From strolling through museums - bursting with knowledge and brimming with charm, to drinks in Soho and dinners in the West End... Ringing in the new year, celebrating my birthday... Coming home as the sun comes up, trekking across muddy Hampstead Heath at 6am, as festivities only begin to ensue... Introducing Indian cuisine to my appetite, sitting cross-legged on the floor reading every old issue of Rolling Stone in leather-bound form... Bites, lambs and piranhas, new music entering my realm constantly... Running into Noel Fielding in Soho, transatlantic Pet Sounds dance marathons via video chat, meeting Monsieur Page for coffee, Bungalow 8 nights, decadent cab rides through London at the break of dawn... Those magnificently frequent moments of realising everything is as I dreamt it and I am so. fucking. happy.
Richard Thompson at the Royal Festival Hall, 18th of January
Thompson, while a phenomenal guitar player with an ever-distinctive tone, tends to meander. Though his songs carry a wondrous mood, quite sensuous and romantic, they contain no substance. Unfortunately, the songs I found pleasurable a few minutes in were then extended far too long, and made boring. His band were sublime, each taking a solo on the amorous "Al Bowlly's in Heaven", but again... Those solo, for the most part, tended to stray. Thompson also made the distinct error of playing his entire new album as the first half in a two-part set. Can I just say, I loathe when acts do this. Still, all in all, my respect for Thompson swelled after the show, I would just advise tidying up his live act...
Thin Lizzy at Hammersmith Apollo, 23rd of January
Thin Lizzy, instantly reminiscent of my father, leaving me surprised at how many songs I knew! Musicianship was certainly present, but a spark was not... Perhaps the notable absence of the late, great Phil Lynott was where they went wrong. Ricky Warwick, despite his most laudable attempts, could not duplicate "Black Elvis". The band got a bit solo-happy, though this pleased the masses of older gentlemen, all looking touched and elated by the sight. Any half-decent moments were ruined by the fact that the band played for far too long. The show certainly didn't send me spiraling into Thin Lizzy obsession, though it did a damn good job of making me appreciate what they were in their day.
Until next time, with stories of assisting Ross Halfin, shooting Jeff Beck, a trip to Los Angeles, the signing of Sojourner: Ross Halfin Travels by Genesis Publications, Jeff Beck party with a Ronnie Wood cameo, Foo Fighters at Dingwalls, and beginning work for Mojo Magazine... As I said, a new chapter is unfolding in my life, and I plan on taking you all on this adventure with me. This blog is about to get some life pumped into it... Alas!
