Thursday 30 August 2012
Last Festival of the Summer
A great man (can't remember his name) once said "music was my first love and it will be my last", very profound I'm sure you will agree. Shame it was such a shit song (no comments arguing the contrary please).
And for a very long time I would have yeah, that's me but this summer I've rediscovered my real first love, cricket.
I watched, played and coached cricket for a huge chunk of every summer for most of my life until around the time I started writing my original blog at Livejournal. In fact part of the reason I started blogging was because of the void left in my life when I stopped coaching the juniors at Thornaby Cricket Club.
I packed in for a number of personal reasons but the truth was I just wanted to do some other stuff. Just have a flick back through the summer months of my blogs to see what I've been up to. I might even have a look myself if only to confirm how little I've talked about cricket
I've just lost touch with the sport, I would have watched it on the goggle box if live cricket hadn't sold (out) to Sky.
I've had a quiet couple of months and never being one to mope round I've found myself drawn to the real beautiful game. It started with me playing in Pally Park with my Spanish nephews at the end of July and then taking one of them to formal cricket practise at Middlesbrough Cricket Club. I've now got drawn into the real life soap opera drama of following Thornaby CC's NYSD Premier League relegation dogfight. Actually more like a whimper but a couple of them are ex Co-Op lads so it will be over when it's over.
Of course it's been a lousy summer for cricket but on Tuesday I went to watch day 1 (of 4) of Yorkshire v Gloucestershire at the 126th Scarborough Cricket Festival. Amazingly in a summer in which Yorkshire have apparently lost almost 24 days out of 55 to bad weather they played all day, uninterrupted. Needless to say it's been rained off Wednesday and Thursday but hey ho.
And the Scarborough Cricket Festival was my last festival of the Summer. I went to No Direction Home, Stockton Calling, A Place in the Sun and The Stockton Weekender.
This week-end I should have been at my beloved End of the Road Festival but I decided with a heavy heart to sell my ticket on eBay about 6 weeks ago, losing a few shillings along the way. As usual I was heading down on my own and although the solitude of being on my own for 4 days didn't phase me (it never does) in the end I just couldn't face the monstrous six and a half hour journeys there and back. Fingers crossed for the weather and I hope everybody (it's sold out) has a great time. Maybe next year (but probably not).
Above - Gloucestershire batting vs Yorkshire
Below - The greatest living Yorkshireman. looking dapper and well.
And for a very long time I would have yeah, that's me but this summer I've rediscovered my real first love, cricket.
I watched, played and coached cricket for a huge chunk of every summer for most of my life until around the time I started writing my original blog at Livejournal. In fact part of the reason I started blogging was because of the void left in my life when I stopped coaching the juniors at Thornaby Cricket Club.
I packed in for a number of personal reasons but the truth was I just wanted to do some other stuff. Just have a flick back through the summer months of my blogs to see what I've been up to. I might even have a look myself if only to confirm how little I've talked about cricket
I've just lost touch with the sport, I would have watched it on the goggle box if live cricket hadn't sold (out) to Sky.
I've had a quiet couple of months and never being one to mope round I've found myself drawn to the real beautiful game. It started with me playing in Pally Park with my Spanish nephews at the end of July and then taking one of them to formal cricket practise at Middlesbrough Cricket Club. I've now got drawn into the real life soap opera drama of following Thornaby CC's NYSD Premier League relegation dogfight. Actually more like a whimper but a couple of them are ex Co-Op lads so it will be over when it's over.
Of course it's been a lousy summer for cricket but on Tuesday I went to watch day 1 (of 4) of Yorkshire v Gloucestershire at the 126th Scarborough Cricket Festival. Amazingly in a summer in which Yorkshire have apparently lost almost 24 days out of 55 to bad weather they played all day, uninterrupted. Needless to say it's been rained off Wednesday and Thursday but hey ho.
And the Scarborough Cricket Festival was my last festival of the Summer. I went to No Direction Home, Stockton Calling, A Place in the Sun and The Stockton Weekender.
