Clashes clashes everywhere!

What do I mean by clashes?
Not the type when your gig buddy wears purple when you've just dyed your hair purple & packed everything to go with it, no! not that kind of clash.
The "how do I get from that festival to that festival on the same weekend " Those kind of clashes!
There are so many great festivals out there this year, (take a peek at my Festival Picks page for just a few). I'm not sure if theres more this year or that stand out to me because so many of my favourite bands are playing.
Having  been known to go from Sheffield to HRH Blues festival,  collect the weekend wristbands & then back down to The Musician in Leicester to see Wreck of Blues, who were then playing the next day at HRH.
A little crazy I know but its gotta be done sometimes!
Road trips are the best, the next one on the calendar is to see Bad Touch, Gorilla Riot & Collateral in Gravesend Friday 26th April & then onto France for the HRB Festival in Givenchy-En-Grohelle on Sat 27th, with Bad Touch & Gorilla Riot again.
Great to see the guys building a fan base abroad and an  absolutely fabulous way of exploring new places, enjoying stunning music & spending time with some fellow "wee dafties" !
Right wheres my map, need to start plotting the next trip!

Festival Page updates

Some more festivals added on the Festival Pick page, head on over and take a look. Lots of fantastic events with exceedingly good bands.
Get on it & support them.

                   https://callofthewildfestival.co.uk/

Ground Control Musical Musings: Music inspiration for the week.

Ground Control Musical Musings: Music inspiration for the week.: Every Monday I will post 5 songs that are on my playlist for the week, my inspiration to have a good week. They will be a mix of old &...

Music inspiration for the week.

Every Monday I will post 5 songs that are on my playlist for the week, my inspiration to have a good week. They will be a mix of old & new, classic & upcoming bands.
My first choice is
The Rising Souls  Escape.
https://youtu.be/7UXorEBbQII


Hollowstar    All I Gotta Say.
https://youtu.be/YyLBcEa1TOA



Rival Sons      Shooting Stars.
https://youtu.be/cPtMgsN8Tpo


Phil Campbell      Wrecking Ball Nights.
https://open.spotify.com/track/4V6fn6nPtEG96etbXwqH1U?si=-6z18GlITxGLfhUeqLlp6Q



Clutch     In Walks Barbarella.
https://youtu.be/rZ9GSFZZY6c

Enjoy!

Happy Sun Day

Pilgrimage to Poole

Winters End in Poole has been a festival put on by Planet Rock for the last 3 years. Its held at Sandford Holiday Park in Poole which is around a 10/ 15 min drive from Poole itself depending on traffic of course. The tickets can be bought either with or without accommodation.  Each year we have chosen not to stay on site in a caravan.
Seems to work out cheaper unless you're in a group which can split the cost of the caravan, much nicer to have your own bathroom, hmm that must be an age thing! So the Premier Inn North is the base for the weekend. Stayed here the first  year, parking is great & it's easier to get to Sandford Park than the other hotel that I tried near the Quay.
Setting off around 11.45am the journey was good, taking 3 &1/2 hours. Time to get changed & chill for a few minutes before heading down in time to see the first band The Screaming Eagles, long awaited set from these guys, 18mths at least since I last saw them perform at Rockwich. They did not disappoint, they opened up the festival in fine form, had a great crowd, treating us to a couple of new songs & some of their faves. Chris Fry on vocals reassures us they are in the throes of recording a new album. Cant wait!

Chris Fry Screaming Eagles 

Over the next 2 days we have bands from 11am through to 3.30 pm with a short break until the evening line up starting at 5.30pm, which means you can either go eat, sleep or like us go for a drive to Swanage on the Sunday to have fish n chips by the sea, a tad chilly but nice all the same to get away from the site for a while.

Swanage

 It's a fantastic festival, very laid back vibe as you can wander round the venue, sit in the restaurant/ TV/lounge  area, eat, drink, discuss the music with friends.
Theres only one stage so no clashes & a bar right at the back of the main room, so when bands are on you cant hear any of that annoying chatter as in smaller venues.
There were 25 bands on over the 3 days, fantastic line up including  Massive Wagons, Ginger & The Wildhearts, Kris Barras, Blackwater Conspiracy to name but a few.
My stand out bands were Bad Touch, Hollowstar, Ryders Creed & Reef . They all played outstanding sets with Reef bringing the proceedings to a stellar end.
Everyone has told me to try Planet Rockstock in December as its similar to Winters End but bigger, it may be on my radar for December we shall see, the PlanetRock team are a lovely bunch of very hardworking guys, that love great music & that can be seen at their events. Now what else can I fit into my gig calendar.......

http://www.reeftheband.com

http://www.badtouchrocks.co.uk/the-band/

https://www.ryderscreed.co.uk

https://hollowstar.uk

Post Festival Blues

Why are the post festival blues always so bad, they even seem to get worse as I get older. Feeling low & not being able get out of the spiral so easily. I had a fabulous time at the Winters End festival that has been hosted by Planet Rock down at Sandford Holiday Park down in Poole for the last 3 years.
We had 25 bands playing one stage from Friday evening through to Sunday night.

