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  1. I’m struggling to remember what I heard or saw in Feb, but I wanted you lot to know first.

    I have made a decision.

    My annual appraisal is next week. In 2024, I delivered a big project which was exhausting, and in my end-of year appraisal I said I’d like to do less in the forthcoming year. During the last year, I delivered two big projects, which caused me to take my first sick leave in over a decade (through workplace stress and exhaustion).

    I’ve just turned 56, and I want to retire by 60. Mrs F is 3 years older than me and so does she. We’ve found a campervan we think we want to buy. My boss (who has supported me on my Crohn’s ‘journey’) is retiring in 3 months. My professional future is looking less certain. So… drum roll, please…

    I’m going to work three days a week from 1st April.

    I’ll give it a year or two and review, if Mrs F retires at 60 I might well pack it in before I get there myself.

    READ.
    I finished Kevin Rowland’s autobiography. Genius or nutcase? The jury’s still out.

    Jarvis Cocker’s Good Pop Bad Pop.
    Jarv is six years older than me but hung around Sheffield getting Pulp off the ground, and falling out of windows, for 6 years. He didn’t go to St Martin’s college until 1988, when I went to Reading and my pal Dave went to UCL, just round the corner from St Martin’s. I would routinely kip on Dave’s floor after gigs. Dave’s girlfriend was at St Martin’s, arty, posh and foreign. I don’t think she studied sculpture, but I wonder if our paths ever crossed?

    • I retired at 52 when I took the opportunity for a very nice retrenchment package when they were trying to slim down senior staff.

      I didn’t officially retire then – just said I wanted to take at least a year out and then see what happens. I never went back to work and am now 59.

      Highly recommended.

    • Congrats. Make sure it’s really 3 days of 8 hours a week. I was thinking of reducing my hours a year or two ago but was generally working more than 50 hours a week at the time and was paid for 40. So I wasn’t going to reduce one day a week and be paid for 32 hours when working 40. I am now trying to keep to 40 before maybe reducing to 4 days a week in a year. My hope is redundancy though at some point

      • I had the “when I drop to 4 days a week, that means I’m going to work 30 hours not 37.5 hours” conversation with my boss this time last year. But he’s not going to be my boss much longer. I do find it fairly easy to avoid starting work as I have a physical barrier (across my garden to my garage, and through two doors) to my home office. Stopping mid-task can be a bit more tricky.

        Any potential redundancy compensation is sadly unlikely to match 4 years of take-home. That would be a much easier decision!

    • We just did the numbers this on retirement this time next year. I’ll be 62 1/2 and my wife nearly 65. Of course, Trump’s Epstein distraction war has changed them in the short term but we can afford to do it. I’m hoping to spend a couple of the winter months somewhere warm and cheap to live as the wet winters drive me nuts. I am a little concerned about filling all my time but I think I’ll be ok after a while.

      • I’m quite good at operating a paintbrush (not Pencilsqueezer-style, sadly) and we’ve been in the house for 15 years, so everywhere needs redecorating. My 4-day weekends are going to be busy for a while.

    • 3 day week … is it 1974 all over again.
      Many congrats to you on this decision – we’re the same age, and whilst I’m considering reducing/winding down to retirement (I would like to go before 60), and I haven’t yet found enough distraction to warrant it.
      (plus I’m hoping work re-org turns into golden handshake)

    • One year older than you, but a late-starting dad, I’m not planning on retiring until my mid 60s at the earliest. I don’t think I can afford to, the kids need a roof over their heads. Luckily, I enjoy my job, and i seem to be in reasonable health.

      On Jarvis, I was living in London in the late 90s/ early noughties and walked past him one evening as he trotted a rather archaic Durch-style bicycle down New Row off St Martins Lane. That’s Jarvis Cocker, I thought as we passed.

      • I’ve just read below. Crikey! Good luck.

        Offsprings are both at home and working minimum wage jobs. One’s finished a first degree, signed up to start a part-time Masters, and is never going to pay off the student loan. The other stopped after A-levels. We have the space to host them, but it’s going to take a lottery win for either to move out.

        • Thanks, fs. As the great sage, Ronan Keating attested – Don’t fight it. Life is a rollercoaster, Just gotta ride it.

          Adult children, as I infer from what you write, may never properly move out. Interesting prospects for life and work, then…

    • I forgot: I went out (once).

