Wednesday 26 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Zeptember
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Zeptember: Yes you read that right, Zeptember. It's a thing that the radio station Planet Rock is doing to celebrate 50 years of Led Zeppelin ( Z...
Zeptember
Yes you read that right, Zeptember. It's a thing that the radio station Planet Rock is doing to celebrate 50 years of Led Zeppelin ( Zeptember, gettit!?), but why?
To be brutally honest I have never thought that much of Led Zep, yes I know that's heresy in some rock circles but I really can't fathom why Led Zep were and are still so popular.
They've got the odd good track to be fair, 'Stairway to Heaven' of course, then there's 'Rock n Roll,' 'Whole lotta love' & a brilliant short track called 'Hot Dog.' That's another thing, their songs go on for ages and ages, mostly far too long. I don't mind a long track, I like a bit of Prog rock, Pink Floyd, Genesis, the recent Camel gig so you can't say I don't like a long track but Zeppelins tracks are just boring with overblown guitar solos & I don't much care for Robert Plants voice either, he's now one of the venerable fathers of rock & I don't know why! His voice is far too whiny.
As a band they were only together for twelve years yet here's Planet Rock making up a celebration of fifty years! They are playing 200 Led Zep tracks throughout the month and their weekly 'Played in full' slot were a whole album is played from start to finish with no interruptions has been devoted to them as well. Of course if I liked Led Zep or the month was devoted to a band I liked (can't think how they'd get the play on words with the name of the month though) it would be different, frankly I'm Led Zepped out & can't wait for October!! And no, I'm not doing 'sober for October!'
To be brutally honest I have never thought that much of Led Zep, yes I know that's heresy in some rock circles but I really can't fathom why Led Zep were and are still so popular.
They've got the odd good track to be fair, 'Stairway to Heaven' of course, then there's 'Rock n Roll,' 'Whole lotta love' & a brilliant short track called 'Hot Dog.' That's another thing, their songs go on for ages and ages, mostly far too long. I don't mind a long track, I like a bit of Prog rock, Pink Floyd, Genesis, the recent Camel gig so you can't say I don't like a long track but Zeppelins tracks are just boring with overblown guitar solos & I don't much care for Robert Plants voice either, he's now one of the venerable fathers of rock & I don't know why! His voice is far too whiny.
As a band they were only together for twelve years yet here's Planet Rock making up a celebration of fifty years! They are playing 200 Led Zep tracks throughout the month and their weekly 'Played in full' slot were a whole album is played from start to finish with no interruptions has been devoted to them as well. Of course if I liked Led Zep or the month was devoted to a band I liked (can't think how they'd get the play on words with the name of the month though) it would be different, frankly I'm Led Zepped out & can't wait for October!! And no, I'm not doing 'sober for October!'
Tuesday 25 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: 25th September 1918
An idiots guide to an Idiot: 25th September 1918: You may or may not know that periodically I've tried to write what my Grandfathers were doing 100 years ago. Both were in the trenches,...
25th September 1918
You may or may not know that periodically I've tried to write what my Grandfathers were doing 100 years ago. Both were in the trenches, one a cavalryman one an infantryman. L/Cpl Alfred Gowers MM 2nd Bn The Middlesex Regiment was invalided out of the army in March 1918, my other Grandad was compulsorily transferred from the 1st (Kings) Dragoon Guards to the 15th Bn The Royal Warwickshire Regiment in September 1917 so for the past year he had been an infantryman, although they were sent to the Italian front to help bolster the Italian army from German and Austrian attack the 15/Warwick's along with many other units were rushed back to the Western front in March 1918 when the Germans launched Operation Michel. So devastating attack was it that the Allies were forced back to their positions of 1914. Eventually their attack lost impetus and stalled. The British got their collective act together and started to push the Germans back and continued to do so though not without loss. 100 years ago today his battalion had practised for a forthcoming attack and the prepared to relive the 1st Bn The Devonshire Regiment from the trenches at Haplincourt in Northern France ready for an attack on the 27th.
