FESTIVAL KICK OFF WITH WHELLIGAN + THE JOHN SHILLIBEER EXPERIENCE +SUBVERSE
Saturday 17th June - Music from 8.00pm
The Adam & Eve Pub, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1RL
We kick off the Festival with a free event at the Adam & Eve Pub with music from Whelligan. This great 7-piece pop band is fronted by James Whelligan with comparisons to XTC, the Rutles, Syd Barrett, Peter Gabriel and Genesis. Whelligan will be supported by the John Shillibeer Experience, John is a New Zealand based singer/songwriter formerly of this parish. Subverse are a local acoustic duo featuring Maddy Collins on Vox and Al Pascal on guitar
FATHER’S DAY @ FINCHLEY NURSERIES WITH THE RAZZAMAJAZZ DIXIELAND BAND
Sunday 18th June - From 2pm to 4pm
Burton Hole Lane, Mill Hill, NW7 1AS
An afternoon of Dixieland and Swing with a little Ragtime thrown in for good measure. Lively music from the 1920s through to the 1960s to make you smile.
GILBERT & SULLIVAN’S - THE MIKADO PRESENTED BY CHARLES COURT OPERA
Tuesday 20th June - 7.30pm - Cash Bar.
Hartley Hall, Flower Lane, Mill Hill, NW7 2JA
Charles Court Opera present their stylish, highly successful 5-star London production of the most loved of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic masterpieces, The Mikado.
RECITAL ON THE RIDGEWAY WITH THE REGENCY STRING QUARTET
Wednesday 21st June - 7.30pm
St Paul’s Church, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, NW7 1QU
We are very pleased to welcome this superb group for an enchanting evening of chamber music. The programme will include favourites by Haydn and Schubert performed by talented students from the Royal Academy of Music.
Following sell-out shows at the Crazy Coqs venue in London, concert artist and West End performer Emma Kershaw will be honouring ‘the voice of a generation’, Karen Carpenter, marking the 40th anniversary of her passing.
PARTY NIGHT @ MILL HILL GOLF CLUB WITH THE POGUE TRADER
Friday 23rd June - Music from 8PM.
Mill Hill Golf Club, 100 Barnet Way, Mill Hill, NW7 3AL
The Pogue Traders have become established as the UK’s leading Pogues tribute band - celebrating 40 years of The Pogues. The band play to sell-out major-venue audiences in London, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Nottingham. Don't miss this one.
Tickets: £15 (£18 on the door). Over 18s only. Food available. BBQ weather permitting. Cash bar.
LICENCE TO THRILL WITH THE BBC ELSTREE CONCERT BAND
Saturday 24th June - 7.30pm
Hartley Hall, Flower Lane, Mill Hill, NW7 2JA
Join Festival favourites, the BBC Elstree Concert Band, as they bring you a thrilling evening of music from the world of espionage. Not only will you be able to explore the unmistakably bold, jazzy and exciting realm of Bond music – including Diamonds are Forever and Skyfall but you will also be exposed to the exceptional theme tunes of other spies, sleuths and detectives such as The Avengers and Thunderbirds.
The Mill Hill Music Festival starts this Saturday, so for the next two weeks, this blog will be dedicated to the subject of music (have a look at the website and buy a few tickets, if you see anything that tickles your fancy!). Between now and the end of the festival, not only will I be previewing and reviewing various festival gigs, but you'll get the Big Barnet Music Quiz, where you can test your knowledge of the music history of the Borough of Barnet and bringing you some amazing clips of some of the best local gigs.
But we will start with by answering a question I was asked last week when I was giving out festival programmes in Mill Hill Broadway. One of my neighbours, not noted for his happy demeanour, refused a leaflet and said "why would I want to go to that when I can stay at home and listen to decent music on the telly?". Now I was tempted to say "Well you are a miserable sod and clearly in need of some fun in your life", but felt it would be a bit rude, so I just asked "Don't you enjoy a good night out?".
On reflection though, I realised that this was a very poor answer. Not least because going to gigs has little to do with "listening to music". In fact, he's 100% right. If all you want to do is listen to music, the best thing to do is spend a years wages on a super, duper hi fi set up and get yourself an album collection (see below for what I'd suggest to start it off). Then you can sit at home and enjoy the music with no distractions and get totally immersed in the sounds of genius musicians going about their business.
