emmoworld

2010-12-25T14:41:00.005Z

So another year has past by and I find myself sat once more in a pub at lunchtime on Christmas Day. Unlike the last 2 years where I was in the fabulous Bull in Little Walsingham, partaking in a festive drink with friends, this year I find myself back in London. I have no “local” so today was more a case of driving around to choose where to go. Finally went for Hoopers as a great local real ale pub and I occasionally come to watch football here. So here I sit drinking a pint of “Chocoholic” – a sort of Baileys dark ale.

I’m writing this without first reading last year’s Christmas blog. I suspect it said lots of stuff about builders and project managers, as well as redundancy and expectations for 2010.

Well 2010 has not turned out to be the year I had expected – but maybe that was where things changed. Expectations are simply that….expectations. What you actually get is often of your own making.

The year started with a contract lined up to work on a series of rail bids. But then came the election and economic change, and contracts were no more. We have waited patiently for news and finally it has started to drip feed out. Looks like there will be a few bids commencing in 2011 and 2012 but there remains a lot of uncertainty.

Uncertainty does not pay the bills so I will continue to look at alternative areas of work in 2011. I twice came close in 2010 to moving into new sectors, narrowly missing out with the decision to stick with people from within those industries.

On the plus side I got my accreditation as a tutor for Glasgow Caledonian University and I am working part-time on finance/economics module of their rail degree course.

I started 2010 with a lot of ideas - some that created quite a bit of interest. 2011 will be the year I turn ideas into reality.

Summer and Autumn was spent in Norfolk and I used this time to work on a project I had originally proposed a few years ago – setting up a micro-brewery in Walsingham. I’ve still got some work to do on it, but I believe it will happen if the “business partners” can be persuaded to part with their money. It’s been interesting looking at different product options and seeing how other breweries operate. Potential premises were identified but they have just been acquired for overhauling the local narrow guage railway stock (the building is an old engine shed so kind of makes sense). Hopefully the building will be available again next year.

2010 has been mainly about re-building our lives after 4 years of mayhem.
We made the most of being in Norfolk, enjoying a very relaxed life-style with lazy afternoons spent on the beach or by a lake, and in the colder winter months, in front of log fires in cosy pubs, or afternoon tea at the Hoste in Burnham Market.

The weather was very kind to us and we only left for London when we saw the forecast of snow.

Before Norfolk we did a few “firsts” for both of us, the most memorable being a trip on the London Eye which had always seemed an impossibility, but thanks to the kind London Eye folk, we were able to turn up and simply walk straight on.

Trips back to London were fairly limited – the odd business meetings, interviews, and seeing builders back at the house as we looked to finally finish the works. 2010 saw us get the building works officially signed off by the Building Control Officer. Since taking back control of the project I have had to work out how to resolve various design faults on a very limited budget. With the installation of a new boiler and the glass splashback in the kitchen, the house was pretty much complete in November.
Finally, just before Christmas, our garden arrived in 3 large boxes! The garden (which I have been landscaping over the last 12 months) will be planted out with grasses. We have a separate courtyard area that looks like will be more of a mini cottage garden effect using lots of pots. There are still problems with the house, in particular the kitchen floor, but at least we can now enjoy it.

Since being back in London we have had a whirlwind time of socialising as it has been 3 years since last here for Christmas. We also managed to fit in the 2nd half at the theatre – we only ever see the 2nd half as this ties in with when Helen is able to go out.
I got to see my brother and his wife to pick up last year’s Christmas presents! Rest of my family all together at parents in Wales and Helen’s all at her mum’s in Liverpool – so just the two of us, two Christmas trees and a very large turkey.

On the music front it was a mixed year. Michael McDermott came over to play Greenbelt and I spent about 24 hours there to see him play. The gigs were great but the festival experience was just a bit too weird for me this year. 2010 saw the break-up of the Panama Kings. It is always sad to see a band split at a point when they are producing some of their best music and getting good radio play and tour offers – but without sufficient funding it is hard to keep going. On the plus side I got introduced to a new band, Kaiser Cartel from Brooklyn. I instantly fell in love with their music and ended up organising part of their UK tour late in the year. We have been discussing 2011 and I am hopeful they will be back for the festival season.

With the 20th anniversary of the release of 620 West Surf by Michael McDermott next year I hope to be able to go and see it performed live in Chicago. No idea how this will happen at the moment but it is pencilled in my diary. Helen and I talk about the future and what we want to do with our lives. There is no point dwelling on the here and now, that’s history, and it is the future that provides future exciting opportunities.

I wish you a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Hopefully we will meet at at some point.

Shalom

2010-09-07T13:25:00.000+01:00

Life as a Greenbelt Venue Manager

Much of my recent visit to the Greenbelt Festival was spent catching up with old friends and their news. This forms part of my main enjoyment of being at the festival and amongst those I tend to bump into, are people who I have previously worked with at the festival, either as part of the Performing Arts and Classical Music group, or venue management.

The conversation with one of these people prompted this blog.

One of the key areas which Greenbelt has to fill each year is the role of venue manager in each of the tents, rooms and fields where it is holding events over the weekend. It is a role that goes fairly unnoticed by the public – the manager will often be seen hovering around in the background, possibly making platform announcements, and depending on the venue, introducing the next artist or speaker.

I started my working life at Greenbelt as a Venue Manager back in 1993 when the festival moved to Deene Park. It was triggered by a call from the then General Manager of the festival, saying he had a job that he thought would be ideal for me. Deene had a de-consecrated church and it had been decided to use it for a mix of classical music and speakers. Unusually for Greenbelt, the venue was off-site, a good 20 minute walk through the village.

For me it was a case of being thrown in at the deep end. It soon became apparent that the church was held in high esteem by the locals and that whatever we did there would impact significantly on our relationship with the village. As a venue it was brilliant, but it had been empty for some time and was covered in dust and cobwebs, plus the electrics were something out of the Ark. In the week running up to the festival locals came together and volunteered to clean the church. I spent much of my time talking with locals and we used the church as a form of PR with the village. Access for locals during the festival was free and the front row was always kept available for the owners of Deene Park. Lady Brudenell arranged for huge bouquets of flowers to be made up and placed in the church. The evening classical concerts conducted by candlelight were breath-taking.

The other great thing about the church was the fact that it had failed to appear on any officialdom radar in its first year. We had no capacity limit set, and were left to our own devices. The sound desk and lighting was extremely basic – any more and the electrics would have blown. My best memory of the weekend was when Adrian Plass was speaking in the church. This was a venue that held at best 200-300 people. We crammed about 500-600 inside. There was literally no space to breathe with all the aisles filled with people sitting. Outside the church people were climbing the walls, clinging to the window ledges to watch the event.

Of course this couldn’t last forever, and the following year saw firecrew inspections, stewards and capacity limits imposed. Having the freedom though for that one year to create something from scratch paved the way for what was to be 12 years of managing venues.

Over those 12 years I worked with some amazing people and was lucky enough to have the best seat in the house for some of the most popular events. We created venues out of nothing and during Greenbelt’s darkest financial hours, even shared a venue with the Fine Arts team. For me the best venues were the courtyard stable at Deene Park, and the Hall of Fame at Cheltenham. The stable courtyard was highly commended for the Green Room, which was in the pig sty. And of course our first job on site was to muck out the pig sty. My final role before having to retire due to family priorities, was to jointly manage the inaugural year of using Centaur at Cheltenham. This fantastic purpose built venue also proved to be about the most difficult to manage. It was new, had cost several million pounds, and the company responsible for day-to-day running of the venue was very worried a weekend of Greenbelt could see it burnt to the ground.

We spent most of the weekend in meetings with the Racecourse, discussing each event, providing the necessary assurances. Somehow we scraped through, learning as we went along. We had some pretty hairy moments when mothers were separated from their children as the only toilets were across the way from the venue, and stewards would not allow re-access as the venue was full. And I squeezed about 2,500 people into the arena for the sing-along to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, whilost keeping about 2,000 young children entertained for over 30 minutes as we attempted to get everyone in.

It’s been several years now since I venue managed. Would I do it again? Yes, definitely if I had the time. Would I encourage others to get involved with the festival and sign up as venue managers? Yes, it is a great way to become part of the Greenbelt family and gives you the chance to put into practice all those skills you never realised you had.

At times it can be quite a lonely job, but the constant changeovers mean you are never sitting still.

What skills are required? To a certain extent it depends on where you are managing. Something like the big top requires an ability to multi-task and see the stuff others have failed to spot. Often you may find the crew is used to working on single events. So when presented with 9am worship, followed by a speaker, followed by theatre, followed by music, followed by dance followed by an orchestra etc, it can be a bit daunting.

A key skill is pre-planning, gathering information about events and making sure everyone involved with the venue is singing off the same hymn sheet. A good example of where it can go wrong was the first year of Centaur. We hosted The Rising. On day one, the tech crew set up a rig for one man and his guitar. The stage manager hadn’t registered that it involved 4 people. But the venue managers knew the set-up by heart so crisis averted.

Always follow the rules and ensure others know them and follow them. We once blew up a £7000 lighting desk because the artist went and plugged an incorrectly wired light into the system.

Be prepared to take tough decisions – don’t lose sight of your role and the importance of delivering the events people have paid to come and see. We once held an emergency meeting at 3am to discuss a growing problem and agree the steps necessary to resolve.

Listen, and then listen again. There is much that you will learn from colleagues, especially the Operations Team which probably has 150 years plus experience between them.

Know who to speak to. Few venues escape the weekend without at least one thing going wrong. If you are luck the biggest hurdle you will face is ensuring you have power connected up before you are due to go live. This is something that can often require the need to sit on the site crew, especially if you are due to open earlier than other venues.

Make your needs and your priority known early on. And don’t let the sparky out of your sight when he/she turns up, else they will be gone, off to another emergency call.

Always carry a notebook with you. Take notes of what worked well, and what didn’t. These days Centaur seems to run like clockwork. Much of this though is down to the feedback received from venue managers and others that first year.

Know you crew and be nice to the stewards. I always made a point of chatting to the stewards when they came on duty, explaining to them what was going to be happening, and making them feel at home.

Remember that you are ultimately in charge. Others may be keen to take decisions and I’ve met plenty of artists who were determined to do things their own way. Your job is to stick to the rule book, possibly bending it a bit where it is for the good of the festival. Don’t be afraid to say no. And if you feel out of depth, you can always call in one of the Operations Team for support and guidance.

Most of all, enjoy yourself. Take pride in what you have achieved, knowing that Greenbelters will be saying “what a great venue”.

2010-09-01T12:45:00.006+01:00

Michael McDermott - Greenbelt 2010

My blog page has become an annual affair over the last couple of years as I moved into Facebook and then Twitter territory. But when I was reading some old blogs yesterday, I was reminded that I have always blogged about Michael McDermott’s visits to Greenbelt. So in breaking with my new found laziness, here is my take on Greenbelt and specifically Michael McDermott.

It’s been 3 years since Michael last graced Greenbelt with his presence. Last time round he had been booked to play a couple of big gigs and I had launched a mini gorilla campaign to ensure no one at the festival had an excuse to say they didn’t know he was on. Wall to wall posters plastered the site, so much so they even got mentioned in one of the main festival reviews that year.

The tactic worked and Michael played to packed houses all weekend and lots of new fans were made. This time round there were no posters. Pre the festival various Facebook sites were used to remind people who Michael is, and Steve Foster wrote a beautiful piece for the Greenbelt website on why he was excited by Michael playing the festival.

Coming to England to play when you live in Chicago is expensive, so the choice of gigs and venues was very important to ensure people would see Michael play and and then buy the CD. So thanks go to Rachel and the music team for Performance Café and The Rising, Last Order’s team for their show, and also the CD store guys for giving Michael a good afternoon slot.

I met Michael shortly before he was due to play Saturday night in the performance Café. He had already told me how tired he was - combination of jet lag and lack of sleep from being a proud new father. He looked weary and I wondered whether this could impact on the performance.

Come kick-off time the Performance Café was bursting at the seams with not a chair or space on the floor to be found. I made do with a space at the side of the stage, with two of Michael’s biggest fans, Mike and Hannah, just behind me. I spend half my time at a McDermott gig scanning the audience, watching their reactions, soaking in the emotions that they show from their listening. Even before the show started it was clear this was an audience that included people who already knew and love Michael’s music. Yes, even in England there are hardcore fans!

The front of the stage was packed with youngsters seated on the ground. One of the most notable bits about this weekend was the impact Michael clearly had on teenagers and I would love to see him do a workshop/show in the youth area at Greenbelt in the future.

So it’s showtime. Another of Michael’s biggest fans over here also happens to be the compere for this venue, so after several superlatives from Paul in the build-up, Michael hit the stage. Don’t ask me for the track list - I don’t remember. Total running time was 45-50 minutes (thanks Paul). Favourites such as So Am I, Wall, LA Woman rolled of Michael’s tongue. And it was all very weird. Michael played with such ferocity and emotion you might have expected this to be the start of some rallying cry to go forth into battle. Except that the audience was silent - totally silent. None of the constant background chattering you get in videos on YouTube of Michael playing bars and clubs in the States. Here was an audience that was totally stunned and shaken by the outpouring from Michael.

Quieter moments came with Wounded, which in itself carries such weight and power, and I was pleased that Carry Your Cross was chosen to be the closing song as Michael brought us gently back down to earth. He intertwined this with an old American gospel song which he sang un-miked as he strolled off through the crowd and off into the moonlight. Take a look at Flickr for pictures of Michael in the Performance Café - it’s a great venue, by far the best looking one at the festival.

No polite applause for Michael at the end of the performance, just an eruption of yelps and cheers.

Michael was to perform one song later that night at the Last Orders show - a kind of chat show/video and music event. Big venue and fairly full which is never easy at 11pm. I like to catch a bit of Last Orders each year as I was involved with them when they first got going. I have always wanted to see Michael play on the show so it was great to be sat amongst so many people to witness this. To be honest it was all over a bit too quickly and I cannot remember what he sang (may have been a new song).

Greenbelt for me is very much a time to catch up with old friends. I don’t have the luxury of many who go off on holidays to exotic places - my sole holiday each year is 2days spent at Greenbelt. It’s a strange place to go and try and unwind but most of my life long friends are also there and there is much catching up to be done. So for me, the rest of the evening was bar-side chats and early to bed. Michael, I believe, kept others entertained with his Springsteen repertoire. Would love to have heard it but life is about priorities, and for me that was sleep.

Sunday at Greenbelt is dominated by the coming together of 20,000 plus people for a morning service. So often in recent years I have been busy doing other stuff (last year I was arranging the communion taking place after the service, busy opening wine bottles) and only manage to dip into it. This year I was able to be there in its entirety. For the last 30 years I have always been with the same group of friends when I go to the service, and this year was no exception. Sadly the service failed to have the impact on me that it did on others. Poor sound and lack of video screen to the left of the stage made it difficult to follow the proceedings. But it is still a great feeling to be stood amongst so many.