      SAW.
      Fonda 500 at the Portland Arms, Cambridge.
      Part of a run of gigs for the 25th anniversary of local promoters Green Mind. Support from Steven Adams (ex of locals The Broken Family Band). Most of the crowd came to see the support and left before the headline. “The Pands” were great, but frontman/Casio keyboardist Simon had man-flu and had to suck Fisherman’s Friends between every song, but still lost his voice frequently. Lovely to see Sandra Bullock lookalike bassist Bod, who seems to get younger, and chat again afterwards.

    • Good decision @fentonsteve , and a brave one which takes a bit of guts to actually make. If you’ve decided to live off what you need rather than what you feel you ought to earn then I don’t think you’ll regret it. Life is too short. I often think we might have some similarities, although your health issues seem more physical than mine, which were more mental health and wellbeing related, but if you’re getting a campervan then you’ve made a top decision, meaning you like the simple pleasures in life. They really are the best, and they don’t actually cost much at all. Good luck to you.

      • One of the first things I did after being diagnosed (at 43) was to talk to someone for an hour once a week. It really helped to ‘reset’ my expectations of life.

        Nothing really earth-shattering: Don’t worry about the things you can’t affect (Trump had just been voted in for the first time). You don’t have to strive to acheive, it’s OK to sometimes admit defeat and let someone else do it for you instead. Listen to your body. Set your own goals. Enjoy the things you can do. If you want to buy a new stereo and you can afford it, do it. Your father sounds like a right shitbag (I really didn’t need a professional to confirm this).

        In a survey of IBD patients, the average loss of lifestyle due to illness is 40%. I’d say my loss is much less than that, and I compensate by being better than average at things I’m good at (such as buying records).

        I’m really pleased I managed to convince Mrs F to hire a campervan and go round the NC500 route two years ago, because she loved it. And when we found a van we liked at the NEC show last month, I had to convince her not to put a deposit down there and then.

        I’m a very lucky man. Just one with dodgy intestines.

          • Although it is possible to get round the whole NC500 route in a week, my main advice is: don’t. You really need at least two (or ideally three) weeks. We went past loads of places which looked lovely, but we didn’t have time to stop. Just to make things even worse, we started in Aberdeen, which added an extra 100 miles to the start and to the end, so we did the NC700!

            Plan well in advance – we bought the Robbie Roams book. When are you thinking of going? Some of the sites were full in late July (we booked them at Easter).

            Many of the roads are narrow and hug the coast outline, we averaged 25 mph. Six or seven hours driving on some days!

            Refuel whenever you can – there are long stretches without any opportunity.

            • Advice much appreciated. We’re hoping to go in September after the main holidays and can probably take 10/11 days (on the actual route) but would be nice not to feel too rushed.

              I think the GLW has ordered that book but will do so if not.

    • I have a plan too. According to that, this time next year, I will making a similar announcement to yours, only mine be week on / week off for the remaining two years of my working life. Few prospects have excited me more. I will still be doing a job I love, yet will get to use my travel pass to get round Europe. That money / health / time combination doesn’t come round often.

      Some have questioned whether anyone will notice me having gone part time – the cheek! But February is a case in point. Got back from Kenya at the start of the month. Had a long long weekend at a regular Herefordshire venue, singing and dancing, much of it in Breton to the band Baliskis. Great joy that they will be back next year. Then another long long weekend in the most beautiful place in England, in my not particularly humble opinion, despite it also being the wettest (that isn’t opinion; that’s meteorologically accurate).

      Only gig at the folk club was local band Wet the Tea, and the new release from Firelight Trio has arrived, which will jostle for album of the year for me. Now, if only they would also come and play for dance. The month paid off with February Folk Day in Chester and Bob Fox, my second favourite male voice in the land.

      Not bad for the crappiest month of the year.

    • @fentonsteve the Kevin Rowland autobiography is next up for me so glad you didn’t give any spoilers on whether a genius or nutcase.

      See he just announced a Dexys Midnight Runners tour (not Dexys) and signed to a new label.
      Hopefully some new music on the way.

  2. I’m glad February is over as it just seemed to rain everyday.
    Saw.
    The Holdovers
    Yes I know it is a Christmas movie but it was on our to see list and a great watch with superb acting.

