Last week (and the week before!):

Welcome back, I've been away for a week in Angelsey. It was just a holiday break, and what a fantastic place it is. I know many would prefer to disappear to somewhere a little warmer but for me it was perfect. The rain thankfully stayed away most of the time, and the whole island was very quiet. It was an absolute joy to visit the secluded coastline, bays, villages and have a whole vast beach all to myself.

The week previous I'd been to see Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson in Manchester. No need to complain about audience reaction this time (see previous blog!). The music was first class of course and with most of it being on the quiet side it meant people had to be quiet to listen.


This week:
Tonight (Tuesday) I'm hosting another open mic night, this time at Moorlands- a venue popular with my old band. Then this weekend something different again: I'm off to see the Masters Tennis at the O2 in London and also Peter Kaye on Friday night in Sheffield. I first saw Peter Kaye in a comedy club in Manchester in 1998, before he hit the big time. I actually also shared a stage with him briefly at the Palace later that year. We were playing for the NSPCC concert and he was on after the band I was in. As we loaded out behind the curtain, he performed in front. It's my only claim to fame I know!

Music:
I got a bit of time to catch up on Sky Arts on the weekend, as they always show some good classic concerts. Thin Lizzy were being shown, and after 20 minutes I realised this was the most Thin Lizzy I'd seen in one go. I'm always a bit put off because I remember the type of bloke who used to like them when we played rock covers gigs in pubs. I must admit I'm not overly enthused by them now. It's not very melodic and seems to appeal to a more basic need to rock and grunt along. Status Quo are often accused of this, but they to me have the melodies and I would much prefer to listen to them.

The other concert I saw on TV was much easier to judge. Talk Talk at Montreux '86 was excellent! What a great sound and all the music fitted together superbly. I love the un-expected chord changes and I must surely now get some of their back catalogue.