The next chapter of Michael at Greenbelt was about to unfold. There is one "must-do" gig in my eyes for Michael at Greenbelt, and that is to stand alongside Martyn Joseph at The Rising. Three artists are chosen to appear with Martyn, and get to discuss their inspiration etc and sing a couple of songs. Martyn talked about the passion Michael puts into every word and note when he performs, and Michael duly delivered. This is a gig that is impossible to get into, such are the sizes of the queue, so grateful for friends who enabled for me to have the best view in the house. From memory Michael sang Wall and LA Woman (OK Still Aint Over You Yet - but LA Woman is easier to type). Michael then joined in on harmonies with Martyn on a Springsteen song. As with the Performance Café, Michael gave it everything. The messages from the States were true - he is singing the best people can remember. Audience reaction told you that he had nailed it.

A quick bite to eat and then it was off to the CD store for his final performance that weekend. A decent crowd was there to see him play and he gave 20 Miles an outing as his closing number. This was followed by a CD signing session, using his very own ("Michael McDermott Autograph Pen" - I kid you not!). The queue was great, and as with the rest of the weekend, Michael showed a warmness and engagement with fans that I had never witnessed before. None of the nerves that had been present on previous trips were evident and Greenbelters went away happy with their photo with Michael memento.

The weekend was almost over for both of us - I had to go home early the following day, Michael was flying back to Heather and Rain. There was time for an interview at the press office, and whilst Michael was doing that I had an interesting discussion with a journalist about music stuff.

Michael was clearly shattered and I dropped him back at the hotel. I caught up on some paperwork that I had promised myself I would do during the weekend and then met up with friends back at the festival. Later I joined the Pip Wilson crew in the bar and we chatted to the small hours with Gil Scott-heron’s band - wonderful stuff from them. Sadly Gil failed to show on the Monday, but that’s another story.

Monday morning I dropped Michael off at the coach station, said my farewells to people and headed home in a record 3 and a half hours, helped by the tribute show on Radio 4 to Humphrey Lyttelton.

I was away from home for about 52 hours. Not the longest holiday I have ever had! It had moments of joy, sadness, reflection and at times was just plain weird. Was it all worth it - YES.

Peace

2009-12-25T12:54:00.004Z

It seems appropriate that today should be the day I update this blog, exactly one year since the last entry and I am back in The Bull in Walsingham enjoying the hospitality on Christmas day of the landlord.

The year has been different from recent years with the expected news in February that my post would be made redundant. Months of messing around by HR meant that I finally left in August and I am still trying to sort out my leaving terms.

2008 was the year from hell with the house in London and work, and 2009 has been about fixing 2008! The house is still not quite finished (but almost) as resolving snagging has been long and complicated. Eventually I brought in a solicitor to terminate contracts and have been acting as project manager for last 6 months.

With no day job we have been fortunate having the cottage in Norfolk and have been staying there since June. This has given us a chance to live again after the previous 12 months. I’ve had various job interviews but no success and to be honest, non of the jobs ever felt really right. The plan at the moment is to go self-employed. For this though I need to be back in London as not much demand for rail advice in Norfolk. So our plan is to move back soon after Christmas – unless I can think of a way of earning some money in Norfolk.

I have also spent the last few months working on a project which may one day see the light of day. At the moment I spend time travelling to London to see Dragons Den type folk to persuade them I’m a good investment!

For Helen the last year has also been a chance to relax more and being in Norfolk over the entire summer was great as we seemed to be one of the few areas with good weather the entire time. Much of our time was spent on the beach and at Pensthorpe (watch BBC Springwatch).

Christmas is just the two of us at home in Walsingham. Parents are at my brother and his wife in London. This nearly got cancelled when Peter ended up stranded in Afghanistan after producing Radio 1 from there. Eventually the RAF got its act together though. Unlike last year though, our local friends are all here over Christmas so hopefully we will be able to manage the odd bit of hospitality.

No idea what 2010 will bring. I have a head full of ideas and I’m training to put these ideas into practice. I need to find some paid work fairly quickly to keep the wolves from the door, but whatever I do I want it to feel right.

Have a very Happy Christmas and New Year. There's a pint of Rudolf sitting on the bar for you, but be quick as they shut at 2.30.

2008-12-25T19:43:00.000Z

As the classic rock song said...”it’s been a long time since I Rock and Rolled”. And in my case it’s been a long time since I blogged.

But it’s Christmas Day and I’m sat in our local pub with the computer, so feel this is as good as time as any to write a few words.

Those who have seen our Christmas news letter will now that the last few months haven’t been the easiest. At work I got involved in a project in August which was expected to last a few weeks - a few months later and it is still on-going - albeit with an end in sight. Co-inciding with this was a separate project that I ended up leading which involved many late nights in the office in the run-up to Christmas and a few hours decamped in hotel rooms. Fortunately my sanity was maintained by being able to rush out for a couple of hours to join up with the curry crowd, and also to see a local showcase gig by the emerging Panama Kings.

We had planned to be back in London at the end of September but for reasons I best no go fully into on the internet, the building works we have been having done on our house are still on-going and so we are spending Christmas at our cottage in North Norfolk, having been staying here since June. This has both positives and negatives about it. It means being a very quiet time for us as our local friends are away until the new year so it will be just the two of us. It will also be the first time for me that I will not see any family on Christmas Day for probably about 20 years - the last time I can remember was when I used to work with Crisis over the Christmas period, de-licing weary travellers and other such joys! The rest of my direct family are gathering at my parents in Wales which is good and I will at least be able to link up via Skype. Hopefully my brother will not be called away - I think in the last 5 years he has ended up having to pack his bags on Boxing Day at least 3 times to go and cover a major news story the other side of the world.

The big positive for Helen and I is that we get the inglenook fireplace and log burning stove to look forward to each day, and the amazing countryside and coastal views. Prior to turning up at the pub today I did a grand tour of the North Norfolk area, eating sausage rolls in Burnham Market, whilst devouring hot croissants overlooking the bay at Wells. Tonight we will eat a Turkey, fresh from a local farm - I have yet to decide though whether to follow their advice and cook it upside down as this allows the juices to run from he fattier legs onto the breast meat. I would like to use the Rayburn (Aga) but having done few meals in it it is probably too big a risk.

There is not much to do in this part of the world once Christmas is upon us as January tends to be the month when most local shops shut their doors and take a well deserved break. On Christmas Eve we paid a visit to Pensthorpe to watch the wild birds being fed. We never tire of going to Pensthorpe and Helen has become very well known amongst the staff - particularly the wardens - for her wit. I expect we will be paying a few more visits over the next couple of weeks before I return to work.

2008 has been a year of challenges. Work has not been easy at times and next year is going to be dominated by the recession as company’s such as my own are forced to reduce staff numbers in an effort to survive. At the moment I am waiting to hear if we have been short-listed for something that would keep me busy for at least the first six months of 2009.

Whatever 2009 brings I hope that the experiences of 2008 have helped to make Helen and I much stronger and ready to face new challenges. There is nothing we want more than to see Helen start to show real signs of improvement in her health.

I guess I am still the little boy with dreams, never ever really growing up. 2008 saw Michael McDermott undertaking a major tour in the UK and Italy and I hope that 2009 will see him emerging over here as a name that is more familiar, and several appearances at Greenbelt. I will be following the progress of the Panama Kings with interest - really nice people and the nicest management you could ever wish to meet. And after working briefly with Justine Berry in 2008 I hope that we can put together some ground-breaking gigs in 2009.

I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and that you find yourselves re-energised for 2009, and that whatever the challenges you face ahead of you, that you will undertake them with new found enthusiasm.

Shalom.

2008-11-19T23:01:00.001Z

Lyrics for Pip - In The Year It all Went Wrong

i lost a grand in memphis
i bought a gun in reno
i sold my train ticket.....in milan
i missed a plane in dublin
i hopped the boat in frisco
i miss my pretty girl
who’s memory lingers on

i drank alot in houston
was a whore in chicago
did alot of powder.....everywhere i could
but its so damned confusing -all this abusing
i never seem to do,,...the things i know i should

i don’t know if i’ll make it to heaven
i can’t’[ tell between the sunset and the dawn........i’m just a pawn
from may to december.....i’ll always remember
the year it all went wrong

I hurt some friends in new york....
i lost a girl from england
i wondered where i might be
a year from now
would i be breathing
or still deceiving...
i'm runnin out of time
to turn this ship around

i scarred a scarlet sunset.
i painted a fallen rainbow
i saw an ancient castle
that had lost its king
i

i don’t know if i’ll make it to heaven
i’m not sure what street its on........what have i done
maybe i’ll awaken,.....from this dream where i'm forsaken
in the year it all went wrong

i’m searching and seeking....
though my boat seems to be leaking
and maybe someday i’ll l find the shore
where peace flows is an river
and the good lord still will deliver
on a journey inward.....toward a heavenly door

i smoked my dreams in hollywood
built em back up in philly
had a friend die in st louis
who was looking to score

got towed in saint paul
got snowed in, in denver
got picked up in detroit
got blown off in baltimore

i don’t know if i’ll make it to heaven
i don’t know,.....if i’m that strong.....or if i belong
i did nothing,.....i shoulda done something
the day it all went wrong

And the songwriter's comment after finishing writing ..."Shit it's only September"

2008-11-14T15:34:00.003Z

Well I know I keep harking on about them, but this is a rare chance to catch the Panama Kings in concert over the coming weeks as they support Dodgy on their UK tour and play a few of their own more intimate ones. I know main London date is sold out but for those up north you can catch them at Moho in Manchester on 28/11, the Attic in Accrington on 29/11 and Barfly in Liverpool on 2/12. If you live in London - tough, although you can see them play a set at Puregroove Records at 6pm on 26/11.

Recent gigs have continued to show these are 4 Belfast lads going places:

The Futureheads, Panama Kings
Island Arts Centre, Lisburn

Between chaos and pattern, between love and ‘fuck you’, between alt-rock guitars and dance rhythms, between post-this and post-that lies the domain of the Panama Kings. It is a realm they rule with absolute authority, tonight’s performance seeing them unfurl a regal procession of almighty tunes. The quartet further asserts their authority by letting loose a triple whammy of impressive new numbers. If any doubters remain they are soon hammered into submission by a pulverising rendition of mclusky’s ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’.

Of one new song, gloriously grumpy frontman Niall Kennedy announces, “I hope you enjoyed that, because I fucking didn’t.” Still, for the audience, this show serves notice of the unbridled potential of the Panama Kings. The vocal fixes your attention like nails dragged across skin, the guitars contort acrobatically, the bass is lithe as a ballerina and the drums are machine-precise and powerful. Songs such as ‘Your Children Are Screaming’ and ‘Toe The Party Line’ swarm with dramatic presence, taut nervousness and outrageous swagger. You don’t have to break your brain to realise the Panama Kings are a band of rare ability.

2008-10-31T07:38:00.002Z

It's been a while & this will be short as done via mobile. Life is manic, hard, frustrating & sometimes rewarding. I'm living out of hotel rooms during the week - changing most days to avoid boredom. We are stuck in Norfolk as work on London home gone badly wrong - would say more but need be careful what I say.

Helen has been great having to cope with me not around. We need a holiday but not likely for a while as work project is keeping me very busy. Will load some photos of my London travels when time.

Panama Kings - Toe The Party Line

2008-10-15T17:06:00.001+01:00

Unreleased track from the boys - spelling does not seem to be one of their better abilities! In some ways this reminds me of some earlier U2 sounds. You can catch them later this year supporting Dodgy on a few UK dates.

2008-09-23T14:27:00.000+01:00

Not dead - just very busy!

Justine Berry - Greenbelt Festival 2008

2008-08-30T20:09:00.001+01:00

Storming set at Performance Cafe - this was closing number. Not bad for 2nd gig only, and as the compere says, what a voice!

2008-08-16T22:05:00.003+01:00

It could only happen in Walsingham. Sitting in the coffee shop this morning trying to eat my toasted teacakes I was rudely interrupted by a couple of wasps - I hate wasps. So I asked my very good friend Paul who co-owns the shop with Mary his wife if he could get rid of them. At which point he pulls out a can of wasp killer spray and calls out to check if there are any Franciscan monks in the cafe. In Walsingham everything seems to be sacred.

2008-08-11T09:53:00.003+01:00

Don't tell my wife but I seem to be getting eyed up by a lot of birds these days....

2008-07-28T15:38:00.002+01:00

Beware the start of the revolution

The-Fly.co.uk
Aug 04 2008 12:00 am,

4/5

Panama Kings

‘Young Blood’

(WR Collect Records)

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON? There’s a point in ‘Young Blood’, about ¾ of the way through, where it breaks down into wiccy-wah, semi-on funkness and we don’t even feel sick. It must be because this treacly Modest Mouse-stumble pulls it off sublimely, by never sounding like anything other than Animal Collective being pinned down by a dribbling Brian Wilson and force-fed Flaming Lips b-sides. And despite frontman Niall Kennedy’s few-too-many-beers vocals, they’re from Belfast, not Portland. I dunno, I give up. Bravo, though.

Maybe they can persuade Iain Archer to invite them to appear as one of his guests for his show at Greenbelt. Or should that read.... maybe Iain Archer can persuade them to appear on his show at Greenbelt.

2008-07-24T10:39:00.002+01:00

Some U2 gossip that fell into my inbox today.

The word from Cadiz in Spain is that part of the city centre will be shutting down on July 23 and 24 to facilitate the shooting of a U2 single video.

London's NLTH Ltd. have been issued with a permit that allows a 19- person crew to do their do between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. The band themselves are not expected to be present.

While there's been no official confirmation, industry sources suggest that the new U2 album will be released in Ireland on November 14, with "The Cedars Of Lebanon," "Moment of Surrender," "For Your Love," "One Bird," "If I Could Live My Life Again," "Love Is All We Have Left" and "No Line on the Horizon" among the songs that are expected to feature.

The excellent U2tour.de and atu2.com websites have also drawn attention to the fact that Universal Music has registered the domain name nolineonthehorizon for the lead single.

2008-07-19T18:20:00.002+01:00

He may not be at Greenbelt this year but he will be in London before the festival. Make a date for Michael McDermott at the 12 Bar Club on 20th August - 45 minute set. He then flies out to Italy for several dates with Eileen Rose.

Nice to hear Panama Kings on Steve Lamacq's show - clearly a man with taste. I think I might nick-name them the band that Greenbelt let slip through their fingers!

2008-07-12T12:38:00.000+01:00

testing my newish mobile to see if able to blog.

Went to one of my favourite restaurants on Thursday - the Beach Blanket Babylon in Notting Hill. We were there to discuss work but I think the adjacent table of super models acted as a bit of a distraction!

Decided to stay up town as late night so booked into my usual hotel that I stay at during bid work. Still as Fawlty Towers as normal. This time they booked me into an occupied room - which at 1am can be a bit embarrasing!