Watching live music is simply not like that. Attending a gig is being at a unique event, seeing people do something amazing, that has never and will never be done again. It is not a solitary activity like listening at home on the hi fi, it is a communal moment. For me, there are certain rituals, different for every artist, every venue. When I started regularly going to gigs, I was fourteen years old. I was into Punk Rock at Finchley Catholic High School. I was lucky enough to have a big sister who loved the same music and was four years older. Initially, I'd tag along with her and her mates. We'd meet at her flat, maybe have a drink. Everyone would get ready. For the girls, this meant transforming themselves into punk rock Goddesses. For the blokes, it just meant getting your brain into the right place.
Usually, we'd then stroll around to Mill Hill Broadway, get a 140 or 52 bus to Burnt Oak and take the Northern Line to the West End or Camden. Often, we'd meet up with other friends on the way. There were no telephones, so it this was co-ordinated days or weeks in advance. If it was The Marquee, we'd meet for a pint in the Ship. If it was The Roundhouse, we'd often get fish and chips or a Marine Ice over the road. Then we'd go in. The first thing to do was to get a beer. If there was a merch stall (not that common at small gigs, usually only at big gigs for tours, such as The Ramones), we'd have a look. During the punk era, we'd always watch the support bands. Often they would be on TOTP within months and you'd have the feather in the cap of being the first kid on the block to see them.
Between each band, you'd fight to get to the bar to top up. At those gigs, generally the quality of sound was pretty poor, but it didn't matter. What you were there for was to soak up the vibe. I was there when The Ramones recorded and filmed "It's Alive" at The Rainbow in 1977. There was much talk that this was going to be the best album ever. The Ramones live were sublime. By far the best band you will ever see. But if you listen to the album and watch the film, it gives no real idea of just how buzzing the venue was.
Only hard core Ramones fans would most likely play it. Their first three studio albums are masterpieces and these are probably far better for the front room. The gig was amazing, but without the sights, sounds, smells, alcohol, haze of smoke, blokes treading on your toes, punkettes smiling at you seductively at the bar and 28 minutes of frantic pogoing, it was just four blokes making a pleasant noise on the stage. There is no rewind to see the best bits again. If you go to the loo when they do your favourite number, that is it. If you are pogoing and Johnny Ramone throws you his plectrum, or Eddie Edwards from the Vibrators throws you his drumstick, that is something only you will ever have.
But best of all is the communal sharing. The being in a moment. The nod to the person next to you as you see something amazing. The snatched conversation in the queue for the urinal, where you share insights into the relative merits of the support band.
Then there was my ritual for going home. I'd always try and nick the band's poster off the wall and had about a 99% success rate. If there were T-shirt sellers outside, I'd make a cheeky offer, knowning that the stock would be dead after the night. This works especially well on the last night of the tour.
Then we'd pile on the Northern Line home. As the train approached Burnt Oak, it would thin out. By the time we were on the bus, usually it was just our little gang again. You wouldn't feel like bed, the adrenalin would be pumping, so you'd nip back, usually for a cup of tea. You'd compare notes, swap stories and by the time you went to bed, often at 2am, you'd feel right with the world.
Nowadays, my routine is different, as you'd expect from a 60 year old. I still prefer travelling by public transport. An advantage of living in Mill Hill is that there are great public transport links. If we are meeting friends, we would meet at a pub, cafe or restaurant first. As I tend to go with my wife, I don't go there to chat up anyone as I did as a teenager, but we often bump into friends. If the gig finishes early, we may grab a drink atfer, but usually the night ends by walking the dogs when we get home.
Back in 2009, I made a list of my top ten best gigs. I'm pleased to announce that since then there are at least four that may well make the list, or maybe a top twenty is needed. These include Eli 'Paperboy' Reed at The 100 club, The Family Stone at The Jazz Cafe, The Specials/Toots and The Maytells at Hatfield Uni and The Silencerz at the Mill Hill Music Festival to name a few. Last week, I saw Ben Sidran at Ronnie Scotts and Madness at Cannock Forest. I can't think of two more different gigs. I had great time at both, I'm not sure I'd bother watching either on Youtube. I certainly wouldn't be bopping in my front room to Madness, or have the appreciation of the electric atmosphere Ben Sidran generated.
