough I was having a drink at the Linthorpe on Tuesday night with Gary and Mark and and we waved off a coach full of Boro youths to the festival.

Maybe it's different if you're there in the flesh but bearing in mind its roots, it all looks about as rebellious as Michael Gove.  As Mark said it's become like a summer camp for nice posh kids and as some them are very nice and treat me well I'll leave it that.

Other than to say U fucking 2 and Coldplay!!!  They really are establishment as you can get.  I see there was  protest against U2's tax avoidance set up which was broken up by the stewards on grounds of health and safety and not by the festival organisers "on the grounds of censorship".  Right on Eavis!

Actually caught a bit of U2.  Easy target I know but they really are the most appalling band aren't they?  I'm very embarrassed to admit I've got a couple of their Best of CD's.  Feel free to castigate away., I would!  Forgive me father for I have sinned. 

I had a look to see whether they were worth selling on Amazon Marketplace and they're not.  Less than a quid seems to be the going rate and is not worth the bother so if anybody fancies them for free all you have to do is shout up.  Seems a very high price to me but if you want them that is the price.

Saw Morrissey on Friday and much to the consternation of Smiths disciples this review in yesterday's Guardian is right on the button.  Seemed pretty soulless to me.  Apparently most of the crowd mosied off to see Radiohead.  Maybe a lesser two evils. I'm going to see the Moz in a couple of weeks time.  I hope he's better in the Boro.

I've been watching this afternoon for an hour or so and it's been better actually.  I watched Noah and The Whale who played a few nice country tunes, a sort of mainstream Langhorne Slim but ok.  Then  former East End hard man and now justified national treasure Jah Wobble played a fusion of World Music and was fantastic, finishing off his set with an Augustus Pablo cover version, no less and I've just watched a Syrian artist, Omar Souleyman who whipped along.  Sadly Jimmy Eat World have just come on to spoil it but thanks to multi-screen TV I've got the choice of another part of the corporation, Paul Simon (but I like him - God what a hypocrite), Laura Marling, Bellowhead or Primal Scream. 

Laura Marling it is.

Long time no see

Don't know where those 2 weeks went. Actually, that goes for time full stop. My 50th birthday is looming and I'm hurtling towards it.  I know you can't stop time but I'd settle for slowing it down a bit.  I don't think my 4 day working week helps, mind.  As one week-end finishes, the next is just round the corner. Still a price worth paying though.

I've had a pretty active day.  Went on a brutal walk march with Shamila this morning from Hartlepool along the beach beyond the Power Station up to where Able UK were dismantling the Ghost Ships and back along the road.  I'm getting too old for this lark!

This afternoon I went to see Cement Factory (not sure if only FB's will get that link) at the Square Eyes Picture House (ditto) at 148 Linthorpe Road a short film by Sheena Cox and A.J. Garrett.  And it was very good.  Filmed in black and white, a dark comedy about a badly treated, down-trodden employee Beatrix (Sheena Cox) who did a deal with the devil after she was murdered by masturbating cement mixer, Enoch (John Noble). 

Very enjoyable, well filmed with a good script - great character names by the way. All the actors were very good, Sheena, John, Craig Thornton as the hapless Chester and for me, star of the show James Harris as the totally plausible manager, Office Totty.  I was relieved he got it in the end!

By the way  I assume everybody has already pointed out James' physical likeness to Duncan Banantyne?  Ouch!

Not bad for nowt!  Cheers, Square eyes Picture House.

Just a couple of days work next week and then I'm off to Madrid for a few days.  My hard life continues!

Linthorpe Festival or Thorntree Party In The Park?

Lots of choice what to do today.  I could go the Linthorpe Festival at one of my old Cricket Clubs, Dormans, there's the Thorntree Party In The Park at The Greenway, where my mother grew up or The Sci Fi Event with Shane Rimmer, Graeme Harper and Ray Phillips.  Or I could just stay at home and do my household chores to free up tomorrow.   Lot's of choices and thank you F*c*book for being my guide.

I'm knackered actually after a 12 mile (what felt like a) march.  We got the train to Lealholm and pretty much followed the River Esk to Whitby stopping off at  Glaisdale and Grosmont for refreshments.  Of course we had our obligatory fish and chips at Whitby before getting the train back to the Boro.  To be honest it felt more like 20 miles.  It was still good fun though and knocks spots off going to the gym.

