"THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE AIR, EVERYBODY CAN FEEL IT"



"HOLY BOOKS AND HISTORY TEXTS FORGET BECAUSE WE KNOW"
"SOULS ARE RECYCLED IN THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW"

Updated : 10th November 2009
Just like with the old London buses, you wait all this time then suddenly everything happens at once. Not only have we been blessed with the finer details about the Killing Joke (April 2010) european tour, the prospect of a regular band update now emerges. Killing Joke are back in the studio and recording ... read Youth's excellent Day One blog here. Enjoy !

Updated : 8th November 2009
Things are really looking good at the moment ... apart from a couple of blips on the pitch, a storming start to the season from Chelsea FC, plenty of travel for me in 2009, not least the pyramids at Giza !!! Now the news that Killing Joke have a new album and tour for April 2010. Plenty of time to sort out arrangements and get some cheap flights !!!

Updated : 9th October 2009
The new live Killing Joke CD/DVD "Requiem" is sadly rather infuriating. Out on Charly, and being a recording of the 2003 festival show at Lokerse, it could have been a fantastic product but the DVD is difficult to watch due to quite unnecessary graphics which flood the screen almost entirely throughout. Why oh why !?! Anyway, since's self-titled 2003 album was due to be "The Death And Resurrection Show", that's what I would have called it, or at least given it another 2003 song title. I guess it starts with Requiem ... LOL.

Updated : 21st July 2009
Having been a huge admirer of Sheffield's legendary band Artery, since hearing their first John Peel session some 28 years ago (featuring Afterwards, Into The Garden, Potential Silence and The Clown), I was extremely excited by their reformation a couple of years ago but equally frustrated as I was unable to attend recent London shows in June and July. A couple of weeks ago the band posted a link to a brand new session recorded for Radio Sheffield - the 3 new tracks, Standing Still (from their recent EP, the first new Artery music for over 25 years), The Stalker and most especially Unfaithful Girlfriend possess the same haunting beauty that first brought tears to my eyes all those years ago. Thankfully they have another London show at The Legion, Old Street on 20th September 2009 and I will definitely be there (after the Chelsea vs Spurs game !!!).

Updated : 6th June 2009
I can't stop playing The Piranhas (the Brighton lot from 77-81) ... I've knocked up my own CD from the Punk Brighton website (http://www.punkbrighton.co.uk/piranh.html) which has their 3 John Peel sessions up plus a couple of extra tracks (Feel Queer When You Ain't Here/Things Could Be Worse) and from another source I downloaded MP3s of their excellent but sole Virgin single Space Invaders/Cheap 'n' Nasty (live) VS314 ... I'm getting a bit obsessed now ... I wanna play Space Invaders ... otherwise
my wonderful CD copy of "For Madmen Only" arrived yesterday - I thought UK Decay missed a trick with Death So Fatal which was an "odds and sods" CD ... some old demos, some John Peel session tracks, live recordings, some newly remixed versions etc etc ... the expanded For Madmen Only is pretty much spot on but (if space allowed) I would have also included the Fresh Records single Unexpected Guest/Dresden ... Unexpected Guest is different enough to the album version to warrant inclusion so maybe both tracks should have been on the earlier CD ... then also Twist In The Tale (B side of the Sexual single) although there was a '93 remix on Death, So Fatal so okay, maybe not ... but had there not been the earlier CD, I would have loved to see a CD released with the two Plastic Records singles (including the "split" Pneumania side as Spon was in the band so it has that UK Decay sound) even if ripped from an inferior source plus the two John Peel sessions in their entirety ... but alas, it was not to be though the For Madmen Only CD is certainly worth snapping up ... I'm not sure whether I'll get to see them play live this year but I hope at least they play one show in London ... but I am likely to be on a family holiday in the run up to the Rebellion Festival, which itself I will be missing ... UK Decay may play a warm up date or two ... and though I missed the infamous Chelsea vs Barca game to see Killing Joke play @ Heaven, Chelsea FC will be at Wembley Stadium on 9th August 2009 playing Man United in the FA Community Shield with the likelihood of tickets being £20 or so I'm afraid I won't be up in Blackpool for what promises to be an interesting Sunday ... decisions, decisions ... good to see day tickets now available for the Sonisphere Festival but, again, I may also be away on a family holiday over that weekend (not that we've actually boooked anything yet !!!)