Both are, in my opinion, far batter live than on records (or youtube clips). On Sunday, I was invited by Fr Eugene at The Sacred Heart church to plug the Mill Hill Music Festival at one of the masses. I said a few words and ended with the words "The festival is run by local unpaid volunteers. It is run on a not for profit basis and the only reason we do it is to put a smile on your face, and what could be better than that". A spontanious round of applause broke out and when I got home, found we'd sold 20 more tickets.
Which brings me back to my grumpy neighhbour's question. What I should have said is "Because you will leave with a smile on your face, and who wouldn't want that?". At the start of this blog, I promised a list of albums that you really should get to start your collection. CLICK HERE to see my suggestions. This will give you a taster of what albums shaped what is in our charts. I wrote this in 2020. In hindsight, it should be a top 12. There really should be a Jazz album in there, what I do not know, as I am not a Jazz buff and don't know what album shaped Jazz. It should also have a RAP/Hip Hop album in there. I'd probably choose Raising Hell by Run DMC, but again it's not waters I've done more than dip my toe in.
I suppose I should sign off by mentioning my band, The False Dots, We've done a countless gigs over the years. I met my wife at one 38 years ago and we are still happy. I love playing as much as I love attending gigs. If you've seen the band recently, you'll know why. When we do a good gig, I am buzzing for a week. I'd not swap the feeling for the world.
Boris Johnson gone. Manchester City Champions of Europe. Ben Sidran at Ronnie Scotts. Madness at Cannock Forest. Mixes received from Boz Boorer of our new album and they sound amazing. Have I had a good week? You bet! I watched the final with my nephew. In 1999, I took him to Wembley to watch City beat Gillingham in a thrilling third tier play off final, as Manchester United won the treble. I told him that City is the hard path, United is the easy path, but ultimately City will be the one that will give you happiness. I never dreamed of this.
Anyway, enough of me, what have our esteemed local tweeters been up to?
1. LEt's start in Burnt Oak. This caught my eye and looks pretty goood
Good to be at Edgware Abbey today for The Summer Festival Mass we especially remembered The Late Sister Barbara OSB and + Peter Wheatley Visitor blessed Sister's headstone in the Cemetery. Sr B died last November aged 89 and 67 years professed as a nun https://t.co/AWcjr9tjxHpic.twitter.com/PGsHkoeZ8b
— Little Stanmore Church & RNOH Chaplain (@LittleStanmore) June 10, 2023
4. Here's a question. Does anyone have any idea where this was?
An incredible piece of art here...
Joseph Mallord William Turner 's watercolour depicts the Finchley home of Thomas Monro's brother, Charles Monro.
Friday was a momentous day! I finally got to see a hedgehog in my back garden! I've been putting food out each night that was being eaten, but I wasn't sure by what animal. Photo is enhanced, as no flash used.@WildLondon@LondonNPC@LNHSoc@iGiGLpic.twitter.com/srmY8jVH2u
7. The biggest thing in local transport news. The West London Orbital Railway.
Exciting plans for a new London Overground line: Transport for London (TfL) is planning a major expansion to its London Overground line with a brand-new West London Orbital route. The proposed scheme would connect Cricklewood, Neasden, Harlesden and Old… https://t.co/eoTRQbo8ei
On display at the Mill Hill Services Club. Donated by the family of William Boorer, a life member and father of music genius @Boz_Boorerpic.twitter.com/w1wTUhjLJj
— A Better Mill Hill 🔸🌈🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@ABetterMillHill) June 11, 2023
10. Make sure to book!
Six days to go. Make sure you book your tickets. Some events are nearly sold outhttps://t.co/sJMCY0lsP9
— Mill Hill Music Fest (@millhillfest) June 11, 2023
I doubt that anyone will grow through life without cancer touching their life in some way. If you are one of the lucky ones like me, who gets a diagnosis and needs some sort of rather unpleasant treatment, at some point you will, most likely, find yourself at times feeling depressed, frustrated, angry and scared. I'm not a doctor, I'm just a bloke who has been doing my best to get through this for the last ten years.
I'm not proud to admit that for my wife and children, at times it has been like living with a time bomb. 99% of the time, I think I have dealt with things pretty well, but 1% of the time, I've not. This has tended to be in the periods between diagnostic procedures and diagnosis. This window of uncertainty is the most difficult time.
