2023
1 Feb. Von Hertzen Brothers, Night & Day, Manchester
3 Feb. Epica/Apocalyptica, Academy, Manchester
11 Feb. StillMarillion, Live Rooms, Chester
18 Feb. Marisa and the Moths, Factory 251, Manchester
3 Mar. Heartbreak - the Tom Petty Show, St Bride's,  Liverpool
8 Mar. Ana Popovic, Live Rooms, Chester
9 Mar. Elles Bailey, O2 Academy 2, Liverpool
1 Apr. Mostly Autumn, the Wharf, Tavistock
5 Apr. The Damned, O2 Academy, Liverpool
14 Apr. Hushtones, Philharmonic Music Room, Liverpool
15 Apr. Straighten Out, Tivoli, Buckley
22 Apr. Riverside, Academy 2, Manchester
23 Apr. Space Elevator, Eleven, Stoke
28 Apr. Hawkwind, Academy, Manchester
26 May. When Rivers Meet, Nightrain, Bradford
9 Jun. The Blackheart Orchestra/John Hackett Band, Zanzibar, Liverpool
10 Jun. Roger Waters, AO Arena, Manchester
11 Jun  Mostly Autumn, Robin, Bilston
16 Jun. The Blackheart Orchestra, Sacred Trinity Church,  Salford
18 Jun. Heaven 17, Tivoli, Buckley
20 Jun. Muse, John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield
22 Jun. Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime, Tivoli, Buckley
23 Jun. Peter Gabriel,  AO Arena, Manchester
29 Jun. Porcupine Tree, Castlefield Bowl, Manchester
1 Jul. Zio, Jimmy's, Liverpool
5 Jul. The Mission/The Cult, Piece Hall, Halifax
5 Aug. IO Earth, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham
18 Aug. Franck Carducci, Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton
30 Aug. Mike Tramp, Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool
2 Sep. Wishbone Ash, Live Rooms, Chester
8 Sep. Rosalie Cunningham, the Ferret, Preston
10 Sep. Rosalie Cunningham, Night and Day, Manchester
12 Sep. Rosalie Cunningham, Old Woollen, Leeds
15 Sep. Brave Rival, Academy 3, Manchester
16 Sep. PiL, Tivoli, Buckley
21 Sep. The Anchoress, Leaf, Liverpool
29 Sep. Muse, AO Arena, Manchester
6 Oct. Karnataka, Live Rooms, Chester
8 Oct. Eliana Cargnelutti, Waterloo Music Bar,  Blackpool
11 Oct. KK's Priest, Ritz, Manchester
14 Oct. Hayley Griffiths Band, Citadel, St Helens
28 Oct. Brave Rival (Blues Festival), Atkinson, Southport
29 Oct. Glenn Hughes, Academy 2, Manchester
10 Nov. Death Cult, Mountford Hall, Liverpool
17 Nov. Mostly Autumn, Tivoli, Buckley
26 Nov. Mostly Autumn, the Met, Bury
27 Nov. Uli Jon Roth, Canvas, Manchester
28 Nov. Michael Schenker Group, Ritz, Manchester
2 Dec. Living Colour, Tivoli, Buckley
10 Dec. Mostly Autumn, Crescent, York

Robin Trower-Twice Removed From Yesterday (50th Anniversary deluxe edition)

One of the finest guitarists in rock history, with unparalleled tone 👌🏻

A few more second-hand bargains 😎

£3
Scorps-Blackout
Renaissance-A Song For All Seasons
Rock Goddess-Hell Hath No Fury
Nektar-Recycled
Camel-Moonmadness
Bad Co-Rough Diamonds (if it's as bad as it's reputation, I'll give it to a mate who's after a copy 🤣)

£4
Hackett-Voyage of the Acolyte (mint copy, Charisma blue label-I already have an original 😉)
BOC-Mirrors (mint US pressing with inner sleeve)

Kingdom Come - Hands of Time

Whitesnake - Trouble followed by Come an' Get It

Quote from: pxr5 on August 16, 2023, 02:16:38 PMSteven Wilson - Get All You Deserve  CD/Blu-ray

Maybe my favourite PT/solo live release of his. Would love to have seen this tour, sadly he didn't really tour his solo material over here until the Raven (they were magical shows 👌🏻)

Couple of 2 quid bargains, Buck Dharma's Flat Out (sleeve slightly damaged, vinyl mint) and Camel's Snow Goose

Very sad news, only got to see Bernie in concert once with the Moody Marsden Band at New Brighton Floral Pavilion in the early to mid-90's. This was later released as 'The Night the Guitars Came to Play', Snowy White also appeared for a couple of tunes at the show.