Saturday 22 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Battle of Megiddo
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Battle of Megiddo: One of the great things about the Great War lectures that the Herts At War group organise is that they cover many aspects and the many thea...
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Battle of Megiddo
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Battle of Megiddo: One of the great things about the Great War lectures that the Herts At War group organise is that they cover many aspects and the many thea...
Battle of Megiddo
One of the great things about the Great War lectures that the Herts At War group organise is that they cover many aspects and the many theatres of war. Though by far the greatest carnage was on the Western Front, that's were Field Marshal Haig and others thought the war would be won or lost, not in any of the 'side shows,' like this one in Palestine.
The British and Empire troops ( Australians & Indians in the main) scored a great victory over 'Jonny Turk' as he was disparagingly referred to. The Turks were infact tenacious fighters and no push over.
General Allenby (Commander in Chief Egyptian Expeditionary Force) was in Jerusalem by the end of 1917 but got no further as plans for early 1918 were put on hold once the Germans put in train their huge offensive of March 1918. Reinforcements were brought in from everywhere and Allenby lost some of his best troops to the Western front to be replaced by untrained Indian troops so everything was put back whilst these troops were brought up to battle readiness.
It wasn't until 19th September 1918 that the EEF was ready. The battle was started by a Handley Page 400 bomber obliterating the Turkish commanders communications, quite a feat by one bomber at night!
After a short sharp artillery bombardment the allies moved. Massed cavalry outflanked the Turks to stop them getting away. Unlike the Western Front cavalry were regularly used mounted as this arm was supposed to be used. Arab irregulars commanded by TE Lawrence of Arabia attacked from the north. The Turks were cut to pieces. By the end of October Palestine was liberated, from the Turks anyway.
Our lecturer this evening was Saul David, he's been on TV as well in very interesting documentaries mostly on World War One topics. He was a very good speaker and kept us all interested. The lecture was on the hundredth anniversary of the battle
.
The British and Empire troops ( Australians & Indians in the main) scored a great victory over 'Jonny Turk' as he was disparagingly referred to. The Turks were infact tenacious fighters and no push over.
General Allenby (Commander in Chief Egyptian Expeditionary Force) was in Jerusalem by the end of 1917 but got no further as plans for early 1918 were put on hold once the Germans put in train their huge offensive of March 1918. Reinforcements were brought in from everywhere and Allenby lost some of his best troops to the Western front to be replaced by untrained Indian troops so everything was put back whilst these troops were brought up to battle readiness.
It wasn't until 19th September 1918 that the EEF was ready. The battle was started by a Handley Page 400 bomber obliterating the Turkish commanders communications, quite a feat by one bomber at night!
After a short sharp artillery bombardment the allies moved. Massed cavalry outflanked the Turks to stop them getting away. Unlike the Western Front cavalry were regularly used mounted as this arm was supposed to be used. Arab irregulars commanded by TE Lawrence of Arabia attacked from the north. The Turks were cut to pieces. By the end of October Palestine was liberated, from the Turks anyway.
Our lecturer this evening was Saul David, he's been on TV as well in very interesting documentaries mostly on World War One topics. He was a very good speaker and kept us all interested. The lecture was on the hundredth anniversary of the battle
 |
| General Allenby |
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| Allied cavalry |
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| Our lecturer on the right. |
Monday 17 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Curry and Chips.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Curry and Chips.: That was the name of an old Spike Milligan comedy, not one I know to be honest, but as it's got nothing to do with this blog that's...
Curry and Chips.
That was the name of an old Spike Milligan comedy, not one I know to be honest, but as it's got nothing to do with this blog that's OK.
Our local curry house, The Vantage, was having celebrations for their 25th anniversary. It was a special £10 a head buffet and drinks & we asked our good friends Gary & Cathie to see whether they wanted top come along as well.
Must say when we arrived my heart sank. It was rammed! Queue for the drinks, queue for the food, I thought what have I done! I was probably being abit thick to be honest at such a bargain price with two free drinks as well it was never going to be half empty was it!