2008-07-10T15:23:00.002+01:00

Well the list of artists performing at Greenbelt continues to grow. One of the latest is Seth Lakeman - can't say I've ever really got into his music. Given the choice I would have gone for Mike Mangione who I've blogged about before. His album Tenebrae is getting wider and wider attention and I predict that sometime over the next 6 months it will start getting mainstream airplay over here. The Aussies are smart people and he is performing in Sydney over the next copule weeks as a special guest at the World Youth Day Festival. In the meantime MTV has licensed the entire album to use songs as soundtracks in their programmes. Not bad going for an album that so far is unavailable in the shops. I WILL get him over here at some point! Here's a taster.

2008-06-26T16:00:00.001+01:00

Well it's nice to know someone reads this blog. No sooner had I posted my last one I got an email saying the Panama Kings single release date is now 4th August - oh, and that the folk at BBC 6 are loving it.

2008-06-24T11:09:00.003+01:00

So the place to be is Greenbelt, The Performance Cafe, Sunday 24th August at 7pm to see and hear Justine Berry. With Sunday night mainstage looking like it will be mainly dance theme I suspect her backing band will be wanting to make a shift exit to watch - after all they are all part of the collective known as Atomic Hooligan - winners of Best Live Act at the International Breakbeat Awards this year.

My only big regret (so far!) is that Greenbelt hasn't picked up on my constant suggestion to invite the Panama Kings (not like I asked for money!), especially after the band approached me to ask if they could play Greenbelt. With their debut single officially out on 14 July, support gigs with Jape, The Futureheads and Cut Copy and a string of summer festivals booked in Northern Ireland things are looking good. If you have so far resisted the urge, nip over to here and take a listen - especially the B Side of the single "I don't want to die". It's very catchy and no wonder that the band gets such praise on Radio 1. My personal copy is in the post. Let me know what you think.

2008-06-16T11:22:00.001+01:00

It's not all fun and games working for the BBC. This is part of series of articles my brother has been producing over the last few days in Ethiopia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7444998.stm

2008-06-13T09:39:00.002+01:00

Just in case you were thinking of a visit to New York instead of Greenbelt, then don't despair too much. As long as you plan your trip mid August you can get a slice of the very best of Greenbelt. Michael McDermott and Susan Enan are playing a series of gigs together around the New York area. Must have taken a genious to come up with that idea!

2008-06-11T22:38:00.002+01:00

Very busy at moment so no time to blog. Thought I had better update my last blog though. No sooner had I posted then an email arrived asking if Justine Berry would play the festival. So that's one off my list! Would love to see the Panama Kings invited as I think they would really set the place alight. And today I got an email telling me Michael will be over on 24th August - in Italy - as he starts a new tour with Eileen Rose. So if Greenbelt fancies having him for the Friday or Saturday for a nominal fee, you know how to get hold of me!

And if you're in London tomorrow night, go to the Luminaire to see Panama Kings support Malcolm Middleton.

2008-06-04T14:15:00.002+01:00

Looking at the Greenbelt website it is clear that the invites to play have been sent out as the music line up is now being populated. As I've heard nothing back (and normally it's mid May when they respond) it looks like I have been unsuccessful this year in getting any artists on the line-up - I just wish they would notify everyone at the same time instead of waiting to complete the line-up. So it's going to be a very quiet time for me at the festival unless someone asks me to do something.

On the plus side, a minor spat I was having with the festival has been resolved following a sudden u-turn so I might still turn up for my 30th Greenbelt.

2008-05-29T15:58:00.003+01:00

I'm still here - just a bit busy. But I received an email which I decided to check out and was glad I did. Emmanuel Jal played Greenbelt in 2005. I'm not a fan of rap but his new album Warchild is powerful stuff, looking back at his own life as a warchild. You can here bits of the album here or at his myspace site.

This is the title video of the album

2008-05-08T09:44:00.003+01:00

A further snippet from the Everest diary - this one was 3 days ago. I gather they finally made the summit today so I expect the BBC's hardy staff will be making swift arrangements to go somewhere a bit warmer.

Everest Olympic torch diary
After the Olympic torch's tour around the world, and ahead of its arrival in Beijing for the Games in August, the BBC's Jonah Fisher joins it for the high point of its trip - up Mount Everest.

In the seventh of his diary instalments, he hears news via a roundabout route, on the final ascent.

We're just a short distance from Mount Everest but the latest news on the ascent came from 5,000km (3,000 miles) away in Beijing.
China's state broadcaster CCTV sent an email to the BBC bureau informing them that from 0600 local time on Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday) it would be broadcasting a six-hour special called Sacred Flame to Scale Mt Qomolangma (Everest).

Wednesday's briefing at Everest media centre had, of course, not thought to touch on such a trivial matter.

We were instead forced to listen to a man from an electricity company tell us how the media centre gets its power (solar and generators), followed by a telecoms man tell us about the internet service we use (too expensive, a local journalist complained).

There was then some information about the climbers' route, but nothing about when the climb would take place.

It was about 10 hours after the email first arrived at the BBC that a late-night press conference was called at the media centre. By that time the yak manure stoves had been burning for a while and we were addressed through a powerful-smelling haze.

Mr Shao Shiwei, the spokesman from the Beijing Organising Committee, announced with great gusto that the attempt on the summit would start early the next day. There were no gasps of surprise.

The families of most of the journalists had already seen adverts for the special programme on CCTV and had called to let them know.

Twelve climbers will make up the final group. If all goes according to plan, they will carry the specially designed lanterns to the summit before lighting a torch.

It is that image of the Olympic torch on top of the world which the Chinese are hoping people will remember.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7388699.stm

Published: 2008/05/07 17:44:53 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

2008-05-07T15:54:00.003+01:00

Blimey 3 blogs in a day. I couldn't resist posting this link though. We go back quite a long way and I like to think I've played a part in helping Justine get to where she is now. These songs are frankly awesome! I wonder if the manager job offer still stands!

http://www.myspace.com/thejustineberry

2008-05-07T13:49:00.002+01:00

If you ever follow the news you may know that the Chinese have been attempting to take the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest. There's been a series of diary blogs on the BBC site covering this. My brother is one of the two BBC people out there trying in vain to capture something news worthy but the Chinese seem more interested in showing of their fire hoses - which of course are very essential in a place like Everest! Here's a snippet from the the Beeb.

Everest Olympic torch diary
As the Olympic torch makes its way around the world before arriving in Beijing for the Games in August, the BBC's Jonah Fisher joins it for the high point of its trip - on Mount Everest.

In the fifth of his diary instalments, he takes a tour of Everest base camp.

On Wednesday we had a treat.
After lengthy negotiations with the border police our minders secured us permission to visit Everest base camp 5km from our media village.

With strict instructions not to film the numerous military trucks on the way, we were driven to the tented camp that forms the command centre for both the climbing team as well as the official Chinese media.

Stop filming

My colleague Peter Emmerson and I climbed a small ridge with a great view of both the tents of base camp and Mount Everest. We attempted to do a piece to camera.

Unfortunately it seems the military are everywhere in base camp. We were soon accused of filming military areas and forced to stop filming.

Clambering breathlessly down from the ridge we were herded towards our next briefing. In a week that has seen a lot of pointless briefings, this one broke new ground.

A crew of firemen explained how in this rocky, barren and almost entirely plantless landscape there was a severe risk of fire. There followed a demonstration of their surprisingly powerful hose.

Feeling more mutinous than ever we were hauled off to meet the head weatherman of the torch team, Yang Xing Guo.

It was clear that something had happened before his words were even translated. The gasps from the Chinese journalists said it all. After days of a news blackout we were about to receive a new piece of information.

"It would be hard to climb the summit today," he said. "It's certainly not possible in the next three days because there is wind above 100km/h."

Could it be that Mr Yang had not been told in advance? Didn't he know that we were supposed to be told nothing about the climbers' plans?

World of answered questions

Gleefully we walked off to the next event clutching our fact for the day. The smiles lasted only a few minutes though until the flipside began to sink in. We could be here in the bitter cold and high altitude for quite a while.

Next on the base camp tour was a briefing on the specially-designed lantern and torch that will be used to ascend the mountain.

EVEREST TORCH DIARY

While looking very similar to the globetrotting torch, these flame-carriers will burn a solid state fuel which I'm told stays alight better at low oxygen levels.

The lanterns will be used to take the flame to the top of Everest where a special lighter will be used to ignite an Olympic torch. If all goes according to China's plan it will be that image of the torch on Everest that will be on front pages around the world.

Having had two consecutively interesting briefings, we staggered in shock to the hospitality tent where we were plied with coffee and biscuits. Our three-hour stay in base camp at an end, we got back on our bus to be driven through the checkpoints back to the media centre.

We'd had a tantalising taste of a world where people actually answer our questions.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7377029.stm

Published: 2008/05/01 10:16:31 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

2008-05-07T12:10:00.000+01:00

It occurs to me that I have forgotten to mention something in recent blogs - I've known it a while but for some reason it wasn't formally announced so I had to keep quiet. So here it is:

Panama Kings - JD Set Unsigned Masterclass Winners 2008

Part of the prize is going onto the books of X-Ray Touring who handle some of the biggest names around such as Coldplay. Not sure how much they will need this support as the band keeps getting invited to play with some really good names over in Belfast. I'm now starting a campaign to have them as the main support band to Michael Franti on the Firday night at Greenbelt. Are you listening Rachael???

Michael McDermott - The River

2008-05-02T17:07:00.001+01:00

This was recorded during Italian leg of recent tour over here - nice cover of Springsteen's The River. You have to whack up the volume at the end as he went unplugged and let the audience take over.

2008-04-29T09:56:00.004+01:00

Much has been said over the last few days in the press and elsewhere about the very sad demise of Humphrey Lyttelton. Being a Radio 4 addict since the age of 5 he has long been an idol of mine with the way he delivered some of the funniest lines on radio in a complete dead-pan manner. By far the biggest laughter from I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue was reserved for his comments at the end of the show about the "delightful Samantha", the show's scorer. Perfectly innocent comments that somehow the audience always managed to interpret differently. This selection was printed in the Sunday Times at the weekend.

"Samantha’s just started keeping bees and already has three dozen or so. She says she’s got an expert handler coming round to give a demonstration. He’ll carefully take out her 38 bees and soon have them flying round his head"

"Samantha has to nip off to the National Opera, where she’s been giving private tuition to the singers. Having seen what she did to the baritone, the director is keen to see what she might do for a tenor"

"Samantha has to nip off to a Welsh Conservative Association dinner for their most senior MP, whose name is said to be almost impossible to pronounce. She’s certainly found the longest standing Welsh member a bit of a mouthful"

"Samantha has to go now as she’s off to meet her Italian gentleman friend who’s taking her out for an ice-cream. She says she likes to spend the evening licking the nuts off a large Neapolitan"

"Samantha does a few chores for an elderly gentleman who lives nearby. She shows him how to use the washing machine and then prunes his fruit trees. Later he’ll hang out his pyjamas as he watches her beaver away up the ladder"

"After tasting the meat pies, Samantha said she liked Mr Dewhurst’s beef in ale; although she preferred his tongue in cider"

2008-04-28T12:30:00.001+01:00

It’s 11.30pm on a Saturday night at the Windmill in Brixton, South London and the place is packed. On stage is a band from Belfast called the Panama Kings and the audience is singing along to their songs. Every so often you stumble across a rare commodity in the music world - something that is different that sets a band out from all of its peers. Back in 81 I first saw U2 and was immediately struck by the different sound they had and they way that they immediately captivated an audience, of whom the vast majority had probably never ever heard of them.

It’s taken a while for a band from across the Irish Sea (and in this case Northern Ireland) to capture my attention quite the way U2 did back then but Panama Kings seem to fit the bill. They are young, have their own particular style and don’t simply sound like every other band, writing some exceedingly good songs. The danger is that all the hype they are receiving across the water could ultimately prove to be their downfall if expectations fail to be met. But this is a band whose feet are solidly on the ground and seem to shun the attention of A&R men. They have a management team that will not push them too fast too soon and is happy to just let them get on with making and playing good music.

I chatted with Niall and Ricardo before they played. The last time we met they had just played a JD Unsigned gig and I gave them a lift back to Brick Lane after the show. Belfast is clearly a small place as people they mix with and know back home are familiar names to me via Greenbelt. Standing just to our left was a member of the Amazing Pilots, whilst back home they have duetted with Iain Archer and seem to know Steve Stockman quite well (although I suspect so does half of Belfast!). We talked about their rapid rise to success in Northern Ireland and how they coped with the accolades being given them, and the gig they had played the night before supporting the Undertones in Belfast. Ricardo had even heard of Michael McDermott and was aware he had just been on tour over here so clearly went up in my estimation!

We also talked about Greenbelt which they had heard about from friends back home. They presumed that it was too late to be considered for this year’s festival - so I said never presume anything - all things are possible. So I shall be making some hasty enquiries with the Greenbelt office to see if they might be interested in Belfast’s finest - I just hope they don’t immediately think I mean Snow Patrol (although Gary Lightfoot is another man to have sung with the band live).

And if you live in London, there’s a chance to see them again on Tuesday night at the Dublin Castle - should be on stage a bit earlier this time - probably 9pm.

2008-04-17T13:11:00.002+01:00

This is a great video of recent session by Dodgy in Manchester. I've been trying to work out how much they would cost to book - I'd forgotten they had added horns and keyboards for the live shows, so a bit more than I had bargained for. Great to see Andy in his best Lou Reed look - looks years younger than when playing in Hey Gravity! If you have time, sit back relax and watch/listen and see how many songs you suddenly find yourself knowing.

2008-04-15T12:30:00.002+01:00

Michael McDermott is currently somewhere in Italy, playing shows over the next 5 days, including one for Sky TV. You may be wondering how things currently stand between us given my comments in an earlier blog.

We had a chat after the Borderline show to discuss some of the issues that had arisen on the UK leg of the tour. We also discussed the future to try and understand what Michael really wants to do over the next 12 months.

I wouldn’t say things are perfect – but then they never are and with Michael you never quite know what he is going to do next. The tour as a whole was mixed – including audience numbers as the Barfly gigs were all badly promoted with only the Borderline having a good turnout. Other locally promoted venues faired much better. Michael was clearly distracted most of the time from the reason why he was supposed to be there in the first place – first for his old love and then for his new love – not sure if somewhere in between there was a current love that I missed! For the moment I feel Michael is going through an infatuation process – it may lead to real love, or it may end in tears – only time will tell.

I have a number of ideas up my sleeve in terms of what I would like to try and do next with him but until things settle down there is only so much that is worth pursuing. Bringing him over to the UK is not cheap and I don’t want see the people who back these trips being let down. He needs to work out for himself what it is he really wants and if that means discovering real love then I’ll be backing him all the way. For all I know the next 12 months could see wedding bells and the pitter patter of tiny McDermott feet – yikes!

And finally, on a positive note we now have a UK tour manager AKA Steve who fed, drove, housed, listened, and all those other things a tour manager does – even to the point of fixing him up with a girl although not sure that bit was planned! The boy did good.