Spent time with lovely like minded friends & even made some great new music folk.What is it about weekends away watching bands, is it the camaraderie of the group of people that you spend time with? The music, seeing bands you really love,  the excitement of finding new music?

So what do you do about those blues? Well I immerse myself in the new music I've found from that festival, search for gigs that they may be doing & now as social media platforms are the place to find that info, I make sure I join groups & post about the music/bands that are new to me. If I can help just one other person to find something different then I'm happy. Music brings people together, theres a song to everybody's rollercoaster of highs & low with a  different meaning for every track but this itself unites passionate music followers everywhere.
Many of my friends have commented they have the post festival blues this week but I know it wont be long before we are all at gigs/festivals again to lean against the barrier singing, clapping & being part of one big rock family.
Love it & couldn't be without it.

So much choice

So many fantastic festivals with very good line ups this year.
I've added just a few, Steelhouse is my standout one at the moment. With a hugely talented line up not just from the likes of Thunder & Gun, but the amazing Temperance Movement,  The Rising Souls, Those Damn Crows  to name just a few. Just praying the rain stays away!
https://www.steelhousefestival.com

Then we have Stonedeaf festival which is on its 2nd year after a blooming excellent show last August, with a great following, this is another festival with just one stage, so much better than all the clashes.
https://www.stonedeaffestival.co.uk

Later in the year we have Monsterfest up in Inverness also in its 2nd year, has a fantastic bill & well worth the trek up to beautiful Scotland.
https://monsterfest.rocks

There are of course many more festivals up & down the country which I will add in a later post.
No excuses folks get out & support these events!
See you there!

A Holy Holy Experience

Saturday 23rd Feb Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms the date & venue for the Holy Holy gig, the penultimate show of the tour.
I had been waiting for this gig ever since seeing them in Sheffield 2017, that was truly an incredible evening.

Arriving  in Leamington early around 5.45pm, doors open at 6.30pm. Where to park that's the question, not the greatest place to find parking but eventually we find a small car park only a short walk to the venue. There was a nice size queue forming & I  was glad that we hadn't left it any later.  Having only been to this venue once before I had forgotten what it was like other than the Dressing rooms downstairs which boasts a trailer once owned by Tammy Wynette & a few arcade type rides, possibly the most surreal dressing room I've seen.
http://leamingtonassembly.com
Going straight to the bar, we ordered an Amigo, Lime & soda & a bottle of water which was coming to £9.00 The water was £3.50 which was promptly cancelled. Very poor especially as nowadays more & more are drinking water not fizzy pop if not driving, dont drink or just dont want alcohol.
Anyway on into the venue, which is an old art deco  ballroom that's been restored by Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen,  we manage to get pretty much centre of the stage  & just one row of people infront, so I'm very happy indeed.
First up we had the lovely Jessica Lee Morgan who had stepped in at last minute as the billed act John Bramwell from I am Kloot was ill.  Jessica played her own songs apart from a fantastic version of Port of Amsterdam.   Usually part of a duo she asked if there was a bass player available in the house & we had the treat of Tony Visconti play Love Song with her, well he couldn't say no to his daughter could he....it was a great moment.

Then with a short interval, the anticipation rising, the Holy Holy guys took to the stage. Glen Gregory & co went straight into Width of a Circle, a powerful start to the  evening  with the 1st track on The Man Who Sold The World album.  With Glens great interpretations of the song's, never trying to mimic Bowie which is one of the reasons I love the band so much.
Paul Cudderford  & James Stevenson showing off their guitar skills. Berenice  Scott on keyboards  & Jessica Lee Morgan who is multi talented playing acoustic guitar, saxophone & precussion & of course Woody Woodmansey on drums & Tony Visconti on bass, they played the album in its entirety, the band confirming  what a hugely talented group of musicians they truly are.

Tony took to the microphone to talk about why we were all there, to celebrate the man himself and what a way to celebrate.

We are then treated to the awesome Five Years, Woody playing the unmistakable intro, this song always gives me goosebumps & tonight did not fail.
Giving the Leamington crowd who are in fine voice Soul Love, Moonage Daydream, Starman, It Ain't Easy, Lady Stardust, Star, Hang on to Yourself, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City & Rock & Roll Suicide. Glen with his powerful voice & rock God poses.
The encore started with the beautiful Where Are We Now, together with Life on Mars had me shedding a tear.

Finishing the evening with Rebel Rebel which I'm pretty sure the whole of Leamington & beyond joined in!
Woody spoke a few words, telling us that we were the best crowd they had had on this tour, sounding fantastic from up onstage! He  thanked the band & not least Glen Gregory for doing an incredible job on vocals, Glen was obviously moved, it was a lovely moment.

My concerns around not being able to top the  first time I saw the band were totally unfounded, it was indeed  a Holy Holy experience for me & will be looking out for the next tour with great anticipation.
 Looking around at the crowd I was in no doubt that David Bowie's Legacy does indeed live on & Woody, Tony & Co have yet again done him proud!

http://www.holyholy.co.uk