If we’re stuck on this ship and it’s sinking, Then we might as well have a parade

So, the Dropkick Murphy’s gig.  It was good.  I misread the times on the ticket, so I missed most of the opening act, Jesse Ahern, but what I saw was good.  The second act, The Rumjacks, were also good.  Pennywise were excellent.  I saw a bit of them at Slam Dunk and I wish now I had stuck around for the full set.

The Dropkick Murphy’s were excellent.  They kicked off the set with The Boys Are Back and the energy didn’t drop.  I got a few fist bumps from Ken Casey, got hit in the back of the head by three different crowd surfers and had a guy basically climbing all over me for half the set.  It was fucking great.

What wasn’t great was the prices at the venue.  £7 for a pint of bad lager and £4 per item in the roped off bit of the bar they called a cloakroom.

Monday was the Frank Turner gig.  Somehow, in the five minute walk from the pub to the venue, I managed to lose my ticket.  Thankfully, the door staff accepted me showing them in my See Tickets account that I did have a ticket and let me in.  but going back over my route looking for the ticket made me miss most of the opening act, the Wilswood Buoys, but the bit I did see was good.  The second act were The Lottery Winners, who were fantastic and, surprisingly, very funny.  Really enjoyed their set and seriously considering getting tickets for their gig in Middlesbrough.

Then it was time for Frank.  He did  not disappoint.  Absolutely on top form. There was one highlight for me in particular.

The first Frank Turner song I ever heard was Thatcher Fucked the Kids:

It’s always been one of my favourite songs of his, but I thought I would never get to hear him perform it live.  He doesn’t like doing so, for a few reasons.

Then, he started singing it at some of the gigs on his last tour, though not when I saw him in Aberdeen.  So, there was a chance.

During his solo set, he went on a rant about how bad the government is, then performed Thatcher.  He followed it up with Love, Ire and Song (which is where the entry title comes from).

After the gig, I got his autograph and a picture with him:

And there was an added bonus.  When I saw Frank in October, I didn’t have the money for a tour t shirt.  They were selling them on this tour, so I got one.

Next gig is Tubular Bells in a couple of weeks.

I’ve been having fun adding colour to more black and white photos:

Think I’m getting better at it.

Met up with Kev and Nikki last weekend.  It was fun and a much needed catch up.

Will