2008-04-15T10:06:00.001+01:00

The Panama Kings are playing the Windmill in Brixton on 26 April. If you're in London be sure to check them out. In the meantime, you can catch a glimpse of them live at http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/atl/atltv4_sessions.shtml - just click on panama kings.

2008-04-11T13:26:00.000+01:00

Michael McDermott Live at the Borderline in London 9 April 2008

2008-04-09T15:19:00.002+01:00

I was chatting to good friend Andrew earlier - had planned to be at McDermott gig tonight but is somewhere in Wales running the Thomas the Tank Engine tour (you may laugh - as I did originally - but it is playing to sold out major venues. He mentioned an article in yesterday's Guardian that I should read. So Thomas for Greenbelt this year?

The link is here

No doubting Thomas
A children's story about friendly tank engines has become something of a religious experience
Giles Foden The Guardian,
Tuesday April 8 2008

Easter being so early has caused many children either to be at home when they should be at school or, depending on the institution and region, at school when they should be at home. Such havoc would not please Sir Topham Hatt, of Thomas the Tank Engine fame, confusion being one of "his least favourite things". So Sir Topham, aka the Fat Controller, tells us in the current touring production of Thomas and Friends, a live stage performance already more or less sold out across the country. In the show, Thomas and his friends, James, Percy and Gordon, share a story that encourages life lessons such as discovery, friendship and cooperation.

Along with thousands of other children, as my enemies might put it, I attended a recent performance of Thomas and Friends at London's Hammersmith Apollo. The experience was a salutary lesson in strong branding and the pulling power of Thomas, whose name was with terrifying fervour chanted by the waiting audience. No wonder. The deep structure of the stage narrative reveals Thomas to be nothing less than the new incarnation of our Blessed Master.

The characterisation of Thomas as Christ is focused in an advent song: "He's the one, he's the one, he's the really useful engine we adore, he's the one, he's the one, he's the number one, Thomas the Tank Engine!" It's also demonstrated in the pattern of the story itself. Thomas is the saviour. Banishing the confusion and delay abhorred by the Fat Controller he saves the day.

Fellow engine Percy is stuck in a quarry, subject to the snide comments of a Troublesome Truck. He is due on the other side of the island of Sodor (the site, roughly based on the Isle of Man, of the Reverend Thomas Awdry's original tales dating from 1945). His belatedness, along with the failure of the lighthouse that will guide overseas visitors, mean that Sodor's annual Festival of the Magic Lanterns may not occur. Then along comes Thomas to rescue Percy, overcoming adversity and the negativity of the Troublesome Truck.

As a bonus Thomas and Percy discover an old diamond mine, from where they secure a boulder-sized diamond, with which to replace the lighthouse's missing bulb (the idea being that the diamond will reflect the lights of incoming ships). Light is restored and time is redeemed, pleasing the Fat Controller. All in all it proves "the coming of para-religion" as David McKie termed it in these pages, in a 1997 piece referring to the surge of quasi-Marian idolatry which followed Princess Diana's death. A decade later, enviromentalism might be seen as another example.

For all its holistic, boundary-crossing appeal, the green movement could borrow some of the brand extending qualities of Thomas. Over the years he has appeared in Meccano, Lego, and various wooden models, as a Commodore, Nintendo, and Playstation game, and many other forms of merchandise, some of which is for sale in the Apollo's foyer. It is a remarkable apotheosis for a character who was just one of many engines in Awdry's original Railway Series.

Like God's being, Thomas is a sign of contradiction: a cross, as it were. As the brand has extended horizontally across categories and integrated vertically between media (the stage show borrowing techniques from the computer game), Thomas himself has become singular, more special than ever. He is risen, he is real, witnessed by wondrous crowds. They are gazing into the sky above Hammersmith after the show. The object of their reverence, a helium-filled Thomas. Released, he floats defiantly, if a little uncertainly, above the howling flyover.

· Giles Foden is the author of The Last King of Scotland and professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia.
giles.foden@guardian.co.uk

2008-04-09T12:42:00.002+01:00

Couple of videos from last night's gig in a crypt by Michael McDermott in London town.

Still Ain't Over You Yet - a song written about an ex

And this amazing take on of Purple Rain

2008-04-08T12:56:00.003+01:00

I remembered today one of the reasons why I don't miss working in the City. For reasons I won't go into, we have a stockbroker based in Canada who manages some money for us. No matter how early I email him he always seems to respond straight away. I can only guess he sleeps with a Blackberry under his pillow.

2008-04-07T17:29:00.003+01:00

Every so often you want the world to just swallow you up - last night being applicable for me. I decided to go out for dinner with M, his latest tour attachment and a couple who were friends of M, visiting from the States. There is nothing worse than being sat at a table where you are the only single person and the rest of the people sat around it spend their entire time sitting gooey eyed at each other. Excuse me whilst I go and vomit.

Yesterday was supposed to be about doing a short set at a busy bar/restaurant that books some good names - basically about getting kudos. But when the text came to say too tired, need to rest the voice etc I decided to be kind and scrap the plan. What I didn't expect was this to be an excuse so that the day could be spent out on the town touring bars etc - that's not my definition of resting. People have put a lot of time and effort into making the current tour happen, and maybe I've got it all wrong, but I believe that opportunities like this are rare and that you have to give 100% all of the time, not just when standing up on a stage. Time to make some big decisions.

2008-04-04T13:39:00.001+01:00

Not sure what happens if you click here but if you are lucky you go to a movie download of Michael McDermott:

Michael McDermott

2008-04-02T14:19:00.001+01:00

Arm Yourself - Barfly Brighton 27 March 2008

2008-03-31T12:55:00.003+01:00

Michael's tour takes a detour to Hogwarts

2008-03-13T16:44:00.003Z

The pressure of work - to be more precise trying to sort venues, transport and hotels for the forthcoming Michael McDermott tour has kept me away from blog land. So just a quick one now.

17th March sees the European release of Noise from Words by Michael McDermott, with a revised version - 2 additional CD tracks, including one of my favourites - Antique Store. No idea what is planned for the release over here, or if you can actually buy the CD next week. But nevertheless a major victory as there were originally no plans to release it over here - so the record label must be pleased with what they have seen so far.

The Manchester gig is off - was planned for 6th April then the promoter moved it to 8th April when Michael is now playing a solo gig in London. Sorry Manchester, but you can still see him in Liverpool on 3rd April.

For further information and all dates go to myspace.com/michaelmcdermott.

2008-03-01T22:34:00.002Z

Before I forget, I must mention my own personal sadness of hearing the news about Larry Norman passing away at 60. He remains part of my most memorable moment at Greenbelt, back in 1990 I believe when a group of us, including Larry, sat up half the night talking about music outside a small cafe at Greenbelt. Reading about his death I discovered he had recently been working with Modest Mouse and the Pixies. And by coincidence, I was asked to go see a band play the other night who are cited as being influenced by the Pixies and Modest Mouse.

Hailing from Belfast the band is called Panama Kings and they are creating quite a stir over there. After a quick 2 day crash course in their music I could understand why. Watching them play alongside more established bands it was clear they had something very different about themselves compared to the average indie bands around. They have only been playing together a few months but look and sound like it has been for several years. They are also extremely nice guys - in fact so nice I drove them back to their accommodation as the multi million pound sponsor for the night decided that it couldn't afford to pay their taxi - most bizarre. Hopefully I'll be blogging quite a bit more about them in the future. In the meantime go check them out at .

2008-02-18T22:47:00.003Z

A bit of nostalgic McDermott - but can you recognise the lead guitarist?

Michael McDermott WEST OF EDEN Dir. Michael Kahn

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2008-02-08T12:28:00.000Z

Stumbled across this when doing some research on Michael McDermott. He gets featured alongside other greats such as Springsteen and Hanson??? There's some interesting stuff here and it's worth spending some time looking through the reviews. Here is the interview with Michael:

"Round here everybody is bleeding or everybody's filled with doubt/ Then out on the horizon, they say the truth is reveled/ Say the word, say the word, say the word/ And I shall be healed … Then I stood at an altar, the weight had caused me to kneel/Say the word, say the word, say the word/And I shall be healed" —from "I Shall Be Healed"

When Michael McDermott debuted on Giant Records in 1990, his yearning acoustic anthems earned comparisons to Bob Dylan, with some heralding him as the next Bruce Springsteen. Yet in spite of the critical acclaim, sales for 620 W. Surf never took off as expected. As a result, the troubadour began a streak of record label limbo, dropping 1993's Gethsemane on SBK, followed by a self-titled record on Capitol in 1996.

In addition to sound, McDermott's songs also resemble Springsteen and Dylan in that they sometimes bear a strong spiritual influence. It reflects his upbringing in the church, as well as his consideration of the priesthood.

"I grew up an Irish Catholic on the south side of Chicago and faith was instilled pretty early in my life," the singer/songwriter told Christian Music Today. "After high school, I thought about becoming a priest because I was pretty directionless, so I'd spend every day split between going to church and working in a record store. I began writing songs, singing, and performing, and that's where my cat and mouse game with God started. I began to 'tear down the temple' so to speak and lived out excess on the road."

Caught between the temptations of newfound stardom and the red tape of the record label, McDermott soon slipped into a cycle of alcohol and drugs. As he continued switching record companies with every album released from the late 1990s into the 2000s, the stress load continued, leading his music into darker territory, yet still spiritually influenced. "[Religious symbolism] has always been part of my vernacular," he adds. "Growing up with the Bible, those images have been burned through my mind and psyche. I don't try to do it—the language just kind of happens that way."

Today, McDermott depicts that roller coaster of uncertainty through his 2008 release Noise From Words. But for the first time in his life—personally and professionally—he appears to be cleansed from the demons that used to haunt him, using faith to overcome the occasional temptation that comes along the current path. There's an almost worshipful fervency to the piano ballad "I Shall Be Healed" (excerpted above), which vividly describes a personally confusing period for the singer/songwriter, alluding not only to forgiveness, but also finding spiritual peace.

"I wrote that song after a two day bender where I found bottom again—which I've found so many times that I've almost dug myself to China!" he admits. "I was at St. Michael's church out here and had an epiphany moment just before communion. I was in the chapel crying my eyes out and [wrote it in the context] of always feeling so close to spiritual peace, but not quite being able to grasp it. I feel closer to it now more than ever before."

McDermott bares his soul further with the Celtic-flavored "A Long Way from Heaven," which comes wrapped heavily around Tom Waits-styled lyricism: "Hey Lazarus where have you been boy?/ Is death something you still enjoy?/You're a long, long, long way from heaven/The Lord He giveth and the Lord He take/ I've broken laws that I couldn't face."

McDermott's candor and imagery is admittedly unconventional by Christian music standards. But he insists that honesty is the best policy. "I'm not embarrassed of [the times I've fallen]," he says, "and writing about them almost seems therapeutic. I'm scared, lonely, desperate, struggling, hurting and wounded. My songs aren't musically complex, but they come from challenging places and I won't be afraid to show off that side in concert, even though they may not be that sunny."

McDermott adapts biblical imagery again in the harmonica-doused "Tread Lightly," pointing a finger of caution at anyone wallowing in self-pity: "This water ain't holy/That bird ain't a dove/When the road gets darkest/Tread lightly my love/When your heart gets heavy/With what you've been in fear of/When you need some surrender/Tread lightly my love." The simple acoustic ballad "Broken" is also loaded with clear-cut expressions of faith, pleading to "say a prayer tonight for the broken."

Noise For Words has drawn a variety of listeners from varying spiritual backgrounds, ranging from seekers to the devout. But despite the spiritual conversations he's shared with fans after concerts, don't expect him to make the leap to the Christian music market anytime soon.

"EMI almost pushed to have me try the Christian thing or at least distribute my music [to those stores]," shares McDermott. "But it just didn't seem to be Christian enough, even though [mainstream] rock fans sometimes think it's too Christian! I always felt in between without a home. I'd be curious to try it, but I just don't know if I could [really fit]."

McDermott's most recent tour isn't only about the music. He also works some speaking dates into his schedule, going into greater depth explaining the new songs and the personal stories that shaped them—including many of the aforementioned temptations and personal demons. He warns that his story comes from a vulnerable place that doesn't sugarcoat the truth, and that it's a much more forward presentation than the average Christian industry speaker.

"So many times [you'll see a speaker] and they'll give their testimony and then say 'everything's great,'" notices McDermott. "Sometimes when you hear those, they can make you feel worse and emptier because your heart is still broken in a million little pieces. Everything is not great with me [because temptation is will always be there]. But it's great to be able to share my story and hopefully help others."

That story has been an essential component of McDermott's songwriting that helps meet listeners where they're at, offering a personal example of hope in the midst of a gradual and continual process. Though he'll be the first to admit the walk isn't always easy, Noise For Words is a tangible example of the troubadour turning over a new leaf and letting each future step be dictated by faith.

2008-02-06T14:58:00.000Z

For fans of M0rrissey (or not) - had lunch with the author of this recent article in the Times today. Already heard the story but even better written up.

2008-02-05T10:54:00.000Z

With moving house last year we were due a refund on our council tax that we had already paid. Several months later and we were still trying to prise the money out of the council, whilst be threatened with the risk of being taken to court if we failed to pay tax on the new house. And then out of the blue a letter arrived to say we were being sent a large cheque and all outstanding tax had been paid off. Not what we expected as the amount due to us was just a couple of hundred pounds. It turns out the house had been wrongly banded and we are due 12 years council tax rebate - so far only gone back 7 so looking forward to the next letter from them.

We are probably lucky though as the only reason we seem to have discovered this is because of the fuss we have made about recovering the amount due from moving. A quick check of the banding of the houses belonging to our old neighbours suggest they too are entitled to refund, so time to put the message around.

2008-02-04T10:07:00.000Z

Possibly a bit dated now as it was originally written during the Blair/Bush administration but the message is the same for all political leaders who have outstayed their welcome. Maybe I could adopt it as a Liverpool theme tune in reference to the American owners.

2008-01-19T22:31:00.001Z

And some more

2008-01-19T22:13:00.000Z

Some photos of what I've been up to in recent months

2008-01-18T16:56:00.000Z

OK so now it's 2 posts in 1 day but when you watch this video you will know why. Just posted on YouTube this is McDermott live at The Rising Greenbelt 2007 singing an amazing version of Wounded. If you like it tell your friends and go buy them tickets!

