Black Country Communion @ The Civic halls, Wolverhampton. - 29.12.10

http://www.flickr.com/photos/midlandsrocks/sets/72157625578173373

Yearly round up to follow..

19.02.11
Well what happened to the yearly round-up?  It didnt happen, i'm afraid, mainly due to health reasons that I won't bore you with.  All I will say is; 2010, on the whole,  was a fantastic yuear for me on the gig tog point.. I got to see some fantastic bands, meet some wonderful people even made a little money, which is good.

Highlight of the year for me was "Black Country Communion" with "Eric Bibb" coming a very close second.. what a contrast.

Much thanks to Pete and the Midlands Rocks team who helped make 2010 such a great year.

And a special mention has to go to Mike for putting such a great little venue on my doorstep.. Of cours I'm talking about the Robin 2.  http://www.therobin.co.uk/

Bin men rant!

Yet again this lazy bunch of jokers can't be arsed to do thier job just because of a little snow!! 

Christ 20yrs ago I remember bin men wading through snow 2 foot deep carrying.. yes fucking "carrying" cast iron bins full of rubbish 200 yards to the bin wagon and then bringing it back again.. These days you have to leave the bin at the bottom of the drive, but make sure the lid is shut or they wont take it!  Apparently we have to save thier poor little legs from getting tired and make sure they don't have to bend thier backs picking up a little litter that may fall out.  And then to add insult to injury we have to play hunt the bin, cause the lazy fuckers can't be bothered to return it!!

I'm all for H&S at work, but these bin men and thier unions really take the piss..  at this rate we'll be emptying the bins ourselves..

IMO we should sack them all and replace them with polish workers.. at least the job will get done and done properly for a change..

rant over..

My Top 10 CD's for 2010

Eric Bibb – Bookers Guitar

Cradle of Filth – Darkly Darkly Venus Aversa

Black Country Communion – BCC

Black label Society - Order of the Black

Ozzy Osbourne – Scream

Revenant Dead – Two Evils

Alter Bridge – ABIII

Philip Sayce – Innerevolution

Robert Plant – Band of Joy 

Walter Trout – Common Ground

Black Country Communion.

Finally recieved official confirmation that I have a photo pass for the BCC gig on the 29th dec 2010.  To say that I'm quite extatic about this is an understatement..  makes up for the JB / NIA fubar earlier in the year..

The Pretty Reckless @The Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton - 15.12.10

Here we are last gig before christmas and I'm raring to go..

Francesqa

Francesqa were the surprise support for tonight’s gig, but to be honest I wish they’d tried surprising us with a block of  ‘Stinking Bishop' or maybe a little ‘Blue Stilton’.    I’d lost interest before the end of the first song and spent the rest of the set listening from the bar, as did so many others.. At best they are unimaginative and uninspiring, but they have developed the uncanny ability to make one tune sound exactly the same as next!  Typical diarrhetic Kerrang fodder for the mindless.   In case you missed the clue, I didn’t like them much!

http://www.myspace.com/francesqa

The Pretty Reckess

It would be very easy to take the route as so many others and dismiss ‘The Pretty Reckless’ fronted by ‘Gossip Girls’  ‘Taylor Momsen”  as just another promo stunt / spoilt Tv star playing rock bitch, without a second glance, but I’m a naïve old codger and will get pretty much anyone a chance to prove the all knowing news media wrong..

The lights go down after what seems to be an eternity after the Franthingies left the stage and this full house erupt as TM saunters onto the stage in typical rock chick garb singing “Does what I’m wearing shock you?”  Which itself receives more rapturous applause.. 

First song for those that don’t recognise that opening line is the Alanis Morissette feel “Light Me” which she performs amazingly well and is a great opening song.  This is followed by “since you’re gone” which gives her the chance to clearly demonstrate the raunchier side of her voice, which as we find during the night can be either sweet and innocent or just plain downright dirty, but in a good way.  It’s a mix of Morrissette, Pink, Courtney Love, Joan Jett and Madonna caressing your eardrums and nibbling on the nape of your neck whilst bathing in chocholate ice-cream.. its fucking heaven, but so so wrong at the same time.. 

As for this young lady herself, her command of the stage and stage presence is second to none.  She exudes confidence and no one else on stage has a chance to compete.  She has this audience eating out of the palm of her hands and they love it.

But its not all positive, fluffy clouds and white picket fencing.. Halfway into the night she covers Oasis’s ‘Supersonic’, which was fine until half way through they decide to go Muse and throw in a little of ‘Time is running out’!   Who’s fucking idea was that?  Whoever it was should be shot because the end result was bloody awful!   You just can’t mix Oasis and Muse, it’s like mixing a fine wine with meths fo fuck sake.. get a grip!!

So other than the Supersonic glitch the question remains; Can this girl actually sing and are we to take her seriously?   Well tonight Taylor put on an absolutely fantastic show and proved to this old codger that she has what it takes in abundance. There are certain people that are meant to act and others that are meant to sing,.. TM is of the later variety and it would be a sad day for female rock fronted bands she decided to follow the acting path. Marya Roxx eat your heart out...

Set list

Light Me up, Since You’re Gone, Zombie, Miss Nothing, Just Tonight, My Medicine, Like a Stone, Supersonic, Factory Girl.

Islands, Nothing Left to Lose & Make Me Wanna Die. 

http://www.theprettyreckless.com/