A QUICK WORD FROM DAVE: If you visit this Diary page with any regularity
then please allow me to apologise for the tragic lack of recent updates. My
complicated home life means that I must work harder than ever to pay the
mortgage; there simply isn't the time there used to be. So, in order to
catch up I am going to write about November 2016 in succinct, bullet-point
form. I'm pretty much cut and pasting my Facebook posts. Hopefully, from
December onwards I will be able to maintain the page with a little more
regularity. In other words: normal service will resume as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience.
Wednesday 30th November
Still smiling following a stunning show from King King at Islington's
Assembly Hall, a venue that's fast becoming a favourite of mine. If you've
not yet signed up for this band and you're a fan of Bad Co and early
Whitesnake then that should change... pronto! Despite a very recent throat
op and the admission that he was holding back a little, Alan Nimmo sang with
bluesy power and soulful sweetness. As ever, the epic 'A Long History Of
Love' brought up the goosebumps, their cover of 'Jealousy' by Frankie Miller
was another highlight and for the most part (it sems there are *always* a
few disrespectful assholes) the crowd responded with a rapt silence since
when Nimmo took things down to a whisper to play unamplified during
'Stranger To Love'. It was great to stand next to my buddy Robert Corich
(who later likened the playing of keysman Bob Fridzema to that of John
'Rabbit' Bundrick) and watch as his jaw slowly dropped, much like that of
Andy Beare had done when I took him to see KK for the first time at the Jazz
Café in May '15. What an amazing band!
Tuesday 29th November
Pure rock 'n' roll power from Airbourne last night on first the Aussie
band's two sold-out shows at the Electric Ballroom. They have their
detractors but I'm not among them. Oh, look out... the loony guitarist is
headed this way on the shoulders of a roadie, Bon Scott-style!
Monday 28th November
Had a great time watching Eden's Curse last night at the Underworld - great
band, amazing singer, fab set of tunes, amazing front of house sound. Well
worth the two hours it took to get across London, plus the same return
journey. The things we do for rawkenrawl!!
Sunday 27th November
It's a pink 'n' fluffy melodic rock round-up Sunday afternoon. 'Silhouette',
the newie from Aussie pomp-AORsters White Widdow is rocking my world,
alongside releases from the Roth Brock Project, Bryan Cole, Fair Warning and
(better late than never) the UK's own excellent Seven.
Saturday 26th November
Classic Rock have asked to borrow 46 vinyl LP sleeves from my collection. I
couldn't resist slinging 'Unmasked' by Kiss onto the turntable, the first
time I'd played it in a number of years. With the exception of the brilliant
'(Music From) The Elder', it could well be the most underrated record of
their catalogue. A perfect, euphoric blend of pop and rock.
Friday 25th November
Still battling the lurgy last night I made it across Sarf London to see the
ever-amazing Alter Bridge. I've caught 'em on every tour since their first,
so couldn't miss it. Great seats at the O2 Arena for a set that was
thunderous, melodic and magnificent... this place was packed! Terrific to
see! Today is officially a duvet day!
Edit: Well of course I didn't get my work-free duvet day. Never
gonna happen, was it? There was an interview with Joanne Shaw Taylor to
finish, and then off to the gym with Eddie. Universal Records also wanted me
to trim the track listing of a three-disc set I'd compiled for them. And
then Classic Rock requested the loan of some vinyl gems. *Finally* I'm here
in my CPFC dressing gown... a relaxing night of tellybox, Monster Munch and
Baileys lies ahead. #aaaaahhhhhhh
Thursday 24th November
Alas, I've no decent photos of last night's Beth Hart gig at Royal Festival
Hall but here's the set-list. It's not exactly accurate, mind. Beth is one
of those artists that flies off at tangents on the merest of whims… there's
no staid, predictable running order for this lady. What an entrance –
discreetly from a side door as the lights dimmed and down to the stage
through the crowd, slowly and seductively, to the strains of Billie
Holiday's 'Don't Explain'. One of my faves, 'Leave The Light On', was added
during an off-script moment in the final third and she also threw in Etta
James' 'I'd Rather Go Blind' as a final, breathtaking au revoir. What a
voice – at times Hart's range was simply jaw-dropping. What a compelling
presence. And what a set of tunes – Beth writes raw, emotive songs about
painfully intimate issues that matter to her, whether inspired by her mother
('Mama This One's For You'), her father and the scarlet woman for whom he
left the family ('Tell Her You Belong To Me') and even 'Sister Heroin', a
choked-up tribute to the precious sibling lost to substance abuse which
featured the lines: "Goodbye white trash beauty queen/Your crooked heart and
your beat up dreams/I love you, I love you, I love you". It was, in a word,
brilliant.