    The great pottery throw down.
    Not something I would normally watch but my wife has got me into it . Very easy viewing and maybe a nudge to a future hobby.

    Spiral
    French tv crime series which I have seen before, I’m on series 3 and yes it seems a bit dated but absolutely loving it. ( my No 1 tv show of all time )

    Read
    Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan
    A Novel all about Q from James Bond books & films. Basically, he retires and a friend of his dies under a suspicious circumstances so he tries to solve the case . Great fun, easy read and would make a fab movie.

    They Relutant spy by David Goodman.
    Debut espionage novel which has won awards and favourite book of the year so far ( I know it’s only march )
    The Final Score by Don Winslow
    6 short stories by the king of American crime fiction who actually gave up writing to concentrate on trying
    To fight Trump.

    Gigs
    None in February but looking forward to seeing EXTC & Ian Prowse both in Stroud in March.

    Fentonsteve good luck on reducing your hours and possible early retirement. I retired 4 years ago with my wife doing the same just before Christmas. Best thing ever 👍

    • Spiral is brilliant – especially once you get past the first series and they stop having a different crime every episode. The middle series (say 4-6) are as good as any TV has ever been in my view. Extremely strongly recommended to anyone who hasn’t watched.

  3. Films I enjoyed:
    Hamnet (2026)
    I didn’t expect to like Hamnet. I gave up on the book after finding the first chapter really boring and the reviews of the film didn’t appeal (“emotionally manipulative”). And I must say, I did find most of the film a bit boring initially and then miserable. But the end, the last 15 minutes or so, were just brilliant and totally changed my opinion of the film by connecting Hamnet’s death with Hamlet the play. Magnificently done. I intend to give the book another go now as I want to see how the ending works on the page.

    All Is True (2018)
    Having been impressed with Hamnet I decided to rewatch this film about Shakespeare and Anne’s lives some 15 years later. Shakespeare is played by Kenneth Branagh, who also directed it, while Judi Dench plays Anne. In it, Shakespeare argues with his younger daughter, who’s narked that her father favoured his son when she was the real talent (turns out it wasn’t the plague that killed Hamnet after all!), sees his elder daughter caught up in a legal dispute after she’s slandered as “a whore”, confesses his youthful love for the Earl of Southampton (played by Ian McKellen) and enjoys marital nookie in his second best bed, which he cheekily leaves to his wife in his will. Written by Ben Elton it’s not as impressive as Hamnet but makes for an interesting companion piece.

    Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer (2024)
    An excellent black comedy starring Steve Buscemi that actually made me laugh out loud a few times. The title says it all.

    TV I didn’t enjoy:
    Small Prophets
    Expectations were high as it’s had great reviews everywhere, including here, and like everyone else I loved Detectorists. But I found this too silly to be of much interest. I kept watching largely because Pearce Quigley is so likeable.

    • I really need to re-read Hamnet, because the first time I read it I had a terrible flu, and I don’t remember much about it. But as I understand it, and faintly (as in a hallucination) remember, the ending isn’t quite the same as in the film? Someone who read it completely healthy and sober may confirm this (or not).

      • Mrs Tothecentreoftheearth tells me that that the ending isn’t particularly different, albeit the film gives over far more time to the performance of Hamlet, which is a strength of the film. The biggest differenc is that the book focuses far more on the relationship and internal lives of rhe twin children, ( Hamnet and his sister).

        • Aha – I haven’t seen the film yet (want to reread the book first) but someone I know did and told me about the changes. I guess the spoiler-free roundabout way she said it made me misunderstand which parts had been changed!

    • Wow – my experience of the Hammet film was EXACTLY the same as yours, Gary. I was shifting in my seat, I love Jesse Buckley but won’t really care for Mescal and wasn’t moved by their son. But the last 16 mins – my god, ripped my bloody heart out!

  4. I wasn’t going to contribute this month but I feel I have to pop in just to say James Richardson’s
    “Eze is his name and the boy’s running straight over Tottenham” on the Totally Football Show was my favourite podcast intro for quite some time..

  5. Heard:
    Nowt new, but listened to loads of “old” when assembling the Afterword CD / MP3 collection.
    And then it hit me … of the selected tracks, the newest was about 30 years old!!!!
    More old: Cherry Red comps constantly burn my wallet, and recent purchase was a collection of Bob Dylan covers. That had me listening to Bob Dylan for much of the month.