Over the years, I've developed different mechanisms for coping. I thought it was high time I shared these.
1. Get some good books/playlists/crosswords etc. You will spend a lot of time waiting around. If you have nothing to do, you will worry. If you've got something to keep yourself amused, it will help.
2. Give yourself something positive to look forward to. This can be big things like booking a holiday when you are in a position to go away (you can't take your cash with you, so enjoy it). This can be small things like having a fry up breakfast after an early morning MRI scan etc. if you tell yourself that you will have a treat after whaetever it is has been done, it gives you something positive to focus on.
3. Trust your doctors, but not NHS bureacracy. It is really important to develop a relationship with your consultants, so that there is a degree of trust. I have had brilliant treatments from the clinical staff. They are the people I speak to and they want to fix me. However, the NHS bureacracy that you have to deal with is frustration embodied. I am awaiting a PET test currently and the bureaucracy has completely screwed this up. I should have had it by now, and they cocked the order up completely. You have to stay on top of these things. If you don't get appointments, chase them up. It is one of the worst aspects of the NHS. The people who move paper around don't know you and don't seem to care. Try not to get upset by this and don't take it personally.
4. Alcohol is not the solution, but.... There are times when it does all get a bit much. Yesterday was one such day for me. The sheer frustration of being mucked about over a test that will determine your treatment options and possibly tell you whether your disease is life limiting or not is something that I found rather difficult to come with. I don't drink on three days of the week and I'd designated yesterday a non drining day, but I simply cracked. I shared a bottle of wine with a mate I was visiting and another bottle with my missus. It certainly helped me. Hitting the bottle is a bad solution, I will have 4 non drinking days next week to compensate. But if it gets a bit too much, don't beat yourself up if you have one too many.
5. Green tea will not cure you, but that isn't the point. When I got my diagnosis, I bought all the self help and diet books. I changed my diet, I started to drink Green tea, stopped eating dairy etc. Yet here I am. Now, I guess that the fact that it's taken eleven years to get hear may mean that it has helped. I don't know, but there are two things I know beyond question. Firstly it did not cure me. Secondly, it made me feel as if I was taking positive action to help myself. This is perhaps as important in some ways.
6. Take someone with you to key meetings. You will need support and a different perspective. Most of all though, you need support.
7. Talk to other people in the same position. Anyone who has had or is going through a cancer expereince will get it. Sadly, people who are not on the journey, don't really get it, no matter how well intentioned. Whether this is formally through support groups, or informally through chats with friends, it will help.
8. Losing the plot is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes, it all gets too much. Sometimes you lose it completely. Sometimes you want to scream, lash out, are horrible. Then after you get your act together you feel awful. If you have a meltdown, it doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you human. If you've been horrible, apologise, explain, move on. If you feel inadequate and feel you aren't coping, seek support. Don't be ashamed. It's a horrible experience and sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel hasn't emerged. It is not weakness to get overwhelmed. Accept that you will have such times.
9. If people are driving you mad, it is because they care. It can get too much telling family, friends, workmates etc the same thing. I have moment's when I feel like saying "F, off, I don't want to talk to you about this right now, you are not helping". Sometimes we let that slip out. Sometimes we just bottle it up. Remember when people ask, it's because they care. The number of times I've told people I'm fine and great when I feel like my head will explode with stress is to many to count over the last few years. But people do care. We don't always want to share our feelings, but it is positive that people want us to get through.
10. And finally. Face your fears. Do the things you need to do. Get the will sorted, get the lasting power of attourney in place, get a living will in place. Do this as soon as possible, because the longer you leave it, the harder it becomes. Set up a 'Dead file', that lists all your insurance policies, bank accounts, passwords, etc. Do it on paper, not on line (too risky), have it under lock and key, but make sure people you trust know where it is. Once it's done, its done and people won't be asking you about such things when you really are in no mood or position to tell them,
Some of us come out of this journey scarred and battered, but stronger. Some don't. I am still very positive, my prognosis looks pretty good, but who knows what the journey has on its path. If you've read this and it has helped, then pass it on. We are stronger together. Never be scared to hold someone's hand when you are scared.
And I will leave you with a song I wrote to explain my darker moments. The False Dots performed this at the Mill Hill Music Festival last year. Incidentally, the Festival starts next Saturday, click here for the FULL PROGRAMME. Music will get you through just about anything, so why not come along and have some fun!