2008-01-18T13:39:00.000Z

It occurs to me that I am at risk of disappearing into oblivion if my blog page is anything to go by. There is probably much to say but sometimes I find it hard to see the wood from the trees. One thing I do want to do is start promoting the forthcoming Michael McDermott concerts in the UK and Europe. It’s possible a few more dates may be added but for now, here is the definitive list:

27 Mar 2008 19:30
Barfly Brighton-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Brighton, UK
30 Mar 2008 21:00
The Cellars-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Eastney, UK
31 Mar 2008 19:30
Barfly Cambridge-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Cambridge, UK
1 Apr 2008 19:30
Barfly Birmingham-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Birmingham, UK
2 Apr 2008 19:30
Barfly Fibbers York-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott York, UK
3 Apr 2008 19:30
Barfly Liverpool-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Liverpool, UK
4 Apr 2008 19:30
Blackfriars-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Glasgow, Scotland
5 Apr 2008 20:00
The Ent Shed-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Bedford, UK
6 Apr 2008 20:00
Ruby Lounge-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Manchester, UK
7 Apr 2008 20:00
Barfly Wales-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Cardiff, Wales
9 Apr 2008 20:00
Borderline-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott London, UK
10 Apr 2008 20:00
The Frog & Fiddle-Eileen Rose & Michael McDermott Cheltenham, UK
18 Apr 2008 20:00
Naima Club-Michael McDermott & Eileen Rose Forli, Italy

The way I look at it is there has to be somewhere on this list close to where you live. And the even better incentive for going is that you might even bump into me! I’ve no idea yet what gigs I might get to – in part it depends on where we might be living – London or Norfolk.

2007-12-31T22:39:00.000Z

Happy New Year - and may it live up to expectations! We've had a fairly quiet Christmas - until tonight. The events in Pakistan meant my brother disappeared to Pakistan - just as his wife was going down with flue! They don't have much luck at Christmas - the Tsunami a few years ago cut it short very quickly. We've had my parents over and I have just about managed to get this Macbook pro to work. Two days have been spent digging out fence posts and cementing in new ones and fixing back up panels that blew down from house we rent out. I hate digging out posts so hired a pneumatic drill to do the job.

Tonight we planned a quiet night in with a rib of beef to keep us company. Then someone decided to break into next door and I decided to be the tuff guy and investigate. To cut a long story short there was a bit of tustle as we wrestled around on the ground before he ran off with me in chase. Sadly by the time the police had caught up I had lost sight of where he had gone. Hopefully nothing was stolen and the neighbours will forgive me for destroying their garden and front wall which seemed to collapse during the struggle. In hindsight, just wish I had taken a photo of him on my phone instead of trying to call the police. I gave a fairly full description but one that probably applies to several thousand. Bit tough on Helen as she had to deal with police in my absence as I shot off down the road in pursuit, and then didn't know if I was dead or alive for a while as I couldn't get the police off the phone to ring back home. My biggest concern was the beef in the oven - the police insisting I go for a drive round the area and me trying to explain that dinner was in the oven. In the end Helen got one of the police on site to go and check the food was all OK!

Tomorrow we relax.

2007-12-21T13:46:00.001Z

Any plans to blog in the last couple of weeks were put on hold as access to a working PC became scarce. Very little spare time at home so no chance there of logging on, other than to for business purposes. And at work my laptop, and it’s subsequent replacement, were suffering from an attack of viruses.

So in case I get no other opportunity before Christmas, Happy Christmas everyone.

At least you haven’t had to put up with me going on about the Led Zeppelin concert 11 days ago. It’s been well covered in the press and I must admit it was a really good night – not least because of getting to see Yes and ELP perform together.

The Hey Gravity! Tour hit a brick wall when the drummer had a double hernia and forced several dates to be postponed. In the meantime Cross Rhythms has fallen in love with Hey Gravity. Yes you read that right. I’ve been doing a bit of plugging and this week the album got 10/10 in their review section. A pity you cannot buy it in the UK though. I wonder if Greenbelt gives automatic mainstage slots to bands who get full marks at Cross Rhythms?

We have bought a Mac – still in a box and various problems with Apple meant we ended up with 3 laptops at one stage, but now sorted and compensation received for the inconvenience. Now if someone could tell me how these things actually work…..

I think we are almost ready for Christmas. No big parties to go to, just the house to ourselves and the mice who seem to be regular visitors. I’ve tried to be nice setting humane traps, but as they seem to know a set-up when they see it, the killer versions have now bee rolled out.

Christmas Day will be spent as usual with me visiting my brother and wife in the morning before going home to open all our presents (which after buying a house will not take very long this year). A list of jobs to do work on the house will keep me busy for the week I have off.

It’s been a very strange year. Work has not gone at all to plan and I feel there are still a number of unresolved issues. With no big bids for the last 6 months I have been adjusting to other modes of transport – namely buses. For 2008 I plan a fresh start – new ideas and momentum – they won’t know what hit them!

On the music front again hit and miss. Michael McDermott’s UK visit was a big success and a full tour is in place for next year. I’ve failed to do much work on other artists who I work with, and despite Hey Gravity doing well in France, they continue to be ignored in the UK. Not sure what plans are for next year – Justine, the lead singer has recorded a great solo demo and I want to plug this a bit more – it’s aimed very much at the Christian music market, but don’t let this put you off – it’s quite quirky – kind of Lilly Allen on acid.

2007-11-26T10:17:00.000Z

Michael McDermott dates in the UK getting close to being finalised. Here's a summary of what is currently happening:

Ei*leen Rose (Michael tentative)
Wednesday 26th March 2008: CHELMSFORD - Alter States at The Bassment (07802 333416 / www.alterstates.com and www.wegottickets.com)

Thursday 27th March 2008: BRIGHTON - Barfly (0870 907 0999 / www.barflyclub.com)

Friday 28th..TBA

Saturday 29th March 2008: .... TBA

Sunday 30th March 2008: EASTNEY (Hampshire) - The Cellars (01730 231733/www.thecellars.co.uk or www.stiffpromotions.co.uk/tickets.htm)

Monday 31st March 2008: CAMBRIDGE - The Graduate (www.barflyclub.com / www.myspace.com/cambridgegraduate
0870 907 0999)

Tues 1st April :Trying to get Michael onto Barfly gig in Birmingham

Wednesday 2nd April 2008: YORK - Fibbers (0870 9070 999 / www.fibbers.co.uk)

Thursday 3rd April 2008: LIVERPOOL - Barfly (0870 907 0999 / www.barflyclub.com)

Friday 4th April 2008: GLASGOW - Blackfriars (www.cpllive.co.uk / www.tickets-scotland.com)

Saturday 5th April 2008: BEDFORD - The Ent Shed (01234 409297 or 07818 493053 / www.eastwestpromotions.co.uk)

Sunday 6th April 2008: MANCHESTER - The Ruby Lounge, 28-34 High Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1QB (0161 832 1111 / www.ruby-lounge.co.uk

Monday 7th April 2008: CARDIFF Barfly (0870 907 0999 / www.barflyclub.com)

Tuesday 8th April 2008: .... looking for a gig....

Wednesday 9th April 2008: LONDON - The Borderline (020 7534 6970 / www.meanfiddler.com)

2007-11-21T12:56:00.000Z

One of the joys of living in East Dulwich is the East Dulwich Forum website which is very active and covers a wide range of subjects. One of the latest issues is the East Dulwich bag - a campaign to replace all plastic bags in the area - you can read more at the official website here. Even more intriguing is the song that has been recorded about the East Dulwich bag that you can listen to here. Now how many others can say that they have a song about their local shopping bag?

2007-11-16T12:32:00.000Z

Next week Hey Gravity! will feature each day on the BBC6 Music Breakfast Show. On Monday you can hear Justine being interviewed shortly after 9am. For more info go here

2007-11-15T12:54:00.000Z

For those of you who might be interested Michael McDermott will be undertaking a European tour next year from 25 March to 10 April with Eileen Rose. I like it when crazy ideas turn into reality. Expect him to be playing across UK and several dates in Italy and Holland.

2007-11-09T10:12:00.000Z

Today I sit at my desk with a smug look having read the newspaper cuttings and seen that Project X that I have been involved on for the last few months has to date been successful. Still lots more to do mind.

2007-11-07T12:40:00.000Z

We live in a society of red tape - as the following BBC article shows:

UK chooses 'most ludicrous laws'
A little-known law which prohibits people dying while in the Houses of Parliament has been voted the UK's most ludicrous piece of legislation.
Another law which states it is treason to use a postage stamp upside down was placed in second place by those polled by UKTV Gold.

The most absurd international law was judged to be in the US state of Ohio, where it is illegal to get fish drunk.

The 3,931 people asked selected the laws from a shortlist of bizarre rules.

A total of 27% of those questioned thought the law against dying in the Houses of Parliament was the most absurd, while 7% voted for the legislation banning placing postage stamps upside down.

In third place, with 6%, came a law stating that only a clerk in a tropical fish store has permission to be topless in public in Liverpool.

Driving blindfolded

Other lesser-known laws making the top 10 included one banning eating mince pies on Christmas Day and another stating it is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.

Almost half of those asked confessed to breaking the mince pie law, which was brought in by Oliver Cromwell in the 17th Century.

The unusual international laws on the list included legislation against naming a pig Napoleon in France, driving while wearing a blindfold in Alabama and unmarried women parachuting on a Sunday.

The Law Society last year revealed other bizarre UK laws still in existence on the statute book.

They included a ban on firing a cannon close to a dwelling house (Met Police Act 1839); a ban on the use of any slide upon ice or snow (Town Police Clauses Act 1847); and the prohibition of driving cattle through the streets of London (Metropolitan Streets Act 1867).

Dead whales

The UK's top 10 most ridiculous British laws were listed as:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down (7%)

3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (6%)

4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned (5%)

5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter (4%)

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (4%)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen (3.5%)

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (3%)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour (3%)

10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (2%)
False teeth

Other bizarre foreign laws voted by those polled included:

In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk (9%)

In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation (8%)

A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror (7%)

In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm (6%)

It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama (6%)

In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed (6%)

Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth (6%)

In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits (5%)

In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon (4%)
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7081038.stm

2007-11-05T22:37:00.000Z

This is a great video

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir

Add to My Profile | More Videos

2007-11-02T12:38:00.000Z

Normal service will return soon. Back in London spending all spare time cleaning and moving furniture. Building works not quite finished but have been put on hold for the moment whilst we settle in and adjust to new house and the new routines we need to have so that Helen can function with extra stairs and distances to be walked. Finally got the skip removed today so can start to use front driveway.

Lot of catching up to do with workplace as been force to take a lot of holiday previous 2 weeks to try and keep on top of builders.

2007-10-23T10:52:00.000+01:00

Well today is the last time for a while that I will be getting up early to commute to work.

This morning it was still pitch black outside and the sky filled with millions of stars as I set off for work. But the move back to London at the weekend means a lie-in from now on.

I have worked out that over the last few months I have probably commuted to London about 60 days, of which 10 days was spent travelling. Maybe I need to think about this for the future and have some sort of aim for this time such as learning Mandarin. At present it is a mixture of sleeping, work, blogging, surfing, and crossword and Sudoko. And a lot of standing between London and Cambride where I memorise the crossword answers and then appear brilliant as I complete it in about 5 minutes.

I will miss scenes such as this morning as the sun rises and the train whisks me through the fenlands, shrouded in frost and layers of mist, creating the perfect English country scene. And on the way home I can look forward to a glorious golden orange sun set with wild geese silhouted against it as they fly to the coast for winter.

Soon it will be the sites of Peckham and Brixton to look forward to once more as I find my way home.

2007-10-22T16:33:00.000+01:00

Despite the British failures of the last week at least there was one silver lining

And this recent discovery of a video taken at Greenbelt has made me very happy. This is Michael McDermott at his best - filmed at the end of his solo set in Centaur. Thanks go to Mark Heybo for posting.

2007-10-18T22:17:00.000+01:00

Well this morning on the train I saw 2 Cranes sitting in fields just north of Cambridge. I had recently read they had been spotted nesting here during winter so a nice surprise to actually see them. I also saw a bizarre sight at a level crossing - a very fit looking bunch of men busy doing press-ups as they waited for the train to pass whilst their instructor stood over them with the kind of look that you clearly never disobey.

After the recent dry sunny spell the rain returned with vengence on Tuesday evening and I had a very slow journey home from Kings Lynn. Even in 4WD it was hard to avoid the risk of aquaplaining. But yesterday was a return to sunshine, albeit a lot colder. With our return to the land of smog imminent we made one final visit to Pensthorpe and said farewell to the staff who Helen has got to know really well over the last few months.

Today will be yet another half day as I need to see how the builders are progressing, and hopefully there will be several packages at the office for me to collect and take there. We have one week in which to complete everything. I will spend a day next week at the house trying to create a semblance of order. In the meantime all the smaller jobs on the list for the builder need to be done. The electrician needs to be booked to fit our new remote heating gizmo, the new alarm system needs to be installed, 2 tonnes of gravel have to be laid at the front of the house, a stairlift for the upper part of the stairs needs to be installed, the attic has to be insulated, boarded and a loft ladder installed, new fittings for all the doors to be fixed, the new cloakroom tiled and rubber floor tiles fixed (hopefully), and the minor issue of a major cleaning operation. There is dust everywhere and I reckon it will take the cleaners a couple of days to get the place sorted. The one thing that will not be happening is the fitting of new carpets. We have failed to find anything in time so it will be bare floorboards for a while. If we can find a carpet then I will see if they can fit it in stages so that it can be done when we are out. It would be nice to have for Christmas.

For my birthday (which was deliberately a low key affair as life too busy right now) I got a couple of books on blogging from Helen so I guess no excuses now for not revamping this site at some point. Most cards yet to arrive because of the postal strike impact. Monetary gifts all go towards my Led Zeppelin ticket which is certainly the most expensive I have ever had to buy - I think the previous record was U2 at £90. It amazes me though just how much people are prepared to pay to see an event. Led Zeppelin tickets don't exist and the only way to go is as the partner of a passcode holder - and even then they seem to sell for well over £1000. The rugby final (which will probably be a damp squib compared to last weekend's rugby league final where Leeds thrashed St Helens) is ideal for the corporate leisure market. Return private jet £12000, seats for 12 £25000. I know my neighbours get offered the chance to do this every weekend at the moment but they prefer to spend the weekend in North Norfolk!

I think my first Greenbelt ticket was £5 for the weekend in 1978. I have no idea what a weekend ticket costs these days but I suspect that when allowing for inflation it is probably still good value for money. But as Radiohead and others look to change the way we buy CDs, maybe it's time for a re-think re concert tickets. Greenbelt could lead the way giving people the opportunity to decide for themselves how much they should pay. Of course this approach would be virtually impossible as it would make budgeting virtually impossible and could the Greenbelt audience be trusted to dig deep and pay the going rate? After all, I haven't bought a ticket for years!

It is not only Radiohead though that are giving away CDs. Hey Gravity! embarks on a short tour in December and the first 100 through the door get a copy of the last album. I'll try and post details of gigs over the next week. If you live in Nottingham you can also see Hey Gravity in November as they are supporting Dodgy on one of their dates. Before Hey Gravity was M.A.S.S. and before this was Dodgy. Andy from Dodgy is the lead guitarist in Hey Gravity and both bands have the same manager - whose business partner was the drummer in Dodgy (and now in Electric Soft Parade).

2007-10-16T22:06:00.000+01:00

Although I have been writing a blog the last couple of weeks I never get round to loading it up. So here is the last 2 weeks' entries.