Wednesday 23rd November
I'm sitting here in my office dosed up on Lemsip, wrapped in a duvet,
working on interview transcripts. No gym or park run today... I should
probably confine myself to Ling Towers, but I really love the Royal Festival
Hall (scene of some of my all-time fave past gigs by VdGG, Steven Wilson and
Todd Rundgren), and there's absolutely no way that I'm gonna miss out on
Beth Hart playing there this evening.
Tuesday 22nd November
Hahahaha! Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate has just posted on his Facebook page: "I
had a nice chat with Dave Ling of Classic Rock yesterday, two guys who
weathered the Storm and hopefully aren't too weathered themselves. March
2017 Wasted In America tour of the UK... still singin' about Beer and Chicks
I should be ashamed of myself." Some things never change, huh? That's a
beautiful thing.
Monday 21st November
I'm sorry but the Classic Rock website's latest list - the 10 worst power
ballads ever written
- is complete and utter horseshit. Along with most self-respecting fans
of melodic hard rock, I love just about all of these so called "terrible"
songs.. CR with its finger well and truly on the pulse... NOT! Haha. Someone
over the melodicrock.com message board has just pointed out: "They included
same Slaughter track in their own list of 40 greatest power ballads".
Sunday 20th November
What a great photo taken in FM's dressing room following an excellent
'Indiscreet'-themed gig at Islington Assembly Hall, which saw special guest
Bernie Marsden return to the stage at encore time for 'Walking In The Shadow
Of The Blues' and 'Here I Go Again'. After drinking their ale, Eddie has
just dropped the bombshell that he thinks Romeo's Daughter are the better
band (ouch). Leigh Marry is amused.
Saturday 19th November
I've just got home from Stray's 50th anniversary gig at a jam-packed,
heaving full Borderline - what a night to savour for Del Bromham - THAT'S
FIFTY YEARS IN FUCKING ROCK 'N' ROLL!!!! If you can't 'like' that then I
pity you. An amazing two-page set-list. Five songs plus an encore from the
original line-up (who hadn't played together for 23 years... until today!).
Two and a half hours of music, including my own personal favourite 'Son Of
The Father' (a song from 'Suicide' that my secondary school buddy David Gray
and I used to put on the end of all of our cassette tapes), performed by
great musicians from each line-up... and surrounded by such lovely, helpful
people. To anyone that says 'nice guys don't last' I have but one solitary
reply - come back to me when *you* have racked up fifty years in rock 'n'
roll, motherfucker. Well earned, Mr Bromham, and everyone that
participated.
Today is a bit of a proud one for me. Eldest lad Eddie Lemmy
Selhurst Ling is attending his first ever FM gig. Given that we will have
been on the ale at Selhurst all afternoon, apologies an advance to all if we
wurr our slurds a little by the time you see us! COYP!
Friday 18th November
Tonight there's only one possible place to be - at the Borderline! Here's a
little interview I did with Del Bromham
about the band's connections to notorious London gangster
Charlie Kray. See you there everyone who's lucky enough to have a ticket!
And a very happy 50th birthday to Stray!
Thursday 17th November
Voivod röööööaaaaarrrrrr back into the UK for a gig at London's Camden
Underworld - they were awesome. What a unique band!
Wednesday 16th November
Just did a cool phone interview with M Shadows about the new Avenged
Sevenfold album, 'The Stage', a whopping concept piece dwelling upon
artificial intelligence and the self-destruction of society which offers
shades of Rush, Dream Theater, Metallica and 'Operation: Mindcrime'-era
Queensrÿche. Really interesting guy and a surprisingly strong record.
Tuesday 15th November
That rather strange moment when, talking to a member of Black Stone Cherry
for a Classic Rock website story, you find yourself involved in a
discussion about 17th Century English antique furniture. Happens every
day... errr, doesn't it?!
Monday 14th November
Well, that's it for me with Molly Hatchet - also wherever possible for
Sunday night gigs. Everything to do with this band is now a farce. The
evening began well enough with the new Airrace line-up, who played six
absolute barnstormers at the Islington Academy. Along with Messrs Dome and
Russell, I watched five songs by Rock Goddess (who were also on prime form)
before zooming over to the 229 Club where, to our dismay, the first of two
support acts were *still* onstage!!! Hatchet kept us waiting till 10.20pm
before hitting the stage (we could have watched Goddess in their entirety
and also some of the the alleged 'Ratt'). Dave Hlubek was nowhere to be
seen. So… let's swap our only original member for a keyboard player, and
although we are going to run past curfew, let's throw in a drum solo (and
leave out 'Boogie No More'… once again). 55 mins - a joke. And having missed
my last train to Catford Bridge, getting to bed at 1.30am, it was a very
unfunny joke.