Last night, I went to see one of my favourite Jazz artsits. We'd booked tickets to see the rather wonderful Mr Ben Sidran. I've long been a fan of Ben. I first got into him in the ealry 1980's. He'd been a member of the Steve Miller Band in the late 1960's and I found a solo album of his called Bulldog, with a version of the SMB song, reworked as Ben Sidrans Midnight Tango. Of course I bought it. At the time, my musical tastes were less catholic, I wasn't particularly into Jazz, but I would often listen to it, if I wanted some mellow music.
Over the years, I've gotten more into him. I've seen him a few times at Ronnie Scotts. It is always a great show. I love the lyrics and the incidental philosophy he shares with the audience. One thing I really love about Ben is that he doesn't talk down to an audience. He is a very learned chap, but he manages to get across his love of Spanish Poet Garcia Lorca without sounding pretentious or smug. In fact, he makes you want to check out his work. He talks about the myth of Sisyphus, forever pushing the rock up the hill, only to start again the next day, imploring us to "Think him happy". He tells us that as we are at a live jazz gig, we'll go home happy and we'll be alright.
She simply said "Do you fancy going to see Ben Sidran in June" and I said "Yep". Didn't think any more about it until last night. We turned up and I recieved a wonderful surprise. The bass player appearing with Ben was the rather wonderful Billy Peterson. If you don't know his work, perhaps the best known is Blood on the tracks with Bob Dylan, where he played bass on my favourite Dylan track "Tangled up in Blue". If you want to know just how tasty his bass playing is, Discogs says "During his extensive musical career, the permanently in-demand bassist has worked with many internationally famous, acclaimed artists, among them Carlos Santana, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Prince, Les Paul or Steve Miller, just to name a few.
"
Clare, is a decent musician in her own right, playing with the BBC Elstree Concert band. She commented that she'd never seen the double bass played. We've both seen him play a dozen or so times with The Steve Miller Band, but the advantage of seeing a good player in a Jazz environment is that you can see just how talented they are, as pop and rock tends to reign in the opportunities for bass players to shine.
The band were nominally plugging their new album, Swing State, which is a collection of decent tunes, reworked for a Jazz Trio Piano/Bass/Drums.
As there are no vocals, you won't get to appreciate Ben's humour or insight, but it is a decent album, if you like smooth jazz. Perhaps a better insight is this Youtube clip
A measure of how good Ben Sidran was last night that there were no selfish souls talking all of the way through, which has been a bugbear at a few recent gigs at Ronnies. The show finished at around 9,45 and I was at home, tucked up in bed by 11pm. All rather civilised.
It's been just over a year since Barnet Labour comprehensively booted the Conservatives out of power in the Town Hall. I had wondered how they would react. I was there on the night, as a Lib Dem candidate (I too had a difficult night, although as a blogger it was worth it to watch the wholething unfold).
I wrote a blog detailing the challenge facing the Tories in Barnet. The thing that intrigued me was how they'd cope with opposition. The answer, sadly, is they have been absolutely useless. The only councillor who appears to be doing anything is the Edgware new kid on the block, Lucy Wakeley, who at least seems to be trying to earn the ten grand allowance that local taxpayers giver her for being a councillor. A quick shufti at the Barnet Tories twitter shows that Lucy has tweeted more than the rest of them put together. It seems to me that the only theme they can consistently plug is that Sadiq Khan is useless and the ULEZ is massively unpopular in the Borough of Barnet.
Although this does seem to me to be a productive strategy, I don't think it will wash in either the next general election or the next council elections. The Tories made the rather odd decision to stick with a leader who'd never won an election, and delivered the worst loss ever. Even Tottenham Hotspur would not make such a schoolboy error. Dan Thomas managed to persuade his colleagues to shaft former Leader Richard Cornelius, who'd delivered a wonderful result in 2014 after the 2018 election. All that followed was chaos. Thomas proved to be a lousy adminstrator and an even worse campaigner. The main Tory project of their 20 year reign was the Capita outsourcing, that had unravelled before they were booted out.
