March

The year seems to be slipping away fairly quickly already, somehow it’s April tomorrow. On some level this month has been something of a write-off. Work has just got in the way of everything really and the month has been an exercise in bobbing along.

I suppose one highlight this month was catching up with a few mates for a birthday in Liverpool, I realised that it had been nearly two years since I had caught up with them. That’s just too long but that seems to be the case these days with too many of my friends.

Only one visit to the cinema this month after an almost prolific month last time and that was to see Crazy Heart, which has Jeff Bridges & Maggie Gyllenhaal in the main roles. The story is a well-travelled path, but it's worth a watch. The music is good too, if you like Americana that does not stray into that clichéd Rhinestone Cowboy sound.

I think I only watched one DVD and that was Cloverfield, which frankly annoyed the hell out of me. Instead of wanting the main cast members to survive, I was glad when they were killed off one-by-one. I liked the concept; just the actual execution of the film was not that great.

On the music front I checked a couple of albums that I had been meaning to check out for a few years. Wolfmother, was one album that I managed to listen to they are an Australian band that obviously own a few Led Zeppelin albums. It is fairly rocky stuff - but not too bad.

Another band that wear their influences on their sleeves is the Gaslight Anthem. Their album ‘59 Sound’ is a couple of years old and I have been meaning to check them out having read about them a fair bit in Uncut. The New Jersey band not only shares a state with Bruce Springsteen but also a sound - they have even shared a stage in the last few years. This is a great album if you like that impassioned American rock sound; ‘Great Expectations’ is the stand out track. They have a new album in the offing, which I hope to check out when it is released.

I also took the time to limp down memory lane with a blast through the Wonder Stuff, doing ‘Hup’ live. The release is an updated version to celebrate 21 years since it came out. It’s a DVD and cvd package of recent gig in Birmingham and the songs sound great after all these years. It was interesting to hear on the album that the lead singer Miles Hunt considers it to be his favourite Wonder Stuff album, something that I fully agree with. Though ‘Never Loved Elvis’ is a contender for my favourite too as it contains ‘Here Comes Everyone’ and was the album that really got me into the band.

That’s a bout it for March, hopefully next month can be a little more productive than the one that’s just gone.

A Quiet Pint in the Everyman

After my recent road to Damascus like conversion to real ale, in the middle of a week off from work, I picked up my copy of Around the Pubs in 80 days. I suppose if I was to start a drinking odyssey around Liverpool it would be difficult to know where to begin such a journey

For me, I suppose that journey would begin in the Everyman Bistro. If I were a permanent inhabitant of Liverpool city centre this would be my local. It is not typically a real-ale pub but on some levels adheres to the ethos of what a real-ale pub should be. I should hate this place on account of the low beams of the ceiling; this is on account of it being in the depths of the Everyman Theatre. I can’t help but feel a little self-conscious when the place is full.

Thankfully I have popped in on a quiet Thursday afternoon, it is just me, and a couple of members of staff. I have my usual a quick bottle of Cain's lager before I’m due to meet my friend later on. With French music station on in the background and a beer in my hand it is quite relaxing. It's quite good to have a pub to yourself to contemplate the world. The music is good too and has that French lounge-core feel. On second thoughts it sounds Spanish.

Sadly they are going to renovate this place soon - hopefully the new building will retain some of this place’s character. Though hopefully with a better ceiling space for the non-vertically challenged, like myself.

February

The second one of these monthly round ups - I have not got bored of doing them as yet…though give it time. I always regard February as the true start to the year. January feels like a shutdown and nothing much really happens. Due to varying factors, this has certainly been the case in 2010. It’s been yet another month that has been blighted with snow.

Well as things start up again the he first weekend of the month saw the first gig of the year. I managed to get to see Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls of the Wonder Stuff, doing one of their acoustic sets at the Liverpool Philharmonic’s intimate Rosewald Suite. The gig was a well-travelled path for the audience but Hunt was in good form both with his songs and ever engaging reflections that Hunt dwells upon in-between the songs. I have lost count at the amount of times I have seen him play in his numerous guises down the years and look forward to future gigs.

