To Nottingjam

I’m woken at 3.30am by a painful muscle spasm. That’s the trouble with getting older, nothing works as well as it used to. I wonder if any of the other people attending tonight’s concert are awake. Later we will be headed for the Rescue Rooms to see Justin Currie. In this way we are all connected, the threads of our lives will, by tonight, be collectively interwoven into a blanket of heads and cameras for our lord and master to strut and fret over.

The torment in my leg subsides as quickly as its arrival but the muscle nervously remembers. Other parts of my body are tensed, poised for a repetition. It seems hours before slumber returns.

The day passes. I check Facebreak every so often for Justin’s latest blog entry, he’s put one up nearly every day of this tour. “To Preston” hasn’t put in an appearance yet. 

I do some exercises the physio gave me to try to stop the muscle spasms. From the bedroom floor, I notice a ceiling beam looks like a guillotine threateningly pointed straight at my neck. I shift out of its way to get on with some ironing. As the creases are exterminated, I listen forlornly to Lower Reaches. When we saw JC and the Pallbearers in May, they only did one song from it. A recent interview reveals his friends didn’t like it. Fools. It is dark and deep, savage and furious. Recorded out of his usual comfort zone, the percussion sounds crisper; perhaps his friends are all drummers. I edit each song against my own life story, metaphors dodge out of reach, signifying everything and nothing. 

Last time MTM and I travelled the hour’s drive to Nottingjam, we had tickets to see a band at the Bodega. The city’s roads have been abused and bullied into one way systems to make way for trams. Everything we thought we knew about the place was gone, routes blocked by No Entry signs. Our usual car park was full. Unable to find our way to a car park near the venue and running out of time and patience, a fourth ride around the merry go round we were squeezed into broke our resolve; with a howl of frustration we retreated with our tickets unused. 

It will be worse this time, yet more redevelopment has permanently closed the Broadmarsh car park. Failure to make the venue this time Is . Not . An . Option.  This is Justin Currie and I must see him.

This time we have a strategy, car parking has been identified close to the venue and advance parking buys our peace of mind. Middle aged couple with a plan, make way you there, we have a VIP reservation. 

Finally got to see Rival Sons ... big thanks to Rock City, Nottingham!

Remember how we missed seeing Rival Sons at the Leadmill last year cos I hurt my leg and couldn't go (thanks to mate, Steve for permission to use one of his pictures). Well, luckily for us, they're in the UK at the moment, we got tickets for their gig at Rock City and that's where we were last night.

Thanks to Steve again for one of his pictures, just look at those Orange amps, MTM says he hasn't seen any like those since the 70s. Apparently they don't make them any more, goodness knows where a relatively new band like Rival Sons got them from, they must've been scouring secondhand shops and Ebay for years! MTM says they're well known to provide fantastic reverb on the backline and he wants to know if they're 1975 vintage twin Mark IIs (made in Huddersfield I'm told).

The guitarist, Scott Holiday got a great sound out of them, lots of reverb and distortion. During Open My Eyes it sounded like Tommy Bolin was reincarnated. Manifest Destiny is a masterpiece and a great showpiece for Scott's guitar. As big Robin Trower fans, both MTM and I could hear Bridge of Sighs but Scott has invented a blues guitar sound that's exclusively his own.

Jay Buchanan, the lead singer, WHAT a voice and stage presence, he's just mesmerising, he sings like someone has cast a spell on him; very very focused. His performance was brilliant. Definitely a unique talent but I hope he won't mind if I briefly mention some comparisons which came to mind ... Michael Hutchence (INXS) for stagecraft and physical appearance and Jim Morrison (Doors) for sheer charisma ... in fact imagine every great frontman to a band and then know that, in my opinion, this guy is as good, if not better, than any of them.

I was a little concerned before we went along because I read a couple of negative reviews of their Liverpool show but I needn't've worried, They were on stage for two hours and rocked Rock City to the rafters. One of the best gigs I've been to by a bunch of exceedingly cool dudes. When we got home, we were too wired to sleep and so we drank wine, played their albums and relived the concert into the early hours.

I love the fact that Jay says "Nottingham" exactly the same way as Darren on Planet Rock does when he does the Travel and Traffic report. Us Brits pronounce it "Notting-um" Americans say it the same way it's written so that final syllable is "ham". I love an American accent particularly when they're saying British place names, it makes us sound more exotic than we actually are!

I know the band can't see the audience unless the lights are up but I swear Jay made eye contact with me personally on at least 5 different occasions, such a thrill!

My own three word review (more of that later) for Rival Sons' performance  at Rock City is:
"Exceeded all expectations"

MTM's three word review:
"Dangerous, edgy, primeaval"

A quick shout out to the London Souls who supported, a guitarist who looks a bit like Jimi Hendrix and a drummer. Amazing sound from just two guys with some really well crafted songs. Definitely want to hear more from them!

Due to my leg episode, it was nearly a year since I last went to a gig but we also got to see Robin Trower at the Engine Shed, Lincoln only last week. You don't go to a gig for months and then two favourite bands come along in a fortnight!

The Robin Trower concert was a real treat, we'd got our tickets as soon as they were issued, then a few weeks later, it was announced that Joanne Shaw Taylor would be supporting him and we couldn't believe our luck - a double bill so far as we were concerned. Joanne played for around three quarters of an hour; she did a fabulous set, we really want to see her separately to experience a full a set so that's on the wish list next time she's headlining anywhere near us. I even got Joanne Shaw Taylor's autograph on my ticket as she was selling merchandise on her table herself.

Robin was of course, also absolutely brilliant. We worked out that it's 35 years since we last saw him live, in fact Robin Trower, Leeds Uni in 1980 was the first gig that MTM and I went to together, the Victims of the Fury tour when the wonderful James Dewar was still alive. It was so nice to complete the circle but I'd like to think Robin (despite having just turned 70) will tour a few more years and we'll get the opportunity to see him again soon. A fantastic night out.

A couple of days after we saw Robin and Joanne, my favourite Planet Rock presenter, Darren Redick asked on their Facebook page for a three word review of any concerts we'd been to during the weekend so I added mine "Fabulous Blues Pairing", he read it out on air and said he could believe it was, I was so proud!