Anyway, we made our way outside to a marquee to find a seat. Long trestle tables had been set up to you just got in where you could, ended up sitting next to someone I'd met at Fenwick in Brent Cross, she lives locally.
The selection of food was OK, unless you specified you got something of everything, it was nice, only warm though. However the company was excellent & the evening got better as the crowds thinned out , there were some very good Indian dancers and a huge cake shaped like an elephant...…..the two things are not connected, the dancers didn't jump out of the cake!
Didn't expect it to be a very late evening but we sat and chatted, moved indoors to warm up and chatted some more. We have made some good friends in Gary & Cathie & it was a very pleasant evening.
Our local curry house, The Vantage, was having celebrations for their 25th anniversary. It was a special £10 a head buffet and drinks & we asked our good friends Gary & Cathie to see whether they wanted top come along as well.
Must say when we arrived my heart sank. It was rammed! Queue for the drinks, queue for the food, I thought what have I done! I was probably being abit thick to be honest at such a bargain price with two free drinks as well it was never going to be half empty was it!
Anyway, we made our way outside to a marquee to find a seat. Long trestle tables had been set up to you just got in where you could, ended up sitting next to someone I'd met at Fenwick in Brent Cross, she lives locally.
The selection of food was OK, unless you specified you got something of everything, it was nice, only warm though. However the company was excellent & the evening got better as the crowds thinned out , there were some very good Indian dancers and a huge cake shaped like an elephant...…..the two things are not connected, the dancers didn't jump out of the cake!
Didn't expect it to be a very late evening but we sat and chatted, moved indoors to warm up and chatted some more. We have made some good friends in Gary & Cathie & it was a very pleasant evening.
Saturday 15 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: The Quireboys Gig.
An idiots guide to an Idiot: The Quireboys Gig.: What an old headbanger I still am! Two gigs in a week ( should have been three but missed out on Rose Tattoo tickets). This one was an add...
The Quireboys Gig.
What an old headbanger I still am! Two gigs in a week ( should have been three but missed out on Rose Tattoo tickets).
This one was an added pleasure as I'd won the tickets! A free gig ! Couldn't be better! Of course 'free' gig is a little misleading, add on train tickets, taxi to & from the station, dinner, a couple of beers, this was no free gig but it was a bloody good night!
Kentish Town 02 Forum again tonight, it's a nice venue. Originally built in 1934 as a cinema, later it became an Irish dance hall called The Forum and in the early 1980's another name change to The Town and Country Club, a music venue with a capacity of 2100. Like so many other venues it's now owned by Live Nation and called an 02. It's nice that alot of the original Art Deco features have been retained, it really does make for a better experience if the surroundings are pleasant.
Journey very easy and very efficient. First stop for a beer transfusion was to The Bull & Gate, a pub more or less next door to the venue. Another building that has retained some original features, it's been a pub since 1871 actually a gin palace when first built, it's Grade II listed.
In the 1980's it was a music venue and the like of Coldplay & Blur were nurtured here. No music now but a bloody good pub. Well kept beers, I was on Sambrook's 'Wandle' Ale. At 3.8% a good quaffing beer for a gig. The brewery is local, only a few miles away near Battersea Power Station & Wandle is the name of the river there, not a river I'd ever heard of.
Dinner then. Lambs liver with bacon, parsley mash and onion for me with Tara having a veggie meal of warm roasted fig and squash with cob nuts . Not a great amount of choice here for her but better than some, however the surroundings were nice including a very ornate marble sink in the Ladies...….Tara told me.
Apparently Spike from The Quireboys had looked in for a pint alittle earlier, shame we missed him an other gig goer met him and had a selfie taken as well. Not sure I'd have done that, may have depended on how many beers I'd have had. I try not to get star struck!
