Thicker Than Water

H2O have been one of my favourite bands for years, so finding out they were playing in Leeds only eight days before was quite baffling. Why hadn’t I known about it for months?

Uke-ouldn't Make It Up

I decided I wanted to play the ukulele after seeing a band called The Pukes at Rebellion Festival in Blackpool last year. It may sound odd, but they're a group of around 20 people - mostly girls - who play punk covers on ukes. Look them up on YouTube; you won't regret it.

Fighting To Succeed

Another trip to Manchester was required to see metalcore titans, Hatebreed. Why do so many bands not bother with this side of The Pennines anymore?

Sing Along Forever

It wasn’t the warmest evening, so when I arrived at The Cockpit in Leeds I was glad to get indoors and out of the cold. Or so I thought. It was actually colder in the venue than it was outside. It’s safe to say that the only other building in the world which is colder than this is a Swedish ice hotel.

I'm Shipping Up To Manchester

Deciding to go and see Dropkick Murphys in Manchester less than a week before they were due to play there was perhaps a bit impulsive. It was by no means crazy, though. What was crazy was using fly-by-night, brewery-piss-up-failure experts See Tickets to secure a, err, ticket for the event. The ticket was “sent” immediately and should have arrived in plenty of time. It didn’t, so I contacted them and they said one would be left for me at the box office.

2012 Review

“Why haven’t you posted anything on your blog for months?” “When is there going to be something new to read on your blog?” “Aren’t you the bloke who was in 2 episodes of Albion Market?” These are just a few of the questions I’m constantly not being asked when I’m out and about.

Keepers of the Faith

Brudenell Social Club is perhaps not the easiest venue to find. I took the train from Leeds to Burley Park and emerged into a post-apocalyptic landscape inhabited by cockroaches, students and menacing-looking small business owners. Nobody seemed to know where the venue was and even Google Maps was reluctant to help me navigate the mean streets.