This week-end I should have been at my beloved End of the Road Festival but I decided with a heavy heart to sell my ticket on eBay about 6 weeks ago, losing a few shillings along the way. As usual I was heading down on my own and although the solitude of being on my own for 4 days didn't phase me (it never does) in the end I just couldn't face the monstrous six and a half hour journeys there and back. Fingers crossed for the weather and I hope everybody (it's sold out) has a great time. Maybe next year (but probably not).
Above - Gloucestershire batting vs Yorkshire
Below - The greatest living Yorkshireman. looking dapper and well.
Tuesday 14 August 2012
Rock Garden Reunion - Penetration - Georgian Theatre 11/8
I bought my ticket in January and it was sold out by February. No mean feat even if the tickets were only a bargain bucket £8.
From what I've read the general feeling about the RG Reunion shows admirably promoted by the genial Steve Harland, Dave Griffiths and Gary McGhee is the amount of shared love in the air. Can only assume that these are the opinions of people who thought there was love in the air at the RG back in the day.
I like to think I'm a pretty non-judgmental fair minded kind of fellar but I've never warmed to drunken tatoo adorned ear-ringed baldies barging past me silently daring me to challenge them for spilling drink over me. Probably all in my mind but I wasn't going to check out my paranoia. They were probably harmless and in fairness there weren't any fights or bottles thrown at the support band, the rather splendid Year of Birds but let's just say it wasn't The Kids Are Solid Gold.
Ste asked why I didn't take any photos? The answer lies below, Pauline Murray looking like a goddess. I see no reason to bastardise the memory for people that weren't there.
Apart from the outstanding beauty of PM, I rather liked Penetration who were a little bit different from the rama lama punk bands. They did great cover versions of Nostalgia by The Buzzcocks and Patti Smith's, Free Money and had a few decent original tunes, Don't Dictate, Lovers of Outrage and what could have been a contender for my guilty pleasure series, Life's a Gamble. They died a death after their first album descending into their true heavy metal roots.
Circa 2012? See above really although much too loud. I sometimes wonder if these reunion bands hide behind the volume but it's probably just me hiding behind my tinnitus. I could barely hear the still fine looking (by mortal standards) and sounding Pauline Murray above the crashing guitars and drums.
The crowd lapped them up and although Year of Birds might have been agrieved by the appathy from the audience at least they didn't have glasses of piss thrown at them. There was no such thing as audience indifference back in the day.
Here's a proper review if you're interested.
From what I've read the general feeling about the RG Reunion shows admirably promoted by the genial Steve Harland, Dave Griffiths and Gary McGhee is the amount of shared love in the air. Can only assume that these are the opinions of people who thought there was love in the air at the RG back in the day.
I like to think I'm a pretty non-judgmental fair minded kind of fellar but I've never warmed to drunken tatoo adorned ear-ringed baldies barging past me silently daring me to challenge them for spilling drink over me. Probably all in my mind but I wasn't going to check out my paranoia. They were probably harmless and in fairness there weren't any fights or bottles thrown at the support band, the rather splendid Year of Birds but let's just say it wasn't The Kids Are Solid Gold.
Ste asked why I didn't take any photos? The answer lies below, Pauline Murray looking like a goddess. I see no reason to bastardise the memory for people that weren't there.
Apart from the outstanding beauty of PM, I rather liked Penetration who were a little bit different from the rama lama punk bands. They did great cover versions of Nostalgia by The Buzzcocks and Patti Smith's, Free Money and had a few decent original tunes, Don't Dictate, Lovers of Outrage and what could have been a contender for my guilty pleasure series, Life's a Gamble. They died a death after their first album descending into their true heavy metal roots.
Circa 2012? See above really although much too loud. I sometimes wonder if these reunion bands hide behind the volume but it's probably just me hiding behind my tinnitus. I could barely hear the still fine looking (by mortal standards) and sounding Pauline Murray above the crashing guitars and drums.
