Biding time till I write up the next Halloween Horror Fest movie review, here’s five songs that stood out last week:
Bring Your Own Vinyl Day
Civic Hall, Connah’s Quay
Saturday 24th September 2016
It’s been a while since I wrote about a Bring Your Own Vinyl Night. What with holidays and other commitments, the Mold event has been a no go for me recently. Not to worry though – the fine people at VOD Music ecord fairs would come to the rescue!
The record fair organised in Connah’s Quay Civic Hall also hosted Halcyon Dreams, organisers of the very fine Bring Your Own Vinyl events. And this time, what with the timing of the record fair, this would be a day time event.
As I was at a record fair, I didn’t bring along any vinyl from my collection at home to play. Instead I decided to wing it and just spin a few discs that I bought on the day. This could be risky as I wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with the tracks.
I spent a long time perusing the various record stalls and making several purchases. Whilst this was going on, the Halcyon Dreams decks were spinning all manner of wondrous delights.
Eventually I took my place at the turn tables, and made a few quick decisions on what to play.
Talking Heads – Road to Nowhere
My first problem was following a 12″ of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Propellerheads. An absolute killer track. I went for “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads, from their “Little Creatures” LP. I’d been after some Talking Heads for a while, and this only cost me £3 for a nice copy. Great song – and I think I got away with the mix! The vocals at the start were a nice contrast, and soon one or two people seemed to be enjoying it. 
Next there was a brief gap in my set, as one of the dealers asked us to play one of his singles for a potential buyer. I think it was a group called The Jackson Sisters; early 70’s rare soul. The cost? £85. But I can attest to the fact that it was DAMN fine track: funky, danceable groove – if only I had the money myself!
Eddie Cochran – C’mon Everybody
I followed up the 85 quid 7″ single with one that cost me 50p. It was a re-issue from 1988 of the rockabilly classic, “C’mon Everybody” by Eddie Cochran. I thought this would add some variety to my planned set, in style and age. I remember becoming familiar with this song from the Sid Vicious cover, however Eddie’s version is superior. It’s a stone cold classic. I do love these 1980’s jean commercial promotional tie-ins, don’t you? Classic song for next to nowt.
Stormtroopers of Death – Kill Yourself
And so, how should I conclude the set? With a bit of egging on, I knew it had to be S.O.D. I’d just picked this up for a nice price – most expensive purchase of the day, but worth it – as it was on my vinyl wish list. Nasty thrash metal/hardcore with horrid lyrics (that I understand are a joke) – this Anthrax off shoot rounded off the set in scuzzy style. It was a bit of a shock, anyway.
So there you have it – a great day’s record buying and some awesome tracks. I’m already looking forward to the next Bring Your Own Vinyl Night!
You can check out the Halcyon Days blogspot here.
The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.
The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.
The VOD Music website is here.
And by that I mean the playlist is random, not the driving. OK?
Driving back from the North Wales coast recently, here are the random songs that were chosen by the iPod for forty minutes of the journey.
Forget using your super smart, internet enabled portable phone as a means of playing music. And forget iPods, too – sadly the swines at Apple have decided to sacrifice their master product, in order to concentrate on their vile mutant phone. My mate Greeny has a much better music playing machine than any of those.
Greeny has a jukebox.
The jukebox is named Florence. After Florence and the Machine, as she’s a machine, obviously. Florence stands proudly in the corner of the lounge, neither dominating the room or sitting back like a wall flower. But Florence has presence: when the lights are on and the tunes are spinning, you will be drawn magnetically to this wondrous device.
He’s been collecting 7 inch singles since he were a lad, has Greeny. Now Florence is a treasure trove packed full of delightful vinyl gems. There’s a wild variety of musical genres in Florence, spanning the decades. She’s regularly re-stocked and/or has the records switched out and replaced with others, keeping the music selection fresh and entrancing.
Florence holds around 84 records. Don’t forget that there’s a song on side A and B, so that’s a generous amount of music to enjoy.