    Seen:
    Dirty Business had me wanting to throw something at the TV – I know it was a dramatisation, and there my be some exaggeration for dramatic effect, but if true, it’s worse than I ever realised.
    I can see the benefit/purpose of privatisation (if done properly), but I join the throng calling for basic necessity of Water utilities to be centarlised.

    Rubber Keyed Wonder – a doc on Amazon Prime about the ZX Spectrum. Bit overlong at 2 and a bit hours, but engaging and (fairly) detailed telling of the story of the rise (and fall), increasing competition, and Clive Sinclair’s desire to deliver the best product at the best price.

    Read:
    @niallb lump blog – all the very best to you, and thanks for sharing your journey * in your usual chipper and stoic manner.

    * i hate that word, but the best I could think of after 3 pints of Guinness

  6. A pivotal month for me in one particular way, and that’s not going to see my first live gig in about a decade (Yasmine Hamdan). My wife told me she had a new partner who she wants to spend her time with. She’s willing to co-habit, and co-parent, until the children are old enough, but then she wants to make a life with this other man. It’s been fairly amicable and civilised, bur certainly a period of re-evaluation for me after 28 years together, to be, I guess, single again. I’m learning a lot about dating apps.

    Music has been a form of refuge in this time, particularly in listening to many ‘back/return’ songs for the CD swap. I really enjoyed compiling it. Though shortlisting down from more then 100 choices was a challenge, I now get a lot of pleasure from listening ṭo there songs, many of which I’d never properly heard before. I am looking forward to hearing the two other compilations for comparison.

    I’m also really getting a lot of enjoyment from a novel, which is rare, because I normally go for non-fiction. The Trick to Time, by Kit de Waal, is exquisitely written from the perspective of a 59/60 year old woman living on her own in a small beach town in England, looking back at her life, and possibly opening up another chapter. One of those books, where more is said between the lines than in the carefully- chosen text itself. Beautiful.

      • Thanks, tcc. One day at a time, and reassessing as we go. We had faded to platonic parenthood some time ago, so in some ways it’s recognizing ‘officially’ where’re we are. One old and dear friend is taking me to the Green Man festival this summer, which should be fucking amazing. The regular interactions of the AW give a nice touch of stability. There are a few decent blokes local in Bonn who I’m intimate enough with to share thoughts on middle-aged singleness, and there are quite a few friendly women on some of the 9* different dating apps I’m exploring, who I’ve had conversations with, some in-person or over the phone.

        *when I discover a new subject, I get very curious about it.

        • Been there myself, take care of yourself and don’t be afraid to reach out for professional help if you think you might need it. It certainly helped me @salwarpe

          Would love to be at Green Man, 10 miles from my hometown and my favourite band in the world are playing there this year (Wilco), but I won’t be

      • Thank you, pft. If a hammer blow, it’s a gentle one, leaving the bruising to ebb out slowly, emergent and manageable. I hope it’s an opportunity for both of us that we can juggle without inflicting unnecessary pain. I think we both need support in our different ways, and unfortunately we weren’t the ones to provide it for each other.

    • When I saw the truncated replies to your post in the updates Sal, I assumed your bad news was that you’d lost your job. Never occurred to me that it would be this. Bad luck doesn’t seem quite the right condolence in the circs, but I feel for you. I was there myself once.

      Coincidentally I watched Eyes Wide Shut for the first time the other day. Pile of shite in my opinion, but when Kidman admitted she was merely thinking of distributing her favours in other directions, Cruise went completely off the rails. Well done for not doing that at any rate.

      • Thanks, mtp. All these different truncated replies mean a lot as they each share a different perspective that adds to my understanding. It’s goodtohave yours.

        Actually, I was also told last month that funding for my position was not currently available beyond the end of 2026, so that’s another depth charge I’m facing. I’m, as you might expect, applying for every suitable job in the organisation that comes up, and seeding conversations with colleagues that I’m open to new opportunities. 9 months now.

    • Bloody hell, Sal – I’m really sorry to hear all of this. Sounds like a lot to take in.

      Hope you’re doing OK (sounds like you’re processing it all pretty well), and that fortune smiles on you shortly. Green Man with an old mate sounds like a pretty good start.

