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Tuesday 30th October
As expected, last night Palace lost at home to Watford.
We remain in the drop-zone but it was a marginally better performance
than the last home game, 15-year-old John Bostock offering some
class on his starting debut and new Portsmouth loanee Franck
Song'o also looking like dynamite. But save the first 10 mins
or so, the result was never really in doubt. The talk of Warnock
converting the Eagles into a promotion prospect is unrealistic;
a relegation dogfight beckons...
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
29th October
Walked
in the door from the Firefest, had a quick bite to eat and it
was time to head off to Shepherds Bush Empire for the Ian Hunter
gig. Jesse Malin proved to be an exceptional warm-up act; a
real showman and some excellent tunes. And despite sounding
a bit chesty at the start, ex-Mott The Hoople frontman turned
in one of the best sets I've seen him play - of course, it helps
that current disc 'Shrunken Heads' is such a li'l beaut. Even
before the end of the set proper, Ian was joined onstage by
guitarist Mick Ralphs. Then during the encore Verden Allen,
the original Mott keyboard player, arrived to swell a gaggle
of guests that included Malin and Hunter's daughter Tracie.
Hugging Ralphs as the Empire hollered its approval, Ian hailed
his ex-Hoople buddy as the king of the one-liners, revealing
that when Mick decided he'd had enough of being in Bad Company,
singer Paul Rodgers was summarily informed: "Life's too
short - and so are you". Genius!
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Sunday
28th October
After
just a few hours' kip I descended upon Rock City for an appointment
to interview reunited headliners for a bonus track addition
to the official DVD of the show. Bassist Merv Goldsworthy was
already in the hall and made me laugh with his typically dry
greeting: "Hi Dave, I always have a good look at your website
each day - it's good to know what's going in on my life".
Watched FM soundchecking, which was just as marvellous as the
interview: We cracked jokes, recounted stories and although
12 years had passed since the band's last gig, it felt just
like old times. Onto the show. Jaded Heart were tight, slick
and enthusiastic, the deliciously memorable 'Hallucinate' being
just what was required to kick the Firefest into gear. Crunch
used to be known as Adrian Gale. If they were half as good as
ex-Guardian singer Jamie Rowe's thinks they are, they'd have
been topping the bill. Alas, I heard only one song of note ('Getting
Closer To The Weekend'); second from bottom was probably one
place too high. An onstage power-cut delayed the arrival of
Valentine, a band I'd been lucky enough to see on a trip to
New York in the early 1990s, but who'd never played the UK before.
Playing songs from a self-titled debut that is regarded as a
genre classic, vocalist Hugo is frighteningly similar to former
Journey icon Steve Perry, both visually and vocally. Thankfully,
they included the mega-ballad 'Never Said It Was Gonna Be Easy',
and although the decision to end by Journey-ising the Kansas
standard 'Carry On Wayward Son' was puzzling, I'll be looking
out for the new Valentine album predicted by Hugo from the stage.
Jorn... oh, Jorn. Your skill and vesatility as a vocalist is
undeniable, but what on earth were you thinking of at Firefest?
"Is there anyone from the UK here tonight?" enquired
the Norwegian singer. Pardon?! Lande impersonated Coverdale
alongside Messrs Moody and Marsden in The Snakes, but these
days he sings more like Dio. Besides the cringeworthy 'The Duke
Of Love', we got two Thin Lizzy covers ('Are You Ready?' and
'Cold Sweat'), a pair by Whitesnake ('Come On' and 'Sweet Talker')
and then, God forbid, Lande dared to finish with Deep Purple's
'Stormbringer'. With the amount of original acts that would've
killed their grandmothers for a Firefest spot, Jorn's lazy,
self-satisfied attitude stank.