It’s a lot of fun gathering around the jukebox in Greeny’s front room, with a few beers and spinning some records. I would love one of my own, one day – though they cost a few hundred quid, so it’s unlikely. I’m collecting a few cool 7 inch singles just in case, though…
Here’s a list of the records that are currently stocked inside Florence. Remember Greeny has to rotate the records, as he has far more than this! Which songs would you choose to play?
And if you’re interested, this jukebox is a Rowe AMI RI-3.
The tracks:
Repetitive, moi?
I love lists. These random playlists serve no purpose other than to remind me of music that’s buried away in my iTunes, waiting to be rediscovered. One song leads to another; one band creates a ripple effect leading to another needing to be heard again.
I was out on the longboard this time, on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I didn’t have long, however, before other commitments would tear me away. Here are a few songs chosen at random by my iPod as the skate soundtrack that day.
Well, two different Siouxsie and the Banshees tracks, from different albums, one after the other. Most strange. Great songs, though.
I remember really enjoying the Stones track; the Shirley Bassey number was a bit out of the blue. But then, random is what this game’s all about.
Till next time, groovers!
David Bowie
08.01.1947 – 10.01.2016
Unbelievable that my second blog post of 2016 is another in tribute to a musical hero who is no longer with us.
The recent passing of David Bowie caught us all off guard; I for one thought it was some cruel internet prank at first. Not so – a quick trawl of the internet confirmed the sad news.
Back around 1990, my uncle let me borrow a bunch of records from his collection – an absolute buzz for a music obsessive like me. There were records by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, The Stranglers, Devo and more. I saw a copy of “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, and asked if I could borrow that too. He kindly agreed and I made off with my temporary haul.
Right from the start, listening to the “Ziggy Stardust” album was something revolutionary. I knew I was hearing something special.
The reason I’d wanted to become more acquainted with Bowie’s work was the high regard some of my other favourite bands held him in, mostly due to his friendship and support of Iggy Pop. I was already a massive Stooges fan.
From “Ziggy Stardust” I continued exploring David Bowie’s considerable catalogue. Some songs were instants classics, some challenged me. All of it was worthwhile taking the time to investigate: classics from “Hunky Dory” and “Low” being favourites. All of those songs inspired me, and gave insight into how many artists of different genres had been inspired by his work.
In fact, the greatest legacy that Bowie’s work has left, for me at least, was that constant pioneering exploration. I was encouraged to expand my musical horizons and accompany Bowie on journeys into different sonic territories. It’s thanks to that spirit that I have the wide ranging taste in music that I have today.
Thank you, David Bowie, for taking us on your adventures in sound. I will continue to admire and study your legacy for years to come.
Bring Your Own Vinyl Night
Queen’s Head, Mold
Friday 4th December 2015
Unlike the last event, I didn’t have a theme for Bring Your Own Vinyl Night this time around. Just some tunes I fancied playing. I hadn’t even decided exactly what they would be till the show was on.
For anyone still uninitiated, the night is hosted in the Queen’s Head pub in Mold, North Wales. There are two turntables and each participant gets to play 15 minutes of whatever music they want, vinyl only.
I had myself a couple of beers and rattled out this selection:
Motorhead – Ace of Spades
When you buy your first Motorhead album, you know you’ve entered the world of grown up music. Big, nasty unapologetic rocking grown up music. A song that never gets old, I was introduced to “Ace of Spades” when the band performed it on the classic “University Challenge” episode of The Young Ones. It’s just a non-stop, joyous racket that simply will not stop or slow down for anyone. Absolute perfection. I played this in memory of drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, who sadly passed away recently.
The Vapors – Turning Japanese
A New Wave/Punk Rock classic, I was donated the brilliant “Turning Japanese” by a friend. Thank you, Simon. It was supposed to be part of a tribute set that I’m still working on. It was going to be hard to follow up the adrenaline rush of the previous song, The Vapors pulled it off here though. A great power pop song that kept the pace of the set nicely.
Dinosaur Jr. – Freak Scene
A slight fast forward to the late 1980’s for this next track. The first track on Dinosaur Jr.’s album “Bug”, this track nicely covers the appeal of early American alternative rock. Born out of punk and hardcore, with one foot in old Black Sabbath and one in jangly pop; Dinosaur Jr. constantly delight. Reminds me of my skateboarding youth.
