So What's Been Going On?

It's been a pretty plain couple of weeks, not a lot going on really. Just been working, rehearsing, going out a bit - that sort of thing.

I've mentioned a few times how much I love the music scene over here. I've been to see another couple of bands since the PWEI gig which were ace.

The first one was Ned's Atomic Dustbin, whose name you may remember from the PWEI article - and the picture I had taken with their lead singer, John Penney. That gig was actually on the Thursday night after I was in Brum, so it's been a bit of time since then.

Ned's are another band I've really dug since I was in my mid-to-late teens but never had the chance to see. They have a really unique sound, from John's deep voice and crafty lyrics to their twin bass attack (of course I'm going to like a band with two bassists!), not to mention all of their bouncy pop songs that are infectiously addictive. Well, it was worth the wait! Their set was full of classics (some of which I craftily filmed on my trusty camera) and they were on fire!

Like me, the crowd was advancing in age a little, but that didn't stop us having a good time! There was lots of bouncing, screaming and singing along to be had, not to mention meeting up with friends from web forums once again (naturally, most of them were at the PWEI gig too).

Next up was Front Line Assembly, yet another band I've been aching to see for about as long as Ned's. FLA are an offshoot of one of my very favourite bands, Skinny Puppy, so when I found out about the gig I booked two tickets almost immediately. However, my silly brain forgot one important detail: Lee was going to be in Africa when they were playing (and he'd told me this several times, so it was my own stupid fault for forgetting). So here I was, several days out from the show with a spare ticket and nobody to go with - until luck finally prevailed. It turns out that Alessio's girlfriend is into lots of the same bands as I am, and was just as eager to see FLA - so we ended up going together! By the way, Alessio is the singer in my new band.

Again, it's been around 14-15 years of waiting to see FLA and damn it, was it well worth the wait. Stunningly good - I didn't take the camera along this time so no pics or videos, but I still have my memories! The set list was a bit surprising, especially considering they played only two songs from their latest album - in fact, they played more from Millenium, which was released in 1994! Nothing at all from Hard Wired (which was a shame as I think it's one of their best), but they did play Plasticity, which was unbelievable. By the end, Felicia and I walked out very happy - as well as loaded with merch. Well, I did - Felicia only had a poster which she snagged for me!

Next up on the list are the August gigs: Skinny Puppy, Tool and Sonic Youth. Naturally, I'm looking forward to Puppy most, but the others look like they'll be pretty awesome too. Better yet, a couple of guys on the PWEI forum are going to sell me some Carter USM tickets for November, so I'm going to that too!

I've also managed to pick up a couple of tickets to see DAVID GILMOUR! Easily my most favourite guitarist in the entire world, he's going to be launching his new DVD in September. There's going to be a world-wide premiere in selected cinemas showcasing 85 minutes of the DVD, one song being performed live as well as a Q&A session beamed to all the locations. But where will all of this being taking place? Only at the Leicester Square Odeon, which I just scored tickets for this morning!

Let's see... Roger Waters in January, David Gilmour in September. Is this shaping up to be the best year I've ever had? All signs are pointing to yes.

I love living over here, I think I may have mentioned this before. Again, why would I ever want to leave?