1 Week ago
Things that have annoyed me of late:
My Rail Gold Card magnetic strip ceasing to work, forcing me to use the manned barrier to get in out of underground stations. These staff really know how to make you feel like a criminal - just because they really don't want to open that gate for you.

The people on the train who insist on opening the window next to them. Are they totally stupid? Don't they realise that the only people who this will affect are those who sit further down the carriage. So they just sit there looking hot and flustered, whilst we end up freezing our ......

The way my boss always seems to manage to give me a piece of work to do just before I submit planned holiday for that date.

The last week flew by. I had to prepare a first draft of a document to be sent to MPs. It's amazing the ideas you can come up with on how best to get their attention although I still think blackmail seems a lot easier!

The previous weekend my parents had been staying close by for a few days so I took them to see the Cranes on the Saturday. If ever in North Norfolk go to Pensthorpe and visit the Cranes - totally crazy birds who would probably try and eat you for breakfast given the chance.

On Thursday I nipped over to the new house to see how the builders were doing. First surprise was to find the locks had been changed. I found out later why. They have been doing some major decorating work involving a lot of plastering and sanding so all the furniture has been put into the main bedroom and rooms sealed off. Trouble was, the keys also got moved and could no longer be found, so they had no option other than to put on a new lock to secure the place. The house is moving forward although still lots to do over next couple of weeks.

Friday night I went down the pub for a quiet drink only to discover that the female partners of my drinking colleagues had decided that we should have a picnic so as we sat outside the Bull with the patio heaters keeping us warm, suddenly bags of food appeared. The pub even provided plates, knives and forks. It was all very pleasant but I think the men felt their Friday haven was under threat - normally we tend to be the equivalent of the gathering of "grumpy old men", able to talk about football, music, politics without interruption.

Saturday was a quiet day catching upon jobs and yet more time spent by Helen and I on ideas for the new house. Deciding what the window coverings should be is proving difficult. We know what we want but it is not possible so we spend hours going round in circles!

Sunday was the parish harvest supper.This time it was the turn of Little Walsingham to play host and so we had a fairly formal sit down meal in the parish hall. I much prefer my church in Great Walsingham's turn to organise things. Ours is in the barn with the combine harvesters and is a much more relaxed occassion with plenty of wine and crazy raffles and auctions as the farmers wield out their most obscure fruit and veg produce. Sunday afternoon Helen and I drove along the coast road to Sheringham for a short trip to the seaside. We don't do this trip very often so it made a nice change. I caught the end of the football commentary to hear Torres equalise but I guess like many Liverpool fans at the moment, I wonder when the team is going to start playing again.

This week will be spent starting my latest new project for work which my boss sprung on me last week. Hopefully will only take a couple of weeks to do as I need to also be taking some holiday over the next few weeks to get house sorted for when we finally get back to London. The postal strike means it is more difficult relying on mail order in case stuff we need arrives too late.

Last Week
Another week that has flown by. The hardcore is down on the new front driveway but we still have failed to find the bricks we want for the footpath, and just over a week left in which to finish so beginning to get a bit nervous,

Carpet plans also now on hold as we have been unable to find what we want so it will probably be bare floor boards for the next few months. Most other items have been ordered so will hopefully arrive during the week.

At least the week ended on a high with the glorious weather over the weekend. We are normally back in London by now so the chance to spend the weekend sitting outside was a big bonus. On Saturday we went for one last time this year to sit in the Abbey grounds and then on Sunday afternoon we made it to Blickling Hall for the first time. Earlier in the day I spent an hour or so at Ron, Carol and Adams, who live about 15 minutes drive away. Ron and I worked together at Eurotunnel and by chance we both ended up living in the same area of Norfolk. We always try to catch up when I'm in Norfolk although it gets harder these days as they tend to be away most of the summer and other school holidays staying at their apartment in Turkey.

A new job assignment arrived on my desk last week - again buses. You know when you are being set up when the discussion round the table about resources coincides with everyone else turning to look at you. For the next couple of weeks though I will need to take some holiday to ensure work on house is done correctly and that it is ready to move into.

And today it's my birthday - so Happy Birthday to me!

2007-10-12T22:35:00.000+01:00

Don't know how long this link will last but here is Michael McDermott performing Broken on TV in the States this morning. I particularly liked the Dead Sea joke.

2007-10-02T15:58:00.001+01:00

So I'm off to see Led Zeppelin! My name came out of the bag and having worked out they are selling the tickets in reverse order (i.e. worst seats first) I waited until what I deemed acceptable seats became available. No doubt you could risk waiting another 24 hours or so to see if the near the stage seats appear but it's a lot of hastle and no guarantee of success. A decent front side view will do me fine.

As for who goes with me, well the invite has gone out to my brother as he probably introduced me to them and has seen them play several times in his youth.

2007-09-30T22:38:00.000+01:00

Think of a place not particularly safe to be at the moment and that's where my brother is. Called to say deemed too dangerous so withdrawn to next door. The feeling is that the military will succeed in crushing any rebellion and with no media inside the country it will be hard to put pressure on the country through publicising the atrocities taking place.

2007-09-27T10:11:00.001+01:00

I've been busy persuading this beautiful lady (and even more beautiful voice) to come and play at Greenbelt. So if you agree, email the office asking them to put her on the wish list.

2007-09-24T12:41:00.000+01:00

New week new weather and the power is down on the railway line between London and Kings Lynn so I'm sat at Kings Lynn station buffet eating a bacon sandwich and debating whether to ask for access to the computers at the station so that I can check my emails. Today was going to be fairly busy day but now more likely to be a half day instead. At least it is our train that's the problem and hopefully I will get lots of vouchers by way of compensation for the delay.

We had a relaxed weekend although I did seem to work my way through the jobs to be done list. On Saturday it was warm enough to do our usual trip to the abbey grounds and sit and watch the world go by whilst discussing the design of front driveways.

There is little left of the the original abbey - Henry VIII saw to that. It is a strange experience eating my lunch on the same spot where Kings of England once came to be crowned and buried, and where 100s of monks and nuns will have been slaughtered in the name of religion.

In more recent years it became one of the many Norfolk homes of the Gurneys, one of the wealthiest families in the UK at one time, and co-founders of Barclays Bank. Elizabeth Gurney is perhaps the most well known in the family, although more under her married name of Elizabeth Fry, the founder of prison reforms. A few Gurneys still remain at the very large house that was built in the abbey grounds, but my understanding is that the ones with the money are more likely to be found in London than Walsingham. They remain a large landowner and most of Walsingham and the surrounding area is owned by the estate. They never seem to be short of money, judging by the number of empty properties they own that could be sold for large amounts for redevelopment.

In recent years the estate has been a bit more adventurous, converting a series of barns into a farm shop which it runs, together with 2 other units that are let as retail units. And in Great Walsingham there are a series of barns that were converted several years ago and now include our local rural post office (which will no doubt go under planned cuts).

2007-09-24T12:27:00.000+01:00

Helen: "we need to cut down on wasting money so this time we will only but a few tester pots". Me "OK".

Where did it all go wrong - the picture is of the tester pots (and larger tins because we refused to believe the tester pot colour was correct) to date - we are looking for just 4-5 colours. It is possible we have now chosen the 3 of the 4 main ones YIPEEEE!

2007-09-23T22:29:00.000+01:00

In case you missed it at Greenbelt - here is Michael McDermott a week later singing the amazing Wounded

2007-09-21T22:25:00.000+01:00

I don't know where they come from, but every night now at the cottage I have to go on a mosquito hunt, tracking down the wining b*!*!*s and swatting them. They seem to have got wise to this procedure though and have adapted an ability to slip through the holes in the fly swat. To counter this I have now adopted a technique of swooping with a tissue in hand and plucking them of the wall prior to turning them to pulp. Last night I also found that my cheque book was pretty successful as a make shift fly swatter.

The cottage is not for the squeamish, especially if you are scared of spiders. The house is full of them and every few weeks we have a major cull removing them all by fair means or foul. For those high up on the kitchen wall/ceiling the only practicable way is to use the vacuum hose, I'm told death is instant and relatively painless.

The house building works continue to move slowly forward. The front driveway work is reliant on the delivery of a new skip each day so the builders tend to come and go a lot. I took a half day holiday yesterday to go and sign off the new windows. Only problem was that there were still 2 to finish and the workmen had decided to take the afternoon off. This will probably become their problem going forward as it may be difficult now to inspect the windows for a while - so they won't get paid.

I thought I might have found an option for Michael McDermott to play a few dates in the UK in October but after checking his confirmed dates in the States it was clear that there would be too many clashes. At the moment he is touring with Mindy Smith. She was one of my sugestions for playing Greenbelt this year but with so many other female singers on the bill (albeit rather less known outside of Greenbelt) it came to nothing. It would be good if the two of them could do a short UK tour as then I get to see them both. The last time she was due to visit these shores she cancelled at the last minute. I'm sure between them they could probably fill a few small decent venues athough I have no idea how popular she is here. I still think that amongst Christian female singer/songwriters she will become one of the bigger stars around. There is always the danger though that the label loses patience if she fails to sell a million CDs and drops her.

2007-09-20T12:38:00.000+01:00

This was a recent article in Chicago Sunday Times

A beautiful 'noise'
interview Michael McDermott cuts through all the pain the only way he knows how
September 2, 2007
BY MIRIAM DI NUNZIO Sunday Show Editor

When life gives you a bowl of lemons, you can make lemonade, or you can get rip-roaring drunk.
Singer Michael McDermott opted for the latter throughout much of his career, openly admitting he spent a lot of time with a bottle of Jack Daniel's and plenty of other "pleasures" that took him down a deep, dark path. Through it all, the singer-songwriter managed to keep the faith, both literally and in his music, which has always leaned toward the spiritual.

McDermott has just released "Noise From Words" (One Little Indian Records), a collection of intimate, introspective roots-rock that reflects the last few years of the Chicago singer's tumultuous life.

Never shy about answering any question, McDermott is so candid it's scary. If his songs lay bare his soul, his spoken words reveal a truth even more deep.

"I just got back from playing some small clubs in England and I'm not sure people knew what to make of me, with my level 5 honesty," McDermott says with a laugh. "I was just hanging out at the hotel lobby one night and I overheard some folks saying, 'We have to go see this McDermott guy because we hear he's a madman.' [Laughing.] Whatever. I've been called worse."

He may have been called worse in his 38 years, but his life probably couldn't get much worse than it did in 2004 when he spent a night in Cook County Jail for cocaine possession.

"Jakob Dylan is a good buddy of mine and he was playing House of Blues and I went to see him and they're searching everyone at the door and well, they searched me and I had [the stuff] in my pocket," McDermott says. "It got real ugly and I got arrested."

McDermott, who ultimately got probabtion and drug counseling for the Class 3 felony, spent one night in general lockup, in the very cell occupied by his father a couple of years earlier.

"[My dad] was in jail for a gun charge," he says. "If you knew him, you'd realize how insane that is. He's this Irish, Paul Newman-looking guy whose so easygoing."

Jail became the catalyst for the some of the songs on "Noise From Words." Being in jail can do things to a man's soul.

"Revolutionary moments come from something that dark," McDermott says. "It was not fun. [Laughs.] I spent a great deal of time against the glass [partition] blowing hot air onto it and writing 'Help Me' with my finger in the [misty] circle. I realized then and there this was not my life. And the music came out of all that."

Other lyrics on the album came from a painful emotional episode last New Year's Eve when McDermott, ring in hand, was ready to propose to his lady love. Turns out, she found out something about him that was, well, not the kind of thing you want your future fiancee to discover when you're going to pop the question, and she sent him packing. He wrote the hauntingly beautiful "Still Ain't Over You Yet," a song that, as far as he knows, still has not been listened to by the lady in question.

The songs on "Noise From Words" run the gamut from gorgeous ballads to gentle folk to grand storytelling to rollicking anthems. The arrangements are subtle and pure: plenty of guitar, bass and piano. Nothing too rock 'n' roll.

"There's something to be said for staying out of the way of things," McDermott says. "I've been trying to be a rock star for so long. Forget it. I'm a folk singer, I'm a drunken Irish storyteller. Why not stick with that?"

Ironically, in high school, McDermott was attending daily mass and contemplating the priesthood. "The problem was, I realized that if I was a priest I'd be a bad whiskey priest," he says laughing. "But I've been searching for Jesus all my life. I always wanted to be his poet, his singer, to represent him. People come up to me and say, 'I found Jesus through your music." Really? Well he stopped returning my calls long ago. So next time you hear from him, tell him to give me a call."

For a moment it's as if that "bad whiskey priest" is unleashed, cutting through the layers of "tough guy" the singer has built up over the past 20 years. In truth, he now speaks to Christian groups about his checkered past, about jail, about finding meaning in life no matter how hard you fall. He wrote "My Father's Son," a heartrending ballad about that oh-so-precious relationship shared by him and his father over the years. He says he remains devoutly close to his parents.
"The older you get, you realize how beautiful your parents are and how much like them you really are. One day you realize that's not such a bad thing."

The album's closing cut, "I Shall Be Healed," bookends the opener, "Mess of Things," quite nicely. The journey takes the listener from the really bad times to the redemption born of them.
"When I got out of jail on that Sunday morning, I just walked straight to a church, to the side chapel where I was all alone and just broke down," McDermott says. "There was a mass going on and you know those words you say right before communion, 'Say the word and I shall be healed'? That became my mantra. I went home and I was like, 'That would make a great song.' I truly believe that I shall be healed.

"And maybe one day Jesus will return my calls."

2007-09-18T22:01:00.000+01:00

Tonight I have caught the 5.45 to Kings Lynn. Luckily I was there early as it is standing all the way to Cambride andI have got the laptop with me which seems to weigh a ton. I often wonder what I would do if a little old lady got on late and needed a seat. Would I be prepared to offer mine or would I think - well she could catch the next train in 30 minutes so if she wants a seat the choice is hers. Got a feeling I would go with the latter as it is a choice - arrive early get a seat arrive late and stand. I know for Helen when travelling on a bus it is difficult. Having weak muscles she needs to sit down,but try explaining that to another passenger when you look perfectly healthy.

So far the week has not quite gone as planned and tomorrow, instead of working from home, I will be dashing down to London for a meeting, and then dashing back again as I am supposed to be on holiday in the afternoon. I had to spend part of today working from home in London as I needed to give keys to the builders. Work has already started on clearing the front and the first skip has been filled. Worringly they don't appear to have got very far with the actual clearing so I expect it will take more than than the planned 3 skips.

My boss rang whilst I was at the house, wondering where I was - with most of his team currently spread across America he has to do a headcount every so often. He had a new piece of work for me to do - just one minor problem being that it is in Plymouth. By my reckoning the commute from Norfolk will be about 7 hours so America is possibly quicker to get to. We agreed that the only way for it to work would be to stay over-night. I don't know Plymouth apart from the fact that it has got some historic naval connections. Not sure staying there late September will be much fun but maybe I will find time for agame of bowls.