Despite a hilarious pre-show DVD interview in which a member
of the Canadian band claimed he was giving up music to become
a turtle farmer, Harem Scarem's much-vanted swansong was slightly
anti-climactic, largely ignoring the classic 'Mood Swings' album
for a selection of tracks the fans didn't really expect or want
to hear. Performing their own last show on English soil, special
guests Tyketto knew exactly which buttons to push. In contrast
to Harem Scarem's laid-back frontman Harry Hess, Danny Vaughn
had the capacity crowd eating from his hand from the start,
roaring: "They say this music doesn't have a fan-base anymore
- fuck you!" as the band purred through 75 minutes of catalogue
cream, including 'Rescue Me', 'Wings To Fly', 'Burning Down
Inside' and the Firefest's unofficial national anthem,'Forever
Young'. Such was the excellence of Tyketto's set that I wondered
- momentarily, at least - whether FM would be able to match
what had gone before. But from their intro tape of the Dad's
Army TV theme onwards, the headliners effortlessly reminded
us (and indeed themselves, judging by the way guitarist Andy
Barnett could be seen blubbing like a baby at the side of the
stage... I required a handkerchief as well) of a rich and passionate
legacy. Guitarist Steve Overland still has one of the most emotive
voices in rock and the set-list was sensibly tailored towards
their repertoire from the pink-suited AOR years, dropping in
tracks from 1991's 'Takin' It To The Streets' album onwards
where appropriate. Here's what they played: 'Breathe Fire',
'Face To Face', 'I Belong To The Night'/'That Girl', 'Ain't
Gonna Run No More', 'All Or Nothing', 'Only The Strong Survive',
'Burning My Heart Down', 'Bad Luck (Finding A Lager... cough)',
'Closer To Heaven', 'The Other Side Of Midnight', 'Blood And
Gasoline', 'Frozen Heart' and 'Heard It Through The Grapevine'.
Confirming pre-show whispers that FM were already considering
some sort of post-Firefest rebirth, a clearly shellshocked Pete
Jupp left the stage by informing the crowd: "We'll see
you again in 2008".
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Saturday 27th October
The
Firefest kicked off on Friday night with a warm-up event at
Trent Polytechnic. Alas, hooking up for a pizza with my old
mucker Dave Reynolds meant missing opening band Stormzone (a
shame, as their current disc 'Caught In The Act' is rather good).
Ex-Lionsheart/Onslaught frontman Steve Grimmett was battling
a cold but wound up a fair-to-middling set with a rousing rendition
of Grim Reaper's 'See You In Hell'. Soul Doctor's muscular blend
of metal and AOR was extremely effective, though the German
band's sterling work was undone by a ghastly Led Zeppelin medley
and various backstage reports of prima donna behaviour by frontman
Tommy Heart. Veteran UK rockers Demon were calling time on a
career that began with the 'Night Of The Demon' album way back
in 1981. 'Blackheath', 'Sign Of A Madman', 'Don't Break The
Circle' and the title cut of that debut album were among the
highlights of Demon's all-too-short 50-minute showing. The crowd
thinned out as midnight came and went, and Threshold arrived
to close the show. I'm a huge fan of these British prog-metallers
and despite a murky sound that masked many of their intricacies
I'm sure they must've won a few new fans with this rousing display.
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Friday
26th October
Off
shortly to the Firefest - can't wait to see the mighty FM once
again. Already nursing a bit of a hangover, but what the heck
- I can catch up with a few ZZZZZs on the coach. Last night
I went to the CC Club - a rather new and quite posh rock venue
in London's Trocadero centre - to check out Devil's Slingshot,
an instrumental three-piece featuring guitarist Tony MacAlpine,
bassist Billy Sheehan (with whom I did an enjoyable pre-show
interview) and drummer Virgil Donati. That kinda widdly-widdly
thing's not really my bag, hence the fact that I snuck out to
seek further refreshment quite some way before the end, but
they did do a rather impressive version of MacAlpine's 'City
In The Sky'.