An early start with three support bands, we were in for a good night! Bit of a kerfuffle to get in. The bone headed door staff didn't know entirely what they were doing, lets be honest, they are only really needed if fights break out, they probably understand that. Harsh but probably true. Tara stood our ground & we got in the via the queue we were in though it seems it was the wrong queue for the tickets we had, anyhoo….. we were in! Bar! Scrumptious cocktail for T & a bottle of Old Speckled Hen for me.
No seats, bugger! This venue, when I've been before has unreserved seats in the balcony but for tonights performance that was the VIP, special guest area so we couldn't get in there. The very last thing I wanted to inflict on Tara was 4 hours of standing. Mooched about abit, looked at the T shirts that were it has to be said pretty uninspiring, without even the dates of the tour, think I'll look on line for one. Didn't get to ask the price but after Monday's £30 for Camel t's I wasn't holding my hopes up!
'Those Damn Crows' the first band on started about 6.30pm. Tara suggested we lean on a shelf type thing that backed onto the sound desk, this was a very good move, other than the blokes working the sound desk in front of us we had an excellent view.
'Those Damn Crows' were very very good, from Wales they belted out a great set. Only knew one of the songs that has been played on Planet Rock. The station seems to like them as they've played a couple of Planet Rock festivals, a debut album comes out in October that I have taken the liberty of pre-ordering. I liked them that much! Tara also thought they were good.
'Aaron Buchanan & the Cult Classics' were something of a let down tbh. Anyone who puts their own name in a band title must be viewed with suspicion. Aaron, a strange little chap who wore belt and braces, thinks he's very good, I suppose you've got to have an ego to be in the music business, he also likes crowd surfing (yawn!). They did their stuff and left the stage. Unmoved we waited for the third support act and this band did not disappoint! H.E.A.T. came on! From Sweden, their English of course impeccable, even the swear words! Can't find out why their title has full stops in between each letter, could be like W.A.S.P. and have no reason at all! But what the hell, their set was brilliant! Erik, the singer , had a sort of Mohican hair style without the gel so as he vigorously headbanged his hair was strangely compelling! For some unknown reason he did like to spit on stage. Always a horrible thing to do this just made him look an idiot which is a shame because the music was brilliant.
The Quireboys came on about 9.30pm and were great! The whole point of tonight's gig was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Homewreckers & Heartbreakers that was played from beginning to end. I quite like that idea. The album is a good one even though I didn't recognise all of the tracks immediately as live they were played abit differently. Then they played other hits they've had ,sad not to hear 'Sex party' but got alot of other great tracks. I could see from looking over at the monitors on the sound desk that several times the music went over their sound limit, I can do loud but sometimes it was difficult to understand the words if you didn't already know the song. Finished at just after 11pm and off we all went. An absolutely cracking evening, here's afew photos and the set list of the Quireboys, still waiting for the others to be published.
This one was an added pleasure as I'd won the tickets! A free gig ! Couldn't be better! Of course 'free' gig is a little misleading, add on train tickets, taxi to & from the station, dinner, a couple of beers, this was no free gig but it was a bloody good night!
Kentish Town 02 Forum again tonight, it's a nice venue. Originally built in 1934 as a cinema, later it became an Irish dance hall called The Forum and in the early 1980's another name change to The Town and Country Club, a music venue with a capacity of 2100. Like so many other venues it's now owned by Live Nation and called an 02. It's nice that alot of the original Art Deco features have been retained, it really does make for a better experience if the surroundings are pleasant.
Journey very easy and very efficient. First stop for a beer transfusion was to The Bull & Gate, a pub more or less next door to the venue. Another building that has retained some original features, it's been a pub since 1871 actually a gin palace when first built, it's Grade II listed.
In the 1980's it was a music venue and the like of Coldplay & Blur were nurtured here. No music now but a bloody good pub. Well kept beers, I was on Sambrook's 'Wandle' Ale. At 3.8% a good quaffing beer for a gig. The brewery is local, only a few miles away near Battersea Power Station & Wandle is the name of the river there, not a river I'd ever heard of.