      Sometimes when life closes a door, it also opens a window. – so I wish you lots of open windows from here on out.

      • Thanks, Bingo. There’s a certain amount of sadness, some reflection and some resignation to reality. Both my wife and I seem to be in a better place now, and if last night was anything to go by, meeting new people is going rather well.

      • Thanks, Bozo – you like everybody else, have been most supportive, and I do appreciate that. I think I am OK, though there always people’s feelings to adjust to, no more so than those of the two small ones who I share responsibility for raising.

        Am I strong? I think I have had a fortunate life, for which I am grateful, which gives me a thankful resilience to challenges as they come. I also have an inordinate amount of faith in the goodness of people – it just comes out in surprising ways, sometimes.

      • Thanks, KD. I find it rather overwhelming* how kind and thoughtful everyone is being.

        * and a little embarrassing that it’s rather swamped Blogger Takeover CXXXII

  7. Culturally, not a lot. I kept reading Diarmaid McCulloch’s biography of Cromwell, and a book about Jim Bowie/William Travis/David Crockett and their path to the Alamo. Some insightful writing, even if the Kindle version has some grievous typos.

    Sharon and I took a two week road trip around Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Some car camping, some Air B’n’B. Part of it was sightseeing, part of it exploring possible new places to live.

    The countryside was beautiful, and everyone we met, in all different circumstances, was lovely and friendly. The trip culminated in a visit to the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock. It’s a 20 minute tour, if that. Added bonus of some wonderful photographs from the making of Lonesome Dove. And the unexpected pleasure of seeing Des O’Connor’s name in the museum – Holly gave him his Hofner at the end of the UK tour.

  8. I started the month with a bracing read. Lyndsey Stonebridge’s book on Hannah Arendt and her ideas “We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience” was enthralling and depressing in equal measure – a forest of red flags re our current situation and where things could end up.

    I needed something lighter after that and Peter Hill’s “Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper” was just the ticket. A warm, funny, evocative account of a world that has now vanished.

    Listening – the mighty Dick Gaughan box set, Re/Evolution, curated/project managed by our own Colin Harper is a cornucopia of delights. An absolute triumph. A huge amount of material – 7 CDs, all of excellent quality, plus two substantial essay booklets plus a DVD. Marvellous.

    By way of contrast, my other big listen is a compilation I was given as a gift -A New Awakening – Adventures in British Jazz 1966-1971. This has been an absolute revelation – so many people I was unfamiliar with, so much great music. I think this will set the path for my musical explorations this year.

    No gigs in February. Partly because I was on holiday. I went on an Antarctic cruise, which did not disappoint. Sublime landscape – glaciers! penguins! whales! A feast for the eyes. Though I now feel guilty for having taken my kids to see the Shamu show at Seaworld. It’s just not right to keep whales in a fish tank.

    Unfortunately, I also managed to break my leg there. A freak fall in our cabin – stone cold sober, as I feel obliged to point out every time I tell the story – I landed awkwardly and snapped a tibia. Ship medics were impressive – x-ray confirmed break and they put me in a cast and the holiday continued. I suspected it would end in surgery and was keen for this to be back home, rather than in Argentina or Uruguay (I’m sure they’re technically fine but no hablo espanol. ) Journey back was … difficult but left ship as planned on a Wednesday, got home late Saturday night, went to hospital on Sunday and was kept in for surgery – metalwork holding everything together; turns out it was actually 3 breaks. Still – hooray for the NHS!

    All of which is a long-winded way of saying that I had to miss Kathryn Williams at the Queens Hall. Cabaret table too. Bah.

    • Thank you, Lando! I love the Antarctic myself – no desire to go there, but I have many books on its history. Funnily enough, I semi compiled the ‘New Awakening’ jazz set – I compiled an early draft then left it to others, but about 2/3 of my selections made it. Well done to those who saw it through – a great listen, and recommended to anyone who likes the progressive end of British rock music from that era (1966-71) but hasn’t ventured into the British jazz that was going on in parallel.