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Thursday
25th October
Last
night I went to check out one of my all time heroes, Francis
Dunnery, at the Islington Academy. Oddly, I stood on almost
the exactly same spot from which I watched the Dunnery-less
It Bites back in December (and if that sounds like a coincidence,
beforehand I had a quick chat with Dunnery's IB replacement,
John Mitchell, in the foyer). Both bands pulled fairly consistently-sized
crowds; probably the exact same people, if you think logically
about it. Although I didn't realise it till my good friend Nick
'One Pint Of Shandy And I'm Anyone's' Shilton pointed it out,
Dunnery was performing his 1991 solo album 'Welcome To The Wild
Country' in its entirety, plus selected solo and IB catalogue
gems. With an electric band and backing vocalist Dorie Jackson,
he kicked up quite a storm. 'Underneath Your Pillow' was loosened
up, slowed-down and jazzed-up, incorporating a lovely piano
solo from Peter John Vitesse. With his short hair and fuller
cheeks, he might have started to look a little like UK impressionist
Rory Bremner these days, and his act is becoming increasingly
blues-based, but Dunnery can still do things with a guitar that
will make you weep with joy. The set closed with a marvellous
version of It Bites' 'Midnight' that was, to paraphrase The
Who, meaty, beaty, big and bouncy. A great night.
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Wednesday
24th October
No,
I didn't jeer Crystal Palace's new manager Neil Warnock last
night as he walked down the touchline for his debut home fixture
against Stoke City. I studiously ignored him. Didn't get to
boo him at the end either, as son Eddie and I exited the stadium
midway through the second half, immediately after the Eagles
conceded the third of three extremely soft goals. We were home
by just after 10pm. Warnock, I would imagine, experienced a
considerably more sleepless night. The game finished 1-3 but
to be honest, this morning I'm a little shocked at how dispassionate
the result makes me feel.
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Tuesday
23rd October
My
sons Eddie and Arnie are on half-term his week, so last night
Mrs L and I took them to Blackheath to see the Chinese State
Circus. What a fabulous experience it turned out to be! No animals
are harmed during the performance, but by Christ they must have
gone through a few bottles of Witch Hazel, and a small mountain
of plasters, bandages and splints. Its stars the Shaolin Warriors
wallop each other with lump-hammers and paving slabs, others
in the cast leaping through tiny hoops feet above the ground,
riding unicycles on their heads (on a a high-wire!) and performing
all manner of crazy contortionist feats... extremely impressive.
_
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Sunday
21st October
Last
night a desperately miserable week for English sport reached
its painful nadir. I wish I'd have followed my instincts and
gone to Cloven Hoof's gig in Camden instead of staying home
to watch the final of the rugby world cup. Four years ago I
paced around in a tiny Helsinki hotel room (the game coincided
with a Metal Hammer commission to cover the two-day Spinefast
rock festival), shrieking and hollering with excitement whilst
draining a bathful of cold beer as England overcame Australia
to become world champions. This time, having been stuffed 36-0
by South Africa earlier in the tournament, things were completely
different.
It hurt to be on the receiving end of a 15-6 defeat, but more
painful still was the perfectly legitimate English try unjustly
overturned by a video referee - one that just might've changed
the course of the game. There's been pressure to introduce new
technology into the world of football, but the bitter taste
left by yesterday's debacle makes me wonder... what would be
the friggin' point if the officials that operate the machinery
require spectacles? And talking of footie (with a round ball,
not an oval one), Colin Wanker's reign as CPFC boss got underway
with a 1-1 draw at Blackpool. Reports suggest "an impressive
Palace performance". Hmmm.
P.S. I was amazed to read that bars at the Stade De France in
Paris were charging a hefty £6.50 per pint of lager throughout
the RWC. Worse still, nobody was informed that the muck being
served was ALCOHOL-FREE!!! Bloody Frogs!!!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Saturday
20th October
Well,
Eddie (my eldest son) and I have just tried it. Secretly and
quietly in the kitchen, just to see if it works. "Neil
Warnock's Red and Blue army". As I suspected, it just doesn't
feel right. "Daddy, let's just sing Red and Blue Army without
the name," quoth Eddie. Attaboy.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
18th October
I'm so friggin' pissed off. England's hopes of reaching
the European Championships were last night dealt a bitter blow
during a calamitous four-minute second half spell that saw them
allow hosts Russia to overturn the visitors' 1-0 lead and claim
all three points. Qualification now hangs by a thread; what
a disaster.