Beastie Boys – Sabotage
I couldn’t decide which track to play last, so I let the audience choose the album. The Beastie Boys “Ill Communication” won hands down, and I chose “Sabotage” as the track to play. Another unrelenting monster of a song, “Sabotage” has a funky groove delivered with a rocking style. Again, a song I never tire of. Plus the Spike Jonze video, with it’s 70’s cop show homage, is a work of genius. It’s been over twenty years and I still want to dress up and play Sabotage Cops for a day.
My buddy Adam strode up to the decks next, and delivered another fine set. It went something like this:
Four top songs from Adam there, the Queen track was a load of fun and had me doing my world renowned Freddie Mercury impression. It was nice to hear a modern song on vinyl too, with the Ronson/Mars number.
Great night, great songs – well done all on another fine evening’s entertainment. I’m currently stumped what to play next time. I’ll work on it.
The Halcyon Dreams blog is here, where you can find listed (very helpfully) all of the songs played on the night.
The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.
The Damned
Thursday 17th September 2015
The Live Rooms, Chester
Hello, chums! How about another review of a musical concert? How about another review of a Damned musical concert? Very well, off we go…
It was my birthday on Saturday, so it was very kind of The Damned to play a gig on Thursday night for me. They are my favourite band, after all. Not many bands would go to all the trouble of playing for their number one fan in a nearby locale. I don’t know who invited all the other people who turned up, mind – wasn’t me. I hardly knew any of them.
The Damned sold out The Live Rooms in Chester, which is pretty impressive. The place was packed out with all manner of discerning music fans, and by golly those punk rock chaps put on a hell of a good show.
From the moment Captain Sensible uttered the immortal phrase “Ladies and Gentlemen, ‘Ow do”, I knew it would be a blinder. Straight off into “Love Song”, a rollicking locomotive of a song all about trainspotting. Then it was “Machine Gun Ettiquette” and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” – top tunes all, and the running order gave something of a clue as how things would develop set wise.
The evening was an almost chronological journey to the centre of the Damned, with tracks following from the Black Album, through Strawberries and onto their later 80’s catalogue. Until they messed that plan up by going back to the start with the always excellent “New Rose” and “Neat Neat Neat”. I defied my OCD and enjoyed the travelling back through time regardless.
The band were on excellent form, Dave Vanian in fine voice and Sensible throwing some amazing guitar noises around (“Ignite” is always mental). Pinch on drums and Stu on bass are in control and drive the machine ever onward. Monty was, of course, his usual crazy and lovable self; always entertaining and adding an extra dimension with his keyboard skills.
A couple of “firsts” for me tonight – I’ve never heard “Alone Again Or” performed live, or the totally amazing “Nasty”. This song was one of my earliest experiences of The Damned, when they roared through it on the Young Ones. Relegated to a B-side and rarely cropping up on compilations, I’d given up on hearing this one in the flesh. “Nasty” was dedicated to previous bass player Bryn Merrick, who had died recently.
Throw in another appearance of “Stranger on the Town” (see my last Damned review for how big a deal this is) and the song that kick started the whole fandom thing from my point of view, “Eloise”, and it was a quality set list. Not to mention punk rock classics such as “Disco Man” and “Smash It Up” – what a result!
Any complaints? Well there was no “Plan 9 Channel 7”, which is absolutely criminal. Nothing from the two most recent albums either, which is a bit worrying – there’s some great tunes on those records. The Live Rooms is a brilliant venue, but they seem a bit keen to send people home when they could’ve made a few quid more at the bar, if they’d kept it open half an hour. Strange.
All in all though, it was a fantastic night. The Damned threw me a very nice birthday party and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Wonder if they’re free same time next year?
Here’s The Damned’s website: http://www.officialdamned.com/
The Live Rooms web site is here.
You can read the set list for this gig here.
