June

Like April and May, this month was spent with the less than edifying task of wading through a mountain of marking. I managed to get to the bottom of that pile towards the end of the month and not before time. The weather was also rather kind to me too – it was constantly raining while I attended this stack of work.

June was also the start of the World Cup, with the constant drone of vuvuzelas and pundits alike, being the constant talking point so far. That along with the inevitable England capitulation; in all their games they just didn’t get going at all and they finally went out to a vibrant Germany side. Roll on the Premiership a nation was heard to utter in unison. The World Cup so far has not got going hopefully, now that England are out it will do. The only positives you could really draw after England’s displays was that at least John Terry would not be getting a knighthood for winning the World Cup.

Given that work is easing up slightly, I picked up my guitar for the first time in months and somwhow picked up a shoulder injury that nearly forced me out of a football match. I have no idea how that happened as I was only sitting with an acoustic guitar gently strumming - I was hardly throwing rock shapes with a Gibson Les Paul.

Musically, I have dragged myself away from the marking to check out The Maccabees, ‘Wall of Arms’ album. It was one of those 2 for £10 punts in HMV. I had seen them on a recent NME front cover, which these days see me preceding with some trepidation of a band’s output. I had not heard much of their stuff before to be honest, though I did get a download of ‘Can You Give’, which was given a brass band makeover with support from the Dodworth Colliery Band. I have to say that ‘Wall of Arms’ is a great album, one that I had missed last year when it came it out.

The version of the album I have has the original 11 tracks plus 4 additions, which includes a version of Roy Orbison’s ‘I Drove All Night’. This laid back tune quietly plays out the album. It is a great album from start to finish with the eponymous song ‘Wall of Arms’, ‘No Kind Words’ and the Roots Manuva inspired makeover ‘Empty Vessells’ are all particular favourites.

The thoughts of the World Cup had me running back to songs from summers of old hence the appearance of Primal Scream, China Crisis, New Order and Prefab Sprout on the month’s soundtrack. I don’t know what it is about World Cups, but my mind always strays to Italia 1990, that in my mind is perceived to be a great tournament, though something the statistics do not back up. I even downloaded Nessun Dorma a song which takes me back twenty years to that World Cup.


Not much in the way of gigs this month but I was blessed with great weather when I visited the Africa Oye festival in Sefton Park. I always try and attend this festival but in the years that I have been coming the weather has let them down. Thankfully this year, the weather was more in keeping with what an African Festival should be I met up with a few colleagues from work which added to the event. Overall I had great time. There was a brilliant atmosphere, with great food and music.