Just listening to Bernie's superb playing on Mistreated from Reading '79, a bonus track on the remastered version of Ready an' Willing

Popped into Vinyl Tap in Huddersfield before the superb Muse gig yesterday and left with:

BOC - Secret Treaties (purple vinyl)
King's X - Gretchen...(double gold vinyl)

plus a mint second hand copy of Hawkwind's Sonic Attack on (double) CD, bought the vinyl on release a mere 42 years ago 😳😁

Last minute decision on Friday to take a day off work and visit a few friends and relatives in East Lancs/West Yorkshire

Checked out the local gig guides to see if there was anything of interest and noted that the highly-rated When Rivers Meet were playing Nightrain in Bradford

So wandered down there on the night, paid on the door and was treated to an evening of fantastic music 😎

First up was Arielle, who had a feature in Classic Rock recently I think, playing a great, punchy set including a storming cover of Tom Petty's You Wreck Me 👍🏻 Slightly disconcertingly, petite lady that she was and with her hairstyle,kitted out in double denim whilst giving her guitars some welly she reminded of a young Malcolm Young! 😁

Onto the main act, I'd heard lots about WRM (noting they'd won lots of Blues Rock awards in the last few years) but only the odd snippet of songs. Totally blown away by them live, top quality songs matched by excellent musicianship topped off with Grace Bond's incredible voice and stage presence 👌🏻

Thoroughly recommend you check them out if you get the chance, big thumbs up to the venue too - Nightrain has a good size stage, great sound and lighting plus an excellent selection of beers 👍🏻

It's been a weird gig year for me in that I've seen quite a few bands for the first time, all in what you'd loosely term the blues rock genre (which I've seldom investigated previously, just the likes of Robin Trower, Chantel McGregor, Poppa Chubby spring to mind) - Ana Popovic, Brave Rival, Elles Bailey and now When Rivers Meet, they've all delivered superb shows

2023
1 Feb. Von Hertzen Brothers, Night & Day, Manchester
3 Feb. Epica/Apocalyptica, Academy, Manchester
11 Feb. StillMarillion, Live Rooms, Chester
18 Feb. Marisa and the Moths, Factory 251, Manchester
3 Mar. Heartbreak - the Tom Petty Show, St Bride's,  Liverpool
8 Mar. Ana Popovic, Live Rooms, Chester
9 Mar. Elles Bailey, O2 Academy 2, Liverpool
1 Apr. Mostly Autumn, the Wharf, Tavistock
5 Apr. The Damned, O2 Academy, Liverpool
14 Apr. Hushtones, Philharmonic Music Room, Liverpool
15 Apr. Straighten Out, Tivoli, Buckley
22 Apr. Riverside, Academy 2, Manchester
23 Apr. Space Elevator, Eleven, Stoke
28 Apr. Hawkwind, Academy, Manchester
26 May. When Rivers Meet, Nightrain, Bradford
9 Jun. The Blackheart Orchestra/John Hackett Band, Zanzibar, Liverpool
10 Jun. Roger Waters, AO Arena, Manchester
11 Jun  Mostly Autumn, Robin, Bilston
16 Jun. The Blackheart Orchestra, Sacred Trinity Church,  Salford
18 Jun. Heaven 17, Tivoli, Buckley
20 Jun. Muse, John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield
22 Jun. Geoff Tate's Operation Mindcrime, Tivoli, Buckley
23 Jun. Peter Gabriel,  AO Arena, Manchester
29 Jun. Porcupine Tree, Castlefield Bowl, Manchester
1 Jul. Zio, Jimmy's, Liverpool
5 Jul. The Mission/The Cult, Piece Hall, Halifax
5 Aug. IO Earth, Crescent Theatre, Birmingham
18 Aug. Franck Carducci, Fort Perch Rock, New Brighton
30 Aug. Mike Tramp, Waterloo Music Bar, Blackpool
2 Sep. Wishbone Ash, Live Rooms, Chester
16 Sep. PiL, Tivoli, Buckley
20 Oct. The Dust Coda, Tivoli, Buckley
10 Nov. Death Cult, Mountford Hall, Liverpool
17 Nov. Mostly Autumn, Tivoli, Buckley
26 Nov. Mostly Autumn, the Met, Bury
3 Dec. Mostly Autumn, Robin, Bilston
10 Dec. Mostly Autumn, Crescent, York

And as predicted by Nick, Riverside were absolutely superb in Manchester tonight (I'd never seen them live before despite owning their/Lunatic Soul's complete back catalogue)

Lovely to catch-up with Simmsy and the ever-radiant Mrs S 😊

Genesis - BBC Broadcasts

About six years ago, I was on holiday in Cyprus during November- when the temperatures are ginger-friendly enough!😂

I was staying in Larnaca and decided to get the bus out to Ayia Napa, never having been before but realising it would be all-but-shut.

At one of the bus stops, a Mum got on with a toddler and buggy and being the gent I am (very occasionally 😄), I offered to help bring the buggy on board and did the same as we got off in AN.

Anyhow, we got chatting and it turns out she was a Borussia Dortmund fanatic (the baby was wearing a BVB babygro 😉) so we had a good natter about footie 😎 Her hubbie was spending the day diving around wrecks apparently.

As it turned out, we both got the same bus back to Larnaca later that day (they were pretty infrequent off-season, so not that surprising) when I helped out again.

Turn the clock forward 3 months and I'm in Lagos on the Algarve visiting a mate who spends most winters out there. One morning we set off for a clifftop walk taking in the amazing rock formations and grottos along the way, for some reason I decided to pop in to a small gift shop next to the lighthouse and who should I bump into...the same German girl 😳, this time her fella was with her.

So what are the chances of that, off-season both times at the opposite ends of Europe

UFO - Lights Out