Lyre & Pipe
Flip Grater days
Photo Credit: Justus Nussbaum (Own work) (CC-BY-SA-3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Last winter, I wrote a review of Flip Grater’s latest album of the time, called: While I’m awake I’m at war.
It was a fairly dark and stormy night, all electric flashes and distant rumbles. I had a good fire going, a whiskey in my hand and my feet up in a comfortable chair, listening to a few of the album tracks, while the rain fell in squalls on the tin roof. It was bliss! … more
+25Two good men pass
Not a great start to the new year. First the news of Pete Postlethwaite, then the news today of the passing of Gerry Rafferty earlier today.
+34Second Sense Ringing
A few weeks back, I caught up with an old school pal of mine for a whiskey and a brief trip down amnesia avenue.
In the course of our 20+ year news catch-up, he mentioned that he played bass in a rock covers band called The Second Sense and suggested I come along to a gig.
+38Flip Grater: Poetry in Music
Television in New Zealand can be largely summed up in 4 words: seven channels of shite.
It’s full to the brim with loud, brash, unfunny American and Australian crap, interspersed with even louder and brasher ads for half-price sales at Harvey the Rabbit or some such, about every 10 minutes. It’s basically a noise factory that in a very short period of time leaves the viewer numbed to the seemingly endless flow of static it spouts.
+34Songs of Faith for the Devoted
The Depeche Mode gig at the O2 stadium in London on Saturday 20th February 2010 has been a long time coming.
Having bought the tickets over a year ago, the planned 30th May ’09 gig offered the usual agonizing wait, but then to find it was postponed for another 9 months was excruciating! However, the day finally arrived and not without a little anticipation – not only to see Depeche Mode again, which I have only seen live twice before, but also for the venue; the London O2 Arena I had been told is an amazing stadium and with great acoustics.
+34Live Jive 2009
It was great to receive an invitation to Kev and Carrie’s annual BBQ at their farm cottage just outside Basingstoke.
Last year’s gig was unfortunately cancelled for various reasons and when I heard it was back on this year, I was chuffed.
By the time I arrived around 2pm there were already a dozen or more tents pitched in the back yard and FuZeD were just tuning up and by the time I had popped the top of a cold beer and greeted a few pals, they were off and rockin!
+46Hyde Park 2009
The annual Hard Rock Callin’ gig in Hyde Park is always a good one and this year featured two classic headliners; Neil Young on the Saturday and Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band on the Sunday.
Unfortunately, this year tickets were snapped up at an unbelievable rate; so fast in fact that all I could manage to get hold of was a one-day pass for the Saturday. Disappointing, but certainly better than no ticket at all.
+27