Wild Boys

Back on the bike today for a blustery ride in and a wind propelled ride home.

Audible give us a £10 voucher probably because we must be one of their best customers. If not, L is working on it.

Tonight we are out on the razz with Duran Duran, Seal (ugh) and the Bloom Twins. The Bloom Twins are Ukrainian twins which we would have to go very early to catch. They are probably more my thing than L’s, but then probably not musically, though they don’t look old enough to be out on their own.

We decide to turn up later and have more pre-gig dog time. So apologies to the twins but we did catch the end of Seal. I’m not a fan but I will say he was professional, amenable, popular and has a good voice. I just find him rather dull. Sorry mate. I was though impressed with the arena sound which was far better than the last time I was here, which bodes well for what is to come.

Duran Duran on the other hand are anything but dull. They open their set with ‘Paper Gods’, the title track from their latest album, and it’s an impressive opener played for effect with good visuals on the screen behind them. This is already far more glitzy than my usual gig nights.

After which they launch into a trio of crowd pleasers with ‘Wild Boys’, ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ and ‘A View To A Kill’ back to back. With the excellent ‘Come Undone’ following close behind you can’t help thinking that the band have perhaps shot their load (can I say that?) a bit too soon.

From this point onwards the band regularly dip into their 14^th and newest album, which again visits the electro-dance sound that they started experimenting with as long ago as 1988 on ‘Big Thing’. I’m not sure a lot of the audience were ready for that.

Some of the new album is very good although they perhaps didn’t play some of the most accessible stuff on it. Alongside the new material they play the likes of minor hit ‘I Don't Want Your Love’ from the aforementioned ‘Big Thing’, and a slightly obscure album track in ‘Love Voodoo’ from 1993’s ‘Wedding Album’ the album that rescued them from near obscurity and which contributes four tracks tonight, which is more than any other bar the new one.

Then there’s their bizarre version of Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel’s ‘White Lines (Don’t Do It)’ which they covered way back in 1995 to much derision and yet it still seems an integral part of their set ahead of their own material.

Clearly this is a band doing it for themselves as much as for the fans, a band who are not content to simply work the nostalgia circuit. They have some balls too, as it’s interesting to note they do not play either of their two UK number ones tonight. Oooo controversial.

They look good on it and at 57, Simon Le Bon’s voice is as good as ever, if not better. While Le Bon and bass player John Taylor bounce around the stage, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes hide behind their drums and keyboards respectively. Rhodes it has to be said plays the enigmatic keyboard wizard so well that all he needs is the toothbrush moustache (in white preferably) to complete the transformation into Ron Mael from Sparks.

When ‘Planet Earth’ arrives the crowd are back on more solid ground, this is followed by the brilliant ‘Ordinary World’ and their 2004 hit ‘(Reach Up for the) Sunrise’ which pays homage to ‘New Moon on Monday’ mid-song for no apparent reason.

As paper cannons shower the arena with confetti presumably delivered from the Paper Gods, the finale approaches where they blend three songs together. Starting with the all new ‘Danceophobia’, into the mid-career ‘Too Much Information’ before finally arriving at the oldie ‘Girls on Film’ before they leave the stage to rapturous applause.

Returning for an encore, Le Bon turns uncharacteristically serious for a moment. Explaining that the band had performed ‘Save A Prayer’ with the Eagles of Death Metal not long before the Bataclan shootings in Paris. The Eagles of Death Metal’s version is now re-released and all proceeds will go to good causes.

He then asks for everyone to turn the lights on on their mobile phones and wave them in the air. This is despite me screaming and pleading at him ‘no’, I hate that sort of thing! They then of course played the song itself before closing an entertaining evening on a more upbeat note with ‘Rio’.

(Friday 11^th December)

Hardened Campers

The night is blustery but hardly gale force. We've survived far worse, hardened campers that we are. It certainly doesn’t keep us awake nor blow the four of us into the next field.

In the morning, now that the rain has stopped, we take the dogs for a saunter around the area, then we supported the local economy at the Co-Op in Chapel Stile, the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley and have lunch in the Watermill Inn at Ings.

Then its home, down the M6, which is as eerily quiet as it was on the way up. 

(Sunday 15^th December)

She’ll Have To Go To Starbucks Like Everyone Else

Back to the grind today. Back at work and back on the bike. Which as its very blustery and the rain is driving into my face perhaps wasn’t the best of ideas but it was needed.

There are seven of us in work, which is more than usual. L says there’s just one of them, just herself... but her boss is due in later. She could always pop round for tea with the Nuns if she’s lonely.

L carefully plans her evening schedule of gym, dog walking, painting, knitting and reading... Then I offer to come to the gym and spoil it, totally stuffing up her schedule, forcing her to rearrange everything. All so I can do 5k on the treadmill. Which was predictably hard and boring, particularly after 30 miles on the bike today. I’m kind of inspired after reading about the training that Dave Millar put himself through in his book 'Racing Through The Dark' that I’ve started reading.



A Christmas present you know and I’m actually reading it, from a book, made of paper, not listening to it.

I also get to try out my new sport headphones, another Christmas present. Then I do 1k on the rower before I crawl to the coffee machine.

Back home our wi-fi is dipping in and out, coincidentally it appears that this only happens when Son is on his xbox, which is mysterious. Daughter is not happy, not that this is unusual. I thought this was maybe because she has to get several essays in for just after New Year but no it’s because she’s missing skyping her housemates. She’ll just have to go use the wi-fi at Starbucks like everyone else.

(Wednesday 28th December)

Playing Myself

Doggo is finally deemed fit enough to get a proper walk this morning, which must have been hell for L, what with three days worth of sniffs and wees to catch up on.

We lied about the collar. Doggo gets another day in it, much to MD’s disgust.

I’m on the bike and it's a bit blustery to say the least but it’s what I need, a bit of hard training as I’ve got that half marathon coming up and I can’t run far.

The weather is foul all afternoon, luckily just after we got back from our pub lunch, but fines up by the time I bike home.

L runs to Portland Leisure Centre where I’m playing squash and goes in the gym. I find out that my opponent has had to cancel at the last minute but only after I’ve paid of the court. So I play myself for half an hour before getting bored and heading off to meet L. Well at least I didn’t lose.

Tesco Watch. We decide to skip the pub and head home to open a bottle of wine instead but with the White Hart still shut we couldn’t have gone there for a curry anyway. I hope it doesn't stay shut too long. We know what happens to pubs that stay shut for longer than a couple of weeks. They become a Tesco and there isn't one for at least a quarter of a mile round there, so it's a distinct possibility.

(Thursday 6th October)