Graveyards were untended, the roads started to fall apart and the Borough looked shabbier than ever. The Tories 2022 campaign was perhaps the most lacklustre campaign I've ever seen. A year later, they have not even begun to get their mojo back. Their Twitter has managed one pop at Labour in a month
Labour promised faster and better road repairs, but the reality is delayed pothole repairs and never-ending roadworks 🚧 pic.twitter.com/udvbBU0VwM
— Barnet Conservatives (@BarnetTories) May 22, 2023
A rather silly one, as everyone knows that it was two decades of neglect that trashed the roads. I spoke to one Mill Hill Tory Councillor who moaned that Labour had brought back the Cabinet system and they have been totally marginalised. I supported Former Tory Leader, Richard Cornelius move to scrap the Cabinet system and use committee's. Leaders hate the committee system as there is a genuine level of local democracy and it is harder to pass decisions, but to me this is a good thing. Now everything is carved up behind closed doors.
You may ask what difference all of this makes. It seems to me that we now have a council where the opposition cannot be bothered to do their job and the ruling party are hell bent on doing everything behind closed doors. As someone who believes in transparency and local accountability, it does not seem healthy to me. I completely get that Labour feel that drastic measures are needed to unpick the mess the Tories left them, but I worry that without proper scrutiny, they will make the same mistake's that the arrogant administration of Mike Freer made when the Tories were pushing through their outsourcing agenda.
Labour have been in power for just over a year and I have detected a subtle change. They are starting to get used to power and have realised that they are the kings of the castle. They are becoming a tad more guarded in their interaction with people like me, who are potential critics. I am not surprised by this, but Barnet really needs a good council and that means scrutiny. My fellow bloggers have all but given up on blogging about Barnet.
So to sum up this end of the first year report. It is clear that we have a non functional opposition. The new party in charge do not feel inclined to have proper scrutiny and the non party scrutineers (us bloggers, The Barnet Alliance, etc) have been so ground down by the last few years that if the Labour adminstration starts to screw things up, we will sleep walk into it without a peep.
My hope is that we get a fresh generation of Tories, of bloggers and of other community groups, who make sure that Barnet Labour have to think about what they do and properly scrutinise the decisions. I'm not a fan of grandstanding for the sake of it. I've not criticised the Labour administration much, as they haven't done much I disagree with until now. This is starting to change was we see the plans for the Edgware redevelopment unfold. I also suspect that the Green Belt is not as safe with Labour as it was with the Tories. The Mayor of London has some very stretching housing targets and from what I hear, the green belt is seen as a soft target by some for housebuilding. I am not generally a fan of Tory policies, but I accept that they were less keen on Green Belt development than Labour.
The big story in Barnet Politics is how it will swing in the General Election. The smart money at the moment is on a Labour win in all three Barnet seats. Unless the Tories get their act together, this will not be a narrow margin but yet another massacre.
So after a short week, it's back. I'll dispense with the usual formalities of my weekly round up, as regular readers will be all too familiar with them and if you want to know, read the rest of this weeks blogs.
After a few days in Portugal, I did have a tasty curry at the Mill Hill Tandoori (as pictured) after the cup final. I think I need a new missus though, as she keeps telling me I order too much and yet the dishes are shiny clean when we've finished! Maybe we are just not suited!
We will launch right into the best tweets from our local tweeters
1. This is an event that you may be interested in Burnt Oak.
We have quite a few events coming up within the next week so keep an eye out for what's to come!
Next Wednesday we have our regular Meet The Employer Session with Radfield in Burnt Oak Library from 10am-11:30am. Grab your free ticket here: https://t.co/iV4rf3l1om
3. Once more, MArk Amies is doing his bit to preserve our local heritage and once more we support him
I'm getting very concerned about this building. It is a real survivor from the Victorian era, and sits alongside the A5 Edgware Road, next to the Beis Yaakov school, Colindale..... pic.twitter.com/d5RgIJ07MO
— Mill Hill Golf Club (@millhillgolf) June 4, 2023
7. As ever, great local history from the team at the Mill Hill Historical Society
A daguerreotype of Rev Theodore Williams, Vicar of Hendon from 1812 to 1875.
Demolisher of graves, collector of coniferous trees and theological works, supporter of slavery and enemy of William Wilberforce and Sir Stamford Raffles.
8. I was rather annoyed to miss this, I hope they do it again elsewhere
The council is consulting on Barnet’s Local Flood Risk Management Strategy Action Plan.