  9. I’ve spent most of the month reading one extraordinary book: The Plains by Gerald Murnane, because I’ve been asked to review it by Slightly Foxed mag. Murnane is an elderly Australian writer (and quite a character) who has been mentioned in connection with the Nobel Prize, and this is considered to be his masterwork. The Plains are what we understand to be the outback, but they are almost more of a metaphor than anything else. The adjectives I’ve come up with so far are dense, entrancing, subtle, mysterious, Borgesian and Calvino-esque. Also a very slow read – I had to stop every couple of pages to digest what I’d just read, and the whole thing’s kind of taken over my brain. Wish me luck!

    American guitarist Marisa Anderson randomly fetched up in our little backwater and we went to her gig. She has zero stage presence and her instrumental tunes required lengthy near-inaudible explanation of the titles, none of which seemed to bear any relation to the actual tunes. But she had a gorgeous shiny Telecaster and a gorgeous shiny Fender Twin amp, and her playing was exquisite.

    I’ve already mentioned the Gillian Welch/David Rawlings gig elsewhere. Such a treat.

    Actually got off our arses and drove 25 miles to see Hamnet in the cinema, and loved it. Like others we were blown away by the Globe sequence, but thought the rest of it was brilliant too. Jessie Buckley is a force of nature.

    I’m firmly in the Small Prophets is a work of sheer genius camp, and that’s that. Incidentally, on the strength of a comparison review in one of the Mac magazines I switched VPN from ExpressVPN to Proton, and I’m glad I did. Watching BBC iPlayer was always a bit hit and miss with Express, with stutters and hiccups – and occasionally the Beeb was able to suss that I wasn’t in Tottenham. No such problems with Proton – rock solid and fast. We whizzed through SP with no problems at all – it was as if we actually *were* in Tottenham. It’s Swiss, which is vaguely reassuring – the Swiss know a thing or two about covering your tracks, after all.

  10. As the month rolled round with yet another cancelled holiday, this time courtesy my own black dog variant, I was thinking it a pretty shitty month. But, reading some of the trials and tribs of others reveals I am generally one lucky fella. Touching wood always, I have my health and I have a fabulous current life really. So, thank you, guys, for perspective, especially @niallb for his wonderfully humane approach to adversity.

  11. Better late than never, but here goes…

    SEEN

    Another reunion gig by Medway garage legends The Prisoners, at the quaint Kings Hall on the seafront at Herne Bay. Fabulous as ever, but since I’ve now seen them 3 times in 3 years do their gigs really count as reunions any more? Support band The Masonics (ex Milkshakes) were a lot of fun as well.

    HEARD

    The new album from Buzzcocks (“Attitude Adjustment”) is a perhaps surprisingly good effort from Steve Diggle (the one original member left) and his band, and is well worth checking out.
    You don’t see many mentions of early 80s “indie” types Dolly Mixture on here, but the first, self-titled album from Railcard, who include former Dolly Rachel Love as their singer is a little gem which ought to be taken to the hearts of those who are fans of Camera Obscura or Saint Etienne.

    WATCHED

    Small Prophets…not much more I can add really, apart from the words charming and fab.
    Mr Mercedes, on Netflix…we were latecomers to this American show about a retired cop who becomes obsessed with a dangerous serial killer. The first series is much better than the (still watchable) 2nd though, which becomes a bit too fantastical for my taste.

    AOB

    We’ve been a bit preoccupied with Mrs L’s potential change in employment circumstances this month. She is a very senior and highly experienced Occupational Therapist who has always been employed by the NHS, and Labour’s Health Minister Wes Streeting has decreed that the NHS needs to make massive cuts at the same time as the SEND (Special Educational Needs) reform legislation is happening, so lots of joined up thinking there folks. It’s going to mean cuts of around 70% to her workforce, including her own area, which means a big life change coming up in the next year or so. We’ll be OK, the blow will admittedly be softened by the potential redundancy package her years of commitment will qualify her for, but this won’t apply to many staff. When even the Labour Party can’t or won’t advocate for the public sector, or even consider how such sweeping changes will be properly delivered, (the NHS is very much a key player in SEND reform) then we may end up changing our political allegiances to Green in the future. Rant over!

  12. Saw H is for Hawk and Hamnet, I shall have to read Hamnet as as said above the relationship in the film between the twins isn’t really dealt with.

    Two concerts both the same and both different. Across the tops to Scarborough to see Eliza Carthy and The Songs of Martin Carthy and then a week later to York for more of the same with different guests. Morris tunes in Scarborough as Tim Van Eyken was one of the guests there, Olivia Chaney was a guest in York I so enjoyed her input that I’ve booked to see her in York in June.