And before I forget, had long chat with Andrew today, fresh from his return from the States where he seemed to last about 18 hours with M0rrissey. No one seems to be certain what went wrong but my money is on him ordering a steak sandwich during a lengthy drinking bout. Anyway it was good to see him back and so cheerful. There's quite a bit happening with Hey Gravity! at the moment and it looks like there will be a short tour in December - chance to promote new CD in UK - the first 100 people at gigs get free copy of the new album. So far London, Manchester booked and Glasgow reserved. I'll publicise dates at some point.

2007-09-17T22:41:00.000+01:00

So last night I raised a glass for Niva down my local. The smoking ban means that as all my friends in Walsingham smoke we have to sit outside - the patio heaters have now arrived so despite being a windy day, sitting outside the pub last night was fairly pleasant. I guess it was a typical Sunday evening with the usual familiar faces sitting round the table - I'm always the last to arrive and the first to leave. Much of the conversation centred around the running of a bakery as one of the gathering comes from a local family of bakers - rated one of the top 100 in the country by the Guardian. The business is clearly very successful with a large retail and wholesale market, but it was clear that it achieves this with little business plan and no obvious budget. It is highly cash rich though with products only having 1-2 days shelf life. They certainly produce the best tea cakes I have come across at the various tea and coffee shops that I frequent. My accountancy brain could see lots of ways to change the way the business was run but I think they like it just the way it is. They probably own one of the most desirable bits of real estate in Norfolk so I guess one day someone might make them an offer they cannot refuse - especially if they have no idea what it is worth in the first place.

The afternoon was spent over at Titchwell, the biggest RSPB place in the country which is home to about 50,000 geese over the winter. Helen spent most of the time going round saying "he's got a big one hasn't he". She was referring to the size of binoculars of course which ranged from large to gi-normous. These birdwatchers take life very seriously dressed in their identicle twitching outfits. I think we lowered the tone a bit as we sat in the cafe and I discussed whether we should be eating the remains of the duck later. Anyway, it was a good afternoon and we did our usual stop and stare into the distance routine, forcing all the birdwatchers to hurriedly get out their binoculars and check out what we had seen - well nothing really but its fun to watch!

Currently sitting on the train on my way to work. I had expected rain this morning but it doesn't seem to have arrived yet. The 40 minute drive to the station is fine except when it rains or is snowing. I usually only have a margin of about 2 minutes in catching my train so potential disruptions are not welcome. First week back in the office and it will be busy. I've been monitoring my work emails whilst on holiday, but not responded to any. It is clear that I will spend much of my time over the coming months working on the bus side. I've also been asked to do work on the next rail bid although this will not be for a while yet. Being a large company there is always something new happening so I expect things to be added to my workload over the next couple of months.

This week work also starts on the new house so I will need to get over there a few times to check everything is OK. The sash windows are all being double glazed and draught proofed and I hope the Polish builders turn up to start digging out the front garden concrete lawn. We have worked out how to convert the undertsairs cupboard without the enormous expense of having to move the electricity meter. It will be the smallest cloakroom in history but will still have a certain "wow" factor about it when finished. Now all we need to do is find a decorator who is good, cheap, and available at short notice. My brother-in-law stays there during the week so I will have to ensure paint brushes and tins of paint are left invitingly around the house. Being an Evertonian though he seems to be fixated with the idea of painting it all blue. The sooner we get the front door painted red the better.

2007-09-16T22:25:00.000+01:00

I am often reminded by Helen to think twice before publishing a blog in case it gets taken the wrong way by the reader. So I was interested to read a recent blog from shoe girl Liz about her concerns that her dad might start reading her blog (having just discovered its existence) and discover stuff she would prefer he didn't. I found this a bit curious as if you know Liz you would know she has many admirable qualities and doesn't exactly strike me as leading a life that would cause concern for her parents. So who do they think she really is? Then again, maybe the average dad would struggle to comprehend the need for Imelda Marcos quantities of shoes - after all the average man probably survives in a maximum of 2-3 pairs of shoes most of the year. Nor would any sane person understand how she could want to give up every spare minute in the day so that she can plan and action the operations side of Greenbelt. I used to find preparing venue management at the festival bad enough but it is nothing to what she does. Or is it the apparent lack of home cooking as every night seems to be either a favourite curry house or an invite to best friends for dinner - or a taxi delivering said meal from best friends. I guess the list could go on but none of it seems explosive. Perhaps what is needed is a new blogging site - "Things we are happy for our parents to hear" where they can regularly log in and know what a great job they have done bringing up their son or daughter to be just like them!

2007-09-16T22:05:00.000+01:00

Just in case there are any doubts to earlier post - I opted for Peter Gabriel!

2007-09-15T22:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I guess was my last official day on holiday - weekends don't seem to count although given recent weeks and months when all I seem to have done at weekends is draft stuff for work, maybe they should. I went back to my favourite beach, Cley, for a walk along the shore. As is the norm when I go there on my own I found someone to share my journey with. Last time it was a seal who decided to follow me along the coast, this time it was a seabird who swam and dived under the surf for its lunch as I strolled along. And when it was time to turn around and go back, did exactly the same.

The onset of winter means there are several new faces appearing down on the coast and perhaps nothing is more majestic than the snowy sea gulls that fly gracefully along the edge of the water, perhaps no more than one metre from the ground. Their wing span is much bigger than your nomal seagull. Later in the day we watched from our garden against the setting sunset of the arrival of hundreds more heading for their winter home.

2007-09-14T11:13:00.000+01:00

Niva Bringas rest in peace.

I heard the very sad news last night that Niva, one of Michael McD's closest and oldest friends, died a couple of nights ago. He had been ill for a while now but was still out there doing what he does best, taking pictures of the biggest rock stars in the world. My personal favourite is one of his most recent, Joss Stone playing in Chicago.

This photo is of Niva taken by Von a week ago at the official launch of Michael's new album. In all the many pictures I have seen of Niva he always seemed to have a smiling woman on his arms. May your spirit live on through your wonderful photographs and the happy memories that you left with so many people.

2007-09-14T10:02:00.000+01:00

If you have ever been to Little Walsingham you may have noticed it has a a large gay community. No idea how it started but I guess the large influx of priests over the years may have had something to do with it - seen as a safe haven for those of a particular disposition. The Bull, the main pub in the village, was previously owned and run by Phil and Geoff and it was very much home to the pink pound. These days, it is run by Nellie and the days of Phil and Geoff are long gone. It is very much a pub for the locals and the thousands of pilgrims who frequent the village each year. It is the nearest I have come to the Jesus Arms at Greenbelt when you can wander in on a Friday evening and have to fight your way through the dog collar brigade to get to the bar. The biggest day each year is the National when the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham is carried along the high street and the Irish protestants (previously led I am told by Ian Paisley's brother) shout abuse at the Catholic procession. Unlike Northern Ireland though there are no guns are bombs to be seen and the chances are they all end up in the same pub later.

The only time we really see the police is mid August when the travellers arrive for the Assension pilgrammage. They arrive in their hundreds, white vans and caravans in tow. The children drive around in their Mercedes, trying to find a glimmer of excitement. Most shops shut in the village for the week in fearf of trouble, and The Bull becomes a private party for the week with entry to locals only. The police even locate an incident portacabin in the middle of the village. At the end of the day trouble is limited and they do put on a good firework display during their stay. The two incidents I did hear of this year were the stealing of 7000 litres of diesel fuel from a local farm, and the rustling of a large number of weeners. The police tracked them down to near Thursford Forest where I can only assume they were preparing one hell of a BBQ!

We live up the road in Great Walsingham and though less than a mile away it is like a different world. It is also a gateway to the may delights of North Norfolk and with a decent knowledge of the back roads you can get nearly anywhere without getting stuck behind a caravan. Aside from glorious beaches, pubs, restaurants, coffee shops and the market towns to visit, there are several stately homes on our door step which hold summer concerts. This year the range was from Peter Gabriel to Girls Aloud. Guess which one I chose!

2007-09-13T22:00:00.000+01:00

This year I have been lucky with the weeks I have chosen to take off work. I had a compulsory week off around Easter which had the odd very sunny day including one when I was power boating off the coast. In August I chose the only week when it didn't rain and now in September again it looks like being a really good week for weather. Yesterday afternoon was spent at possibly our favourite spot in North Norfolk, at Pensthorpe - a wild bird sanctuary owned by the people who make Jordan nut bars etc. You walk through a set of double doors into another world, spread over several acres. I think originally it was a series of quarries that have now been flooded and the surrounding area planted with reeds and amazing garden areas. The birds are numbered in their thousands and they operate a rare breeding programme. My favourite are the Cranes who are big and very vicious - determined tolet you know whoare boss. One day they will be released back into the wild. This is also the time for the arrival of the wild geese for winter. The skys fill with the sight of V shaped formations as they head for the marshland along the coast.

Our own lodgers have now leftg for warmer climates. We have house martins and swifts who nest in and under our roof. The swifts left a while ago but the house martins left promptly on 1st September, only to return briefly a few days ago - not sure why - maybe they forgot a suitcase. They are gone again now though and I don't expect they will be back until next May/June. I miss my chats with the new born house martins who lived outside the bedroom window. They would give me long hard stares, as if to say, go away you're too old to play with. Very much a family thing - arriving home about 8pm each night there would be a flurry of chatter coming from the nests as they insisted on one more bedtime story about the perils of flying thousands of miles every year.

2007-09-11T19:13:00.000+01:00

Got a call from good friend Andrew today - manager of Hey Gravity! Told me he would not be around for next 8 weeks. Fair enough I say, so what will you be doing? Touring with M0rrisey he says, around the States. Any free tickets I ask - no problem he says! Well deserved - he's done a great job running tours for up and coming band Brakes, and the slightly longer running Electric Soft Parade. Now where's my passport?

2007-09-07T22:48:00.000+01:00

I seem to have developed friends in high places. Imagine my surprise tonight when I checked my emails and found I had been sent the new Spr1ngsteen album Mag1c. Due out beginning of October.

2007-09-07T16:27:00.000+01:00

I've finally got round to charging my mini handheld pc so that I can write my blogs on the train - so no excuses.

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirl wind. Michael McDermott blew in and then blew out again. Work has been a bit like the English summer, on and off and then on again. One project has kept me tied up the last couple of months but the submission date is today so that will be that. I had hoped to have finished it earlier in the week but instead it has gone right to the wire meaning my plans to spend the day with John in my old college town of Hull have had to be cancelled.

So where to start. Greenbelt is probably the best place and by now most people I know who blog and go to Greenbelt have already said many wonderful things about the festival and so in many ways it's all been said. For me it was extra special as not only was Michael McDermott playing at the festival, but it was also the first time my god daughter had been. For her, the run up to going had been very negative as she didn't know any of the bands who would be playing. But she came away thinking what a cool place it had been. My only regret is that I was too busy looking after a crazy IrishAmerican to spend much time with her and her family - who were working the whole weekend running the Guild Shop on the site.

I have read so many kind comments about Michael from friends and people I don't know, saying how much they enjoyed his performances at the festival. I was emailed the other night by someone within the Greenbelt set up who had been listening to Cross Rhythms radio station (he hastily added this was not a normal occurrence) and they had been debating if it was OK to say the lyrics from the song Still Ain't Over You Yet where Michael refers to"Jesus Christ doesn't know the piss-pot shape that I'm in". The lyrics have already caused a few comments in the States so I was amazed to hear that CR gave it the OK. In addition the review of Michael at Greenbelt was very glowing and they have approached us to do a full interview. Like a lot of people at the festival, they saw through the external layer of Michael (which is enough to scare most people off) and found a frankness and openness that is very rarely found these days amongst people.

My one regret with Greenbelt was that it was all over too quickly - for me that meant going home Monday morning as I had a growing workload to deal with. But it was a good send off as I was up early (having just gone to bed) to see Michael off to the airport. We sat outside the front of the hotel as others slept, waiting for his lift, and he played me a new song that he had written on the flight over. A touch of the Waterboys in its sound, beautiful words and melody. He played it a few days later in New York as he finished a residency at The Living Room that he'd been doing for the last few weeks.

We sold a lot of CDs over the weekend - they kept flying off the shelf as fast as I could supply the music store. I think we must have been one of the best sellers - certainly for a fairly unknown artist - even though they had sold out Monday morning. So unusually for me when taking artists to Greenbelt, we made a profit! There's lots more I could say but won't.A big thanks goes to all those who befriended Michael and made him feel so welcome and the child labour gang who ensured Michael's face was everywhere to be seen on site. So many special moments - the complete silence in Centaur and the Performance Cafe as he sang Wounded, the playing of Grace of God on Greenbelt Radio-described by them as the special moment of their weekend, the realisation that Steve and Michael were separated at birth.

In another lifetime I would now be in Chicago for the official launch of the album Noise From Words, but instead my place is at home with Helen who has seen little of me the past few weeks.

The Thursday after Greenbelt we finally moved house so I was in London for a couple of days- first getting old house ready for new tennants, and then helping to start clean the new house. The old house looks great - newly decorated, nice carpets etc. The new house is OK but really needs to be redecorated and we have to install off-street parking (so far the council has lowered the kerb but now the raised concrete front garden has to be dug out). We also want the understairs cupboard converted into a cloakroom. All the sash windows are to be renovated and have double glazing inserted. The big jobs come later when we have managed to rob a bank.

Like all the best laid plans though we have hit a major problem. The decorator we use, who is a friend from Walsingham, has developed a problem and needs to be operated on mid September so it is now unclear if we will be able to get the decorating done as planned before returning to London. Not such a problem for me as I am out each day, but for Helen it would be no fun having to stare at the walls and cracks all day long. So if you fancy a holiday in London, combined with a bit of decorating let me know!

As for the new house itself, it is very different to the old one. It swallowed up all the packing boxes and the study quickly became the dumping ground, replacing the garage from the old house. They say location, location, location and I guess this is about as good as it gets for East Dulwich. Still close to the train station and 3 minutes walk to all the trendy bars on the high street. The house will swallow up a lot of money to get it exactly right and this will take a few years to do as we look to find the finances and have the main works done when staying in Norfolk. But at the end of it I hope we will have somewhere we can really call home.

The last few days have been tinged with sadness for us. Helen has a soul mate, someone who she is able to share the ups and downs of her life and via text they spend much time encouraging each other. We heard this week though the news we had half been expecting, that tests had shown she has a cancerous tumour that is too close to the heart to operate on. So it comes down to prayer and a decision whether to go for radiation or chemotherapy. E is such a lovely person and all prayers will be welcomed.