Attend our drop-in session to learn more about our draft strategy and action plan: Thursday 1 June 2023, 10:00-12:00 at Colindale Library, 7 Bristol Ave, London NW9 4BR. pic.twitter.com/iojBrPTZU5
The domestic season is over. My team, the amazing Manchester City have done the double. I can't complain. But I will. Not about the football. I think this season has seen some of the best football ever and not just in the Premiership. As well as City. I have been a part time Wrexham fan for possibly 30 years. One of my best mate's Keith comes from North Wales. We used to work together and at some point in the in 1980's, he mentioned his mates were coming down from North Wales to watch them and have a few beers and a curry. I tagged along. I loved it and ever since I've watched one or two games a season. This year it was at Borehamwood and Wealdstone. The Wrexham fairytale is well known, but the best thing for me was the lack of VAR at the games. The same is true of my non League team, Hadley FC, who completed a first season in the 4th tier of non league football. The simplicity of a ref giving a goal and the crowd celebrating is something I now savour delicuously.
I was at Wembley yesterday. I missed the first goal after 14 seconds. We were still making our way to our seats. I joked to Matthew, my son, that this meant it was inevitable that City would win 1-0. That was not to be. At the half hour mark, Ortega, the City keeper threw the ball out after a failed Utd attack, the City midfield were knocking the ball around, when the ref, seemingly inexplicably, blew the whistle and went to the pitchside monitor, to award a penalty for a handball. I doubt a single soul in the stadium had a clue what for. The United fans went mad as Bruno Fernandes (known in my house as "The AntiBruno, as our dog is called Bruno) slotted the ball home. The VAR decision was not shown in the stadium. I didn't see what happened until I got home. I cannot help but feel that it was an exceptionally generous decision. Grealish was clearly not trying to handle the ball. It was an accident, brought about by the fact that he was right next to the Utd player. As the decision did not affect the result and possibly made it a better game, I am not saying this as sour grapes, but the system doesn't work. If a player has no time to adjust their position and there is no intent, then it simply should be deemed accidental contact.
From my perspective, as a fan who goes to games (not one of these armchair experts, who sit watching games in their front room, tweeting furiously with the benefit of 27 camera angles), my biggest gripe with VAR is that no one ever has a clue what is going on in the stadium. We pay a fortune for privelige of going, but get an absolutely third class service. Those who pay nothing and watch at home know exactly what is going. Fans in the stadium don't see the lines, don't see the dodgy handball.
Another bugbear of mine is that yellow cards are not reviewed. If a ref gets it wrong, then either a player gets away with a serious foul unpunished or perhaps even worse, a player gets a yellow and then spends the rest of the game walking on eggshells. Wan-Bissaka was one such player yesterday. He got a card, whereas Fred got away with a borderline red card. If it was up to me, such decisions would be reviewed and if it is completely obvious that a player hasn't touched someone, then just tell the ref and get on with it. He can rescind the yellow card.
One other aspect that I would like changing is the sanction for play acting. I would make any attempt to cheat to win a penalty or free kick an instant red card, or even better, ten minutes in the sin bin. Once the message got through that it wasn't worth it, the cheating would stop.
I'll finish with a few observations with regards to the game. Lets start with Manchester United. Now I do not like the team at all, but there are a few rather obvious things that I am sure any United fan would agree. The first is that David DeGea is past his sell by date. His distribution is awful for the keeper in a top team. His saving grace has always been his prowess as a shot stopper, but he was a spectator for City's first and I have no doubt he would have saved City's second five years ago. The City fans cheered every time a Utd fan passed back to him, as we had an expectation that he'd give the ball back to us. As for the rest of the team, there is simply a lack of creativity and an aversion to take chances. The teams that have given City a problem this season have been prepared to have a go. I have no doubt that United have enough talent in the squad to do far better. They looked terrified. In the second half, there were a whole string of unforced errors. There has been a lot of talk that Ten Hag is doing a good job. All I saw was a team that didn't want a spanking. That to me is not how a United team should play a cup final. They only had any real threat when Garnacho came on. He played without fear and would be my Man of the Match for United.