One thing that does please me: At The Gates are getting back
together again for some selected shows. With the mighty Carcass
also having risen from the grave, what price a co-headlining
tour? Now that **would** be something to get excited about.
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Wednesday
17th October
When
I was younger I always wanted to attend one of Queen's legendary
parties. Alas, last night there were no naked dwarves with bowls
of cocaine at the Hard
Rock Café, but we did get a rather nice introductory
speech from Brian May (alas, May told us that Roger Taylor preferred
to sunbathe on his luxurious boat off the coast of Africa) and
a preview of the band's live DVD, 'Queen Rock Montreal'. Recorded
in 1981, it sees them at their hard rocking peak - just what
the doctor ordered. Although the voddy 'n' Diet Cokes were really
hitting the spot, a prior appointment meant that I was only
able to watch about half of the edited playback, which featured
a marvellous rendition of my fave Queen song, 'Somebody To Love'.
Making my excuses, I picked up a goodie bag and slipped out
across Central London to the 100 Club where Avenged Sevenfold
were playing an intimate, sold-out concert. I'll be honest,
the Californian band's new, self-titled (and self-produced)
album is a bit of a dog's dinner, so much so that one of the
UK rags has given it one star out of ten. However, in such close
confines A7X still provide great entertainment, unheard new
songs 'Critical Acclaim', 'Almost Easy' and 'Scream' winning
as many cheers as old favourites 'Beast And The Harlot', 'Bat
Country' and 'Unholy Confessions'.
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Tuesday
16th October
Wow,
now that's what I call a package! Just received a finished copy
of Megadeth's five-disc boxed set 'Warchest', which comes with
a 3-D ammo belt case and includes a detailed 36-page booklet.
My lunchtime chat with Lauren Harris went well. As expected,
she's rather feisty and determined (wonder where she that part
of her genetic make-up comes from... hahaha). We recalled the
time that she supported Within Temptation at the Astoria, teenaged
goths in the front row telling her "you suck". Although
I was at said gig I didn't know this, but Lauren quietly told
the hecklers: "You know what? Piss off, I'm staying here
and getting on with it". Spoken like a true Harris. Steve,
incidentally, plays bass on 50% of Lauren's album, which is
released early next year.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday
15th October
Tomorrow
I'm due to do a phoner with Lauren Harris, the solo artist and
23-year-old daughter of Maiden leader Steve. Whilst surfing
for info and trawling through a few old copies of Kerrang!,
I stumbled upon this vintage
piccie - courtesy of Ross Halfin. My, hasn't she grown?!
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Sunday
14th October
Ever
had one of those days when everyhing seems to go right? They
don't happen too often, but yesterday was a fine example. How
about this for a sequence of events: The train 'n' tube journey
to Wembley went like a dream. Met my friend Harj in a pub just
before the England-Estona game kicked off. England romped home
3-0. We went off to the Arena, where I did an enjoyable interview
with Dream Theater drummer Mike
Portnoy. Our seats were right next to the stage (Mr Portnoy
gave us a wave at the end), and the sound was absolutely incredible.
Openers Symphony X were so terrific, and so well received, you
might've thought they were the headline band. But then Dream
Theater arrived and put that comment into perspective with two
hours and 10 minutes of definitive progressive-metal. The sad
truth is that Iron Maiden and Rush will not be around forever,
but Dream Theater are utterly peerless at what they do, and
after this summer's display at Download their status as heirs-to-the-throne
is undeniable. Still with jaws agape, Harj and I then managed
to catch an off license moments before it closed. Then, still
blissfully (and purposely) ignorant of the result of England's
Rugby World Cup semi-final against France, I zipped back home
to Catford, via the kebab shop, to crack open a bottle of wine,
switch on the Sky-Plus and savour Jonny Wilkinson's winning
drop goal. What a truly fabulous 12 hours!