Next week we have a real holiday - no plans for any interruptions from the office. I may have to spend a day in London at the house doing some DIY but otherwise I hope the weather will be warm enough for a few afternoons out, preferably down the beach. I also need to do some exercise as the last 18 months of bidding work has left me carrying too much excess weight. If time I would like to go and see the geese which have started arriving for the winter up on the marshes. I would like to go power boating but the money is best spent on the house. And if the weather is fine, no doubt a few evenings will be spent sat outside the Bull, drinking Norfolk's finest ales. The perfect spot to think about future plans - the success of Michael at Greenbelt has to be maintained, just a question of how best to do it. And I am already thinking about next year and who I would like to see play at the festival. Michael would be great but it is an unofficial policy not to invite artists back 2 consecutive years. I have a few names in mind of others who might grace mainstage c/of Music Output Productions (aka Emmo Productions).

2007-08-23T07:56:00.000+01:00

Finally got my mobile to allow me to write & post blogs. Off to Greenbelt tomorrow after seeing Michael McDermott in London first. Look out for Michael at Greenbelt - he is playing a few times Sat & Sun. Also go to the Guild Shop & be amazed. Saw the loaded van yesterday & it will be good. You can buy a very large icon for a mere £3000. I expect the wooden nativity sets to be popular. And in other news looks like London old house rented out so moving next week - I hope.

2007-08-18T22:45:00.000+01:00

Wow this time next week will be Greenbelt. If you are going then look out for the Guild Shop in the village fringe area (near entrance to mainstage field). It's an attempt to bring religion to Greenbelt! It's actually a shop that runs in Little Walsingham, catering to thousands of pilgrims each year. It is owned by Paul, father of my god daughter eve, and will be full of amazing things ranging from expensive icons, very large religious statues, to illuminous rosary beads (to replace those cigarette lighter moments at mainstage). There will be something for everyone there.

2007-08-17T10:31:00.000+01:00

Came across this on BBC news - must say it seems like a great idea and I'm sure would be a big seller over here. Not sure why they only do a boyfriend version, surely blokes would want the girlfriend version too. Not sure what the church's view would be on this though - maybe they would insist you are married to the pillow first before you can sleep with it?

2007-08-10T22:45:00.000+01:00

Life is a bit busy right now so blogging time a bit limited. It's all work's fault - I avoided getting shipped off to America for several weeks but did agree to something else that is a bit like doing a bid at times in terms of hours spent working. Role on September!

2007-07-27T22:36:00.000+01:00

I came across a magazine article recently and thought I should re-print it here as it is way better than I could ever express the mystery of Michael McDermott. Credit goes to Marty, the author.

Once in a lifetime, you have an experience that changes your life as a music fan. I had such an experience when I discovered Chicagoan rock singer Michael Mc Dermott playing the songclub in the town of Wexford on the south coast of Ireland in the Fall of 2005. It was the greatest experience of my life as a music fan, writes Marty Mc Cool.
The songwriting prowess of Michael Mc Dermott has been compared to such greats as Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Paul Brady and Van Morrison. However, the music of Michael Mc Dermott needs comparison to no-one because he is very much his own man and has forged a unique identity for himself by writing searingly honest songs and taking his listeners to places that most other artists are afraid to go.
The songs generally traverse heavier subject-matter and Mc Dermott faces up the harder issues in life with an honesty that is rare in the music world: issues such as fear, guilt, love, loss, friendship, parting and reconciliation are faced head-on with both courage and hope. Given the heavy-duty nature of many Michael Mc Dermott’s songs, it is no surprise to learn that he is actually Stephen King’s favourite singer.
The song lyrics traverse a broad range of moodscapes, varying from the sublimely poetic (“Dimlit dreams dance in darkened doorways, while the scent lingers of a crescent moon goodbye…”) to the ghoulishly morbid (“I wandered all the graveyards of my mind, searching for something true. With each gravestone I realise, I’m not the man for you…”).
At times the spectre of guilt hangs heavily over the songs of Michael Mc Dermott and his struggle with coming to terms with his own Catholic heritage is apparent in songs like ‘One Way To Go’ from his outstanding 2004 album ‘Ashes’:
“Are you embarrassed by your transgressions?
Do you wallow in your guilt?
Will you offer up your confessions?
Of destroying all you’ve built…”

Elsewhere his lyrics deal with the decay and deterioration that is an inescapable part of life, whether it be of flowers (“these sad and lonely flowers, shrivelled by decay”) or relationships (“though the battle’s just begun I feel the damage has been done and I know there’s nothing left that we can repair”).
However the music of Michael Mc Dermott is ultimately redemptive music and, while the songs sometimes take us on a harrowing journey, the singer never leaves the listener without hope that these struggles can be won. Indeed in songs such as ‘One Way To Go’ the message that comes across is that God is the answer, that God is the only way to go in the face of life’s adversity:
“Voice from above, it answers with love.
But are you ready to hear?
There’s only one way to go
One way to go from here…”

Discovering the music of Michael Mc Dermott has also been one of the most important experiences of my life as a Christian. Indeed, some of Michael Mc Dermott’s listeners have come up to the singer and told him how his music helped them to find God. The spiritual power in the music of Michael Mc Dermott is undeniable. His own spiritual struggle is often played out in his songs, such as ‘Darkest Night of All’:

“Jesus I can’t seem to find you here, in the darkest night of all…”

The lyrics are ripe with religious connotations: (“Oh come all ye faithful” “Lead us not into temptation, rather lead us down a road that winds to a righteous path” “Sermons were sung and seven psalms were hung” “I took a drink from the holy fountain” “He noticed he was walking on a Via Dolorosa” “He said for Bethlehem that he was bound”). Indeed one of Michael Mc Dermott’s albums is titled ‘Gethsemane’ and quite a few of his songs could be termed a Garden of Gethsemane experience.
In his epic song ‘The Idler, The Prophet and A Girl Called Rain’ Michael Mc Dermott puts across the message that sometimes we are looking for God/Jesus in faraway places when he is right there with us:

“‘Jesus where is He when you need Him?’ Rain said
And threw a penny into the well.
‘He’s usually’, spoke the Prophet, ‘behind you
And you’re just too dumb to tell’”

Angels are a recurring motif in the songs of Michael Mc Dermott (“Do you hear the sound of angels?” “All I can hear is the sound of angels crying” “It was as if an angel had reappeared to me”). In ‘Leave It Up to the Angels’ Mc Dermott sings that he’s “frightened by the way I feel” and he finishes the song off with an act of faith in the spiritual world:

“I’ve finally realised that the only thing that we can do is to leave it up to the angels…”Raised an Irish-Catholic, Michael Mc Dermott’s songs are stepped in his heritage. The Chicago Tribune once remarked that Mc Dermott’s songs are “redolent with Irish-Catholic imagery.” That this heritage has sometimes been a cross to bear is suggested in these lyrics from ‘Deirdre Dances’:

“Knowing the fruits of my youth have turned rotten
Cuz I don’t know who I’m supposed to be…”

That Michael Mc Dermott wrote a song called ‘Grace of God’ reflects a belief that there is ultimately good in the world and good in all of us – a goodness which can only come from God. This song really cuts to the heart of the human condition and the Christian perception of it:

“Baptized in blood, fire and water
You’re wonderin’ why you’re never feeling clean…”

The lyric “Yeah there but for the grace of God go I” suggests the utter helplessness of humanity without the grace of God. ‘Grace Of God’ is a song that highlights the singer’s uncanny ability to capture the essence of the Christian struggle.
Clearly, listening to his songs, Michael Mc Dermott himself has fallen at times under the crushing burdens of life but the singer’s fortitude and mighty heart comes out in lyrics like:

“So come on and throw your punches
I can take whatever you’ve got to give…”

With Rocky Balboa-like determination, Michael Mc Dermott takes life’s hits like a man, gets up off the deck and comes back for more. In the face of great adversity, Michael Mc Dermott always perseveres and the singer carries a tremendous weight of the world on his shoulders.
In some ways ‘Bells’ is a signature Michael Mc Dermott song and much of Mc Dermott’s heart is revealed at the end of the song in a peroration which constitutes a litany of love for his fellow man and the world:

Ringin’ out from the mountains
Ringin’ out from the valleys
Ringin’ out for my homeland
And the blood in the alley
Ringin’ out for the drunk ones
Ringin’ out for the sober
Ringin’ out for the lover, who knows that its over
Ringin’ out for the hungry
Ringin’ out for the homeless
Ringin’ out for the righteous
Ringin’ out for the hopeless
Ringin’ out in the blackness
Ringin’ out for the soldier
Ringin’ out for the future, waitin’ over your shoulder
Ringin’ out for the sinner
Singin’ out for the accuser
Ringin’ out for the winner
Ringin’ out for the loser
Ringin’ out for the orphan
And the disbeliever
Ringin’ out for the honest
And the deceiver
Ringin’ out for me
Ringin’ out for you

Such lyrics reveal the beauty of Michael Mc Dermott’s soul and the singer’s capacity for empathy with those who are downtrodden and troubled set him apart as a Johnny Cash-type figure (yes, he also sings clad in black but with crosses dangling from his neck).
Artists – especially songwriters – tend to have a highly sensitive disposition and this is certainly the case with Michael Mc Dermott. The song ‘Lantern’ shows how the singer sees past his own troubles to reach out to a soul-in-jeopardy:

“If I had a map, I'd guide your troubled path
If I had a smile, I'd lend you mine to laugh
If I had a treasure, you know just what I'd do
If I had a lantern, I'd light the way for you…”

Michael Mc Dermott has experienced both the highest heights and the deepest depths in life as evidenced in these lyrics from ‘Around the World’:

“I think that I have met some prophets
And I’ve befriended the very lowest of the low.
For a while there I was a rich man
Now I haven’t even a seed that I could sow…”

But Michael Mc Dermott’s quest for answers, redemption and God in his songs is so forthright that hearing his songs (which invariably require multiple playings to digest the message) can provide the listener with the answers they seek in life. The content and delivery of the songs is packed with emotional punch and spiritual power – sometimes the singer practically cries out the lyrics. His hope for a better world in the face of desperation is evidenced in ‘Hellfire in the Holy Land’:

“Come tomorrow symphony of peace
Come tomorrow when you’re on your knees…”

One of Michael Mc Dermott’s best songs is ‘A Wall I Must Climb’ and, perhaps better than any other song, this one best sums up the singer’s journey. In each verse, the singer faces a different wall he must climb:

“Faith is a wall I must climb…
Fear is a wall I must climb…
Love is a wall I must climb…
Pain is a wall I must climb…
Doubt is a wall I must climb…
Fate is a wall I must climb…
Belief is a wall I must climb…
I am a wall I must climb…”

Michael Mc Dermott’s personal journey, in which his listeners are privileged to share, is proof that none of these obstacles are insuperable and the abiding message is one of hope.
To many of his fans, Michael Mc Dermott is a messianic figure. I for one have been reduced to tears by the music of Michael Mc Dermott on occasion - this is a singer that has helped me to a better place in life and with God – something which no other musical artist I have listened to has done for me. For that I am forever grateful to him.
When day is done, the world is quiet, you are tired and the only sound you can hear is a Michael Mc Dermott song, an encounter with God becomes possible. In the final analysis, this is redemptive music that can elevate your life out of the ‘Ashes’. www.michael-mcdermott.com

2007-07-20T22:32:00.000+01:00

Latest house update is that we exchanged contracts last Wednesday and plan to complete next Thursday if all goes to plan. Feelings of mixed emotions right now - both excited and scared by the prospect of our new home - there is much to arrange and not a lot of time in which to do this as I juggle Norfolk, commuting to London for work and the need to fit in some overdue holiday. Helen is in overall charge, working through what has to be done now so at least there's less room for things to go wrong!

Tomorrow night I may nip down the road to see Peter Gabriel although I will be keeping a close eye on the weather as the car park used at Blickling Hall is a field and I'm not sure even a 4WD will cope with the rain that fell today. I expect the promoters are busy praying for a dry sunny day.

And now I'm off to kill a few more mosquitos so I can go to bed in peace and quiet!

2007-07-13T22:41:00.000+01:00

And so the house saga moves on. At the 11th hour I find an insurer who is happy to accept East Dulwich tends to have a lot of properties that have been moving around over the years. We are now waiting to see if the seller is prepared to change their mind and exchange next week. Watch this space...

2007-07-13T13:15:00.000+01:00

I've been following the story about two London school girls being arrested in Ghana for drug trafficing. The girls have told police the men gave them the laptop bags.

Taken from the BBC's website:

One of the girls told Channel 4 News on Thursday night they were tricked into carrying drugs to London.
Speaking by telephone from prison in Accra, she said: "There were basically two boys over here who gave us two bags and told us... it was an empty bag
"We never thought anything bad was inside... and they told us to go to the UK and drop it off to some boy... at the airport."
"It was basically like a set-up. They didn't tell us nothing, we didn't think nothing, 'cos basically we are innocent.
"We don't know nothing about this drugs and stuff."

I find this a fascinating story. Someone pays an all expenses holiday to Ghana, you tell your parents you are off to France, and all for collecting a couple of empty computer bags. My advice is next time go to PC World and buy them there - avoids an awful lot of hastle and accusations of drugs running.

I feel very sorry for the families who suddenly find themselves caught up in this kind of event. I guess there is so much parents don't know about their children (and possibly would prefer not to know).

2007-07-12T22:13:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed that my blogging of late has been a bit on the quiet side. The reason is that we have been very busy at home putting together a major project for us, namely, moving home. For those who know us well, you will understand why moving house is not a simple task as there are many restrictions in terms of what will work well with Helen. So we jumped at the chance to buy a house locally in East Dulwich that gave us what we needed - much more space, an amazing location, off-street parking as a future option, and most of all, we could just about afford it. Not everything was perfect but we knew it would be very difficult to have another opportunity like this in the future. Our offer was accepted and the last 2 months have been spent sorting out finances, works to be done, putting current house on a buy-to-let and so on. And then.....at the 11th hour as we are ready to exchange contracts we discover that we cannot get buildings insurance as there is concern about previous ground movement (as there is with most older properties in East Dulwich). We finally got hold of the seller's own insurance details at the end of last week but despite requests at the outset for them to get their insurer to investigate what had caused the movement, they have always refused, making it impossible now for us to get cover. And now, because of the delays we have been told that the seller is to take the property off the market, do some quick fix work and then look to re-sell again, presumably hoping that next time round it gets the all clear. For us it is a major disappointment, not to mention a small fortune spent on surveys, solicitors, and broking fees. So if anybody is out there looking for a mortgage at the moment I've got a couple going spare!

2007-07-04T08:58:00.000+01:00

FREE

SO MANY PRAYERS ANSWERED

2007-06-26T15:26:00.001+01:00

Many moons ago I heard a song called Bird in a Cage. I fell in love with it and started working out ideas in my head as to how it could be translated into a video - well time moves on and an expert on these things appears to have had similar ideas, only much better. The result can be found here . And nice to see a message on myspace from someone who saw the band play Greenbelt last year and loved them. All I need now are a few more thousand like that and maybe they could be a late entrant. Meanwhile it's back to sunny France and one of the major festivals (OK 100,000 is small beer compared to Glastonbury, but seems like a lot of people to me).

2007-06-15T17:59:00.000+01:00

So what have I been doing over the last few days. Here's a clue or two....