Updated : 21st May 2009
Killing Joke are now to play the Venice Airport Festival on 31st July 2009 !!! I could tell her indoors that I'm taking her to Venice ... oh, and by the way Killing Joke are playing, and, oh yeah, it's at an airport !!! :o) But I suspect my b*ll*cks would be removed with a blunt rusty knife if I even dared to suggest it :o( ... have a good one there Jon !

Updated : 6th May 2009
My match ticket went to my oldest mate (no, he's not 90, just known him for about 38 years) ... I am gutted though, couldn't miss the gig but won't even get to watch a rerun of the match until Saturday - apart from maybe 10 minutes of highlights on Chelsea+ ... decisions, decisions :o(

Updated : 29th April 2009
I just might be the only Chelsea FC supporter in the world who currently has a Barcelona home ticket but isn't actually going to the game ... I can flog it on the day but it's my insurance policy just in case of any minor disasters ... it would just be my luck to sell on the ticket then find that Jaz has gone down with swine flu or BPF has put his fist through a window etc etc ... here's hoping that KJ decide to make it a midnight show ...

Updated : 9th April 2009
Killing Joke at Heaven on 6th May 2009 - typically my football team has complicated matters somewhat : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7977013.stm

Updated : 31st March 2009
CORRECTION: Killing Joke, at Heaven 6th May, not 8th of May - Exclusive pre-sale ! Yeah, and Chelsea could be in the UEFA Champions League Semi Final 2nd leg that night vs either Bayern Munich or Barcelona though Liverpool just might have knocked us out in the Quarters. I have my KJ ticket.

Updated : 24th March 2009
As I often do, when I get the chance, I've been playing The Ruts all evening ... the EMI released The Crack / Grin And Bear It double CD plus The Punk Singles Collection on Captain Oi ... you can take the boy out of Southall but ... :o)

Updated : 10th March 2009
What a bummer ... the "Sonisphere" weekend is in the middle of a 2 week period we have earmarked for a family holiday ... not doing Butlins, not doing Rebellion - but thankfully the Jaz Coleman spoken word gig (6th June 2009) is one is on the cards. Jaz on the Saturday night, then an RAF Northolt "photo call" at lunchtime on Sunday. A quality weekend :o)

Updated : 24th February 2009
Killing Joke are announced on the bill for the All Tomorrows Parties weekender in May 2009 but have you seen the prices though ??? The horror, horror ...
* http://www.seetickets.com/see/price.asp?code=359500&filler1=see *
It was a damn sight cheaper to fly over to Milan and see them for 2 nights !!!

Updated : 12th February 2009
UK Decay to play shows in Italy & UK during 2009
Also note that their sole album "For Madmen Only" is due for a long overdue SD re-release and it is expected to include some extra tracks :o)

Updated : 7th January 2009
The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead. I would like to think the BBC might air that legendary recent "Glastonbury" set again with the stage invasion ... I too am glad that I went to the Get Loaded In The Park 2008 where Iggy & The Stooges headlined ... I'm not able to get to many gigs these days therefore it was the only time I saw them ... though I did catch a Primal Scream "after show" set at the Brixton Academy a few years back when Ron & Scott came on stage with Bobby Gillespie to steam through a few Stooges numbers ... it may have preceded the reunion shows ... typically I screw up with these things ... after Arthur Lee was released from the slammer in late 2001 after a firearms conviction, he hit the road with Love (okay, it was just Lee and other musicians) I kept bombing out their numerous London shows for various reasons ... then he died ... damn it

ARCHIVED NEWS : 2008 : 2007 : 2006 : 2005 : 2004 : 2003 : 2002

"IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE GAME, THEN YOU'RE STILL PART OF IT"



"I WONDER WHO CHOSE THE COLOUR SCHEME, IT'S VERY NICE"

Better known as a long time fanatical follower of both Killing Joke (the highly influencial & legendary post-punk experimental rock band) and Chelsea Football Club (thanks Fuzz), I have now become somewhat infamous for being a victim of rough justice. Thankfully, with this bitter experience behind me, now I can just get on with my life and enjoy spending time with my friends and family.
*** Honour The Fire ***

"LOOK AT THE FACES, IT'S DARK OUTSIDE"
"YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN, STAY INDIFFERENT"

*** Please feel free to contact me via e-mail ***

"WHOSE TRUTH IS YOUR TRUTH ?"

Other interests of mine :

A list of all the bands or gigs that I've seen over the years (since 1980)