    I should have been down in Huddersfield on Saturday for an album launch by Leo Brazil, he had a bundle deal on his website I bought the bundle said I couldn’t be there but I wanted to support him I received the cd another cd and extra goodies although I’ve not had chance to listen to them yet. Listened to the Transatlantic Sessions on the drive back from Scarborough beautiful stuff.

    Watched Small Prophets which was wonderful finished French detective series Astrid et Raphaelle. Usual quizzes etc.

  13. Watched:
    Lord Of The Flies – I liked this a lot, especially good performances from the young boys. David McKenna as Piggy was exceptional.
    These Sacred Vows is a new series on RTE that maybe would have been more relevant during the Celtic Tiger years. A family and associates gather in Spain for a no-expense-spared wedding. Each episode is told from the POV of one of the characters. Not quite brilliant and a little uncomfortable, but compelling all the same.
    I started Small Prophets but was unable to follow on due to Monday night commitments, but I’ll try to catch up in some format.

    Read:
    Only one and not yet finished Noel Fitzpatrick’s first volume of memoirs ListeningTo The Animals. A surprisingly tough childhood growing up on a farm with a loving mother and a cold but dutiful father. Lots of hard work, self-sacrifice, determination and happy accidents lead to success.

    Saw:
    If I might be allowed to call it a gig – Abba Voyage in London with my two youngest daughters. Great fun and they have put a lot of thought into the show. I was surprised how much the live band added to the experience and also surprised to find something in my eye a couple of times.

    If I can plead leniency again, a gig from only a couple of days ago – Ron Sexsmith in Limerick. My first time to see him, and not dissappointed. No surprises, just finely crafted songs performed with grace. From my vantage point in the balcony I had a bird’s-eye view of drummer Don Kerr – what a lovely understated performance, delicately serving the song with exactly as much percussion as required. Played some piano too. Support from Norah Joy who has a nice presence and some decent songs. She is exceedingly young.
    Made me think – Did I look as old to the other audience members as they looked to me?

    AOB:
    My uncle in Galway died. As someone who never knew my father, my uncles on my mothers side were important figures to me. None more so than Frank. I grew up in a very quiet house but I would spend a couple of weeks every summer in his chaotic house full of kids, laughter, bickering and sibling rivalry. It was always a shock to my system but I loved it.

  14. Can’t do a recap of the whole month as there was quite a lot going on, but – per a few recent conversations on here – I did manage to see Amanda Bergman play London. Tiny venue, probably only about 50 people. Absolutely glorious, what a wonderful voice.

  15. Tricky business being late to the situation etc. but…

    TV
    I only watch the old Big Match episodes on ITV4, loads of Asian fans watching Wolves in 1971, me with my black mates a few years later at the Os, and then, whoops… fill in the gaps.

    The flicks
    ‘Nouvelle Vague’, the best film of the year already, forget all competition, seen it twice more since last month. Erm, I’m seeing it at the end of March, and it will not be a day too soon.

    ‘It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley’ – Saw it twice. Like him a lot, as much as his main love interests (I presume), they were both fantastic, and did him a great service. Tragic death, and an artist that genuinely seemed to have any number of avenues left open to him. Reminded me of Jimi, very feminine.

    ‘Epic’ – This is about Elvis. It’s brilliant. Came away thinking, people were ‘in’ the same building as Elvis, wow!!! No, wow!!!!! I mean it, you have to see it… and puts ‘fame’ in a true perspective.

    Pop
    Oh loads of stuff, cheap, CDs all… The Miles Mojo comp., The Deviants, Blue Note, ‘If…’ soundtrack, Alice Coltrane, Blind Willie McTell… all Golden Age… you all know the caper by now.

  16. Short month, stressful and not a lot to report…got new albums late in the month and barely had time to listen; I’ll get to them in next month’s BTO.
    Same with books, read a couple but both technically ended in March, so will get to them next time.
    Can’t remember what I watched.
    A weird month, and between work and giving some TLC to family members who needed it, I feel like nothing much happened.

