KILBURNFLYER

AC/DC have got a new online fan club which even at my advanced age I joined to get access to the fan club tickets for their latest tour. Was well worth the $40 to join as I am now the proud owner of tickets to see AC/DC at Madison Square Garden in November. A bit of an extravagance but fuck it - you can't take it with you.

KILBURNFLYER

A splendid two set show by the Bunnymen at the Royal Albert Hall. The first set opened with Rescue and followed up with Villiers Terrace before bouncing back and forth throughout their back catalogue and a new song thropwn in for good measure. Never Stop and Back of Love were particular highlights. McCulloch's voice was superb and Will Sergeant's guitar work was as effortless and precise as it always is. That set ended and off we trooped for a beer - note to RAH: you need more bar staff. The second set was Ocean Rain played in order with an orchestra. The sound was great and the Bunnymen were clearly having a good time - black and white stills from that period showing McCulloch and sadly deceased former members as beautiful young men full of life and energy were quite moving. The pictures from that time of Pete deFreitas and Les Pattinson were quite haunting. Last time is saw the Bunnyment at the RAH was about 1983 - a storming concert and a lot of damaged chairs. The crowd were much more sedate last night - probably cos most of them were also there the last time. We're all getting on a bit I suppose.

KILBURNFLYER

Committed the heinous sin last night of missing a gig - was in a pub on the way to Brixton and the England match was on the box - was just about to leave when England score. Agreed with my mate that we would stay for one more and that was that. A good victory for England but feel a bit bad for missing the Stray Cats farewell show in London. Last time I did this was missing a UFO gig at the Astoria when England played Portugal in the World Cup quarter final - a worse crime as missed a much better band and we lost on pens.

KILBURNFLYER

Stray Cats on Wednesday and then Echo and the Bunneymen next Tuesday. Not my usual fare but both are great live bands and very evocative of my short time as a student. The tramshed in Woolwich packed with rockabilly's and the Bunneymen at Hammersmith Palais - they seemd to share the venue with U2 in those day - seems a very long time ago (probably because it was). Let's hope time has not dulled their impact.

KILBURNFLYER

The pistols were just magnificent. A really great show that they seemed genuinely pleased to be playing. John Lydon is usually a bit sneery with the audience but on this occasion he seemed strangely happy and at ease with himself. Steve Jones seems to have spent all the money he has made from the reunion on pies - he has absolutely piled it on in the last year or so and even got a lighthearted jibe from Lydon "Steve is clebrating a birthday in about 2 hours......he is going to be a 21 neck". The show was the usual "Never Mind the Bollocks" set with stepping stone, belsen was a gas (redone in parts as Baghdad was a blast) and a few others thrown in for good measure - the most bizarre of which was Silver Machine at the end - strange but done competently. The wife absolutely loved it "the best gig I have ever been to" was her reaction on the way home - a bit OTT but such was the euphoria they generated. Hope they keep going - they deserve the money

KILBURNFLYER

The Sex Pistols at Hammersmith Odeon tonight. Saw them last year at the very dire Brixton Academy and looking forward to this one. Like the Damned, the Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, and to a lesser extent the Clash, it was the pistols that made me a music - especially live music - obsessive. Was a bit too young to see them in their heyday but am more than happy to see them 30 odd years after they hit the scene. Better that than never seeing them.

Finally got rid of the sulking wanker Berbatov - let's hope the new Russian boy does the biz - am sure he will