Dinner then. Lambs liver with bacon, parsley mash and onion for me with Tara having a veggie meal of warm roasted fig and squash with cob nuts . Not a great amount of choice here for her but better than some, however the surroundings were nice including a very ornate marble sink in the Ladies...….Tara told me.
Apparently Spike from The Quireboys had looked in for a pint alittle earlier, shame we missed him an other gig goer met him and had a selfie taken as well. Not sure I'd have done that, may have depended on how many beers I'd have had. I try not to get star struck!
An early start with three support bands, we were in for a good night! Bit of a kerfuffle to get in. The bone headed door staff didn't know entirely what they were doing, lets be honest, they are only really needed if fights break out, they probably understand that. Harsh but probably true. Tara stood our ground & we got in the via the queue we were in though it seems it was the wrong queue for the tickets we had, anyhoo….. we were in! Bar! Scrumptious cocktail for T & a bottle of Old Speckled Hen for me.
No seats, bugger! This venue, when I've been before has unreserved seats in the balcony but for tonights performance that was the VIP, special guest area so we couldn't get in there. The very last thing I wanted to inflict on Tara was 4 hours of standing. Mooched about abit, looked at the T shirts that were it has to be said pretty uninspiring, without even the dates of the tour, think I'll look on line for one. Didn't get to ask the price but after Monday's £30 for Camel t's I wasn't holding my hopes up!
'Those Damn Crows' the first band on started about 6.30pm. Tara suggested we lean on a shelf type thing that backed onto the sound desk, this was a very good move, other than the blokes working the sound desk in front of us we had an excellent view.
'Those Damn Crows' were very very good, from Wales they belted out a great set. Only knew one of the songs that has been played on Planet Rock. The station seems to like them as they've played a couple of Planet Rock festivals, a debut album comes out in October that I have taken the liberty of pre-ordering. I liked them that much! Tara also thought they were good.
'Aaron Buchanan & the Cult Classics' were something of a let down tbh. Anyone who puts their own name in a band title must be viewed with suspicion. Aaron, a strange little chap who wore belt and braces, thinks he's very good, I suppose you've got to have an ego to be in the music business, he also likes crowd surfing (yawn!). They did their stuff and left the stage. Unmoved we waited for the third support act and this band did not disappoint! H.E.A.T. came on! From Sweden, their English of course impeccable, even the swear words! Can't find out why their title has full stops in between each letter, could be like W.A.S.P. and have no reason at all! But what the hell, their set was brilliant! Erik, the singer , had a sort of Mohican hair style without the gel so as he vigorously headbanged his hair was strangely compelling! For some unknown reason he did like to spit on stage. Always a horrible thing to do this just made him look an idiot which is a shame because the music was brilliant.
The Quireboys came on about 9.30pm and were great! The whole point of tonight's gig was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album Homewreckers & Heartbreakers that was played from beginning to end. I quite like that idea. The album is a good one even though I didn't recognise all of the tracks immediately as live they were played abit differently. Then they played other hits they've had ,sad not to hear 'Sex party' but got alot of other great tracks. I could see from looking over at the monitors on the sound desk that several times the music went over their sound limit, I can do loud but sometimes it was difficult to understand the words if you didn't already know the song. Finished at just after 11pm and off we all went. An absolutely cracking evening, here's afew photos and the set list of the Quireboys, still waiting for the others to be published.
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| Ornate sinks in the ladies karzi in the Bull & Gate. |
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| Those Damn Crows |
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| Aaron Buchanan |
 |
Spike doing what he does best!
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Wednesday 12 September 2018
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Camel gig
An idiots guide to an Idiot: Camel gig: Never seen this band before, Kevin suggested it to me, a bit of real old prog rock! What's not to like? A local gig for a change, only...
Camel gig
Never seen this band before, Kevin suggested it to me, a bit of real old prog rock! What's not to like?
A local gig for a change, only had to get to Aylesbury, had a beer or two in the Wetherspoons over the road form the Waterside Theatre and then made our way over.
