Wednesday 2nd July
No gigs this week, we were supposed to be at the Cattle market in Preston but apparently the people running it have left. They didn’t tell us of course so a good job I checked. If you remember the last time we were supposed to play there they cancelled us as they had double booked.
No wonder the brewery wanted them out, obviously totally disorganised, apparently they have a new pub called the Seven Stars (Lancaster I think?) and they are looking for a band this week. They could have at least offered it to us not that we would go anywhere near them again. Really don’t need it to be honest.
Since I wrote the above yesterday it seems the same thing has happened to the Royal Oak in Blackpool. We palyed there New year’s Eve and were giben a gig for Aug 2nd. From what I have been told this is another pub that has changed hands and unlikely the gig will be honoured.
Places like this really aren’t worth the effort (and it is a lot of effort) chasing for gigs.
Actually we are thinking of reducing the number of gigs we do. The whole live music scene has changed and now you find that many venues won’t turn TVs off when you are playing, people just want to play pool and basically you wonder why they bother putting bands on.
We are going to try and avoid places like that in future, concentrate on venues where people are actually there for music. Even then of course many of them only want tributes.
Ok so last Friday we were in the Naval club, Connah’s Quay – a nice enough venue and friendly people but really not a rock music venue. We are booked to return but I don’t think we will.
The next big event for us is Cambridge Rock festival – be nice to play a set of originals to people who are there for the music.
So what else – bizarrely and mainly due to boredom I have become sucked in to watching the world cup. Some of it has been ok actually. I don’t mind the knock out games, the group matches were a bit tedious. I still find it pathetic that after four years of effort England’s campaign lasted two matches. It is no wonder though, every foreign player in th etournament seems to play for an English club, which is presumably why England has no decent players.
Tennis has started now of course and Murray is doing ok but I will give that a miss.
What else, well I have been in Leicester recently and it seems a really vibrant city. Quite enjoyed it, More historical than I expected and a lot going on.
Rants
Well this week I figure that rather than rant on about things which are essentially trivial although I could, I will instead take the opportunity to consider myself fortunate to have been born where I was. I don’t have to wake up each day wondering where I am going to find food and water, If I am ill most things can be cured quite simply by a trip to the doctor and some pills or even a stay in hospital, I have access to books, education, transport, electricity, gas, drains. I can listen to and watch music and programmes from all over the world at the flick of a switch and I am not in danger of being killed or eaten.
So really minor annoyances need to be put in perspective.
Music
Glastonbury has been most people’s musical reference this week, not really somewhere I have ever been interested in going to be honest . Always more hippie/folkie than rock these days it has simply become fashionable. A reasonably mixed line up of pop and well know acts to be fair including the obligatory legend act – Dolly Parton this year.
Metallica were a surprising choice but appear to have fared well enough, never a fan myself although I did catch a bit of them doing what they do.
All I can say is the best festival in the country is the Cambridge Rock Festival, a reasonably sized festival for music fans run (brilliantly) by music fans. Even better we are there again this year having played in 2011.
So what have I enjoyed this week – well I haven’t really listened to much at all. Ah tell a lie, I did listen to the whole of Dio’s Holy Diver – Live album.
Certainly reminded me as to how great a vocalist Ronnie James Dio was, R.I.P.
Until next time
Keep rockin’
Craig
http://www.clan-rock.com