The newspapers are boring today.  What the hell is all this Ed Balls  leak all about?  Certainly useful news for the Tories at this time deflecting our minds away from the state of the economy.  It seems to me that it probably was a Tory source that stole the papers as Balls is suggesting although as the article says it could be that

"a Labour figure leaked the papers to damage Mr Balls at a time when he is emerging as a pivotal figure in Labour and there is grumbling about Mr Miliband's performance as leader."

So either way it was somebody keen to keep the Tories in power.  Good to see Blair looking so healthy and happy though yesterday though eh? 

On a lighter note also nice to see 68 year old Barry Manilow looking so good!

Strike

2 hours lunch time strike so I've gone on home dinners for the day.

I'd do it every week.  Bloody brilliant! Thought I'd take the chance to catch up with the newspapers.  Kenneth Clarke's plan on to cut prison terms for early guilty pleas, comes hot on the heals of Cam's 5 NHS pledges.

Not sure how the Tories are going to save any money at this rate.  It's no wonder they keep bashing the soft target of the Civil Servants.

Welcome To My New Old Blog

Continuity has always played an important part of my life.  I know is not cool but fuck it, here I am back to my Block. Mmmm, I realise that I'm gone a bit photo happy but it will get better and remember as the song says,

Don't be fooled by the rocks that I got
I'm still, I'm still Goffa from the block
Used to have a little, now I have a lot
No matter where I go, I know where I came from (from the Hills!)

Cheers

Intro Part 2

My day started early for Cattle And Cain and ended late at the after show party (bad choice) both at The Empire.  I think I saw 20 bands at 5 different venues.  I didn't see anybody at the other 7 venues including the main stage.  Not sure what that says about me but as ever it was an immense festival and you can't physically get around everywhere.

Not sure if 7000 attendees is considered to be a success but there was no way it was going to be free this year and possibly never again.  Maybe not a bad thing.  It seemed much more like a proper music festival this year and hopefully this will be the benchmark for the future.

In addition to the bands I mentioned yesterday Devon Sproule was rather special with her mixture of weird folk/country cross over

and although I only caught a few songs of Beth Jeans Houghton's set it was enough to leave me eagerly anticipating her album to be released on Mute records later this year.  She's certainly raised her game(and she needed to) after her amateurish performances at The End Of The Road Festival 2009.

So that's it over for another year. Probably my best for some time and who knows where we'll all be in 12 months time but hopes for a festival next year.

Next up Stockton Weekender, 5-8 August also no longer free.  £25 for 2 days, ouch.  See you all there.

Finally, got to mention Rikki And The Porters, pictured aside (somewhere) who played a heart warming set on the Homegrown Stage.  It was pissing down when they started but they forced the yellow ball in the sky out with their versions of House Of The Rising Sun, singing "There Is A House in Netherfields............" and Hot Hot Hot before which Rik name dropped Berwick Hills in his intro.  Great stuff.

Intro Part 1

Over the years I've been posting there have been relatively long periods when I've gone AWOL, at least in Blogland.   During those absences although not posting usually eats away at me I get lazy and it's difficult to get going again.  Then something happens that I want to write about or I think I should write about.  It could be an event or just something I want to say about something and at that point  I think unless  I do the post I might as well pack in.  And I'm at that point again and back at blogger.

It was interesting when I was playing about last week to read one of my last posts in which I'd been to Music Live 2009 and I wrote myself a list of 4 lessons for 2010.  Not sure why I bothered, I never checked it last year but as I stumbled across the list this year I took my advice and packed myself up, got an official programme and took no notice of the "pundits" tips in the Gazette.  It would have been rude not to drink all day.  The festival has changed it's name but it's still Music Live and it just wouldn't have been the same without a drink in my hand (all day).  Various people joined me over the day and  I had a great time.

According to The Gazette their were only about 7000 people their as opposed to 60000 last year which was mainly down to them charging (£15) for the first time.  It seemed mainly full enough to me apart from the Worldfest stage which was embarrassingly sparse for the wonderful Kasai Masai.

Highlights for me were local indie folksters Cattle and Cain who are destined for greater things,

Julia Kent from Antony & The Johnsons who wooed the Central audience with her beautiful haunting cello loops

and dare I admit it, local indie band, the intense Chapman Family, who I enjoy more and more every time I see them.  People say they're like The Editors.  Has anybody heard The Editors?  I haven't but as The Chapman Family I'll side with them every day of the week.