Sunday 13th November
It pains me to say it, but Last night's Europe gig didn't live up to my
expectations. I had no idea the band were going to play their current disc
'War Of Kings' in its entirety, especially to start the show; to me it's the
least impressive record they've made since getting back together. Straight
into 'The Final Countdown' in its original running order - some truly great
songs but, again, plenty of filler. And no encore, which meant we were
robbed of 'Let The Good Times Rock', 'Superstitious', etc etc. However, the
support sets from Dare and the Electric Boys were short but very sweet
indeed. Great to see so many friends in a Saturday night partying mood...
night bus home, inevitably, but luckily this time I didn't end up in the
depot. Phew!
Friday 11th November
Ooooh look, I made The Times! What a shame for the reason, but Mum would
have been proud! (Thanks to Nik Moore for the cutting)
Here's another of my interviews with Lemmy. He was such a human quote machine... gosh, I miss him.
Thursday 10th November
I love having a huge archive of things that I've written and stuff collected
down the years. Someone wants an article on Gun circa 'Taking On The World'?
Just dig out the on the road story you did with the band at the Glasgow
Mayfair on 16.7.89, and the vinyl edition of said record (with original A&M
Records press release enclosed inside)... simples! #smug
The office heating goes on at last. There are only so many days you
can sit shivering wearing a sweatshirt and a hoody whilst trying to work.
Sunburn at Ramblin' Man seems an awfully long time ago.
Wednesday 9th November
What did *you* do on the night that Satan became the President Of The United
States Of America? I'd been out at the Borderline, watching a rather good
band called Goldray. Featuring ex-Reef guitarist Kenwyn House and fronted by
the lovely Leah Rasmussen (a fellow resident of Sarf London, I learned!)
they look great and have a cool prog-meets-psych sound. Not too much to jump
up and down in terms of stone cold killer songs at the moment, but I really
enjoyed soaking up their vibe.
Home somewhat the worse for wear I tuned into the US election and
watched the result with growing disbelief and a sense of resignation. In the
early hours of the morning Trump took Ohio. 109-168. Time for bed. A whole
new world starts today. United States, you should be ashamed of yourselves
and God help us all.
Monday 7th November
Shepherd's Bush Empire was packed for last night's show by The Cadillac
Three (though thankfully nowhere near as rammed as 24 hours earlier -
attendance of that Saxon gig must have been well over the official limit).
From third on the bill with Backberry Smoke where I first saw them in March
'14 to their current position of loftiness, the astonishing rise of Jaren
Johnston and pals is set to continue - who knows where it might end? TC3 are
a bloody great band, the future of Southern rock is in safe hands and they
deserve everything that comes their way.
I'm *very* fussy about what goes onto my iPod. A finished copy of
Tyketto's newie, 'Reach', just arrived and seven of its dozen selections
immediately made the hallowed playlist. It's that good!
Sunday 6th November
Yesterday's Saxon show in London could potentially have been a little on the
bittersweet side. Just like Girlschool, the band had been scheduled to
support Motörhead on a UK tour that, for obvious reasons, failed to happen.
'Fast' Eddie Clarke, too, had been talking about making a guest appearance
with Motörhead at Hammersmith. Last night everyone was at the Shepherd's
Bush Empire... except Lemmy. It spoke volumes that all concerned - Saxon,
Clarke's band Fastway and Girlschool - contrived to make the event so
memorable for all of the right reasons and without resorting to becoming
maudlin. Eddie returned to the stage to jam with Saxon on 'Ace Of Spades'
and the venue went mad. It was emotional, for sure. One of those great,
great nights that will live forever...
Friday 4th November
So just like last year (when Cats In Space arrived too late to make the
mix), an album has dropped onto my desk and set me drooling – mere days
after compiling a list of the definitive releases of 2016. I cannot say
enough good things about 'Raise', the full-length debut from Hand Of Dimes,
a band featuring the former Kooga duo of Nev MacDonald and Neil Garland.
It's AOR-meets-pomp of the highest standard. With Lionheart about to make a
new album, these two bands *must* hit the road together next year.
Thursday 3rd November
Happy 49th birthday to Steven Wilson. Here's a live version of the best song
released by just about anyone during the current millennium. It still gives me goosebumps
every time.
Bob The Dog's back at Ling Towers after an accident in the park and
a rushed trip to the vet. He's not overly fond of his new collar, though,
the poor l'il fella. My wallet's also significantly lighter, but that's by
the by. All that matters is that Bob is okay.
Wednesday 2nd November
I'm off into the house to make a nice cuppa. With nosey builders working in
next door's garden I shall leave my office in the good care of its imposing
feline guardian! #noneshallpass
Tuesday 1st November
A great phone interview with Living Colour's guitarist Vernon Reid. Top
guy... very talkative.
Here are this month's Playlist and YouTube updates.
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