The crowd lapped them up and although Year of Birds might have been agrieved by the appathy from the audience at least they didn't have glasses of piss thrown at them. There was no such thing as audience indifference back in the day.
Here's a proper review if you're interested.
Monday 13 August 2012
Olympic Fallout 2 - From the Sublime to the Ridiculous!
Bloody Hell, is anybody else depressed? Not only have the sublime Olympics finished but it has just dawned on me that the ridiculous spectacle of the Premier League is nearly upon us.
And on that bombshell I'm off to bed I've got to go and do some tax tomorrow.
PS - Here's one I offer without excuse to try and lift us from our post olympic blues. Ninja from the fantastic Go Team! taken at last week's Stockton Festival.
And on that bombshell I'm off to bed I've got to go and do some tax tomorrow.
PS - Here's one I offer without excuse to try and lift us from our post olympic blues. Ninja from the fantastic Go Team! taken at last week's Stockton Festival.
Olympic Fallout
How great has it been that our political pathetique’s squabbles have been kept off the front pages for a couple of weeks? Obvously Cam and Bozza are claiming credit for the games and probably fair pay to them. Maybe Blurgh, Kings Kenny and Becks deserve a mention as well. I also noticed Harriet Harmen took the opportunity to tell us how great she was for the part she played in making the decision to bid for the games although I was more interested in her admission that Labour got it wrong over gambling regulation. “If we knew then what we know now?”? Fuck, why didn’t she just to East Middlesbrough with one of our local mp's to see the social problems caused by gambling. We all knew! At least they've binned the idea of the super casino's haven't they?
No - Looks like Labour's u-turn is a bit too late for the Boro. In answer to the Northern Echo - no a Super Casino is not good for Middlesbrough. For once I am not looking forward to seeing how this one pans out.
The Olympics
There’s that end of summer holidays around tonight don’t you
think?
I think it’s been said already by a number of commentators
but what are we all going to do tomorrow?
I’ve loved the last 16 days, following everything from getting up on in
the morning until going to bed wherever I’ve been, thanks partly to the power
if my iPhone but mainly to the wall to
wall TV coverage. It’s felt great to be
British for the first time in a very long time.
I fretted along with
everybody else during early days when it
looked like it was all going to turn pear shaped (medals wise anyway) and
basked in the reflected glory of every one of the 29 golds as they rolled in. From Mo Farrah and Jessica Ennis to the
Taekwondo and that most hardly of sports, the dressage.
Some of my personal top bits -
Not fan of boxing but if men can knock ten bells out of each I don't see why women shouldn't be allowed to and I never tired of seeing and listening to Nicola Adams being interviewed.
It was one of those you had to be there moments but my 8 year old Spanish nephew gave me 10 points start when GB played Spain in the basketball. It was the basketball equivalent of England vs The Faroe Islands at football (GB being The Faroe's). My collaborator brother and 2 nephews watched with horror as GB came to within 1 point of the eventual silver medallist's. Nevertheless a 9 point victory for GB with my handicap.
Obviously our 29 golds, 17 silver and 19 bronze. I never tire of looking at the medal table. We were only beaten by the 2 most powerful nations on the earth.
The Spice Girls and Beady Eye (who ???)in the finale! Only joking.
I know a bit off the wall but I really enjoyed the drama of Steve Cram's protege, Morpeth's Laura Weightman path to the 1500m final. She was never going to win the final but I enjoyed her semi-final performance just as much as I enjoyed Usain Bolt's wins. To be fair I'd never even heard of him before these Olympics, I stopped watching track and field after Coe and Ovett retired.
The BBC. Hope our politicians realise how great it is before it becomes was.
Loved London 2012. Now looking forward to the legacy bit. Fingers crossed.
The BBC. Hope our politicians realise how great it is before it becomes was.
Loved London 2012. Now looking forward to the legacy bit. Fingers crossed.
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