Music wise it has been a slack month really, nothing new has really caught my ear. I have not listened to anything interesting apart from catching up with a couple of the free Uncut cds from the last few editions. Uncut magazine and its accompanying cds are normally good at throwing up new bands to check out.

One album that I have been listening to of late has been the Florence and the Machine album, I know that the album had been getting a bit of a mention in the papers with Florence becoming something of a ubiquitous figure, something that’s not always good. I have to say the album is good and lives up to the hype and yes she does have a touch of the Kate Bush about her - which is no bad thing. The songs which have appeared on adverts bear up to closer scrutiny but I have to say my favourite song on the album is Drumming Song. I picked up a free remix from RCD RBL, a decent website that offers daily free legit downloads.

With the bad weather returning, trips to the cinema have been the order of the day. Despite putting it off and thinking it could not live up to the hype I finally got around to watching Avatar. Though the plot is fairly flimsy, apparently a carbon copy of Pocahontas, watching it in the cinema in all its 3D glory was certainly something that made the film for me. The clips of future features in 3D looked good too. This month I also went to see Invictus and An Education, though not as visually as enticing as Avatar, they are highly recommended films based on true stories.

I suppose the main highlight of the month, in an ever so geeky way was finally getting hold of an iPhone. After a period of limbo with Vodafone, my contract finally ran out. As someone who had previously taken the easy option of upgrading to the latest Sony Erricson model. Thankfully Apple's exclusivity deal with 02 had ended and I could stick with more reliable Vodafone network.

So what is so good about the iPhone? Well, it's a camera, which has a reasonable spec - better camera phones do exist. The phone is pretty good with some nice features too; the chance to browse emails is also good too. It also enables you to play music too. It feels like the future - well it did until the day of its arrival Apple launched its much heralded tablet computer, which looks good though the iPad I’m afraid that’s for another year.

The iPhone has a head start over other devices given its iTunes store, which offers a number of free and paid for applications. The interests that I have reflect the choices of applications that I planned to download. First up was the Everton app and the Echo and the Bunnymen app.

When you first pick up the box that the iPhone comes in, it is hard not to be overcome by a feeling of ‘is that it?’ Given the economy of space that Apple use with its packaging - all the elements - cables, headphones and instructions. It is bundled together pretty well Once you open up and load your iPhone then these disappointments dissipate.

The one gripe that is common in the reviews that I have read previously is that the battery life is not that great and if you use it constantly then you are lucky to get more than a day out of the device. This I have found so true. That aside, I have to say I like my new toy and have enjoyed the month familiarising myself with its many features.

24 Hours in the City

Today’s events could have been anywhere. Our mission to encapsulate the plan of the day was shrouded in a fog of grey cloud that meant it virtually impossible to see the skyline and the coast of the morning light.

It was a long day that encompassed all that Liverpool has to offer football, commerce, music and family are things that all can relate to. Given the nature of Sky and their demands as a broadcaster all points on the day were set up, lunchtime with the family watching the game reflecting on yet another derby defeat for Everton.
Then shopping in the afternoon at the wonderful Liverpool 1, the novelty has not worn off for me yet about this place. Numerous coffees consumed, and for the first time for me Sushi, though of the vegetarian kind.

In the evening still in the heartbeat of the city, a quick drink at the Everyman and then it was off to see Miles Hunt doing his stuff , not in the main auditorium but in the Rosewald Suite of the Philharmonic hall. He gets better every time I see him.

Tentatively heading for our mode our transport with thoughts of returning home after the day’s events, at a time when thoughts should be turning to bed, I still find time to pop in briefly for my cousin’s 30th birthday. Finally an hour and half into the new day, I make it into bed. It was a long day but an enjoyable one all the same.