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Saturday
13th October
Got
a bit of a hangover this morning. Last night I sank a few too
many whilst watching Stray at the Borderline. The band were
filming the show for a DVD, so guitarist/singer Del Bromham
asked me if I'd drop by early and conduct a short interview
for a 'bonus feature'. Was only too happy to do so, especially
as original singer Steve
Gadd [pictured right, with Del] was making himself available
for our chat as well as accepting a special guest role during
the performance. Even though they'd not put in any rehearsal
time, Gadd ended up appearing at several points during the two-and-a-half
hour set, notably on 'Georgia', 'Where Do Our Children Belong',
'The Gambler' and 'Searching', then again later on for 'Come
On Over', 'After The Storm' and 'Our Song', and right at the
death for 'All In Your Mind' and 'Move It'. Quite a night...
I think... despite the damage to the wallet.
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Friday
12th October
So
Neil Warnock has been confirmed as Crystal Palace's new manager.
For once, I'm lost for words... except maybe 'buggeration'.
I will do my best to keep an open mind, but it won't be easy.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
11th October
Rush
played the second of two shows at Wembley Arena last night,
and I was there (of course). To be honest, they featured a little
too much material from new album 'Snakes And Arrows' for my
own taste - maybe we were all just that little bit spoiled by
the Canadian trio's 30th anniversary trek back in 2004. Situated
in the fourth row, right in front of bassist/frontman/occasional
keyboardist Geddy Lee, the sound was truly excellent and the
band put on their usual great show. Aside from the obvious things
like lazers, Rush always add some form of esoteric trivia to
their live presentation. Last time out they had tumble driers
and a vending machine onstage alongside their amplifiers, on
this current excursion there's a rotisserie, tended by a female
chef that wanders on and off to baste its chickens - brilliant!
A personal highlight was the epic 'Natural Science', one of
several tunes lifted from the immortal 'Permanent Waves' album,
though Neil Peart's drum solo deserved every last cheer it received.
On a slightly depressing note, my friend Harj and I walked back
down Wembley Way wondering whether or not we are likely to see
Rush again. Peart has hinted in his weblog that touring is becoming
even more of a chore than ever, and with the band all into their
fifties it's difficult to envisage them playing for two and
three-quarter hours once again in another three years. Here's
hoping, of course, but I kinda doubt it.
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Wednesday
10th October
Last
night was spent soaking up a rather enjoyable gig by Rodger
Hodgson. In his first UK tour for 25 years, and augmented
by just a saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist/occasional backing
singer, the ex-Supertramp frontman did marvellously well to
keep the rapt attention of a surprisingly full Royal Albert
Hall for almost two hours. I felt a little sorry for Roger when
the grand piano malfunctioned and again later when he got "spaced
out" and forgot the words twice during 'Everything Planned'
- the Albert Hall must be a lonely place when you're up there
on your own in front of all those expectant faces - but somehow
the glitch made Hodgson seem that little bit more human. The
set-list united a generous helping of 'Tramp catalogue gems
with selections from his solo career.
Here's what was performed: 'Take The Long Way Home', 'Give A
Little Bit', 'Lovers In The Wind', 'Hide In Your Shell', 'Oh
Brother', 'Easy Does It', 'Sister Moonshine', 'Puppet Dance',
'Along Came Mary', 'The Logical Song', 'The Meaning', 'Everything
Planned', 'Breakfast In America', 'Lord Is It Mine', 'Even In
The Quietest Moments', 'Don't Leave Me Now', 'If Everyone Was
Listening', 'Dreamer', 'It's Raining Again', 'School' and a
reprise of 'Give A Little Bit'.