  17. Films. Deramdaze has already mentioned the excellent Nouvelle Vague and Epic, the Elvis film. Epic was my first experience of an Imax cinema and it was thunderously good. For me, best film of the month was Sentimental Value. A great story, with best ensemble acting I can remember in a long time. Four acting Oscar nominations, all well deserved and, to my mind, outshining the competition with the possible exception of Jess Buckley, given Jesse Plemons wasn’t even nominated.

    Shows. Student production of HMS Pinafore, with first rate Sir Joseph Parker and Buttercup. ( singer of the G&S number famously sung by Adam West in an episode of Batman). Also a student production of Otto Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, with two brilliant young sopranos singing Frau Fluth and Frau Reich.

    At Wilton Music Halls, err, music hall night, highlights were a ventriloquist ( first time,I had seen one in the flesh before; a Post Horn solo; and a macabre song about a Resurrection Man, which was new to me.

    Performance of the month was Meriel Cunningham singing the role of the Fairie Queen in Iolanthe, again at Wiltons. She’s a tremendous actor as well as singer, and what really stands out for me is that, unlike most, if not all, modern singers, she sounds like the singers you hear from the primitive recordings of the 1900s to20s. Now that might sound very unappealing, but with the higher notes and other tones ‘restored’ that those old recordings don’t seem to capture, you can see why some of old timers were so popular. ( Reading around this subject, the claim seems to be that high and low voices suffered from the recording limitations, tenors less so.).

    Troopers of the month were Fair Oriana, normally a vocal duo, who had added a third soprano and rehearsed a set based on the songs sung by professional women singers at Italian courts at the turn of the 16th17th century. The additional singer was sick on the day, so they put together an entirely new prpgramme( and downloaded the music etc) during the one hour train journey to the show. The theorbo player travelled seperately, and got the music at the venue on arrival. All was well.

  18. Another one late to the party.I did promise to be more timely – my promises clearly not worth the paper they are written on.

    HEARD:
    A very good month.
    Tony Poole – Faith in us – a wonderful slab of jangly psychedelia
    (New to me but recorded in 1993) Kelan Phil Cochran and Legacy – ambient, African – sublime
    Greazy Alice – As time goes by – introduced to him by an Uncut free cd. New Orleans singer songwriter with a different type of Americana – very calming, perfect for the imminent days of summer.
    Leif Vollebekk – Revelation – recommended by a friend. Canadian ambience – lovely vibes
    Drink the Sea – Drink the Sea 1 and 2 – ‘supergroup’ featuring Peter Buck and Duke Garwood – really enjoying this which was hard to obtain for some reason.Should be big but they won’t be.
    The Delines – The set up. Can do no wrong – great vocals from Amy Boone, great lyrics from Willy Vlautin, atmospherical from start to finish. Will be in my end of year list.
    Gorillaz – The Mountain. Patchy – some excellent bits, some that miss the mark.
    Beck – Everybody’s got to learn sometime. Predominantly a covers album but beautifully interpreted. Would love a new Beck album as good as Midnite Vultures.
    Bill Callahan – My days of 58. Absolutely loving this, up there with his very best.

    READ;
    Finished reading Four shots in the night by Henry Hemming. Really enjoyed this – not a subject matter that would ordinarily have drawn me in. However I didn’t know anything at all about Stakeknife a British undercover agent working in and around Derry during the troubles. I had
    no idea the extent that the British had infiltrated the IRA at the very highest level. Engaging.

    My favourite crime writer has always been Elmore Leonard – I don’t think anyone else comes close to his characters and his dialogue is razor sharp. I was chuffed to find one of his books on my shelf that I realised I hadn’t read – Road Dogs. Reading it now and realising what I have been missing since his passing.

    SEEN:
    Lucinda Williams – reviewed elsewhere.
    Uncle Ray – a five piece jazz group celebrating Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder at St.Marys Hub in Lichfield.Excellent musicians who mostly steered away from the more well known stuff.
    On TV I watched Anniversary which I initially though was going to be saccharine US bullshit but
    which turned into a deeply disturbing take on a dystopian future if idiots aren’t reined in.
    Sung Sung Blue – Surprisingly enjoyable.
    Small Prophets – brilliant from start to finish. Some great laugh out loud moments.
    Dirty Business – Astonishing channel 4 dramatisation about our awful water industry and what they]were allowed to get away with in pursuit of profits. Hurry up and Nationalise them.

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