The events took place on Saturday 6th February 2010

January

Man alive this month has been bleak, it has constantly been snowing and that has made the briefest of journeys difficult. The newspapers have been speculating that this is the onset of the apocalypse! I was even snowed in at some point for three days and that resulted in having to work from home – which is not easy when you have lectures scheduled. I tried to set off for a 9.00am lecture - an hour later having trundled less than a mile, I turned and headed for home. So the best plan for this month was stay indoors and enjoy the warmth of a glowing fire and some cultural treats.

Of the highlights of the month, the main highlight was something that began in the last days of 2009 and went through until 2nd January. It was a different start to a new year for me. Normally I like to spend that unnamed period between Boxing Day doing as little as possible. This year that changed as I spent the period in Slovakia. I stayed in a place called Kosice in the east of the country with my gf and her sister and was made to feel thoroughly welcome.

Having flown in on Monday evening the week was something of a whirlwind but I have to say enjoyable. I only arrived in Kosice after – two flights from Manchester to Bratislava, then Bratislava to Kosice. The next two days were spent exploring the city and even included my first ever game of squash…which I managed to survive. New Year’s Eve was spent in a club called Wig Wam – which was interesting to see how a different culture celebrated New Year - no different as it turned out.

The final day was spent in Bratislava (where we were due to fly home from), this required an early start to catch the 5.30am train. Bratislava is very nice and is obviously geared towards the tourist trade with the number of quirky and different statues it has littered around the streets - which I took the opportunity to snap and pose in front of. The flight home was my first encounter with Ryanair and everything that I had heard about them is true - cheap without ever troubling the cheerful side of that cliché.

Added to the fun of the flight was the rapid decent due to turbulence…twice. This was conveniently ignored by the pilot, given it happened more than once was a little disconcerting to say the least. When we eventually landed the relief turned to hilarity when the announcement congratulated everyone for being of ‘90% of the flights that landed’…thankfully this was not an admittance of their poor flying abilities mainly the announcement had cut out before it could add the ‘on time’ which was of importance to that mention. A day of rest was called for after all that, alas that was not the case as it was my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary celebrations the next day. This was good and it was good to catch up with family so soon after Christmas.

So the cultural highlights of the month, given that I was a little skint after Christmas it was mainly catching up with the stuff that had been piling up. The pick of the albums that I have been listening to was the Eels, who are now in the veteran stage of their career and now have enough tunes to release a greatest hits collection (not that not having enough hits usually deters other bands). The collection is not the cheeriest but seemed to be fitting giving the weather so far this year.

The other albums listened to this month was the Leisure Society’s, The Sleeper an album I had been meaning to listen to for a few years after hearing their excellent single Last of the Melting Snow on the Mark Radcliffe show. The album was quite cheap on Amazon and contained a bonus disc of equally interesting material. Apart from the afore mentioned song A Matter of Time was my favourite other track.

Another album that I had on constantly this month was the Swell Season’s new album – another bargain considering the package contained an a disc of new tracks, a live cd and DVD. The Swell Season is Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, stars of the 2007 film Once, a favourite of mine, who their song Falling Slowly won an Oscar in 2008 for the Best Original Song…something of a left field success. The album is a follow on from the soundtrack and continues the line of upbeat melancholia.

My only venture to the cinema this month was when I was in Slovakia at the start of the year, thankfully I dodged a Jennifer Anniston movie (my gf and her sister decided to watch that) instead I watched Sherlock Holmes. I liked the look of the trailers but on the whole I think the movie came across as smug and feeling too wrapped up in itself - the film also ends quite abruptly with a sequel obviously in the offing.

The pile of dvds is finally dwindling, I finally got around to watching the Inbetweeners DVD that my brother bought me for Christmas, I had already seen both series but it was well worth watching again. I also watched American Splendor and Finding Eric which I had purchased before Christmas.

Not much new on the old gogglebox apart from the new series of Curb your Enthusiasm which is showing on More4, and was especially entertaining as it reunited the cast of Seinfeld and thankfully did not trash the memory of the series. I also made a start on wading through the earlier series, which are still good after all these years.

That’s it for now; hopefully I can keep this going next month. Here’s to spring which can’t come soon enough.