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Tuesday
9th October
Much
has been made of heir-to-the-Palace throne Neil Warnock's anagram-tastic
alter ego of Colin Wanker. Other choice examples include Known
Eclair, I Lack Renown and my own favourite, Acorn Winkle. You
might have gathered, the imminent arrival of this odious individual
hardly thrills me. If only Paul Jewell could be enticed into
the hotseat, that would be something to cheer. But how about
this... one of the names in the frame (albeit a rank outsider)
is Martin Ling from Leyton Orient. Ling's red and blue army...
that would have a certain pleasing ring to it!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Monday 8th October
What a small world, but I wouldn't want to clean it. There
was I, shuffling through the £1 bargain box at a record
fair in Orpington yesterday when I heard a familiar voice to
my left. In a bizarre coincidence, it turned out to be none
other than Greg Hart (see yesterday's diary), whom I hadn't
seen since... oooh... well, probably since Tony Clarkin wore
short trousers. It was good to catch up over a cup of tea (they
didn't have any Special Brew). Mr Hart has just ended a seven-year
spell with highly-rated Lizzy trib band Limehouse Lizzy to form
a new outfit called Hartless.
Personally, I'm old enough consider tribute groups a bit of
a waste of time - you should've seen the talentless dolt that
CPFC hired to masquerade as Freddie Mercury before yesterday's
game with Hull; the late Mr Bulsara would've been doing 78RPM
in his grave - but will be intigued to hear the Hartless album
when it arrives.
P.S. Late afternoon update... Palace have sacked Peter Taylor.
An absolute legend as a player in red & blue, but I predicted
during the summer that he'd be gone by October.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday
7th October
Before heading off to Selhurst for yesterday's game
with Hull City I received an email from an old mate of mine.
Hadn't heard from Greg Hart, who used to play guitar with Moritz,
If Only and GTS, for many years. Shared many an enjoyable time
following the Palace with Mr Hart, including an unforgettable
Ian Wright and Mark Bright-inspired play-off victory over Blackburn
Rovers in 1989, and a trip to Wembley Stadium for the Zenith
Data Systems Cup spanking of Everton two years later. I still
recall consuming cans of Special Brew in the bath before meeting
Greg for the latter, becoming so inebriated that we got stuck
on the Circle Line whilst trying to locate Wembley - even fell
out of the train at one point when the doors opened. We arrived
in our seats just as the second half was kicking off... oh,
the shame... but still saw all four Palace goals.
Probably should have had a skinfull of similar proportions before
yesterday's game, the result of which felt like yet another
kick in the teeth. It looked like the Eagles were going to sneak
a scarely deserved 1-0 win until a dubious 90th minute penalty
allowed the visitors in for a share of the points. The papers
are all saying that Neil Warnock will soon become the Eagles'
new manager. The man is poison and I cannot abide him, but something's
gotta change at SE25. The only thing worth cheering was England's
fabulous victory over the Aussies with the oval ball. The rugger
chaps remain complete outsiders when it comes to retaining their
world title, of course, but if you ask me we've already won
'our final'.
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Friday
5th October
It's
been suggested that I'm too nice in my comments regarding gigs
I've seen and albums that come my way. Believe me, I could fill
up a whole other website with deserved slatings of terminally
crap CDs. And I try not to attend shows that I know are gonna
suck! But this week two albums arrived on my desk that just
made me think... WHY?
Firstly, HammerFall's 'Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years Of Glory'.
I had the misfortune to witness these sword-waving Swedish numbskulls
at the Underworld several years ago and walked out after five
or six numbers, most of which had been blatantly plagiarised
from other more famous and credible bands. This double-CD collection
of HammerFall's so-called 'best bits' is so monumentally dumb
and devoid of substance, I'm at a loss to know who on earth
could enjoy such tripe.
