Gig Review: Stereophonics, The Blossoms and Jake Bugg – Sandringham Hammy was on driving duty again – for which I’m always grateful – with daughter Gabs and her boyfriend Jude in tow. The plan seemed simple enough, but Norfolk had other ideas. The last eight miles took three and a half hours. Good job we’d stocked up on… Read More »
Gig Review: Manics, Charlatans & Ash – Audley End Some gigs just land perfectly – good(ish) weather, great company, and a triple bill that reads like your mid 20s CD collection. Audley End, still the best outdoor venue in the country, once again came up trumps. The view: immaculate. The vibes: impeccable. The car park exit: an endurance… Read More »
Another weekend and another gig. Me, Neil, and Hammy — on the road again. Early pick-up, and away we went for a dose of nostalgia in the gardens of a stately home via a KFC for lunch. After a three-hour drive (Neil) and a stop off at Reading services for the aforementioned chicken dinner we arrived at Englefield… Read More »
Just For One Day – A West End Musical with Global Echoes After a late-night debrief of the PULP gig over pizza and post-midnight beers, we took the morning slow. A late breakfast set us up nicely before we tubed it to Camden for a leisurely walk through one of our favourite London neighbourhoods. We climbed Primrose Hill,… Read More »
O₂ Arena, North Greenwich – Friday 13 June 2025The O₂ Arena hosted a night of Britpop resurgence as PULP rolled into London for the first of two sold-out shows. Fresh from a surprise No. 1 on the day with More (their first album in 24 years), Jarvis Cocker and co. proved their creative mojo is far from spent… Read More »
Bramall Lane, the historic home of Sheffield United F.C., played host to an evening of Britpop nostalgia and working-class poetry as Paul Heaton returned for a special hometown-flavoured performance. With support from Lightning Seeds and Shed Seven, the event pulled in a lively crowd for a Bank Holiday Sunday night of singalongs and solid northern sentiment. This marked… Read More »
Another gig. Another London stopover. And yes—another rail replacement service. This time Neil played chauffeur, driving us to Shenfield where he expertly snagged a driveway parking spot. From there, we jumped on a train bound for Brixton, with a layover at a Peckham Travelodge via the Elizabeth Line to Whitechapel and an overground hop. The hotel just so… Read More »
This one wasn’t in the 2025 gig diary. But when Jimmy dropped me a message less than a week before showtime asking, “Fancy Deacon Blue in Cambridge?”—I couldn’t resist. With tickets secured and a pint or two behind us, we set off on what turned out to be a night of memorable music, wayward navigation, and a gentle… Read More »
Back to The Apex for the second time in four days, this time with my sister, Tamara—and it was all about pop royalty. Jason Donovan, the Australian actor-turned-singer who defined late 80s pop for many of us, returned to the UK stage in style, proving that charm, energy and a knack for showmanship don’t fade with time. Pop,… Read More »
A new year, a new venue, and a new format of gig. On this occasion, Hammy and I headed to The Apex in Bury St Edmunds to catch John Power’s one-man show, Cast, The La’s and Me. A first visit to The Apex, and it certainly impressed—modern, well-equipped, and with excellent sound quality throughout. A Journey Through Liverpool… Read More »