Then there is City. I felt they were a tad below par, if I am honest. I suspect that they had the Champions league final on their mind. Gündogan has surely done enough to get a new contract. If I was the City top brass, I would keep him at the club and get him into the management team. I believe he has what it takes to be a top manager. Rodri bossed the midfield and Dias looked unruffled the whole game. I suspect they will have to play a lot better to win the Champions League. It is fascinating watching City. Guardiola has changed football. The technical quality of players today, especially goalkeepers is incredible. I suspect that DeGea may well be the last "shot stopper" to play for a major club. I recall when Guardiola got rid of Joe Hart, I was gutted. I guess I now know why he's the best manager in the world and I'm a blogger!
So lets start with our traditional Friday treat, the Friday Joke. As is often the case, I am endebted to the rather wonderful Mr Robert Wilkinson for this weeks offering. This one made me chuckle
Got stopped by the police yesterday. They asked me where I was between 6 and 9. I said 'Primary school '
So anyway, we got home from our recording session in Portugal yesterday. The plane got to Luton at 9.15pm and I was in the Coban's Kebabs, picking up my supper at 10.37. We flew out on Sunday and Monday thru to Weds were pretty full on. We'd start work in the studio around 11am and work through to midnight. Where Boz lives, up in the mountains is beautiful, but we did very little chilling. Maybe a tad too much alcohol was consumed in the process, but hey ho, we are a rock and roll band and we were off the leash. When you have a good creative working relationship, its is great to be relaxed.
Day 3 was all about getting the rough mixes down. We had five songs to do and although I'm biased, I think they are all excellent. For me (at the moment), the stand out song is a reworking of a song I co wrote with Pete Conway when the False Dots first started in 1979 called Not All She Seems. It has finally reached it's proper potential and Boz played some amazing guitar licks in the style of Johnny Thunders to round it off. Given that the song was written by two 16 year old Catholic schoolboys, at a homophobic boys school, about the trials and tribulations of a trasnvestite prostitute, in an age before anyone had a discussion about pronouns, it is remarkably fresh and current sounding. When we set out writing it, we wanted something that was outrageous and inflamattory. It is a song about not fitting in and living a transient lifestyle, trying to survive in the face of all manner of difficult challenges. We are on the side of streetwalker, not the people who abuse her.
I played the songs to my wife on my return. She reckoned the best one is Action Shock. A number I wrote in 1982 and one we've played many arrangements with many different line ups. I've never been 100% happy with any of them. I think we've nailed it this time. It has a good groove and moves.
The last three have been written over the last 9 months. Men and Motors is a bit of an Ian Dury/Chas & Dave mash up. I played it to Lee from Madness earlier and he got it. It is based on Norf London boys motor culture of the 70's and 80's. My family were all in the motor trade and these were the stories of my youth,
Oh No Sharon, is a musical soap opera. The story of the disaster of teenage pregnancy and nasty shocks. I love the song. It is quite a dark and intense. Some of it is autobiography, some of it is based on the experience of friends. It has a bit of a skanking ska feel that explodes into punk rock, then subsides just as quickly. One of the more ambitious songs we play.
And finally, a song whick we still have to name, it will most likely be "Alien under my bed" although it may not. It is pure 70's glam rock, Boz described it as "totally bonkers". Boz put the cherry on the cake playing a Theramin on it.
We finished the final mix at around midnight, adjourned to Boz's kitchen for cherry crumble, custard and a few shots of the local hooch, called Madronia, made from a still in the next door neighbours barn. A job well done.
Yesterday was day two of the False Dots recording sessions at Boz Boorer’s Sierra Vista studios. It was a long day, finishing at 1am. We polished off guitar tracks, vocals and started on the little bits that make track’s special. I rate Boz as a musical genius. I think his work with Morrissey, Adam Ant and The Polecats stands up. The gold discs on the wall confirm this.
The songs are taking shape and one aspect I love of recording is that you hear your ideas come to life. Making music is different to other art forms such as painting, writing and poetry. You finish a recording and it’s done, but the next time you play it live, it will be different again. We have very different arrangements for live and recorded versions. Being a three piece, we simply cannot put the parts in, we’d need at least 3 other members. When we play live though, we can put all the energy in that is that mysterious property that makes live music so amazing.
As a musician, I try and make music that stands up and sounds great. To me, songwriting is about catching and harnessing magic that is floating in the ether. If it says something that has to be said, then great. If it makes someone happy then amazing, if it gets people though hard times even better. When I make a recording, my dream is that one day, someone I’ll never know will listen to it and think ‘what a banging tune’. If they tell their mates, all the better.