It's a really nice auditorium, quite new built in 2010 with a capacity of 1200 over three levels. it is of course what Dunstable should have done when the Grove Theatre was built a few years ago, then we'd get the bigger acts and gigs in Dunstable. Typical Beds Council ballsed up thinking, no change there then! Capacity at the Grove is 750.
No support but with Camel playing for a good two and a quarter hours that was no problem, there was one short break, after all two of the band are getting on a bit! The guitarist Andy Latimer is the only true original member from the bands beginnings in 1971 however bassist Colin Bass joined in 1979. Dennis Clements on drums has been a member since 2000 and keyboard/sax player Pete Jones a new boy only joining in 2016.
The main event of this gig was to play the album 'Moonmadness' in its entirety, first released in 1976 and what a great album it is.
I've seen one other band do a whole album from start to finish (WASP last year) and will see another at the end of this week! (The Quireboys) it's an idea I like. There's inevitably the odd track on an album that you don't like as much as the others but to hear them all played live is something of a revelation. Even the duffest track can be given the kiss of life when played live, it just has a new vibrancy and vigour. I didn't know any music from Camel so I took bit of a chance seeing them live but I have to say I was not disappointed. They seemed a nice bunch of blokes who played some bloody good music, you'll see from the track list below that they played other music as well, I'll definitely pick up a CD of 'Moonmadness' it's a good one for the car I think. What I won't be picking up is a t shirt for £30! Sadly they are never top quality t shirts and even though I like to get a gig t shirt I must draw the line somewhere! I was always more happy to buy from a bloke who had t's in boxes outside the venue, not quite the same of course, but they were similar quality and about half the price. These blokes have been scared off in more recent times and you seldom see them outside gigs. I do understand why bands would get the hump with cheap T's outside their venues but then make your own T's cheaper.
However this did not detract from a great night out. Now looking forward to Friday's gig! Here's the set list:
A local gig for a change, only had to get to Aylesbury, had a beer or two in the Wetherspoons over the road form the Waterside Theatre and then made our way over.
It's a really nice auditorium, quite new built in 2010 with a capacity of 1200 over three levels. it is of course what Dunstable should have done when the Grove Theatre was built a few years ago, then we'd get the bigger acts and gigs in Dunstable. Typical Beds Council ballsed up thinking, no change there then! Capacity at the Grove is 750.
No support but with Camel playing for a good two and a quarter hours that was no problem, there was one short break, after all two of the band are getting on a bit! The guitarist Andy Latimer is the only true original member from the bands beginnings in 1971 however bassist Colin Bass joined in 1979. Dennis Clements on drums has been a member since 2000 and keyboard/sax player Pete Jones a new boy only joining in 2016.
The main event of this gig was to play the album 'Moonmadness' in its entirety, first released in 1976 and what a great album it is.
I've seen one other band do a whole album from start to finish (WASP last year) and will see another at the end of this week! (The Quireboys) it's an idea I like. There's inevitably the odd track on an album that you don't like as much as the others but to hear them all played live is something of a revelation. Even the duffest track can be given the kiss of life when played live, it just has a new vibrancy and vigour. I didn't know any music from Camel so I took bit of a chance seeing them live but I have to say I was not disappointed. They seemed a nice bunch of blokes who played some bloody good music, you'll see from the track list below that they played other music as well, I'll definitely pick up a CD of 'Moonmadness' it's a good one for the car I think. What I won't be picking up is a t shirt for £30! Sadly they are never top quality t shirts and even though I like to get a gig t shirt I must draw the line somewhere! I was always more happy to buy from a bloke who had t's in boxes outside the venue, not quite the same of course, but they were similar quality and about half the price. These blokes have been scared off in more recent times and you seldom see them outside gigs. I do understand why bands would get the hump with cheap T's outside their venues but then make your own T's cheaper.
However this did not detract from a great night out. Now looking forward to Friday's gig! Here's the set list:
- Set 1 (Moonmadness):
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Aristillus
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-
-
-
-
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- Set 2:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Encore:
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