Here’s a link to my previous review of The Damned live: click me
R.I.P. Bryn Merrick
Madness + Chainska Brassika + By The Rivers
Saturday 11th July 2015
Rhyl Events Arena
You know I love Rhyl, right? Great place. Under rated. But that’s ‘cos most people don’t know where to find the cool stuff (Star Wars figures, comic books, skateboards, music, general paraphernalia). On Saturday 11th July, however, you couldn’t miss the cool stuff. It was right on the promenade, in front of the beach, at the Rhyl Events Arena.
And the cool stuff was legendary ska/80’s pop maestros Madness.
There have been a lot of rock and punk bands reviewed at the Virtual Hot Tub lately, so it’s about time for something a little different. Madness were probably the first band I was ever a fan of, back when I was just Bronze Al. They were the soundtrack of every school yard and summer holiday when I was a nipper. I’ve listened to them ever since.
A surprise visit for the band to Rhyl was a great opportunity to catch the band live.
After a few hours in a local Tiki bar, my compadres and me made our way to the Rhyl Events Arena. The venue was outdoor on the prom, with a stage set up right across form the town. 
Support bands By The Rivers and Chainska Brassika offered a warm welcome. Both bands were in a party mood playing variations on the ska/pop/reggae theme. Good musicianship and enthusiasm helped both bands reach out to the ever growing audience.
The rain held off for the evening and there was definitely a party atmosphere in the arena. By the time Madness arrived on stage, the good times were in full swing. The audience had obviously travelled from far and wide for this gig, and were keen to see the Nutty Boys in full force.
The first part of the set was a relaxed affair, with a few new numbers and lesser known tracks alternating the big hits. Step forward “Bed and Breakfast Man”, a lesser known song which should’ve been a single in the first place.
Rhyl lights up like in days gone by for the hit songs. We get “House of Fun”, “Baggy Trousers”, “Embarrassment”, “My Girl” – sparkling gems every one. It’s genuine pop classic after pop classic for the large part of the set. If only the funfair was still open, it would’ve been perfect. A fine way to reminisce of summer holidays past!
Madness give a great performance, punctuated with some banter and fun along the way. My personal highlight is hearing “Our House” – my absolute favourite Madness track. An obvious choice, I know – but I don’t care. 
The concert ends far too soon. A great night, thank you Madness for paying a trip to sunny Wales and gracing us with your eccentric pop genius.
And well done Rhyl. Let’s have more of it, shall we?
The Madness website is here.
The Rhyl Pavillion website is here.
My thanks to the Blazing Minds website, which I used to check some facts!
Toyah
Saturday 27th August 2014
The Tivoli, Buckley
It was Saturday night, live music on at the Tiv from alternative 80’s legend Toyah – where was everybody? The place was mostly empty!
Yes, it’s another live music review at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub – and this time we’re back to that old favourite, The Tivoli in Buckley.
I remember seeing Toyah Wilcox on Tiswas one Saturday morning, when I was about eight. I thought she was cool (and a bit cute). I’ve also seen Toyah live before at the Tiv, in the early 90’s when she appeared there with Girlschool. So I got to hear a few of Toyah’s hits in a rocked up style, along with some Girlschool tunes and some covers (I remember a bit of Zeppelin in the set).
And many of my Virtual Hot Tub pals will also be aware of the time last year at Birmingham NEC Memorabilia, where I met the star in question. She signed my old Official Toyah Annual and I grabbed a sneaky photo.
You can probably imagine that I was quite stoked to hear that Toyah would be performing just up the road in Buckley.
The date for the gig had been changed previously, so maybe this re-scheduling was to blame for the low turn out. The Tiv was about a quarter full, prompting Toyah herself to declare “It’s like playing a private party!” – she was far from disheartened. Toyah was in fine voice and full of energy, bouncing around on the stage. Between songs, there’s a brief introduction which really does make the whole gig a very intimate experience.
Obviously we get the established songs: “It’s a Mystery”, “I Want to be Free”, “Be Proud Be Loud Be Heard” and many more. Plus there are some welcome covers such as “Rebel Yell” and “These Boots Are Made for Walking”, which fit in really well with the more expected numbers. The band are also very impressive and the whole performance is professional, but down to earth.
It’s over far too soon. Despite a small audience, it was a great gig with a relaxed atmosphere.
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 