And as for OverKill... has there ever been a more facile, generic,
empty-headed combo on the face of the planet? And yet Bobby
'Blitz' Ellesworth [and his clueless company] have somehow released
more than 20 albums and been signed by Johnny Zazula - the man
responsible for discovering Metallica, Anthrax and Testament
- not once but twice, most recently for his current label Bodog
Music. No wonder the new album is called 'Immortalis'; OverKill
are like cockroaches, they just won't sodding well die, more's
the pity.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thursday
4th October
It's a stupid name for a band, I wholeheartedly agree, but
The Trews
are as terrific onstage as their current album, the Jack Douglas
(Aerosmith/The Who/New York Dolls)-produced 'Den Of Thieves',
suggests. The quartet from Nova Scotia (Canada), have been nominated
in the Best New Band category at this year's Classic Rock Awards,
and it's easy to see why. Their second album, 'Den Of Thieves'
kicks like a mule, displaying an organic bluster that the Black
Crowes would be proud of, yet also mining the melodic sensibility
of, say, Cheap Trick. For four, short-haired, average-looking
dudes, The Trews make an extraordinary sound. Though perhaps
a little on the brief side, their hour-long set includes all
the highlights from 'Den Of Thieves' (including the oustanding
'Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me' and 'So She's Leaving'), punctuated
by material from 2003's 'House Of Ill Fame' debut. I'm unfamiliar
with the latter disc, but 'Not Ready To Go', which segued into
a cover of Humble Pie's '30 Days In The Hole', was a centrepiece
of the performance. As an appetiser for the soon-come third
album, 'No Time
For Later', 'Dark Highway' proved that you can take the piss
out of this band's trousers (hence the silly moniker), but not
much else. Here's what they played in full: 'Every Inambition'/'So
She's Leaving'/'Fleeting Trust'/'Sweetness'/'Dark Highway'/'I
Can't Say'/'Paranoid Freak'/'Tired Of Waiting'/'These Arms Of
Mine'/'Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me'/'I Can't Stop Laughing'/'Not
Ready To Go'/'Burnin' Wheels'.
_
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Wednesday
3rd October
I
won't be in the least bit surprised if Crystal Palace boss Peter
Taylor gets the boot before Saturday's game with his former
club, Hull City. Last night I watched Sky Sports News in dismay
as the Eagles slumped to a dismal one-goal defeat at Plymouth
Argygle. As soon as the home side went ahead five minutes into
the second half, the result had a depressing ring of inevitability.
And sure enough, whilst all the clubs I love to hate were banging
in goals galore, Palace remained resolutely at 'nil'. Despite
a piss-poor start to the season, we're still five points off
the play-off places (though far more realistically, one point
above the relegation trapdoor). It's a shit league, and Palace
should be ascending it. I've had more than enough of Peter Taylor.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tuesday 2nd October
Still waiting for the powers-that-be to email confirmation
of my golden ticket to the Ahmet Ertegun tribute show. The results
were supposed to be announced yesterday, dammit. What's the
friggin' hold up? Just kidding, I've long since resigned myself
to sitting at home on November 26. With almost twenty million
people reported to have applied for tickets, it's the only way.
Even more disappointing, Robert Plant has ruled out the notion
of a Zeppelin reunion tour, commenting: "We need to do
one last great show, because we've done some shows and they've
been crap." Percy tells the Daily Express that, if anything,
he'll be taking things easier after the O2 gig. "I know
I'm getting on," says the 59-year-old. "When I come
back from touring I'm shocked to find a lot of my mates going
to bed far too early, I should probably be doing the same. Maybe
I should stop having a good time and get old."
One small crumb of comfort: A promotional copy of Opeth's 'The
Roundhouse Tapes' arrived in yesterday's mail. What can I say?
It's a complete masterpiece. The sound is sensational, and although
I was present at the nine-song, double-disc's recording last
November at London's Roundhouse (natch), I'd forgotten that
the Swedes included 'Under The Weeping Moon', from 1994's debut
album 'Orchid', in their repertoire that night. Shame it got
here too late to be included in this month's Playlist.
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