What’s that? Godzilla was last week? Well never mind – I want to jump on that bandwagon anyway.
Here’s another item from my toy collection – an original Godzilla toy. This an official Godzilla that I picked up years ago in Toys’R’Us. I was about 24 at the time.
Godzilla stands about six inches tall, and is ready to stomp a mini Tokyo at any given moment.
I’ve not seen the new film yet, but the original is a classic – make sure you watch it.
Electric Eel Shock + Saltwater Injection
Thursday 1st May 2014
The Compass, Chester
Finally – Chester is building up a few venues to see some live music. Forget the joke that is Chester Rocks (LOLZ! etc), there is a light at the end of the tunnel. On a quiet Thursday night at the start of May, that light was Electric Eel Shock.
The Compass is an older pub/venue just outside the City centre, now reborn with a new name. I paid a measly £9 to get in and see three bands. Have a few drinks, rock out on a school night. What could be better?
The first band up were a local band in a pop punk vein. I have loads of Descendents and SNFU albums, but that whole Sum 41 thing ain’t my scene. The kids could play, but not on my shift.
Next up, we have another local band – Saltwater Injection. A two piece, you may be fooled into thinking White Stripes, before the noise starts. No chance – think more early Bleach-era Nirvana spitting out Black Flag covers, you’ll be more on the map. A great set, these guys are worth keeping an eye out for – Hardcore punk and a nice line in political scorn as well!
Funny thing about The Compass – upstairs is pretty small. And on this night at least, the back half of the room is closed off. So when Electric Eel Shock erupt onto the stage, it’s like having three tiny Japanese Metal demons go bananas in your living room. EES rock the place like they’re headlining Wembley Stadium – standing on monitors, waving the mic stands at the audience for sing alongs, throwing the horns. And the drummer is naked except for a sock to cover the family jewels. 
Musically, it’s Hard Rock/Heavy Metal in the traditional sense – some Maiden, some Lizzy, some AC/DC, a little G’n’R; with a liberal dash of punk energy. It’s all the classic rock bands you love in a new, crazy head-banging package. The only song I’m familiar with (“Goodbye Peach”) is nowhere to be heard, but no matter – there’s plenty of new rocking anthems to meet and greet.
The set includes a few covers: Electric Eel Shock’s takes on “Paranoid” and The Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”; plus The Wurzels’ classic “I am a Cider Drinker”! What the living fuck??!! Believe me, this song works!
Electric Eel Shock deliver one of the most bonkers – and fun – gigs I’ve seen in a long time. It’s full-on good time rock’n’roll. The audience love it, the band love it. Check out EES if you can, and if you’re in Chester – The Compass needs to be on your list of places to visit.
The Compass website is here.
Follow Electric Eel Shock on Facebook or follow them on Twitter: @eel_shock
And follow Saltwater Injection on Twitter: @SaltWaterInject
Evel Knievel Touring Exhibition
Although I don’t remember that much from the 1970’s, I remember the important stuff. Like the Six Million Dollar Man. And Starsky and Hutch. And Kojak, the Dukes of Hazzard, Raleigh Choppers, and Spangles. Oh, and some obscure film called Star Wars. I don’t remember Bowie, T.Rex, Zeppelin, Sabbath or the Pistols. Or skateboards – that would all come later.
One thing I do remember from those days was Evel Knievel. Mostly because my friend Justin had ALL of the Evel toys. He had the wind up stunt cycle, a rocket bike, even the very cool and fully equipped Scramble Van. The van had loads of tools inside to fix up Evel’s Harley Davidson stunt bike. I loved those toys (though I couldn’t be envious, I had plenty of Action Man and Star Wars stuff of my own).
Evel Knievel was an icon of my childhood, right through into the 80’s. I don’t even know if I saw any footage of him performing any of his stunts. I didn’t need to. The name Evel Knievel became another word for daring, for bravery, for facing fear. And despite the numerous crashes that the real Evel suffered, his name became a synonym for mastery of the most dangerous stunts – or obstacle – that anyone could face.
Evel Knievel was the ultimate in motorcycle stunt riders. More than that, he became a real life superhero – able to take on the most lethal challenge and survive.
A couple of years ago, whilst attending one of the Memorabilia events at Birmingham NEC, I was able to view some actual artifacts from Evel Knievel’s career. The Evel Knievel Exhibition was in town, so I was able to view the items first hand. Here are a few photos of the event.
The Evel Knievel website is here.
The White Bear, Mancot
Not too long ago, Mrs Platinum Al and I went for a meal at the White Bear in sunny Mancot. I should say “another meal”, as we’ve been there many times. Here’s a quick round up of our experience.
The White Bear is a great little village pub. There are numerous events throughout the week – every week – making it a lively, welcoming place. Drinks are affordable – no-one’s getting ripped off. The food is also affordable – but unlike many other local boozers, the grub manages to be damn good stuff.
Our starters were mushroom and brie bake (for her, you must know what I think about mushrooms by now); and chicken wings for me. Both great. The wings were tasty but no overkill on the spice, a commendable job. My only suggestion would be to provide a finger bowl for this, and other messy food such as ribs. 
Despite the pub being very busy on the evening we visited, the staff were very helpful and attentive. You can buy drinks at the bar, or one of the waiting staff can bring them over for you. They are battle hardened and ready to move tables and seats around, provide advice and attempt any task to help their customers.
The main courses were The Legendary Fish and Chips for her; and Kick Ass Chicken for moi. The fish and chips are indeed the stuff of legend: you get three substantial fish goujons plus chunky chips and good ol’ mushy peas. Highly recommended – I can speak from experience.
The Kick Ass chicken is not a pretend superhero. It is in fact a dish consisting of chicken and bacon topped with cheese, in a tangy barbecue sauce. What’s kick ass about that? I forgot to mention the JALAPENOS. Served with chips and peas, this meal is pleasantly spicy, but soon warms up. By the end, the Kick Ass chicken totally kicked my ass. But in an “I’ll be back for more next time” way.
For dessert, Mrs Platinum Al went for a brandy snap basket with ice cream and toffee sauce. I indulged in toblerone cheesecake – never before experienced, my mouth soon forgave me for the jalapenos.
Personally, I cannot believe how the White Bear manages to provide such excellent food – consistently, I might add – for a reasonable price. There’s plenty of choice on the menu, the surroundings are warm – I can’t recommend it highly enough. This is pub grub, done the right way – and so much better than the local rivals*. Good size portions, great taste – the White Bear ticks all the boxes.
Food Quest Test
The White Bear, Mancot Lane, Mancot, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2AH
01244 539077
The White Bear Facebook page is here.
The White Bear web page is here.
*Rhymes with Pubic Hair. You know the one.
A longboard is, for those who don’t know, a skateboard. A very long skateboard. It’s great for just cruising around on, carving, getting a little speed. Recently I went for a skate on my longboard, and hit shuffle on Ipodicus.
I was rewarded with the following soundtrack. The random tunes varied across numerous genres and kept surprising me as I rolled around.
There you go – some interesting choices from Ipodicus there. The highlight was Syd Dale, that is a tune!
If you’d like to read more about my longboard, you can check it out here.
A bit like bonus tracks when you buy a CD, here are a few unseen extra pics from my recent visit to Sci-Fi Weekender.
Plus, it’s Star Wars Day – and a few of these photos count as a tribute. May the 4th Be With You!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 