Bob Dylan

Friday 1st May 2009 (Liverpool Echo Arena)

Set List: Watching The River Flow, Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Things Have Changed, Boots Of Spanish Leather, The Levee's Gonna Break, Sugar Baby, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, Po' Boy, It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), Just Like A Woman, Highway 61 Revisited, Something, Thunder On The Mountain, Like A Rolling Stone, All Along The Watchtower, Spirit On The Water and Blowin' In The Wind.

Liverpool’s impressive new waterside arena has seen numerous big names come through its doors in the last year. It would take a convincing argument to say that there has been anyone more stellar than Bob Dylan taking to its stage.

As a veteran attendee of numerous gigs down the years, the folk troubadour’s name was the one that had escaped the list of bands and musicians that I had seen; this gig gladly rectified that glaring omission.

Despite this being my maiden Dylan gig, I was well versed in what to expect from his set list; as a prelude to the gig I spent the afternoon listening to a few of his older hits. The expectation that I would hear these songs in the form that I was familiar never crossed my mind.

In some instances you were unsure of a particular song until you heard snippets of familiar lyrical couplets, It’s Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) again was one song that differed to the original version so much, that I only realised what song it was when he sang, ‘He not busy being born, Is busy dying’; Even that was difficult to discern beneath Dylan’s rasping vocals.

When arguing with those who don’t appreciate the nature of his vocal abilities would probably have had a field day tonight. In truth the voice has never been a thing of greatness and given its limitations, it has mainly been a vehicle for his poetry and lyricism. Though that said there is something heartening in hearing the lived-in croak of his voice.

The song arrangements of today have no doubt been changed to enable the songs to work with aging Dylan vocal range, like a Rolling Stone is another example of song that on records lifts from the opening bars and swirls away into the stratosphere; today’s version is a lot more restrained but it still gets the crowd going.

Probably the only arrangement that sounded familiar all night was All Along the Watchtower and that was only because the impressively assembled band had opted to perform Jimi Hendrix’s version of the Dylan penned song.

Dylan barely spoke throughout the evening but this wasn’t to be construed as a display of surliness or contempt on his part. It was merely the consummate professionalism of the artists that got on with the job in hand as he rattled through 17 songs in just under two hours.

Any perceived aloofness could be countered with his gesture of playing to the crowd with a cover of the Beatles’ Something - no doubt in tribute to his friend George Harrison. As you can imagine that was well received by the Liverpool audience.

Unconventionally the gig stated early and saw the crowd depart into the balmy Liverpool night at a time when most gigs would usually be starting. Though most would have enjoyed what had gone before, hopefully I can make it to a second Dylan gig sometime soon.

Fade out

Previous blog posts this month have mentioned the Scriptwriting challenge that I had somehow found myself signed up to. Having toyed with similar challenges in the past, I have always managed to talk myself out of taking part in them at the last moment. So I set myself the task of 100 pages in 30 days - not really expecting to succeed.

God knows how I got here but I crossed the finish line with 10 days to spare. How did I do it? Well there was certainly no daily work ethic it was mainly a case of 10 page splurges here and there. The last few days probably saw me write 30 pages just so I could complete and put the thing to bed. Not that I was getting fed up with, just that I needed to concentrate on other more prosaic things…such as work!

I have not really had time to stop and think what I have taken part in, as back in March with only a weekend to gather my thoughts I set out on this journey. It has been an interesting and rewarding period that has know seen the completion of my first full-length script; which I plan to edit and redraft. I will do this along with the script from the scriptwriting course that I have recently completed. When I’m happy with both, I will look towards sending them off to see if they can be performed.

Another good aspect of the month was meeting a vibrant community of writers in the Liverpool area. We have met at various points in the month to encourage and support each other. The plans are to continue meeting up and getting involved in other projects. One is the Nanowrimo In Novemeber which I’m seriously contemplating taking part in. For or now it’s a period of non-scriptwriting….though I’m sure I said that at the end of the last one.